"You haven't seen the Chief yet?" Allen paused in surprise.
"Didn't you all arrive three days ago?"
His first reaction was to assume the Chief was intentionally avoiding the elves—but the more he thought about it, the less that made sense.
While elves were still harshly discriminated against on the Continent, especially in Kaedwen and Redania, the rest of the Northern Kingdoms—like Temeria, the Hengfors League, Kovir, and Poviss—had long since moved past mass extermination. After all, the elven court had fallen ages ago. Outside of Kaedwen and Aedirn, large elven communities no longer existed. Scattered individuals lived as citizens within various human realms.
And thanks to their otherworldly beauty and centuries of refined skill, those few remaining elves were often treasured members of society.
So, truly—
The only nations actively hostile toward elves anymore were Kaedwen and Aedirn, plus Redania, due to long-standing blood feuds.
Even then, Aedirn and Redania's animosity had cooled significantly. The elven race had grown too frail—too few in number and too low in birthrate—to pose a threat. Their extinction, at this rate, seemed inevitable.
Only Kaedwen remained a danger, and that too because of the greed of "The Glutton" Henselt, who had relentlessly targeted the elves of the Blue Mountains.
Though truthfully, Henselt hadn't just been hostile to elves. He had antagonized Aedirn, Temeria, Redania—any neighbor he could.
No wonder Aedirn's King Demavend II had been so eager to march out for revenge the moment he heard of Henselt's death.
In the end, it was really only Kaedwen waging active war on the elves. And now Kaedwen was essentially a collapsed state.
Forging an alliance with the Aen Seidhe was a boon for the Wolf School, no matter how you looked at it.
Allen couldn't believe the Chief didn't understand that.
Besides, Allen had already told him about the elves' support plan right after the Wolf and Cat School apprentices' duel. Chief Sol had stayed behind in Kaer Morhen precisely to await the remnants of the Blue Mountain elves.
So why would he suddenly avoid them?
Allen didn't give an immediate answer. Instead, he glanced discreetly at Aristo.
Aristo looked grim and shook his head slightly without speaking.
What did that mean?
Allen exchanged a look with Vesemir, then smiled politely under Francesca Findabair's gaze. "Sorry—I'm not sure what's going on yet. I'll check with the Chief shortly. Maybe he's just been delayed by something."
"No, it's fine," Francesca said quickly, waving her hands. "Kaer Morhen is quite pleasant. It's just… Shadia and my father, Simlas Finn aep Dabairr, are still waiting to gather and formalize the pact…"
Simlas Finn aep Dabairr—Francesca's father—was the leader of the Free Elves.
While the alliance between the Free Elves and the Wolf School had been brokered primarily by Shadia, his involvement was unavoidable.
But judging from Francesca's tone, Simlas Finn aep Dabairr wasn't just reluctantly participating out of obligation—or even gratitude for saving his "wife" and "child." He seemed genuinely interested in uniting the Free Elves and the Wolf School.
Allen took mental note of that.
Like Ida Emean, Simlas was a sage among the Aen Seidhe—and arguably even more skilled in the arcane arts.
During the Aelirenn Rebellion, he had "foreseen" the inevitable defeat and chose not to send his people into battle.
And indeed, the rebellion ended in catastrophic failure, dragging the Aen Seidhe to the brink of extinction. Nearly every young elf had followed Aelirenn to war, only to be slaughtered by humans. The elders who stayed behind had long since lost the ability to reproduce.
In truth, the Aen Seidhe had stepped one foot into the grave ever since that rebellion.
In the original timeline, Simlas foresaw that war with humanity would spell extinction for the elves. So, swallowing his pride, he sought peace.
Unfortunately, he couldn't prevent the ruin that followed—both internal and external forces conspired against him. The greatest blow came from his own daughter.
While the books and games never revealed exactly what she did, it likely involved rebellion—or even patricide. Still, history had proven Simlas right.
Though Francesca had taken Nilfgaard's side and been crowned Queen (or Duchess) of Dol Blathanna, she lost the Scoia'tael—the last and only military force the elves possessed.
The Scoia'tael were mostly the final generation of young elves Simlas had managed to protect after the Aelirenn Rebellion. So, it was hard to say whether the elves had found a new homeland… or simply slammed the gas pedal on their race's extinction.
Allen couldn't help but wonder—had Simlas foreseen something again?
"I'll get back to you soon about the Chief," Allen said, stopping outside the castle hall and bidding Francesca farewell. "If you need anything at Kaer Morhen, don't hesitate to find me."
He pointed to the south tower. "Third floor is my room. If I'm not there, I'm likely in the alchemy lab on the second floor—or ask any of the young witcher apprentices near the gate."
"It's fine. Master Aristo has already arranged everything," Francesca said, nodding toward Aristo, who returned the gesture.
"But…" she added, hesitating.
"But what?" Allen asked.
She glanced at her two elven attendants, then gathered her courage and said, "Later this afternoon or evening—once you're done with everything—could you take me on a little walk around the castle or nearby?"
"I really like the scenery here."
Allen paused, surprised by the expectation shining in her clear eyes—eyes like still water—and nodded. "Of course."
He actually had a lot he wanted to ask Francesca Findabair.
Preferably in a private conversation—just the two of them.
With those two attendants by her side—whether they were Shadia's or Simlas Finn aep Dabairr's spies—questions like "How's Shadia doing after returning?", "Did she reconcile with Simlas?", or "What's the current state of the Free Elves?" had no chance of being asked.
It wasn't gossip about her parents' relationship.
After their falling out, both Shadia and Simlas were essentially independent political entities. Their stances and relationship were important.
On top of that, there were the fragments of the Gate of Ard Gaeth, the guiding stones…
Allen had spent the past six months trying to locate them, but even in the vast archives of the Temple of Melitele, he hadn't found a single clue.
