Philippa Eilhart's Astonishment! The Pitiful Holy Son!

Tissaia de Veres did not arrive alone.

In the shadows behind her stood another brightly made-up girl, or at least someone who looked like a girl.

Unless the person herself says so, no one can guess the age of a Sorceress.

"It seems we all have new guests who need to be introduced," Tissaia de Veres said with a half-smile, her gaze sweeping across Ailin's face before landing on Dante and the dazed-looking Evans. "Of course, they might not be guests at all."

"But let's start with mine first..."

Tissaia de Veres cut off Vesemir and Dante's half-open mouths, and pulled the girl beside her, who was holding her head high and whose eyes could not hide her arrogance, to her front.

By the light of the fire, Ailin saw the girl's face clearly for the first time; to be precise, it should be said that she was Sorceress.

She wore a men's short jacket, leggings, and high boots. Black agate jewelry adorned her chest, which dangled between her deep cleavage. Her smooth, glossy black hair was neatly combed and tied back around her neck.

What's most memorable is that face.

It wasn't because of her beautiful appearance—no Sorceress is unattractive—but because of her thick, straight eyebrows and upturned eyes, which were unlike those of ordinary women.

When it looks at you with its large, yellowish-brown eyes, it exudes a strong sense of aggression, as if a mother wolf is trying to seize a new territory.

This made her appear more haughty than the women of high nobility, and the difference was very obvious; it was due to her confidence rather than the arrogance of her privileged background.

Ailin was quite certain he hadn't seen her during the campaign against the Evil God, otherwise he would never have forgotten that distinctive face.

"Philippa Ehrert".

The young girl spoke her name before Tissaia de Veris could, then looked up and glanced at everyone in the drawing room. "I come on behalf of the Conclave of Sorcerers."

That's all.

After the girl finished speaking, she looked away.

She crossed her arms over her chest, and after the black agate pendant was squeezed out, she raised her head as if admiring the century-old frescoes in the reception room of the Temple of Melitele above her.

Representing the Conclave of Sorcerers, they certainly have reason to be proud, and their purpose is certainly intriguing.

However, what really caught Ailin's attention was her name— Philippa Ahart.

Yes.

Ailin knew the name, Philippa Sorceress Philippa Ehrert, whose character arc began in the original story and can be said to run through the entire Witcher series and its derivative games and other works.

Before the First Northern War, she was a royal advisor to King Vizmir II of Riedania.

During the war, she was one of the twenty-two sorcerers who joined forces with the Northern Kingdoms to fight against the Nilfgaard army in the Battle of Sodden Hill.

She, along with Sigismund Dijkstra, the head of Riedania's intelligence organization, orchestrated the Thanedd Coup. Their aim was to eliminate traitors in the Sorcerer's Council, including Vilgefortz, who had sided with Nilfgaard. This coup became the catalyst for the Second Nilfgaard War.

After the assassination of Vizmir II, Riedania was ruled by her and Sigismund Dijkstra, the head of the country's intelligence agency, as co-regents.

Radovid V, the "Stoneheart" king of Riedania who stirred up trouble in the third generation of games and shared power with Nilfgaard, grew up under her tutelage and then stood on the opposite side of his foster mother.

Conclave of Sorceresses at one of her residences, Monta Carvo Castle, where she served as its leader.

During the Second Northern War, she used her dual influence within the Riedania court and the Conclave of Sorceresses to manipulate events from behind the scenes and dictate the course of the postwar peace talks.

It is said that in order to control the political situation in the north, she was also involved in the deaths of two kings, Demavi of Ard and Foltest of Temeria, and even the assassination of her own king, Vizmir II.

Ambition and intrigue are the underlying themes of Philippa Ehrert.

"I never imagined that young Philippa Ehrert was such an arrogant Sorceress," Ailin thought to himself.

Having seen so many important characters from the original work and games, Ailin is no longer too surprised, if not completely used to it.

Even when Yennefer appeared before him, he knew that if he lived long enough, all the important NPCs in the story would appear before him one by one, and he would have connections, entanglements and struggles with them.

Vesemir and Dante weren't too surprised. They didn't know about Philippa Ehrert's future; they had just seen too many warlocks who were arrogant in front of ordinary people and witchers.

