Kapitel 190: 191. Still Want to Participate in the Apprentice Duel Tournament?
"What do you mean it shouldn't be an elf?"
Allen was momentarily stunned and was about to ask.
Several young half-elves, rubbing their sleepy eyes, walked out of the wooden cabin. Seeing a stranger outside, they timidly hid behind Lysa.
"Who are these people?" the sorceress asked curiously.
Allen took two steps closer. He leaned in close to the sorceress's ear and recounted Sadia's story, along with the agreement between him and Sadia. After listening to the story, the sorceress sighed softly.
There was no hatred between her and Sadia, and she didn't regret what she had done back then. But upon hearing about the hardships Sadia had endured over the years, her heart was filled with a bit of melancholy. Now knowing that these children were the offspring of an old acquaintance, her gaze toward the half-elves and Lysa softened considerably.
"Lady Vera, may I trouble you to transport them to Kaer Morhen?" Allen requested.
The sorceress nodded without hesitation:
"Of course."
Then...
Snap!
With a snap of her fingers, an orange-yellow portal appeared.
Allen nodded toward Lysa. Lysa took a deep breath and, along with Sadia's children, stepped through the portal one by one.
"Allen, think carefully about my suggestion."
"I'll meet you at White Orchard after I take Sadia's children to safety."
"You're a smart Witcher; you shouldn't walk into such an obvious trap."
After saying this, the sorceress nodded slightly toward Allen and also stepped into the portal.
Boom!
The portal vanished.
After standing in thought for a moment, Allen mounted "Carrot" and set off toward White Orchard.
-----------------
At White Orchard.
As soon as Allen arrived at the inn, Vesemir handed him a large sack.
"What's this?"
"Open it and see!" Vesemir beamed with a smile.
"Saltpeter, powdered pearl, and even allspice…"
"These are all the materials needed to craft a Northern Wind bomb!"
Carefully sorting through the contents of the bag, Allen found there was enough for at least three batches!
Looking up from the bag, Allen stared in surprise at Vesemir.
"I left in such a hurry last night that I didn't have time to give them to you. How is it?"
"Do these materials meet your needs?"
"They do, but..." Allen hesitated. "These materials must have been expensive. How did you manage to get the money to buy them?"
Anise was a spice.
Powdered Powdered pearl wasn't just a beauty product for the wealthy and merchants; it was also a valuable magical material. As for all spice, it went without saying—it's a base component for potions after secondary processing. All of these materials together must have cost at least a thousand Orens.
To be honest, although Vesemir had started saving money to buy Elsa's freedom, he had only just begun. There was no way he had that much money on him.
"We didn't spend any money!" Vesemir interrupted.
No money?
How was that possible?
Allen was skeptical.
"Really, no money was spent!"
Hughes explained: "The All spice and powdered pearl were bartered with a local noble after we exterminated the wraith haunting a nearby village."
"We?" Allen caught the key detail.
"Yes!"
"That contract was completed by the three of us together."
Hughes, Bond, and Fred immediately puffed out their chests, waiting for praise. At that moment, Allen noticed that all three Witchers had bruises and scrapes on their faces. The injuries seemed to have occurred within the past three days.
"One wraith and you all ended up looking this beat up? And you're still proud of yourselves?"
"Allen took out six wraiths on his own without breaking a sweat…"
"And…"
"He didn't even use specter oil!"
Vesemir gently patted the heads of the three young Witchers. However, Hughes, Bond, and Fred had clearly heard this comparison more than once, and they immediately retorted: "Don't compare us to him, Master Vesemir!"
"He's Allen, the one who won someone's beloved silver sword and surpassed that person to become the youngest Witcher master of the Wolf School!"
"Exactly!" Fred added, his words tinged with playful barbs, as Hughes and Bonte nodded in agreement, clearly annoying someone.
"Damn brats!"
"Getting bold, are we?!"
The "someone" cursed and raised his hand to strike, but Hughes, Bond, and Fred dodged with laughter. Watching this scene, Allen felt a warmth in his heart.
With or without specter oil, any specter with a creature level of at least twenty wasn't easy to handle. High agility and phasing abilities made them a nightmare for inexperienced Witchers. It was only because Hughes, Bond, and Fred had been enhanced by Allen and had fought together many times that they had avoided more serious injuries.
