Strange Changes from Ban Ard

Nannick immediately stopped in his tracks.

"Ailin?" Vesemir called softly.

Ailin seemed to have just woken up from a deep sleep. With the swaying emerald sphere, she sleepily looked in the direction from which the sound came.

The azure Cat Eyes sometimes widened and sometimes contracted, but never focused on either Vesemir or Nannick, or anyone else.

The Primal Magic flickered slowly, like breathing.

A subtle, unique pressure rippled through the Wooden Hut, following the rhythm of the flickering "Primal Magic."

The amulet on the roof moves automatically even without wind.

Feeling the fluctuations that were completely different from the divine power of the Evil God, or more accurately, more like the dragon's might when a dragon is in slumber, Vesemir and Nannick looked at each other in bewilderment.

To be honest, they still don't know what Ailin did.

The sudden eruption of the Evil God's divine power, the Primal Magic that closely resembles the source of demonic energy, the magical favor that only demons possess...

What just happened almost overturned their previous understanding.

Upon seeing the words left by Ailin, Vesemir seemed to accept everything quite easily.

But at that moment, Nannick was completely bewildered; she even wanted to ask a question...

Is the witcher being lifted up by emerald magic really Ailin?

The candlelight flickered, casting shadows of varying lengths on the walls.

The cabin was quiet for a while longer.

"Ailin?" Vesemir called out softly again, forcing himself to speak.

In an instant.

The Cat Eyes narrowed into a thin, cold line.

The seemingly insignificant pressure suddenly turned fierce, like a biting winter wind that cuts through flesh, piercing the skin in an instant.

"Clang~ Clang~ Clang~"

The wooden amulets timidly bumped against each other.

"Vesemir!" Nannick cried out in horror, "That's not..."

Before he could finish speaking...

The terrifying pressure vanished as if it had never existed.

Nannick saw Ailin's eyes tremble, and after a moment of confusion, they finally focused on them, followed by a flash of surprise.

"Vesemir ... Nannick, what are you doing here...ah..."

The emerald green magic that had been supporting Ailin suddenly dissipated as he regained his senses.

When Ailin felt the ground beneath her, she cried out in surprise and, like a wildcat, instinctively flipped in mid-air before landing steadily on the ground.

Upon landing, he seemed unaware of what had happened and looked at Vesemir in astonishment.

Vesemir and he stared at each other for a long while.

"Don't you remember what just happened?" Nannick asked, clutching her skirt with her right hand.

"What happened?" Ailin asked in astonishment, his expression changing rapidly.

Surprise, doubt, sudden realization, thoughtful, uncertain...

Finally, seemingly realizing there were other people in the room, he looked up from his reverie. "I suddenly had some inspiration; I was just conducting an alchemical experiment..."

"Here?" Nannick's eyes scanned the unremarkable hut. There wasn't even a crucible in the hut. "An alchemical experiment?"

Ailin nodded with a normal expression.

He noticed that the two men seemed to be acting strangely, swallowed the perfunctory words he was about to say, and tentatively looked at Vesemir:

"Was there a lot of noise?"

"It's big," Vesemir nodded vigorously, but then shook his head, "Uh...not that big..."

What does that mean...? Ailin was completely bewildered.

However, before he could ask, Vesemir seemed to realize that his words were ambiguous, and then explained:

"We just felt the divine power of the Evil God god. It was very strong, as if we had returned to that day, to that valley. The dust storm it stirred up was also quite large..."

"But now that I think about it, Kamui's influence should only have been around the Wooden Hut..."

"The sandstorm didn't even reach the small path at the intersection outside the house..."

That's good... Ailin thought to himself, then turned around and saw Nannick staring at him with wide eyes, and his heart skipped a beat.

The oppressive aura of the Evil God is emanating from him; it seems Nannick won't be so easily fooled...

"Please have a seat," Ailin quickly changed the subject. "By the way, what can I do for you?"

Nannick gave him a deep look, and Ailin, he didn't press the matter further.

The three of them sat down at the wooden table in the cabin.

"Ban Ade is in trouble again," she said. "This morning, just after you left, the Duke Mason sent word that Ban Ade's request has changed again."

