Chapter 251 The Little Priest’s Gift
The hazy moonlight found the mottled shadows of the trees. The shadow in the corner of the wall moved a little after hearing the sound, and then walked out.

"Teacher, it's me..."

Mary moved out reluctantly.

"It's so late, what do you want to talk to me about?" Vera looked at her in surprise, "Did something happen to Yennefer?"

"No," Mary shook her head, "Yennefer fell asleep after she unleashed her chaos magic..."

Paused for a second, as if to cheer himself up:

"Teacher, I want to become stronger!"

Become stronger?

Vera looked at her apprentice in some confusion.

Although Mary had great talent in the past, her research was mostly in alchemy and auxiliary magic.

I've never seen her devote so much attention to combat magic, which is something most warlocks are interested in.

and……

Vera looked at the sky.

With Mary's previous personality, she would not dare to disturb me when I should be sleeping...

what happened?
Out of curiosity, Vera did not follow her usual temper. She scolded her and let her go back to rest.

"Da da da~"

The sorceress took two steps closer and saw in the moonlight a look of timidity and determination on Mary's chubby face.

Two conflicting emotions on the same face made Vera even more curious.

"Why do you want to become stronger?" Vera touched the apprentice's smooth and delicate face. "Aren't you always uninterested in fighting?"

"Warlocks shouldn't waste their time fighting and swearing. You once told me that..."

Mary's breath froze when she heard this.

She did say this when she was young...

But now she doesn't think so.

And feeling the warmth on my cheek...

Ms. Vera did not punish her and was willing to listen to her, which gave Mary a little more courage.

The tutor is different now than in previous years, his temper has become much gentler.

then.

Mary took a deep breath and said:

"Teacher, I don't want to hold you back any longer."

"I followed Masters Arlin and Vesemir for almost two weeks, and I was of no help in the two battles I encountered..."

"When we encountered the giant griffins, after I cast a simple buff spell on them, I could only watch from afar as the two demon hunters dodged the giant griffins' sharp claws and strong winds...

Recalling the scene at that time, Mary closed her eyes and paused for a second:
"When Arin was carried up into the sky by the great griffin, as a warlock, I couldn't find a spell to save him..."

"And the floating harbor..."

"Vesemir and Arryn are out looking for the Wild Hunt."

"But I could only be driven into the cellar with the other waitresses in the tavern, shivering next to the moldy and cold oak barrels..."

"Helplessly waiting, worrying, and fearing..."

"I have no idea whether the person who opens the door in the next second will be a demon hunter or a monster..."

"In those short ten minutes, countless images flashed through my mind, and each one pointed to a bad ending..."

"Even these days I often have a dream..."

"In the dream, the door of the wine cellar was blown open by cold magic, and a skeleton knight walked out from behind the door, holding the heads of Vesemir and Arryn, who died with their eyes open..."

"They were looking at me, asking me why I was hiding in the cellar and not saving them..."

Vera gently stroked Mary's golden hair.

The intense fear in her eyes seemed to be about to overflow.

"Teacher, our future enemies are legendary monsters like the Wild Hunt..."

"I...I..." Mary looked at Vera's red eyes and stuttered with excitement.

She took another deep breath, calmed herself down a little, and then said:
"I am Margarita Laux Antille, the heir of the Antille family, the most outstanding graduate of Aretusa, the youngest sorceress since the establishment of the academy, and the only apprentice of the Scarlet Red Fox..."

"tutor!"

"No matter what, I shouldn't be so useless and worthless that I have to be protected by others..."

"Teacher, help me!"

Mary looked at Vera seriously.

Vera looked at the appraisal in Mary's blue eyes, and suddenly thought of something. She chuckled and asked:

"'Our enemies', who are we?"

"Of course it's Ai..." Mary replied subconsciously, but she reacted after a few words, her cheeks flushed and she said angrily: "Teacher!"

"What's wrong with me?" Vera smiled and gently pinched Mary's delicate, soft and slightly hot cheek.

“What a good girl!”

"I don't know which man will get the advantage in the future?"

"Teacher!" Mary's face turned even redder.

