章節 212: 213. The Unlucky Makarov.
Makarov felt like he had been incredibly unlucky lately. His experiment had been going smoothly and was close to yielding results. Then, a "Conjunction of the Spheres" — a rare occurrence that only happens once in a hundred years — suddenly took place.
The violent tremors caused by the Conjunction made him drop and shatter a crucial intermediate compound by accident. The experiment was ruined, and decades of effort went down the drain.
On top of that, the apprentice he had carefully trained for years, a very talented one, had died in the jaws of a drowner out of sheer curiosity about a Witcher duel.
Then...
Before he even had time to mourn the ruined experiment and the dead apprentice, the academy gave all the mages tasks following the king's recent death. However, the task assigned to him wasn't too bad—just tracking down a few apprentices.
Besides, he had the chance to consult with Professor Tomas Moreau, a man highly knowledgeable and renowned for his work on gene mutations, so there was some benefit in it for him.
But who could have predicted that those two apprentices would cause so much trouble?
And who could have imagined...
That this task, which had almost nothing to do with Witchers, would somehow end up entangling them with two Witchers?
My god!
When Tomas Moreau heard that the apprentices had run off with two Witchers, he acted like a mad dog, refusing to stop or rest!
Makarov, who hadn't left Ban Ard for over a decade because of his experiments and had almost forgotten how to ride a horse, was forced to ride for more than ten days without stopping. His back was about to break, and his thighs were covered in blisters and bruises from the saddle, but they managed to catch up by taking a shortcut.
That much he could tolerate—it was just a bit of exhaustion.
But who could have predicted that the madman Tomas Moreau's real target wasn't even the apprentices, but rather those two Witchers?
Damn it!
I'm an academy mage, not a battle mage!
I never signed up to risk my life for this school task!
What was he thinking?
Witchers are professional warriors, freaks specifically created for killing by Alzur!
How are the two of us, with our old bones and frail bodies, supposed to fight them?
Hiding behind a tree, Makarov watched as Tomas Moreau summoned four giant centipedes from the ground and sent them charging toward the Witchers. His thoughts were a mess. After hesitating for a moment, Makarov glanced at Tomas Moreau's face, which was flushed with a sickly, feverish hue, and softly tried to reason with him: "Professor Tomas Moreau, the Headmaster only asked us to bring the apprentices back."
"If you provoke a dispute with the School of the Wolf like this, I fear... it might not be appropriate, don't you think?"
Tomas Moreau whipped his head around, glaring viciously at Makarov. The bloodshot eyes behind his spectacles resembled those of a ravenous wolf, as if he were ready to devour someone. Terrified, Makarov stumbled back two steps, nearly falling.
"This is my personal business, and it has nothing to do with Ban Ard Academy. I'll leave the lives of the apprentices intact…"
"Do you have any other objections?"
What could Makarov, under the madman's gaze, possibly say?
Considering Moreau's current unstable mental state, if he were to go against the professor's wishes, the man might even dare to kill their Headmaster, Hen Gedymdeith!
"He's a lunatic!" Makarov cursed in his heart, knowing the truth of the situation. "You were the one who lost your son, not me…"
"And besides, it was the Witchers of the Griffin School who took your son—why are you going after the Wolf School?"
Yes.
Makarov knew part of Tomas Moreau's story. He just never imagined that a man known for his rationality could become so deranged.
Of course.
These thoughts were all kept to himself.
For the sake of his own survival, all Makarov could do was fix his eyes on the battlefield, praying that the four giant centipedes would give the Witchers no chance to fight back.
"Don't worry, it's just a Witcher master and an apprentice. There won't be any problems."
"These Pale Widow have been specially modified by me—their shells are incredibly tough, far beyond what a Witcher's silver sword could penetrate."
Tomas Moreau, noticing his companion's anxiety, softened his tone. After all, he still needed the support of the other mages to eliminate the Witchers, so he reassured Makarov.
"That apprentice is no ordinary student. I've heard he personally killed two large creatures called Drowner Kings in the arena…"
"The other apprentices even gave him the nickname 'Blue Death…'"
Makarov quickly reminded Moreau, afraid he might underestimate their opponents.
"Hahaha~" Tomas Moreau laughed disdainfully, "Blue Death? That's just a nickname children come up with."
"And besides, those Drowner Kings are nothing compared to my creation, the Pale Widow."
"I hope you're right," Makarov chuckled dryly, sighing.
While the School of the Wolf had a decent reputation, there was no way they would be attacked without fighting back. For his own safety, Makarov had no choice but to put his faith in Moreau's eventual victory.
