As Allen finished speaking, he locked eyes with Tissaia de Vries in prolonged silence.
The air was heavy—filled with a cold, barely restrained killing intent.
When it came to taking sides, throughout history, people always leaned toward power and profit.
And at this moment, it was obvious: on the scales of benefit, the School of the Wolf and the opposing forces—Rissberg Civil Consortium, Ban Ard, and the Brotherhood of Sorcerers—were entirely imbalanced.
You didn't need a formal comparison; one only had to look at Philippa Eilhart's wary, eager expression to know she never once believed Tissaia de Vries would actually agree.
Even Vesemir and Danthe, hands nearly on the hilts of their swords, clearly shared that same belief.
The atmosphere in the chamber had grown tense and volatile. Truthfully, even Allen himself wasn't completely confident in persuading Tissaia de Vries.
In his previous life's stories, Tissaia was portrayed as a staunch defender of order—but that didn't mean the woman standing before him now was the same as the figure from fiction.
Since arriving in this world, Allen had already experienced the vast difference between reality and story more than once.
People change—with time, with experiences, with the people they meet. They grow, decay, ascend, and fall. Nearly a century had passed since the original timeline's coup on Thanedd Island.
Maybe, a hundred years later, Tissaia had indeed become someone devoted to maintaining order—but who could say what had shaped her path?
After all, even Duny, who once risked his life to marry Princess Pavetta in Cintra, would one day become Emhyr var Emreis—the ruthless "White Flame Dancing on the Barrows of his Enemies."
And more importantly, order and justice were never the same thing.
"You think you all…" Her gaze swept over the tense Vesemir and Danthe, her tone curious. "What makes you more worthy of protection than they are?"
At those words, Allen's brows moved slightly, and he let out a small breath of relief. He replied: "Because we protect order—and they destroy it."
"Witchers may not have the strength or influence that other powers of order possess, but in terms of contribution, we are no less than any of them."
Tissaia de Vries held his gaze silently for a long moment, then suddenly smiled. "That much is undeniable."
"Headmistress?" Philippa Eilhart froze, looking at Tissaia in shock.
"What Allen said is true. Witchers have contributed far more to the preservation of order than those sorcerers who spend their days preaching ideals while secretly scheming, scrambling for power, and pursuing personal gain."
Tissaia nodded in agreement.
"But…" Philippa glanced at Allen, hesitant to speak further.
Clearly not every Brotherhood inspector still had the idealism of a fresh graduate—some moved with ease through rivers of power and ambition. And considering it was Philippa Eilhart, that wasn't surprising.
In the original timeline, she had even assassinated her own lover—Sigismund Dijkstra, head of Redania's intelligence agency—for the sake of consolidating power.
Now, with this mess barely involving Aretuza, she certainly didn't want her political backers getting entangled with the likes of Ban Ard or the Rissberg Consortium over a few Witchers.
Tissaia de Vries gave a cold snort.
"The Brotherhood is growing more and more corrupt. Some mages behave lawlessly in secret."
"Using innocent civilians as test subjects, summoning demons with sacrificial rituals to destroy villages, delving into necromancy, upsetting the balance of the living world…"
"When did selling fake potions and enchanted trinkets for profit become the mark of a respectable mage?"
"Philippa…" Tissaia turned to look at her pupil. "From the days of the old Novigradian Union, the Brotherhood existed to uphold the law and regulate the mages of the Northern Kingdoms—to prevent the world's most powerful magic from spiraling out of control…"
"It was meant to reconcile conflict, guide humanity, and uphold order as the strongest and most just force."
"But precisely because of that strength—when it turns against humanity, when it shatters order—it becomes the greatest threat."
"And if that moment comes, it will be the Brotherhood itself that suffers most."
"Philippa, maintaining order is the Brotherhood's duty—it's our duty."
Philippa met her mentor's gaze, and after a stunned pause, gave a slight nod.
Tissaia de Vries nodded in satisfaction, then turned to Allen.
"Allen, I will bear witness for you."
Vesemir and Danthe froze for a moment, then slowly relaxed their tensed hands.
