บท 170: 171. Old Memories.
White Orchard
Rows of thatched cottages, a wide long street, and green trees and wildflowers...
This place indeed resembled the White Orchard, but it was definitely not the same one he had been to before.
Allen's cat-like pupils contracted into thin slits as he stared intently at the familiar herbal shop across from him. If this was truly the White Orchard he knew, then the room he was in should be one of the inns where a few Witchers lived.
But if it wasn't...
How could the street's layout, the shape of the herbal shop across from him, and even the position of the well nearby be identical?
"This... How is this possible?" Allen murmured in disbelief, clutching the door frame for support.
A sense of disorientation filled his mind, as if he had been unconscious not for three days but for thirty years.
Wait a minute!
Unconsciousness!
Allen immediately turned to Francesca and asked, "How did we get here? I mean, how did we escape from the Rock Troll?"
"We were teleported," Francesca trembled slightly as she spoke. "At that time, I didn't have enough mental strength for a short-distance teleport, but the situation was urgent, so I had to overdraw my mental power to teleport us..."
"What are the consequences of overdrawing your mental power to teleport?" Allen caught on to the key point.
"It hurts a lot..." Francesca's face turned pale. "And you can't determine the direction or location of the teleport."
"Random teleportation?" Allen asked instinctively.
Francesca had never heard of this spell, but after thinking it over, she nodded.
"Yes, just like you said... uh... random teleportation. Under such circumstances, you could end up anywhere."
She paused for a second, swallowing hard, "You could even be teleported into a rock crevice..."
After a few seconds of digesting the information, Allen continued, "And then we were teleported here?"
Francesca nodded, "Yes, we landed right in front of that herbal shop over there. You were badly injured and unconscious, and I was groggy from overdrawing my mental power."
"The shopkeeper from the herbal shop—he's a student of Granny Asha—saw us and brought us here..."
Allen fell into deep thought. Something didn't feel right.
Unconsciousness...
Yes, he had almost forgotten about that strange dream.
That dark space where he kept sinking, helpless, unable to control himself, the blood-red eye that made him shudder just by recalling it, the sacred voice that merged the tones of a girl, a woman, and an old crone...
Why did he have that dream?
[...Always wear this amulet... Don't use teleportation spells...]
Vera's cold voice echoed in his mind. Short-distance teleportation was still teleportation. So that eye must belong to the evil god worshipped by the swamp witches who constructed the mound...
And that voice...
"A girl, a woman, an old crone—the characteristics are very obvious."
"So the voice in the dream that seemed to be the goddess Melitele must be guiding me to the Melitele Temple in Erland!"
"Indeed, everything becomes clear once you wake up."
Allen thought to himself.
With that thought, he pulled out the Melitele amulet from his chest.
"Huh?"
Allen frowned and quickly raised the amulet for a closer look.
In the silver amulet's three sacred figures, both the girl and the woman had a pitch-black crack running through them. Thinking back, Allen remembered hearing two "crack" sounds in the dream.
After the first sound, he had remembered the faces of many people and stopped sinking. When the second sound occurred, a beam of light shot out from his chest, hitting the big eyeball, breaking the pressure that was holding him down.
"What would have happened if I had completely sunk in the dream?"
As soon as this thought arose, a strong sense of unease seemed to emanate from the depths of his soul, making him immediately dismiss the dangerous idea.
"Thank goodness for the Melitele amulet that Lady Vera gave me, otherwise..." Allen shuddered all over.
His gaze returned to the cracks on the amulet. It was clear that this amulet could only passively protect him from the evil god's harm one more time.
Right, Lady Vera.
It's already the third day, so why hasn't the messenger bird for the "Verdant's Sigh" potion returned?
Even if Lady Vera isn't at the castle, Mary would definitely release the messenger bird within a day.
That was their agreement.
Allen's brows furrowed so deeply they almost knitted together.
"If even the messenger bird can't find its way back, what kind of place is this?"
------------------
Adar Town.
At the gates of Count Burns' estate.
"Who goes there?!"
A royal guard placed his right hand on the hilt of his sword, warily eyeing the suspicious figure approaching on horseback, wearing a black hood. If it weren't for the horse beneath the figure, with its strong, powerful limbs and sleek, shiny coat indicating its high value...
And if it weren't for the hooded figure's cloak, though plain in color, clearly made of fine silk...
