Bab 297: 298. Kaer Morhen Is Missing?
"This is one of the ancient Kreve of Glory ceremonies."
"It's said that the Sword Bridge Ceremony, sincerely conducted by warriors, can allow the soul of the recipient to touch Kreve's Hall of Heroes..."
"Heroes who undergo the Glory Ceremony are destined to be chosen by Kreve, their spirits enduring beyond death, becoming the vanguard in the final battle of all things..."
"Of course, now it's just a myth connected to the gods."
Sara raised an eyebrow. "Like the May Festival, with its chosen King and Queen."
"Their marriage is blessed by the goddess Melitele, their offspring as abundant as a harvest of wheat, their future smooth and bright..."
"But in reality, marriage is between two people, not gods."
"Many May Festival Kings and Queens haven't been so fortunate, let alone their descendants..."
"Sara, watch your words!" Arthur frowned, interrupting, "Do not speak rashly of the gods!"
Sara shrugged, dismissing the topic.
A soul touching the Hall of Heroes...
"So, was that golden-haired, golden-eyed man Kreve himself?" Allen thought.
It made sense, after all.
The warriors' prayer during the ceremony began with, "May Kreve..."
Besides, the original character of Kreve was based on Odin from Norse mythology, though the author rarely mentioned him, so his knowledge of this religion wasn't particularly deep.
From Sara's reaction, it seemed that seeing Kreve during a typical Sword Bridge Ceremony was rare. Thinking back to Melitele's words last night, Allen couldn't help but wonder…
Was Kreve's sudden appearance, like Melitele's, due to him weakening the White Frost barrier on the Divine Realm during the Conjunction of the Spheres in Ban Ard?
"I wonder if he came just for me, or if he merely appeared to match the Sword Bridge Ceremony," Allen pondered.
Yet, the final battle of all things...
Allen felt that the former possibility was more likely.
"Knight Allen!"
"May Festival King!"
"May Festival King!"
"May Festival King!"
------------------
The enthusiastic cheers subtly shifted; what started as a few pranksters chanting "May Festival King" now dominated the crowd.
The slightly furrowed brows of the serious Arthur and the rugged smile on Sara's face made it clear. This change wasn't planned. But now even the royal guards and monster hunting army had joined in the chant.
Apparently.
In any world, most people love a bit of fun.
Or perhaps they felt that "May Festival King" was a more relatable title?
"Let's go! Witcher, Knight Allen of Ellander..." Sara laughed heartily.
"Leave in the midst of the cheering, don't look back, keep your head high and move forward..."
"This is also part of the Sword Bridge Ceremony."
Arthur solemnly nodded and handed the black flag with a fierce wolf emblem to Allen: "Heroes of valor and glory always move from one battlefield to the next, until the horn of the Hall of Heroes sounds, and they join the final battle for eternal glory..."
"I look forward to the day I can fight under your banner, walking the path of honor together!"
The witchers' hearts surged with emotion from their words.
After nodding firmly, Allen glanced back at the towering gates, then at the young priestess, her face flushed as the royal guards surrounded her, pushing her to the front with a slightly forced smile.
He waved with a smile.
Casting a final look at the place he had fought in, he then pulled the reins and rode off toward the direction away from Ellander, amidst the deafening cheers.
Ahead.
Vera, Vesemir, Mary, and Yennefer were already waiting on horseback, smiling at the witcher.
When Allen accepted the grand Sword Bridge Ceremony, they had quietly led their horses away in advance.
As Allen rode closer, Vera opened her mouth as if to speak, smiling warmly.
"Let's go!" Vesemir, however, showed no sign of seeing this, boldly stepped in front of Vera, and shouted, "Follow our hero from the Wolf School, and let's go home!"
---------------------
About an hour later.
"Ugh~"
Vesemir, pale as parchment, clung weakly to a large green pine tree.
"Master Vesemir, I told you we should rest before another teleport..." Mary patted the witcher master's back gently, chiding him.
"I'm fine!" Vesemir waved weakly to interrupt.
"Ugh~"
Another dry heave.
