Chapter 290 "How do I kill them?"

When the demon hunter turned his gaze back, he glanced at the city gate tower.

Vera leaned her arms on the arrow stack, staring at the lady under the city wall in a trance. She looked lonely and no one knew what she was thinking.

The subsequent requirements of the enthronement ceremony were very complicated. Arthur only gave a general introduction and then handed him an ancient parchment book:
"…This is the code of chivalry and the deeds of famous knights in history…"

"The other steps are easy, but the design of the family crest and flag needs to be drawn up as soon as possible."

"Lord Mason will send them to Vizima. The Noble Council needs to record them and vote on your qualifications for the title..."

"Of course, this is just a formality."

"I see." Arryn nodded. "I will prepare the family crest and flag designs as soon as possible. Thank you, Sir Arthur."

Arthur smiled and said seriously:
“It is our honor to fight alongside you.”

Just say it.

He looked at the old duke.

After the old duke nodded slightly, Arthur's expression became serious:
"Please follow me, Master Mason has something he wants to ask you."

Then he walked in front, guiding everyone into the city wall.

The rain is getting heavier.

……

"Crack~"

Soon after entering the tower, with a snap of fingers, a red flash appeared on everyone present.

A warm feeling suddenly surged up.

The clothes were covered with mist.

The clothes wet by the rain were dried instantly.

This made the demon hunter hesitate as he was about to use Igni, and he quietly retracted his right hand.

I have to say that the sorceress knows quite a lot of magic tricks for daily life.

"Thank you very much, Ms. Vera."

Everyone thanked the sorceress.

The passage in the slightly dim city tower is narrow.

Arthur led the way holding a crystal lantern, and the old duke and Ianna followed closely behind, discussing in low voices the resettlement of the Elland refugees.

Arryn, Vesemir, Mary, and Lysa fell at the end of the group.

"Congratulations, Sir Arryn of Elland." Vesemir approached and congratulated with a smile, "It has been a long time since a witcher has received a secular title."

Ailin smiled bitterly after hearing this, and moved his mouth slightly, whispering:
"Is it really okay for me, a demon hunter from the Wolf School, to be awarded a knighthood?"

This is different from his previous life when Geralt was awarded the title because he accidentally saved the army of Queen Meve of Lyria and Rivia in the Second Northern War.

By that time, the Wolf School was already in name only. Although many witchers still adhered to the principle of neutrality, the school actually had no ability to restrain them, and no king or noble in the northern continent cared about the witchers' principle of neutrality.

And now.

Although the school's philosophy has changed slightly due to Haxo's actions, the principle of adhering to neutrality has not changed much for the time being, and it has a strong binding force on the demon hunters in the school.

At the very least, they could be driven out of Kaer Morhen and removed from the school.

As a master witcher, Arryn accepted the award with Vesemir's approval, so he naturally would not worry about this.

but.

Even when the old duke was awarding honors, he deliberately avoided mentioning the relationship between vassal and feudal lord.

When outsiders hear the title "Arryn of Elland", will they really not misunderstand Arryn's position and then misjudge and doubt the neutrality principle of the Wolf School?

With nearly a hundred people in the Wolf School and an average combat power of one to ten, is there any force in the Northern Continent that can truly ignore them and not be suspicious and wary?

To be honest, if it hadn't happened suddenly and if Ianna and Vesemir hadn't supported him at the time, Arlin would definitely not have agreed.

“No problem,” Vesemir shrugged quietly. “You’re not the only noble in Kaer Morhen…”

Ok?
Am I not the only noble?
The demon hunter paused.

He suddenly remembered that the old duke seemed to have said something similar just now: "Kaer Morhen is not my fiefdom, and there is already another knight there."

"Who is the other one?" he asked curiously. "Duke Mason just said there is another knight in Kaer Morhen."

“Hmm…” Vesemir thought for a moment, “He does have a knight title, but that’s not his most important title…”

The demon hunter was stunned.

The title of knight is the lowest level title, so it is not the most important title.

"Count Bocollar, Knight of the Golden Lion of Kaer Morhen..." Vesemir continued, "But these titles are indeed known to few people, and no one has mentioned them for many years..."

