Even If He Was a King!

Afternoon.

Some branch of the Kedwen Blue Mountains.

"Bang~ Bang~ Bang~"

The clanging of armor echoed across the nameless wilderness.

Three knights clad in steel armor sat astride their magnificent warhorses, letting them graze slowly along the gentle mountain slopes on the paths worn by travelers.

A golden horse coat, gleaming armor, and Black Unicorn cape with a yellow background.

It was obvious that this was a group of King Kedwen's King's Guard.

Spring has just begun, and the weeds in the Kedwen Mountains have already started to grow wildly.

Even the well-trained horses of the King's Guard couldn't resist quietly lowering their heads to nibble on the lush, juicy grass as they strolled forward.

A young knight, seated on his horse, gazed at the monotonous mountain scenery around him, then couldn't help but turn his gaze to the knight at the head of the line and ask:

"Captain Eilad, what are we looking for?"

The knight called Captain Eilad did not turn around:

"Sir Wede, didn't you hear the king's decree delivered by the messenger this morning?"

"Search for all anomalies within the area of responsibility."

The young knight named Wede scratched his helmet and asked in confusion:

"But here, there's nothing but weeds, nothing but weeds, where could anything strange come from..."

Before the young knight could finish complaining, Eilad suddenly pulled on the reins, and the well-trained chestnut warhorse came to an almost instantaneous stop.

"Hiss~"

To dodge, the white horse behind the chestnut warhorse stumbled to the side, almost throwing the young rider off and onto the waist-high weeds by the roadside.

"Remember this well, Wede Weide!"

"Once you join the King's Guard of Glory, you are no longer a Earl heir to a count."

"You are now just a knight of the King's Guard, merely a soldier."

"And what a soldier has to do is shut up and obey the orders of his superior, namely 'Captain Eilad ' in front of you, understand?"

The somewhat disheveled young knight quickly steadied his horse and shouted:

"Yes, Captain Eilad!"

"Very good!"

Eilad glared at the young knight again, then tightened the reins, turned the horse around, and continued searching forward.

"Da~Da~Da~"

The heavy sound of horses' hooves gradually faded into the distance.

"Snap~ Snap~"

A soft rustling sound of grass and trees could be heard.

The young knight of the King's Guard, who had just nearly fallen into the clump of weeds, suddenly stood up cautiously.

Pale yellow leather armor, two longswords, one steel and one silver, and that unique way of carrying the swords on his back...

Yes.

This person is none other than Ailin, the Witcher of the School of the Wolf.

After parting ways with the Witchers of the School of the Wolf at Hundred Fruit Garden, Ailin went straight to the castle ruins.

Then, using the Magic Vision of the Wolf Emblem, he rode "Carrot" to track the scattered black magical dots until he encountered the first squad of the King's Guard.

If it weren't for Ailin's enhanced perception, he wouldn't have been able to spot the conspicuous armor from a great distance.

They almost ran into those three knights.

After standing up from the bushes, Ailin patted the leather armor on his chest, looking shaken, and let out a long breath.

That was close! That was close!

We almost got exposed.

Looking at the now indistinct figure hidden by the trees, Ailin's heart was still feeling somewhat unsettled.

"Is this the fourth wave of knights already?"

Ailin stared at the black magic dot moving slowly in the distance, his expression somewhat solemn.

If these magic points really do point to the couple the Red-haired Elf commissioned...

"The anomaly that the King's Guard were looking for—which is exactly what King Haxor was looking for—is indeed consistent with my objective."

He thought to himself.

Moreover, it seems that the king's guards were just a hair's breadth away from locking onto their target.

so.

He doesn't have much time left!

Ailin sighed, reconnected his mind to the Wolf Emblem, and once again followed the direction of the black magic dot.

When he encountered the first group of the King's Guard, he sent "Radish" back to the inn on his own, so now he has to walk.

Although it's a bit slower, the advantage is that it's very well hidden, and you can hide in the bushes at any time, just like before.

Perhaps it was the mobilization of a large force that drove away creatures with keen senses, such as wolves, bears, and Ghoul.

Aside from the perilous encounters with four waves of the King's Guard, his journey was remarkably smooth.

but.

Every time Ailin encountered these knights draped in yellow cloaks with Black Unicorn, his worries would deepen.

