Chapter 288: Who should the White Iris Lance charge at!!!

"what?"

Ailin was stunned for a moment, then suddenly turned his head to look at the old duke.

The old duke, however, seemed as if he had never said this before. He looked at the busy Meliteli priests at the foot of the city with deep and cold eyes.

However, the sudden noisy conversations around him proved that this statement was not the witcher's imagination.

"Master Mason...are you planning to recruit demon hunters to stay in Elland?"

"That's not impossible. Yesterday I heard my distant nephew in the Knight Guard talking about this. If it weren't for this demon hunter named Ailin in front of us, everyone in Elland would have died..."

"What? Really? I don't believe it. Ms. Agatha told me a few days ago that we were able to survive that day because she tried her best to hold up the magic shield to protect the inner city..."

"Did you listen to Agatha? A few days before May Day, she was complaining to me in Madam Betty's salon about Duke Mason making such a fuss that he sent her, an elegant senior sorceress, to Vizima like a deliveryman to deliver some extremely disgraceful things. She also felt that nothing would happen on May Day. Thanks to the prophecy of High Priest Ianna, otherwise..."

"Thanks to the high priest indeed, praise the goddess Meliteli..."

"Praise to the goddess Meliteli..."

……

"Ladies, keep quiet. Demon hunters have keen senses. Even if you speak softly, they can still hear you. Besides, even I can hear your voices clearly."

Finally, an old man's voice was heard and the restless noise stopped.

At this time.

The old duke suddenly tilted his head and stared at the witcher with a confused look:

"I know that the Wolf School has been experiencing some...difficulties recently."

"But as long as you are willing to move to Elland, no one and no force will dare to embarrass you under the protection of the Temeria royal family."

The old duke spoke with great vigor and in a domineering manner.

But no one present would doubt the truth of this statement.

Although Temeria had just gone through war, plague and rebellion, no one dared to deny that it was still the strongest country in the entire northern continent.

in other words.

It was because of these wars, plagues and rebellions that the countries of the northern continent saw the strength and courage of Temeria.

She is not only one of the three oldest human nations on this continent.

It is also the headquarters of the most powerful Knights of the Flaming Rose in the northern continent and the home of many knights, and its military strength is first-class.

Even Falgar, who massacred the entire Northern Kingdom, had to return in defeat at the hands of the kingdom's cavalry and eventually died at the hands of the King of Temeria.

Even Temeria's own currency, Oren, can be regarded as one of the few universal currencies in the northern continent and can be used in almost all countries.

therefore.

One can imagine the military, economic and political strength of Temeria.

Ailin had no doubt about this.

Temeria does have the strength to shelter the Wolf School, and more than enough.

Also.

Elland does have hidden dangers of monsters, and there is a large demand for monster hunters.

After all, so many people died on May Day, and they were all accidental deaths.

Even with the prayers of the priests of Meliteli for burial, the probability of becoming a ghostly creature like a demon spirit is not low.

Ailin just didn't understand why the old duke asked him this question?
He was just an ordinary witcher who had been the master witcher of the Wolf School for just half a year.

How could I be worthy of accepting this condition on behalf of the head of the school?
It’s getting cold, do you want to put on more clothes for me?

Ailin glanced at Vesemir, who was looking down in thought, and after considering his words, he said:

"I'm afraid this matter will need to wait until I return to Kaer Morhen for Grandmaster Soi to decide..."

The old duke seemed to have anticipated this. He nodded slightly and said nothing more.

"Tap tap tap~"

The sound of orderly footsteps came from the bottom of the city.

"It has begun," the old duke said softly.

Ailin suppressed the remaining doubts in his heart, stood beside the old duke and looked in the direction of the footsteps.

A group of warriors in black armor walked out of the city gate in neat rows of four.

That is the old duke's demon hunting army.

A large group of people with sad faces and holding white flowers followed behind.

Although they moved in a scattered manner and were not as orderly as the black-armored warriors.

But the atmosphere of solemnity and sadness was even more intense.

After walking out of the city gate, they naturally dispersed to both sides of the avenue and watched the black-armored knights take the large urn from the hands of the temple priests.

