Necromancy

"Starting from Ban Ade, avoiding Ade Kale, then heading towards Fjall ... Vengerberg ..." Vesemir drew a line on the map with his finger, "Finally passing through the Gors Velen, reaching Arland ..."

Is this route okay?

Radek and Bogdan had no objections.

However, they did not nod in response, because the Witcher Master was not asking them a question.

Vesemir looked at the young witcher named Ailin.

Radek and Bogdan looked at each other in bewilderment.

If Bogdan remembers correctly, given Ailin's age, Vesemir should have been Ailin's mentor during his travels and trials.

Why would he need to consult his apprentice about arranging the route?

The two Sorcerer Apprentice of Ad Carrai, who came from a background where "apprentices were slaves to their mentors," found it somewhat difficult to understand.

but.

Then I remembered Ailin's performance in the arena tournament...

Effortlessly suppressing three School of the Cat madmen who were clearly on drugs, effortlessly maneuvering through the horde of water ghosts, and possessing the formidable strength to hunt down two large monsters single-handedly...

The two Sorcerer Apprentice thought this seemed to be the obvious thing to do.

If they had that kind of power, any male wizard they randomly chose as their mentor would surely respect them just as much.

pity...

Their grades and talents were so poor that no teacher wanted to hire them.

"Eh~"

With a sigh of sadness, Radek and Bogdan looked at Ailin with a mixture of envy and admiration.

Unaware of the complex inner turmoil of the Sorcerer Apprentice, Ailin turned her gaze away from the hand-drawn map.

Vesemir is a seasoned veteran; he'll definitely arrange the best routes.

Even if we have to detour through Vengerberg to escort the two Sorcerer Apprentice, it will only take three or four more days than going directly to Arland.

Vesemir is heavily in debt; let him earn as much as he can!

There's no rush in the next few days.

And Vengerberg...

The Sorceress Yennefer in the original story was from Vengerberg.

I just don't know if it was born at that time.

"I have no objection, let's arrange it this way."

Ailin nodded and looked at Vesemir.

Vesemir felt that Ailin's gaze was somewhat unsettling, but with outsiders present, he couldn't investigate further.

Carefully roll up the map and put it in your bag.

Seeing that the three had finished their lunch, Vesemir stood up:

"It's already the second day since the King passed away. Let's hurry up and pack our bags, and set off now."

"We'd better leave Kedwen before the capital city of Ad Kale reacts!"

Ben Ade College.

The basement of the Tower of Jens.

"Is this the gem?"

Hen Gedimidis held up a spherical blue gemstone.

"Yes, Dean."

"These are the fragments of the Ade Gais Gate that Vice Dean Jens has been researching."

A boy who looked no more than fourteen or fifteen years old stood cautiously beside Henry Gedimidis.

Seeing that the dean was looking at the gems without speaking, he paused for a few seconds and then said:

"The reason Dean Jens cooperated with the King was to obtain another fragment of the Gate of Ade Gais..."

"He got it?" A wizard behind Hen Gedimidis looked at the boy.

The boy gently shook his head:

"It failed!"

"It is said that two elves infiltrated the possession of the fragment of the Gate of Ad Gais and rescued her through a portal."

"The king's soldiers continued searching afterward, but..."

"Foolish Jens!" the wizard spat.

The boy lowered his head, not daring to speak.

He was Jens's apprentice.

In other words, he was also Jens's slave.

However, compared to other famous wizards, Jens is already considered a decent mentor.

At least for Jens, who was obsessed with the Conjunction of the Spheres, he was usually only asked to do odd jobs and dissect monsters.

Unlike those sorcerers who are obsessed with human modification and genetic mutation, even the bodies of their close apprentices cannot escape experimentation and modification.

Unfortunately, Jens is now dead.

He needs to find a new mentor.

"The experimental report says that Jens has not yet discovered a method for a stable Conjunction of the Spheres?" Henry Gedimidis asked.

"Yes," the boy answered without hesitation.

I hope to leave a good impression on the dean and get him a better mentor.

"But he seems to have succeeded once, summoning a large monster, the Drowners King ..." a goatee-wearing sorcerer added.

"The Drowners King?" The sorcerer beside Henry Gedimidis asked in confusion; he had never heard of this monster's name.

The boy immediately spoke up:

"It's the one with blue skin and red fins... that appeared in the arena... the one that first appeared with the water ghost..."

"I was in charge of feeding that monster before, and the vice dean also made some modifications to it..."

"The Conjunction of the Spheres really was done by Jens!"

