Blood and Fire

After speaking.

Both male wizards fell silent.

The mountain wind howled, bringing with it a chilling cold that belongs only to the night.

The robes of both male wizards fluttered in the wind.

"Could it be the young king?" the wizard in the star-patterned robes suggested. "The court of Ad Kale has always been a bit restless."

The middle-aged male wizard asked:

"So what do you think their purpose is in capturing Thomas Moru and Macaque at this time, Shaquille?"

"Perhaps it's to vent his anger?" Shaquille was somewhat uncertain. "Thomas Morlu is the leader of the Radical Faction in the academy. It's possible that the young king is being oppressed by the nobles they influence?"

Seeing that the dean seemed somewhat hesitant, he thought for a few seconds and then continued:

"They could also be nobles from Ard; they've been making no attempt to hide their restlessness lately."

"And doesn't Thomas Moru and Macaque's target, Radek, have a relative in Vengerberg, Ard?"

The dean remained silent.

Shaquille was somewhat helpless at this point.

Ban Ad has been above all other powers for many years.

At their peak, even the king had to obey them to secure his throne, which gives you an idea of how arrogant the Ban Ade wizards were when faced with the major trouble of the king's death.

Therefore, Ban Ade's hidden enemies, those with ill intentions, and forces that would kick him when he was down are countless.

Therefore, it's not that he couldn't think of other forces that might be plotting to harm Ban Adler.

Rather, there are simply too many people like that.

Even the School of the Wolf, which has always been neutral, honest, and adheres to the pedantic chivalrous spirit, is a suspect.

Moreover, this doesn't even include Thomas Maul and Macaque's own enemies...

To be honest...

They are capable of doing this so decisively and efficiently, and they also have the ability to cover up the traces so well.

The prime suspect wasn't even the young king, who was suspected of having a blood feud with Ban Ade...

Instead, they were members of the academy itself.

Research funding, research achievements, faculty status, political views and ideals...

None of these things are worth stabbing your own people in the back.

Moreover...

Secretly learning about Thomas Moru and Macaque's itinerary, swiftly and decisively dealing with the two male wizards' fighting prowess, and so skillfully concealing their tracks...

Those two male wizards were both highly skilled and powerful sorcerers.

Achieving any of these three goals is not easy.

The greatest possibility is internal strife.

However, Shaquille would never say that in front of Henry Gedimidis.

Moreover, the dean has a much deeper understanding of the possibility of internal strife than he does.

So after thinking for a moment, Shaquille then made up a story, seemingly with feigned respect:

"The Sorceress of Aretuza are also suspects. Aren't they recently vying with us for the position of magic advisor to Kedwen?"

"Moreover, they have always shown great interest in some of Ban Ade's research projects..."

Before he could finish speaking...

Dean Hen Gedimidis of Ban Ad raised his hand, interrupting Shaquille.

"Bang!"

An orange-red portal appeared before us.

Shaquille paused for a moment, then asked:

"Dean, are we not going to continue the investigation?"

"Fujian isn't far from here; perhaps there are some clues there. If all else fails, let's go back to Ban Green Fortress and take a look..."

"There are only two places on the Pontar River that are passable."

Henri Gedimidis shook his head upon hearing this. "The shadow of war is looming ahead."

"With everyone watching, it's not appropriate for the academy to do anything that would attract attention at this time..."

"A large-scale search for the two missing wizards will only expose our weaknesses to those with ulterior motives..."

Thinking of the tangled mess of his relationship with the Kedwen royal family, as well as the divisions and turmoil within the academy, he sighed deeply.

He doesn't understand...

Why is it that after just one fighting tournament, the once peaceful Ban Ad is now feeling rather turbulent?

"But the Radical Faction have been demanding an explanation..." Shaquille hesitated, "Thomas Morue has always been an important member there, so..."

"Hmph!" Henry Gedimidis sneered, "They've made things this bad, and they still dare to demand an explanation!"

"Jens was misled into secretly researching the Conjunction of the Spheres, and I haven't settled accounts with them yet..."

Henry Gedimidis looked at Shaquille: "You can tell them this sentence verbatim..."

"If they cause any more trouble, we'll send them all to the front lines when war breaks out!"

"I understand, Dean." Shaquille nodded upon hearing this.

"Hmm." Hen Gedimidis nodded slightly, then walked toward the portal.