"Okay, okay, I won't tease you anymore!" Vera rubbed Mary's golden hair.

"What about the battle?" Mary asked tentatively.

"I will teach you. You have learned almost all of alchemy and auxiliary magic!"

Mary smiled immediately, and her big eyes curved into crescents.

Once again, she truly felt that Vera's temper was countless times better than before.

I just don't know why she has changed so much.

Is it Ailin?
Or did he reconcile with the chief of the School of the Wolf after arriving in Kaer Morhen?

"What are you thinking about?" Vera frowned.

Mary's mental power is very high, and she can already sense the invasion of external spirits.

So out of respect, she hadn't read Mary's thoughts for a long time.

But at this moment, Vera looked at Mary's dreamy expression and suddenly had the urge to read her mind.

"nothing!"

Mary was startled and immediately cleared her mind of any unnecessary thoughts.

Vera narrowed her eyes and looked at Mary's expression carefully, which scared Mary so much that she broke into a cold sweat.

"If there's nothing, what are you waiting for here?"

"Aren't you going to teach me combat spells?" Mary was stunned.

Vera rolled her eyes, looked at her apprentice as if he were a fool, and sighed:

"This time?"

"you sure?"

Mary stood there for a second before she remembered that it was still late at night and her cheeks turned red again.

She apologized to Vera repeatedly, made an appointment for class tomorrow, and then hurried back to her residence.

Watching Mary's back disappearing into the darkness, Vera didn't know what she was thinking about, and her thin lips curled up slightly.

……

the other side.

Led by Nenneke and Lysa, Arryn arrived at the sanctuary again.

This place, which is closest to the goddess Meliteli, does not seem to have any magical powers on the surface.

Not only did it not emit a soft holy light, but because the goddess adhered to the commandment of frugality, there was not even the candles that were always lit in other temples at night.

It was pitch black.

I don't know if it was an illusion, but as I walked from Ianna's residence, the evening breeze seemed to be gradually weakening.

When we reached the sanctuary, the wind stopped immediately.

And even Aelin could feel that the temperature near the sanctuary was much warmer than other places in the temple.

It is a somewhat mysterious phenomenon, but not much.

It doesn't quite fit the reputation of Meliteli, the religion with the largest number of believers in the northern continent.

However, during the day, although he was unable to communicate with the goddess, he also experienced the magic of the priest.

This is different from the original work, where the story is more of a background and basically only shows techniques such as herbal medicine and medical skills that ordinary people can learn.

In reality, the Meliteli religion really has divine power and magic.

Ailin still remembers the three holy figures that seemed to appear and disappear in Ianna's pure white eyes.

"I wonder what magic the priests of Meliteli know?" he thought curiously.

"Master Ailin, we are here..."

Nenneke's voice interrupted Erin's thoughts.

"Priest Nennek, just call me by my name, Aylin..." The demon hunter thanked him modestly, "Thank you for showing me the way. The Temple of Meliteli is so big that it's easy to get lost..."

“Okay, you can call me Nenneke.” Nenneke smiled gently.

"You are the warriors who will rid the ladies' children of evil. It is my honor to guide you."

"But the area of ​​the temple is indeed quite large. This is the land donated by the first Duke of Elland to the Meliteli Church. The Duke's wife and daughter are both the most loyal believers of the lady..."

After a brief chat about the history of the temple, Nenneke decided to leave:
"It's getting late, so we'll leave first. According to the High Priest's instructions, we'll bring you breakfast tomorrow morning..."

Ailin nodded: "Thank you for your help!"

Before he finished speaking, Ailin suddenly thought of what Ianna had just said, and asked:
“That’s right, Nenneke.”

"Do you know what the high priest said about my plans for the next few days?"

“I’m not sure,” Nenneke shook her head. “But it should be good for you.”

"Okay." Ailin shook his head helplessly. "The high priest really likes to keep us in suspense..."

Nenneke smiled and didn't pay any attention to what Aylin said:
"Alin, do you have any other questions? If there is nothing else, we will leave first."

"and many more!"

Before Arlin could answer, Lysa suddenly spoke up.

