"How Do I Kill Them?"

The witcher turned his gaze back and glanced at the city gate tower.

Vesemir leaned against the arrow stalks, staring blankly at the lady below the city wall, her expression forlorn, lost in thought.

The follow-up requirements of the investiture ceremony were quite complicated, and Arthur only gave a general overview before handing him an ancient parchment book:

"... This is the code of chivalry, and the deeds of famous knights throughout history..."

"The other steps are easy to handle, but the design of the family crest and flag needs to be finalized as soon as possible."

"Lord Mason will send them to Vizima. The Council of Nobles needs to register them and vote on your eligibility for the title..."

"Of course, this is just a formality."

"I understand." Ailin nodded. "I will prepare the designs for the family crest and flag as soon as possible. Thank you, Sir Arthur."

Arthur smiled and said seriously:

"It is our honor to fight alongside you."

After speaking.

He looked at the Old Duke.

After the Old Duke nodded slightly, Arthur's expression turned serious:

"Please follow me, everyone Lord Mason has some questions to ask you."

Then he walked at the front, guiding everyone into the city gate tower.

The rain was getting heavier and heavier.

Smack!

Shortly after entering the city gate, a snap of fingers caused a red flash to illuminate everyone present.

A wave of warmth suddenly washed over me.

The clothes were steaming with mist.

The clothes that were wet from the rain dried instantly.

This caused the Witcher, who was about to extend his arm to cast Igni, to pause, and he quietly withdrew his right hand.

It must be said that Sorceress have quite a few life-saving magical tricks.

"Thank you very much, Lady Vesemir."

Everyone thanked the Sorceress.

Inside the dimly lit city gate tower, the passageways were narrow.

Arthur led the way, carrying a crystal lantern, with the Old Duke and Ianna following closely behind, discussing the resettlement of the refugees in Arland in hushed tones.

Ailin, Vesemir, Mary, and Lyra lagged behind at the very back of the group.

"Congratulations, Sir Ailin of Arland," Vesemir approached, smiling as he congratulated him. "It has been a long time since a Witcher has received a secular title."

Ailin gave a wry smile upon hearing this, his lips moved slightly, and he said in a soft voice:

"Is it really okay for me, a Witcher from the School of the Wolf, to receive a title?"

This is different from Geralt's previous life, who was granted a title after unexpectedly saving the army of Queen Meve of Lyria and Lyria during the Second Northern War.

By then, the School of the Wolf was practically defunct. Although many Witchers still adhered to the principle of neutrality, the school had no real power to enforce it, and no king or noble in the Northern Continent cared about the Witchers' principle of neutrality.

And now.

Although the school's beliefs have subtly shifted due to Haxor's actions, the principle of neutrality has not changed significantly for the time being, and it remains a strong constraint on the witchers within the school.

At the very least, they could be expelled from Kaer Morhen and removed from the school.

As Witcher Master, and having received this Bestow Honor with Vesemir's approval, Ailin naturally had no worries about this.

but.

Even though the Old Duke deliberately avoided mentioning the relationship between vassals and lords when Bestow Honor.

When outsiders hear the title "Ailin of Arland", wouldn't they really misunderstand Ailin's stance and thus misjudge and doubt the neutrality principle of the School of the Wolf?

With nearly a hundred members in the School of the Wolf, and an average combat strength of ten men each, what force in the Northern Continent could truly ignore them and not be suspicious or wary of them?

To be honest, if it hadn't been for the suddenness of the event, and the fact that Ianna and Vesemir hadn't supported him at the time, Ailin definitely wouldn't have agreed.

"It's alright," Vesemir shrugged quietly, "You're not the only nobleman in Kaer Morhen ..."

Um?

Am I not the only nobleman?

The Witcher paused.

He suddenly remembered that the Old Duke had just said something similar, "Kaer Morhen is not my fief, and there is already another knight there."

"Who is the other one?" he asked curiously. "Duke Mason just mentioned that there is another knight in Kaer Morhen."

"Hmm..." Vesemir thought for a moment upon hearing this, "He does indeed have a knighthood, but that's not his primary title..."

The Witcher paused for a moment.

The title of knight is the lowest rank, so it's not the most important title...

"Earl Bokolle, Knight of the Golden Lion of Kaer Morhen ..." Vesemir continued, "But these titles are indeed little known, and haven't been mentioned for many years..."