The sorcerer interrupted the boy, turning his head to look at Henry Gedimidis.

The result is obvious.

Although I don't know why Jens would be so stupid as to kill himself.

However, there are precedents for spells going out of control.

and.

Since he has already successfully used the Conjunction of the Spheres once.

Of the five large monsters that appeared in the arena, three of them were of the same species as the Drowners King he had once summoned.

Two more snake-tailed monsters appeared at the same time as a Drowners King.

No matter how you look at it, Jens is to blame for Haxor's sudden death.

certainly...

It belongs to Ban Ad now.

Henry Gedimidis fiddled with the blue gem, lost in thought.

The wizards surrounding Hen Gedimidis fell silent, not daring to disturb the dean's thoughts.

The entire basement fell silent instantly.

"But... maybe not..."

The boy's weak voice broke the silence.

It attracted the attention of all the male wizards present.

The boy trembled slightly as he was being watched by so many renowned wizards.

However, it was for their own lives and future.

He still steeled himself and revealed Jens ' secret:

"Actually, the successful Conjunction of the Spheres mentioned in the experiment report wasn't achieved through the vice dean's experiment..."

Even Hen Gedimidis was drawn to his words and looked down at the trembling Sorcerer Apprentice.

The boy, suppressing the fear of betraying his former mentor, continued:

"That was done by the elf imprisoned in the cage, and the name 'Fragment of the Gate of Ade Gais' was also... uh... 'told' us..."

"While the vice-dean wasn't looking, she sacrificed her own life in this basement to open the portal to the Conjunction of the Spheres, intending to kill all the humans in the basement..."

"If the Drowners King who was teleported here hadn't been in poor condition, she might have succeeded."

Henry Gedimidis pondered the apprentice's words.

No one asked why there was a fairy locked up in Jens ' basement.

Not to mention non-human creatures like elves and dwarves, even humans are experimental subjects for wizards.

There's nothing strange about it.

No one asked Jens why he lied.

He was credited with initiating the successful Conjunction of the Spheres.

Let's replace them with the male wizards present.

They would all do the same, otherwise where would the funding for experimental research come from?

"So you think the Conjunction of the Spheres and those monsters in the arena have nothing to do with Jens? Are you sure?" A wizard looked at the boy with a stern face.

The boy fell silent, trembling with fear.

How dare he make such a judgment?

He has no right to make such a judgment.

You must understand that those who died in the arena were not ordinary people, not even ordinary nobles; they were the masters of the largest country in the Northern Continent, the King of Kedwen.

It goes without saying how great this responsibility is.

"Don't be afraid!" Henry Gedimidis gently patted the boy's head. "Speak your mind, no one will blame you."

The warmth from the top of his head and the palm of his hand instantly calmed the boy down.

He stole a glance at Henry Gedimidis, and upon seeing his gentle smile, took a deep breath and said:

"I... I don't think it was the vice dean who did it."

"The first Drowners King was teleported from this tower. If the vice dean really has the ability to use Conjunction of the Spheres at any time, why go through all this trouble..."

"And..."

"He didn't bring any fragments of the Gate of Ad Gais that day."

The boy finished speaking in one breath, then lowered his head and breathed slightly.

The other male wizards in the basement looked at each other in bewilderment.

The goatee-bearded wizard stroked his beard and hesitated, saying:

"But... but if it wasn't Jens who did it, then who caused this Conjunction of the Spheres?"

"Elf..." a young-looking wizard murmured.

The goatee-bearded wizard asked, "What's wrong? What came to your mind?"

"Um... about half a month ago, a few elves escaped from the city's prison. Could it be them?" the young wizard replied.

"Didn't this apprentice say that elves understand the Conjunction of the Spheres?"

"No! No!"

Before anyone else could refute him, the young wizard himself denied it.

Such a precise alignment of the Conjunction of the Spheres within the arena could not possibly be outside of Ben Ade Academy.

With the king present that day, both the academy gates and the arena were subject to extremely strict checks.

Even a mouse can't get in, let alone a distinctive elf.

but...

If we consider the arena, and you're neither a wizard nor the king's man...

"Could... could it be a witcher?"

The young wizard raised another possibility.

"We all know the purpose of the King's hosting of this competition."

" With Haxor dead, the School of the Wolf benefits the most, and it also gets in our way..."

The young wizard's thinking was very clear, but none of the other wizards showed any agreement.

"Stop talking, Senne."

The old male wizard with the goatee interrupted, saying:

"I know many male wizards hate the School of the Wolf, and I also know you want to join the Talent and Skill Association."

