The Demon Opened Its Crimson Eyes

The wind blows from the high mountains to the land.

Clusters of clouds drifted past the sun and hovered above the jagged forest.

As the Greater Griffin swept across the sky, the accompanying gale tore the clouds to shreds, turning them into a massive shadow that enveloped the earth.

Dark green serrated edges cut through the majestic mountains.

The Witcher reined in his horse and stopped.

Ahead, a wide river divides the boundless forest in two.

"A tributary of the Alba River." Vesemir pulled a map from his saddlebag, tracing the lines on the yellowed leather map with his index finger.

"Looks like this is the only way we can catch up to today." Ailin squinted at the back of the Greater Griffin. It only stopped for a dozen seconds before its massive body turned into a small black dot, obscured by the oak tree.

It was the summer flood season, and in front of the oak tree, the tributary of the Alba River was turbulent and rapid, with water splashing everywhere.

In the game, Geralt can jump into any stream, river, or sea, and swim across anywhere as long as he's not afraid of wasting time.

But reality is different.

Although the armor worn by the two witchers was not heavy, being medium armor with a mixture of leather and metal for protection, once they jumped into the river, they could only sink.

But the swift currents certainly wouldn't allow them to sink to the bottom peacefully; they would have to use Killer Whale to cross the riverbed underwater and reach the other side.

Such a swift current could sweep the Witcher away to who knows where.

He might even accidentally hit his head on a rock and become dizzy, only to wake up in Cintra...

No!

Following the course of the Alba River, it might even end up in the port of Niubao.

"It seems so." The Witcher Master held the charcoal pencil tied to the side of the map with a black thread and drew an X on the map. "Let's go, ride along the river, find the crossing point today, and we'll wait for the Greater Griffin on the other side tomorrow."

"This way, we can avoid the crowds."

Ailin nodded slightly and pulled on the reins.

Radish, head bowed as it drank from the river, drooped its ears, snorted a few times reluctantly, and then lifted its head to stroll along the river.

"That's how witchers hunt monsters..." Vesemir gazed at the course of the Alba River tributary, "It takes half a day to kill a few water ghosts that run into farmhouses and steal chickens, ducks and livestock."

"Large monsters mostly nest in deep mountains and forests, and finding their location within a week is already quite an achievement."

"Master Vesemir, I have patience." Ailin knew that Vesemir was worried that he was impatient and didn't have the patience to hunt monsters in the traditional way.

"That's good." Vesemir smiled with relief.

For some reason, monsters that were rarely seen in previous years have suddenly appeared one after another this year, as if they've gone mad. You don't even need to actively search for them.

King of Ice, Giant Drowner, Wraith, Greater Griffin, White Widow, Giant Ghoul...

Since descending the mountain at the beginning of the year, the two demon hunters have killed many demons at an astonishing frequency, most of which were quite powerful.

I heard that Ailin managed to handle quite a few things on her own.

It was as if a male sorcerer had solidified a demon-inducing ritual on the two of them.

They earned a lot of bounties from these monsters, and Ailin, having just become a demon hunter, rose to become a nobleman of Arland through these monsters.

Therefore, Vesemir was indeed a little worried that he would treat the exception as the norm and lose the calmness of a Witcher in his pursuit of monsters.

This is extremely dangerous for witchers.

He became aware of the problem after returning to Kaer Morhen from Arland.

If it were his apprentices from his travels in the past, he would have directly reprimanded or even beaten them a few times if they showed such signs, and they would definitely have been able to correct them.

But Ailin...

Well...

His strength improved so quickly that even Vesemir couldn't comprehend it.

In the past, it could be attributed to the Witcher's Eye, but just a few days ago, Ailin easily killed a Giant Ghoul simply by relying on Axii and that strange roar.

Vesemir was quite certain that if it were a month ago, not counting the various magical potions, he could have fought Ailin.

Now.

He should... should be no match for Ailin at all.

How can I persuade them?

fortunately...

"Fortunately, Ailin is still the same as before, just as mature and reliable." Vesemir breathed a sigh of relief.

They chatted idly as they rode their horses upstream along the riverbank, but found neither shallows nor bridges.

The river splits into two at its end.

After some effort, the Witcher successfully turned the obstacle between the two rivers and the forest opposite them from one river into two.