He looked at Ailin, who was racking his brains trying to figure out "where Bokeler is" and "what the Golden Lion means," and asked with great interest:

Do you know what title people most often refer to him by now?

Ailin turned his head to look at Vesemir's meaningful expression, and a name suddenly popped into his mind, causing his eyes to widen suddenly.

"That's right~" Vesemir's lips curled up slightly, and he said in a deep voice:

"People call him the Dragon Slayer, Soy Henryette the Dragon Slayer Soyer..."

After Ailin had processed the news, Vesemir continued:

"Therefore, you don't need to worry at all about the impact your knighthood will have on the school."

"After all, if you really want to calculate it, Chieftain Soyer is still in the line of succession to the title of Duke of Toussaint, and his position is not low."

"But once you have the title of knight, your fame will spread throughout the entire Northern Continent along with your heroic deeds of saving Arland."

"In a few years, even Skellige across the ocean might hear your name."

"Moreover, this might have other benefits for the school of thought..."

Vesemir advised Ailin not to overthink things.

However, before he could finish speaking...

The line suddenly stopped.

"Squeak~"

A door was pushed open.

A bright and spacious room, furnished with a long table and many chairs, was suddenly revealed to everyone.

The Old Duke took the seat of honor.

Guided by the servants, everyone took their seats.

There was no small talk.

As soon as the Witcher sat down, he heard the Old Duke ask:

"What should I know about the Wild Hunt?"

Everyone's eyes turned to Vesemir in unison.

Vesemir thought for a moment, carefully choosing his words, and said:

"There aren't many records about the Wild Hunt in the Temple of Melitele, and most of them are repetitive, consisting of legends about 'ominous signs' and 'omenological signs of war'..."

In fact.

There wasn't much useful information in the temple's library.

All that he gained over the past few days was less informative than the few words Ailin spoke to him in the Gors Velen.

He was always very confused, even when he was tormented by repetitive case files.

Who exactly is Francesca woman Ailin told him about her identity as part of the Wild Hunt?

Could the Long-ears, who had been relegated to remote and impoverished mountains, really conceal such a big secret as the Wild Hunt being their Long-ears?

This is news that hasn't even been heard in the largest temple on the Northern Continent.

Would an ordinary elf know that?

The Old Duke looked somewhat disappointed.

What he wanted to know was how to deal with those flying monsters that were impossible to approach.

Instead of acting like an old scholar, digging deep into ancient records to find legends and allegories.

"However..." the Witcher Master changed the subject, "I discovered a rather peculiar... uh... concept in some other files..."

What does that mean?

"A spiral!" Vesemir exclaimed, then, without waiting for further questions, continued to explain:

"This concept is mentioned in an old parchment book called ' Conjunction of Spheres and the Spiral ' by Geoffrey Monk."

"He was among the first powerful warlocks among humans to master the magic of the ancient races, a member of the Novigrad Alliance, and one of the founders of the Brotherhood of Sorcerers..."

"I know him, or rather, every warlock knows him," Vesemir added at this moment.

"Geoffrey Monk is still the highest authority in the field of Teleportation. He also authored a book called ' Magic of Ancient Races,' which is a magnum opus on elven teleportation magic."

"However, the reason he is so famous among warlocks is because of his hobby."

"Hobbies?" the Old Duke asked in confusion.

He didn't know why the topic had shifted from the Wild Hunt to a male witch, but the age and status of the Crimson Fox warranted his patience and respect.

"Yes, a hobby." Vesemir nodded. "He's a sorcerer who enjoys capturing Djinn, and he's captured more than one."

"Djinn ... a spirit of the realm..." The Old Duke felt the name was somewhat familiar. "Is it the legendary Djinn, the one that each one can grant three wishes to?"

"That's right, but this isn't a legend, it's a fact," Vesemir corrected. "The Djinn ... or rather, the four elemental spirits of air, water, fire, and earth, each of them can grant three wishes."

"Of course..." she looked at the Old Duke, whose face showed a different expression, "They will distort the wishes made by the user."

"There are rumors that Goffrey Monk died silently under the influence of these misinterpreted desires; otherwise, with his abilities, he would surely be alive today like Henry Gedimidis."

"But it cannot be denied..."

"It was because of these desires that he, as a human sorcerer, became proficient in the most difficult type of magic among the ancient races' magic—spatial magic."

