He Is Dead!

Hehehehe~

Upon hearing Ailin's words, Ianna paused for a moment, exchanged a glance with the approaching Old Duke, and chuckled kindly.

"It's good that you're alright, just a few wolves..."

Then, she took Ailin's hand and led her to the open space.

Salt, chalk, magic dust, and two small jars of yellow liquid surrounded a stand supported by three wooden poles.

Noticing that Ailin's gaze lingered on the liquid, Ianna smiled and explained:

"That's the urine of Wyvern."

"This is a simple Exorcism Ritual used to drive away wild beasts and monsters. The core of the ritual is the urine of Wyvern."

As Ianna explained, she drew circles on the ground with chalk.

Ailin crouched to one side, carefully observing Ianna's movements.

"The entire ritual was to spread the smell of urine and amplify the unique magical fluctuations inherent in the Wyvern..."

He understands this.

Just like wild animals, they mark their territory with urine.

but...

"Does it have to be the urine of Wyvern?" he asked curiously.

Ianna nodded in satisfaction upon noticing that Ailin had noticed the key details.

"Of course not. We used Wyvern urine this time simply because this Magic Material in the Old Duke's warehouse has the best effect. After all, Wyvern possess a trace of dragon-like aura."

"Any material with a strong monster scent and magical properties will do, but be careful..."

Ianna paused, then emphasized:

"Urine, feces, or other bodily secretions can be used, but remember not to use blood..."

"Furthermore, it's necessary to understand the distribution of monsters in the area. If there are natural enemies of the main monster, it's easy to attract those enemies..."

Upon hearing this, Ailin's eyebrows twitched.

Therefore, if the ritual materials are chosen carefully, this Exorcism Ritual can also be transformed into "demon-attracting incense"?

For him, this seemed to work better than Exorcism Ritual!

Ordinary witchers might not dare to use it, fearing it might attract monsters they can't handle.

But he wasn't afraid.

The Great Old One's Curse is almost lifted. Given the strength of the monsters in the Witcher world, and with his spatial abilities, he can leave even if he can't defeat them.

This Exorcism Ritual is practically a monster-slaying artifact!

"According to the schedule, this was supposed to be the content you were supposed to learn tomorrow, but since it's a coincidence today, let's learn it ahead of time..."

After the ceremony was completed, it seemed they had reached a somewhat difficult point, and Ianna stopped laughing and joking:

"Look closely, the real challenge of the entire ceremony lies below..."

Upon hearing this, Ailin immediately focused all his attention on Ianna's every little movement, failing to notice a guard walking towards him from the direction he had come from when he killed the wolves.

The guard walked up to the Old Duke Old Duke, who was standing ramrod straight, and whispered in his ear about the condition of the eight wolf carcasses.

After a while.

The Old Duke waved his hand.

The guard saluted and returned to his unit.

Eight wolves were certainly not enough to surprise the well-informed Old Duke, but they were definitely not something a newly trained witcher could handle.

Moreover, judging from the way the wolves died, even experienced witchers would find it difficult to resolve the situation so easily.

therefore.

It's hard to tell whether this Witcher named Ailin has the strength of Witcher Master, but he's certainly not weak.

Yes.

Even now, he hasn't fully accepted Blue Death's explanation.

Having fought for Temeria his entire life and served as Mayor of the Palace in Vizima for over a decade, he never believed rumors when judging people; he only trusted his own eyes.

Moreover, Ianna insisted on bringing the Witcher along when they set off.

What could this mean?

Therefore, he had to confirm it himself.

certainly.

This was also because the news coming from the warlock advisor was too legendary.

The newly minted witcher slays four large monsters, saving the sorcerer city of Ban Aard...

Even the legendary heroes who vanquished Evil God for humanity were no more than this.

Even more outrageous than the stories made up by bards...

An hour later.

"Buzzing~"

The Wolf Emblem trembled.

Under the bright spring sun, a faint white light flashed across the ritual array.

A strong, fishy smell emanated from the magic circle, causing Ailin's nose to involuntarily twitch.

"There are still about ten days until the May Festival. Is it okay to start the ceremony so early?" he asked curiously.

Ianna smoothed her hair, which was slightly disheveled from setting up the ceremony, and said:

"It takes time for the scent and magical energy to spread, and it also takes time for the monsters to escape, so this is the perfect time to set up the magic circle."

That makes sense... Ailin nodded.

"Let's go, there are still four places to set up..." The Old Duke glanced at the sky as he walked toward the carriage.

