The Wolf School's Witcher Masters looked at one another in silence.
Who wouldn't want to wipe out all the culprits in one sweep? The problem, however, wasn't resolve—it was finding a solution that could satisfy all sides.
"Allen," Danthe said, thinking Allen intended to repeat the Drakenborg operation, and couldn't help but advise him, "the backgrounds of those clients are, in most cases, only stronger than Evenson's, not weaker. Their connections with other forces are even more tangled."
"And trying again to have High Priestess Ianna of the Temple of Melitele, Duke Mason, and Tissaia de Vries pass judgment would likely be very difficult—and even if they agreed, it still wouldn't be appropriate."
"The Wolf School cannot shift our own troubles and responsibilities onto our allies."
Although "the Bald One," Radovid IV, had come on fiercely and had all but openly declared revenge at the Sorcerers' Brotherhood assembly—
Allen's decision to bring Evenson back and have Ianna, Mason, and Tissaia de Vries judge him together had not been without effect.
On the contrary.
It was precisely because Ianna, Mason, and Tissaia—using their standing in the religious world, the noble circles, and the supernatural sphere—had borne witness and passed judgment, affirming Evenson's crimes, that Radovid IV had been forced to consider the reputation of the state and the royal house, and could only resort to covert schemes at the assembly.
Otherwise, the Wolf School still hoping to wait for the expedition to Dol Dhu Lokke?
Dream on.
Radovid IV was the ruler of the most prosperous and powerful kingdom on the entire Northern Continent. Militarily, he was on par with Temeria; economically, with nearly half his borders along the sea, he was even more prosperous than Temeria.
With even the slightest move from him, the entire continent would tremble.
The Wolf School—a mere mutant school of forty or fifty people—what did it count for, to dare carry out private executions on people belonging to the King of Redania?
The moment the news reached Radovid IV's ears, he would immediately order the arrest of all Witchers within his borders and directly declare war on the Wolf School, to intimidate those with ulterior motives both within and around the kingdom.
A force that was small, weak, yet famous—there was no better target for establishing authority than the Wolf School.
Redania might even feel grateful to that Evenson in its heart.
A century or more of the school's good reputation would only earn arrests, not immediate execution.
Escaping unscathed would be impossible—there would certainly be a heavy price to pay.
"And Temeria is also a traditional hunting ground of the Wolf School," Danthe glanced at White, and seeing him nod slightly, his heart sank further. "Temerian nobles are certainly involved as well. To put it bluntly, when judging Redanian nobles, Duke Mason could wield his sword for justice, and Temeria's King Goidemar standing by in silence might simply have been enjoying Redania's misfortune."
"But when judging nobles within his own country, could Duke Mason still be so righteous? Would Goidemar remain silent?"
"We can't keep provoking an enraged old tiger while simultaneously angering another lion that should have been on our side."
Danthe's questioning voice echoed through the council hall.
The Witcher Masters around the long table all looked grim, but none of them looked at Allen—they didn't want to put too much pressure on him.
Valerius's lips twitched slightly. In his heart, he complained that Chief Sol really had a knack for bringing up exactly the wrong topic, even dragging his own child into it. He was just about to casually change the subject—
"There's no need to trouble High Priestess Ianna, Duke Mason, or Lady Tissaia," Allen suddenly spoke up at that moment. "And there's no need to worry about offending Goidemar or enraging Radovid IV either—"
"We only need to do one thing. Or rather, we only need to do nothing."
"Do nothing?" Danthe repeated in confusion.
The other Wolf School Witcher Masters also turned to look at him curiously.
"That's right—do nothing," Allen nodded lightly and explained. "In fact, we all know who the real mastermind is: the Rogrides family. Perhaps there are other forces involved as well, but Rogrides certainly cannot escape the role of principal culprit."
"Those who actually carried out the framing were, in plain terms, just accomplices—mere tools, the murder weapons of the Rogrides family."
"But for us, the most troublesome part isn't the Rogrides family itself—it's precisely these nobles whose relationships are so deeply entangled."
"No matter how powerful Rogrides is, its strength is only secular. Even the most heavily guarded manor can't stop a Witcher's assassination, and a mortal's neck can't withstand even a single sword stroke."
