"Crackle crackle~"
The dry branches and wood in the campfire burned, making crackling sounds.
For a moment.
Allen was lost in deep thought, completely oblivious. Vesemir heard the vivid loud roar, yet found it a bit awkward. It reminded him of standing by the lake at Kaer Morhen, demonstrating the results of his "Croak Croak Croak" Ice Spear training to the other master witchers of the Wolf School.
"Ahem~" The witcher master cleared his throat gently and said cautiously.
"Could it just be the death throes of a dying monster?"
Allen didn't think so.
As the flames burning the monster's body shifted from green to orange, the anger and envy towards the living in its single eye—the emotions typical of common wraith-like beings—had clearly disappeared.
In their place were confusion and an intense yearning, even…
The witcher carefully considered that final look.
It even seemed to carry a hint of redemption.
For such complex emotions to be conveyed with just a single eye, how could the desperate cry at that moment be merely a meaningless death rattle?
"It must have been trying to tell me something, I just couldn't understand it," the witcher was certain.
Vesemir didn't understand Allen's inner conflict, but seeing his conviction, he became serious and was about to focus on analyzing it.
"Whoosh~"
A flash of green light suddenly appeared beside the witcher master.
"Ah~"
The eerie scream sounded as Vesemir skillfully transformed it into green fireworks.
"No need to think about it," the witcher master patted Allen's shoulder. "Although I don't know what kind of creature this wraith was, it was likely a sorcerer killed during the Falka Rebellion, who did something strange to his body and soul…"
"Even if there was some hidden meaning in that creature's final cry, it's probably just some words of regret or hatred."
"Let's focus on solving Ellander's problem for now; we can deal with the rest later…"
The witcher nodded at these words.
Although the disturbance from the Conjunction of the Spheres was too minor, causing Vesemir to misunderstand the origin of the monster. But he was right.
Protecting Ellander was the priority now.
As for that strange last message…
The "Hunt Task: Wraith I" was completed, unlocking a Conjunction leading to some Wraith World, and at worst, there was always the "Hunt Task: Wraith II"...
As long as the issue of the Wild Hunt was resolved, there would be an opportunity.
Once the Wild Hunt was taken care of…
"Easier said than done…"
Thinking this, the witcher shook his head and sighed. He looked deeply at Ellander, where flames blazed in the distance. Then his gaze shifted down.
Since the one-eyed monster was dead, apart from the wraiths drifting close to him, most of the others had already started moving sluggishly back. Continuing at a slow, unyielding pace, they drifted toward Ellander.
It must be said.
Although Allen only took a few minutes to dispatch the one-eyed monster. Its final cry had bought them and Ellander some precious time. Those wraiths had almost drifted back to the positions they were in when they first appeared.
The once-pressing time felt significantly more ample.
As Allen observed the battle, he retrieved a bottle of White Honey and Cat's Eye from his reagent bag.
He drank them in order.
Immediately.
His rapidly beating heart and the throbbing pain in his temples subsided.
Just then.
"Boom~"
A blast echoed.
A blinding fire flared up at the edge of the green wave of creatures.
About seventy or eighty meters from where Allen and Vesemir stood, a burning area roughly two meters wide had appeared. It seemed intended to stop the wraith horde from advancing toward them.
"Ah—"
The wraiths within the burning area screamed loudly, but their pace didn't slow much; most notably, none turned into green fire and disappeared. The most affected wraith only appeared slightly more transparent.
"Allen!"
A worried shout came with the hurried sound of hooves. The witcher turned toward the sound.
"Thud~"
Before the horse even fully stopped.
In the flickering firelight, a petite figure was already trying to dismount. But, unsteady, her hands seemed to lose their grip.
"Ah~"
With a yelp, the figure toppled down. The witcher, now with heightened senses from the Cat's Eye potion, swiftly stepped forward, catching her. A soft, warm body fell into his arms. The scent of citrus instantly chased away the stench of the wraiths.
"Why did you come here? Do you know how dange—"
Allen gently set Mary down, wanting to scold her a bit. But by the firelight, he saw her face close to his, pale and covered in a fine sheen of sweat. The words of reproach died in his throat.
He recognized the spell just cast.
It was a Flame Burst.
The most powerful, and simultaneously, the most painful and dangerous fire magic.
Without deep mastery over fire magic, fire spells not only bring immense pain but can even put the caster at risk of self-immolation.
Mary, who had only been learning fire magic for less than a month, could not possibly have deep mastery over fire mana.
Toward a girl who, ignoring her own life and enduring excruciating pain, came to save you…
Who could bear to scold her?
"I'll go inform the Monster hunting army and the knight guard of your safety… They're almost engaging the wraiths."
Vesemir gave them a sly smile before heading off toward Allen's nearby horse.
This made Mary's pale, sickly face flush with a deep red. But she didn't let go of her arms; instead, she rested her cheek on the witcher's chest, holding him even tighter. As if afraid she would lose him the moment she let go.
"Uh~" Vesemir, returning on horseback, hesitated for a second, saying softly, "Hurry up, there'll be plenty of time after all this…"
Without waiting for a reply, he swiftly dispatched the few nearby wraiths, then galloped toward the knight guards and Monster Hunting army.
Vesemir's words made Mary release her grip instantly. Her entire face turned a fiery red.
"I'll take you back first."
The witcher mounted Mary's horse, extending a hand to pull her up.
