Fred Has a Problem! Those Who Give Are the Ones Who Care!

Dante was completely stunned.

During the day, because Fred had been captured by the powerful Leshen, his first search was for Huus and Bont.

As a result, Huus left bloodstains, and it was easy to discover that he had jumped into a river not far away.

Because Bont was positioned at the back when the attack occurred, the Leshen's attention was drawn to him, Huus, and Fred.

After Quen Shield shattered, he was unharmed and ran away in a panic, following the momentum.

Only a flock of crows flying in the air chased after him.

In addition, the Leshen's spells to manipulate plants, the wolf pack's tearing and running, and even the flames of the sign and the shockwaves of the telekinesis, all destroyed the soft ground nearby.

therefore...

It's not that it leaves no trace, but rather that it leaves no trace at all.

Even if Chieftain Soyer and Master White came, they would still have to observe carefully for a long time and might not be able to discern the direction.

And what makes Ailin, a witcher who has just passed the Trial of the Mountains, so special?

He's strong, fine, but can he do everything...?

Damn it!

He's really something!

Dante discovered that Ailin had indeed gone in the direction Bont had left, because the winding route the crows took as they pecked and fled was exactly as he remembered it.

"If I remember correctly, you taught Ailin how to Tracking..."

He approached Vesemir in astonishment.

"That's right," Vesemir said proudly, raising his head. "Back in Kaer Morhen, I did teach him the art of Tracking tracks."

But the techniques Ailin is using now are not necessarily ones I taught him... he thought to himself.

Dante, naturally oblivious to Vesemir's inner thoughts, was filled with awe.

Enjoying the rare, respectful gaze from Dante, Vesemir felt a surge of satisfaction and decided to find an opportunity to have Ailin keep it a secret for a while.

"Alright," Vesemir quickly changed the subject, noticing the strange looks from the young witchers around him. "Dante, you also need to be vigilant and not let your guard down. You don't know Ailin. If he said the Leshen wasn't dead, then it definitely isn't dead."

Dante raised an eyebrow. "Even if it's just a premonition?"

"Especially the premonition," Vesemir nodded seriously. "You forgot, it was Ailin who reminded the school of the plot by his Precognitive Dream that King Cordwin and the wizards of Kedwen Aard were plotting against Kaer Morhen."

"And as it turned out, his hunch was right."

Dante paused for a moment after hearing this, then nodded. "Um... I understand, I'll be careful."

"But speaking of wizards and kings," he frowned, "How did Hen Gedmiddisco handle the conflict between Ban Ad and the Kedwen royal family after the king's death? Did Rado ascend to the throne?"

"I remember that Rado is a mild-mannered crown prince, so he shouldn't hold a grudge against the school of thought, right?"

He glanced at Ernie and Klar, who were wary of each other around him. "You two should go back to the school. Any new information?"

Vesemir paused in his tracks.

Upon hearing Dante's question, a strong sense of disorientation washed over him, leaving him momentarily at a loss for words.

Henry Gedimidis has been usurped by Senne, his fate unknown, and is no longer the ancient, legendary wizard who represented Ban Ade, or even the warlocks...

The conflict between Ban Ade and the Kedwen royal family was no longer important in the face of war...

Rado has taken over, but his fate is now unknown, let alone any talk of taking his anger out on the school of thought...

Furthermore, the Kedwen royal family...

Whether the country of Kedwen will still exist in the Northern Continent in the future is still a question...

"Uh..." Vesemir paused, "Haven't you heard that Ard declared war on Kedwen?"

"Ard declared war on Kedwen?" Dante's brown Cat Eyes widened. "When did this happen? How dare Ard? Even if the Kedwen royal family and Ban Ade have the Rift, crushing Ard would still be more than enough, right?"

Vesemir couldn't help but ask, "How did you come to this conclusion?"

"Is there even a need to judge?" Dante glanced sideways at Vesemir. "Kedwen's territory is almost twice the size of Ard, how could they possibly lose?"

"For the past few decades, it has always been Kedwen who has been dominating Ard."

"Uh..." Vesemir's expression froze again. He thought to himself that it was fortunate that he had always stood on Ailin's side when they were still in Kaer Morhen. Otherwise, if they had relied on these brutes who only knew how to compete in political acumen and military skills, the School of the Wolf would have been finished.