"The strongest of the mages they keep are, at best, mid-tier sorcerers. Anyone present here could kill them with ease."
"In terms of supernatural power, the Rogrides family is not worth mentioning."
"And because of marriages, trade, and politics, it's true that Rogrides has wide connections across the Northern Continent—but their main network is certainly still in Kaedwen."
"And what's the situation in Kaedwen right now?"
Allen swept his gaze across the Witcher Masters at the table. "Because of long-standing blood feuds and territorial disputes, King Demavend of Aedirn showed no mercy to any noble on the battlefield, almost wiping out half of Kaedwen's greater and lesser nobility."
"Of those who survived, a considerable portion fled to Ban Ard because of the Sorcerer Kingdom's plans."
"And under—well, the ravaging of the Wild Hunt, Ban Ard has already suffered a massacre, and has now been transported to Kaedwen."
"They're just a group of landless, army-less nobles, left with nothing but connections."
"Can nobles with nothing but connections survive on the Northern Continent?"
Valerius, Gregor, and White all subconsciously shook their heads.
Nobles understood mutual assistance best—and were also the most adept at tearing each other apart.
For a group of Kaedweni nobles without land or armies, blood-related relatives were likely more terrifying than Aedirn's armies.
Otherwise, how could Ban Ard—a place claiming to build a nation of sorcerers—have gathered so many nobles?
Allen paused briefly, then continued without waiting for an answer. "So for the school, the Rogrides family's most troublesome assets—their vast armies and their ties to other nobles through their ducal title—have already been wiped out, since Rogrides's traditional lands in southern Kaedwen have been completely destroyed by war."
"Nobles from other countries might, for a time, be tempted or intimidated by Rogrides's former power, but very few nobles or supernatural forces would truly risk everything for Rogrides."
"Therefore—"
"The Rogrides family is, in reality, not worth much at all."
"What needs to be afraid right now isn't us—it's them."
"At the Sorcerers' Brotherhood assembly, the Crowned Silver Eagle's support was given out of consideration for a king's face, while Belendil Rogrides's sudden provocation was very likely born of fear."
Putting himself in their shoes, Allen found it hard not to be afraid.
Their family had just lost almost everything in war, didn't even have a liege capable of bearing responsibility anymore, and yet had just formed a blood feud with the most battle-hardened armed supernatural organization on the Northern Continent.
If they could still sleep soundly at night, that would already count as extraordinary nerve.
Allen didn't know why they had framed the Witchers in the first place—but he knew that right now, the Rogrides family must be desperate to wipe out the Wolf School as quickly as possible.
Otherwise, how could they dare offend the King of Redania, when Tissaia de Vries, who now effectively controlled the enormous Sorcerers' Brotherhood, was bound to rise—while the Rogrides family was clearly headed for decline?
On what grounds?
On those few mid-tier sorcerers they had? On that vast stretch of land already reduced to scorched earth?
"There's no need to show mercy to the Rogrides family," a cold light flashed in Allen's eyes. "During the expedition to Dol Dhu Lokke, I'll find an opportunity to openly declare war on them in front of the Sorcerers' Brotherhood and other supernatural organizations and secular powers."
"Once the Dol Dhu Lokke commission is concluded, we strike immediately—to deter other forces that are stirring."
"And what about the other nobles?" Danthe interjected. "Those tools and murder weapons of the Rogrides family you said are the real trouble? When you say 'do nothing,' you're referring to them, right?"
Allen nodded. "That's right. Dealing with nobles native to Redania, Temeria, and other countries is indeed very difficult. One misstep, and we could offend yet another 'bald one,' Radovid IV, bringing disaster upon the Wolf School."
"So we simply won't concern ourselves with those relationships."
"How?" Danthe and several other Witcher Masters didn't understand. "You're not saying we just let them go?"
"Of course not," Allen shook his head and stopped holding back. "We're Witchers of the Wolf School. It wouldn't be appropriate for us to slaughter indiscriminately on the grounds that incorrect commission information led to heavy Witcher casualties. Leaving aside whether other secular powers would believe it or resent it, our own moral code and pride wouldn't allow it."