They hadn't expected Allen's bold and unreliable proposal to actually come true.
Tissaia de Vries, the woman standing at the pinnacle of the Brotherhood of Sorceresses, had actually turned her back on them—and chosen to stand with the witchers.
"Thank you, Lady Tissaia," Allen let out a breath and expressed his gratitude.
"It's not because of you," Tissaia shook her head and looked toward the dazed Evenson. "I'm standing on the side of order. Now, remove the binding sign. Let's first see who's behind him. I assume that's why you brought him here."
Allen gave a slight nod and glanced at Vesemir.
Vesemir raised his hand, about to undo the binding sign.
"Wait a moment!" Ianna suddenly spoke, stopping him. "No rush. Since Allen said this will be witnessed by all three sides, let's wait for Duke Mason to arrive first. That way, we won't have to interrogate the man twice."
Tissaia was silent for a few seconds, then nodded. "Very well."
Clang~
Without Tissaia making any visible movement, an orange portal silently appeared within the room.
"Philippa, go find Augusta and have her invite Duke Mason," Tissaia instructed.
"Yes, Headmistress." Philippa Eilhart walked toward the portal.
"Nenneke, you go too. Make sure the situation is explained clearly," Ianna added, patting his hand. Then she turned to Allen. "Anything else you need?"
"It'd be best to have a bard present as well," Allen answered without hesitation.
"You little brat, always looking to squeeze every last drop. Grandmaster Sol really lucked out finding someone like you." Ianna chuckled, clearly pleased. She turned to Nenneke. "Ask Mason who the best bard in Ellander is, and invite them as well."
With all this trouble linked to him, if the School's First didn't kick him out of the School of the Wolf, that was already a show of patience… Allen thought silently.
Of course, with outsiders present, he only offered a wry smile and shook his head.
"Understood." Nenneke gave Allen a glance, smiling as well.
Then Philippa Eilhart, still silent and deep in thought, stepped into the portal alongside Nenneke.
Clang~
The portal vanished.
Perhaps because this matter involved the dark underside of the Brotherhood, Tissaia de Vries, despite agreeing to serve as a witness, was visibly displeased.
The others, including Ianna, waited silently for Duke Mason's arrival. Only Allen, thinking of Tissaia's unspoken purpose for coming here in the first place, took the opportunity to ask:
"Lady Tissaia, may I ask why you were looking for us? If it's within our power, we will not refuse."
Even if it truly was for the sake of order that Tissaia stood against the Brotherhood's two great factions—Allen knew, without a doubt, that he now owed her a significant debt.
By saying she would bear witness, she meant she would actively speak up for the School of the Wolf within the Brotherhood of Sorcerers—ensuring the mages from Ban Ard and the Rissberg Group's Civil Cooperative Organization couldn't twist the truth.
Aretuza and Tissaia de Vries would inevitably suffer real losses because of this decision. But favors must go both ways to be lasting.
Hearing Allen's question, Tissaia glanced at Ianna beside her and said: "This is something you can help with."
Noticing her gaze, Ianna frowned.
Tissaia didn't immediately state her request. Instead, after a brief pause to gather her words, she abruptly changed the subject: "Did you know I recently sent people to Aedirn to investigate the situation?"
The moment she spoke, Vesemir and Danthe perked up.
"The fall of Kaedwen?" Allen asked with a frown.
"Yes, that," Tissaia nodded. "My informant told me that on his very first day in Vengerberg, news of Aedirn's imminent annexation of Kaedwen was already being spread throughout the city."
"Prisoners of war were paraded through the streets—among them nobles from north of Ard Carraigh…"
She paused slightly. "And I'm not just referring to knights—or not only knights."
"Men, women, the elderly, even children—all dressed in noble garments, their faces full of fear, locked in cages. They were brought to Aedirn's capital alongside their riches, their former wealth…"
"The war between Aedirn and Kaedwen is clearly in its final stages."
"So yes, Allen…"
"The fall of Kaedwen—its complete annexation by Aedirn—isn't far off now."
The three witchers exchanged glances.