Besides, even Sorceress have a hard time guessing her age, and they know that Philippa Ehrhardt is most likely a young girl who hasn't been out of school for long.

Because seasoned Sorceress tend to conceal their true nature, even if they despise someone they're talking to, it's like...

"I'm sorry." Tissaia de Veres sighed and looked apologetically at Ailin and the others. "Philippa didn't mean it."

After offering a brief explanation, she introduced the product with eyes full of affection and pride:

"Philippa's skill in transfiguration is among the best in the entire Conclave of Sorcerers. Her illusion magic is also superb; if I remember correctly, she can already create illusions with a sense of smell..."

"It can already conjure up the sense of touch, and we're working on building a model for the sense of taste..." Philippa Ehrert added, raising her young face.

"That's really great, Philippa!"

Tissaia de Veres' eyes narrowed with satisfaction as she showered her with praise, her tone somewhat like a grandmother coaxing her granddaughter.

Philippa Ehrert didn't say anything, but her eyes clearly showed barely suppressed smugness.

This made Ailin, who was watching from the sidelines, feel an indescribable strangeness when she thought of the queen-like image in her mind.

Tissaia de Veris continued, "Philippa is now a member of the Intermediate Council of the Conclave of Sorcerers and is currently traveling around the world to monitor the misconduct of sorcerers within the Conclave of Sorcerers."

Surveillance Warlock...

This is indeed a promising job, and it is usually only given to young and capable warlocks.

After all, these seasoned veterans have too many vested interests, so while they may not be completely useless in terms of oversight, they are not very effective.

Newly graduated young sorcerers often Conclave of Sorcerers and are unafraid of authority.

Of course, the Conclave of Sorcerers usually doesn't actually send them to inspect large organizations like Ban Ad, Aretuza, or the Rissberg Civil Conglomerate. Instead, they go to inspect smaller, mixed-up organizations in smaller countries.

Even so, friction is unavoidable.

Being assigned to this position demonstrates Philippa Ehrert's formidable abilities; she is at least a practical fighter.

However, the other witchers were not astonished by Philippa Ehrert's strength, but by this responsibility.

The three witchers looked at each other, wondering what a coincidence this was.

What they encountered last night were just unruly sorcerers, except one was from the Rissberg Civil Conglomerate and the other might be Ban Ad.

After introducing her proud student, Tissaia de Veres skipped over Vesemir with a simple "Master Vesemir of the School of the Wolf," and, with a friendly smile, pointed to Ailin, saying:

"Philippa, this is the Ailin I told you about."

"The Great Griffin Knight, the Godslayer Ailin?" Philippa Ehrert's gaze fell on Ailin, and she looked him up and down suspiciously.

An aggressive gaze is very uncomfortable.

Ailin frowned and said, "I am the master of the Greater Griffin, but I can't be called Godslayer. I am just..."

"No, you are!" High Priest Ianna, who had been sitting quietly in her high-backed chair without uttering a sound, spoke up at this moment, "You are the Godslayer!"

"Can..."

Ianna waved her hand, interrupting, "Gods, whether Evil God or good, are inherently immortal."

"To banish someone from this world is to kill a god; otherwise, where did those Godslayer of the past come from?"

Ailin stopped arguing.

Philippa Ehrert, however, lowered her arms from her chest because of Ianna's protection, her eyes shining.

"And you even said you're missing a few," Ianna said, looking at Philippa Ehrert. "Ailin has more than just those two nicknames. Besides the Great Griffin Knight, the Godslayer, and the Witcher Master, he's also a Knight of Arland, and the Holy Son of Meritellie ..."

"What?! The Holy Son! A Witcher?" Philippa Ehrert exclaimed in astonishment.

No one understood the influence of the Meritellie Cult on the Northern Continent better than the Sorceress; even their Aretuza Academy was within its sphere of influence.

Philippa Ehrhardt's lapse in behavior went unreprimanded.

When they heard the first few titles, everyone except Dante and Philippa Ehrert remained calm.

But when the words "the Holy Son of Meritellie" were casually uttered by Ianna, everyone in the Temple of Melitele's reception hall, including the three witchers— Tissaia de Veris and Philippa Ehrert—changed their expressions drastically.

Only Nannick, who was serving Ianna, and the dazed Evans remained calm.

