Exposure

"Last night, my colleagues across the Northern Continent passed on the Wild Hunt information they'd gathered to me..." Druid paused, "...except for those in Ard, we need to contact them again..."

"No need..." Henry Gedmiddis interrupted, "Ard is now hostile to Kedwen, so don't cause any more trouble for the children. Just tell us what you've gathered so far."

Druid nodded slightly and recited a few syllables.

"Phew~"

A gentle breeze blew by, and a simple picture composed of golden magical lines immediately appeared in front of the two wizards.

Upon closer inspection, it was indeed a map of the Northern Continent.

"On February 7th, in Marull of the Henfors Alliance, several farmers came out of the tavern and saw an icy blue light shining in the sky..."

"February 16th, Blimevord, Hidaris..."

"March 1st, Morivell, Redania..."

"On March 29th, in the kingdoms of Covir and Kingdom of Poviss, Ed Kinavill, a hunter died under frost magic, leaving a large area of his territory covered in hoofprints and traces of frost..."

"On April 8th, at the Gors Velen of Temeria, the Wild Hunt was sighted for the first time on a large scale. A forbidden Water Element spell, seemingly far exceeding the power of a Master, destroyed a trading center established by Temeria in the area..."

"April 11th, Dragon City, Riedania..."

Druid tapped lightly on the map floating in mid-air, connecting each point with a line, linking all the information that seemed to be related to the Wild Hunt.

Hen Gedimidis frowned slightly, his gaze following the wizard's finger.

"April 30th..." Druid paused, his tone complicated, "On May Festival, Arland in Temeria was attacked by magic from the sky, each of which was no weaker than a master-level spell. One-tenth of the city's buildings were destroyed, and nearly 10,000 people died."

"On May 27th, in Kedwen, Lothrand, a farmer also witnessed it, but after our people went to confirm, they found that it was just the farmer's delusions after getting drunk."

"That's all the information we've gathered about the Wild Hunt."

He finished speaking.

Hen Gedimidis was completely absorbed in the map, his eyes darting back and forth between the golden dots, as if trying to discover some pattern.

"Which locations can be confirmed as Wild Hunt's locations?"

"Only the Gors Velen on April 8th, and Arland on April 30th," Druid pointed to two places not far apart on the magic map, then explained, "It was daytime at the Gors Velen, so many people saw it. Although it was nighttime in Arland, however..."

Druid glanced at Henry Gedimidis and said:

"Ailin —the Witcher who defeated all the Cat School apprentices before the Conjunction of the Spheres —insisted that it was the Wild Hunt, and after examining the magical traces left on the ground and comparing them with those at the Gors Velen, the Arland's Magical Advisor also confirmed this conclusion..."

"Speaking of this..."

Druid and I looked at each other as if suddenly remembering something, and he added:

"Gors Velen... When the Wild Hunt appeared, the School of the Wolf witcher Ailin and the Witcher Master Vesemir were also in Gors Velen..."

"So, the two Witchers from the School of the Wolf are currently at the location where the Wild Hunt has been confirmed to have appeared?" Henry Gedimidis frowned even more deeply.

"Yes." Druid nodded and smiled. "They're really unlucky, encountering this legendary monster twice in a row... Well, it's not exactly bad luck... The Witcher Ailin was granted a title by Merlin, the local nobleman, for 'saving' Arland ..."

"It is said that Merlin even invited the School of the Wolf to relocate to Arland for this reason."

"The Radical Faction must be going crazy with worry right now. They're probably thinking about how to deal with those witchers..."

"Tsk tsk... stirring up war again... trying to influence Ad Kalley's political situation again... and now they're going to deal with the School of the Wolf..."

Druid was somewhat gloating.

The academy's Radical Faction male wizards have always been very disliked.

It is not only extremely exclusive.

and.

What magic is power...? Humans are born with the power to enslave other races... A government led by immortals is the most ideal government...

These ambitious pronouncements openly violated the pacts made by the Talent and Skill Association with nobles and other races when it was first established, and their highly inflammatory doctrines also misled many naive students within the academy.

This has created a chaotic atmosphere in the college in recent years.

The students are only concerned with their future and status after graduation, and are both combative and arrogant, as well as eager for power.

