Francesca! A Living Hero!

Ailin didn't think Philippa Ehrert was lying.

Spellcasting is a very delicate craft, and it usually involves considerable danger.

Magical imbalance, internal bleeding, and even the possibility of self-immolation...

After transformation, the body structure changes, so it's normal to be unable to cast spells.

However, he also didn't think that Philippa Ehrhardt was truly helpless in this matter and could only leave Ailin.

Does that mean that after each transformation, there's always someone like Ailin waiting to clean up her mess?

Or do you have to throw away a set of clothes every time you transform?

The current Philippa Ehrert is not yet the future, stable magical advisor who provides strategic advice in Redania.

Each of the Sorceress's outfits was expensive, and given that shapeshifting was a common occurrence for a warlock in the Brotherhood of Sorcerers, Ailin didn't believe she really had no way to recycle the clothes.

She was just teasing him.

Ailin tilted his head to look at the owl, who blinked and looked at him innocently.

The moment their eyes met, he knew that Philippa Ehrert was determined to play dumb to the very end.

Unfortunately, although he had a premonition that Philippa Ehrert was playing a trick on him, he was completely helpless because he didn't understand Transfiguration.

Besides, tidying up clothes is no big deal and not worth making a fuss about.

"Ailin?" Vesemir looked at Ailin inquiringly.

With a dark expression, Ailin could only pick up the various fabrics from the ground under everyone's watchful eyes.

He was wrong.

Having a good relationship with Philippa Ehrert isn't necessarily a good thing.

"Let's go..."

Vesemir and Dante exchanged a glance, pretending not to have seen anything, and urged the staring young witcher to continue on.

Ernie, Klar, and the others soon started bickering again.

However, as they drew closer to the Ancient Sea Fortress, the young Witcher seemed to sense something from the attitudes of Vesemir, Dante, and Ailin, and gradually quieted down.

Until they were discovered by the witchers guarding the city walls.

"The commander has returned with his men!"

"Vidal, quick... open the door!"

The jubilant cheers seemed to ignite the entire Kaer Morhen in an instant.

"Is it Andri?" Fred asked uncertainly.

"It's that kid!" Ernie nodded with a smile. "It just so happens to be their turn to guard the city gate."

Dante stared in surprise at the figures moving about on the city gate.

He had returned early before, but back then in Kaer Morhen, you might not see him until you reached the castle hall.

You need to be incredibly lucky to encounter a drunken witcher wandering the castle.

As for the vigilant guards...

Are those creatures that should appear in Kaer Morhen in the summer?

They were still hundreds of paces away from the city gate, which was more than the vigilance of Tretog, the capital of Redania.

What's happening in Kaer Morhen?

"They are all reserve apprentices of the Witcher Company."

Vesemir noticed Dante's surprise and patted him on the shoulder.

Dante frowned, uncertainly asking, "Is this the one Ailin mentioned at the meeting before we came down the mountain?"

"That's right!" Vesemir nodded. "The Witcher Company has taken on the defense of Kaer Morhen. How about that? Not bad, right?"

It's more than just good... Dante couldn't help but shake his head.

A level of vigilance even more acute than that of a royal capital, applied to Kaer Morhen?

This is even more outrageous than killing flies with a sword.

Could it be to prevent water ghosts in the moat from wandering into the empty castle?

The Ancient Sea Fortress in summer is even more deserted than the woodland when everything is hibernating.

However, when he thought of the Rissberg Civil Conglomerate and the male wizards of Ban Ade, Dante's heart sank slightly.

If those male witches were to suddenly attack, what good would such defenses do? Would they merely delay the destruction of the School of the Wolf by a few minutes?

He nodded. "It's really good, Ailin put his heart into it."

"It wasn't me, I was just a figurehead commander," Ailin shook his head. "The ones who truly put in the effort were Aristo and Mary; they are the biggest contributors..."

Vesemir did not refute, but simply shook his head noncommittally.

Commander... Witcher Company...

Philippa Ehrert, disguised as an owl, quietly perched on Ailin's shoulder, listening intently.

She was also very curious about the School of the Wolf's current strict security measures.

certainly.

No warlock could resist the allure of Kaer Morhen, the cradle of the School of the Wolf Witchers and a mysterious stronghold in the Northern Continent who truly upheld the code of chivalry.