At the same time, Allen looked at Vesemir, who seemed angry but had a smile on his face. The powdered pearl and saltpeter had come from Hughes and the others.
The all spice must have come from Vesemir.
Given how much Vesemir hated sorcerers and mages, it was unlikely he had any friends in that circle. So, what price had Vesemir paid to get the all spice?
Allen wondered.
But since Vesemir hadn't mentioned it, Allen decided not to ask.
"Thank you."
Allen's voice was soft. In the noisy inn, it was quickly drowned out. However, all the Witchers present, with their keen hearing, caught his words. The playful atmosphere came to a halt.
"Allen," Vesemir said, his tone serious as he interrupted, "We are all Witchers of the Wolf School!"
"These things weren't done just for you."
"Kaer Morhen is our home as well. Defending it is something we should all do."
"Exactly, Allen!" Hughes chimed in.
"When you fight for the future of our School, don't forget that we're behind you!"
"Even though our strength isn't as great as yours, there are still things we can do."
Bond and Fred nodded emphatically in agreement. The mood had turned somewhat sentimental. This made Allen, whose mental age was well over thirty, feel a bit awkward as he turned his head away. Thankfully, at that moment…
Boom!
An orange-yellow portal opened at the entrance of the inn. The sorceress stepped out from within.
"Lady Vera!"
Vesemir exclaimed in surprise. The sorceress nodded at him, then stepped aside. In the next second., A Witcher with silver hair and silver eyes, carrying two swords, stepped out of the portal.
"Master…"
Snap!
With a snap of her fingers, a spherical soundproof barrier appeared, enveloping the sorceress and the Witchers.
"No need for small talk," the sorceress said sternly, cutting off Vesemir and the others' greetings.
"Have you told them about the current situation?"
"I just got back and haven't had the chance yet," Allen replied.
The sorceress nodded slightly and turned to look at Vesemir.
"In simple terms, the Apprentice Duel Tournament between the Wolf School and the Cat School is dangerous. Do you still want to participate?"
Vera the sorceress made it sound too simple!
Allen couldn't help but complain in his heart. As expected...
Vesemir and Hughes looked at each other, completely confused upon hearing the sorceress's words.
"Isn't the Apprentice Duel Tournament dangerous to begin with?" Vesemir asked.
Before the sorceress could say more, Allen quickly summarized everything that had recently happened. The gist of it was:
First: Not only do the sorcerers of Ban Ard want to eliminate the Wolf School, but the king does too.
The reason they haven't taken direct action is likely because they fear that dealing with us directly would tarnish the reputations of Ban Ard Academy and Kaedwen.
Second: The Apprentice Duel Tournament between the Wolf School and the Cat School is a conspiracy.
The original goal was probably to wipe out the Wolf School's remaining strength and foster enmity between the Wolf School and the Cat School. Now that the plan to assassinate the Grandmaster has failed, the king and the sorcerers will undoubtedly plan to kill Sol at the tournament.
---------------
"Grandmaster, you shouldn't have agreed to this!" Vesemir interrupted Allen with a stern expression, looking at Sol.
Sol shook his head when he heard this: "I understand Henselt. If I don't stay, even if we win the Apprentice Duel Tournament..."
"Henselt, out of anger, will definitely find an opportunity to kill you all."
Everyone fell silent.
Allen also understood the Grandmaster's underlying message.
If Sol stayed, regardless of whether Henselt's plans succeeded or not, the apprentices would only have to face the apprentices of the Cat School. In fact, if the Grandmaster truly died, Henselt, to maintain a good reputation, would likely hypocritically protect them.
"Then why are we still participating in this tournament?" Hughes asked in confusion.
Both Bond and Fred also looked puzzled. When Allen invited them to the tournament, he only vaguely mentioned the danger. He hadn't revealed what they would truly be up against. Or rather, at the time, Allen didn't fully understand either.
Compared to the sorcerers of Ban Ard, Henselt was actually the one most hostile to the Wolf School. At the time, he had thought that Henselt might be a force they could negotiate with. So Hughes and the others knew even less about the situation.
"If we abandon the tournament, the king of Kaedwen, embarrassed by the withdrawal, would have legitimate grounds to send his army to attack Kaer Morhen."
