We're Family, Aren't We?

Half an hour later, Ailin chased after the enemy for a long distance through the dense forest.

Fortunately, it was just an ordinary forest, and the traces left by the Giant Ghoul were easy to identify.

After processing the materials from the Giant Ghoul, and then holding the Giant Ghoul's head, the Witcher easily found the path back to where he came from.

"It's a pity that the situation was too urgent to demonstrate the Necrophage Oil..." Ailin felt a little regretful, but there would be many more opportunities in the future, and there was no rush to demonstrate the effects of the Sword Oil today.

Therefore, the thought flashed through my mind for a moment and then disappeared.

"I wonder if Ianna and the others encountered any other monsters later..."

The Witcher was slightly worried.

However, he did not regret chasing the Giant Ghoul for half an hour.

Loot and treasure chests are secondary.

If it is not eliminated in time.

This kind of monster, which knows how to ambush and is extremely dangerous, might cause a lot of trouble for the caravan on its return journey.

As we emerged from the forest, the sun had already set.

The sunset was fiery red, and half the sky seemed to be ablaze.

On the other half, the clouds were also tinged with pink.

Encountering beautiful scenery after a hunt is always a delightful experience.

However, the gradually setting sun prompted the Witcher to increase his speed even further.

Ten minutes later.

After turning a corner, the witcher hurried along and finally reached the path.

"Huh~"

As the witcher passed through a few sturdy spruce trees, he let out a soft exclamation.

On the path a hundred meters away, a large group of people were gathered together, doing something that was unclear.

The Old Duke's black carriage was parked in the middle.

"Are they waiting for me?" The Witcher was a little unsure.

After all, everyone seemed to have their backs to him, making his thoughts seem somewhat presumptuous.

Uh~

Not everyone.

After the Witcher took a few more steps closer and passed through the obstruction of several people, he saw Ianna standing alone by the roadside, constantly gazing in his direction.

He would occasionally stand on tiptoe, his face full of worry.

Once the Witcher was within a hundred meters, Ianna's brow relaxed, and she waved to him as if she had breathed a sigh of relief.

"Mother Ianna, is the final ceremony all set up?"

The witcher smiled and greeted him.

"We only came back to you after we finished..." Ianna glanced at the Giant Ghoul head still dripping with sticky blood in the witcher's hand, "Congratulations, another large monster has been added to the Blue Death's arsenal..."

Upon hearing the embarrassing nickname, the Witcher gave an awkward laugh and turned to look at the knights who were noisily gathered together.

Ailin was very close, but they didn't seem to notice.

And from time to time, some...

"Give me... give me a sword strike..."

"You've already cut it, now it's my turn..."

"Don't you know how to repay kindness? Don't forget who invited you to the Pink Bar back then? At that time..."

"Shut up! Are you crazy! Duke Mason is still here! You can have it... you can have it..."

Such strange words!

"What are they doing?" the Witcher asked curiously.

"Why don't you go and see for yourself..." Ianna chuckled mischievously.

The Witcher knew this was a sign of the High Priest's perverse tastes.

After tilting his head and thinking for a moment, Ailin put down the Giant Ghoul's head and walked towards the group of knights in armor.

Using the unique skills of School of the Cat Two-Handed Sword LV5, the Witcher slipped through the gap between the tough guys like an eel.

"Pfft~"

"Pfft~"

Strange noises, mixed in with the clamor, gradually drew closer.

At the same time, a bloody smell mixed with the stench of sweat also wafted closer.

Then he saw two knights who had taken off their helmets, brandishing their blood-stained longswords with fanaticism, hacking at a headless, disfigured corpse.

"Pfft~"

"Pfft~"

A circle of excited middle-aged men surrounded him, making it look like a dismemberment party by serial killers.

When Ailin looked closer, he realized that the mangled, bloody mass of flesh was the headless corpse of Ghoul.

"Bang!"

Another sword strike.

"Roar! See that! See that! After applying this mysterious potion, I can even split bones..."

The knight brandishing his longsword loudly boasted to his companion beside him.

The man impatiently urged, "I know! I know! Move aside so I can slash you again!"

At this moment, Ailin noticed the blood-red reflection on the longsword, which was not just Ghoul blood, but also had an oily sheen.

It's Necrophage Oil!

Those longswords were all steel swords.

The Witcher understood.

He crawled to the innermost layer and looked around.