She looked at Nenneke pleadingly.
“Sister Nenneke, I have something else to say to Aelin…”

Nenneke glanced at Lysa, then paused for a few seconds before looking at Arryn.

After the demon hunter nodded in agreement, she instructed:
"It can't be too late, disturbing the guests' rest."

"No, just a few words." Lysa assured with a smile.

then.

Nenneke nodded, bowed to Arryn, and left.

Although Lysa was not a stranger to Arryn, this was indeed only the second time they met.

So after Nenneke left.

The atmosphere in front of the sanctuary was a little awkward.

“What do you want to talk about?” After watching Nenneke leave, Ailin smiled at the familiar stranger. “As for thanking you, there’s actually no need…”

"After all, Haxo died from the intersection of the celestial spheres and the curse of the dark sun. It has nothing to do with us."

Lisa heard this but said nothing.

After watching Nenneke walk into the garden in front of the sanctuary, he turned around and shook his head:
"Of course I am grateful, but not because of Haxo, but for saving my life in the mine..."

"I'm sorry," Lisa said, a little embarrassed. "At that time, I was blinded by hatred..."

"Not only did I not even say thank you for saving my life..."

"After you thwarted my plan to become a demon hunter, I secretly hated you for many days..."

talking.

Lysa bowed deeply to Arryn. "I'm so sorry!"

Frightened by the girl's sudden action, Ailin froze for a second before helping her up.
"Not to the extent that... not to the extent that..."

"I never blamed you..."

"Although I have no right to talk about understanding because I have not had the same experience, if I were in your shoes, it would be difficult not to be swayed by the hatred in my heart."

"Thank you...thank you..." Lisa's voice was a little choked, but after taking a few deep breaths, she managed to hold back her tears.

"Yes, hatred even prevented me from saying goodbye to my brothers," Lisa said sadly. "I don't know if I will have the chance to see them again in the future..."

Ailin fell silent upon hearing this.

It is obvious that Lisa's loss is not because the distance is too far, but because too few apprentices in the past were able to survive and become witcher apprentices.

Lisa also realized this and apologized quickly:

"Sorry, I wasn't targeting the wolf..."

"It's okay!" Ailin interrupted Lysa and after hesitating for a few seconds, he comforted her:

"Shadia said her children are all miracle children, so they should all be able to pass the school's witcher trials."

"I hope so." Lisa nodded and forced a smile.

obviously.

She didn't believe what Shadia's miracle child said, she just wanted to avoid embarrassing him.

"You have really changed a lot!" Arlin looked at Lysa carefully and said with emotion, "It seems that the Temple of Meliteli is really suitable for you."

The rebellious girl in my memory who refused to submit to anyone is completely different from the quiet, sweet little priest who always considers the feelings of others.

And this transformation took only one month.

"People change all the time."

The little priest smiled sweetly.

For the first time, I smiled in front of him, showing my two cute fangs.

"But the people in the temple are really nice to me..."

"High Priest Ianna is very modest. She gave me two pieces of candy the first time we met..."

"Nenneke is also very patient in answering every question I have. When she is free, she will also give me special guidance on my homework..."

"And the others in the temple..."

"Except when my parents were still alive, this month here is the happiest time of my life."

"That's good..." Ailin, who was inspired by the little priest, smiled gently.

But then he thought of something, looked towards the garden where Nenneke had disappeared, and asked:

“If Nenneke is so kind to you, why do you seem to be avoiding her when you talk to me?”

When Lisa heard this, her expression suddenly became serious.

She looked around carefully again and whispered:
“It’s because Nenneke is so nice to me that I have to avoid her…”

Ok?
why?
Ailin was curious.

But before he could ask, Lysa reached into her lapel, pulled out a folded paper, and handed it to him.

The demon hunter took it and looked at it carefully.

From the color under the candlelight, it was obvious that this was an expensive chiffon paper.

Paper itself is very expensive, and this kind of chiffon paper is only affordable by the nobles.

"Wow~"

At the little priest's signal, Ailin gently spread out the paper.

On the paper were names written in aristocratic cursive script.

The first name is:
"Donato Rogrides..."

(End of this chapter)