The Worldline Changed by Him

"Gurgle~ Gurgle~"

A mountain of flesh, towering in the forest, resembled a maggot wriggling in place for a few moments before its top split open, revealing a giant mouth with ring-shaped, worm-like teeth.

"Pfft~"

A fleshy ball covered in murky mucus was spat out onto the sparse grass.

As soon as the fleshy ball landed, several Ghoul rushed over and licked the slime off its surface.

The enormous mouth that had spat out the fleshy ball writhed and contracted.

"Hiss~"

A spherical lump of mud, emitting black smoke, fell from the sky and landed inside just before the giant mouth closed.

The mountain of flesh was completely unaware. After closing its giant mouth, it wriggled like a maggot for a moment before suddenly stopping.

"Puff!"

For example, a water tank filled with water exploded from the inside.

The mountain of flesh was rooted in the grass, and its powerfully muscular base suddenly burst open.

Large chunks of internal organs and flesh gushed out along with the blood.

"Roar! Roar! Roar!"

The creatures lying on the ground nearby immediately sprang up and ran around on the grass, seemingly trying to find the culprit who destroyed the mountain of flesh.

Of course they couldn't find it.

Because the culprits were currently in the sky, they glanced coldly at the ground before flying off to their next target.

"How about I take on the next Monster's Nest?"

Vesemir, clutching the Greater Griffin's mane, looked at Ailin with concern.

It was just a Honeycomb Bomb, no heavier than a longsword, yet the youngest Witcher Master and newly Godslayer of the Northern Continent was already panting heavily.

"No need," Ailin shook her head.

Given Vesemir's attributes, throwing a Honeycomb Bomb into the "Viscount's " momentarily open "mouth" would be more than enough.

But Monster's Nest shouldn't be wasted like that.

Upon hearing this, Vesemir did not insist.

Having spent so much time with Ailin, he could guess some of Ailin's special qualities.

For example, his personal killing of monsters reveals a fanatical love of war, and shortly after each large-scale battle, various magical recipes always pop into his clever little brain...

Combining these two factors, and also considering the "Witcher's Eye" ability to see through the magical power of monsters.

Vesemir thought that Ailin probably killed monsters himself, observed the differences in the flow of magic within the monsters' bodies when they attacked, defended, ran, and resisted, imitated the monsters' functions, or found a targeted Sword Oil formula.

certainly.

This still doesn't explain Ailin's special characteristics in certain aspects, such as the Greater Griffin.

The peculiar reins that tamed the Greater Griffin seemed similar to the recipes for Sword Oil and potions that Ailin had created in the past; they all involved killing monsters and then suddenly appearing after a certain period of time.

But upon closer examination, the differences between the two become apparent.

The more effective an alchemical tool is, the more complex its crafting process should be, and the more materials it should require.

But the reins that could tame such a large monster as the Greater Griffin appeared out of thin air.

Vesemir had never seen Ailin craft such an item before; he had not purchased any materials, had not secluded himself to craft it, and had not taken any related actions.

There are many special circumstances, similar to taming the reins of Greater Griffin, that cannot be explained by the "Witcher's Eye".

Another example is the Conjunction of the Spheres.

Vesemir had seen warlocks who controlled lightning and fire, and Druid who could summon wind and rain, but he had never seen a spellcaster who could manipulate the Conjunction of the Spheres.

Recalling the three earth-shattering roars in the valley and the unknown creature that was slapped to death on the cliff by the Summoning Ritual's tentacle, Vesemir became lost in thought.

Why could the Witcher's eyes influence such celestial phenomena?

Even if Vesemir does not acknowledge the warlocks' derogatory term for witchers as warlock creations, he cannot deny that the origin of witchers is Alzure.

Even sorcerers cannot summon the Conjunction of the Spheres, a phenomenon that is only seen once every hundred years.

Why could a witcher who wasn't known for his magical abilities do that?

"Boom!"

Another Honeycomb Bomb destroyed a Monster's Nest, interrupting Vesemir's thoughts.

"Only one Monster's Nest left!" Ailin gasped, withdrawing his right hand.

Vesemir could see that the joy emanating from those deep blue eyes was genuine.

Even when they were so exhausted, it was difficult to throw a Honeycomb Bomb the size of a pebble.

Killing the monsters that plague humanity still makes him happy and exhilarated.

"Perhaps..." Vesemir had a flash of inspiration.

Perhaps what's special isn't the profession of Witcher, but Ailin himself as a Witcher.

It's not that the Witcher Ailin possesses the ability to manipulate the Conjunction of the Spheres, but rather that Ailin, who can manipulate the Conjunction of the Spheres, happens to be a Witcher.