"But we can choose not to accept commissions from forces with a record."
"We can inform Wolf School Witchers which regions are dangerous for us, have them avoid those areas proactively, and announce this decision to the kings of the relevant countries."
"How is that any different from letting them go?" Aristo asked in confusion. "And even if we don't say it, once Witchers hear the news, they'll avoid those places on their own anyway—"
"Or are you planning to—lure a group of monsters to attack those forces—"
Unlike Valerius, Gregor, Dylan, and White, Aristo knew that Allen possessed a method capable of influencing the Conjunction of the Spheres and teleporting in large numbers of monsters.
Of course, he didn't know that Allen wasn't merely influencing the Conjunction of the Spheres—but directly controlling and summoning it.
"Of course not!" Allen shook his head and cut him off. "We don't need to do those underhanded things."
It wasn't that he had never considered using the Conjunction of the Spheres for revenge, but it was far too troublesome. One would have to secretly choose the time and place, and repeatedly release it within an enemy's sphere of influence. It would be easy for others to discern a pattern—and once that happened, it would be exposed.
No—
Rather, the ability tied to the Conjunction of the Spheres was something Allen would inevitably expose sooner or later. He had never planned to hide it for a lifetime, nor was that possible.
But if that ability were exposed—and at the same time people connected it to the several Conjunctions that had occurred around Ban Ard—that might still be acceptable. After all, the sorcerers were the dominant side.
However, once people began to associate the use of such a calamity-like power within secular realms—
Allen would inevitably become the target of public condemnation. Even forces that had originally stood on his side might very well turn against him.
The Witcher Masters seated around the long table were a perfect example.
Danthe, Aristo, and Vesemir could turn a blind eye to Allen's actions partly because he belonged to the Wolf School—but more importantly, because he had never abused this power.
"And this is completely different from simply letting them go," Allen continued. "Perhaps in the past, whether Witchers accepted commissions or not made little difference to forces that dared move against the Wolf School. At most, they would just pay a higher price to hire sorcerers—or perhaps they already had sorcerer advisers to begin with."
"But that was the past—"
"Lady Tissaia de Vries told me that over the past few months, the drowners around Thanedd Island have been impossible to clear out completely."
"The tide of chaotic magic is steadily reviving. In the future, monsters on the Northern Continent will only grow more numerous."
Allen fixed his gaze on Aristo's solemn face. "We don't need to create fear. As long as we withdraw, fear will naturally emerge."
"And when we tell everyone that the source of that fear is those greedy, despicable nobles—and when the Wolf School's Witcher ban follows them—then they will become targets of universal condemnation. They will suffer heavy losses and be abandoned by all."
"This is a punishment far crueler than killing them outright."
More importantly, the Wolf School would not remain this weak forever—so insignificant that it could be manipulated at will, Allen thought.
When Allen finished speaking—
The long table fell silent for a moment, and then, rarely, the Witcher Masters began murmuring among themselves.
Valerius, Gregor, Dylan, and White—Witcher Masters who spent the entire year roaming the continent—had indeed sensed the increasing activity of magic and monsters. But this was the first time they had heard someone state it so conclusively—and with Tissaia de Vries as the source.
That chaotic magic would reverse its long decline and remain active, growing ever more so in the future—
This was no small matter.
"Are you certain Lady Tissaia said that?" Master White asked cautiously.
Allen shook his head. "The sudden surge in drowners was what Lady Tissaia de Vries told me."
White and the other Witcher Masters let out a sigh of relief.
Then Allen continued, "That the tide of chaotic magic is reviving, and that monsters on the Northern Continent will only increase—that was told to me by the goddess Melitele, a little over a month ago."
The long table instantly fell silent once more.
Valerius, Gregor, Dylan, White, and the other Witcher Masters: ?
"Melitele—the goddess?" Valerius wore an expression that plainly said are you joking right now.
Before Allen could speak, Vera suddenly cleared her throat twice and said proudly, "Allen is Melitele's Holy Son. The ritual will be held next spring."
Aristo, Valerius, Gregor, Dylan, White, and the other Witcher Masters: ?!!
Wasn't Allen your child?
When did he become the child of the goddess Melitele?!
...
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