Before stepping into the orange-red portal, he suddenly seemed to remember something, paused for a moment, and turned his head to say:

"When you get back, have someone investigate Thomas Molu and Macaque's projects over the past few years... no... compile a list of all the projects they've researched and send it to me..."

"And there's also a list of the male wizards who competed with them for funding in previous rounds..."

Henry Gedimidis's tone was cold, as chilling as solid ice.

Shaquille immediately straightened up, looking dignified.

"Yes, Dean."

"I'll arrange for someone to investigate as soon as I get back."

The next morning.

Ailin, who was in the icon room, woke up from her meditation and sighed with a mixture of disappointment and relief.

After testing the combination of blizzard and Giant Ghoul Decoction technique last night, he went to bed early.

Unfortunately, I had no dreams that night.

The Goddess Meritellie did not try to chat with him again.

Therefore, whether danger and chaos will occur on May Festival remains a mystery.

"I wonder how Ianna's discussion with the Old Duke went yesterday?"

Ailin muttered something to himself.

Then he got up, quickly washed up, and sat down by the basket, waiting for the little priest to feed him.

Speaking of which...

Although Ailin has not yet escaped the Gaze of the Great Old One, he no longer needs to spend all his time in the icon room waiting for someone to bring him food.

But I don't know why.

The witcher and the priest both tacitly avoided mentioning this.

A short while later.

The Witcher's ears twitched.

"Ta-da~"

The footsteps arrived as expected.

But the next second, Ailin looked toward the corridor in confusion.

Because in addition to the priest's footsteps, he also heard another set of footsteps.

It wasn't Nannick, who hadn't come for a long time and had completely handed over the task of delivering meals to the junior priest, but rather...

"Mother Ianna?" The Witcher asked in surprise, looking at the High Priest appeared before the young priestess with a kind smile. "Why are you here so early today?"

The High Priest glanced at the empty basket on the ground and said:

"Come with me, the Old Duke wants to see you."

The Old Duke?

The Witcher paused for a moment.

Why is the Old Duke looking for me?

Formula for Necrophage Oil?

Is it for May Festival?

"Neither," the High Priest read the witcher's thoughts from his expression, narrowing his eyes and keeping him in suspense, "But it's not a bad thing..."

"Let's go first, the Old Duke is still waiting. We can have breakfast on the way..."

It's not a bad thing... The Witcher glanced at the High Priest's wrinkled face and didn't ask any further questions.

Judging from her current expression, you won't get an answer even if you ask.

then.

As he followed the High Priest out, he glanced at the junior priest who had been keeping his head down since entering.

Ailin knew she was still embarrassed about what happened last night, so she greeted her softly:

"Good morning, Lyra, thank you for bringing me breakfast."

"Good morning... good morning..." The little priest seemed startled, his tone hesitant.

Upon hearing the Witcher's voice, she quickly lifted the white cloth on the basket and handed him three carefully peeled, plump hard-boiled eggs.

The High Priest noticed Lyra's unusual behavior, paused in his tracks, and looked at the two of them thoughtfully.

"You..."

"We're nothing..." the witcher and the priest said in unison.

The High Priest was taken aback upon hearing this, then, seeing that the two were about to explain, he nodded meaningfully and interrupted them:

"Okay, okay, it's nothing, it's nothing..."

As if playing a trick, the High Priest would pretend to be clueless and steer the conversation away whenever Ailin and Lyra tried to explain.

As a result, apart from Ianna's happy, mischievous grin, the overall atmosphere was slightly awkward throughout the journey.

therefore.

After the Witcher finished breakfast, Lyra blushed and quickly ran away.

"Mother Ianna, is this fun?" The Witcher looked at the High Priest with a hint of helplessness.

"Of course it's fun..." Ianna nodded vigorously. "I only have a few years left before I have to serve the goddess, and among my few hobbies now, you guys are number one..."

So Lyra and I are your hobbies?

What kind of talk is that?

The Witcher opened his mouth, but in the end he just sighed and didn't argue with the old man anymore.

After all, although Ianna is gossipy, she won't tell anyone; she just secretly... well... openly enjoys it in front of the people involved.

Therefore, it will not affect the reputation of the minor priest.

Therefore, the Witcher didn't pursue the matter any further.

But his lack of persistence doesn't mean Ianna isn't gossipy.

