Huus Awakens! There Is... a God!

"Squeak~"

The wooden door was pushed open.

"High Priest..."

"High Priest..."

"High Priest Ianna..."

The priest and physician, who were observing from the operating room, touched their chests and offered quiet words of comfort.

However, the doctors in charge of the surgery only looked up briefly before continuing to wield scissors, scalpels, and needles and thread, stitching and mending Huus's body.

Ailin and Vesemir were about to greet her, but after seeing Ianna's appearance, they paused and frowned.

After just a few days apart, the High Priest of the Temple of Melitele seemed to have aged several years in an instant.

Not only did his body become slightly hunched, but the wrinkles and lines on his face, etched by the years, also became increasingly deep.

The only thing that remained unchanged was the kind smile that seemed to seep into every wrinkle of his face after seeing Ailin.

No...

The smile was even more benevolent, and even the mischievousness of a vibrant young girl that used to occasionally surface beneath her dignified and solemn exterior was gone.

"Mother Ianna, you..."

Ailin quickly stepped forward to support Ianna's forearm, his movements momentarily halting as he held her forearm with both hands.

The leaves are thin and frail to the touch, like the bare branches of a maple tree in late autumn, which fall naturally from the tree and break under their own weight when they fall to the ground covered with fallen leaves.

Was Mother Ianna's arm like this before?

"I'm old," Ianna said, extending her other thin hand to gently pat Ailin's arm. "Climbing mountains is torture for every elderly person, and it takes ten days to half a month to recover each time."

"Alright, let's not talk about that anymore. Look at your poor kid from the School of the Wolf... His name is Huus, right... How is he now?"

Although she looks much older, she still has that same energetic and lively manner when she speaks.

He hadn't even exchanged two words with Ailin, and hadn't even had a chance to ask if Huus could wake up a little earlier and reveal the whereabouts of the other School of the Wolf witchers.

Ianna had already quietly broken free from his support, walked through the path cleared by the priests and physicians, and reached the operating table.

The withered appearance just now seemed to be Ailin's own illusion.

"How did you get injured like this?" Ianna frowned when she saw the numerous wounds on Huus's body.

"... Gisela has taken care of the most serious internal bleeding..."

"... They are currently removing necrotic tissue... and stitching up the wound..."

"... But prolonged blood loss... hyperthermia... although the Witcher's constitution is extraordinary... this child is still in great danger..."

Nannick leaned closer, pointing at Huus's body and giving Ianna a brief description.

Ianna stared intently, her gaze sweeping over the wounds on Huus's body, nodding occasionally.

The doctor, known as Gisela, was still racing against time to perform the surgery, cutting open and stitching up the wound.

The faint, short bursts of noise made the entire operating room even quieter.

Less than a minute after Nannick finished his description, Ianna rolled up her sleeves, took the sharp bone scalpel, and quickly began cutting away the necrotic flesh from the wound.

His old, withered arms were even more steady than those of the doctor named Gisela.

This left Ailin and Vesemir exchanging bewildered glances, neither daring to break the solemn atmosphere in the operating room at this moment.

especially...

As they looked at Huus's body—who had been twitching his lips when he was being stitched up on the operating table, but was now motionless and as pale as a corpse—they were stunned.

The ears perked up, catching the sounds of blood loss, hypothermia, internal bleeding, and other obviously serious terms.

If it weren't for the fact that witchers also need oxygen, the two Witcher Master from the School of the Wolf probably wouldn't even dare to breathe.

Vesemir gave Ailin a wink, implying, "Should we consider flying to La Valedi to investigate first?"

Ailin lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then shook his head, rejecting the idea.

It wasn't that he didn't care about the safety of Bont, Fred, and Dante.

on the contrary.

Even setting aside personal feelings, Bont and Fred are, like Huus, the only three Witchers in the Monster Hunting Legion with a loyalty level of 100.

Others, such as Ernie and Klar, have only seen their loyalty increase by an average of a little after spending almost a month together, with Ernie having the highest at only 96.

Loyalty, at present, is at least related to the upgrade of the Monster Hunting Legion's core skill "Resonance".

Ailin also didn't think that the loyalty rating, which was specifically marked in a column on the Monster Hunting Legion interface, was only related to the "Resonance" Legion skill.

Even if this is the only connection, Huus, Bont, and Fred, whose loyalty is absolute, are the absolute core of the future Monster Hunting Legion in the Ailin Plan.

Who doesn't know what an absolutely reliable confidant means to a leader, especially the leader of an armed organization that fights for their life?

Moreover.

As partners who had shared joys and sorrows, and endured hardships together during the Trial of the Mountains, how could Ailin not have personal feelings for them?

