The Battlefield! He Should Know Everything!

"How did Ms. Tissaia de Veres arrange things for you, Ms... Ms. Philippa Ehrert?"

Philippa Ehrert looked at her junior, both in fact and in name, with amusement.

Her still-childish face was filled with the protest of someone whose beloved doll had been snatched away. The first half of her sentence was somewhat indignant, but once her gaze was drawn to it, her voice immediately became childish and pleading.

Hmm... very cute.

Philippa Ehrhardt felt a little regretful; if they had met at the academy or anywhere else, she would have definitely teased them a bit.

At the very least, it should make the female student's cheeks flush and her body feel hot.

But the Bloody Red Fox was right in front of him; she was a legendary Sorceress of the same generation as the Dean, her name etched in epic tales, so of course he couldn't be so presumptuous.

So she thought for a moment, glanced at Vesemir again, and said truthfully, "The Dean praised Ailin as the most promising Witcher she has ever seen, and the most important force in the future order system."

"So he took the lead in this operation, and I was responsible for timely relaying intelligence and information between the two sides, and then following his instructions."

Vesemir and Mary hadn't reacted yet, Ailin couldn't help but raise an eyebrow and look at Philippa Ehrert when he heard this.

It's also the most promising, part of the established order, and ultimately, it's based on my authority and follows my orders...

This wasn't what we were talking about before.

Mary was speechless for a moment upon hearing this, her face turning red and white in turns.

She was both delighted and honored that Ailin was praised by the world's most powerful Sorceress, yet she found it extremely difficult to accept the intimate relationship that the two would subsequently develop, which could be inferred from their words alone.

Who was the last person to have a close relationship with Ailin?

It's Lyra from the Temple of Melitele!

And just a few days ago she found out that while she was away, Ailin had actually hooked up with a female elf.

This... this... this...

"Alright," Vesemir said, coming to Mary and Ailin's rescue. "It's getting late. If we don't eat soon, the others will be here."

"Philippa, you should stay too and try Mary's cooking."

Mary's face almost instantly went from red to pale, then turned bright red. Judging from her tense, defensive posture, it certainly wasn't from happiness.

But since the suggestion came from Vesemir, she certainly wouldn't dare to say anything.

"No need, Lady Vesemir," Philippa Ehrert glanced at Mary, seemingly casually, and said generously, "I have a place to eat, and this meal is obviously prepared with care for Ailin, so I won't join in."

Then she walked up to Mary and said softly, "Don't worry, Miss Margarita, I've only known Ailin for a day or two, and we're just companions on a mission."

"No... I... I... I'm not..."

Mary's thoughts were exposed, and she reacted like a cat with its fur standing on end, waving her hands frantically and rambling incoherently.

Philippa Ehrert chuckled softly, glanced at Ailin, bowed respectfully to Vesemir in farewell, and walked toward the gates of the castle hall.

Once they reached a corner where none of them could see them...

"Buzz~"

The Wolf Emblem hummed.

A flash of purple magical light appeared briefly, then faded into the distance, followed by the sound of flapping wings.

Philippa Ehrert has left.

Vesemir glanced at Mary, who was still looking down, and Ailin, who was expressionless, and sighed softly.

"Let's eat first..."

Mary's cooking skills are excellent. I don't know where she learned her recipe from, but the flavors of spices such as pepper, cinnamon, and cloves are not prominent and overpowering, instead bringing out the deliciousness of the beef.

The beef was stewed until very tender and soft.

One bite of the bread releases a rich, baked aroma.

While not exactly amazing, and not as good as the dishes at Hundred Fruit Garden, the food was still quite delicious, thanks to the cooking skills that Vesemir's old friend at the inn learned from Viscount Hudson's cook.

It's clear that Mary put a lot of thought into this lunch.

Unfortunately, perhaps because of Philippa Ehrert's presence, although there was conversation at the dinner table, the atmosphere was always somewhat awkward.

Ailin offered a few words of praise, but Mary's emotions were not enthusiastic; instead, her smile seemed forced.

After a hasty lunch, Ailin's offer to help clean up the mess was rejected, so she could only make an excuse to leave in a hurry.

On the long oak table, only ruins remained, along with two Sorceress sitting quietly, seemingly lost in thought.

Much later.

Smack!

Vesemir snapped her fingers, breaking the silence.

Flames erupted from the plates and pots, as if they contained not broth but some kind of flammable substance.

