Vera Returns! An Unexpected Visitor!

"We still haven't seen the chief?" Ailin was taken aback by this question. "Didn't you arrive three days ago?"

His first thought was that the chief was deliberately avoiding the elves, but upon further reflection, something seemed amiss.

Although the elves faced a difficult situation on the Northern Continent, they had been subjected to considerable discrimination and oppression.

However, apart from Kedwen and Riedania, the other countries on the Northern Continent, including Temeria, the Henfors Alliance, Covir, and the great powers hidden by the Kingdom of Poviss, had long since passed the stage of large-scale extermination of elves.

After all, the Elven Royal Court had long been destroyed. Apart from Kedwen and Ard, there were no large groups of elves in other countries. They were mostly ordinary people who had integrated into the various countries.

Even because of their exceptional appearance and the extraordinary skills they have accumulated over a long period of time, these scattered elves are the most precious treasures of various kingdoms and cities.

therefore.

The only true enemies of the Elves in the Northern Continent are Kedwen and Ard, which border the Blue Mountains, and Riedania, with whom they have a long-standing feud.

Moreover, Ard and Riedania are not really hostile to each other anymore, because the size of the Elven race has become so small due to population and birth rate that it will naturally become extinct without any targeting.

Only Kedwen, because of the greed of "The Glutton" Haxor, has been targeting the elves in the Blue Mountains.

certainly.

Haxor's hostility and hostility extend far beyond the elves; he targets and antagonizes all neighboring nations, including Ard, Temeria, and Riedania, with the elves even ranking second in importance.

Otherwise, Demavend II of Ard would not have been so eager to send troops to avenge Haxor upon hearing of his death.

Ultimately, the only one truly fighting the elves was Kedwen, and Kedwen had almost destroyed his kingdom.

Befriending the Ian Siddi clan is beneficial to the current School of the Wolf in every respect.

He didn't believe the chief was unaware of this.

Moreover, he had already mentioned the matter of the elves coming to the rescue to the chief after the Apprentice Combat Tournament between the School of the Wolf and the School of the Cat. Chieftain Soyer to stay in Kaer Morhen and not accept any commissions was probably because he was waiting for the remaining elves of Blue Mountain.

Why would they deliberately avoid it?

Ailin didn't rush to agree, but glanced at Aristo discreetly.

Aristo looked rather grim, shook his head slightly, and remained silent.

What does this mean?

Ailin and Vesemir exchanged a glance, then Erin smiled apologetically under Francesca Fantaby's gaze, "Sorry, I'm not clear on the situation yet. I'll ask the Chief in a bit; he might have been held up by something."

"It's alright, it's alright," Francesca Fantaby waved her hands repeatedly. "Kaer Morhen is fine, it's just that Sadia and my father, Himles Fantaby, are still waiting for the settlement and the covenant..."

Himles Fantabe is Francesca Fantabe's father and the leader of the Free Elves.

Although Sadia spearheaded the secret alliance between the Free Elves and the School of the Wolf, he was inevitably involved.

However, judging from Francesca's tone, Himles Fantabe seemed to be acting not only out of necessity or gratitude for saving his "wife" and "children," but also out of a desire to unite the Free Elves and the School of the Wolf.

Ailin kept this in mind.

Like Ada Emin, Himles Fandabe is an elven sage who understands Ion Siddi.

Moreover, Himles Fantaby may be superior in terms of magic.

When Aelirenn Uprising, he "saw" the inevitable failure and did not send his people to the battlefield.

The Aelirenn Uprising did indeed fail, and it was a crushing defeat that dragged the Ariel-Sidi clan directly into the abyss.

Almost all the young elves went to war with Laurelin, only to be slaughtered by humans.

The old elves who did not participate in the war had long since lost their ability to reproduce.

In essence, the Ion Siddi family had one foot in the deadly wilderness after the Aelirenn Uprising.

in addition.

In the original universe, after the Aelirenn Uprising, Himles Fenderbe foresaw that war with humanity would inevitably lead to the destruction of Ion Siddi.

Therefore, to avoid the fate of extinction, Himles swallowed his arrogance and made peace with humanity.

Unfortunately, he was powerless to stop the impending destruction, for there were conspiracies against him both inside and outside the country, and the one who caused him the most harm was his own daughter.