"Priestess or Sorceress, which one do you... prefer?" she asked curiously.

The witcher didn't want to answer, but he couldn't stand the High Priest staring at him so intently that it sent chills down his spine.

then.

He sighed helplessly, then looked solemnly at the High Priest and said:

"Mother Ianna, since you know I am the Child of Miracle, you shouldn't have asked such a question..."

"Know that the Time of Sword and Axe is approaching, and it will be the Era of the Cold Wolf and Blizzard."

"The world will Die in Frost and Reborn Under the New Sun."

"Ess'tuath esse! This is inevitable! Watch out for the signs!"

"To know what the signs are..."

"First, Filius Miraculi— the Child of Miracle —was born in a bitterly cold land."

"Death and rebirth, non-human beings bring blood and fire."

"I know..." The High Priest immediately stopped smiling. "This is the Ithlinne's Prophecy."

"But what does this have to do with you, Lyra, and Mary...?"

The Witcher stopped and bowed his head in silence for a moment.

"I have personally witnessed blood and fire, and I brought blood and fire..."

"That blood comes from the wicked, and it also comes from the good..."

"Even more so from the pitiful people who cannot control their own destiny..."

"The fire ignited the palace walls and set the travelers' tents ablaze..."

"And will burn down the pillars of the shacks..."

His tone was low and somber, like the sultry thunder of summer, with an unmistakable metallic rustiness.

That was the smell of blood, the scent of war and death.

Upon hearing this, Ianna seemed to realize something, and her expression changed from serious to increasingly pitying.

"And..."

The Witcher paused, staring intently into Ianna's eyes:

"And in the foreseeable future..."

"This blood will flow into rivers without distinction of good or evil, and the fire will burn cities and villages indiscriminately..."

"So I don't want to think about these private matters until everything is settled."

After hearing the Witcher's words, Ianna sighed.

This is the Child of Miracle...

She gently stroked the witcher's hair and murmured softly:

"Good child, it's not your fault, it's not your fault..."

Ailin felt the warmth of Ianna's rough palm.

For some reason, my throat suddenly felt tight.

"Let's go, Mother Ianna ..." The witcher pushed aside the strange feeling and stepped forward to avoid the High Priest's hand. "The Old Duke is still waiting for us..."

"By the way, what did he want to see me about?"

The High Priest paid no attention to the witcher's dodge.

She composed herself, then smiled kindly again, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"It's a little surprise; you'll see when you get there."

In response to this.

The Witcher could only shake his head and continue walking towards the temple entrance.

Reaching the entrance, we walked around the enormous statue of the Goddess Meritellie.

On the avenue, where dense shade was interspersed with dappled sunlight, the Old Duke stood outside the temple in the same spot he had stood two days earlier.

He stood with his hands behind his back, his posture so straight that he didn't look like a man in his sixties or seventies.

Ailin is sometimes very curious.

As a high-ranking nobleman and the ruler of Arland, Duke Mason, at his advanced age, why couldn't he have his subordinates handle the matter, and instead insisted on coming in person?

The Witcher believes there must be other driving forces behind this.

As for this driving force...

He glanced again at Ianna was about the same age.

Although the High Priest was quite old, and his face was deeply lined with wrinkles that showed the marks of time, he probably hadn't taken care of himself.

Overall, she does have a very elegant demeanor and graceful posture.

If you don't squint your eyes, at first glance, you would think of Lady Vesemir in her old age.

Therefore, it is not surprising that the Old Duke would have feelings for her.

"Are you thinking something very impolite?" Ianna suddenly spoke, startling the Witcher.

Before he could even offer an excuse...

The High Priest narrowed his eyes and gave him a forced smile.

"Unfortunately, I am a priestess of the goddess, unlike Sorceress like Vesemir who can read minds..."

"Otherwise..."

"I'm going to pry open your cute little head and see what's going on inside!"

The Witcher could only chuckle awkwardly and quicken his pace toward the Old Duke, who had his back to them and seemed to be showing off.

At this moment.

The Old Duke seemed to hear their voices and turned around.

Upon seeing the witcher and the old priest, he stated his purpose very directly, as was his usual style.

It was just to Ailin's surprise.

The Old Duke was not there for the Sword Oil, nor for the potential risks of May Festival.

His first words were:

"Witcher, have you ever seen the Wild Hunt?"