Dante, as one of only eight Witcher Master in the School of the Wolf, is equally important to the school.

only...

Huus was pulled out of the Pontar River, the main Pontar River of the Northern Continent that runs east to west, crossing four major countries and having countless tributaries.

The rushing river could wash away all traces, and no one could find the other witchers by following the wounds on Huus' body and the course of the Pontar River.

Ailin is out of the question, of course.

Vesemir should know this.

Perhaps it was the magical effects of Tracking and Life Whisper that made him feel that Ailin was omnipotent in finding people/monsters?

"Don't worry, the child will be fine," Ianna, seeing that Ailin and Vesemir both looked preoccupied and worried. "Lyra's treatment was very timely. The Gisela sisters are the best physicians in the temple. The King of Redania once paid a high price to hire him to teach in Cowhold..."

"High Priest Ianna is too kind," said the physician, known as Gisela, who wore a gauze mask and a linen hat. She looked up humbly, then lowered her head and deftly wielded a bone scalpel, cutting away a piece of rotting flesh with a swollen, yellowish pustules on Huus' side.

"The High Priest is the best healer in the entire temple..."

Ianna smiled kindly, offering no comment, but instead glanced at Ailin and continued, "The Witcher's extraordinary physique saved him, but he still needs to rest at the temple for a month after the surgery."

"That's to be expected," Ailin nodded, then quickly asked, "Mother Ianna, when will Huus wake up?"

Ianna hesitated for a few seconds, then estimated, "It will have to wait until at least tomorrow..."

She looked up and noticed that Ailin's expression was a little off.

"You have something to ask him."

This is a statement, not a question.

"Yes, Mother Ianna," Ailin took a deep breath and said in a hoarse voice, "Huus is not alone. Bont, Fred, and their travel mentor, the Witcher Master Dante of the School of the Wolf, should all be with him..."

After speaking.

The entire operating room fell silent for a moment.

Everyone thought of the same question...

Huus is already on the operating table, but what about the others?

Could it be that...

"Bont, Fred," Ianna paused, looking at Huus lying on the operating table, "And with Huus, they are the witchers who went through the Trial of the Mountains with you, right..."

"How did Mother Ianna know?" Ailin asked in surprise.

Huus, Bont, and Fred had never been to the Temple of Melitele.

"Vesemir told me."

Ianna pursed her lips and continued her work, stitching up a tear in Huus's arm.

No wonder... Ailin thought to himself, nodding, "Huus, Bont, Fred passed the Trial of the Mountains with me. Of our batch of witcher apprentices from the School of the Wolf, only the four of us survived..."

"Ah..." one of the young priests exclaimed in surprise.

The pitying and tender gazes cast upon Ailin made him frown slightly, then he felt a warmth on his right hand.

Lyra, who was hiding behind Vesemir, took his hand.

Before Erin could turn around, Ailin noticed that Ianna had suddenly stopped what she was doing.

"High Priest, you..." Nannick seemed to have guessed something and tried to stop him.

"A few more days of rest is nothing," Ianna waved her hand, interrupting Nannick, then turned to Ailin, "I have a way to wake him up briefly, but considering Huus ' injuries, it'll only take about a sentence. Think about what you want to ask him now..."

Without waiting for Ailin's reply, she turned her head and commanded:

"Lyra, go to the front hall and fetch a bowl of water that was placed in front of the statue of Meritellie..."

"Shila, pick three Snake Scale Flower and one Heart-Clutch Grass from the herb garden..."

"Take care of the deeper wounds first, those that are prone to compressing blood vessels and causing bleeding, Gisela..."

"Bree..."

Soon, the operating room was mostly empty.

Mother Ianna really does have a way... Ailin glanced at Vesemir.

A fleeting look of joy crossed the eyes of the two witchers.

About twenty minutes later.

After all the priests had brought over what Ianna had arranged, they stood close to the corner of the wall.

Ailin and Vesemir stood opposite Ianna.

Then.

Ianna placed the ceramic cup filled with water above Huus's head on the operating table.

Two snake-scale flowers, their withered yellow petals arranged in dense, Snake Scale Flower buds, were placed near Huus' ears, while one bud lay flat on his chest, facing upwards...

The Heart-Clutch Grass was placed flat against Huus's lips...

Is this... a ceremony?

Ailin looked at Ianna's arrangements and was somewhat surprised.

He had assumed it was some kind of Divine Art, or a potion made from Snake Scale Flower and Heart-Clutch Grass.

Because Snake Scale Flower has a strong fishy smell, it is a commonly used ingredient in emetic formulations.