The specifics of the harm are not detailed in the original work or the game, but it is nothing more than the old routine of rebellion, or even patricide and regicide.

But as it turns out, Himles Fantaby was right.

Although Francesca Fantaby hitched a ride on Nilfgaard's coattails to win over Dor Brettana and become Queen and Duchess of Dor Brettana.

But she lost Ian Siddi's only remaining and sole armed force, the Squirrels.

Most of the Squirrels are the last young elves preserved by Himles Fenderbe after the Aelirenn Uprising.

Therefore, it's hard to say whether Ian Siddi, having acquired a stable home, has won, or whether he has simply accelerated further down the road to extinction and death.

Ailin was curious whether Himles Fantaby had "seen" something...

"I'll get back to you about the Chief's matter as soon as possible." Reaching the castle hall, Ailin bid farewell to Francesca and Fantaby. "If you need anything in Kaer Morhen, feel free to contact me..."

He pointed to the south tower. "My room is on the third floor. If you can't find me, you can find me in the Alchemy Room on the second floor, or go directly to the entrance to find those young witcher apprentices."

"It's alright, it's alright, Master Aristo has arranged everything." Francesca Fantaby waved her hand and nodded to Aristo.

Aristo nodded in acknowledgment.

"However..." Francesca Fantaby's tone was somewhat hesitant.

"But what?"

Francesca Fantaby glanced at her two attendants, mustered her courage, and said, "In the afternoon or evening, when you're finished with your work, could you show me around this castle or the surrounding area?"

"I really like the scenery here."

Looking at the expectation overflowing in her bright eyes, Ailin paused for a moment, then nodded. "Of course."

He actually had a lot to ask Francesca Fantaby.

Ideally, it should be a private conversation between two people.

With those two servants, who were either Sadia's or Himles Fendabe's spies, around, there was simply no opportunity to ask questions like, "How did Sadia do after she went back?", "Did she reconcile with Himles Fendabe?", or "What is the current situation of the Free Elves?"

This isn't about gossiping about other people's parents' relationship.

After the breakdown of their relationship, both Sadia and Himles Fendaby could be considered separate political entities.

Their attitudes and relationships are important.

In addition, there are fragments of the Gate of Ade Gais, Guiding Stone, etc.

Ailin had been searching for six months, but even in the library of the Temple of Melitele, he had not found a single word.

To obtain the next fragment of the Ad Gais Gate or the Guiding Stone, one must either passively wait for "fate" to arrive, or be clever.

Since the Gate of Ade Gais was once the same as the Ain Wooddod of the Ain Siddi clan, Francesca Fantabe is the most likely person to actively obtain it.

"Then it's settled!" Francesca Fantabe smiled and left with two servants.

As he watched her retreating figure disappear into the distance, Ailin's expression immediately turned solemn.

However, he didn't rush to ask any questions. Instead, he dismissed Fred, Ernie, and Klar with a few words and then raised his hand to stop Aristo from speaking.

"Squeak~"

Ailin pushed open the door and entered the castle hall.

The castle hall was deserted and empty.

"Master Aristo, this is Ms. Philippa Ehrert, Sorceress who graduated from Aretuza, Ms. Tissaia de Veris's favorite student, and currently an inspector sorceress of the Brotherhood of Sorcerers ..."

Aristo was puzzled as to why Ailin had interrupted him, and then paused, stunned.

Sorceress?

He followed Ailin's gaze and looked at the gray owl on his shoulder.

Philippa Ehrhardt could no longer play dumb.

"Hello, Master Aristo." Her voice echoed in the minds of the four.

Telepathy.

"A remarkable transformation."

The well-informed Aristo readily accepted the owl's identity. The bearded, seemingly reckless man, with a sophisticated air, praised him, then gave Ailin and Vesemir a questioning look.

"Ms. Philippa Ehrhardt will be working with me on a project and will be staying in Kaer Morhen for the next few days..."

Ailin gave a brief introduction, then turned to look at the owl:

"Philippa, Master Aristo and I have some things to discuss. You should..."

"Phew~"

Before he could finish speaking, the owl wisely flew to the fireplace in the next room.