He looked at Ailin who was racking his brains to think about "where is Bocollier" and "what does the golden lion mean", and asked with interest:

"Do you know what title people most often call him by now?"

Ailin tilted his head to look at Vesemir's meaningful expression, and suddenly a name popped into his mind, so his eyes widened suddenly.

"That's right~" Vesemir raised the corner of his mouth and said in a deep voice:
"They called him the Dragon Slayer. Zoe Henrietta the Dragon Slayer..."

……

After Arlin digested the news, Vesemir said:

"So, you don't have to worry about the impact your knighthood will have on the school."

"After all, if you really count it, Chief Soi is still in the line of succession to the title of Duke of Toussaint, and his rank is not low."

"But after you have the title of knight, your fame will spread across the entire northern continent along with your heroic deeds in saving Elland."

"In a few years, even Skellige across the sea might have heard of your name."

"Besides, this may have other benefits for the school..."

Vesemir advised Arryn not to think too much.

But before he could finish his words.

The team suddenly stopped.

"Squeak~"

A door was pushed open.

A bright and spacious room with a long table and many chairs suddenly appeared in front of everyone.

The old duke took the chief seat.

Under the guidance of the attendants, everyone took their seats.

No pleasantries were exchanged.

As soon as the witcher sat down, he heard the old duke ask:
"Is there anything I should know about the Wild Hunt?"

Everyone looked at Vesemir in tacit understanding.

Vesemir thought for a moment, then carefully considered his words and said:

"There aren't many volumes about the Wild Hunt in the Temple of Meliteli, and most of them are repetitive, containing legends such as 'ominous signs' and 'foreshadowing of war'..."

Actually.

There really wasn't much useful information in the temple's library. What he had learned in all these days was not as informative as the few words that Ailin had spoken to him at the floating harbor.

He was always very confused even when he was tortured by repetitive files.

Who exactly is Francesca, the one who told him about the identity of the "Wild Hunt" from Ailin?

Are the long-ears, who have been squeezed into remote and barren mountains, really capable of concealing such a big news as "the Wild Hunt are actually the long-ears' cousins"?

This is news that is not even available in the largest temple in the northern continent.

Would an ordinary elf know?
The old duke looked somewhat disappointed.

What he wanted to know was how to deal with those monsters that were flying in the sky and making it difficult to deal with them.

Instead of digging out legends and meanings from ancient files like an old scholar.

"However..." The Demon Hunter Master changed the subject, "I found a somewhat strange... uh... concept from some other files..."

"What concept?"

“Spiral!” Vesemir said, and before anyone could ask, he continued to explain:

"It's a concept mentioned in an old parchment book called 'Conjunctions and Spirals' by Geoffrey Monk."

"He was one of the first powerful warlocks among humans to master the magic of the ancient races, a member of the Novigrad Alliance, and one of the founders of the Warlock Brotherhood..."

"I know him, or rather, every warlock knows him." Vera added aloud at this moment.

"Geoffrey Monk is also the foremost authority on teleportation. He also wrote a book called The Magic of the Ancient Races, which is a massive tome on elven teleportation magic."

"But the reason why he is so famous among warlocks is because of his hobby."

"Hobbies?" the old duke asked in confusion.

He didn't know why the topic turned from the Wild Hunt to a wizard, but the age and identity of the Bloody Red Fox deserved his patience and respect.

"Yes, a hobby." Vera nodded. "He is a wizard who likes to catch Djinn, and he caught more than one."

"Djinn... World Spirit..." The old duke thought it sounded familiar. "Is it the Djinn in the legend that each one can make three wishes?"

"That's right, but this is not a legend, it's a fact." Vera corrected, "The Di spirits... or the four elemental spirits of air, water, fire, and earth, each of which can fulfill three wishes."

"Of course..." She looked at the old duke with a different look on his face, "They will distort the wishes made by the user."

"It is rumored that Geoffrey Monk died silently in the end due to these misinterpreted wishes. Otherwise, with his ability, he would have been able to live to this day like Heng Gedimides."

"But it is undeniable..."

"It is precisely because of these wishes that he, as a human sorcerer, has mastered the most difficult type of magic among the ancient races - space magic."