"Even if we can find the couple the Red-haired Elf asked us to..."

"But with so many elite knights blocking the road, how can I safely escort these two people out of Kedwen from the layers of the King's Guard?"

The young witcher pondered, following the black magic dot around an oak tree as thick as two people could hug, when he suddenly froze in place.

A massive valley cut off his path.

The black element dots flew into it out of nowhere.

valley?

It seems... it seems like a good place to hide people.

Ailin thought to himself.

He watched the black dot gradually extend beyond his field of vision and sighed.

"Unfortunately, the guiding function of the black magic dots ends here."

after all.

He had no wings and couldn't fly towards the black magic dot in front of him.

Just as Ailin was feeling troubled, his ears twitched slightly.

"Da~Da~Da~"

The faint sound of horses' hooves came from the valley.

Ailin looked in the direction of the sound and saw three King's Guard riding in from the valley entrance on his right.

They passed through several wooden fences and entered a large campsite filled with tents and many constantly moving black dots.

"Is this the temporary encampment of the King's Guard?"

After focusing intently and taking a closer look, the young witcher suddenly felt that he was in a bit of a predicament.

Have the human couple the Red-haired Elf was looking for been captured?

They were still not captured; these guards just happened to find a valley where they could set up camp.

Wrong!

They probably haven't found it yet!

He recalled the King's Guard who had almost captured him before.

"'Search for all anomalies within the area...' I remember the captain saying that."

Ailin murmured, her eyes slowly brightening.

yes.

If it has really been found, why would we need to send people out to search again?

certainly.

Another possibility is that Ailin arrived at just the right time.

Just as he arrived at the valley, Haxor's guards found the target the king was looking for.

Is it really that much of a coincidence?

Thinking this, Ailin lowered his head, squinted, and gazed into the distance.

"Da~Da~Da~"

Shortly after the knights entered the camp, another squad of King's Guard rode out of the camp, and the black dots in the camp continued to move as usual.

"They must be changing shifts."

The young witcher thought.

So that's it!

King Kedwen's guards must not have found their target yet, otherwise why would they need to take turns going out?

As Ailin breathed a sigh of relief, he felt a surge of excitement.

"As long as I find the target first and bring that human couple out..."

"Bring it out..."

He looked down and glanced at the camp.

Because of the distance, he could only see some small black dots, but after roughly counting them, there were at least two or three hundred.

Ailin remained silent for a long time, then asked himself a question.

Who gave him the courage to shamelessly utter the word "as long as"?

A clearing in the woods near Ban Ade.

Intentional?

Guksat's mind was turned into mush by wave after wave of information, and he was no longer able to think normally.

The king exterminates the witchers, his own school of thought is wiped out, and the leader persecutes key combatants...

He could only hold onto the tarpaulin of the caravan, staring blankly at the bald man.

"You mean?"

Instead of giving a direct explanation, the bald man spoke as if he were lecturing an apprentice, patiently guiding him:

"When you know that the king's goal is to exterminate both wolves and cats at the same time, and you are powerless to resist, as a leader, you don't have many options left."

"Resistance, escape, or surrender—there are only these three options."

"If it were you, my apprentice, which would you choose?"

Guksat's mind raced.

Before he could come up with a solution, the bald man continued:

"Resistance is impossible, because of the long-standing war with the elves, Haxor's defenses are the most formidable among all the kings."

"The male wizards, bodyguards, and guards together number over a hundred."

"Now is the time when the king is most sensitive and vigilant. The School of the Cat only has a dozen or so Witchers in total. We may not even be able to get close."

"And what about leaving?" Guksat pressed. "Unlike other schools of thought, we don't have stone castles that can't be moved. We have caravans, and we can go to any country."

"Really?" the bald man asked. "Really, I can go to any country?"

Guksat was stunned by this and subconsciously said, "Isn't that right?"

The bald man shook his head and said, "The School of the Cat is a school of witchers that accepts murder commissions. From bandit suppression and manhunts to assassinations, we've been rooted in Kedwen for over a hundred years. All our employers are in Kedwen. If we leave here, what will we eat?"

"Besides, you've forgotten what I just said."

"What..." Guksat paused, the thought of "all schools of witchers will eventually perish" suddenly flashing through his mind, and he said in terror:

"Haxor isn't the only king who wants to exterminate the Witchers!"