The witcher master gripped the rough bark of the pine tree tightly. He'd scraped off some of the brown bark.
After five consecutive portals, Vesemir's physical response was far more honest than his words. And much, much more honest.
Mary shot Allen a reproachful look.
Allen sighed helplessly. This was his fault, indeed.
As for why?
"There's still two portals to Kaer Morhen. Would you like to rest?" Vera asked calmly.
Everyone silently looked at Vesemir.
Vesemir, hand on the tree, scanned the surroundings.
After five consecutive portals.
Vera looked as composed as ever. As a sorceress who regularly used portals, this was expected. Mary, who had traveled extensively with Vera, was surely well adapted to portals by now.
Even Yennefer, looking rosy and unaffected, was understandable; after all, she was a magical prodigy praised even by Vera.
But...
But!!!
Vesemir's gaze fell on a certain fourteen-year-old witcher.
How could Allen, who had been a witcher for less than a year and couldn't defeat him without potions, endure five portals without breaking a sweat?
Vesemir even remembered Allen's pale face six months ago, after teleporting back to Kaer Morhen from the Killer Lake.
But now?
Allen looked in better shape than Mary.
No! Vesemir couldn't accept it; he couldn't be less resilient to teleportation than his own student!
Vesemir stifled his nausea and declared loudly: "N-no... no need!"
"I'm p-perfectly... fine, let's continue teleporting!"
Indeed.
This scene had already repeated itself five times. But under Mary's glare, Allen felt a bit aggrieved too.
Was it his fault for being unaffected by teleportation?
He glanced at his semi-transparent Witcher Handbook with a thought.
[Ding! Ard Gaeth Gate fragment absorption complete!]
[Ding! Your special skill: Spatial Mastery LV5 has been upgraded to Spatial Mastery LV6]
[Ding! You have acquired the skill: Portal LV1]
Indeed.
The fragment of the Ard Gaeth Gate had long been absorbed completely.
However, not during the time he removed the curse of the evil god in Melitele's Divine Realm; although the system notified him then, it was only one phase reward for the Ard Gaeth Gate's fragment absorption.
Spatial Control LV4 upgraded to LV5.
The full absorption happened while crossing the second portal, where a fragment of the Ard Gaeth gate accelerated its absorption rate in the portal's environment.
Not only did it increase his special reward, Spatial Control, by one level, but it also granted him a long-distance teleportation spell, although he hadn't had the chance to try it yet. However, speaking of which...
Even with Spatial Control at LV4, he was already immune to the effects of the Witcher's portal syndrome when crossing portals.
On the contrary,
Within the portal, he felt as comfortable as a fish in water. So, competing with Vesemir in this regard was destined to be meaningless. Though the Witcher didn't mention his newly acquired spatial skill, he did voice his concerns several times. But the Witcher master seemed stubborn, refusing to give in.
Allen didn't distrust those present.
However, after learning the water divination and fire divination rituals, he realized that there were numerous such rituals in this world.
The fewer people knew about his skills related to Ard Gaeth's gate and the Conjunction of the Spheres, the less likely the male mages of Ban Ard, who hated the Wolf School, or even the Wild Hunt, would discover them.
Of course, if the time came and he had to use it, he would.
But to expose his spatial talent here just for Vesemir's newfound pride... didn't seem necessary.
Moreover...
Snap!
A snap of the fingers.
The Witcher master's body shuddered instinctively, almost losing his grip on the tree trunk.
Wham!
A brand-new portal appeared crisply and decisively on this desolate mountain. Under the orange glow of the portal, Vera stood, cold and unfeeling. It was unclear what Vesemir had done to offend the sorceress, but it seemed like Lady Vera was set on making things difficult for him.
Otherwise...
After passing through one portal, if Lady Vera said she needed rest, would Vesemir dare to command her to open another portal?
Seeing the girl glaring angrily at him, her cheeks puffed up, Allen glanced at Mary, who didn't seem to sense Vera's hostility and instead seemed to think it was all Allen's fault.
Whether intentional or not...
With a sigh, Allen held back his words of advice for the Witcher master.