The Heart-Clutch Grass can neutralize toxins and clear gangrene and infection from the blood.

But to his surprise, it turned out to be a ritual, one that Ianna had never taught him or mentioned before.

Remembering what Ianna had said when Nannick was interrupted, Ailin suddenly felt uneasy.

He looked at Nannick.

Nannick, on the other hand, watched Ianna make arrangements with a blank expression. After noticing Ailin's gaze, he nodded slightly to him.

This put Ailin at ease.

"I'm just worrying unnecessarily..." he thought, "The cost is too high, won't Nannick and the others stop it?"

certainly.

There was nothing he could do at that moment, and it was impossible for him to stop Ianna.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone.

After Ianna had arranged everything, she checked the few props twice more before letting out a sigh of relief. With Nannick's help, she removed the Meritellie amulet from her chest.

"Ready?" Ianna looked at Ailin.

Ailin nodded vigorously.

The sun had sunk below the horizon, but a sliver of light remained on the horizon before quickly disappearing.

Night falls.

The evening breeze slipped into the operating room through the cracks in the window, as if dispelling the heat of the entire day.

But the air in the operating room, filled with the smells of rotting flesh, rust, formaldehyde, ether, and alcohol, seemed to freeze the moment Ailin nodded.

He could hear his own heavy breathing and rapid heartbeat.

Ianna took the Meritellie amulet she had removed and tied it to Huus, who was completely pale. She then dipped her index finger in the water and drew three circles on Huus's forehead.

Then she crossed her arms, clenched her fists, and closed her eyes.

The candlesticks standing on the wall were dripping wax.

The flickering candlelight cast the shadows of everyone, which danced quietly on the dim yellow wall.

In the silent, solemn atmosphere, Ailin couldn't help but stare at the corpse-like Huus, lost in thought.

The day is almost over.

Bont, Fred, and Master Dante... really still alive?

"Buzz~"

Suddenly, the School Emblem on the chests of the two witchers began to hum.

Ailin and Vesemir instinctively leaned forward, exchanged a glance, and then their expressions turned serious as they stared wide-eyed at Huus.

Inside the ceramic basin, clear water steamed up, creating a misty vapor.

The Snake Scale Flower spontaneously combusted without fire, its eerie green flames scorching Huus's ears and chest, yet the flesh within remained unchanged, as if the eerie green flames were merely an illusion.

"..."

After reciting a mumbled but soaring incantation, Ianna suddenly opened her eyes and loudly praised:

"Homage to the Mother of All Things, Goddess of fertility, harvest, and childbirth, eternal maiden, mother, and guardian of the old..."

The priests and healers standing by the wall also joined in the chanting of praise.

Almost the instant the praise ended.

The Snake Scale Flower, shaped like scales and buds, suddenly withered amidst the eerie green flames burning on Huus's ears and chest, each emitting a wisp of brown smoke.

Then, the wisps of smoke rose spontaneously without wind, drifting and gathering at Huus's lips.

The bright Heart-Clutch Grass melted into a smear of blood, seeping into the corner of his lips and flowing into Hughes' mouth.

At that moment, Ianna shouted:

"Ailin!"

Immediately following.

Huus, who looked like a dead man, suddenly regained color in his face.

"Ah--"

A piercing scream.

Huus's eyes widened suddenly, his emerald green Cat Eyes contracting and dilating in pain...

"Bont! No! No!"

He shouted out of control, waving his arms as if trying to chop down the monster in his imagination, but was restrained by the priests who were prepared.

The wound, bandaged, was oozing bright red blood.

"Huus, where are they?" Ailin shouted, bracing himself against the operating table to drown out Huus' screams.

"A... Ailin? Master Vesemir?" Huus abruptly stopped screaming, his eyes blank.

"It's us, Huus!" Seeing Huus's panicked look, Ailin gritted his teeth and squeezed out the question, almost a roar, "Where are Bont, Fred, and Master Dante?"

"At...at the source of the Kemba River in Drakkenberg, Drakkenberg in Redania ..." Huus paused for a moment before answering instinctively, just as he had when he was still in the Ancient Sea Fortress, the Hundred Fruit Garden, and with Ban Ade, still following Ailin through trials and adventures.

Huus never hid anything from Ailin.

They are brothers who can entrust their lives to each other.

"Dragon City?" Vesemir exclaimed. "Why would Dante take you to Dragon City?"

Huus did not answer Vesemir's question. His pupils suddenly contracted, as if he had suddenly remembered something, and he struggled to shout:

"Don't go! Ailin! Don't go!"

"There... there..."

"There is a God!"