After speaking, Vesemir turned her gaze back to Vesemir.

The Witcher Master knew the Sorceress was endorsing his next words, emphasizing their credibility, so he gave her a grateful look and continued:

"That's right. In many of the files I've found, Goffrey Monk is described as the tallest giant in the field of space magic in history."

"So what is the Spiral? And what does it have to do with the Wild Hunt?" After hearing that the wishes fulfilled by the World Spirits had been misinterpreted, the Old Duke's excitement subsided, and he asked with inexplicable irritation.

"The convergence of all realms, the origin of time and space, the transdimensional vessel... Geoffrey Monk gave it many names in ' Conjunction of Spheres and the Spiral,' but the most important one for us is that living beings can travel through time and space via the spiral."

"Instantly teleport from one place to another."

"What do you mean?" The Old Duke frowned, thinking of the Wild Hunt that disappeared during the day in the Gors Velen and suddenly appeared in Arland at night.

really...

"I suspect the Wild Hunt uses the Spiral Teleportation system." After saying this, Vesemir paused, glanced at Ailin, and continued, "And only intelligent beings can utilize the Spiral Teleportation system..."

Vesemir was guiding the Old Duke step by step.

Although it's unknown when the Old Duke will approach them to inquire about the Wild Hunt, it's bound to happen after Old Duke comes to the temple to ask about the Gors Velen.

Moreover, the Wild Hunt reappeared during May Festival and caused such heavy casualties.

So a few days ago, he had basically gone through all the relevant files, and when it came time to make the final summary, he had talked to Ailin beforehand.

I've verified their statements.

What aspects should be said, and what aspects should not be said?

How can we keep listeners alert without causing them to lose confidence in fighting the Wild Hunt?

The fact that "the Wild Hunt is a cousin of the Long-ears" must never be revealed.

otherwise.

The Old Duke and the nobles and commoners of Arland will inevitably take their anger out on the elves who have retreated to the mountains.

This could potentially cause Ailin's hard-won allies to turn against the School of the Wolf.

It will also pointlessly deplete and disperse the forces resisting the Wild Hunt.

not to mention.

Even if the Ian Siddi in the Blue Mountains might really be related to the Wild Hunt by blood, as Ailin said.

But judging from the Wild Hunt's formidable strength, it's clear they've lost contact.

Otherwise, would the Long-ears be in such a miserable state now?

Therefore, Vesemir had no choice but to refine the language while concealing this fact.

"So... the Wild Hunt isn't some kind of calamity or ghost, but rather some kind of... being?" the Old Duke pondered.

"At least it's not the mindless ghost that's rumored," Vesemir added, "And its rampage in Gors Velen and Arland also corroborates that view."

"To put it bluntly, at least no matter what kind of ghost or spirit it is, it is impossible for it to suppress its hatred and loathing for living beings and simply leave after casting its magic."

"It's more like an army with a specific goal but poor discipline passing through an ordinary village, committing atrocities, and then leaving triumphantly."

The Old Duke, who had spent half his life in the military, raised an eyebrow upon hearing this vivid and familiar metaphor.

That seems... to be... very reasonable.

But after thinking about it, he frowned again:

"Etc!"

Vesemir, who had been so confident, was startled, thinking he had made a mistake in his story.

But the spiral is indeed recorded in the book "Conjunction of Spheres and the Spiral", and it is also the most useful information among the few things he has gained in so many days.

"All of this is based on the premise that the Wild Hunt uses the Spiral teleportation, but I remember that warlocks can also teleport from one place to another?"

The Old Duke looked at Vesemir.

"It's different." The Sorceress shook her head. "Long-distance teleportation magic like portals requires the caster to have been to the destination beforehand."

"Furthermore, the time between remembering the coordinates and casting the portal to teleport cannot be too long."

"Although I don't know how the Wild Hunt's spatial magic works, human sorcerers have to 'record' it every ten years at most."

After speaking, Vesemir paused for a moment and looked at the Old Duke:

"Has the Wild Hunt visited Arland in the last ten years?"

"It's not just Arland; the Wild Hunt hasn't appeared in this world for hundreds of years." The Old Duke finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He certainly hoped that what Vesemir said was true.

Wild Hunt is a legendary calamity that cannot be overcome, how can the hatred of Arland be washed away?

but.

If the Wild Hunt is indeed some kind of intelligent being, then only one question remains.

How do I kill them?