"Let's turn back and explore further downstream." With a sigh, Vesemir marked the nameless river that forked on the map. "Horton is right, the School of the Wolf has come to Ard far too infrequently."

"If we were in Kedwen, Riedania, or Temeria, we could at least follow the map all the way to the foot of the Adria Mountains..."

Ailin looked up when he heard this.

The perpetually frozen peaks of Adria seem even further away.

"Oh, right," Vesemir said, lightly pushing the horse's flanks to make it go faster, "When the Witchers all go to Kaer Morhen for the winter at the end of the year, don't forget to make a copy of the atlas."

"Next year, you'll have to rely on atlases to find your way."

Ailin paused for a moment upon hearing this, then realized the hidden meaning in Vesemir's words.

"Isn't the trial period supposed to last five years?"

"That might be true for ordinary witchers," Vesemir smiled gently, "But I don't think I have much left to teach you."

"How to meditate, how to hunt monsters, how to find a suitable place to rest..."

"There's not much that can be taught during travel and trials."

"The reason it takes five years is mainly because the demon hunters who have just passed the Trial of the Mountains are still too weak. It takes five years for the mutated blood produced by the medicinal decoction to improve the demon hunters' strength, agility, physique, perception, and magic power..."

"While learning how to survive in the city and the wild, improve your swordsmanship and spells, as well as your knowledge of different monsters."

"Moreover, even if the traveling mentors are stingy, a young witcher can make some connections and gain some reputation in five years, so that he won't starve to death after leaving Kaer Morhen alone."

"But you, Ailin..."

Vesemir's gaze toward Ailin softened with pride:

"You've already learned everything you were supposed to learn."

"Swordsmanship, magic seals, physical fitness, you are now even stronger than me."

"I know that very well," he said, raising his hand to stop Ailin from speaking. "And it's not just me; you might even surpass the chief soon."

"As for connections..."

Vesemir thought for a few seconds, then shook his head with a wry smile.

"Lady Vesemir and High Priest Ianna admire you; Duke Mason of Arland has knighted you; the House Kuhn, the founders of Riedania, have even gifted you the legendary sword of the hero Zatret Volta..."

"To be honest, Ailin, there aren't many people I know who have such a high status."

"As for your reputation, I just heard a bard in the tavern yesterday praising your deeds..." The Witcher Master's gaze unconsciously drifted to Elsa behind Ailin, "I believe that by the end of the year, the number of invitations you've received in Kaer Morhen will fill an entire pigeon coop."

"You may not realize it yet, Ailin, but you are already a qualified Witcher Master, even surpassing most Witcher Master of the School of the Wolf in many aspects."

"Letting you travel with me again next year will not benefit you at all; it will only allow me to profit from this."

Vesemir spoke very sincerely, as if he was desperately trying to get Ailin to leave.

But Ailin was deeply moved.

Although half a year is not a long time, and they were not even together most of the time.

But Vesemir truly taught him everything he knew, knew, and was knowledgeable without reservation, even doing things against his own principles, like this hunt for the Greater Griffin.

Looking into Vesemir's soft, dark golden Cat Eyes, Ailin had countless things she wanted to say.

But when he opened his mouth, only one sentence came out:

"Thank you, Master Vesemir."

Ailin turned sideways and looked directly into Vesemir's dark golden Cat Eyes, his tone very sincere.

"Master Ailin," Vesemir laughed, adjusting his Black Wide-brimmed Hat, "From now on, just call me Vesemir."

The birds resting in the woods were startled by the cheerful laughter and scattered in all directions.

"Da da da~"

Light hoofbeats pounded the ground.

The weather gradually changed from hot and humid to cool.

The golden-green tributary of the Alba River flows between the piers of the broken bridge, its waters shimmering in the setting sun.

"Is there no way to cross the river downstream either?"

Vesemir looked helplessly at the rotting wood and rusty rivets on the rushing river and sighed.

Bridges are typically built only at the most suitable locations on a river.

Since there is a broken bridge here, based on Vesemir's past experience, even if he goes further downstream, it would probably be difficult to find a way to cross the river in a short time.

A damp wind brushed against his cheeks as Ailin looked up at the other side of the shimmering river.

Although he had just told Vesemir that "I am patient," the witcher was still a little annoyed by the half-day of fruitless efforts as he looked at the broken bridge.