This person would have been apprehended long ago for arriving without notice. Hearing the hostile inquiry, the suspicious figure dismounted, flipping off the saddle with ease. Removing the hood, she spoke expressionlessly, "I am Vera, Vera of Toussaint."
"I'm here to see Master Sol Henrietta of the Wolf School at Kaer Morhen. Please inform him."
"Vera of Toussaint..." A middle-aged knight, no younger than thirty, among the royal guards, paled after a few seconds of thought.
"Vera of Toussaint? You're the Blood Red Fox?"
Shing!
The gate erupted into chaos.
The older royal guards turned pale, involuntarily raising their swords, their blades partially unsheathed and gleaming coldly. A young guard, who had just snapped out of his admiration of the sorceress's delicate features, noticed the panic among his seniors and whispered in confusion: "Who is this Vera from Toussaint?"
But no one paid him any attention.
"Could you please inform him?" Vera's cold voice now carried a hint of impatience.
"Yes, my lady."
The captain of the royal guards immediately stepped forward, saluted the sorceress, and ordered the young guard who had asked the question to go into the estate to report. With the ignorant young man gone, the gate fell silent.
Even the captain of the guard said nothing, staring intently into the distance as if some great threat to the estate and the king's safety lurked in the far-off void.
Vera paid no mind to this, standing patiently with her horse by her side.
About ten minutes later, a man with a full head of white hair, looking like the estate's steward, arrived in quick steps, following the young guard.
"Honored Lady Vera, the king is unwell and unable to receive visitors. I have been instructed to escort you to Master Sol's residence."
"Unwell?" Vera sneered, "Or just too afraid to see me?"
The steward didn't dare reply, offering only an awkward smile and a slight bow. The nearby guards, for their part, acted as though they hadn't heard anything, standing stiffly at attention and staring straight ahead.
Vera chose not to trouble the servants further, simply saying, "Lead the way!"
The steward breathed a sigh of relief, nodding politely to the royal guards on either side before leading Vera into the estate. As the two walked away, the young guard couldn't hold back his curiosity any longer and asked, "Who exactly is this Vera? And why are all of you... so..."
"So afraid of her?" a fellow guard interjected.
The young guard pressed his lips together, not daring to admit anything.
"Didn't your family teach you any history? You don't even know about the Blood-red Fox?" Another team member asked in surprise.
The young guard laughed awkwardly, about to brush it off, when suddenly, a chill ran down the back of his neck.
"Silence!" The captain of the guards suddenly spoke, sternly interrupting. "Don't you know that sorceresses can read minds?"
"But she's already gone so far..."
"Shut up, Anderson," the captain looked at the young guard. "Jerick, if you have any questions, go back and read a book. Vera's deeds during the Aelirenn Uprising are well-known..."
"But for now, get back to your post and do what you're supposed to. Understood?"
"Yes, Captain!"
------------------
Although the captain of the King's Guards feared mind-reading, the sorceress certainly wouldn't be so bored as to waste her time on a group of lowly soldiers.
After following the steward for three or four minutes, Vera arrived at Sol's courtyard. Two of the King's Guards stood at the entrance. Seeing that the steward had brought someone, they curiously glanced at Vera.
"Knock, knock, knock."
The steward gently knocked on the door. Before anyone inside could respond, Vera, under the awkward gazes of the steward and the two guards, directly pushed the door open and entered the courtyard.
Sol was sitting in the courtyard, maintaining two long swords. Upon hearing the door open, he instinctively gripped his steel sword. When he saw that the visitor was Vera, he stood up in surprise and said, "Vera? What brings you here?"
"Apologies, Master Sol. I was about to knock, but Lady Vera..." the steward said apologetically.
"No worries, you may leave now," Sol nodded to the steward.
The courtyard door creaked shut.
Snap!
A snap of the fingers.
A pale red soundproofing spell rose around the courtyard. Sol paused for a moment, then noticed Vera's usually expressionless face suddenly contort with worry as she anxiously said, "Sol, Allen is missing!"
Missing?
Wasn't Allen with Vesemir, preparing for the dueling tournament in Ban Ard?
How could he be missing?
Sol frowned and sheathed the two long swords.
"Calm down and explain everything. Allen should be with Vesemir. How do you know he's missing?"
The sorceress knew she had lost her composure. She took a deep breath, waiting for her anxious heart to calm down a bit.
Snap!
Another snap of the fingers.