Ianna and Ailin followed closely behind.

I don't know if it was good luck or bad luck.

After setting up ceremonies in three more locations, none of the people in the vehicle encountered any monsters.

I wonder if his models were intimidated by the size of the car fleet.

After all, Ghoul aren't mindless like water ghosts.

They even know how to coordinate attacks like a wolf pack, and they know how to surround, raid the flanks, and attack from behind.

In response to this.

Aside from Ailin himself feeling a bit disappointed, Ianna and Duke Mason were also somewhat disappointed, and even a little puzzled.

Because of the past few years.

Although the number of ghouls attacking the wagon each year is not large and they are not strong, there will be a wave of attacks in almost every of the last three locations.

But this year I haven't encountered a single Ghoul.

However, the main purpose of this trip was to prepare for the May Festival ceremony that would come soon.

So although it's a bit strange, it's a good thing after all, and they can't deliberately seek out trouble for monsters.

After setting up the second ceremony, the convoy stopped for lunch.

Ailin also got to enjoy a big meal with Ianna.

Beef in red wine, seared veal ribs, apple pie, crème brûlée...

There were also fruit wines whose brand I didn't know, but which looked very expensive.

Although no monsters attacked them, Ailin did more than just eat.

Except for the second ceremony, which was performed by Ianna, the remaining two ceremonies were performed by Ailin alone.

This left the Old Duke speechless, and he tentatively asked Ianna twice if she had taught the ritual to Ailin beforehand.

Then he received loud boasting and mockery from the High Priest.

This also made the Witcher realize once again the high status of the Church of Meritellie in the Northern Continent, or at least in the Temeria region.

"Roll~ Roll~"

The carriage continued its journey toward its final destination.

Sunlight shone on the black carriage, making the interior warm and cozy—the perfect temperature to indulge in spring drowsiness.

Indeed, there were people inside the carriage resting with their eyes closed.

The Old Duke and Ianna were not young after all, and tired from the journey, they closed their eyes and leaned back on the soft cushions.

In fact, the Witcher had been feeling very strange throughout the journey.

The High Priest is one thing, but he needs to arrange the ceremony.

The Old Duke serves no purpose, so why should he follow along all the way?

Moreover, even if a ritual were to be set up, the difficulty of Exorcism Ritual could reach level 4 in ritual studies, but Ailin did not believe that there were no other priests in the temple besides the High Priest who could set it up.

The High Priest looked to be in his seventies or eighties, and the Old Duke looked even older.

Why didn't anyone stop them?

Listening to the sound of the wheels, Ailin idly pondered, carefully observing the two old men with their eyes closed.

Just then.

The unexpected event that they had been waiting for arrived.

"Shhh~"

The noise was greatly reduced by the carriage, but it was still detected by the Witcher's keen hearing.

He instinctively looked at the ornate iron doors of the carriage.

The next second.

A continuous stream of whistles and commotion came from both the front and back of the carriage.

"Knock knock knock~"

There was a knock on the carriage door.

The driver, whose tone was usually calm, had a rare tremor in his voice.

"Your Grace... Your Grace, hold on tight to the handrail! A huge horde of Ghoul has suddenly charged out of the woods next door..."

at the same time.

"Watch out for Ghoul!"

"Alert!!! Protect His Highness the Duke!!!"

The knights' stern shouts drifted into the carriage.

"What kind of behavior is this, so flustered!" The Old Duke glared and shouted, then asked, "Explain yourself, how many are in 'a large group'?"

Ailin was listening intently to the sounds outside.

He noticed that after the Old Duke's outburst, not only did the coachman's heartbeat calm down, but even the neighing of the horses of the surrounding knights became much more orderly.

"I can't see clearly, Your Grace."

"After the Ghoul rushed out of the woods, the lush weeds completely obscured them; now all that can be seen is something trailing behind the convoy in the grass..."

"But there are at least... at least twenty..."

"About thirty, plus one big one, hiding in the middle..." Ailin interrupted, opening his eyes, then stood up and looked at the taut-faced Old Duke. "Don't stop the caravan, wait for me at the last location..."

"I'll catch up with you after I deal with the Ghoul behind me."

The two sentences had barely been finished when

Ailin immediately opened the carriage door.

Then, he paused for a moment, took out two bottles of Necrophage Oil from the reagent pouch at his waist, and handed them to the astonished coachman in front of the carriage:

"Necrophage Oil, it doesn't need to be on silver, it'll work if you just apply it to weapons..."