He desperately hoped that a flying mount would suddenly appear and carry him to the other side.

"We need to cross the river to catch a flying mount, but we can't cross the river without one..."

"This is absolutely brutal."

Ailin sighed helplessly to himself.

"That's how witchers hunt monsters," Vesemir took a deep breath, both to comfort Ailin and to convince himself, "You'll get used to it."

"However, places with bridges are generally located near villages or human settlements."

"Once we get back to the main road, we'll ask around and find out if there are any villages near this tributary of the Alba River."

"Hmm." Ailin breathed a sigh of relief as she inhaled the moist air, which carried a faint fishy smell.

They turned back and mounted their horses.

"If only we could deal with that Greater Griffin in Vengerberg. With it swooping down into the narrow, cramped city and the help of the city guards, we could take care of it quickly."

Vesemir, who had jumped onto his brown horse and put on his Black Wide-brimmed Hat, sighed as he looked back at the distant mountains in the direction the Greater Griffin had flown.

"It's a pity it's not possible," Ailin said regretfully.

Attacking a city is indeed the easiest state for the Greater Griffin to deal with.

In a short moment, many images even appeared in his mind.

Climbing to the top of a tall building, leaping, tumbling, and dodging between buildings, then leaping onto the back of Greater Griffin attacking soldiers on the ground.

Taking advantage of the monster's displeasure and its turning to attack, they threw the Giant Beast Lasso of the One-Eyed Clan, which snagged the eagle's head, successfully subduing the Greater Griffin.

Completed in one go.

Unfortunately, even setting aside the neutrality principle of the School of the Wolf, he didn't really want others to see the scene of him using the Giant Beast Lasso of the One-Eyed Clan capture the Greater Griffin.

"Yes, it's a pity it doesn't work," Vesemir remarked.

Just look at his tightly furrowed brows.

Obviously.

What Vesemir regrets is perhaps different from what Ailin regrets.

As the sun sets, the sky gradually darkens.

While chasing the Greater Griffin on horseback, they didn't notice, but on the way back, they found that they had strayed far from the main road.

Moreover, perhaps because the Greater Griffin's oppressive aura was gone during the day, Vesemir and Ailin encountered several more waves of water ghosts, Ghoul, and wolves.

The two events continued until dusk completely enveloped the earth and stars filled the sky, before they returned to the main road of Ard from which they had come.

At this point, it would be inappropriate to inquire about villages near the tributaries of the Alba River.

Besides, Ernie and Klar were still waiting for them at the inn.

then.

After the two witchers rode their horses along the main road, neither of them mentioned this point. They spurred their horses and galloped quickly toward the inn.

Holding torches, the two witchers disguised themselves outside the village before leading their horses into the village.

The inn where the Witcher and his party are staying now is not the one they stayed at when they left Fergen.

This hotel is close to Vengerberg, but also quite remote.

"I wonder if those brats caused any trouble today?" Vesemir muttered as he tied the black horse to the stable.

Because they cannot reveal their identities as witchers when accepting commissions, the young witchers have been forced to stay in the inn for the past few days, remaining in their rooms without ever leaving.

Out of boredom, they caused quite a few troubles the other day, almost exposing their identities.

"They were punished yesterday, and with Ernie and Klar keeping an eye on things, there shouldn't be any major problems... right?" Ailin was also a little unsure of himself.

"I hope so."

Two witchers walked into the inn.

The first floor of the inn was a small tavern, where a few farmers sat sparsely, and there were only a few glasses of ale on the table.

Moreover, the Witcher knew that they might have been drinking those few glasses of ale all day.

The innkeeper, an elderly woman, stood behind the bar, idly wiping glasses. When she saw Ailin and Vesemir walk in, she immediately went to greet them.

after all.

They were such big customers that this small hotel rarely saw them all year round.

"You two are back, would you like something to eat?"

The woman, with a fawning smile, was soliciting business when Vesemir suddenly waved her hand to interrupt her.

"Wait!" he said urgently.

A faint sense of unease welled up inside me, as if I had suddenly appeared behind me in the lair of a sleeping dragon.

The two witchers turned around almost simultaneously and rushed out of the inn.

north.

The low-hanging night sky shimmered with red aurora, like a demon opening its scarlet eyes.