"Two thousand seven hundred and sixty people..."

"Two thousand seven hundred and sixty people died in Ireland on May Day..."

The old duke stared down, seemingly talking to himself.

But the next second.

The witcher felt a glance at him.

"Demon Hunter, do you know how many citizens are recorded in Elland?"

Aelin did not reply.

Being accustomed to the old duke's speaking style, he knew that this was not actually a question.

However, the demon hunter can roughly guess a number.

"Eight thousand five hundred and seventy-four..." said the old Duke.

Yes.

Even though it is one of the largest cities in the entire northern continent, the population of Elland is less than 10,000.

Therefore, the death toll on May Day exceeded one-third of the city’s total population.

of course.

On May Day, many people came from other places to celebrate the festival, and in medieval cities like the Witcher World, the number of people recorded in the books is often different from the actual number.

But even so.

On May Day the total population of Ireland would not exceed ten thousand.

You can imagine what a city would look like if its population suddenly dropped by a quarter...

"The Wild Hunt is truly sinful!" the witcher thought.

He glanced at the expressionless old duke.

Actually, to be more realistic, taxes, conscription, and prosperous cities...

In the medieval world of witchers, almost everyone in Elland is considered the property of Duke Mason.

So this May Day, he suffered heavy losses.

After saying a number for no apparent reason, the old duke fell silent again.

The witcher turned his attention back to the city.

The sky was overcast and the morning breeze was cool.

The black-armored knights under the city walked forward along the avenue in groups of two, carrying large urns.

Ordinary citizens attending the funeral on both sides held white flowers and followed along, many of them wiping their eyes from time to time.

Time can erase sorrow.

But four days alone is far from enough.

"Rest in peace, eternal rest..."

"The Mother of All Creation keeps you in Her care..."

“Through His love and mercy…”

"The girl will guide you safely to the land of harvest and abundance..."

"Mother sang a melodious lullaby for you to accompany you to sleep..."

"The old woman holds a lantern to watch over your descendants and relatives, so that they will not get lost in the darkness..."

"Sleep in the light, rest in peace..."

"All the troubles are over now..."

……

At some point, the priests following the black-armored soldiers began to hum sacred and solemn songs.

People on both sides of the road also spoke in response.

Again, again, and again.

Accompanied by crying and sobbing.

The sensitive ladies on the city wall also quietly took out their silk cloths and wiped their tears.

Mary couldn't bear to look away and looked at the grass on the side.

Lysa closed her eyes tightly, Vesemir sighed quietly, and Vera looked up at the gray clouds in the sky, wondering what she was thinking.

to the end.

Singing could be heard from the city behind me, as if every household was humming a sad ballad.

I wish the deceased can forget their worries, pain and sorrow in another world.

But I also hope that they can remember the names of their loved ones and never forget them.

Amid the singing, the black-armored soldiers arrived at their destination.

They put down the large urn, took the shovel that had been prepared long ago from the open space next to it, and began to dig on the side not far from the avenue.

what……

Ailin exclaimed in his heart.

That place seems familiar.

After he thought about it for a while, he suddenly remembered...

Isn’t that the place where the demonic spirit tide appeared on the night of May Day?
He was still wondering why the evil spirit appeared in that place.

The demon hunter had a guess in his mind.

really.

As time went by, the black-armored soldiers carefully dug out a container that was similar in shape to the large jar behind them, and carried it to the truck that had been parked there for a long time.

While the witcher was stunned, the driver of the truck raised his whip and sped up the horses.

It is also unknown where to transport these containers.

After the black-armored soldiers carefully moved all the large jars into the pit and began to fill it with soil...

"...Sleep in the light, rest in peace..."

"All the troubles are over now..."

……

The sound of humming hymns suddenly became louder. Although the lyrics sang about resting in peace, it seemed as if they were eager to ask the deceased in the jar to wait a moment...

wait a minute...

Do not rush to throw yourself into the arms of the Mother of All Things, do not rush to follow the girl's brisk steps and leave, do not rush to listen to the mother humming the eternal lullaby...

Take another look…

Then look at the living who are reluctant to leave him...