Unfortunately...
Things didn't go as planned.
Makarov had barely convinced himself of Moreau's success when, suddenly, his eyes widened in shock, and he cried out: "How is this possible!"
-------------
Let's rewind a few minutes.
The shiny black shell of the Pale Widow gleamed with an oily sheen—it was clear this would be tough to penetrate. And judging by its stats, apart from its slightly lower agility and mystery, all of its attributes were far superior to Allen's. Its constitution was nearly three times his.
However...
Seeing that the creature's name matched what he had in his mind, Allen surprisingly calmed down.
"Rumble~"
After its initial failed strike, the Pale Widow swiftly retreated back into the ground at lightning speed.
"Black shell, white belly… Has anything like this ever been seen around here?"
Vesemir frowned in confusion.
One hand gripped his longsword tightly, while the other maintained the Quen sign—a protective shield. He carefully scanned the ground, not missing even the slightest movement.
"Allen, be careful... This creature looks like a giant centipede, but I've never seen one like this."
Allen, keeping his mind linked to the Wolf Medallion, stared at the four yellowish-brown auras darting underground.
"Master Vesemir, this might be an artificially created monster…"
"What?" Vesemir was taken aback.
Even he hadn't seen such a creature before.
How did Allen figure that out?
He wanted to ask. But in the heat of battle, this was hardly the time for questions. Trusting Allen, Vesemir turned his head and asked:
"What's your plan?"
Allen didn't respond immediately. He was guarding Bogdan while keeping an eye on the glowing spots underground and scanning the surroundings.
In the game, when the Pale Widow emerged from the ground, it would be stunned by the Yrden trap sign. So using the Yrden sign to deal with the Pale Widow was a solid strategy. But it came with risks.
Reality wasn't a game.
In the game, once the Pale Widow was trapped by Yrden, it was easy to strike. But in reality, with its tough shell, he'd have to target the white underbelly to land a hit. With only half the target area exposed, it would be much harder to land a successful blow. Not to mention that the Pale Widow's sharp forelegs were also near the underbelly…
Making it even more difficult.
But these challenges weren't insurmountable for Allen and Vesemir.
With some trial and error, they could figure out the Pale Widow's attack patterns and movements, and it wouldn't pose much of a problem. The real issue was...
These giant centipedes were likely being controlled by someone.
Even Vesemir, who had often traveled this route, had never seen a Pale Widow before. So it was almost certain they were summoned by someone else. This also made it nearly impossible to exploit the Pale Widow's weakness to the Yrden sign, as in the game.
What if the controlling wizard had some way to break free from the paralysis?
At a critical moment, a sharp front leg could sever a hand or a foot.
He was still young and didn't want to become disabled so soon.
"I've found them!"
Allen's eyes suddenly lit up.
About fifty meters away.
Behind several dense oak trees, an abnormal mass of colorful elements was gathering there. The real enemy controlling the Pale Widow must be in that direction!
Thus, Allen quickly turned his head and instructed: "Master Vesemir, help me protect Bogdan."
In the next second, the protective shield vanished. Vesemir didn't ask any questions. They had already been through many battles together. In critical moments, Allen had never let him down.
He pulled the still bewildered Bogdan, who didn't know what was happening, into the protection of the Quen shield.
"Stay safe!"
"Got it!" Allen nodded slightly, then immediately pushed off the ground with both feet. Like a tiger spotting its prey, he drew his sword and quickly dashed towards the oak grove. Seeing the young Witcher rushing toward them, Tomas Moreau's mouth dropped open in shock.
"How is this possible?"
"Have we been discovered?"
Makarov also turned his head in disbelief to look at Tomas Moreau. Tomas Moreau's outdoor concealment technique. This was a spell that male sorcerers used during their travels.
It could alter the way light spread across nearly any terrain using magic, achieving invisibility while forming an invisible space that blocked the release of any scent from within. And just from its name, it was clear who had invented this spell.
With Tomas Moreau's skill, even the keenest predators, like tigers or wolves, wouldn't be able to detect them as they passed by.
How had this young Witcher discovered them?
"Thud, thud, thud~"
Rapid footsteps echoed.
At Allen's speed, fifty meters disappeared in a blink. Tomas Moreau had no time to think about how they had been exposed. In a frantic rush, he commanded four Pale Widow to charge at Allen.
"Rumble~"
The tremors from beneath the ground intensified suddenly. Yet Allen remained unfazed, continuing his charge toward the oak grove. Only when his wolf medallion detected a yellow-brown cluster of magic beneath his feet did he roll to the side.
