At some point, thick clouds had gradually begun piling up in the sky.
"No!"
Allen's rejection was firm and decisive.
He glanced at Fred, who also looked like he wanted to speak but held back, and shook his head resolutely: "Master Danthe, Fred, I understand—you don't want your personal hatred to affect the school."
"But in truth, dealing with Evenson now isn't just about avenging you, Fred, Hugh, and Bond anymore."
"It's far beyond that."
He shot a sharp glare at Evenson, who remained dazed under the Axii binding.
"This is a conspiracy against witchers."
"Evenson, Padrek Vasquez, and Little House weren't just trying to deceive and kill you four—they were targeting all witchers who passed through Montecalvo."
"If we don't respond with decisive action and let others perceive the School of the Wolf as weak, then those behind this will only escalate."
"At that point, even the smallest powers—those people no one ever takes seriously—will dare to come and step all over us."
"When the walls collapse, everyone pushes—that's the truly terrifying part."
Allen even suspected that it was the School of the Wolf's overly gentle, neutral, and soft stance that had led to the disastrous fall of Kaer Morhen. Otherwise, even if the location of the fortress was revealed, how could ragtag peasants and bandits dare to besiege and attack a fortress filled with extraordinary witchers?
Were they suicidal?
And as for the School of the Griffin, which emphasized knightly virtue and moral integrity even more than the Wolves—well, there was even less to say.
In this world, if good people want to survive, they have to be more ruthless than the bad.
Danthe was silent for a long time before asking, "So how do you plan to deal with Evenson?"
Allen answered coldly, "I want to publicly expose his crimes and schemes before the civilians, priests, and nobles of Ellander—then execute him. Beheading or hanging—either works."
"No, absolutely not!" Danthe and Vesemir exclaimed in unison. "That would be trampling on Redania's dignity. Bald Radovid IV and the Redanian nobles will go mad."
"Then," Allen said without hesitation, "we'll execute him in the presence of Lady Ianna and Duke Mason. It must be witnessed, and then spread by bards."
That… could work. Danthe and Vesemir exchanged looks.
Compared to Allen's previous idea—which was essentially publicly executing a noble in front of commoners and thus disgracing the entire noble class—this quieter alternative, witnessed only by a few high-status individuals, was much more acceptable.
"But… would the Arch Priestess of Melitele and that duke really agree to witness something like this?" Danthe hesitated for a few seconds.
Even though Allen kept claiming to have good relationships with them, witnessing Evenson' execution would offend both Redania and the Rissberg Group's Civil Cooperative Organization.
Would Lady Ianna and Duke Mason really be willing to offend a major nation for their sake?
"Don't worry, it shouldn't be a problem," Vesemir said, patting Danthe on the shoulder. "Lady Ianna and Duke Mason have a very good relationship with Allen."
With Allen, not with us… Danthe caught the nuance and shot a sideways glance at Vesemir.
How does a wandering apprentice outmaneuver his own mentor in connections?
And Vesemir still spoke about depending on a student so shamelessly…
Once they settled on how to deal with Evenson, they had to consider the consequences.
"For Redania, we can rely on Duke Mason and Arch Priestess Ianna," Vesemir said with a frown. "But when it comes to the Brotherhood of Sorcerers… I don't know if Lady Vera has returned to Kaer Morhen…"
In comparison—
There was still a chance to smooth things over with Bald Radovid IV and the nobles of Redania.
The web of alliances among the northern nobility was intricate, and witchers—being a crucial force in exterminating monsters and preserving human life and property—were naturally entangled in that network.
Besides, they weren't the ones provoking this conflict—they were the victims. Apart from Duke Mason and Arch Priestess Ianna, they could still rely on the influence of the other Chiefs of the witcher schools to try and de-escalate the situation.
That was also one of the reasons why Vesemir and Danthe didn't insist on a particular way to handle the matter.
But the Brotherhood of Sorcerers—they were the real problem.
The School of the Wolf had now effectively made enemies out of the two biggest factions within the Brotherhood: Ban Ard Academy and the Rissberg Group's Civil Cooperative Organization.
If these two factions stirred up widespread hostility against the Wolves—or even against all witchers—the Brotherhood could very well issue a declaration of war, or worse, a purge order, at the year-end Conclave of Mages. And that would be catastrophic.