A crystal bird appeared in the sorceress's palm, motionless.
A message bird?
Even though Sol knew they had been given to Mary and Allen, seeing this seemingly exquisite ornament in person, he couldn't help but feel a complex mix of emotions.
"Four nights ago, Mary came to me with this message bird and some bad news."
"Vesemir's group of young witchers was attacked. Although they repelled the enemy, an apprentice named Bond was severely injured..."
"What? Severely injured?" Sol's face changed drastically. "Who would dare to attack..."
"That's not important. Don't interrupt, let me finish!" the sorceress harshly cut him off.
"Alright, alright," Sol stepped back two paces, shrugging his shoulders, signaling her to continue.
"They're all fine," the sorceress briefly mentioned the outcome before continuing, "but Bond needs the Verdant Sigh to recover from his injuries. But when I was ready and Mary tried to send a reply to Allen..."
Sol glanced at the message bird. This magical item had accompanied him for decades, so he naturally knew that this bird belonged to Allen.
"The message bird circled above Mary's head a few times before falling down."
"Sol, you know..."
"This only happens when the user is trapped somewhere the message bird can't find or..."
Or the user is dead.
Sol finished the sorceress's sentence in his mind, the words she dared not speak aloud. The sorceress took a deep breath, suppressing the fear in her heart.
"Then, following the information Allen had left, I found Vesemir."
"Vesemir told me that to secure allies for your Wolf School, Allen accepted a commission from a red-haired elf—whom I suspect is the Elven Sage Ida Emean..."
Sol sighed upon hearing this and asked, "And then Allen disappeared?"
"Yes, then Allen disappeared."
The sorceress glared at him fiercely.
"Several young witchers had just been attacked, and Vesemir needed to protect them."
"It was Allen... Allen who persuaded Vesemir to let him go alone to complete that damned elf's commission, and then..."
The sorceress closed her eyes in pain.
In that moment, fear gripped her again, its cold fingers brushing her heart. It took her a while before she wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes and said, "And then... only Allen's horse returned that day..."
Sol gently patted her shoulder, trying to comfort her.
"Allen is a miracle..."
"I know!" the sorceress shouted, unable to control her voice. "But just because the miracle child can't die doesn't mean he can't be hurt, can't suffer, can't be subjected to inhuman torment..."
"Especially this time, that elf's commission seems to conflict with Henselt..."
As she spoke, the sorceress suddenly grabbed Sol's leather armor and asked urgently:
"You've been with Henselt recently. Have you noticed anything unusual about him? Has he captured anyone? You're the leader of the Wolf School, there's no way he would capture someone and not show any signs."
The scent of orange mixed with a hint of cardamom filled the air. Sol took a deep breath of the intoxicating fragrance and, after a moment's thought, did indeed recall something odd about the King.
"Just before you arrived, Henselt gave me a commission: to clear out a rock troll deep in an abandoned mine."
"What does that have to do with Allen?" the sorceress asked anxiously.
"According to a conversation between two knights guarding the entrance, this abandoned mine was a temporary camp for the King's Guards."
"Henselt gave me this commission because the King's Guards suffered heavy losses at the hands of the rock troll..."
"And the reason the guards went so deep was that three days ago, two 'thieves' infiltrated the camp. When the guards discovered them, they fled into the mine."
The sorceress's eyes lit up at his words.
Three days ago, the timing matched. The mine's complex terrain could explain why the message bird couldn't find its target. The King's Guards' temporary camp, connected to Henselt.
It all made sense.
But...
"Why were there two people?" the sorceress asked.
Sol shook his head and said, "We'll find out tomorrow. You should come along, I'm sure Henselt won't object."
The sorceress nodded slightly.
Only then did she finally let out a sigh of relief.
After another two or three minutes, the sorceress suddenly seemed to remember something.
"By the way."
"The ones who attacked the Wolf School witchers were witchers from the Cat School."
"Vesemir and Allen suspect that they were commissioned by Henselt."
The sorceress paused, staring intently at the silent Sol.
"So... don't cling to old feelings anymore, Sol."
"It's clear that the boy you once saved, now King Henselt..."
"He..."
"...wants you dead!"
....…
📢20 advanced chapters on p@treaon📢
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172. Mistakenly Entering the Conjunction of the Spheres?
173. We've Arrived.
174. Hunting Mission.
175. The Blood of the Rock Troll.
176. The Scent of the Witcher.
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