He looked at Karl, his lips moving a few times, his heart filled with a thousand words and endless gratitude.
Guilt and ecstasy intertwined, blocking his chest, leaving him at a loss for how to express himself.
His expression changed several times, and finally, all complex emotions coalesced into a simple yet most sincere sentence.
"Thank you—my child."
That single word, 'child,' contained so much. Karl felt a stir in his heart; he could sense Raymond's heavy emotions.
He gently shook his head, his tone calm but serious: "You should thank the Goddess for her mercy, and Nenneke for her help."
He paused, his gaze fixed on Raymond's eyes, his voice kind but carrying a warning.
"Cherish this second life well. I don't want—Mother to blame me in her sleep one day, for not treating you as a father."
This was the first time Karl had addressed Raymond so formally, and Raymond was momentarily stunned.
He stared blankly at Karl, then a tremendous sense of happiness, like a bursting dam, overwhelmed his emotions.
Tears of excitement instantly welled up in the corners of his eyes. He could no longer hold back, opening his arms and tightly embracing Karl.
"Good—good—Karl, my child."
Raymond wept tears of joy, repeating the words again and again, patting Karl's back forcefully, as if trying to make up for all the lost time through this hug.
Karl's body stiffened slightly for a moment, but he eventually relaxed, allowing Raymond to vent his Excited emotions.
After Raymond's emotions had somewhat calmed and he released Karl, Karl tidied his clothes.
He solemnly bowed to Nenneke, giving a respectful salute: "Nenneke, thank you for everything you've done. Karl will engrave this kindness in his heart."
Nenneke smiled kindly, openly accepting his thanks.
As Karl prepared to help Raymond, who had recovered but still needed some rest, leave the Temple, Nenneke called out to him.
"Wait, Karl."
Karl stopped, turning back with some confusion.
He saw Nenneke take out a document, written on parchment with the imprint of the Temple of Melitele on its edges, from a small wooden box beside the altar and hand it to Karl.
Karl was momentarily stunned. He took the document, opened it, and quickly scanned its contents.
This was an official document issued by the Temple of Melitele, formally recognizing and pardoning the union of Raymond and Elisa, as well as the legitimate status and inheritance rights of Karl.
Karl was greatly surprised. He looked up, puzzled, at Nenneke.
He remembered clearly that he had never mentioned to the High Priestess that he needed this pardon document.
Nenneke seemed to see through his confusion, smiling gently as she explained: "No need to be surprised, my child."
"Just a few months ago, after a deep prayer to the Goddess, I began to frequently see fragmented images of you in my dreams."
Her gaze became distant, as if recalling those dreams.
"From those blurry images, I learned about your relationship with Elisa and Raymond, and also knew some of your needs."
"So, I wrote this document in advance and have been waiting for your arrival."
Nenneke's tone carried reverence for divine will: "This might be the guidance of the Benevolent Mother in the unseen, revealing your specialness to me."
"Of course, even without these signs, merely knowing your background and your sincerity in seeking medical help for your father—"
"I would still give you this document to wash away the worldly, unjust stigma imposed on your parents."
Karl's mind cleared, but what followed was even deeper surprise and confusion.
meritelli had been paying attention to him months ago? Why? What about him was worth such favor from a deity?
Was it because of his Soul from another world? Or because of his potential?
But these questions remained unanswered for now, and meritelli seemed unwilling to answer them.
He put away the document and again expressed his sincere gratitude to Nenneke.
Then, he directly handed this precious document to Raymond, who was looking on eagerly.
For Karl, the significance of this document was more symbolic.
It was to fulfill a wish of his mother Elisa and father Raymond, to make up for a regret.
His current status and power no longer needed a mere document to prove anything.
But Raymond was different. His hands trembled as he took the parchment document, as if holding the most precious treasure in the world.
He carefully caressed the text and handwriting on it, a smile of uncontrollable joy blooming on his face, so excited he could barely close his mouth.
This document not only represented the divine recognition of his love with Elisa.
It also meant that his son, Karl, would no longer have to bear any worldly stigma.
In the following days, Karl did not immediately leave Erlend.
On one hand, he needed to confirm that Raymond's body was in a stable and improving state under the Temple's observation, ensuring the self-healing effect was permanent.
On the other hand, he also harbored a slight intention to see if Duke Sieghard and his White Rose Knights would come looking for trouble.
If they did come, he would resolve it all at once to avoid future problems, and he also wanted to catch up with Geralt, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.
Geralt's injuries healed very quickly with the careful ministrations of the priestesses and the Witcher's own super-metabolism.
In his free time, he told Karl more about the history and secrets of the Witcher group.
—
Including their original origins, and the stronghold of the Wolf School, the castle of Kaer Morhen, located deep in the mountains within Kaedwen.
Geralt, uncharacteristically, said with a nostalgic tone: "It's a bit dilapidated there—but it's very quiet, with open views and beautiful scenery."
"I welcome you, Karl, my friend. You can visit there when you have time."
Karl could feel Geralt's sincerity, and he readily agreed: "Of course, I will definitely visit if I get the chance. When will you be at Kaer Morhen?"
Geralt slowly explained: "Mostly only when winter approaches, before the heavy snow blocks the mountains, do we Wolf School brothers gradually return to Kaer Morhen for winter."
"Normally, we're out taking contracts, traveling around. The only one usually at Kaer Morhen is our mentor, Vesemir."
During this period, several teams of White Rose Knights did indeed arrive near the Temple in succession.
But they were not there to trouble him as Karl had expected; their target was still Geralt, attempting to continue enforcing the previous expulsion order.
However, whenever these Knights saw that Karl had not yet left the Temple, and was frequently seen with Geralt, with whom he had a close relationship—
They were as if doused with a bucket of ice water, their newly risen arrogance instantly extinguished.
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