Is Every Outstanding Witcher Apprentice Like This?

By the time Ailin returned to the apprentice dormitory, the sky had already darkened.

Torches were lit along the corridor of the dormitory.

Under the flickering firelight, he saw a familiar figure standing at the entrance of the apprentice dormitory, holding something in hand.

He took a few steps closer.

A Black Wide-brimmed Hat, dark-gold Cat Eyes, and two... no, one sword slung across his back.

It was Vesemir.

"Master Vesemir, what are you doing here?"

"Bringing you something. Take it!"

Ailin reached out and accepted it, glancing down.

A bulging brown satchel, heavy in his hand.

"Your silver sword needs daily maintenance." Vesemir crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. "After lunch, I figured you wouldn't have the tools, so I brought over all of Elsa's old ones."

Vesemir continued, "Still remember how to maintain a silver sword?"

"Of course." Ailin nodded.

"Good." Vesemir nodded back at the reply, then added with a sigh:

"I figured you'd be different, so I came a bit early on purpose."

"Didn't expect to miss you even then."

"Aren't you going to ask why?" Ailin asked curiously.

He'd already made up several excuses—why did it seem like none of them would be needed?

Vesemir smiled. "Pre-digesting potions is something even the more talented apprentices can manage."

"And since you've already got the Witcher's Eye, it's no surprise you can pull that off."

"Is that so? That's good." Ailin breathed a sigh of relief inside.

The School of the Wolf forbade Witcher Apprentices from leaving Kaer Morhen.

But as apprentices passed trial after trial, the areas of the castle open to them would gradually expand.

So during free time, as long as the apprentices stayed within the castle walls, it was fine.

Having delivered the items, Vesemir was about to leave.

But when he caught the look on Ailin's face—as if a heavy burden had been lifted—he couldn't help asking:

"By the way, where were you just now?"

Ailin answered, "The Alchemy Room of the South Tower."

The Alchemy Room? Was he picking up dinner?

Vesemir eyed the apprentice with confusion.

Ailin's hands were empty except for the satchel he'd just handed him.

So he asked, "Then where's your dinner? Didn't you go to the Alchemy Room to pick up your potion?"

"No, I went to learn alchemy."

Alchemy?

Why would a Witcher Apprentice learn alchemy?

No, wait.

Where did he find the time to learn alchemy, and who was teaching him?

Wasn't the Alchemy Room only staffed by a single Sorcerer Apprentice?

A single sentence from Ailin unleashed a flood of questions in Vesemir's mind, leaving him momentarily unsure where to start.

After a long silence, Vesemir sorted through the tangle in his thoughts and asked:

"When did you leave the dormitory?"

Given the peculiar nature of the Witcher's Eye, Vesemir had arrived around dusk.

Now the sky had just turned dark.

He'd originally assumed Ailin had woken only slightly before his arrival.

But that amount of time was only enough to go back and forth between the Alchemy Room and the apprentice dormitory—nothing more.

"When I left, the sun was right overhead." Ailin answered honestly.

"At that time, I was still shooting the breeze with Leto and the others," Vesemir thought to himself.

Though it seemed unlikely, Vesemir couldn't help asking:

"Did you drink your 'lunch' at noon?"

"I did." Ailin shot Vesemir a puzzled look.

Every full meal during these ten days is critical for the apprentices after the Trial of Grasses.

It's not just about boosting stats—that's only the surface effect.

The real purpose of these meals is to reconcile the conflict between mutated tissue and normal flesh inside the body.

If a single meal is skipped, the least consequence is a tumor growing somewhere on the body; in severe cases, it can be life-threatening.

The apprentices who've made it this far all have a fierce will to survive.

Who would gamble with their own life?

Anyone truly reckless would have died in the Trial of Grasses already.

"Oh... good, you drank it, good."

Master Vesemir nodded absently, then asked in a feigned casual tone:

"How long did it take you to digest the 'lunch' side effects?"

The moment this question was asked, Ailin knew why Vesemir was acting so strangely.

Seeing the Witcher Master's incredulous expression, Ailin felt a quiet satisfaction inside.

Then.

Ailin composed his face, mimicking Huus's naive ignorance, and countered:

"I don't know why, but today's lunch side effects vanished in the blink of an eye."

"Master Vesemir, do all exceptionally talented apprentices digest it early like this?"

Vesemir was silent for a moment, then abruptly changed the subject:

"Who taught you alchemy?"

"There's usually only one Sorcerer Apprentice in the Alchemy Room, and he can only brew simple potions—don't let him fool you."

Vesemir didn't ask why he was learning alchemy.

When handling materials at noon, Ailin had already shown curiosity about it.

"Miss Vesemir gave me lessons."

"Vesemir?" Vesemir pondered for a moment, then suddenly exclaimed, "Vesemir from Toussaint? That woman known as the Crimson Fox?"

"You're asking me?" Ailin grumbled inwardly. "Didn't you send Bont and Fred to that Alchemy Room to treat their injuries?"

And what's this about a Sorcerer Apprentice?

Aren't they all women in the Alchemy Room?

Though puzzled, Ailin replied directly:

"I wouldn't know that. I only know her name is Vesemir."

Just then, a deep voice came from outside.

"What about Vesemir?"

Ailin and Vesemir looked toward the sound.

Heavy footsteps echoed from afar.

The Chief of the School of the Wolf emerged from the darkness, carrying an elegant waterskin.

"Chief."

"Chief."

After nodding in acknowledgment, the Chief handed the waterskin to Ailin and said, "Your dinner, take it back quickly."

Ailin thanked him, and seeing Vesemir gesture for him to leave, he turned and walked into the dormitory.

The apprentices in the dorm were all awake, eyes open, lying on their sides in bed, as if digesting the last remnants of the "lunch."

When someone entered, they all turned their heads to look at Ailin.

Noticing their gazes, Ailin nodded with a smile, then raised the waterskin and said:

"The Chief brought the dinner..."

Before he could finish.

Every apprentice in the dorm instantly shut their eyes.

Weakly, tremblingly, they turned around, presenting their backsides to Ailin.

Like children suddenly pretending to sleep to avoid taking medicine.

Ailin smiled helplessly.

Right.

With the Essence Extract, he'd momentarily forgotten what these meals meant to the apprentices.

After stowing his bag and the waterskin, Ailin sat on his bed, straining his ears to catch the conversation between the Chief and Vesemir outside.

But due to the distance, he only caught fragments—disjointed, incomplete phrases.

Like "Vesemir," "alchemy lessons," "Witcher's Eye," "experiment records"...

After a few brief exchanges, the two witchers left together.

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