They had expected as much. So when they heard the news, even Danthe felt no real stir of emotion. Perhaps compared to Evenson's conspiracy, which affected them directly, Kaedwen's fate felt more distant—less pressing.
"So what does this have to do with us?" Vesemir asked.
There were likely few factions left on the Continent who wanted to see Aedirn fully consume Kaedwen. But surely no one expected the School of the Wolf—barely a hundred witchers—to turn the tide of a kingdom's demise.
Especially when relations between the School and Kaedwen were currently at a freezing point.
"Don't rush," Tissaia said, smoothing the lace on her right sleeve. She continued at a measured pace: "On the second day of my agent's infiltration into Vengerberg, they picked up some additional intelligence through… certain channels."
"Although the city was still celebrating its victory, the king had reportedly thrown a furious fit just a few days prior."
"About what?" Ianna asked curiously. "Did Kaedwen launch a counterattack?"
"No," Tissaia shook her head. "My contact hasn't uncovered the full details yet, but the rumors don't point to a military pushback."
"They say that on that day, King Demavend II stormed through the palace, shouting 'Wild Hunt! Wild Hunt!'—and shattered quite a few things…"
"I suspect Aedirn's forces were attacked by the Wild Hunt. And likely suffered heavy losses."
Allen's brow twitched, recalling that squad of Wild Hunt riders emerging from the Spiral.
"But that still has nothing to do with Allen and the others," Ianna said, brows tightly knit. "To be blunt, wouldn't most of the Northern Kings and even the Brotherhood be glad to see Aedirn stumble?"
"We certainly don't wish for the war to continue," Tissaia de Vries replied crisply, "but what happens next isn't something we—nor most of the Brotherhood—wish to see."
"What development?"
Tissaia's gaze swept across the room as she lowered her voice: "My people heard that Ban Ard and the Rissberg Group's Civil Cooperative Organization are on the move again."
"They've taken in Kaedwen's surviving troops and nobility. It seems they intend to establish a sorcerer kingdom."
"What? A sorcerer kingdom?!" Ianna slammed her armrest, her face paling. "They actually dare to blatantly violate the ancient Novigradian Union!"
The Novigradian Union, the first formal pact among the Continent's supernatural factions, was essentially a non-interference treaty. Signed by the rulers of the Northern Kingdoms and the major magical factions—mages, druids, priests—it ensured a separation of power:
Humans rule humans.
Mages rule mages.
Priests rule Priests.
Druids rule druids…
Of course, with time, such strict separations became more of a theoretical ideal than reality.
For example, though the Brotherhood was meant to govern only mages, it still required countless mundane humans for daily affairs and trade. And cities like Ban Ard, Rissberg, and Aretuza—centers of magical learning—were practically governed entirely by mages.
Priests needed commoners to preach to. And mortal nobles constantly sought ways to influence mage politics.
All of this had become an unspoken arrangement.
But establishing a sorcerer kingdom?
That was pure taboo.
"Is the intel reliable?" Allen asked.
'Heard' wasn't exactly a concrete source.
"There's no mistake," Tissaia replied firmly, not revealing her source, but with absolute conviction in her voice.
Silence fell over the room.
Not from a lack of questions—but because there were too many. No one knew where to start.
The founding of a sorcerer kingdom would threaten Aedirn first and foremost. And after that… Kaer Morhen, still located within Kaedwen's borders. No one likes enemies growing strong right on their doorstep.
And as for who would likely lead this sorcerer kingdom—there was only one answer: Sunny. No second candidate even came to mind.
"I wonder how badly Aedirn was hit in the Wild Hunt's attack," Allen thought, frowning. "If their losses were heavy… the School of the Wolf could be in real danger…"
"But you still haven't told us what you want," Ianna said after some thought, raising her eyes to Tissaia.
The candlelight flickered in the gloom, casting long shadows. Wax tears ran like small waterfalls down the stands.
"The Brotherhood wishes to commission the School of the Wolf for a task…"
Tissaia took a deep breath, meeting Allen's glowing, cat-like blue eyes.
"To rescue Hen Gedymdeith."
...
📢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.