As You Wish

"Phew~"

After seeing everyone else off, Ailin breathed a sigh of relief.

"Now there's only one final battle left!"

The Witcher looked toward the city gate.

The illusion of the guard had long since vanished, leaving only an empty doorway.

Um?

The Witcher noticed something was amiss.

"Sadia has already left, so why haven't the illusions here disappeared yet?"

Ailin was puzzled.

However, he hadn't had time to think about the problem carefully.

"Buzz~"

Ailin's chest suddenly trembled.

At the same time, a commotion arose in his mind.

Um?

It's a mirage pearl!

The mirage pearl suddenly initiated a link request.

Once the Witcher connected, a surge of anxiety and urgency immediately overwhelmed him, guiding him toward the fountain illusion.

"What happened?"

Ailin was puzzled.

This was the third time he had passed by this fountain. The first two times nothing unusual happened. Why did the mirage pearl only send out a signal after everyone had left?

What exactly is it that the Mirage Pearl so desperately wants to obtain?

Filled with doubt, the witcher drew closer.

"Splash! Splash!"

The sound of the fountain's water grew louder and louder, and the excitement emanating from the mirage pearl intensified, like a thirsty traveler in the desert seeing an oasis.

When Ailin reached the fountain.

"Buzz~"

The mirage on her chest trembled and floated up.

Ailin was surprised.

This was the first time he had ever known that a mirage pearl could float on its own.

The next second,

A feeling of longing came from the link.

With Ailin's permission, the gem, shimmering with iridescent prisms, lightly circled his neck once.

Carefully attached to the silver necklace, it floated down from Ailin's neck.

The next moment.

"Whoosh!"

A blurry figure flashed past the Witcher's eyes.

The mirage pearl flew at a speed that even the Witcher couldn't see, suddenly flying to the top of the fountain, onto an ordinary marble decorative sphere.

It instantly adhered tightly to the stone.

At the same time, the connection in Ailin's mind weakened until it was only as thin as a spider's thread before stabilizing.

If it weren't for Mirage Pearl's previous impatient behavior, Ailin would definitely be going crazy by now.

"What exactly is this?"

Feeling uneasy, the Witcher immediately cast an Appraisal on the spherical rock.

[Title: The Dead Merman Pearl]

[Type: Consumable]

[Function: Creates an illusion.]

[Note: There are differences between mirage pearls, the biggest difference being their owners!]

The Dead Merman Pearl?

So is this why the illusion didn't disappear even after Sadia left?

"That's really... really powerful."

The Witcher surveyed the lifelike scenery around him and couldn't help but be filled with admiration.

etc...

Since even the illusionary power was provided by this Dead Merman Pearl, then Sadia...

The Witcher recalled that Sadia only seemed to manifest illusions and telepathy when she was in front of him...

perhaps...

Sadia lost more than just the ability to create portals; she lost the ability to cast spells as a spellcaster. All her abilities were now achieved through magical artifacts.

but...

Ailin looked around.

This lifelike castle illusion has been standing here for almost ten years, hasn't it?

Are such magical items considered consumables?

Ailin thought it was outrageous.

But it also gave him a vague sense of anticipation.

After absorbing this Dead Merman Pearl, to what extent will his mirage pearl grow?

Will his mirage pearl become as powerful as this Dead Merman Pearl in the future?

It can directly simulate a lifelike human city, or even more powerfully, directly simulate a country.

A moment of fantasy.

Ailin glanced at the note, gave a light snort, and made no comment.

About half an hour later, the faint connection of the mirage beads thickened again.

Then,

It wobbled from the sphere like a drunkard, floating over the fountain, where the Witcher grabbed it and hung it around his neck.

Before I could even experience the difference of the mirage pearl, a wave of drowsiness washed over me, and I fell into a deep sleep.

ah?

They've started a strike?

Fortunately, Francesca gave him the magical item "Nightfall" that could make him invisible.

Otherwise, without the illusion of the mirage pearl to conceal him, he would be at a loss and wouldn't know how to escape this place.

Ailin patted her chest gently, relieved.

But why hasn't this illusion disappeared yet?

The Witcher looked up.

Just then, the fountain in front of them suddenly flickered.