The Old Duke stood to the side, staring at the split bones and flesh, one hand still dangling the half-used Necrophage Oil, seemingly deep in thought.

Feeling as if someone had suddenly squeezed in, he frowned and looked over.

"Witcher, you're back?"

He stared in surprise at the blue-eyed witcher, instinctively and guiltily hiding the half-empty potion bottle behind his back.

But after glancing at his subordinates who were still excitedly chopping bones, he calmly lowered his hands from behind his back.

In an instant.

That was incredibly embarrassing.

"It's alright, these two bottles of Sword Oil were originally a gift for you to use for self-defense," Ailin smiled.

The Old Duke glanced at the witcher discreetly, and was about to say something when...

"Ah! All the potion on this sword has been used up..."

"Quickly, let Sir Arthur apply some more for you..."

"The potion isn't with me; Lord Mason took it..."

After a tense exchange, the knights, who had been having a great time, almost simultaneously turned their gazes toward the Old Duke.

They not only fought alongside the Old Duke in battles and quelled rebellions, but most of them were also nobles related to the Duke.

Therefore, his relationship with the Duke was more like that of an elder and a nephew in ordinary times.

Moreover, testing the potion's effects was also official business, so he wasn't particularly timid.

but.

When they saw those blue eyes and that youthful face that resembled their son's, they were in the moment.

They fell silent almost simultaneously.

He instinctively straightened up and became serious.

The knight, who was making a downward slashing motion with his sword, was completely at a loss, not knowing where to put his longsword.

In the end, all I could do was hold it with my right hand behind my back.

The sharp, blood-stained sword tip protruded directly from the knight's ear, which was quite comical.

What followed was an awkward three-second silence.

Even the Old Duke seemed unsure what to say at this moment.

"Haven't you had enough fun yet, guys?"

"The sun is setting, it's time to go back..."

An aged but gloating female voice broke the silence from beside the carriage.

"Yes, it's time to go." The Old Duke glanced at the sky, nodded casually, and then walked towards the carriage.

As I passed by Ianna, he glared at her irritably.

Without even thinking, you can tell just by listening to that gloating voice.

After the little witcher returned, he silently slipped into their midst; it must have been that old woman's bad idea.

It's been like this for decades, and it hasn't changed since.

The knights exchanged complicated glances, warned each other not to tell anyone about what had happened that day, and then silently mounted their horses.

It's no wonder they were so excited about that potion.

As the elite of the principality.

In this era overrun by monsters, their swords are infused with silver, so they are not without the ability to deal with Ghoul.

But ultimately...

This knightly order, named the Iris Shield, primarily targets human enemies.

To prevent the longsword's blade from being too soft and breaking during sword fights, the proportion of silver added is very low, making it very difficult to deal with monsters.

Therefore, they never intended to fight the monsters.

After all, those who can exorcise demons do so, and those who know how to kill kill; that is the meaning of order.

But...

Which man hasn't longed for the heroes in epic tales who slay demons and monsters?

It's just that there hasn't been an opportunity.

But today!

They discovered a magic potion that, when applied to a longsword, could achieve the same weakening effect as a professional silver sword.

Even if he only cuts down the remains of some monsters, the heroic blood hidden in his body seems to be burning.

If they hadn't just experienced such an embarrassing situation, they would have already gone up to ask about the price of the potion.

"You can hang this on the back of the carriage..."

It was noticed that Ailin lifted the Giant Ghoul's head and turned it left and right as if considering where to put it.

Ianna smiled and pointed to the back of the carriage, where there were several hooks with long ropes wrapped around them.

At this moment.

Only then did everyone notice the monster's head, half-hidden in the grass, almost reaching the witcher's waist.

The boy, still quite young, is paired with the head of a monster covered in black spikes and with prominent horns.

Full of tension.

However, due to the awkwardness just now, everyone only sighed inwardly and nodded amicably to the Witcher.

He had the air of an elegant and spirited noble knight.

But most of them grew increasingly eager for that magical potion.

Many people think:

"Perhaps with that potion, I will be able to hunt down such powerful monsters."

After the Witcher placed the Giant Ghoul head and entered the carriage, the convoy slowly accelerated and headed towards Arland.

"Bang!"

The riders breathed a sigh of relief almost simultaneously upon hearing the sound of the car door opening.

They glanced at the grotesque head hanging there and gradually began to talk in hushed tones about all sorts of things.