The Brotherhood was the true colossus of the Northern Continent.
In later generations, during the First Northern War, even kings—Foltest of Temeria, Vizimir II of Redania, Henselt of Kaedwen, Meve of Lyria and Rivia, and Demavend of Aedirn—complained during their secret summit at the fortress of Hagge that their war efforts against Nilfgaard were constantly hamstrung by Vilgefortz and the Brotherhood.
That showed just how much power the Brotherhood wielded.
And in this current era—when the School of the Wolf had not yet declined—the Brotherhood was even more powerful than it would be a hundred years later.
So if the Brotherhood, loose as its structure was, ever did officially declare war or initiate a purge—even kings who had benefited from the witchers' protection wouldn't dare to speak out.
If they simply refused to participate in the plundering of the witcher schools, that would already be considered merciful.
No school could survive such a threat.
No.
Even if all the witcher schools united, they would still struggle to withstand such a calamity.
So at the very least, Ban Ard Academy and the Rissberg Group's Civil Cooperative Organization must not be allowed to mobilize the entire Brotherhood under their banner.
"We don't have that much time…"
Allen thought for a moment and shook his head.
"Lady Vera—there's no telling when she'll return. But Ban Ard and Rissberg Group's Civil Cooperative Organization could respond the moment they hear what happened."
"Don't forget, their top leadership is currently stationed at Ban Ard."
"With that anti-witcher radical Sunny stirring the pot, I don't see any outcome that'll benefit us."
"And…" Allen paused, then added: "No offense, but even if Lady Vera had already returned to Kaer Morhen, her influence within the Brotherhood doesn't seem strong enough. She's more of a lone wolf. She has a small trade guild under her, but even that is registered through Aretuza."
"Her ties to the School of the Wolf are too deep. The neutral factions within the Brotherhood would be hard-pressed to trust her testimony."
"Then what do we do?" Vesemir asked, his brows furrowing tightly.
Everyone fell into deep thought.
Just then—
"Good Girl" soared into the skies above Ellander, and the usual calls rang out from below.
Vesemir and Allen, long used to it, remained lost in contemplation. But Danthe and Fred were distracted by the noise.
Was it because of the griffin?
Hearing that most of the voices came from children, Danthe chuckled and shook his head. But after listening a little longer, he realized something was off.
They were calling… Allen's name?
Danthe exchanged a bewildered glance with Fred.
The Blue Death, Godslayer, May King, Knight of Ellander…
All those titles—were they referring to Allen?
Fred looked a little dazed. In less than half a year, what exactly had Allen gone through?
Godslayer…
Which god had been slain?
"Aretuza!" Allen suddenly spoke, cutting off Danthe and Fred's train of thought.
Vesemir looked up, confused. "What… what about Aretuza?"
Allen spoke softly, "Lady Vera might not carry enough weight, but as the rector of Aretuza, and the only female sorceress among the five leaders of Chapter of the Gift and the Art, Tissaia de Vries certainly does. We could invite her to witness Evenson' execution."
"And more importantly, her mind-reading abilities could help expose Evenson' lies—and maybe even reveal the true mastermind behind him."
"Allen is also acquainted with Tissaia de Vries of Aretuza?" Danthe asked, dazed, patting Vesemir's arm in disbelief.
"Not like with Lady Ianna or Duke Mason," Vesemir shook his head. "They've only worked together before."
Then, frowning slightly, he looked toward Allen uncertainly: "Do you really believe Tissaia de Vries would take our side? Over Ban Ard and the Rissberg Group's Civil Cooperative Organization—her fellow members of the Brotherhood and the Association?"
It sounded unlikely.
Yes, they had worked together once, perhaps even as allies—but the two sides had never truly fought side by side.
And Aretuza's interests were clearly more aligned with the broader Brotherhood. Vesemir couldn't think of a single reason why Tissaia would choose them over her powerful colleagues.
It was like a commoner having a dispute with a baron's cousin and expecting the noble to take their side.
In all his centuries as a witcher, Vesemir could count on one hand the number of times that had happened—if that.
More often, nobles would band together with their kin—right or wrong—just to prove a point, even if it meant trampling commoners.
And Tissaia de Vries's ties to Ban Ard and the Consortium were far stronger than cousinhood.