"what--"

"My little Pal, don't go--"

Suddenly, a heart-wrenching scream was heard from the crowd. A middle-aged woman with gray hair suddenly rushed out of the crowd, but was stopped by the priests who were prepared.

Then he was pulled back by the crowd who were also crying.

But the middle-aged woman was still struggling, shouting with a hoarse throat:

"... Let me through... My little Pal is only seven years old... How could he die at this time... Let me through quickly..."

People around, even many priests, tried to dissuade them.

But the middle-aged woman seemed to be crazy. She kept asking questions, with messy hair, and tried desperately to break free from the crowd.

The black-armored knights who were digging and burying the bodies stopped their actions without realizing it.

"Woo——"

Suddenly, a suppressed cry came from the side.

The witcher looked over in the direction of the sound and saw the little priest lowering his head, covering his face tightly with his hands, but tears as big as beans kept seeping out from between his fingers and falling to the ground.

Vera glanced at Aelin and Mary, sighed softly, and hugged her in her arms.

The little priest struggled for a few seconds, but when she found she couldn't get free, she grabbed the hem of her skirt tightly with both hands and cried silently.

in the crowd.

A woman took a step, then retracted it.

Ailin also sighed and turned his gaze back to look down at the city when he suddenly noticed the old duke, who was always expressionless and calm.

He clenched his hands tightly, using so much force that his knuckles turned pale.

For some reason, Ailin, who saw this scene, suddenly felt a little guilty about his thoughts about "property" and "heavy losses" just now.

The singing stopped.

The middle-aged woman in the distance was still struggling, and even many people in the crowd began to stir.

Just as the demon hunter was thinking about how the priests of Meliteli should solve this incident...

Sudden……

It's raining.

A fine drizzle fell from the sky.

It seemed that at the same time that the raindrops gently fell on the middle-aged woman's face, her body suddenly froze.

He looked up at the sky with empty eyes.

After a few seconds, he fell to the ground helplessly.

next moment.

"Ah-ah-"

The woman covered her face and cried loudly.

The commotion in the crowd suddenly stopped, replaced by cries of pain, as if all the sadness accumulated over the past four days was washed away by the rain.

At this moment, no one can tell the difference between tears and rain.

The funeral continues.

"Bang~bang~"

The dark brown soil was beaten onto a large earthenware urn.

The dead children, wives, husbands, mothers, fathers... were buried deep in the soil.

"Rest in peace, eternal rest..."

"The Mother of All Creation keeps you in Her care..."

“Through His love and mercy…”

"The girl will guide you safely to the land of harvest and abundance..."

"Mother sang a melodious lullaby for you to accompany you to sleep..."

"The old woman holds a lantern to watch over your descendants and relatives, so that they will not get lost in the darkness..."

"Sleep in the light, rest in peace..."

"All the troubles are over now..."

……

The funeral is over.

At some point, the crowd began to hum the sacred and solemn song again.

Spread the small white flowers in your hand one by one on the nameless grave.

"Lord Mason, the ceremony is over and the rain is getting heavier. Let's hide from the rain!" A servant on the city wall came over and reminded.

But when the old duke heard this, he just raised his hand to interrupt.

Then, I stood in the rain, looking at the people humming funeral songs under the city regardless of the wind and rain, and the nameless cemetery that was gradually dyed pure white.

Behind him, the nobles, who were gradually getting soaked by the rain, looked at each other, but no one dared to speak at this time.

a long time.

After the people in the city had presented bouquets of flowers, they bent down to say the last words to the deceased and gradually returned.

On the city gate tower, the nobles turned their eyes to the young nobles on the other side of the old duke.

The young noble hesitated for several seconds before leaning aside and whispering:

"father……"

Before he could even finish his address, he heard a loud thud.

The old duke struck the ground hard with his cane, interrupting the young nobleman.

The whispers around him suddenly disappeared.

"Demon Hunter..." The old duke turned suddenly and looked straight into Arryn's eyes.

The demon hunter could see that those seemingly calm dark brown pupils were burning with an unquenchable rage.

"I want revenge, revenge at all costs..."

"So tell me, witcher..."

"Who should the White Iris lances charge at!!!"

(End of this chapter)