"Boom~"
A huge explosion sounded from behind, as if dwarven black powder had suddenly detonated. Rocks and soil rained down, striking the Quen shield on his leather armor. The golden glow flickered as it absorbed the impacts.
"Screech—Screech—"
Sharp, bizarre hisses echoed, filled with panic and fury.
"Impossible!"
Seeing this, Tomas Moreau forgot all about maintaining his disguise and stood up in shock, shouting loudly. His proudest creations, those four Pale Widow. One by one, they had emerged from the ground but suddenly froze in place.
They had become immobile stone pillars.
They waved their many legs in panic, unable to burrow back underground.
Beneath them, two circular magical traps glowed with mysterious purple light.
Yrden magic traps!
Rolling on the ground, Allen had cast two magic signs in quick succession, immobilizing the four creatures.
Allen glanced back, confirmed the signs had worked, and then kicked off the ground with his right foot, continuing his charge toward the oak grove. By now, the male sorcerers controlling the Pale Widow had revealed themselves. They were both wearing black robes.
One sorcerer looked older, with silver-framed glasses embedded in his eye sockets, his appearance strangely familiar. The other appeared only middle-aged but already had a head full of grey hair.
"Ban Ard sorcerers again!"
"Have they discovered that I caused the Conjunction of the Spheres?"
With his blue cat-like eyes narrowed to slits, Allen stared coldly at the two sorcerers, unsure what to think. But as the distance between them closed, the young Witcher's determination grew stronger.
It didn't matter anymore!
As long as he caught them, he would naturally find out why these two sorcerers were here. The sharp edge of his sword gleamed coldly. He quickly closed in on the oak grove. The distance between the young Witcher and the two sorcerers was now just about ten meters.
At that moment, the two sorcerers seemed to suddenly realize what was happening. Their mouths trembled as they chanted spells, their hands frantically waving, leaving afterimages.
But it was too late!
The magic in the air had barely begun to stir when the young Witcher was already upon them.
At this moment, he was surprised to notice the stark difference in how the two sorcerers reacted. The one with glasses clawed his hands and lunged at Allen with his mouth wide open. His face twisted in rage and hatred, as if he wanted to tear Allen's flesh apart piece by piece.
The other sorcerer, though he had also given up on casting spells, kept retreating, his wide eyes filled with fear and a plea for mercy.
Strange...
Why were the reactions of these two sorcerers so different?
Allen was puzzled.
But at the same time, his hands didn't stop moving.
With a swift turn of his wrist, he sidestepped the lunge from the bespectacled sorcerer and tapped him lightly on the back of the head with the hilt of his sword. Then, with his left hand free, he chopped at the carotid artery of the other sorcerer.
"Thud~"
"Thud~"
Both sorcerers collapsed, unconscious.
"That was too easy..." Allen thought.
"Screech—Screech—"
The piercing cries came from behind.
Allen turned to look.
After the two sorcerers passed out, the four Pale Widow broke free of the Yrden signs' control and burrowed back into the ground. However, unlike before when they had all attacked Allen simultaneously, two of the Pale Widow were now heading toward Vesemir and the two sorcerer apprentices.
The remaining two.
One was targeting Allen.
The other was going for Radek's horse.
"Master Vesemir, use the Yrden sign!"
Allen called out in warning and then stopped worrying about them.
Vesemir was a master Witcher. Even while protecting the two sorcerer apprentices, he wouldn't be in danger for a while.
"Crack~"
"Crack~"
To prevent the two sorcerers from causing any trouble when they woke up, Allen dislocated their arms.
Of course.
With the way Allen had knocked them out, they would be unconscious for at least half an hour. After all, this was a professional technique from the "Cat School Double Sword LV5."
But being cautious never hurt. Without the sorcerers' control. The Pale Widow, with their hard shells and sharp claws, were still formidable opponents. But under the Witcher's hunting skills, all types of defenses were equal in his eyes.
Thus.
In just about ten minutes, Allen had cleaned up all four Pale Widow.
The only casualty was Radek's horse.
"Clang!"
Sheathing his sword, a familiar and satisfying mechanical sound echoed in Allen's ears.
"Ding!"
[Monster "Pale Widow" defeated!]
[Reward calculation: ...]
....…
📢20 advanced chapters on p@treaon📢
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214. All Witchers Must Die!!!
215. A Message Bird from Mary.
216. Mutant Formula.
217. Ms. Vera, Can I Go With You?
218. Mary Came to Learn.
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