Not only has her strength been declining, losing to the little girl from the neighboring Aretuza year after year, but she has also made many enemies in the academy. Furthermore, she has accomplished nothing in academic fields that require focused study.

The Radical Faction male wizards were practically a cancer on the academy.

Unfortunately, the dean got old and gradually relinquished his power.

In fact, due to the growth of the Radical Faction, my stance actually shifted towards them for a while.

If it weren't for the celestial intersection...

For some reason, Druid couldn't think any further. He sighed inwardly and turned his gaze back to the Dean.

Only then did he realize that Henry Gedimidis was silent, seemingly not listening to his usual complaints and attempts to sow discord among the Radical Faction, not even his usual rebukes of "unity" or attempts to smooth things over.

Druid's voice gradually lowered.

Something seems wrong.

He followed Henry Gedimidis's gaze to the golden map, pondered his words, and after a moment of hesitation, said:

"Dean... do you think the emergence of the Wild Hunt is related to those two witchers from the School of the Wolf?"

Hearing this, Henry Gedimidis looked away, neither denying nor affirming.

But then, as if suddenly remembering something, he asked:

"Do you know the route those two witchers took after leaving Ben Ade?"

"I don't know," Druid shook his head, "But Nya of Vengerberg mentioned in a letter before the war that two witchers and a sorceress were hunting a Greater Griffin outside Vengerberg?"

"A witch?" Henry Gedimidis asked rhetorically.

"It seems to be Margarita of the Antilles, an apprentice of Lady Vesemir, the Bloody Red Fox," Druid said. "Should we ask about the two witchers' route?"

"No need," Henry Gedimidis shook his head, looking back at the map, muttering place names, "Arland, Gors Velen, Vengerberg ..."

With his murmur.

Under Druid's gaze, the golden map uncontrollably revealed red magical lines that began to connect from Arland.

Arland, Gors Velen, Vengerberg...

After pausing briefly in Ard's largest city, they headed straight for Phrygian, a city bordering Ard and Kedwen.

Seeing this, Druid connected it to the question from earlier, paused for a second, then quickly followed Henry Gedimidis's train of thought, his face filled with horror:

"Thomas Morlu and Macaque disappeared because of those witchers?"

"How is that possible?"

"Hasn't the School of the Wolf always been neutral?"

"And..."

"How dare they touch our people?!"

"It's not certain yet," Henry Gedimidis interrupted, his gaze fixed on Fugen. "There aren't any spare personnel to confirm it at the moment."

"So don't tell anyone else about this, understand?"

Druid paused, knowing the dean didn't want the Radical Faction to know. "I'll keep it a secret."

"However..." Druid thought for a moment, then couldn't help but say, "There's no time to verify it yet... should we just let it go like this?"

Upon hearing this, Henry Gedimidis did not answer immediately, but instead asked:

What is Senne doing right now?

"Ever since he said he found clues about Thomas Moru and Macaque and returned from the royal city of Ad Kale, he has been staying at the academy, seeking the research data on the Conjunction of the Spheres left behind by Jens..."

Hen Gedimidis scoffed, "Let him and his men, along with the sorcerer in charge of the Zambadista's Spatial Isolation Barrier, go to Pascal this afternoon. The task of clearing out the water ghosts around Ban Ad will be his."

"Senne's fine. Giving him some tasks will prevent further trouble. But what about transferring the wizard in charge of the spatial isolation barrier?" Druid hesitated. "The cause of the Conjunction of the Spheres hasn't been discovered yet. What if it happens again..."

"We can't think about that now," Henry Gedimidis shook his head. "The academy needs supplies from the surrounding villages and workshops, and the council's prestige is also very important..."

"What about the wizards who were forcibly conscripted by the new king? We can find an excuse to bring them back," Druid suggested.

"No, that would give Rado an excuse to target the Academy, and we wouldn't have enough time," Hen Gedimidis immediately denied in a deep voice. "Every delay will cause Ban Ad's losses to be even greater, and the Council's resistance against us will be even stronger."

"We cannot let the new King's Hand find our weaknesses."

"And..."

Henry Gedimidis paused, then said:

"I will stay at the academy until the war ends, even if there is another Conjunction of the Spheres."

Henry Gedimidis's tone was calm, but Druid immediately felt relieved.

yes.