"They claim to have detected that the Wild Hunt will launch another attack, and if the kings do not give them a reply soon, the College of Wizards cannot withstand the great danger alone and will evacuate from Ban Ard."

"Isn't this exactly the same threat as before?" Vesemir asked in bewilderment.

"It's different," Nannick shook his head. "Senne somehow got in touch with the Riesberg Group Civil Cooperative, and Master Otolan claimed he was willing to temporarily take over the Wizarding Academy..."

Vesemir fell silent.

The reason the kings were willing to put pressure on Senne was because Ban Aard Academy seemed to be welcomed by all factions, but in reality, there was no place for the entire wizard academy to go.

The apprentices didn't care, of course, but the wizards could enjoy the preferential treatment of the number one mage power in the Northern Continent in Ban Ade, which they might not be able to enjoy elsewhere.

The Riesberg Group Civil Cooperative, however, fits the bill perfectly.

All along.

The Riesberg Group Civil Cooperative was the second largest mage force in the Northern Continent after Ban Ad and Aretuza, and now it may only be second to Aretuza.

That would certainly be a good place for ordinary male wizards.

Ailin's expression also turned serious.

More than a dozen archmages, along with fifty or sixty assistants and apprentices, live in Riesberg, where they conduct all sorts of magical experiments and research, including various types of prototypes, such as combat units, elixirs of immortality, artificially created or genetically modified creatures, and so on.

The mage organization formed by this alliance is the Riesberg Group Civil Cooperative.

In fact, Ailin knew that, thanks to the protection of the legendary mage Otolan, one of the five members of the Talent and Skill Association, Riesberg almost satisfied all the prejudices of the Northern Continent against the warlock profession.

Kidnapping children, boiling people in crucibles, stealing and dissecting people...

They recklessly experimented on humans without any remorse.

They almost universally admire any spells forbidden by the Brotherhood of Sorcerers, such as summoning magic—a spell that summons creatures (demons) from other dimensions or worlds.

To be honest, before transmigrating to this world, Ailin had always thought that behind the destruction and end of various witcher schools, there might be the Riesberg Group Civil Cooperative, a mage organization that was very interested in the taboo of hybridization and mutation between humans and humanoids.

certainly.

To this day, it has been confirmed that the one who truly wanted to destroy the School of the Wolf was Kedwen's Haxor the Glutton.

The Riesberg Group Civil Cooperative remains on Ailin's list of suspects.

After all, the destruction and exclusion of Witchers was widespread, and all Witcher schools were treated equally.

The Riesberg Group Civil Cooperative is qualified to do so.

"The Riesberg Group Civil Cooperative and Senne..." Ailin stroked his chin with his right hand, his brows furrowed.

"What came to mind?" Nannick asked.

"I just find it strange." Ailin shook her head, not telling the truth.

The Riesberg Group Civil Cooperative was exposed a hundred years later, and although its reputation is not good now, it is only because of its stinginess and profit-seeking.

In fact, because Otolan was focused on popularizing magic, he believed that the convenience brought by supernatural powers should be shared with the general public to promote the overall progress of society.

The current reputation of the Riesberg Group Civil Cooperative in the Northern Continent is not only not bad, but rather quite good.

The magical items produced in Riesberg are renowned.

Ailin's denigration will not only go unnoticed, but will also raise suspicions.

Besides, Riesberg's accident happened a century later.

A hundred years is too long.

It's normal for an organization to become morally corrupt over time; we can't judge Riesberg from a century ago based on events that happened a century later.

This is not only inappropriate, but it will also mislead his thinking and cause him to develop prejudices.

"It is indeed strange," Vesemir nodded. "Absorbing Ban Ade Academy would certainly be beneficial to any power, but the Riesberg Group Civil Cooperative has never been a power willing to actively absorb mages."

"On the contrary, Riesberg Castle is not large, and they are quite strict in their requirements for recruiting new talent, as are their promotion mechanisms."

"And the quality of students at Ban Ade Academy..." Vesemir shook his head, "The entire Northern Continent knows that the apprentices there are getting worse with each passing year."

"This is unreasonable."

"So you think Senne is deceiving the kings?" Nannick pressed.