"But the possibility of the Witcher creating Conjunction of the Spheres..."

"This is even more outrageous than the escaped elves bypassing the academy and countless overt and covert checks to infiltrate the arena..."

"This is an insult to our intelligence."

"How could those witchers possibly possess such advanced magic?"

"As everyone knows, they only know a few simple tricks called 'seals'..."

"Even a griffin that specializes in mantras is only slightly more powerful and has more variations, let alone a wolf!"

The goatee-bearded wizard seemed to hold a high position, which the young wizard known as Senne did not dispute.

After regaining his composure, he seemed to realize that his idea was somewhat outrageous, gave an awkward laugh, and said:

"It's just a guess, just a guess."

Next, the numerous male wizards discussed and argued about various possibilities in this basement...

If it weren't for Henry Gedimidis being there, they might have used their staffs to bolster their judgment.

"Alright!"

When Henry Gedimidis spoke, the basement fell silent instantly.

then.

Hen Gedimidis glanced at the male wizards around him.

"Senne, take a few men and investigate the elves' whereabouts!"

"Yes, Dean."

"Farouk!" Hen Gedimidis turned to another sorcerer standing at the edge. "You've dealt with the School of the Wolf witchers before. Find out where they are now. If they're still in Ban Ade, bring them back!"

"Although the suspicion of the School of the Wolf is very small, it doesn't take much time to read minds!"

"Let's go now!"

"Yes, Dean!"

Senne and Farouk left with several male wizards.

In the basement, only Henry Gedimidis, the goatee-bearded old wizard, and Jens's apprentice remained.

After putting the blue gem back in its place, Henry Gedimidis also prepared to leave.

He has his own projects and isn't very interested in the Conjunction of the Spheres.

At this moment.

He noticed the boy standing alone beside him, sensed the fear in his eyes, and his heart softened. He asked:

What's your name?

"Qi... Ziko, Dean, my name is Ziko." The boy looked up blankly.

"Jens is dead. Do you want to follow me from now on? Or... do you have other options?"

Henry Gedimidis smiled gently, crouched down, and asked softly.

Upon hearing Henry Gedimidis's words, the boy nodded excitedly and repeatedly:

"No, no, no... there was no other choice."

Seeing this, Henry Gedimidis smiled slightly:

"Alright, pack your things and come to my office."

"Yes, Dean!"

Ziko left the basement with a look of excitement on his face.

"Lucky apprentice!" The goatee-bearded wizard couldn't help but sigh as he watched Ziko's departing figure.

After the basement door was closed, the goatee-bearded wizard looked away and whispered:

"Dean, what Ziko said may not be true."

"I think it's most likely that Jens's magic went out of control. Should I... go and ask him?"

How do you question a corpse?

Henry Gedimidis would never ask such a stupid question.

However, necromancy, a ritual that summons evil spirits and desecrates corpses and souls, is strictly prohibited by the members of the Talent and Skill Association, led by him.

"Jens has made a grave mistake, Headmaster," the goatee-bearded wizard urged, seeing Henry Gedmiddis hesitate. "He has placed the academy, all the wizards, and even all wizards in danger..."

Witchers are ostracized by humans.

Wizards, who often use humans as experimental subjects, are no different.

However, they maintained close relationships with nobles from various countries, so they kept everything hidden.

But this time...

The king died in Ban Ade, and although there was an excuse to cover it up, none of the nobles would really believe it.

therefore.

Ban Ade's potential enemies extend far beyond the royal family of Ade Kale...

The losses caused by the king's death are immeasurable.

Hen Gedimidis lowered his head and pondered for a long time before sighing and nodding.

The goatee-bearded wizard also breathed a sigh of relief.

He saw the exhaustion on Henry Gedimidis's face and felt a pang of sympathy, offering a word of comfort:

"Mentor, Jens will understand us!"

Hearing the long-unheard address, Henry Gedimidis smiled kindly and patted the goatee-bearded wizard on the shoulder:

"I'm fine, Nando."

"That's right!"

Henry Gedimidis remembered something, and a piece of parchment suddenly appeared in his hand.

"Nando, if Jens is innocent..."

"Send someone to 'invite' these male wizards and apprentices who left without saying goodbye back."

"At all costs!"

"If anyone resists, regardless of life or death!"

"Compared to elves and wizards, these 'our own people' are the most suspicious!"

"Yes, Dean!" The goatee-bearded wizard nodded solemnly.

He took the parchment and glanced at it.

The names Bogdan and Radek are immediately apparent!