The three then walked to the other side of the fireplace in the hall.

Aristo seemed thoughtful. As he walked to a corner, he asked, "What kind of commission are you working on that you brought your employer all the way to Kaer Morhen?"

He didn't think that Ailin had broken the rules by bringing strangers up the mountain without permission.

The School of the Wolf was originally a loose organization. Apart from a few core principles, most of them were not actually followed and had long been forgotten.

Moreover, not only Ailin, but also Vesemir and Dante, two senior Witcher Master, knew about it, so it was most likely a commission they had no choice but to accept.

He sensed something ominous about it.

"The employer is not her, but Ms. Tissaia de Veris, and Philippa Ehrert is my partner."

"Partner?" Aristo frowned.

What kind of quests require Witcher Master and a seasoned Sorceress to work together?

More importantly, Ailin, Vesemir, and Dante actually accepted the challenge...

"It's a bit complicated, I'll explain later," Vesemir interrupted Aristo. "What's going on with the Chief? Why haven't we seen the elves?"

"Chief..." Aristo opened his mouth, about to say something.

"Bang!"

An orange-yellow portal suddenly appeared in the center of the reception hall.

When the portal appeared, there was only one strange sound, followed by complete silence.

This requires extremely high skill to achieve.

"Lady Vesemir is back?!" Ailin's eyes lit up with joy.

With Vesemir around, everything became much easier, from suppressing Philippa Ehrert to learning magic, brewing new potions, preparing to rescue Hen Gedimidis, and even traveling.

"Yes," Aristo nodded, looking at the portal. "Those long-eared... elves all came back with Lady Vesemir."

Yes.

Ailin had been wondering how Francesca others had made their way through the Killer's Trail to Kaer Morhen without any guidance.

Francesca, whether intentionally or unintentionally, has not mentioned it at all.

"But didn't Lady Vesemir go to Toussaint?" Ailin asked, puzzled.

Toussaint and the territory of the Free Elves deep in the Blue Mountains are not exactly opposite, but they are definitely not the same place.

"Da da da~"

Amidst the confusion, a figure emerged from the portal, but it was neither Vesemir nor Mary.

Hello, Ailin.

The newcomer had long, vermilion hair adorned with a coral headdress, pearl earrings swaying gently, and a silver-set amber pendant hanging from her neckline. Her azure dress seemed to carry a sea breeze from the ocean throughout the castle hall of Kaer Morhen.

Ailin was genuinely stunned.

The figure that had just come to mind along with Himles Fantaby was now standing right in front of him.

"Ada... Ms. Emin?"

Yes.

The red-haired female elf before him was one of the few elven sages Ailin knew of, the Enlightened One, Aida Emin Ap Sivini.

"It's me." The Red-haired Elf nodded with a smile and then stepped aside to make way for her.

Mary followed closely behind, and upon seeing Ailin, her large blue eyes brightened in the dimly lit reception hall.

After she waved to Ailin, Lady Vesemir, dressed in a simple gray dress, stepped out of the portal.

Smack!

With the familiar snap of fingers, the portal closed.

"Long time no see, Ailin." Vesemir's voice was as gentle and warm as ever.

"It's been a long time, Lady Vesemir, Ms. Ida Emin, and... Mary ..."

For some reason, seeing Mary's carefree yet slightly silly smile, like a Samoyed, brought back some images to Ailin's mind, and she felt inexplicably guilty.

Then...

Vesemir and Ida Emin paused simultaneously, their expressions a mixture of amusement and sarcasm.

Ailin shuddered at the sight of that gaze, and goosebumps rose all over his body.

Not good!

My mind has been read!

As Ailin quickly cleared his mind, he crossed his hands and used the Oterrohp Sign to create a divine barrier around his thoughts.

after.

He finally breathed a sigh of relief.

We were so careless!

At the Temple of Melitele, he would immediately replace the God Wall with an Oterrohp Sign whenever it disappeared.

Who would have thought that upon returning to Kaer Morhen, they would be caught off guard as soon as they arrived home?

Vesemir and Ida Emin both paused simultaneously, their expressions showing surprise.

But before they could react...

"Please let Lady Vesemir handle the matter concerning the Chief," Aristo sighed.

"She knows better than I do."