"After hearing the news of your coma, we immediately placed Vilgefortz under control."
Vera spoke softly, bowing slightly in a probing gesture. When Allen showed no particular reaction, she sat by his bedside.
Of course, Vera and Sol had no idea that the true culprit was Vilgefortz. But before Allen collapsed, the number of people he had come into contact with was extremely limited.
After narrowing down the possibilities, it was simple enough to point at Vilgefortz.
And truthfully, Vilgefortz wasn't wronged.
"You restrained Vilgefortz, and Lady Tissaia de Vries had no response to that?"
Allen caught the faint fragrance of oranges mixed with cardamom at the tip of his nose, unconsciously twitching it as he asked in surprise.
Although Tissaia had never shown it before him, Allen knew well that after the events in the Brotherhood of Sorcerers in Ban Ard, the pressure on her was immense.
To maintain the ancient order of the Novigradian Union, she needed to rely on the combined force of both the extraordinary and secular powers.
Yet the secular rulers she most needed to secure were in chaos themselves—Kingdom Kaedwen, shaken by unrest, was unstable.
Compared to allowing Aedirn to completely subjugate vast Kaedwen, supporting the rise of a sorcerer-ruled kingdom to the east was presumptuous, but not unthinkable.
The secular monarchies were already divided within and could contribute little.
But in the extraordinary sphere…
Most of the strength Tissaia could mobilize came through the Sorcerers' Lodge, which was deeply entangled with worldly authority.
And within the Lodge, Aretuza was feeble—utterly unable to withstand the combined weight of Ban Ard and Rissberg Group's Civil Cooperative Organization, two towering forces.
As for the other extraordinary influences within the Lodge…
Frankly, Allen didn't place much hope in them.
If he had been just another sorcerer, faced with the chance to establish a regime ruled by mages that could dominate Kaedwen, he would certainly have sided with Sunny and Ortolan.
Even if, once such a kingdom was established, the core interests would scarcely benefit most sorcerers directly, the overall status of their kind would inevitably rise.
Rescuing Hen Gedymdeith, gaining the support of the sorcerers' uncrowned king of the age, and dividing Ban Ard—that might be the only fulcrum Tissaia could find to leverage the whole situation.
And in the matter of rescuing Hen Gedymdeith, Vilgefortz, being within Ban Ard itself and completely above suspicion, was far more crucial than either a witcher like Allen or even Philippa Eilhart.
Now that the Wolf School had Vilgefortz under lock, and Allen himself had been unconscious for three or four days, Tissaia—if not possessed of great patience—must have been on the verge of desperation.
Noticing Allen's lack of rejection toward her closeness, Vera's lips curled ever so faintly as she said gently: "Tissaia hasn't reacted much, because Vilgefortz has been very cooperative—and it almost seemed as though he had foreseen your coma."
"When we found him, he was calmly sitting in his room, watching Lydia van Bredevoort paint. He surrendered to us without resistance, even asked us to imprison him."
"He said that 'after a certain sleep,' you would only gain without suffering any loss, and urged us to wait patiently. So in truth, it wasn't us who put him in the dungeon—it was he who walked in of his own accord."
Vera's eyes searched Allen, trying to discern any trace of this supposed "benefit" Vilgefortz spoke of—but she found nothing at all.
Allen's breathing had grown heavy.
So Vilgefortz really did know the purpose of that letter. Then he must also know where that sea lay, where that vast prairie was, what kind of place it truly was…
Was it really the future?
If so, then perhaps by returning there at the right moment, finding Ciri, he could uncover the way to end the White Frost…
"Did he ever say why I fell into a coma?" Allen drew in a deep breath, steadied his thoughts, and asked urgently.
Vera shook her head lightly. "Shall I summon him here?"
Allen started to nod, but his body stiffened. He shook his head, refusing the sorceress's suggestion. "No… not now. Later, tonight—I'll go to him myself."
He glanced sideways toward the window, where the midday sun burned bright.
"But…" Allen paused, then continued, "you can release Vilgefortz for now."
"Of course." Vera nodded softly, rising from Allen's bedside. "So, you truly haven't suffered any harm, and have even gained something?"
