"Mary!"
When Allen looked up and saw who it was, he froze for a moment, feeling a sudden jolt in his chest. He suddenly remembered that Mary had asked him yesterday to plead with Vera on her behalf. Seeing the girl storming over angrily, Allen thought, 'This can't be good.'
'Did Vera punish her yesterday, and now she's here to cause trouble for me?'
'Damn it! I shouldn't have lingered here.'
When you're feeling down, trouble really does seem to find you. But since he'd promised to help and hadn't followed through, Allen took a deep breath, ready to apologize first: "Mary, about yesterday, I—"
But just as Mary stormed over, she stopped in front of him, took his hands in hers, and said excitedly: "Allen, you're amazing!"
'Huh?'
'Amazing?'
Allen was taken aback, noticing the genuine joy on Mary's face. Curiously, he asked, "What happened?"
"Hehehe~" Mary giggled with excitement, her sparkling eyes brimming with happiness. "Lady Vera didn't punish me. What did you say to her yesterday to calm her down so quickly?"
"When those apprentices at the fortress gates were yelling…"
Mary paused, looking cautiously around the staircase to make sure no one was nearby. Then, she whispered,"…uh… calling her the 'evil old witch,' Lady Vera looked so furious that I thought she was going to use a leech transformation curse on us and those apprentices…"
"Don't talk nonsense!" Allen shook his head. "Lady Vera would never do that."
Mary leaned back, giving him a look that said, 'You're still too young and inexperienced.'
Yet she kept glancing around, as if she were half-expecting an orange portal to appear out of nowhere. Then, she clutched Allen's hands again and, in a sweet voice, coaxed: "Come on, tell me, Blue Death, Drowner Slayer, honorable Knight Allen…"
"What did you say to Lady Vera yesterday to plead for me?"
Hearing her playful tone, catching a faint scent of oranges in the air, and feeling her soft hands against his, Allen shivered slightly, instinctively stepping back.
'Good grief!'
What was up with Mary today?
Curious, Allen wanted to ask why she was talking like this. But seeing his reflection in her bright eyes, he suddenly recalled the hazy memories of the May Day parade. His mouth felt dry.
He thought about asking, but… it felt impossible to find the right words.
After taking a deep breath and setting aside those thoughts, he tried to recall yesterday. He didn't feel that he'd played much of a role, so he simply asked: "What did Lady Vera say after she got back?"
Mary, noticing Allen's retreat, stiffened slightly, looking a bit embarrassed as she released his hands and brushed a strand of hair from her forehead.
"Uh… she didn't say anything. After I returned last night, Vera stayed in her room."
"I was so anxious that I couldn't sleep all night, but this morning, she acted as if nothing had happened, assigned me to tutor Yennefer, and left the alchemy room early."
"Where did she go?" Allen asked curiously.
"How would I know…" Mary huffed, shaking her head, but she explained nonetheless, "She left through a portal, but judging by its intensity, it was probably a short-distance teleportation within the Fortress…"
"You've asked so many questions, but you still haven't told me how you pleaded for me!"
Hearing this, Allen looked into her bright, shimmering eyes and paused.
He'd initially intended to describe his plan from the previous day and take credit, hoping to ask Mary to help teach him more about potions and skills for the apprentices.
But now…
Looking into Mary's eyes, Allen fell silent for a moment before quietly saying, "I don't think it has much to do with me."
Then, he slowly recounted his conversation with Lady Vera, about "aging," "death," and "parting"… no… it was more of Vera's one-sided confessions.
As he spoke, he watched Mary's anger subside and saw her gaze at him thoughtfully, an unusual complexity in her eyes, before she sighed.
"So Lady Vera's change might not have much to do with me…" Allen paused, then sincerely asked, "She might be in a bad mood lately. Could you try to comfort her?"
Mary bowed her head in thought for a long time, then looked up, meeting Allen's gaze.
"I'll try." Her tone sounded serious yet slightly disappointed. "But… maybe you're the best person to comfort her."
Allen didn't deny her words, considering them for a few seconds before saying, "I'm going to be quite busy, but I'll find time to check in on her."
With that, an odd silence fell between them.
For a long time, as dusk settled, the tower grew darker.
Whoosh~
It was like Allen suddenly snapped back to reality, casting an Igni sign to light a candle beside him. Seeing the two shadows on the floor, just barely touching, Mary suddenly asked: "Is there anything I can do?"
