On the western side of the expedition outpost, the air was thick with the pungent stench of gunpowder.
A large group of knights—wearing iron helmets, bulky padded armor, steel pauldrons, iron gauntlets, and steel boots, nearly a full suit of armor—had surrounded the western gate of the expedition outpost's camp.
Allen narrowed his eyes to observe them closely. On the front of their padded armor was a coat of arms divided into five sections. At the very center was a Crowned Silver Eagle clutching a golden evil spirit on a red shield, with a small black shield bearing a golden cross painted on its chest.
The two diagonal sections bore identical motifs: one showed a longsword entwined with irises, the other a golden crown.
Even though Allen knew nothing about noble heraldry, he could immediately recognize them as knights of Redania.
"The Knights of the Kingdom's Sword of Redania—the most famous knightly order on the Northern Continent," Valerius's low whisper reached Allen's ear. "They answer only to 'the Bald One,' Radovid IV."
"Be careful, Allen. They've all taken special potions, and their armor is enchanted magical equipment, not ordinary metal. Don't let your guard down."
Allen tilted his head.
Valerius stood slightly sideways, his right hand resting at his side, fingers loosely spread, while the index finger and thumb of his left hand were subtly bent.
This was the standard alert stance of a Wolf School witcher.
Though it looked relaxed, it allowed him, should anything happen, to draw his sword at the fastest possible speed while simultaneously protecting himself with a Quen shield.
It was the most vigilant state a witcher master could maintain under normal circumstances—enough to show just how wary Valerius was of this knightly order.
Of course, Allen had never intended to be careless either.
This wasn't the first time he had seen an army of ordinary humans turned "half-extraordinary."
Back when the Mountain Trial had ended and before he went to Benavent's portal to participate in the Wolf School–Cat School combat tournament, he had already seen a Kaedwen army at Viscount Hudson's abandoned mine, holding magical devices called the "Unbreakable Shield" as they fought against a group of rock trolls from the Mountain Stone clan.
[Name: Unbreakable Shield]
[Type: Magical Item]
[Functions:
1. Shield Wall: Consumes magic gems to create a mana shield wall capable of absorbing physical damage.
2.Unbreakable: When identical items are adjacent, they trigger Resonance, multiplying the amount of damage that can be withstood!
[Note: Three tower shields together are basically a thick city wall!]
After asking Vera Triennes (Crimson Fox) to help the Mountain Stone clan leave the cave, he had also collected all the Unbreakable Shields left behind on the battlefield as loot.
After that, he had made a point of learning more about such forces.
In general, when secular human armies fought against extraordinary beings, they relied on some kind of extraordinary artifact, consuming magic gems to gain power beyond the mortal world.
This was the most common approach.
Most magical items were defensive in nature. Their tactical inclination was to block powerful spell attacks first, then close in and kill at close range.
The advantage of such extraordinary armies was that magical items were usually durable, soldiers could form a certain level of combat effectiveness with minimal training, and the cost was relatively low for decent results. The disadvantage was their inability to respond to rapidly changing situations; they were generally only suitable for frontal battlefields and even had certain terrain requirements.
But the Kingdom's Sword Valerius spoke of—"raised on special potions, with armor that is itself enchanted magical equipment"—could not possibly be cheap. Each individual was practically built from piles of gold.
On the entire Northern Continent, perhaps only Redania and Temeria, these two great powers, had the strength to establish such half-extraordinary armed forces.
Of course, in the past, when the secular and the extraordinary were separated by the Novigradian Union, kings had no need to be overly wary of extraordinary forces. Half-extraordinary units like those equipped with Unbreakable Shields were already sufficient on the battlefield.
But in the future… things might be different—
"What does this mean?"
Sol patted the trembling guard whose legs were shaking uncontrollably, motioning for him to retreat to the back. Then, expressionless, he pointed with his eyes at the Kingdom's Sword knights who had already placed their hands on the obsidian pommels of their swords, before finally letting his gaze fall on Belendil Rogrides and the goat-bearded, middle-aged man in a black mage's robe standing beside him.
"If I remember correctly, we came to take part in the Sorcerers' Brotherhood's expedition, not Radovid IV's festival masquerade—"
"You freaks dare call us clowns?!!"
Before Belendil Rogrides could speak, several knights exploded in anger. Amid the clack-clack of metal colliding, they tightened their grips on their sword hilts and advanced with naked hostility.