"Uh..." Vesemir hesitated, "I'm not sure. Perhaps the Riesberg Group Civil Cooperative has changed its strategy? Or perhaps Senne has paid a considerable price?"

"Riesberg is not a friendly place for witchers, and we avoid it when we are operating in the vicinity of Temeria and Hidaris."

"So I don't know much about that place."

"Where's Ailin?" Nannick turned his head to look at Ailin, who was frowning and deep in thought.

Why would you ask me that?

Ailin was taken aback. An organization even Vesemir didn't understand—how could he possibly know about it?

"What do the kings think?" he cleared his throat and asked.

"The king and the nobles are also hesitant," Nannick sighed. "They don't know if Senne is simply threatening or if he really intends to leave."

"Since he's still negotiating and making demands, Senne definitely doesn't want to leave Ben Ade," Vesemir analyzed. "I know him; he's not good at alchemy, bio-engineering, or genetics."

"In Ban Ade, he could use political means to win over and eliminate dissidents and replace Henry Gedimidis as dean. In the Riesberg Group Civil Cooperative, he was nothing."

"The High Priest thinks so too," Nannick nodded. "The King and the nobles even suspect that the Wild Hunt's renewed attack might be a pretext."

That's the only thing that should be true... Ailin thought.

It's perfectly normal for Ban Ad to set up some warning devices and ritual arrays in the Passerlon Forest.

He even thought it wasn't impossible for Vilgefortz to use some means to find where the Wild Hunt had buried the fragments of the Ard Gais Gate.

However, since no bad news about him has come out for so long, he should be alright.

"So?" Ailin asked, "What are your thoughts, Mother Ianna?"

Nannick sighed, then stared at him strangely until he felt a chill run down his spine before saying, "The High Priest asked me to ask for your opinion."

Asking for my opinion doesn't mean Ianna doesn't have her own...

Um?

Ailin realized what was happening and suddenly looked at Nannick.

Nannick nodded helplessly. "Your opinion is the temple's opinion."

The temple's perspective cannot be ignored, even though... they are the king.

"Ah?"

Ailin instinctively exchanged a glance with Vesemir.

How could a demon hunter from the School of the Wolf possibly have the right to speak on behalf of the most numerous cult of the Northern Continent, the Meritellie Cult...?

"Mother Ianna... are you serious?"

Nannick nodded helplessly again. "'Go ask Ailin, his attitude is the attitude of the temple, his thoughts are the thoughts of the temple.' These are the High Priest's exact words."

Do you really think I'm a saint?

Ailin sighed.

The cabin suddenly fell silent.

After a long pause, he finally spoke, "Was Mother Ianna's question too hasty? I may need to think about it carefully..."

"No rush," Nannick stood up from his seat, "Just tell us in the next couple of days."

"In addition..."

Nannick looked at him gently. "Don't put too much pressure on yourself. In the end, this matter has nothing to do with our Temple of Melitele. According to past practice, we rarely interfere in the disputes of other forces."

"Moreover, since Ban Ade has not done anything to expel the Evil God, we naturally do not need to do too much for them."

Ailin nodded, and together with Vesemir, escorted Nannick to the door.

"Oh, right..."

Nannick stopped outside the wooden door. "I know everyone has secrets, and as long as they are harmless to the temple, I won't pry into other people's secrets..."

"Don't worry, Lady Nannick," Ailin immediately assured her, "It's absolutely harmless to the temple..."

"That's not what I meant." Nanni shook his head slightly.

"Of course I believe you, Ailin. The temple may doubt anyone, but not you."

Ailin was stunned.

Nannick gazed into Ailin's eyes and continued softly, "But you must remember, some powers, though seemingly strong, are merely honey to mask the stench of poison."

"Besides..."

"You are still young, you have plenty of time, don't rush, everything can be done slowly."

Then.

Without waiting for his reply, Nannick pushed open the door and walked eastward with her usual quick yet steady steps.

"Is she admonishing me not to be tempted by the power of Evil God?"

Watching Nannick leave with the lantern, Ailin felt a bitter smile on her face.

But take it slow...

He looked up at the stars that filled the night sky and sighed softly.