"Huh!"

Ailin exclaimed in surprise.

A small Hundred Fruit Garden town suddenly appeared in his mind.

The town revealed a slender white tail that extended into the mirage's link.

Some information came in.

Ailin gained control of the illusion for a whole day, after which the illusion naturally dissipated.

"Live well, Witcher!"

Sadia's voice suddenly came to mind.

Ailin paused for a moment.

really...

The Dead Merman Pearl was left to him by Sadia.

No wonder the mirage pearl only reacted after she left.

The Dead Merman Pearl, Francesca's mother, Lady Vesemir's... enemy?

What kind of person is Sadia?

Ailin sighed.

Putting the unsolved mystery of Sadia behind us.

After pondering for a moment, the Witcher tried various operations in his mind, and it took him nearly half an hour to familiarize himself with the illusion.

Using the Hundred Fruit Garden in his mind, he can make certain changes based on it.

Locate the foreign object in the illusion.

It subtly influences the emotions of the creatures within the illusion.

"With this Dead Merman Pearl, I can do even more things..."

"Perhaps..."

The Witcher looked up and, as if through the illusion and layers of rock walls, saw a heavily guarded military camp.

"Perhaps what I can do... is not just to escape..."

Abandoned mine camp.

Elite guards, armed with spears, tightly surrounded a magnificent tent.

King Haxor of Kedwen, upon arriving at the camp, secretly summoned Tresius, the leader of the School of the Cat.

"You've come, Tresius."

"I've already prepared a large amount of silver coins, just waiting for you to come and collect them."

Haxor slapped the table with a flourish, gesturing for Tresius to take a seat.

"Tell me how many wolf cubs you killed. After we settle this debt, we can talk about the next big deal."

Knowing that the School of the Cat of Witchers cared about money, Haxor gave a wink to the servant beside him.

"Ding-dong~"

A beautifully decorated large money bag was gently placed on the table.

After Tresius sat down, he did not focus his gaze on the money bag, but instead carefully observed the changes in the king's expression.

Only after discovering that Haxor seemed genuinely unaware of the strength of the School of the Wolf witchers participating in the Apprentice Combat Tournament did he say:

"The request failed."

"Failed?" Haxor's fat face twitched, and his thick eyebrows twisted like caterpillars.

What does "failure" mean?

Haxor repeated it in a deep voice.

"The information you provided is flawed. There is more than one Witcher Master in the School of the Wolf team. I sent five elite Witchers from the School of the Cat, and only three of them survived."

Tresius stared intently at Haxor.

Ling Ran's murderous aura was almost tangible.

The murky, dark yellow cat's eyes made King Kedwen shift his obese body uncomfortably.

But then it seemed that this action made him feel as if he was afraid of the freak in front of him.

then.

"Smack!"

Haxor slammed his right hand down on the oak table.

"What do you mean! You think I deliberately gave you the wrong information, sending you all to your deaths!"

"Clang!"

The guards inside the tent instantly drew their gleaming longswords and stared intently at Tresius.

The atmosphere inside the tent immediately became heavy.

Faced with the menacing swords, the witcher sitting on the wooden chair remained as still as a mountain, not moving an inch.

After a few seconds of silence, he said:

"Fredika, Bright, Binshu, Bindu..."

"Fredika and Bright are dead. Binshu and Bindu returned safely, but they were seriously injured..."

They returned safely, but were seriously injured...

Tresius's words were incoherent and contradictory.

However, Haxor paused for a moment upon hearing this, looking at the expressionless Tresius, as if he had thought of something.

"Binshu, Bindu, Fredika..."

He murmured a few words, seemingly reminiscing.

A servant came over and whispered in his ear:

"Your Majesty, Binshu and Bindu are the witchers who killed many guards in the royal city a few days ago."

"Fredika is the most notorious madman in the School of the Cat, who enjoys torture and murder. In order to support the School of the Cat against the School of the Wolf, we have dealt with a lot of trouble for him..."

Haxor waved his hand, and the servants respectfully withdrew.

"Clang!"

The guards also sheathed their swords.

Squinting, Haxor carefully examined the leader of the School of the Cat before him.