After saying this, Vera turned her gaze back to Vesemir.

The Demon Hunter Master knew that the sorceress was endorsing his next words and emphasizing their credibility, so he looked at her gratefully and continued:
"Yes, in many files I found, Joffrey Monk was called the tallest giant in the field of space magic in history."

"So what is a spiral? What does it have to do with the Wild Hunt?" After the old duke heard that the wishes fulfilled by the world spirits were all misinterpreted, some of the throbbing in his heart suddenly disappeared, and he asked inexplicably irritatedly.

"The intersection of worlds, the origin of time and space, the ship that crosses worlds... Geoffrey Monk called it many things in "The Conjunction and the Spiral", but the most important point for us is that living beings can travel through time and space through the spiral."

"Teleport from one place to another instantly."

"What do you mean?" The old duke frowned, thinking of the Wild Hunt that disappeared in Floating Harbor during the day and suddenly appeared in Elland at night.

really……

"I suspect that the Wild Hunt is teleported through the spiral." After speaking, Vissermil paused, glanced at Arryn, and continued, "And only intelligent creatures can use the spiral to teleport..."

Vesemir was guiding the old duke step by step.

Although they didn't know when the old Duke would approach them to learn about the Wild Hunt, this was bound to happen after the old Duke came to the temple to inquire about the Flying Harbor.

What's more, the Wild Hunt appeared again on May Day and caused such heavy casualties.

So a few days ago, he basically read through the relevant files, and only discussed the final summary with Ailin in advance.

Check the wording.

What should be said and what should not be said?

How can we make the listener remain cautious while not losing confidence in fighting against the Wild Hunt?
The fact that the Wild Hunt is the cousin of the Long Ears must never be revealed.

otherwise.

The old duke and the nobles and ordinary people of Elland will inevitably vent their anger on the elves who have retreated into the mountains.

This could not only cause the allies that Ailin had worked so hard to win to become enemies with the Wolf School.

It will also meaninglessly consume and disperse the forces resisting the Wild Hunt.

not to mention.

Even if the Ain Sheedi in the Blue Mountains might really be related to the Wild Hunt as Arryn said.

But it was obvious from the Wild Hunt's powerful strength that they had definitely lost contact.

Otherwise, would the long-eared ones be as miserable as they are now?
Therefore, Vesemir had to process the language based on concealing this fact.

"So... the Wild Hunt is not a disaster or a ghost, but some kind of... living being?" the old duke speculated.

“At least it’s not the ghost without wisdom as rumored,” Vesemir added, “and its reckless behavior in Flotsam and Elland also indirectly supports this view.”

"To be frank, no matter what kind of ghost it is, it is impossible for them to suppress their hatred and resentment towards living beings and just leave after casting magic."

"It's more like an army with a clear target but poor discipline passed by an ordinary village, abused the people there, and then left."

The old duke, who had spent half his life in the army, raised his eyebrows when he heard this vivid and familiar metaphor.

That seems... to make... a lot of sense.

But after thinking about it, he frowned again:

"and many more!"

Vesemir, who had been confident, was shocked and thought he had made a mistake.

But the spiral is indeed recorded in the book "Celestial Conjunction and Spiral", and it is also the most useful information among the few gains he has made in all these days.

"All of this is based on the Wild Hunt teleporting through the spiral, but I remember that warlocks can also teleport from one place to another?"

The old prince looked at Vera.

"This is different." The sorceress shook her head. "Long-distance teleportation magic like the portal requires the caster to have been to the destination beforehand."

"Also, the time between memorizing the coordinates and teleporting through the portal cannot be too long."

"Although I don't know how good the Wild Hunt's spatial magic skills are, human warlocks have to re-record them every ten years at most."

Vera paused and looked at the old duke:
"Has the Wild Hunt come to Elland in the past ten years?"

"It's not just Ellander. The Wild Hunt hasn't appeared in this world for hundreds of years." The old duke finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Of course, he also hoped that what Vesemir said was true.

If the Wild Hunt is the invincible disaster in the legend, how can Elrand's hatred be washed away?

but.

Since the Wild Hunt is indeed some kind of intelligent creature, there is only one question left.

"How do I kill them?"

(End of this chapter)