Bab 296: 297. The Cambridge Ceremony.
"Arthur, are you sure Master Allen will pass through here?" Sara, dressed in black armor and riding a horse, asked hesitantly, turning his head. "I remember Lady Vera is also at the Melitele temple, right?"
"Why didn't they just go back through the portal instead of making us wait here for half the day…"
"If you don't want to wait, you can go back," said Arthur, the Captain of the Guard Knights, waving his hand impatiently.
"No way." Sara patted something lying flat on the horse's back, shaking his head repeatedly. "There's a part of this surprise that's mine too. I can't just let you steal the spotlight in front of Master Allen…"
"The brothers in the Monster Hunting Army are also waiting…"
Arthur glanced at Sara and, shaking his head, explained: "When given a choice, witchers prefer not to leave through portals. The books say that a witcher's heightened senses struggle to adapt to such intense fluctuations."
"Some witchers even refer to it as portal syndrome."
Sara nodded in sudden realization, as if he truly understood.
"Wait… that's not right…"
A few seconds later, he looked at the empty path in the distance, as if he had just figured something out, and interrupted: "What if they're really in a hurry?"
"With your temperament, you wouldn't do something without confidence."
Arthur held his forehead, and seeing Sara's relentless inquisitive look, had no choice but to respond: "I do have a way."
"What way?"
After a moment of silence, seeing that Sara wouldn't let it go, Arthur sighed and said: "One of the guard knights fell off his horse and was seriously injured that night, but he luckily managed to escape from the monsters…"
"Mhm…" Sara crossed his arms and nodded, indicating for Arthur to continue.
"The injured knight has been receiving wound treatment from the new priestess at the temple…"
"And?"
"It's said that the new priestess is very familiar with Master Allen, apparently she was saved from a monster by Master Allen himself…"
Sara froze at these words.
He recalled the recent days when he had seen the faces of various priests at the square in Ellander. He quickly focused on one—a priestess with delicate, attractive features, tireless in her duties, and most importantly, around the same age as his daughter.
Instantly, he leaned back on his horse, looking up and down at the knight in silver armor with a face full of contempt, as if seeing Arthur in a new light.
With a rugged, bearded face, he expressed with great clarity: "Didn't expect you, with those bold eyebrows and big eyes, to be so cunning and deceitful, using a kind-hearted young girl…"
The usually silent knight seemed a bit embarrassed, quietly defending himself: "We couldn't let the guard knights and the Witcher Corps just miss out like that, especially…"
Arthur glanced around.
After all, Ellander was one of the largest cities in Temeria, second only to the capital Vizima, and even though it had just suffered a significant blow, there were still many people coming and going.
Some vendors, and even nearby disaster survivors, had set up stalls along the streets, selling homemade food and other small items.
No matter how severe the disaster or how hard life was, the survivors had to find ways to keep going.
Seeing the Witcher Corps and Guard Knights gathered here, looking as if something major was happening, the crowd started murmuring.
"Especially in this environment…"
"After all, you wouldn't want to become a year-long joke for Ellander, like a court jester, right?"
Sara fell silent.
He felt Arthur had a point.
After a long silence, he finally asked: "Are you sure the new priestess will stop Master Allen for us?"
Arthur remained silent.
Sara understood.
"We acted impulsively, huh…" He sighed.
But there was no other way, as he had only learned of Master Allen's departure from Arthur last night.
Arthur had found out only a few hours earlier, by chance, from Lord Mason.
In such a hurry, they had managed to put together this "surprise," which was already quite an accomplishment. But even so…
Sara had no regrets about being here at this moment.
Arthur probably felt the same way. Otherwise, someone as rigid as him wouldn't have been so impulsive…
They wanted to do something for Ellander's hero, even if it carried some risk, even if the act was minor and trivial.
"He's here!"
"Our May Festival King is here!"
A stir suddenly arose among the Monster Hunter army soldiers riding ahead. Sara didn't even have time to correct them on the use of "Sir Allen."
Beside him, Arthur urged his horse forward, meeting Allen.
Sara disregarded these minor details and urged his horse to follow.
Not far away…
At the boundary between the temple district and the lower town…
Witcher Allen, the Blue Death Allen, Ellander's own Sir Allen, sat on his horse, holding a young girl in his arms, stunned at the sight.