Then, the breadcrumbs on the table, along with the plates and ash from the stew pot, were blown out the window by a sudden gust of wind.

"Thank you, mentor," Mary said politely in a low voice, covering her forehead with her hands so that her expression could not be seen in the shadows.

Vesemir sighed again upon seeing this, "Didn't Philippa say that?"

"They're just partners for the next commission; they have no connection whatsoever."

"Mentor," Mary without looking up, "It doesn't matter now, just because it doesn't matter later."

"Lyra from the Temple of Melitele, and Francesca Fantabe, who just arrived a couple of days ago... Ailin has only been down the mountain for half a year..."

Vesemir was somewhat surprised to hear this. "I know you've met Lyra, but you've been with me these past two days, how did you know about Francesca and Ailin?"

"Mentor, I just didn't care before, I didn't want to understand, I'm not stupid," Mary complained. "I also graduated from the Aretuza Academy, how could I not see why that elf came..."

Vesemir was momentarily speechless.

The more something is forbidden, the more people crave it.

Tissaia de Veres's strictness only made love and sex even more attractive to those young girls.

Aretuza is located on the Thanedd Island, and is actually only a bridge away from Gos Velen, the most prosperous port city in Temeria.

It's difficult to have a relationship and taste forbidden fruit without telling all your mentors, but it's very easy to keep it a secret from only Tissaia de Veres.

Yes.

Sorceress are always passionate, and the older mentors in Aretuza do not actually agree with Tissaia de Veris's theories.

Many Sorceress even went further, naturally turning a blind eye to their apprentices.

It is said that in recent years, some apprentices in Aretuza have even started to flaunt and share their "prey" and "playmates".

"Mary ..."

"Mentor, you don't need to comfort me," Mary looked up and gave her a slightly stiff, bright smile, then said softly with a hint of dejection, "I just hate myself, hate my own weakness."

"Actually, I just wanted to tell Ms. Philippa that I could go to Ban Ade to rescue Master Henry Gedimidis in place of her and Ailin, but I couldn't bring myself to say it."

"Because I know I can't replace her, I'll only hold her back."

"Her shapeshifting skills are so exquisite that I wouldn't have noticed them if you hadn't pointed them out, and I didn't even realize she had appeared..."

Silently, tears welled up in Mary's eyes, overflowed, and flowed.

"Pat-pat~"

Large drops fell onto the freshly cleaned oak table, seeping into the deep black wood grain.

"I was even very happy. I thought the owl was a gift from Ailin. I was even thinking about making a birdcage for it with the best pear wood. I had already thought of the patterns to carve on the birdcage."

"How can someone like me take her place and go on an adventure with Ailin..."

"Mary ..." Vesemir gently stroked Mary's hair with affection.

Mary trembled slightly, and was about to hug Vesemir and cry.

"Da da da~"

Suddenly, hurried footsteps and noise came from outside the window, growing louder as they approached.

The somber and sorrowful atmosphere was instantly shattered.

Mary was terrified and turned sharply to Vesemir, pleading in a low, urgent voice:

"Mentor! Mentor! Someone's coming... Quick! Quick! We need to teleport away!"

She heard the voices of Kray, Aias, and Ernie, especially Aias, that big mouth of his. If he found out she was crying here, it wouldn't be long before the whole of Kaer Morhen knew.

Ailin will find out, Francesca will find out, even Philippa Ehrhardt will find out!!!

That won't do!

Mary couldn't help but urge again, respectfully but urgently. "Mentor! Mentor!"

"Okay." Vesemir snapped her fingers helplessly and summoned a portal.

Mary had just stepped halfway into the portal when she saw Vesemir still standing there and quickly asked, "Mentor, aren't you leaving?"

"I need to check on Ada Emin's progress. There are still some things to do with Soyer. You can go ahead."

Mary nodded blankly, listening to the approaching footsteps, and was about to rush into the portal.

"Wait..." Vesemir's voice stopped Mary in her tracks.

"Don't worry too much! Your talent is greater than Philippa Ehrert's. She just got there first," Vesemir with a rare gentleness in her expression. Then she paused and said meaningfully, "What's meant to be yours will eventually be yours."

Go!

The noise from Aias and his group was so close it seemed to be right next to her ears. Mary didn't have time to understand the deeper meaning behind it and hurriedly walked into the portal in a fluster.

