I Will Stop Him, I Promise!

"Yes. Ailin was a witcher, and he would always be a witcher..."

Vesemir's sigh drifted away on the howling sea wind.

Tissaia de Vries wanted to say something, to comfort her mentor's last disciple, the ally she had relied upon, the dear friend in her heart—or at least, the friend she had once believed her to be.

But after racking her brains, she found no words she could use.

Yes!

She had never been an eloquent speaker or politician. What had made her into the Tissaia de Vries of today, the highest-ranking Sorceress on the Northern Continent?

In the past, she had relied on their mentor's status within the Brotherhood of Sorcerers. Now, she relied on Aretuza's influence in the supernatural world.

It had always been others choosing their words carefully before her, currying favor with caution—not the other way around.

Eloquence and empathy were both skills. Like spells, skills needed practice to improve. She had never practiced them, so naturally, she was weak with words.

Fortunately, Vesemir did not need her comfort and simply continued speaking.

Tissaia de Vries felt that perhaps Vesemir had never expected it in the first place.

When she realized that, her heart inexplicably trembled a few times before she continued listening.

Vesemir said, "No one could casually use a few words to make a mother give up her child. Even Yuriy of Isser, Bishop of Cliff, the Great Prophet and seer, could not do that."

"Soyer hesitated too."

"He still retained the habits of his former life as a duke's legitimate son. Like every true noble on the Northern Continent, he revered Yuriy of Isser. But no matter what, Ailin was his child—the most precious treasure he should never have been able to possess."

"Besides, the School of the Wolf only took in twenty