"The reason it couldn't be replicated—is it because the main ingredient in the original Trial of the Grasses was a dragon?" Allen asked.
"You know that?" Vera tilted her head in mild surprise.
The formula for Sol's Trial of the Grasses was known to very few across the Northern Continent.
Allen nodded. "Vesemir mentioned it when he was talking about how the Witcher orders split apart."
"He also said that the Wolf School had the most complete alchemical formulas and experimental records for the Trial of the Grasses."
"Vesemir..." Vera nodded slightly. "He did spend quite a bit of time with Sol, so it makes sense he knows more than most."
"But the reason Sol's case couldn't be replicated isn't just because of the ingredients used in the Trial."
"In the 10th century, in an effort to save humanity from the threat of monsters, the Brotherhood of Sorcerers began researching ways to enhance humans—which eventually became the Witchers."
"But in truth, what the Council wanted at that time wasn't just physical strength or body enhancement. What they were after was mystery—magic—an innate sorcerous talent that could only be awakened naturally. They sought a way to allow ordinary people to awaken this talent."
"For the Brotherhood, physical enhancement was considered low-level. The awakening of magical talent was humanity's true future."
"This wasn't just because of the arrogance of sorcerers who could destroy cities with their powers..."
"The more important reason was—"
Vera paused for a moment before speaking solemnly: "Physical strength cannot break through its limits and reach higher realms."
"The Legacy Vessel?" Allen suddenly realized.
"Exactly," Vera nodded. "The monster scourge was just an excuse to persuade human rulers to invest resources."
"The real reason behind launching the Witcher program was that research into the Legacy Vessel had reached a bottleneck."
"The experiments required a great number of subjects—called 'voluntary contributors' at the time."
"High-level sorcerers were obviously unwilling to take such risks. They were few in number and too valuable to serve as test subjects."
"And the Brotherhood needed them to operate everything."
"But even lower-level sorcerers were few."
"Back then, unlike today's Ban Ard Academy for male mages or Aretuza for female sorceresses, everything was taught via master-apprentice relationships."
"Since many renowned sorcerers didn't want to take on apprentices, the total number of low-level sorcerers was actually fewer than the number of high-ranking ones."
"Because of that, even sterile masters often treated their apprentices as real family—they could never use them as disposable resources for the Legacy Vessel—which was also known back then as the Holy Grail project."
"So they turned to ordinary people," Allen said, his expression darkening.
No wonder he had always felt something strange whenever he heard about the origins of the Witchers.
Back then, the sorcerers seemed too noble and selfless—devoting enormous resources and research to protecting common people. That image didn't quite match the current Ban Ard or the Rissberg Group's Civil Cooperative Organization that secretly conducted experiments, disregarding civilian lives.
What happened?
Did morality fall apart that fast?
Or had they always been the same, wolves in sheep's clothing?
Vera's ruby eyes rested gently on the Witcher as she sighed. "That's just how the world works, Allen."
"Beneath grand and noble excuses, the lower classes are always food—whether for the nobles, or the sorcerers..."
"I understand. Keep going," Allen took a deep breath.
Vera nodded and continued, "The true nature of the Witcher program was to awaken magical talent in ordinary people. The Holy Grail plan needed a large number of awakened subjects for testing."
"But as you probably already know—"
Allen nodded again.
"The Witchers did awaken magical abilities, but they were severely stunted—nowhere near what would be considered sorcerous talent," Vera said. "Still, these 'subjects' did manage to suppress ferocious monsters and improve living conditions for humanity."
"But for the Holy Grail project at the time, they were utterly worthless."
"The project's lead, Cosimo Malaspina, was ready to abandon it—but his apprentice, Alzur, wasn't."
"Rumor has it that Alzur had always admired the ideals of knightly valor and had once fallen in love with a female sorceress named Lilliana—someone who dreamed of creating a safer world free from monsters hiding in the shadows."
"So he and his mentor agreed to try a few more times..."
"He succeeded?" Allen raised his eyebrows.
"No, he failed," Vera shook her head. "But during one of his earlier personal experiments, he accidentally produced a unique result."