But it was merely curiosity about places I'd never been before, no different from my curiosity about the Skellige Islands, separated from the Northern Continent by the Sedna Abyss.

But at this moment, Philippa Ehrert truly felt a deeper sense of novelty and excitement.

Before coming to Kaer Morhen, she had done a lot of research and was quite certain that the School of the Wolf had never had an organization called the Monster Hunting Legion.

so...

When did the Witcher Company and the School of the Wolf come to be?

And the military corps...

Aren't witchers usually a small population? How did they manage to build up their army?

Why is the leader Ailin? Wasn't he just a Witcher and Witcher Master this year?

More importantly...

What are the School of the Wolf in secretly establishing this organization that sounds violent and aggressive, without the knowledge of other forces on the Northern Continent?

Ailin had no idea what Philippa Ehrert was thinking at that moment, but even if she did, she wouldn't care.

Since they dared to bring her back to Kaer Morhen, they couldn't possibly hide the existence of the Monster Hunting Legion.

Ailin didn't intend to hide it.

At this time, the School of the Wolf and Aretuza had initially formed an alliance through the Rissberg Civil Conglomerate and the Rodriguez family.

In the current situation of war, rampant monsters, and attacks by the Wild Hunt, Tissaia de Veris, a Sorceress dedicated to maintaining order, would only rejoice at the growth of the forces of order upon learning of the existence of the Monster Hunting Legion.

Because of the extremely high mortality rate of the Witcher's past transformation methods, their ability to intervene in the politics of the Northern Continent is even worse than that of the Warlocks.

It can be said to be the safest cooperative force.

certainly.

The existence of the Drowner Heart Essence Fluid and the news that the death rate in the Trial of Grasses was zero cannot be revealed for the time being.

"Glah~ Glah~"

The sound of heavy hinges scraping together rang out.

The drawbridge was erected over the moat before Ailin and his party arrived.

A huge crowd surged out of the city—or more precisely, a large group of witcher apprentices clad in leather armor and carrying dual swords.

Compared to Ailin and Fred's group of witchers who passed the Trial of the Mountains, Ernie and Klar could still be considered teenagers, but this group of chattering, excited apprentices rushing over really looked like children.

Before long, the group was surrounded.

Vesemir and Dante were fine; no one dared to block their way.

Because of his status as the leader, no one stopped Ailin, even the ordinary witcher apprentices of the School of the Wolf. At most, they just kept staring at the owl that Philippa Ehrhardt had transformed into on his shoulder.

However, Ernie, Klar, and Kray were indeed surrounded by a large group of apprentices, each with at least three people asking them about their experiences after descending the mountain.

Spencer, being the youngest, was surrounded by four or five people.

"Spencer! Spencer! Did you guys go down the mountain to kill monsters this time?"

"Of course!" Spencer proudly raised his head.

One of the disgruntled apprentices said maliciously, "Could it be that they only killed water ghosts?"

"How could that be!" Spencer immediately denied, reciting his achievements since descending the mountain like a menu, "Water ghosts, Ghoul, Rotfiend, we even teamed up to kill a few Giant Ghoul..."

"Giant Ghoul!" A murmur rippled through the witcher apprentices, all turning to look at Spencer. "Isn't that a large monster among ghouls?!"

"Giant Ghoul are nothing," Spencer chuckled. "We also encountered Spiked Fiend whose thighs were taller than adult oak trees, and Leshen demons. Ever heard of Leshen? They're monsters known as demigods of the forest..."

"Leshen!!!" A tremendous roar erupted from the crowd.

Even as witchers, even those who were just apprentices who hadn't yet passed the Trial of the Mountains, they had all heard of the Leshen's name.

There's no need to search through heavy tomes on Monster Economics; the Northern Continent is full of legends about monsters with deer heads and human bodies.

Many apprentices were already familiar with the monster even before they were taken to Kaer Morhen.

That is the most powerful large monster in the Northern Continent, and it is even immortal in the forest's home territory.

Everyone immediately started asking for details.

Of course, some people questioned, "You really killed the Giant Ghoul? It wasn't the captain, Master Vesemir, or Master Dante who killed it, and you were just watching from the sidelines, right?"

"Of course we killed them!" Spencer, Ernie, and Klar immediately argued, their faces flushed. "If you don't believe me, you can ask the commander and Master Vesemir."