"What's wrong?" Dante frowned.

Not only did Vesemir look strange, but the young witchers around them who had overheard their conversation also gave him odd looks, and even Ailin, who was leading the way, turned around and glanced at him.

"It's nothing..." Vesemir glared at the increasingly audacious young witchers, then carefully chose his words, "The specific situation is very complicated. It's difficult for me to explain it to you in a short time, but as far as I know, Ard has the upper hand in this battle..."

"How is that possible?" Dante exclaimed. "How could Kedwen be unable to defeat Ard?"

"Etc..."

"I've only been away from Kaer Morhen for three or four months. The war has lasted at most three months. You were all in Kedwen a few days ago, so the latest information you have is at most intelligence from one or two months ago..."

"In just over a month, Kedwen has already shown signs of defeat?"

"Is Kedwen's army really that vulnerable?"

"Could it be that the new King Rado, driven by revenge, has completely pushed Ban Ade towards Ard?"

"Henry Gedimidis made his move quietly?"

Dante's guesses were getting increasingly outlandish, prompting Vesemir to interrupt him, "Hen Gedimidis didn't make a move..."

Dante lowered his head in thought, ignoring Vesemir, still speculating to himself:

"Ard has the upper hand..."

"Since you know all this so clearly, could it be that Ard has already crossed the Pontar River and invaded Kedwen?"

He looked up at Vesemir.

Vesemir took a deep breath and nodded.

"My God!" Dante held his breath. "That's a disaster!"

In border conflicts, the two sides at most will find excuses to levy more taxes.

But once they invade a country's borders, they will stop at nothing, whether they are the one invading or the one being invaded.

"The number of cannibalistic creature requests from Kedwen is going to increase..."

Dante sighed softly, his mood clearly downcast.

Vesemir was silent for a few seconds, then sighed and said, "Dante, you haven't let me finish..."

Not over yet?

Dante was stunned.

Vesemir took a deep breath, organized his thoughts, and said, "Ard not only crossed the Pontar River and invaded the territory of Kedwen, but it is also said that he captured Ade Kalai."

"Ade Kale?" Dante didn't realize the seriousness of the problem at first. He lowered his head and pondered for a moment, only to find that the name sounded familiar.

A second later, he abruptly looked up at Vesemir: "Ad Kalai?"

"Ade Kalley".

"Ade Kalay, the capital of Kedwen?"

Vesemir nodded vigorously.

The back-and-forth between the two Witcher Master was rather amusing.

However, even young witchers who lack national consciousness could sense the solemn meaning behind it.

This is indeed no small matter.

Although people say they will adhere to neutrality, they are all emotional beings, so how can they truly achieve absolute neutrality?

Can Chieftain Soyer of the School of the Wolf, truly be considered neutral in protecting the orphaned widow and her Haxor the Glutton, when Harkor was still a child? Even if it was merely introducing them to trustworthy wizards, knights, and nobles...

Of course not.

The leader of an armed group with powerful military force and a large number of members who can influence the safety of the country's towns and villages.

Even if he didn't draw his sword, his attitude would inevitably affect the political situation in Kedwen at the time.

What kind of neutrality is this?

Of course, this is understandable, after all, witchers are also human, and everyone has compassion.

Therefore, if it weren't for the fact that the nobles and wizards of Kedwen had gone too far, it would have been a miracle.

Once the news spreads, there will surely be Witchers of the School of the Wolf who, like Coën of the School of the Griffin in later generations, will fight for the Northern Kingdoms in the war against Nilfgaard, and break away from the School of the Wolf to fight for the remnants of the Kedwen and the army of Ard.

Of course, that's probably not the case now.

It was also Kedwen's... Haxor's own doing.

"Are you sure the news is accurate?" Dante snapped out of his shock, his brows furrowed tightly. "This is no laughing matter. Do you know what the fall of Ad Kale means?"

"It means the destruction of Kedwen," Vesemir replied expressionlessly. "Of course I know that."

"And it can't be wrong."

"This message comes from Ban Ade and has been confirmed by the kings of various countries in the past few days."

Although Tissaia de Veres's spies have not yet returned with any reports.

However, the borders of Temeria and Redania have recently received some refugees, and if one is willing to spend money, one can always get a general idea from some seemingly unrelated information.

For example, the refugees in Ad Kalai certainly didn't run that fast.