"Bang!"

After the portal disappeared, Vesemir naturally wouldn't wait for the Witcher to arrive. Clutching the tingling Vessel of Great Deeds in her hand, she rose gracefully and headed towards her destination.

"Clang~"

The castle gate was suddenly pushed open and slammed against the back wall.

"Alright, alright, Black Boar is an ingredient only available in winter, so honey-roasted meat is really not possible right now." The hooded witcher waved his hand helplessly.

Spencer, who had been talking about this all the way, quickly said, "Then we'll go catch it this afternoon. Rumon, you tell us where..."

"No!" Rumon, wearing a hood, refused decisively. "The Black Boar is dangerous. You are no match for it. If you keep bothering me like this, I will go find Vesemir and Aristo."

Another commotion erupted from the crowd.

Rumon Meng ignored all the boasts about "killing Giant Ghoul," "riding Greater Griffin," and "fighting against the source of magic."

Anyone can brag, right? He even claimed to have slain a dragon and eaten its flesh...

In Kaer Morhen, he controlled the food supply for all the people, and his status was almost as high as that of the chief. Would he care about the clamor of a group of apprentices?

After hurriedly entering the kitchen, Rumon immediately closed the door, shutting out the noise.

The witchers could only grumble as they sat down at the long table.

Then...

"Oh dear~"

Aias exclaimed in surprise, "Why is there so much water on the table?"

The Alchemy Room located on the second floor of the south tower.

"Bang!"

As soon as Mary stepped out of the portal, she went straight to her small room with a very clear purpose.

An ornately decorated book is laid out on a small wooden table.

This book has clearly been read many times, but it has been carefully preserved and has no unsightly creases.

The open areas of the book were carefully marked with charcoal pencils.

One of the dishes, called "The Delicious 'Potion' for Capturing a Tall, Handsome Warrior," was particularly highlighted.

But despite being called a magic potion, it's actually just a dish.

"Beef, pepper, cinnamon, cloves..."

The ingredients are clearly labeled with very precise dosages, so detailed it's almost like a magic potion recipe.

Mary stormed up to the wooden table and slammed the book shut with a loud "bang".

In the bright sunlight, the closed book revealed its golden title, outlined in the elegant script of the witch Aretuza— "How a Magical Lady Can Cleverly 'Attract' Handsome Men."

"It's completely useless!"

"What do you mean the way to a handsome man's heart is through his stomach?!"

"What good is winning over the stomach if someone else does it anyway? They'll still steal it away from you!"

Mary, in a fit of emotion, pounded the book several times with her chubby little fists.

The damage is obviously zero.

But then she summoned a birchwood staff wrapped in golden threads, chanted a few incantations, and prepared to burn this deceptive "secret manual" with the hottest flames.

But after the incantation was finished, the shimmering red light of destruction wrapped around the staff, illuminating Mary's fair face, which was smudged with tears.

Mary glared fiercely at the gorgeous cover, mentally condemning the book countless times, but ultimately failed to unleash the magic.

She put away her staff and stood in silent confrontation with the book, "How a Magical Lady Can Cleverly 'Attract' Handsome Men," for a long time.

She sighed softly, inserted the book into the shelf, and took out another large book etched with flame patterns.

The Secrets of Destruction in Flame.

The fiery red title overflows with restless emotions, as if it could spring up out of thin air at any moment.

"Little owl," she grumbled, like a kitten guarding its food, threateningly at the book in front of her, "If you dare to take Ailin from me, I'll use destructive fire magic to burn all your beautiful feathers off!"

On the other side.

Vesemir instructed Ida Emin to first uncover the "Toussaint Laboratory" from Thomas Morru's memory before leaving the dungeon and arriving at the beautiful cage where Soyer was imprisoned.

The wind was gentle, the clouds were light, and the air was filled with the fragrance of flowers. In the illusion, Toussaint was as beautiful and peaceful as ever, so much so that it shouldn't exist in this filthy and dangerous world.

Soyer's acute phase has ended.

This is to be expected, since Vesemir always arrives precisely on time.

Passing through a sea of flowers and grapevines, I entered the courtyard and pushed open the door...

A strong smell of blood hit me.

And this is the scent that "this little house" should have.

"Soyer, I've made up my mind."

Vesemir's exceptionally firm voice echoed in the cabin.

"He should know everything..."

"Everything!"