If he wanted to obtain the next Gate fragment or guiding stone, he'd either have to passively wait for "fate"—or start thinking smarter.
Since the Gate of Ard Gaeth once belonged to the Aen Seidhe's kin, the Aen Elle, Francesca Findabair was likely the best lead to follow.
"Then it's settled," Francesca smiled brightly and walked away with her two attendants.
Watching her figure fade into the distance, Allen's expression turned serious.
But he didn't question her right away. Instead, he quickly dismissed Fred, Erni, Klar, and the others with a few words, then raised his hand to stop Aristo from speaking.
Creaaak—
Allen pushed open the door and entered the castle hall.
The hall was quiet—completely empty.
"Master Aristo, this is Lady Philippa Eilhart, a sorceress who graduated from Aretuza, favored student of Tissaia de Vries, and currently an inspector for the Brotherhood of Sorcerers…"
Aristo, surprised by Allen's interruption, blinked.
A sorceress?
He followed Allen's gaze—to the grey owl perched on his shoulder.
Philippa Eilhart could no longer pretend.
"Greetings, Master Aristo," her voice echoed in all their minds.
Telepathy.
"A remarkable polymorph," said Aristo, a worldly man behind his gruff beard. He accepted the owl's identity with ease and offered polite praise. Then he glanced at Allen and Vesemir, curiosity in his eyes.
"Philippa Eilhart will be partnering with me on a contract," Allen explained briefly, turning to the owl. "Philippa, Master Aristo and I have some matters to discuss. Would you mind—?"
Fwoosh—
Before he finished, the owl sensibly flew into the next room toward the fireplace.
The three of them moved deeper into the hall, around to the far side of the hearth.
Aristo was clearly thinking hard. Once they reached the corner, he asked, "What kind of contract would have you bring your client all the way to Kaer Morhen?"
It wasn't that he disapproved of Allen breaking tradition by bringing outsiders to the keep.
The Wolf School had always been loosely organized. Outside the core tenets, most rules had long been forgotten or ignored.
Besides, it wasn't just Allen—Vesemir and Danthe, two senior witchers, were aware. That meant it had to be a contract they couldn't refuse.
Aristo smelled something ominous.
"The client isn't her. It's Tissaia de Vries. Philippa Eilhart is my partner."
"Partner?" Aristo frowned.
What kind of contract required both a witcher and a veteran sorceress?
And more importantly, Allen, Vesemir, and Danthe had actually agreed to it…
"It's complicated," Vesemir cut in, "We'll explain later. Right now—what's going on with the Chief? Why hasn't he met with the elves?"
"The Chief…" Aristo opened his mouth to reply—
CLANG—
A burst of orange light flared in the center of the hall.
A glowing portal had appeared out of nowhere.
When the portal appeared, it made a single faint noise—then fell into absolute silence.
That level of precision required extraordinary skill.
"Lady Vera is back?!" A flicker of joy surfaced in Allen's eyes.
With Vera around, everything became easier—whether it was restraining Philippa Eilhart, studying spells, brewing new potions, preparing to rescue Hen Gedymdeith, or even just traveling.
"Mhm," Aristo nodded at the portal. "Those long-ears… the elves… came back with Lady Vera."
Of course.
Allen had found it slightly odd earlier—how did Francesca and the others get through the Killer's Path to reach Kaer Morhen without a guide?
Francesca hadn't mentioned it, either by accident or on purpose.
"But didn't Lady Vera go to Toussaint?" Allen asked, puzzled.
Toussaint and the Free Elves' lands deep within the Blue Mountains weren't exactly on opposite ends of the world—but they certainly weren't close either.
Clop, clop, clop…
Just as confusion started building, a figure stepped out of the portal—not Vera, not Mary.
"Hello, Allen."
The woman had vermilion hair pinned with coral ornaments, pearl earrings swaying gently, a silver-trimmed amber pendant hanging from her collar, and a flowing ocean-blue dress. It was as though a sea breeze had swept into Kaer Morhen's castle hall.
Allen was genuinely stunned.
The very person he had been thinking of—alongside Simlas Finn aep Dabairr just moments ago—was now standing right in front of him.
"Lady Ida… Emean?"
Yes.
The red-haired elf before him was one of the few Elven Sages Allen knew by name—the Aen Saevherne, Ida Emean aep Sivney.
"It's me." The red-haired elf smiled and gave a gentle nod, then stepped aside.
Mary followed behind her. The moment she saw Allen, her big blue eyes seemed to light up even in the dim hall.
She waved at Allen cheerfully, and only after that did Lady Vera step out of the portal, wearing a simple gray dress.
Snap—
A familiar finger snap—and the portal closed behind her.
"Long time no see, Allen," Vera's voice, as always, was warm and gentle.
"Long time no see, Lady Vera… Lady Ida Emean… and… Mary…"
Allen wasn't sure why, but when he saw Mary grinning innocently like a Samoyed pup—carefree and slightly dopey—some strange memories flickered through his mind. Guilt surfaced out of nowhere.
Then…
Vera and Ida Emean both paused, their expressions hovering between a smile and something else entirely.
Allen shivered from that look. Goosebumps broke out all over his body.
No good!
They read his mind!
He immediately emptied his thoughts, fingers weaving the Yrden Sign—casting a Mental Shield around his mind using the Aard glyph for mental defense.
Only then did he exhale in relief.
What a careless slip!
Back at the Temple of Melitele, he had always replaced his mental shield the moment it wore off.
Who would've thought he'd get caught off guard the moment he got home to Kaer Morhen?
Vera and Ida Emean both froze again, surprised. But before either of them could say anything—
"As for the Chief…" Aristo sighed. "Better let Lady Vera explain it."
"She knows more about it than I do."
...........
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