Looking closely…
It was the new priestess he remembered from the temple. However, she was clearly dressed up this time, her cheeks blushing, looking more radiant than the most beautiful flower in Ellander. She looked like a girl in the throes of passionate love…
The once-infamous playboy of Ellander, Sara, had a lot of experience in this regard.
"Well, well, our knight Allen certainly has a lot of charm!" Sara exclaimed as his horse swayed.
"But then again…" he thought, "the hero of Ellander deserves the most beautiful flower in Ellander."
------------------------
At the same time…
After Vera and Vesemir moved aside, Allen was stunned.
The soldiers of the Guard Knights and the Witcher Corps sat upright on their horses, looking at him, like a saluting formation.
A line of black, a line of gray.
Extending from the border between the temple district and the lower town all the way toward the city gate.
In the next moment…
Allen finally understood why Vera and Vesemir had said this path was meant for him alone.
"Whoosh—whoosh~"
The Captain of the Guard Knights waved a flag adorned with a white wolf's head against a black background, riding forward. The banner fluttered loudly in the wind.
So, this was the surprise Lysa had mentioned?
The witcher thought. Honestly, this was quite a spectacle—his vanity was thoroughly satisfied.
"Allen, let me down…" murmured the warm, soft figure in his arms, "This is your moment!"
Before the witcher could respond, the young priestess slid down from the horse with a twist of her body.
At that moment, Allen had no time to pay further attention to the young priestess. Because Arthur, waving the freshly designed flag, rode up in front of him.
"Didn't that court painter called Rado Lath say it would take a long time to make the flag?" Allen asked, puzzled.
"That's because he didn't know you'd be leaving today," Arthur explained. "The women of Ellander, skilled and clever, worked together through the night to make this flag."
"When they heard it was to be sewn for you, they didn't even want to accept a single copper coin."
Seeing Allen open his mouth to say something, Arthur paused and interrupted: "Of course, we paid them in the end."
With that, he planted the flag into the ground, then pulled a smooth, soft satin cloak with a furry texture from his saddlebag and draped it over Allen's shoulders. It was adorned with the same fierce wolf's head.
Before Allen could ask, Arthur once again pulled the flag out of the ground, gripped the reins with one hand, and fell in line just behind Allen.
At that moment, Sara also came up behind him, first solemnly handing him a silver spur, and then passing him a fan-shaped shield painted with the fearsome wolf's head.
"We'll make do with it," Sara laughed heartily. "Time's tight, so there wasn't enough time to prepare a new shield."
"This shield was given to me during my knighting ceremony over a decade ago, and Rado Lath repainted the emblem."
Perhaps worried that Allen would reject it, Arthur, standing behind him, added in explanation: "This shield was crafted by a dwarven master from Mahakam. It's very sturdy, and because it was a gift from the knighting ceremony, Sara has cherished it deeply and never used it."
"This is too precious!" The Witcher hurriedly declined upon hearing this.
A shield forged by a dwarven master was undeniably valuable. Moreover, a shield awarded at a knighting ceremony held great sentimental value for Sara. A gentleman does not take from others what they cherish. Besides, as a Witcher, he had no use for a shield…
However, Sara's attitude was firm.
She put away her usual carefree smile, her face now serious, and persuaded him: "The shield has already been emblazoned with the crest, so it's yours now."
"And being gifted to the hero of Ellander is its greatest honor."
Arthur also urged him with a few words of encouragement. The Witcher had no choice but to accept it. Only then did Sara return to her usual carefree smile, pulling on her reins to fall back by a horse's length. Alongside Arthur, they formed a guard around the Witcher.
"Let's go, Master Allen."
At this moment, Many bystanders gathered around, whispering among themselves about Allen's identity. While some in Ellander knew of Allen's deeds, most did not.
After all, on Beltane night, apart from the Knight's Guard and the Monster Hunters outside Ellander, only the young men and women who survived the festivities witnessed the event.
4Most of these young people were seriously injured and were sent away early on the orders of the Knight's Guard. Furthermore, the city of Ellander itself suffered heavy losses, with many people grieving for their loved ones and caring little for other matters.
Thus, While there was a buzz among Ellander's upper circles regarding the knighting and revenge. Only a few among the common people knew of this. Even among those who were aware, Only a handful knew someone had saved Ellander.
An even smaller number knew the person was a Witcher.