"The Holy Son?! Mother Ianna, this... when did this happen?" Ailin exclaimed in surprise.

He wasn't unfamiliar with the term; in fact, people had been calling him that ever since the last May Festival.

But the effect of words spoken by different people is completely different.

As the High Priest of the Temple of Melitele, Ianna's statement, made by Tissaia de Veris, the Dean of the Aretuza Academy, another powerful force in the Northern Continent, was tantamount to announcing Ailin's status as the Holy Son to the entire Northern Continent.

If future generations were to record this moment, Philippa Ehrhardt, as a patrolling sorcerer of the Conclave of Sorcerers, could even be considered to Conclave of Sorcerers.

"What? You're still not willing?" Ianna glared at her.

"No... of course it's not that I'm unwilling, it's just..." The news was so shocking that Ailin didn't know what to say for a moment.

He looked at Nannick next to Ianna.

Nannick nodded. "That's true. The temple discussed and approved it a few days ago, and will send letters to the countries of the Northern Continent and many churches in a few days."

"Of course," Nannick winked at Ailin, "Provided you're willing..."

"Whether he likes it or not," Ianna interrupted, giving Ailin a harmless glare. "A person who can repeatedly receive divine pronouncements from the Lady and even pray to her for Divine Power assistance, what else could he be but the Holy Son?"

Philippa Ehrhardt was stunned for a moment.

As a religious sect, the Holy Son holds a position and status that is second only to... no... in some ways even equal to, or even higher than, the Pope. In terms of the status of the Temple of Melitele throughout the entire Northern Continent, the Holy Son of Meritellie is not even lower in status than the kings of great powers such as Temeria, Redania, and Kedwen.

Now it seems like the High Priest is trying to force his way on that witcher named Ailin.

etc...

And what about the oracle? Did Ailin really receive an oracle from the goddess?

Philippa Ehrert looked blankly at Tissaia de Veres.

Tissaia de Veres nodded slightly, speaking telepathically in her mind, "The first time I only heard about it, but the second time I saw it with my own eyes..."

"The goddess's Divine Power is approachable, kind, yet stern..."

"Once you've experienced it once, you'll be certain that it is absolutely the Mother of All Things, the goddess of fertility, harvest, and childbirth..."

Tissaia de Veres gazed intently at the three saints carved on the wall—a young girl, a pregnant woman, and an old woman—as if recalling the scene from that time.

"So..." Philippa Ehrert turned around thoughtfully.

The filthy, blood-soaked witcher seemed to have taken on a different air about him at that moment.

"But I... but I'm a Witcher..." Ailin was completely stunned.

"So what if he's a witcher?" Ianna rolled her eyes. "The doctrines of Meritellie have never said that a witcher can't be a Holy Son..."

Ailin paused for a moment.

Mother Ianna was being somewhat unreasonable.

When the Meritellie Doctrine was completed, there were no Witchers in this world yet.

How can something that doesn't exist be included in the doctrine?

Ailin said somewhat helplessly, "But the Holy Son needs to stay in the temple, while the Witcher has to travel around and deal with monsters."

"The Holy Son of Meritellie does not need to stay in Arland; he can travel the world."

"Wandering the world... aren't you worried that I'll tarnish Meritellie's holy name?"

"So, will you, Ailin?" Ianna blinked, her eyes filled with a proud and benevolent smile. "Will you bring shame upon the holy name of Meritellie?"

Ailin paused for a few seconds, then sighed, "Of course not, Mother Ianna. But sometimes, people are not in control of their own lives."

"Then you're definitely not in the wrong!" Ianna replied firmly.

With Nannick's help, she rose from the high-backed chair and walked to Ailin.

The withered hand gently wiped away the hidden bloodstains under Ailin's temples, then moved it gently upwards, letting the warm air seep into her scalp from her hair, washing away the fatigue of the night.

"Then it's definitely not your fault, poor child!" Ianna looked at Ailin with pity.

For the first time since arriving in this world, Ailin felt bewildered and somewhat flustered.

He had never encountered this situation before.

Ianna's gaze seemed to pierce through him, tearing through his skin and dispelling the elemental favor that was enough to withstand blades and spears...

He was made completely naked...

This caught him completely off guard.