Allen blinked a few times before answering straightforwardly, "Continue helping me teach the apprentices about bombs, blade oils, potions, and spells."
Mary nodded softly.
Another moment of silence passed.
"So… I'm off, then?" Allen asked.
"Mm." Mary nodded slightly. "I have to go to the castle hall. Yennefer wants some stew."
Hearing this, Allen hesitated, then, without further questions, headed for the top floor. But before he had taken a few steps up, he heard a long sigh from behind. The Witcher froze, his shoulders stiffening.
But that was all; he merely froze for a moment before moving on, as if he hadn't heard a thing, disappearing into the candlelight, venturing alone into the deepest darkness.
--------------------------
Thud
The wooden door closed.
Mary, having just lifted a small stool from the doorway, turned and saw a small figure emerging from the inner room.
It was Yennefer.
But for some reason, even in the alchemy room, she was still wearing that veil of black cloth over her face.
"Sister Mary, where did you just go? I thought I heard Allen's voice," Yennefer asked.
"Nowhere, just ran into him by chance," Mary replied, shaking her head, avoiding eye contact as she changed the subject, "Yenne, have you finished aiming your etching sketches? What do you want for dinner?"
"Almost done." Yennefer glanced at the tightly closed door, her disappointment evident as she shook her head and removed the black cloth. "I'll eat whatever."
Mary nodded, asking nothing more. She made small talk with Yennefer for a while, urging her to return to her studies. Then Mary placed the stool back in front of an alchemy table.
Afterward…
Mary didn't hurry to prepare dinner for the two of them.
Instead, she slowly sat down, resting her right arm on the alchemy table and supporting her chin with her fair right hand.
An exquisitely decorated book lay open, just beside her slightly reddened elbow.
Its fine chiffon pages were neatly arranged and elegantly formatted.
In the margins, there were many small handwritten notes, like someone had been studying it meticulously, leaving notes on each page.
Terms like "acting coy," "tone," "gaze angle"...
On closer inspection, she seemed as serious as if she were taking notes for textbooks like Alchemy, Monsterology, or Ritual Studies.
Bang~
The book was slammed shut.
Under the flickering candlelight, the title written in Aretuza Witch script and outlined in gold gleamed from the book's cover: How a Magical Lady Should Cleverly "Charm" a Handsome Gentleman.
"Totally useless!"
Mary muttered softly, pushing the book aside, resting her chin in her hands, and gazing out the window.
Outside, not a single star was visible; above the pitch-black peaks, only a solitary full moon hung proudly at the unreachable edge of the sky.
Staring at the scene, her slender eyebrows furrowed tighter, as if she were thinking of someone or seething at someone in particular.
"Completely... useless." She murmured.
-------------------------
Clink~
After gently closing the door, Allen didn't immediately light the lamps in the room.
The terrace door was tightly shut. The spacious room was enveloped in thick darkness, which made Allen feel oddly at ease. Leaning against the wooden door, he emptied his mind and stared blankly upward.
After a while, he let out a deep breath, opened the 'Witcher's Journal' with his mind, and began the routine he had planned for the night.
[Name: Berserk]
[Type: Beast Roar]
[Learning Requirements: Beast Roar Novice]
[Passive Effects: By regularly maintaining the "Beast Roar: Berserk" power mode, you can...
1. Gradually enhance strength, agility, and constitution attributes.
2. Increase the casting speed of "Beast Roar: Berserk" by 50%.
3. Strengthen the roar intensity and effect range of "Beast Roar: Berserk" by 20%.]
---------------------
Though only two days had passed, Allen had already gained some understanding of this unusual skill tree. It differed from special skills and regular skills, not just in the fact that it couldn't be leveled up.
Generally speaking,
No matter what skill one acquires or upgrades, it's basically instant "omniscience," like the Cat School two-handed sword.
Upon acquiring this skill, even if Allen had never trained in it before, he instinctively knew all the techniques included in Cat School Two-Handed Sword LV1.
The physical constitution would also be modified the instant a skill was acquired or upgraded, allowing him to fully unleash the power of the Cat School two-handed sword. So, at the moment of acquiring and upgrading the skill, Allen could immediately use it on the spot, without feeling awkward about the sudden increase in strength.
It was as if he had trained rigorously for countless hours in that brief instant.
However, the Way of the Beast Roar was not like that.