"Back then, the dragon-based Trial of the Grasses was technically successful, but aside from Sol, there were no other known successes. So Alzur eventually shifted his focus to other experiments."
"However, shortly after finishing his apprenticeship and traveling around the Northern Continent, Sol reached his physical limit."
"He sought out Alzur..."
"Wait a second!" Allen interrupted. "Sol went to find Alzur? Wasn't it Alzur who discovered it during an examination?"
"No," Vera shook her head. "Just like Sol mentioned earlier—once the body reaches its limit, there's a natural sense or reaction."
She paused, then explained, "For a sorcerer, it's like a sudden overflow of thought, as if the soul momentarily separates from the body."
"For a Witcher, it's an overwhelming sensation of fullness in the body—like trying to force more water into a bottle that's already brimming."
"And both sensations reappear each time after reaching one's physical limit, whether when casting powerful spells or fighting with all one's strength. You can't miss it."
So it wasn't just one stat that had to reach its limit… It had to be strength, agility, and constitution—all three. Allen thought to himself.
But...
Could anyone in this world really max out all three attributes?
Was the Trial of the Grasses, made from dragon ingredients, really that powerful?
Allen was a little stunned.
"What's wrong?" Vera asked.
He couldn't help but ask, "Besides the chief, has anyone else ever trained to such an extreme?"
"I'm only aware of Sol," Vera shook her head.
"That makes sense..." Allen nodded in agreement.
In the world of Witchers, there was no such thing as cultivating inner energy. Ordinary people couldn't possibly dig out the full potential of their bodies.
All supernatural power in this world was tied to magic—not raw physical strength. But it might be a different story in other worlds...
Allen thought of that Wild Hunt captain in the Spiral—so fast with his sword that the blade was nearly invisible.
He was certain that Aen Elle had broken past the limits of the physical body.
What he didn't know was: how many among the Wild Hunt had reached that level of power? And what kind of realm had the legendary King of the Wild Hunt attained?
"Allen?"
"It's nothing. Please, go on." Allen snapped back to the present and gave a slightly apologetic smile.
Vera continued, "Sol went to Alzur. At that time, research into Witchers was considered a failure by both the Brotherhood of Sorcerers and Cosimo Malaspina."
"But Alzur had gained enough prestige—from the Brotherhood, from Temeria's great nobles, and even from the common people—because of his work on Witchers. He had already exchanged that influence for the key components of the 'Holy Grail' project."
"No doubt about it—Alzur was a rare genius."
"He attempted to modify the 'Holy Grail' ritual to fit Witchers—or more accurately, to fit Sol's unique constitution..."
"They succeeded?" Even though he already suspected the answer, Allen couldn't help but get a little excited.
So after Sol, breaking through the limits wasn't something only sorcerers could do.
Witchers could too.
"Yes."
Vera nodded solemnly.
"The Holy Grail doesn't require sorcerous talent alone. When flesh and blood reach their absolute limits, the Grail can still be formed—it can still be used to break through."
"And it was after Alzur that the name 'Holy Grail' gradually shifted to 'Legacy Vessel' because of what it represented."
Vera took a deep breath and gazed toward the distant white-capped mountains.
Her eyes weren't focused, as though she were looking back into a faraway past.
"Back then, information about the Holy Grail wasn't as tightly sealed as it is now."
"The Brotherhood of Sorcerers still hoped that a grand plan—completed through the efforts of humanity—would help them surpass the Druids, the Witch Doctors, and the Prophets. They wanted to become the pinnacle of supernatural powers and take root in every land where humans and power existed."
"Anywhere on the Northern Continent where there were sorcerers, the names Sol and Alzur were known."
"Even those idle, uninformed nobles, who heard gossip at balls, would chatter about Witchers—about Sol breaking the boundaries of human potential. They dreamed of one day achieving the same."
"The entire continent was full of knights yearning for greatness—especially in Toussaint."
"Even now, within the faith of the Lady of the Lake, the symbolism of the Holy Grail traces back to Sol."
"Allen," she murmured, "before you, Sol was the miracle child who swept across the continent."
"Naturally, Cosimo Malaspina resumed the experiments and extended the research timeline."