Just like the heroes Zatret Volta and Supre, who were also human, but were chosen by fate, they were always able to achieve miracles that ordinary people could hardly reach.

Will Ailin become a hero like Zatret and Supre?

Vesemir gazed at Ailin, who was weary but enthusiastically communicating with the Greater Griffin about the next location.

No!

Looking at Ailin's face, which had lost its childishness and was now unusually fierce, smeared with blood...

Thinking of the Apprentice Combat Tournament, the slaying of the Greater Griffin, the May Festival Wild Hunt and the monster siege, and the recent descent of the Evil God...

Vesemir shook his head.

His apprentice has become a hero no less than Zatret and Supre.

"What's wrong, Vesemir?"

Ailin, feeling a chill run down his spine under the Witcher Master's gaze, asked cautiously.

"Nothing..."

Vesemir withdrew his gaze, and upon noticing the flapping wings of the Greater Griffin beside him, changed the subject:

"How do you plan to deal with the Greater Griffin?"

"What, how to solve it?"

"The Greater Griffin is now exposed to many people. Could there be some problems with Kedwen and the wizard?"

"No..." Ailin waved his hand, "Ban Ade's wizards are too busy taking care of themselves to spare any energy for our School of the Wolf ..."

After some time, once he has figured out the combination and timing for releasing the Planetary Alignment and the hunting mission, the warlocks will probably have even less energy.

"As for the nobles and royalty of Kedwen ... they're just ahead, Good Girl," Ailin said, bowing her head to guide the Greater Griffin before turning to Vesemir, "They're the same. Without the Greater Griffin to bother them, Ard is their biggest problem..."

"Besides..."

Ailin paused for two seconds, then said, "The number of monsters on the Northern Continent will only continue to increase, and Ban Ade can't provide any assistance..."

"The nobles and wizards of Kedwen are too busy currying favor with the School of the Wolf to risk offending us over unsubstantiated rumors."

"Otherwise, who will deal with the rampaging water ghosts and Ghoul, and the male witches targeted by the Wild Hunt?"

He took a deep breath.

With a gleaming blue Cat Eyes gaze, Vesemir met his eyes.

"Things are different now, Vesemir ..."

Is things different now than they used to be?

Vesemir repeated the sentence to himself, feeling somewhat dazed for a moment.

He pondered Ailin's words but couldn't find a single logical problem in them.

yes...

Why does Haxor dare to confront the School of the Wolf? It's because the number of monsters in the Northern Continent is decreasing, and the demand for witchers is getting lower and lower.

Now that Ban Aard is in decline due to the Wild Hunt, and the nobles of Kedwen are busy dealing with Ard and using all the power of the nation to seek revenge, the monsters ravaging the country will have to rely on the Witcher.

Furthermore, since the School of the Wolf is located within the territory of Kedwen, witchers from other schools tacitly agree not to come.

The king and nobles of Kedwen really had no choice but to rely on the School of the Wolf.

Vesemir suddenly realized, then frowned a second later.

He was thinking:

"How things started when the School of the Wolf was coveted and threatened by the warlocks of Kedwen's ruler Haxor, and Ban Aard, and was on the verge of collapse..."

"In less than a year, it has developed to the point where we not only no longer have to worry about the Ancient Sea Fortress being destroyed by a sudden army and magic..."

"The School of the Wolf might even become the only hope for commoners and nobles in Kedwen?"

The Apprentice Combat Tournament killed Haxor, Conjunction of the Spheres framed Ban Ard, not only creating the Rift the nobles and royalty of Kedwen and destabilizing the domestic political situation, but also inviting Ard's revenge...

The Wild Hunt was spotted in the Gors Velen, its purpose was determined, and it was then Wild Hunt to the Wizarding Academy...

Until now...

After subduing the Greater Griffin that was wreaking havoc in Vengerberg and unlocking the war beasts of Ard, Ban Aard Academy and the Kedwen Nobles were completely engrossed in their own troubles and had no time to spare for anything else.

Even more terrifying is...

When all this happened, neither side realized who the culprit was, and the School of the Wolf wasn't even suspected.

Realizing this, Vesemir suddenly looked up at Ailin and gasped.

The apprentice, pale and weak at this moment, clutching the mane of the Greater Griffin, suddenly appeared majestic in his eyes, even more terrifying than the oppressive aura of the Evil God.

It's all interconnected, truly interconnected!

"Was all of this planned by you?" Vesemir couldn't help but ask.

"Ah?"

Ailin, who was struggling to pinpoint the location of the Monster's Nest in his mind on the pitch-black ground, looked away.

He looked at the horrified and shocked expression on Vesemir's face, somewhat bewildered:

"I planned everything?"