Vesemir, Valerius, Gregor, and Letho stepped forward almost simultaneously, hands on their steel swords, coldly staring down the knights.
Only now did Allen fully grasp the Wolf School grandmaster's biting sarcasm. It wasn't that he hadn't understood it earlier—it was simply the first time he had ever seen Sol refuse to give an inch like this.
In his mind, the Wolf School grandmaster had always been the long-suffering, honest type.
Even after being bullied so badly by Kaedwen, he had still been meek, wanting to forgive them one more time.
Who would have thought that today he'd suddenly be this hard-line?
After a brief moment of stunned hesitation, the other young witchers followed suit, imitating the Wolf School masters and placing their hands on their sword hilts.
In an instant, the narrow western passage of the outpost was bristling with tension.
Besides the Redanians and the Wolf School witchers, there were actually quite a few sorcerers standing a bit farther away around the passage. However, aside from one newly arrived sorceress who sensed trouble and hurried back toward the castle deeper in the camp, all the others watched with keen interest. Not a single one had any intention of stepping forward to mediate.
"Hehehe~"
Belendil Rogrides stepped into the middle with a roguish grin. "No need to be so hot-headed. We've admired the Wolf School for a long time—we just came to make your acquaintance, y—"
Suddenly, his eyes rolled, and his gaze landed on Allen. He broke into an exaggerated, astonished smile.
"Azure eyes, jet-black hair… ah, you must be the Death Knight of the ballads, the youngest witcher grandmaster of the Wolf School, the tamer of the great griffin, the god-slayer—Allen, right?"
"I've heard your legends countless times over the past few months. Of course, the one that left the deepest impression on me—"
He glanced at Agostino Austin beside him and the leading knight, paused, then curled his lips.
"The most unforgettable part was you leading the Wolf School witchers to forcibly break into Redanian territory at Drakenborg, killing the innocent Patrick Vasquez and Lord Ronnie Dickinson of the Rissberg Group's Civil Cooperative Organization, and even abducting Evenson, subjecting a Redanian noble to private punishment—"
Crude provocation. Belendil Rogrides squeezed his brows and eyes like a circus clown.
But it had to be said—the effect was excellent. The Redanian knights tightened their grips on their swords even more, murderous intent blazing from within their helmets. All that was missing was an order from their leader for them to draw and strike.
Yet the most intense reaction didn't come from the Redanian knights.
"That's bullshit!" Bond snapped, drawing his sword outright. He was the one who had been imprisoned in Drakenborg and nearly turned into experimental material by Ronnie Dickinson back then. "That was because Patrick Vasquez, Ronnie Dickinson, and Evenson were setting traps for our Wolf School witchers!"
"And the judgment was carried out with Ti—"
"That's enough, Bond. Shut up!" Vesemir snapped, turning his head.
"But he's—"
"Allen, control your people," Sol said, not turning back.
Bond's face flushed red with frustration, but the Wolf School grandmaster still carried weight in the hearts of the younger witchers.
Bond looked toward Allen, clearly hoping he would help explain.
Seeing the grievance written all over the young witcher's face, Allen shook his head.
"Bond, don't say any more. No one here cares about the truth. Not a single one."
Then, regardless of Bond's reaction, Allen coldly met Belendil Rogrides's eyes.
"As for Drakenborg—right and wrong have already been judged. Of course, that matter is far from over. Far from it."
Belendil Rogrides's eyes flickered with surprise when he saw that Allen hadn't been provoked. At the same time, a deep wariness rose in his heart.
Unlike most of the Rogrides family or the Sorcerers' Brotherhood, he had never believed that Allen's widely circulated legends were merely distorted rumors among the ignorant masses.
But he also didn't place too much weight on this outrageously young witcher standing before him.
After all, no matter how strong someone was, so what? Belendil Rogrides himself was only a mid-tier sorcerer. A witcher grandmaster like Sol could kill him with a single sword strike—yet right now, all he could do was grit his teeth and glare, unable to do anything.
And who could say that, besides this personal magical power, Redania and the Crowned Silver Eagle were not also his strength?
To a sorcerer, wisdom outweighed everything.
So he wasn't afraid of how powerful Allen might be. But the calm in the eyes of this mere fourteen-year-old boy genuinely unsettled him.