No matter how they talked, the topic always revolved around the Witcher, the Blue Death, potions, and Ghoul...

Inside the carriage.

At this moment, however, because the Old Duke was deep in thought, only the sound of horses' hooves and wheels rolling on the ground echoed.

After the High Priest glanced at the Old Duke, he patted Ailin on the shoulder and began to chat:

"Luckily you came back early."

"If we had been any later, we would have had to return to Arland first, gather the Monster Hunter Army and Vesemir, and then come find you..."

The Witcher paused for a moment.

But then he remembered what Ianna had told him when he came over: several incidents that had occurred near Arland a few years ago.

"Is it because of the demon spirit?" he asked.

Ianna nodded and sighed:

"War, plague, and rebellion—too many people have died on the land of Arland..."

"So, demons, vengeful spirits, female demons, plague witches..."

"Any kind of ghost or monster you can think of, you can find it here."

"At night, these dead who hate the living will awaken and attack any living thing that breathes..."

Ianna's words sounded terrifying, but the witcher listened with a hint of envy.

The Purification Spirit obtained after killing a demon is one of the few spoils of war, besides the heart of a large monster, that can enhance the perception attribute.

Just as Ailin was lost in thought, he heard Ianna continue:

"You're a demon hunter, so you should know that it's pointless to use silver tools to deal with them like you would with other physical demons..."

"So, May Festival?" Ailin asked tentatively.

Ianna nodded.

"This is a grand ceremony."

"At the time of natural rebirth, it is also the time when Lady Meritellie, who governs fertility, love, farming, and the hearth, is at her most powerful. She uses rituals to gather the positive emotions of the people celebrating, amplifying the power of the deity, so that these spirits can rest in peace..."

"It's a pity that such an opportunity only comes once a year," the Old Duke sighed, picking up where Ianna left off.

Then he suddenly turned his head to look at the Witcher and asked abruptly, "Do you sell the recipe for that Necrophage Oil?"

"I can offer 200,000 Oren..."

Two hundred thousand?

Ten Elsa?

Haxor probably doesn't even give this much in gifts to the school every year.

The witcher, caught off guard by the Old Duke's sudden attack, opened his mouth.

But then he realized something was wrong and paused for a moment.

"Don't rush to answer," Ianna interrupted the Old Duke. "Go back and discuss it with Vesemir and Vesemir before making a decision."

After a pause, Ianna glanced at the Old Duke, whose face was full of helplessness, and continued:

"Especially Vesemir, she is very familiar with the value of potion recipes."

Ailin glanced at the Old Duke, and his restless heart immediately calmed down.

He thought about it carefully.

The Necrophage Oil can actually deal with the most monsters.

The number of water ghosts and Ghoul alone is estimated to make up half of all the monsters in the Witcher world.

Therefore, Necrophage Oil- Sword Oil, which may seem to offer little improvement, have more than just economic value for witchers...

Even considering its economic value, it should be more than that.

I almost got tricked by this cunning old man... Ailin glanced at the expressionless Old Duke again.

after.

The Old Duke seemed to realize that the High Priest was not on his side, so he did not mention the matter of the Necrophage Oil along the way.

However, he did spend a thousand Oren to buy the Giant Ghoul's head.

This price is significantly higher than the market price.

After all, Giant Ghoul and Greater Griffin are different.

Not only were they extremely ugly, but their human-like faces could also cause some psychological discomfort to most people.

On the way after killing the Giant Ghoul, he estimated that it was worth at most four or five hundred.

I thought about it again...

Perhaps the Old Duke also included those two bottles of Necrophage Oil in his calculations?

That's quite particular.

Without needing to stop setting up the ceremony, the group returned to Arland before it got completely dark.

The Old Duke also specially instructed the coachman to take Ianna and Ailin to the temple first.

"Witcher, whenever you want to sell the Ghoul recipe, come find me at the castle..."

As Ailin followed the High Priest out of the carriage, the Old Duke finally couldn't help but mention it.

In response to this.

The witcher simply nodded, said goodbye, and stepped off the carriage.

Then, amidst the rumbling of the carriage, he gazed at the temple before him, its walls shimmering with soft light, and said gratefully to Ianna beside him:

"Mother Ianna, thank you for reminding me in the car just now..."

He was interrupted by Ianna raising her hand halfway through her sentence.

She gently ruffled the witcher's hair and said softly:

"We're family, aren't we?"