"Unfortunately..."
Vera paused and looked back at Allen.
"After all those years—after countless experiments—mountains of corpses piled at the cliffs outside Castle Morgraig. But in the end, Sol was still the only Witcher to achieve it."
The sorceress's voice was filled with the sorrow and desolation of a world that had long since changed.
Allen stood still, stunned—unable to imagine a time when the entire continent was obsessed over a single Witcher.
Especially now, when Alzur's name still echoed in history, yet there wasn't the faintest whisper of Sol's legend.
As if he had been born the grandmaster of the Wolf School, and the Witcher Order had merely been a trivial footnote in his story.
Why was that?
Allen found it hard to reconcile the image Vera spoke of with the man he had seen—kind-faced yet weary, body covered in scars.
And Sol hadn't just been like that recently. From the very first time they met, right after Allen crossed into this world, when Sol gave him the "Vera's Illusion Pendant," he had always been that way.
There had never been a hint that he was the strongest Witcher on the entire Northern Continent.
"And then?" Allen asked.
Vera let out a soft sigh.
"Then Cosimo Malaspina and Alzur gave up. The Brotherhood of Sorcerers, having secured enough power across the Northern Continent, began to bury the absurdity of the past. The disgraced nobles cooperated with them in hiding the truth."
"Of course, the research into the Legacy Vessel didn't stop. After the Brotherhood gave up on using ordinary humans as material, they started to reform."
"The traditional master-apprentice system placed too high demands on both teacher and student, so the Brotherhood established Ban Ard and Aretuza."
"At the same time—"
"Witchers, unable to reach the peak, suffering high mortality rates, and losing the ability to reproduce, naturally fell out of favor with the nobles. The Brotherhood abandoned them too, and they returned to their original purpose: hunting monsters and protecting human society from devastation."
"Which, in truth, wasn't a bad thing."
"The creation of the Witcher Orders did greatly improve the human condition."
"But after Cosimo Malaspina and Alzur found no further breakthroughs through Witchers, they lost interest in the subject."
"They managed the Witcher Order for a while, then let go and moved on to other projects."
"And what followed, you probably already know."
Allen nodded. The Witcher Order eventually fractured.
Arnaghad, founder of the Bear School, was often used as a cautionary tale in Wolf School teachings.
That part of history was often repeated, drilling into every apprentice's mind the Wolf School's most important principle: "Upholding neutrality is the key to our survival."
Clack, clack, clack…
After a short silence between them, Vera stepped away from the arched window and continued walking down the spiral corridor. "After leaving the Witcher Order, Sol never gave up on the Legacy Vessel. He hoped to introduce it to the Wolf School."
"The Witchers who followed him also supported the idea."
"I joined them after graduating from my mentor."
"Unfortunately, the results weren't promising."
Vera's expression turned regretful. "The Vessel requires one's body and physical strength to reach the absolute limit. But even that very first condition—no Witcher could meet it."
"Potions, alchemy, rituals... we tried everything to raise the strength of the other Wolf School Witchers."
"But a Witcher's potential seems to be set during the Trial of the Grasses. We burned through nearly all of the Order's remaining wealth, and in the end, achieved noth—"
She gave a wry smile. "Well, not quite nothing. At least all that material allowed my alchemy, potion-making, and ritual knowledge to improve dramatically."
Allen said nothing, though he couldn't help but think to himself—
He still remembered Vesemir saying that Anahad, the Bear School's founder, was driven out—he clearly hadn't left with much.
And when Erland of Larvik left to found the Griffin School at night with thirteen like-minded companions, they only took the mutation formulas.
In other words, the chief who stayed behind until the very end inherited the entire legacy of the Witcher Order intact.
No wonder Lady Vera's alchemy was so advanced—Sol had used hundreds of years' worth of the Witcher Order's fortune to support it.
"We spent a whole century stuck at that step," Vera said with emotion. "And when we finally realized that path was a dead end, we tried to find another way around it."
"And then..."
Her voice faltered.
Allen's Witcher senses picked up a sudden, sharp increase in the sorceress's heartbeat.
"A disaster happened..."
........
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