His plan thwarted, Belendil Rogrides rolled his eyes again, about to say something more.
Allen glanced at Agostino Austin beside him and at the Redanian Kingdom's Sword knights around them, raised an eyebrow, and said: "If I didn't recognize the Redanian royal coat of arms, I'd think the ones truly in charge here were the Rogrides family of the fallen kingdom of Kaedwen."
"Putting aside the misunderstandings between Redania and me—are the leaders of the Crowned Silver Eagle and the Kingdom's Sword on this expedition really just a mid-tier male mage from Kaedwen?"
"You—?!!"
Belendil Rogrides's face flushed crimson. Enraged, he stepped forward and pointed a finger at Allen.
Clang!
Amid the ring of steel, everyone saw only a flash of cold light. The Wolf School grandmaster Sol had already stepped sideways, placing himself in front of Allen.
His drawn steel sword's tip was almost touching the finger Belendil Rogrides had extended.
If Belendil Rogrides's body so much as trembled, his finger would have been sliced open by the razor-sharp point.
"Step back, sorcerer!"
"Do not point your hand at a Wolf School witcher," Sol said coldly.
Belendil Rogrides recoiled as if shocked by electricity, hastily withdrawing his hand. Terror filled his trembling pupils.
At the moment Sol swung his sword, he had felt as though Death's scythe had already hooked around his neck.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Only then did a series of sword-drawing sounds ring out.
The Redanian Kingdom's Sword knights all drew their longswords. The arrogance and wild bravado from earlier were gone, replaced entirely by caution.
They hadn't seen Sol's movement at all—not even a little.
That meant that if Sol's target just now hadn't been Belendil Rogrides, any one of them would have died—easily.
No.
Perhaps not just one.
No—definitely not just one.
Agostino Austin beside Belendil Rogrides's pupils suddenly contracted. Without drawing attention to himself, he quietly took two steps back, retreating behind the Kingdom's Sword knights.
"Ahem, ahem~"
He cleared his throat lightly. Only now—after quite some time—did he introduce himself for the first time.
"I am Agostino Austin, President of the Crowned Silver Eagle Alchemists' Guild."
He then gestured toward the man beside him.
"And this is the commander of the Redanian Knights of the Kingdom's Sword, Count Magnus of Logvyn—Count Magnus, please have your men sheathe their swords. This is an expedition outpost, not a battlefield. The people before you are your allies, not your enemies."
"At least for now—they are not."
The Kingdom's Sword knights glanced at one another, then looked toward Count Magnus at Agostino Austin's side.
Magnus hesitated for a moment, then turned his gaze to Sol.
"…"
The Wolf School grandmaster coldly flicked a glance at the still-frightened Belendil Rogrides. With smooth, practiced motion, he flourished a clean, elegant sword arc and returned the blade to its scabbard.
Clang, clang, clang~
Only then did Magnus raise his hand. The Kingdom's Sword knights followed suit, lowering their guard.
The sword-drawn, gunpowder-thick tension finally eased somewhat.
However, Belendil Rogrides had yet to recover from the shock just now, and Agostino Austin and Count Magnus of Logvyn clearly hadn't expected the situation to escalate this far either. No one spoke.
And yet, for some reason, the group stubbornly remained blocking the road, unwilling to leave.
For a time, the entire area fell into an eerie silence.
"Count Magnus of Logvyn…" Sol thought for a moment, then asked, "What is your relationship with Gregory?"
Magnus's expression changed. He hesitated for several seconds before answering, "Gregory is—he is—he is my grandfather—"
Sol nodded and continued, "Is he doing well now?"
Magnus hesitated again for a few seconds. Under the strange looks from Agostino Austin and the Kingdom's Sword knights, he steeled himself and said, "My grandfather passed away six years ago."
He didn't ask how Sol knew his grandfather's name, and Sol didn't pursue the topic any further.
Thus, the area once again sank into silence.
Until—
Boom~
An orange-red portal suddenly opened between the Kingdom's Sword and the Wolf School. Tissaia de Vries stepped out in a hurry, accompanied by the sorceress who had fled earlier at the first sign of trouble.
After stepping through, Tissaia de Vries quickly looked left and right. Then, after glancing at the sorceress beside her, she acted as if she hadn't noticed the sword-edge tension between the two sides and calmly arranged,
"Maeve, take the honored guests of the Wolf School to their quarters."
......