Vesemir swallowed hard. "All of this... I mean the development of Ban Ad and Kedwen, did you plan it all from the very beginning, when you first came down the mountain... no... after you passed the Trial of the Mountains?"

"How could that be!" Ailin waved his hand weakly.

Vesemir held his head high, his dark golden Cat Eyes glancing at him, his face clearly saying, "You even kept this from me? I'm your Witcher mentor." He obviously didn't believe Ailin's words.

"Really not!" Ailin denied again. "I was just walking around and looking at things, and it gradually turned into this."

That's true.

He's just an ordinary person, not the reincarnation of Zhuge Liang; how could he possibly see three steps ahead in one step?

To be honest, most of the credit was indeed his, such as killing Haxor at the Conjunction of the Spheres in Ban Aard and luring the Wild Hunt to Ban Aard.

But he really hadn't expected things to develop so smoothly.

It feels like the task was completed without us even realizing it.

Looking back now, while he certainly contributed to the situation, Haxor's inhumane behavior also played a significant role in the current state of affairs.

After all, if the king and nobles of Ard were even slightly divided or hesitant, they would not have launched a war immediately when their national strength was insufficient and the disparity in power was obvious.

If they hadn't hated Kedwen enough, they probably would have withdrawn their troops in the first week of the Greater Griffin's attack on the city.

If either Kedwen or Ban Ad were to have the resources and maintain the same close relationship with Haxor, given their past shameless behavior, the School of the Wolf might very well be dragged into the mess again.

For example, threatening the School of the Wolf to send people to participate in the war, or morally blackmailing Grandmaster Soyer to use the entire school's power to help the Warlock Academy and Guardian Band Ade.

However, on the other hand...

If Haxor hadn't inexplicably targeted the School of the Wolf, and if he had acted like a decent human being, he wouldn't have met such a tragic end in the Apprentice Combat Tournament between the School of the Wolf and School of the Cat.

"Real?"

Ailin gave him a general overview of the possible future development of Haxor if he became an individual.

However, Vesemir raised an eyebrow, still looking skeptical.

"Fine, if you don't believe me, then don't believe me," Ailin shook his head helplessly, thinking, "Anyway, I haven't done anything to wrong the School of the Wolf."

He then took a Honeycomb Bomb out of the reagent bag, squinted, and threw it.

The bomb traced a smooth arc in mid-air before crashing into the crumbling hole in the ground.

"Bang!"

A loud explosion.

Flesh and blood, tinged with gray smoke, burst forth from the cliff.

"After today's events are over, the villages around Arland will likely be harassed by ghouls for quite some time."

Vesemir, perched on the back of the Greater Griffin, looked down at the ground. After a moment of chaos caused by the destruction of the Monster's Nest, and the ghouls that had disappeared into the mountains in twos and threes, surrounded by several Giant Ghoul, he sighed.

"This is a good opportunity for Ernie and Klar to practice their skills," Ailin said, turning his gaze away from the ground. "The matter of Henry Gedimidis being kidnapped by Senne is still unresolved..."

In fact, the seven members of the Monster Hunting Legion have improved quite a bit in the month since they came down from the mountain.

The improvement in swordsmanship, magic signs, and even knowledge of Monster Economics and mental alertness is equivalent to one, two, or three years of an ordinary traveling apprentice.

No witcher who has just come down from the mountain has ever been able to deal with a Ghoul on his own.

These four-limbed monsters, which move swiftly, are much more difficult to deal with than humanoid water ghosts.

However, such a major event as the descent of Evil God was too dangerous, and he and Vesemir were busy dealing with the Summoning Ritual, so they had no time to direct or supervise them and locked them in the temple.

However, on the other hand...

Because of his presence, these demon hunters who had just come down from the mountain were ambushed by the Source Vilgefortz, turned into jade statues, and were also subjected to the descent of Evil God.

It's true what they say, we encountered a big boss right after leaving the beginner village.

However, he should be able to have some free time now.

The swarms of carnivorous creatures covering the mountain are enough to give Ernie and his companions a significant boost.

"Too..."

Vesemir smiled.

The shadow of the school's demise was dispelled, making him feel exceptionally relaxed.

"So that they won't keep clamoring to hunt demons all day long, without even looking at themselves..."

Vesemir's expression suddenly changed, and in a flash, he reached out and grabbed Ailin had suddenly lost his focus and almost fell off the Greater Griffin.

"What's wrong, Ailin?"

"Nothing..."

The familiar sound of the school bell was ringing in Ailin's mind.

"Bite."

[Slay the monster hordes: "Giant Ghoul," "Spiked Fiend," "Summoning Ritual," "@#￥%&"...]

[Reward Settlement:...]

Um?

What on earth is "@#￥%&"?