The bald man sighed softly and said in a low voice:

"Guksat, he's more than just a king!"

"The whole world is at odds with the Witcher."

"So even if they fled to other countries, the School of the Cat would still be doomed?" Guksat asked.

Then he gradually calmed down.

There was no point in Tresius using these words to intimidate him.

Two of the three choices have already been eliminated.

Tresius's choice was obvious.

Guksat sighed and asked helplessly, "So you chose to submit?"

The bald man didn't answer directly, but instead changed the subject, saying:

"I already knew there was a problem with last night's request, but it doesn't matter."

"In terms of strength, you and Toti can hold off a master of the School of the Wolf without any problem, and you can leave whenever you want."

"Even if something unexpected happens and you can't escape, as long as you don't kill them, according to the principles of the School of the Wolf Witch Hunters, they won't kill you even if they have the upper hand,"

"As for the others..."

"Fredika is a freak, he's too extreme, and he's the source of most of the school's troubles."

"Binshu and Bindu killed many guards in the city of Ad-Kalai. Although they were later released because of the School of the Wolf and the tournament, they all had to die in order for Haxor to accept the school."

"As for Brett..."

The bald man sighed.

"He focused solely on improving his swordsmanship and overall strength; he was a talented individual. It's just a pity that he offended the most knights and nobles."

Guksat pondered the bald man's words and said with some complexity:

"So, as the leader of the school of thought, you abandoned them all?"

Silence descended.

A few seconds later, the bald man sighed and said:

"Yes, I gave them all up."

"I've already made arrangements. For the sake of the school's future, even if nothing unexpected had happened last night, they would have died sooner or later anyway."

"Tresius, the king has promised you..."

"No, he didn't, Guksat." The bald man's expression was complicated. "He didn't. I just received a hint."

"If you can't be strong enough to make people wary and afraid to make a move, you have to be weak enough to make people feel at ease."

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, seemingly unwilling to see Guksat's expression, and said...

"The stray cat wants to become a house cat..."

"So all you can do is wash away the stench, cut off the sharp claws, and expose your hairy belly for people to play with, right?"

Guksat remained silent, his eyes reflecting a complex mix of emotions.

Silence descended once more.

A moment later.

Perhaps trying to change the subject, or perhaps out of genuine curiosity, the bald man suddenly asked:

"By the way, although Brett and Fredika's fates were sealed, their strength was not to be underestimated. How were they killed last night?"

"You didn't manage to stop the School of the Wolf's Witcher Master?"

Guksat gently touched the smooth oilcloth and shook his head. "I don't know either. Toti and I have been stopping a Witcher Master."

"When they left, they only had time to save Binshu and Bindu..."

As Guksat was speaking, he suddenly remembered something, frowned, and said:

"Ailin..."

"What?" The bald man was stunned.

"Do you know a Witcher from the School of the Wolf named Ailin... no... someone who could behead Brett must be Witcher Master..."

Upon hearing this, the bald man lowered his head in silence, thought for a moment, and then shook his head.

"There is no Witcher Master named Ailin among the School of the Wolf."

Why do you think this person killed Brett and Fredika?

"It was when we heard the Witcher of the School of the Wolf calling out that name that Toti and I realized something was wrong and left."

Upon hearing this, the bald man lowered his head and pondered for a moment before nodding and saying:

"I will tell the king's men this name..."

"Tresius!" Guksat suddenly interrupted, "Brett, Fredika, Binshu, and Bindu, I don't care about their lives."

"I've always been on your side..."

The bald man paused for a moment, then felt a warmth in his heart and smiled with relief.

"Only..."

"You haven't even made a promise that could break down at any time, yet you're so certain..."

"When a stray cat that wants to become a house cat exposes its belly, it will definitely be greeted with a hand that will pat it?"

"What if what awaits us is a cruel trampling of leather boots or a sharp blade?"

The bald man's smile vanished, replaced by a somber expression.

After staring at Guksat for two seconds, he revealed his blood-red gums and laughed somewhat nervously:

"Then he will know just how terrifying a desperate stray cat can be when it combines with the skills it relies on to survive in this world."

"Even if..."

"He was protected by hundreds of people."

Even if he is the king of a country!