Allen was silent for a moment, then replied, "I think so… but I'm still… not entirely certain."
Hearing this, Vera patted his shoulder gently. "You know, Allen—whatever happens, Sol and I will stand with you."
"I know." Allen smiled faintly at Vera, and at Sol, who had remained silent behind her.
"Good." Vera nodded again, saying no more. With a snap of her fingers, she conjured a portal and was about to step through when Allen suddenly remembered.
"Wait—what of Kaer Village's new king of Kaedwen? Before my 'coma,' there was a troubling matter at the foot of Kaer Morhen."
"Lado hasn't yet realized he's been exposed," Sol answered this time. "But in how to deal with him, we've met with sharp disagreements."
"Disagreements?"
Sol nodded, offering no suspense. "Vesemir, Danthe, and Aristo on one side; Tissaia de Vries and her student Philippa on the other. Both sides differ."
Allen arched a brow.
That Lado hadn't noticed his compromised position was fortunate. But these disagreements…
Wait.
There was still one crucial voice missing.
"And you?"
Allen looked straight at the Wolf School's grandmaster, whose face was calm.
The grandmaster sighed softly. "My opinion doesn't matter, Allen. Soon, you will be the next head of the Wolf School."
"The school's future should be decided by you, not me."
Allen froze at the words. Something felt off. He quickly pressed, "You're not planning to leave Kaer Morhen, are you?"
Sol had just undergone a second mutation—he should now be at the peak of his life's strength. So why did he sound so weary, as though already retreating from the world?
The Wolf School's grandmaster stayed silent for a long time, making Allen's scalp prickle.
Though the Wolf School was loosely structured, and the head held little direct control over witchers and masters, during the Long Winter, with Vesemir, Danthe, Aristo, and Sol's support, Allen could have formally become the next leader.
But if Sol left, half the witchers would surely depart Kaer Morhen with him.
And once the large number of witchers returned at year's end, Allen's succession would mean a brutal struggle.
If Sol left now…
He dared not think it.
Thankfully—
"Don't worry. Not yet."
After a while, Sol glanced at Vera, then shook his head gently. "I am a witcher of the Wolf School. How could I abandon it in its hardest hour?"
Allen let out a quiet breath of relief.
Still, from Sol's tone, it seemed he would eventually choose to leave Kaer Morhen.
For some reason, Allen suddenly recalled that dreamlike Toussaint illusion, the one Sol had conjured during his recovery from the collapse of the Grandmaster Vessel.
"But as for how the Wolf School should deal with Lado—that decision is yours," Sol said. "Of course, we'll all support you."
Allen pulled himself back from his thoughts and nodded lightly.
"As for other matters…" Vera glanced toward the corner of the room, at Mary, who had been doing her best to make herself invisible. "You can ask Mary. She's been taking care of you these past days, and whenever something happened outside, someone would come to inform her."
Taking care of me all this time… Allen blinked, then turned his head.
The girl in the corner noticed his gaze, her face flushing red as she ducked her head, letting her messy golden hair hide her expression.
Seeing this, Vera smirked faintly, gave a few more reminders, and then left with Sol through the portal.
-----------------------------------
"Allen."
The witcher woke with a start. Outside, the sky had already deepened into dusk.
"Were you even listening to me?" Mary sat at his bedside, puffing her cheeks, glaring at him.
"Of course, of course I was." He turned, giving her a gentle smile. "You were just saying that Philippa Eilhart and Lady Tissaia de Vries had a fierce argument."
"Well, maybe not that fierce…" Mary brushed back the stray strands of hair at her forehead. "But it was definitely unpleasant. In the castle hall, even Vesemir, Danthe, and Master Aristo didn't dare to speak."
"And you?"
"I dared even less!" Mary stuck out her tongue playfully. Allen could already picture how timid she must have looked. "The hall was so quiet you could hear the crackling of the firewood."
"I've never seen the Arch-mistress so angry. Philippa's face was like iron too—she didn't even say goodbye, just turned into an owl and flew away…"
"Her transformation magic is so strong. I wonder when I'll be able to practice until I'm like her…"
As she spoke, Mary's words drifted off into less important tangents. Still, the key details were clear enough.