"Sorry!" she whispered once seated.
The witcher chuckled at the citrus scent, shaking his head. "You did nothing wrong."
"But next time, have a little more faith in me."
"Mm." She nodded shyly, "I understand."
--------------------
"May King!"
"May Queen!"
As the witcher brought Mary back to the arcane ritual, the returning Hunt Legion greeted them like they were celebrating a true king and queen of May. This left Allen bewildered, unsure of how to respond.
Mary blushed red all over.
Wherever their skin met, her smooth, tender skin was as warm as embers.
Upon reaching their destination, Mary dismounted immediately, avoiding even a glance at Allen as she rushed to the circle of the magic ritual, staring intently at its triangular structure.
Watching her, Allen couldn't help but find it amusing. Sometimes she was bold and fiery, like flames that could melt steel, and other times she became shy and reserved, like a sensitive plant.
Mary was a good girl, but…
Thinking of the hostility from some of the nobles of Kaedwen, the Ban Ard sorcerers, and the ever-present threat of the Wild Hunt lobbing explosives from above, the Witcher sighed.
"This world, full of danger..."
"When will there ever be peace?"
At that moment, the rhythmic sound of hoofbeats interrupted his musings. Allen turned his head and saw Vesemir approaching, with the royal guards riding behind him. When Vesemir drew close, Allen's eyes questioned him.
Vesemir glanced back and explained, "Although the wraiths drifted far from Ellander because of the roar of the one-eyed monster, they're now less inclined to chase us… the guards no longer hold their interest."
Allen understood immediately. The aggro of the wraith horde had been reset. Without specter oil, the royal guards couldn't attract enough wraiths to engage them.
"The Order still has some specter oil; we can continue fighting…"
"That's right. Just give us a flask, and we can keep fighting those damn monsters…"
While Vesemir's words were tactful, the royal guards could hear the implication that they were no longer useful, and they clamored to return to battle. Even the officer, Arthur, looked at Vesemir with determination, allowing his soldiers' enthusiasm to show.
"There's no need!" Vesemir interrupted, expressionless.
He looked back at the wraith horde, estimating the distance, then glanced at Vera's nearly overflowing ritual circle.
"Lady Vera's ritual will be complete soon. Allen and I can handle this."
"But Allen…" Arthur hesitated, thinking of the towering one-eyed monster and casting a respectful glance at the Witcher. "Isn't Master Allen still worn from the last battle? Can he manage?"
Vesemir looked to Allen for confirmation. Allen nodded. "Don't worry, I'm unharmed."
Not only unharmed, he hadn't even felt the thrill of a true battle. Balmor was formidable, yet Allen only needed three strikes to defeat the unnamed one-eyed monster. Following the red footprints of the Monster Hunt, the whole encounter had taken less than five minutes.
And then…
Allen's gaze shifted to the side.
[Monster Hunt Quest: Wraiths II (Kill Wraiths 0/300)]
Since the encounter with the one-eyed creature, he'd felt an inexplicable pull to its final roar, feeling there was something important in its last words.
If the Conjunction of Spheres didn't summon another similar creature, he'd need to hunt Wraiths patiently. Wraiths weren't easy to find, after all, so he had to take advantage of this opportunity.
"But with so many wraiths, it's still too dangerous for just the two of you!" Arthur urged.
The royal guards echoed his words.
Vesemir pulled his reins to realign his horse and waved his hand dismissively.
"Night isn't your battlefield. Too many have died already; no need for unnecessary sacrifices."
Allen nudged his horse forward to align with the Witcher Master, looking at the royal guards and letting out a sigh. Vesemir was right.
Though they hadn't done an exact count, there were now a third fewer royal guards than before. This meant at least fifty had perished in the recent fight, mostly falling due to the treacherous terrain and the dark.
The royal guards glanced at one another, their morale dampened.
Those comrades-in-arms they had once trained and shared complaints with over watered-down milk at breakfast, and bemoaned the cancellation of their annual May Festival leave… were now gone forever.
Arthur's face flushed, yet he spoke passionately. "Their sacrifice was noble, righteous, and honorable… They protected their homeland from these monsters, defending their families and lord…"
"In the Golden Hall of the Holy Kingdom, they'll have goblets of fine wine poured for them!"
"They'll watch over us, our honor and shame, our courage and fear, our triumphs and defeats…"
"But hiding behind children and allies…" he glanced at Allen with renewed resolve. He hesitated slightly before continuing. "That's disgraceful. Our fallen comrades, our lords, and our families would be shamed…"
Allen, catching the word "children," glanced over at Arthur.
The implication that Allen was the child in question lingered, unspoken but clear.
"To die with honor in battle!" cried the knights. Even Vesemir, usually indifferent, sat straighter in his saddle, inspired.
Arthur's speech stirred them, making Vesemir clench his reins and Allen feel a surge of battle lust. He wanted to cut something down. At that moment, a cool female voice cut through the heated atmosphere.
"Knights, Witchers…"
"Could you kindly… step aside…"
....
📢20 advanced chapters on p@treaon📢
For advance chapters: p@treon.com/Uchiha_Itachi007 (replace @ with a)
280. Settlement of the One-Eyed Wraith Extermination Rewards.
281. Ellander's Funeral.
282. A Commission of One Oren.
283. Divine Dreamwalking.
284. Unboxing.