Unexpectedly, Vesemir noticed and, gritting his teeth, resolutely charged into the portal.
Watching this, Allen was reminded of his time at Kaer Morhen, feeling a slight churning in his stomach.
"Hmph!"
Mary, in a rare display of displeasure, took Yennefer's hand and, with a cold huff, also walked into the portal.
"What a mess!"
The Witcher sighed inwardly and shook his head.
--------------------------
By this point, they had nearly crossed the last of the portals, so Vesemir had no reason to stop before the final one.
After all, Portal syndrome, though highly uncomfortable, merely caused discomfort and posed no real harm to a Witcher's body.
In the end, Vesemir made it back to Blue Mountains via a series of portals.
Out of respect, Vera spared the Witcher master some dignity by not teleporting him directly to the castle hall.
Instead, she opened the portal on a hill not far from Kaer Morhen, allowing him time to compose himself. The sky was clear, and the mountains stood tall. As he stepped out of the portal, the Witcher closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
The scent of flowers filled his nostrils, mixed with the unique woody aroma of pine resin.
This wasn't the scent he was used to.
But it made sense.
When he had departed, Kaer Morhen was already in late autumn.
The mountains were chilly, and most wildflowers along the path had withered. Though the scent was different, the moment he stepped out of the portal...
Allen felt a great sense of relief wash over him.
"We're home!" Mary said, rubbing Yennefer, who was wrapped in a black robe.
The little girl peered out timidly at the unfamiliar surroundings.
"This place is beautiful!" she marveled.
Her violet eyes sparkled in the sunlight.
Hearing her, the Witcher opened his eyes.
The early summer in Blue Mountains was indeed stunning.
Nearby were flowers of purple, red, and the recognizable dandelions in bloom, their pale yellow flowers spreading across the hill.
Beyond lay towering trees of every shade of green.
The clear, shallow blue waters of the Gwenllech River cut through the forests, stretching toward the mist-covered snowy peaks. It was like a fairyland.
Thump, thump, thump...
Heavy, slow footsteps approached, and Vesemir emerged from the forest, partially hidden by trees.
A wide-brimmed black hat shadowed his pale face as he staggered forward.
In the next moment, The Witcher could feel a gaze cast upon him from beneath that wide-brimmed hat.
"What a little monster…" Vesemir muttered, exhaling a long breath.
In just half a year, Allen had transformed into a completely different person.
But recalling their journey…
Hudson's abandoned castle, the Cat School ambush, the death of King Henselt, the archgriffin of Vengerburg, the Wild Hunt attack on Flotsam Harbor, the wtath seige on Ellander...
My gods!
This past half-year was richer than his last ten...
No!
It was richer than his past twenty years combined.
The Witcher master didn't normally deal with large monsters every year. To be honest, Most of his work involved clearing noblemen's cellars or family crypts. Never had he dealt with a king, monsters besieging a town, or even a legendary cataclysm.
And the most amazing thing was, Allen had survived it all.
Thinking about it, Vesemir felt a bit dazed; this past half-year had been more legendary than any ancient hero's tale.
"What a little monster!" Vesemir ruffled Allen's hair, inwardly marveling once again.
"Come on, let's go home."
"This time, I'm resting for at least six months—no way am I going down the mountain, no matter who says otherwise…"
Hearing this, the Witcher, busy fixing his hair, looked up, sensing an ominous aura of fate surrounding Vesemir. The School's relocation, the impact of the Kaedwen and Aedirn war, the hostility of the mages from Ban Ard, and even the Wild Hunt somewhere out there…
Where did Vesemir get the confidence to say he'd "rest for six months"?
But seeing the Witcher master's pale, exhausted face, as if he had just battled a monster for a thousand and one nights,
Allen chose not to correct him this time.
With a sigh, he followed the others toward the ancient fortress.
The hill where they had arrived was not far from the fortress; it didn't take long to reach their destination.
"Hm?" Vesemir, walking ahead, suddenly made a surprised sound.
"Is this… Kaer Morhen?"
.....
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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.
303. Who's Stronger, the Commander or the Deputy Commander?
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