"At that point, the fortress would be facing tens of thousands of Kaedwen's soldiers, powerful siege engines, and sorcerers."
"But if we find a way to survive the tournament, no matter how unwilling or impatient the king of Kaedwen is, he would only incite bandits and rebels, and perhaps some monsters created by the sorcerers."
Just like how Kaer Morhen was destroyed in the original books and games from his previous life, Allen mentally added.
"So, do you still want to participate in the tournament?" the sorceress asked, her voice cutting through the silence. "That trap is so obvious!"
The sorceress's opinion was clear. The witchers all turned to Sol.
"Whether you participate is up to you," Sol shook his head, looking at the young witchers set to participate in the tournament. However, Allen could feel that the Grandmaster's gaze lingered longest on him!
The next second:
"I'll follow Allen's lead!" Hughes immediately said.
"Yes, we'll all follow Allen!" Bond and Fred echoed in agreement.
The sorceress was surprised, her mouth slightly agape as she heard Bond and Fred's words. She glanced at Allen, then closed her eyes and let out a soft sigh. Just as the sorceress's stance was obvious, Allen's position on the matter was equally clear. The risks and benefits of participating or not were straightforward.
If they participated, it would benefit the school, but the five witchers would be in danger. If they didn't, the powerful Grandmaster, feared by Henselt and the sorcerers, would undoubtedly survive, which would also seemingly benefit the Wolf School. But it clearly wouldn't offset the potential dangers of not participating.
This was why the sorceress had pulled Hughes, Bond, and Fred into the discussion—hoping they would oppose the idea. But what she hadn't expected was that her own child held such high status in their hearts, even to the point of blind worship.
Indeed.
After taking a deep breath, Allen glanced apologetically at the sorceress: "I choose to continue participating!"
"If Kaedwen's army is given legitimate reasons to get involved, Kaer Morhen wouldn't stand a chance."
"Moreover..."
"The Wolf School needs time!"
"Whether it's for the widespread distribution of the drowner heart extract or for the training of witcher apprentices, the Wolf School needs time."
"Every day, the Wolf School is growing stronger!"
"And our elven allies need time to prepare too..."
At this point, Allen instinctively glanced at the Grandmaster. The Grandmaster smiled encouragingly at him, as if urging him to continue. So, Allen turned his gaze back to Vesemir and the young witchers.
"During my recent trip, I secured the help of the elves."
"They promised to aid us when we need it."
"So we're not fighting alone."
"So Allen's recent journey was to find allies for the school..." Fred muttered, "But isn't the Wolf School neutral..."
"Shut up!"
Bont elbowed Fred in the side, making him grimace in pain.
"Even the Grandmaster hasn't spoken yet. Whose side are you on, asking so many questions?"
Fred, not daring to argue with the recently injured Bont, gritted his teeth and endured the pain.
"Of course, I'm on Allen's side, I was just saying..."
He kept quiet and continued listening to Allen.
"Besides..."
"Henselt and the Ban Ard's sorcerers clearly don't know that their plans have been exposed."
"As long as we're prepared, we can surely make it out alive."
After he finished speaking, the sound-dampening barrier was quiet for a few seconds.
"I agree with Allen's thoughts," Vesemir said proudly, his tone firm and decisive as he looked at his most prized apprentice.
"So do I!" Fred quickly declared, proving his unwavering loyalty.
"I agree too!" Bont and Hughes immediately followed suit.
Sol smiled as he watched this scene unfold. Turning to the sorceress, he said: "Vera, Allen is right."
"Now that we know about their plot, how could we possibly fall for it?"
The sorceress remained silent. Though her plan had failed, Vera realized she didn't feel any resentment.
In fact...
The worry that had constantly gripped her heart, making it hard for her to breathe, had lessened considerably.
In its place was a deep sense of pride.
She gazed at Allen, who was surrounded by Vesemir, Hughes, Bond, and Fred, then glanced sideways at the oblivious Sol. Vera realized that, at this moment, Allen, admired, supported, and adored by everyone, seemed more like the leader of the witchers than Sol did.
This was her child!
Her miracle child!
....…
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192. Northern Wind! Northern Wind!
193. The Apprentice Tournament is Here!
194. Ban Ard Academy.
195. Alzur Tower.
196. The Cat School is Here!
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
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