Very few had actually seen Allen. However, the people were quite familiar with Arthur and Sara.
Anyone who was escorted in this grand manner by two close aides of Duke Mason, the commanders of Ellander's elite forces, had to be someone of great significance.
Listening to the rising murmurs around him, Allen scratched his head and asked in confusion,
"Isn't all this a bit over the top?"
Arthur, gripping the black wolf-head standard with both hands, answered solemnly,
"The hero of Ellander may arrive quietly, but he cannot leave unnoticed."
"Your glorious deeds deserve to be praised by every person in Ellander!" Sara agreed with equal seriousness.
Hearing this,
A complicated feeling started to swell within Allen.
He took a deep breath, abandoning any pretense, and nudged his horse forward at a steady pace.
"Clang!"
Thousands of swords unsheathed in unison.
The knights of the Guard and the Monster Hunters, mounted on their horses, drew their swords and pointed them skyward.
Under the bright sunlight, the blades shimmered, forming a corridor of steel leading out of the city. The bystanders gathered on either side of the knights fell silent at the clear, resonant sound of metal.
In an instant, the entire street fell silent.
"Clop, clop, clop~"
The sound of hooves echoed along the ruined street. The knight, with dual swords on his back, rode through the corridor of swords. As Allen, Arthur, and Sara passed through the first "Gate of Swords,"
"Swish!"
Two blades fell swiftly, as if cutting off the misfortune following behind.
At the same time,
The knights loudly chanted blessings: "In the name of the gods… by this sword…"
"Swish!"
"May Kreve bless your blade, keeping it forever sharp…"
"Swish!"
"May your shield remain unbreakable…"
"Swish!"
"May your spirit stay high and fierce…"
"Swish!"
"May you be invincible and unbeatable…"
-------------------
The gleaming swords fell one by one behind him.
For a Witcher, This proximity would usually trigger an instinctive defensive response. But as he looked up at the forest of steel above, listening to the blessings around him, he felt no hint of caution; instead, he felt immense peace.
His heart surged with a powerful emotion, growing stronger, fiercer, like a tidal wave rising and crashing. Yet this feeling did not drown him.
The cheers of the people lifted him, raising him toward the radiant sun.
In a daze, He seemed to see a long oaken table bathed in sunlight, and a dignified man in golden armor, with golden hair and eyes, raised a goblet of wine in his honor, offering cheers and blessings for his glory.
"Buzz~"
"Buzz~"
The wolf insignia on his chest and Balmur on his back vibrated simultaneously.
In an instant, the Witcher was pulled out of his trance. The man in golden armor vanished. The swaying of the horse beneath him brought him back to reality.
"Buzz~"
Balmur continued to hum, almost as if it was excited. But the wolf insignia on his chest had already ceased its trembling.
"What was that just now?" the Witcher asked in confusion, looking up.
He realized that he had unknowingly reached the end of the corridor of steel.
The gates of Ellander were now behind him, and before him stood a newly forged, towering monument like a solemn gravestone.
"Swish!"
The final "Gate of Swords" closed behind him. The Witcher fully regained his senses.
"Buzz—"
The hum of Balmur gradually faded, yet the Witcher felt as though his bond with it had grown a little stronger.
What… what was happening?
And who was that golden-armored, golden-haired man he had just seen?
Was it a hallucination?
The Witcher shook his head vigorously.
No.
The simultaneous reaction from both the wolf insignia and Balmur couldn't be an illusion.
"Knight Allen!"
"Knight Allen!"
"The King of Beltane!"
"Knight Allen!"
-----------------
A thunderous cheer erupted behind him, breaking his train of thought. He instinctively turned back. The first thing he saw was not Arthur or Sara but the elderly figure standing atop the city wall.
Duke Mason!
Of course… Arthur and Sara would never have organized such a ceremony without the Duke's consent. But Allen merely gave him a nod in greeting before turning to Arthur: "What was that just now?"
The answer came from his other side.
"The Sword Bridge Ceremony," Sara replied.
"A bridge of glory built by warriors' swords—the Sword Bridge Ceremony…"
.....
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298. Kaer Morhen Is Missing?
299. The Heavily Guarded Kaer Morhen.
300. The Evolution of the Mirage Pearl.
301. Do You Want to Be the Chief?
302. "Daddy's" Favorite Child
Status Power Mingguan
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Power 
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