A few seconds later, he suddenly asked:

"Are you certain that Binshu and Bindu are beyond saving due to their injuries?"

Tresius nodded expressionlessly.

Haxor became serious upon seeing this.

"Is it worth it, Master Tresius?"

"If I remember correctly, the School of the Cat only has about ten Witchers left. Now they've lost four more..."

Tresius interrupted:

"Compared to the survival of a school of thought, a few bad apples who only know how to tarnish its reputation are not worth mentioning, and besides..."

After a pause, Tresius sighed:

"If this continues, after the School of the Wolf is dealt with, it will probably be our turn!"

"How could that be..." Haxor paused for a moment, about to explain.

Tresius stared into his eyes:

"Your Majesty, unlike other lofty schools of witchers..."

"We School of the Cat originated from the streets and do dirty work for the rich and powerful, so some rumors inevitably reach the ears of the wild cats."

Haxor remained silent for a long time before finally meeting the gaze of those unsettling Cat Eyes.

What do you want?

"The continuation of a school of thought is nothing more than this," Tresius said.

"Yes, but just those four people... isn't enough. After the tournament, your School of the Cat can only retain three demon hunters..."

"In addition, I also need all your mutation formulas and training methods."

Tresius was silent for a moment, then shook his head:

"Your Majesty, you know I cannot agree to this condition."

"I can give you the training method, but the mutated formula... no way."

Haxor frowned at him for a few seconds, then smiled brightly:

"Yes, but you and your school of thought must submit to me and serve the kingdom."

"That's natural," Tresius nodded.

"Smack!"

Tresius caught the money bag that was thrown at him.

"This is compensation for those witchers. As long as you work well for me, I can find an opportunity to grant you the title of baron."

Tresius looked at the money bag in his hand, expressionless.

In its murky, dark yellow Cat Eyes, a gleam shimmered that defied comprehension.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." He bowed his head and performed the courtly salute that he had long since learned.

"Hahaha, very good." Haxor laughed. "Tresius, now listen carefully to the first task I'm giving you..."

"Tonight, kill the chief of the School of the Wolf — Soyer Henrietta!"

Before Tresius could respond, a commotion suddenly broke out outside the tent.

"What happened?"

Haxor frowned.

Immediately, guards came out of the tent to inquire.

A short while later, the guard returned, and with a troubled expression, whispered a few words in the king's ear.

"What!"

"Three more squads of soldiers have died!"

Haxor slammed his fist on the table and yelled:

"What is Jaquell doing? Didn't he tell me that those monsters were already exhausted? What's going on now?"

The guards were somewhat speechless.

On one side is your immediate supervisor, and on the other side is your immediate supervisor's supervisor.

He could only weakly defend himself:

"Your Majesty, I just asked, and these Rock Troll have indeed been consumed for four consecutive days."

"But during that attack, those monsters suddenly became incredibly ferocious, as if they were under a spell. The soldiers holding off the Immovable Shield couldn't hold out for long, and their defenses were breached..."

Haxor's face darkened further.

"So... they even lost their Immovable Shield?"

The guard paused for a moment.

"Wait a minute..." Haxor's eyes darted around, "You mean those Rock Troll suddenly became unusually ferocious?"

The guard, unsure why the king had asked again, paused for two seconds and then nodded.

"That's what Deputy Regiment Commander Jaquell said, who had just returned from the front lines."

Haxor nodded, suddenly calming down:

"Alright, let's leave it at that. Go and ask Grandmaster Soyer to deal with these monsters."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The guards were about to leave the tent.

"Wait..." Haxor called out to the knight who had already stepped out of the tent.

The guards turned around.

"Keep an eye on whether the other Sorceress went down with the Grandmaster and report back to me."

After the guards left the tent, Haxor looked at Tresius again:

"My first task for you is to find an opportunity to kill Grandmaster Soyer while he is dealing with those monsters."

After a pause, he continued:

"If that Sorceress went down with you, you could kill Sorceress..."

"I can grant your School of the Cat permission to keep three more people, and in a month, I will knight you..."

After hearing Tresius's cloudy Cat Eyes became unfathomable.

After a long pause, a hoarse voice finally rang out:

"As you wish."

"My King."