Without waiting for the Old Duke and Ianna's reaction, he lightly grabbed with his right hand and jumped onto the carriage.

Inside the train carriage.

The Old Duke gripped his black cane tightly with both hands, only snapping back to reality after a soft "thump" sounded above his head.

He paused for a moment, then looked at Ianna was pulling back the black velvet curtains to look outside:

"Is this kid ordering me around?"

Ianna chuckled, then nodded solemnly:

Yes, he is ordering you around!

"You brat with barely any hair on your head, you've got some nerve!" The Old Duke cursed, then paused, his expression grave, and asked:

"Thirty Ghoul, can he handle it?"

Ianna's laughter faltered.

If the monsters are truly weak, they will be happy to be in groups.

Every northerner has heard this proverb.

Thirty Ghoul, and in a plain like this...

Even a seasoned Witcher Master like Vesemir might not be able to handle it.

Judging from Ailin's tone, there was another big guy.

Ianna had never seen Ailin make a move; like the Old Duke, she had only heard about it from others.

My previously calm mind was stirred by the Old Duke's question, prompting me to reflect.

Suddenly, I felt a little uncertain and worried.

Not only because he was Vesemir's child, but also because in the few days they spent together, she had truly fallen in love with this exceptionally talented yet hardworking child.

What if she encounters danger because of her impulsive invitation...

She didn't know how she should face Vesemir, or how she should face herself...

"Since you've figured out the number of monsters and volunteered for battle, you'll be fine!"

The Old Duke's sudden self-questioning and answering startled Ianna.

But before she could speak, the coachman, holding two bottles of dark red potions, asked from outside the half-open carriage door:

"Your Grace, these two bottles..."

"Do as Master Ailin tells you to do, then give another bottle to Arthur..." The Old Duke's expression turned serious as he glanced at the sheathed sword at the coachman's waist and commanded:

"Also... tell the guards behind to ignore those Ghoul and follow the carriage forward; someone will deal with them..."

"Yes, Your Grace!" The coachman paused, bowed, and gently closed the carriage door.

At this moment.

"Thump~"

A soft sound suddenly came from above the Old Duke and Ianna's heads, and the entire carriage seemed to bounce for a moment.

Then the carriage seemed to sway slightly because of the weight of one less person.

Hearing the exclamations of the knights behind him, the Old Duke remained silent for a few seconds before looking at Ianna, whose face was full of worry.

"It will be alright!" he said.

Three minutes ago.

The Witcher gripped the edge of the carriage, his right arm tensing.

The next second.

"Bang!"

With a soft thud, he nimbly leaped and landed on the carriage floor.

The wind howled fiercely.

Under the sunlight, the grass rippled in the wind like waves of green on the sea.

Climb to a high place and look into the distance.

The Witcher immediately spotted the repulsive grayish-brown figure in the grass.

The closest rider was less than two meters away from the rear of the convoy, almost within reach.

To protect the convoy from over thirty Ghoul, recklessly charging through was definitely not an option.

"We must resolve the convoy's crisis first," the Witcher decided.

"Croak~ Croak~ Croak croak..."

The howling wind silenced the mysterious incantation.

A thick, half-meter-long ice spear gleamed with a chilling, icy blue light.

It appeared in Ailin's palm within two seconds.

Immediately following.

Demon Hunter

At this moment.

The Ghoul closest to the caravan leaped out of the bushes, baring its blood-red maw, and pounced on the knight at the back of the caravan with lightning speed.

Although the knight was well-trained, his horse was galloping forward.

Unable to attack the Ghoul immediately, he could only frantically swing his longsword, watching the hideous face draw ever closer.

He could even smell the stench of death that was his own.

But in the next instant.

"Call out!"

The blue ice spear sliced through the air, carrying a temperature that could freeze a soul, and shot into the Ghoul's mouth almost instantly.

It pinned it firmly to the soft earth.

"Whoosh—hiss—"

The knight, who had escaped death's scythe, turned around abruptly while panting heavily.

A pair of Cat Eyes, as blue as ice spears, seemed to be staring at him.

That gaze, so indifferent to life as if from a god, almost made his heart skip a beat, leaving an indelible mark on his mind.

Before he could recover from the shock...

The next second.

"Call out!"

Another Spear of Death, accompanied by a chilling sound, rapidly magnified in his pupils.

The knight's mind went completely blank for a moment.

It seems like this moment...

He is dead...