They shared vested interests within the Brotherhood.
And interests were an even stronger bond than blood.
That's why, even when Allen had brought up Aretuza earlier, Vesemir hadn't considered this possibility.
"I'm not entirely sure," Allen admitted, "but it's worth a try."
If the Tissaia de Vries in this world was the same woman from his memories—the one who upheld order and peace, who refused to sacrifice Ciri and Geralt's bond just to gain political power for the Northern Kingdoms—
Then there was still hope.
"We don't have much choice," Vesemir and Danthe exchanged glances and sighed.
In truth, even if the Brotherhood stayed out of it, just one of Ban Ard Academy or Rissberg Group's Civil Cooperative Organization targeting them would be more than the School of the Wolf could handle.
Especially the Ban Ard of before it was surrounded by the Wild Hunt.
But with a high-ranking member of the Brotherhood dead, the Rissberg Group's Civil Cooperative Organization—regardless of whether they were the mastermind behind this—would certainly seize the opportunity to retaliate. There would be no room for negotiation; they were bound to target the School of the Wolf.
There was no longer any need to discuss that further.
"There's something else..."
As the royal griffin began to descend and the temple drew nearer, Vesemir suddenly said: "It's time we started talking about returning to Kaer Morhen, Allen."
Allen, holding onto the griffin's mane, stiffened slightly. He nodded.
"I understand. Tomorrow, then. Let Hughes and Bond stay at the temple for treatment. We'll head back to Kaer Morhen tomorrow. The Chief…"
He paused.
"The Chief needs to know about all this, as soon as possible."
Vesemir nodded.
Seeing both Allen and Vesemir sink into a heavy mood, Danthe quickly tried to ease the tension: "This was all my fault."
"I'll explain everything to the Chief. You two don't need to—"
"It has nothing to do with you," Vesemir interrupted him. "It's not about this matter... or rather, not just this matter. In any case, leave it alone..."
Not just this? What else? Danthe scratched his head, completely lost at Vesemir's vague rambling.
Vesemir, however, simply sighed to himself.
With the fall of Kaedwen, and now hostility from both Redania and Rissberg Group's Civil Cooperative Organization…
He wasn't sure how the Chief, Sol, would handle this next blow. Or what punishment might await them for straying from neutrality...
He looked at Allen's back—taller, sturdier than just half a year ago—and his amber cat-like eyes glinted with new resolve.
As for Allen, he lowered his head, peering through the red-black feathers of the griffin to gaze upon the vast cityscape between the Mahakam Mountains.
Beneath the dark, overcast sky, even the sacred Temple of Melitele looked particularly somber.
At this moment—
Just like Vesemir, Allen couldn't help but think of the Chief.
And how to face the inevitable interrogation.
But the longer he thought, the more his thoughts began to drift…
Sol's deep, magnetic voice echoed again and again in his mind.
## "Do you want to be Chief?"
"Good Girl" landed at the usual spot.
Erni, Klar, and the others nimbly detached the hooks from the griffin's claws and rolled to the ground.
Once the griffin had stabilized, they carefully unloaded Bond, Ironshield, and Furi from her broad back.
And at that moment—
"Screee~!"
"Good Girl" let out a strange, sharp cry, causing Allen—just stepping off her back—to suddenly freeze.
Under everyone's puzzled stares, it took a while before Allen turned back to Vesemir with a complicated expression.
"This seals it," Allen said. "No matter how much is left to do in Ellander, we have to return to Kaer Morhen tomorrow."
"What happened?" Vesemir blinked, glancing at the affectionate griffin nuzzling Allen's shoulder.
"Good Girl's egg… is about to hatch," Allen said while gently stroking the griffin's beak. "If we don't leave tomorrow, we'll have to travel back on horseback."
"Th-that's great news!"
Aside from Danthe and Fred, who looked completely confused, all the witchers—including Vesemir—suddenly lit up with excitement.
And yet—
That wasn't the only surprise waiting for them.
...
📢Advanced chapters on p@treaon📢
For advance chapters: [email protected]/Uchiha_Itachi007 (replace @ with a)
1. 30 advanced chapters of American Comics: Multiverse of Madness.
2. 20 advanced chapters of The Witcher: Wolf School's Hunting Notes.