During the days Allen lay unconscious, quite a bit had happened at Kaer Morhen.
First of all, under Fred's example and Mary's instruction, the members of the Wolfpack had all learned Battle Roar: Wild Speech.
[Name: Wild Speech]
[Type: Beast Roar]
Passive Effects: Maintaining the flow of Beast Roar: Wild Speech daily will:
1. Slowly enhance perception attributes.
2. Reduce hostility from low-intelligence creatures.
Active Effect: Consumes energy, allowing the roarer to sense the thoughts of low-intelligence creatures and convey simple commands.]
Of course…
The Battle Roar that Erni, Klar, and the others had learned was naturally nowhere near as powerful as Allen's direct communion with the Mother of Nature, nor as unique as Fred's plant-controlling mutation. Instead, it only worked when actively released—merely soothing wild animals and lessening their hostility.
Most of the young witchers felt its effect was weaker than the Axii Sign, which bewitched the mind.
But Allen had never intended Wild Speech to be a decisive combat tool. Rather, learning it was a prerequisite for progressing further.
Though Wild Speech seemed underwhelming, its successor, Whisper of Life—which sharpened the senses against hostility and allowed detection of living beings within a certain range—was far more practical. And beyond that lay the soon-to-be-unlocked Beast Roar: Forbidden Sky.
It was also meant to provide a stable way of raising attributes besides relying on mutagens and purifying elixirs.
That point was critical.
Outside the Wolfpack, however, there was still Lado.
In the past few days, the great hall had erupted into heated arguments during meals—especially dinner—over how to deal with him.
In summary, the stances were these:
Vesemir and Danthe, perhaps influenced by Allen, chose to refuse Lado's pleas outright.
The usually radical Aristo instead advocated at least escorting Lado and his men safely out of Kaer Village to the west bank of the Buina River.
As for Tissaia de Vries, she hadn't planned to intervene in Lado's fate, but the ambitious Philippa Eilhart sought to sway her former mentor, pushing for Aretuza to back Lado's restoration—a gamble in political speculation.
Tissaia, of course, would not agree. The past few days had seen several quarrels, none ending well.
Mary hadn't offered her own opinion. Allen hadn't spoken either, but deep down, he stood with Philippa.
After all, Aretuza was already preparing to rescue Hen Gedymdeith. That didn't mean outright opposition to Aedirn, but given Hen's stance, once he consolidated Ban Ard, he would neither support a sorcerer kingdom nor condone Aedirn's conquests.
Most likely, he would serve as mediator.
He would push Aedirn and Kaedwen into a truce: some reparations, some land, Lado's return, and peace to end the war.
Considering Aedirn was already buckling under the weight of conflict, refusal was impossible. Thus, Aretuza's intervention was perfectly timed—a chance to extend the academy's influence eastward into the North, something Hen himself wouldn't oppose.
After all, Kaedwen had long been Ban Ard's domain. Female graduates of Aretuza had always found it hard to secure work there. Supporting Lado would mean seizing a share of Ban Ard's market.
The mundane and the arcane were interdependent.
More high-status sorceresses meant more resources, which in turn elevated Aretuza's weight within the Brotherhood.
And the price?
At most, Aedirn's hostility—a small matter. Aedirn was weak, its hatred of Ban Ard ran deeper, and with Hen's backing afterward, the risk was negligible.
From Aretuza's perspective, supporting Lado's restoration was indeed the optimal path.
But Tissaia had rejected it—flatly and decisively.
"Philippa will never give up on such a chance at political speculation. Even without Tissaia's support, she won't let it go."
"Which means… for the Wolf School, this might be an opportunity as well."
Allen turned the thought over in his mind, an idea beginning to form.
"…That's about everything," Mary concluded with precision.
Allen returned to himself, set the matter of Lado aside for now, and looked up to thank her—only to notice Mary's gaze fixed downward.
"Allen, what's in your left hand?"
"My left hand?" He froze, then instinctively followed her eyes. "There's nothing in my—"
Huh?!!
His left hand was indeed clenched around… something.
And the moment he realized it—
"Ding!"
A cold system chime suddenly rang in his ears…
.........
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