The reason why the last Conjunction of the Spheres caused such great destruction was simply because none of these male wizards were in Ban Ade.

Now.

With the presence of the source of magic, the first human sorcerer and chosen elven mage, Hen Gedimidis, no matter how many more Conjunction of the Spheres occur, they will not cause the academy the slightest damage.

"I understand, Dean." Druid smiled and nodded. "I'll go inform Senne now. It's time to find something for the Radical Faction to vent their energy, so they don't run around like wild boars at the foot of Blue Mountain, trying to take a bite out of everything."

He finished speaking.

Druid immediately turned and walked outside.

But just then, the voice of Hen Gedimidis suddenly came from behind.

"After you've finished this business, have someone investigate the whereabouts of Vesemir and that newly appointed Witcher Master named Ailin."

"Kaer Morhen is in Kedwen, they... will have to come back eventually."

Upon hearing this, Druid's eyes lit up, and he immediately turned around.

He had just thought the Dean was planning to postpone the Witcher matter until after the war.

After all, the academy is currently facing a severe shortage of manpower, and the normal teaching of apprentices has been significantly affected.

He could understand that.

However, the fact that the usually powerful Ban Ad Academy couldn't even handle two witchers still made him feel very frustrated.

It sounds like the dean is planning to take over himself...

"I understand, Dean. I will let you know as soon as I have any news about them."

Are there any other arrangements?

Henry Gedimidis shook his head. "No, you can go and inform Senne first."

"Yes, Dean."

"Squeak~"

The tightly closed door was opened again.

The unnatural, slightly bluish sunlight fell on half of Henry Gedimidis's face.

Smack!

The door closed due to inertia.

The mysterious bluish light and shadow disappeared.

At this moment.

One of the five members of the Talent and Skill Association, the heart of the Brotherhood of Sorcerers; the oldest living warlock; the source of magic; the first warlock of mankind; a chosen elven mage...

Henry Gedimidis, who possessed numerous prestigious titles, suddenly seemed to deflate, revealing a weary appearance.

"Kings, nobles, sorcerers, and witchers... now even the Wild Hunt has appeared..."

Sighs echoed in the empty hall.

Leaving the hall that Ban Ad had specially used to receive guests, Druid walked straight for a while along a tree-lined path in the direction of the towering towers.

When he reached the first intersection where he needed to turn, he suddenly looked back in the direction he had come from.

"The Dean is really getting old..." Druid sighed.

If it were three or four hundred years ago, even if the academy were as empty as it is today, and even if those two witchers were only slightly suspicious, Hen Gedimidis would definitely have used a Teleportation to rush to Kaer Morhen and capture those two witchers.

Then, in Kaer Morhen's castle, in front of the many Witchers of the School of the Wolf, including the Grandmaster of the School named Soyer, he searched their memories and put everyone who showed hostility towards Ban Aard on the spot.

"But that makes sense. If the Dean were still like he was in his youth, how could a Radical Faction faction like this, which Brotherhood of Sorcerers's predecessor— the Novigrad Alliance —the concept of 'separation of warlocks from state power,' possibly exist at Ban Ade Academy..."

Druid shook his head, sighed, and continued walking towards the tower where Senne was.

Just then.

"... the meticulous use of magic..."

Suddenly, the sound of a lecture came from the side, causing Druid to instinctively look over.

Many children dressed in apprentice robes are using their rudimentary magic to peel the eggshells without damaging the white, soft membrane.

"Materials processing class..." Druid muttered.

This lesson is a foundational course designed to develop the ability to process materials, while also training apprentices' control over magic.

However, given the apprentice's skill level, it was naturally a complete failure at this point.

Druid chuckled and shook his head, continuing on his way. Before long, the road hidden by trees suddenly disappeared.

A blue light curtain enveloped the entire academy, and the towering buildings loomed in and out of view.

This is the "Zambadista's Spatial Isolation Barrier" that can isolate spatial anomalies and fluctuations.

But I don't know why.

Druid suddenly remembered the material processing class he had just seen.

This enormous blue light screen, from a distance, looks like a peeled raw egg.

It's so fragile that it seems as if a gentle scratch with a fingernail would cause egg white and yolk to leak out.