Ailin and Vesemir exchanged a glance and nodded politely. "Spencer and the others did indeed kill several Giant Ghoul together."

"What!!!"

The Witcher apprentices gasped in unison.

"Hehe~" Spencer crossed his arms and proudly raised his head. "What's Giant Ghoul?"

"It's just a small, weak creature that hides behind the soldiers. We can handle it ourselves. Why bother the captain and Master Vesemir?"

"The captain and Master Vesemir have their own rivals..."

Spencer paused for a moment, as if keeping someone in suspense.

"Speak! Speak! What kind of opponent?!"

The witcher apprentices around him, remembering his earlier words, felt as if a thousand monkeys were scratching at their hearts, and kept urging him on.

Spencer and Aias exchanged a glance, then Spencer raised an eyebrow and said, "That's right, the Spiked Fiend and the Leshen were killed by the Captain and Master Vesemir..."

The Witcher apprentice was about to cry out in alarm again upon hearing this.

Spencer suddenly stuck out his index finger and wagged it. "You think that's all?"

The Witcher apprentices were all dumbfounded.

You've only been down the mountain for two or three months, and that's not enough to kill the Giant Ghoul, Spiked Fiend, and Leshen.

Could it be that the captain and Master Vesemir hunted the legendary dragon?

"Evil God!" Spencer deliberately lowered his voice, "The captain and Master Vesemir banished the Evil God!"

The Witcher apprentice didn't gasp this time.

Perhaps because the news was so shocking, there was an eerie silence for several seconds in front of the gates of Kaer Morhen, where even the sound of breathing could be heard clearly.

"Really... really?" someone asked.

"You doubt me?" Spencer frowned, clearly displeased with the apprentices' reaction. "The legend of the captain exorcising the Evil God still circulates in Arland..."

"It's not that exaggerated!" Ailin had to correct him. "Without Vesemir, without the Sorceress of Aretuza, the priests of the Temple of Melitele, and the army of Duke Arland Duke Mason, the Evil God could not have been successfully expelled."

"How is that an exaggeration?" Spencer shook his head. "The cries for the Godslayer echo every day over the Mahakam Mountains. Before clinking glasses in the taverns, the patrons shout 'To the Godslayer's longsword!' And there are bards. I heard that a bard has already written a sequel to ' The Death Knight from the North,' just called... just called..."

"Klar, what's the name of that new poem?"

Spencer turned to look at Klar.

The young witcher, suddenly under everyone's gaze, paused for a moment, then instinctively said, "The Great Griffin Knight Who Slays Evil God."

"That's right, ' The Great Griffin Knight Who Slays Evil God '!" Spencer nodded.

Before the witcher apprentice could react, it was Vesemir who spoke first.

"Why are you asking about Klar?" Vesemir asked curiously. "I don't recall ever allowing you to come down the mountain on your own, let alone into the tavern. And where did Klar get that name from?"

Spencer chuckled again, and said meaningfully, "We've never been to a tavern, but people Klar knows can—"

"Spencer!" Klar interrupted angrily.

Fortunately, at this moment, the Witcher apprentices were not interested in the source of Klar's information.

They didn't even notice the Greater Griffin in the title of the bard's new poem, assuming it was the same Greater Griffin that had been killed before.

"So... the captain really banished the Evil God?!"

Countless excited and thrilled gazes instantly converged on Ailin's face, and the apprentices erupted with a sound wave even more astonishing than before, almost shattering the clouds.

Evil God!

That's Evil God!

Exorcising Evil God is a feat that only heroes in epic tales could accomplish!

And now...

The hero they had heard about since childhood actually appeared right in front of them.

Alive!

A living hero!

If these apprentices were all in the Monster Hunting Legion right now, their loyalty would probably skyrocket.

In fact, this is also why Ailin let Spencer tell the story.

The Monster Hunting Legion now has fifteen more slots, and the higher the loyalty of the recruits, the better.

And he's also looking forward to the reward after reaching the next maximum loyalty level...

Thinking this, Ailin was about to take advantage of the apprentices' excitement and block the road to open the Witcher's Handbook and see if there had been any change in Klar's loyalty.

"What's all this noise about?" Aristo's reprimand suddenly came from beside him.

at the same time.

The air was filled with the subtle fragrance of chamomile and cedar.

Um?

"This is... Francesca?!"

Ailin sniffed and suddenly looked up.