However, the villages and towns that Ard captured during his march fled long ago.

Therefore, it is now basically confirmed that...

Ad Kalley has fallen.

Dante remained silent for a long while, processing this astonishing news.

The young witchers sensed the atmosphere and fell silent one after another.

The entire group fell silent and followed Ailin, quickly heading out of the oak grove.

"Don't overthink it," Vesemir patted his shoulder gently. "We've done enough for Kedwen. It's not that the School of the Wolf School of the Wolf owes them anything; it's that they've let us down..."

"I know, Vesemir," Dante pursed his lips and sighed, "But is it always the one who gives more who remembers more?"

"Don't worry," Dante managed a weak smile, "I just need some time to process this news."

Vesemir fell silent.

"By the way, does the Chief know about this news?" Dante asked.

"I sent him a message a few days ago."

"That's good...that's good..." Dante looked up at the sky. "Then the Chief must have had a tough time these past few days. He's done more for Kedwen than anyone else in the entire School of the Wolf ..."

Vesemir did not answer, his head bowed, lost in thought.

And so the whole team fell silent again, until—

"Be careful, we're just out of the oak forest," Ailin was walking at the front of the group, suddenly said. "Leshen, they'll most likely be around here."

The group immediately became more alert.

At first, Dante didn't take it seriously, but upon hearing this, he upgraded his Quen Shield.

Then.

With caution, the group safely crossed the boundary of the oak forest without incident.

"The Leshen really hasn't reappeared..." Ailin frowned, thinking to himself.

He didn't think the problem was with the Witcher's Handbook.

After all, even the @#￥%&'s Element Evil God can be stripped away in the Witcher's Handbook, so what is the Leshen that could cause problems for the Witcher's Handbook?

"It must have 'died' once, and the consumption was too great," he judged in his mind. "But that doesn't make sense. In the past, when hunting wild beasts like wolves and bears that didn't have magic power, there were still evaluations for the hunt. Even if the Leshen wasn't killed, there should still be a reward for hunting wolves and crows."

"This can only mean that either they haven't left the Leshen's territory and are still in danger, or they have left the Leshen's territory, but danger is still following them..."

Ailin looked at Dante: "Is the Leshen's territory not limited to this oak forest?"

Dante, having just left the oak forest, relaxed for a moment, then paused in sheathing his sword, frowning as he said, "It should be this oak forest. During the day, it's easy to be attacked while moving around in the oak forest, but it's much safer outside the forest..."

"We were attacked this morning after we entered the oak forest."

"I forgot to ask," Vesemir then spoke up, "Why did you bring Huus, Bont, and Fred to this godforsaken wasteland? This isn't like you at all... Ailin ... what are you doing?"

He saw that Ailin, who was leading the way, suddenly stopped, and the whole group stopped.

"Now that we're out of the Leshen's territory," Ailin murmured, turning back, "Someone must have brought with them something from the Leshen, something that poses a threat to us..."

"Ah!" Aias was startled and threw the moose skull mask in his hand to the ground.

Kray, Hugh, Spencer, and Xilo also threw down a smaller deer skull.

They didn't manage to snatch the one with the Leshen, but they picked up the one with the magic totem.

However, Ailin didn't look at the deer bones on the ground, but walked towards Aias. Aias's expression immediately changed, and he quickly put Fred down, waving his hand and saying, "Captain, I didn't take anything else, just this head... Eh?"

Aias saw Ailin walk past him and stand in front of the unconscious Fred.

"Yes..." Ailin thought to herself, "Aside from the magic totems, Fred should be the one who has the most contact with the Leshen ..."

"Moreover, there were no major injuries on the surface, yet he didn't wake up even after such a commotion."

In my haste to search for Bont's whereabouts, I didn't realize how many loopholes there were when I left the Leshen's territory. Now, upon reflection, I see that there are indeed loopholes everywhere.

in addition...

At this moment, Ailin vaguely remembered that in the game from his previous life, the Leshen's encyclopedia seemed to mention that the Leshen could cast some kind of curse on humans.

Although he couldn't remember the specifics, since the curse had nothing to do with Geralt, whom he controlled, when he opened the Monster Bestiary, he usually only looked at the monster's weaknesses and vulnerabilities.

But this content does exist.

"Get away from Fred, and be on your guard!"

Ailin gave a soft shout.