For skills like [Beast Roar: Berserk] or [Beast Roar: Voice of Nature], upon obtaining these, Allen only learned the flow of power—how to release Berserk and the Voice of Nature.
How to maintain the passive state of both.
Everything else was unknown, even less than what was displayed on the skill panel itself.
It was like a math class that only taught theorems and formulas without solving examples, leaving you with a few tricks and expecting you to tackle the homework on your own.
When encountering problems, it wasn't that they couldn't be solved. However, learning the techniques to best utilize the "theorem" and "formula" required trial, error, and personal reflection.
So far...
How to control the duration of [Beast Roar: Berserk], expand its range, and distinguish between allies and enemies...
Allen's understanding of it was still vague.
Thus, while the Way of the Beast Roar was incredibly powerful, in practical application, it wasn't as convenient as the other skills Allen acquired that were ready to use upon unlocking or upgrading.
However, thinking from another perspective...
"Since even the 'Witcher's Journal' cannot upgrade or increase proficiency, the essence of the Way of the Beast Roar may belong to a different tier than other skills."
"Therefore, its upper limit should be much higher than that of regular skills."
"It's just unclear how much higher or how effective it would be against the Wild Hunt…"
After pondering it for a moment, Allen began practicing following the energy flow of [Beast Roar: Berserk].
Thump~
Thump~
His heartbeat pulsed in a distinctive rhythm.
Just like the symbol on the Beast Roar skill tree, the origin of all Beast Roar power resided in the heart.
In a split second,
Flecks of gold appeared within his blood, as though golden dust was mixed within.
And when these "golden flecks" emerged, his blood, which had been surging like a river, suddenly felt "heavy," as if it had turned to a column of mercury.
Then,
The unique mutated organ near his heart, exclusive to witchers, began to tremble as it was affected.
A blend of blue, red, brown, and green magical energies mixed and, the instant they merged with the blood, the "golden flecks" surged upward, carrying the magic through an unknown pathway within Allen's body, swiftly shooting towards his witcher's vocal cords.
The tremendous energy almost instantly charged to the base of his tongue, gathering at some kind of magic node.
At this moment,
The witcher needed only to emit a unique sound—"Yir"—and he could instantly release a powerful burst of energy, blasting everything around him away.
Following this up with a "ulr,"
He could momentarily increase his own strength fourfold with godlike power.
If he then added the final sound...
This energy nestled beneath his tongue would quickly spread outward with the beast roar as its core.
These three sounds were known among the Cyclops race as the "Beast Tongue," similar to ancient languages and inherently infused with tremendous power.
Of course,
Some Cyclopes called it "Divine Tongue," a gift from Shagadazar, the god of roars, hunts, and taming.
Allen, however, was skeptical.
After all, there seemed to be no such god as Shagadazar in the witcher's world. And the powers of gods had their limitations.
Melitele, affected by the White Frost's invasion, couldn't even convey her voice to her priests.
Even at her peak, her power could only be exerted over territories occupied by humans, and only those who worshipped her.
Allen doubted that some god hiding in a remote corner of existence could transmit divine power into the witcher's world.
Besides,
According to the Cyclops's memories, whether Shagadazar even existed was still up for debate…
Thus, Allen suspected that these ancient, primal syllables known as "Beast Tongue" had their own origins.
Regrettably, the Way of the Beast Roar only regarded them as tools; researching them would probably take unlocking another ten or twenty Beast Roars.
Of course,
What mattered most to Allen now wasn't the origins of these ancient, feral syllables. He had to restrain his urge to roar, guiding this powerful energy to form a loop within his body.
"Hmph~"
Scorching like he held a mouthful of molten lava, the witcher pressed his lips tight and let out a muffled grunt.
Finally,
Drenched in sweat, he nudged that ball of energy down by an inch.
Yet, with just that single inch of movement, A torrent of heat burst from his tongue's base, flooding every fiber of his being. Like the tide under the full moon, it was endless and incessant.
Just as the witcher was about to press on, taking another step…
Buzz~
The wolf medallion on his chest began to hum.
.....
📢20 advanced chapters on p@treaon📢
For advance chapters: p@treon.com/Uchiha_Itachi007 (replace @ with a)
312. Allen, Do You Want to Know Who Your Parents Are?
313. A Good Mother Like Vera.
314. The Situation Has Changed! The Wolf School is Moving to Aedirn!
315. The Wolf School is Done!
316. The Witcher Corps's First Group Hunt.