The Witcher: Wolf School's Hunting Notes

"When we left the Passolon Forest, I left a magical resonance mechanism at the place where the Wild Hunt hides its things," Vilgefortz quickly summoned his wand and waved it a few times.

The messy beard on his chin was immediately shaved clean, and his hair lay flat against his scalp.

"Although the Wild Hunt's target is Ban Ard, and it doesn't have much to do with us, I don't want to move after only staying in one place for half a year."

"Draken's Great Tomb?" Lydia took the hat off the coat rack and handed it to Vilgefortz.

"Thank you," Vilgefortz replied. "Yes, it's the trap at Draken's Great Tomb. It seems we both have a deep impression of that treacherous and troublesome ancient elven site."

"I have a strong impression of Draken's concealed but timely magical traps, so I deliberately studied them."

"The Sentinel Stone — that's the name I gave to that little mechanism — is one of my research results..."

"Very good name."

Lydia admired Vilgefortz, enjoying how he casually mentioned a unique alchemical achievement.

"However, I think we could add the prefix 'Vilgefortz' to it. A magical item capable of hiding from the Wild Hunt's perception will surely make a popular alchemical item in our guild."

"Thank you for the compliment, Lydia," Vilgefortz said as he opened the door. "But it's not certain it will escape the Wild Hunt's perception; perhaps they simply don't care to hide."

"I thought this little mechanism would only be used for others' graves, or my own..."

"Shh!" Lydia extended her long, pale finger and pressed it to Vilgefortz's lips. "You will definitely find a way to transcend. I've always believed in that."

Vilgefortz gazed into the sorceress's soft and tender eyes and sighed, "I'm curious about how you see me in such a perfect light. Honestly, I don't even have that much confidence in myself..."

"You can do it, Vigo, I know you can," Lydia interrupted him, then opened the door to the study for him, like a true maid.

"Will you come with me to find Sunny?" Vilgefortz invited as he walked out of the study.

"No," Lydia lightly shook her head. "Haley is still waiting for my reply, and I'm afraid Sunny doesn't want any unrelated people around him right now."

"You're right, that whole group of radicals has been going through tough times lately."

Vilgefortz's lips curled into a small smirk, his tone somewhat gleeful.

Although he had accepted the invitation to come to Ban Ard in order to seek the position of a senior councilor in the Brotherhood of Sorcerers, honestly, given Ban Ard's current dire situation, even without Sunny and Miguel's promises, he would still be safely elected.

After all...

There were only so many positions for senior councilors, and the number of male sorcerers competing against him had decreased significantly.

-------------------------

Nightfall descended.

Dust swirled in the air, mixing with a faint odor of burning.

A cold wind blew.

Ban Ard, more desolate than the ancient elven burial sites, felt eerie and empty.

"However, if we're to consider it, the number of people burned alive in Ban Ard far exceeds the number of the deceased buried in the ancient elven tombs. So, it's not really that strange," Vilgefortz thought to himself.

After so many deaths, Ban Ard was no longer suitable for habitation.

Because of the presence of the Brotherhood of Sorcerers, necromancy was forbidden on the Northern Continent, but there was no guarantee that the Wild Hunt wouldn't use it.

Even though Sunny had arranged for male sorcerers to clean up the ruins in recent days, it was still not safe.

Of course.

He understood why Sunny, the radicals, and even the other male sorcerers who were being suppressed, were unwilling to leave...

The whereabouts of Hen Gedymdeith were just an excuse.

The male sorcerers gathered in Ban Ard were the core of the sorcerer world, even if they were inept, only capable of boasting and flattering.

"Power..." Vilgefortz sighed lightly.

In fact, wasn't he the same? Otherwise, none of this would concern him.

Vilgefortz stood in a desolate, nearly empty area, some ruins still lingering.

Hidden here was Ban Ard's library.

Since the Wild Hunt attacked Ban Ard, the radicals led by Sunny had made the library, buried deep underground, their base.

Here, they dealt with seemingly complicated matters, though in truth, very few, and spent considerable energy seeking aid, or perhaps begging, from the northern continent's countries.

But it was said that the process of begging hadn't gone smoothly.

Of course, this had nothing to do with Vilgefortz.

He had already planned that once the Wizard's Conference concluded at the end of the year, he would take Lydia and leave.

He had already found the reason.

The newly unearthed ancient elven tomb certainly needed to be carefully excavated.

The Wild Hunt was actually a good way to dig up political capital, fame, and money. Unfortunately, his strength and influence were far too insufficient.

If he stayed, everyone would "use" him, but they would also be wary of him.

After all.

He was Ban Ard's, the only magical source other than Hen Gedymdeith.

"Too bad it's an undeveloped magical source..."

Ignoring the numerous hostile, scrutinizing, or indifferent gazes directed at him, Vilgefortz gently waved his wand.

"Please inform Lord Sunny that I have important matters to report..."

Before Vilgefortz could finish his words, a hum filled the air.

"Vroom~"

With the friction of giant stones and a hum, a deep, hollow, spiraling stone staircase appeared in the ruins.

"Whoosh~"

One by one, the wall lamps lit up with flames, spiraling downward, illuminating the darkness like a winding snake.

Vilgefortz waited for a few seconds at the door, and seeing no one coming up, he raised an eyebrow and walked into the corridor.

"Vroom~"

With a rumble, the giant stone door was sealed again.

He glanced back at the tightly sealed stone door and continued down the stone steps.

"Thump~ Thump~"

The footsteps echoed eerily in the corridor, and the dim lights behind him went out.

"Vilgefortz?" someone called out.

The empty space stretched the shout, and the overlapping echoes were strange and eerie.

But Vilgefortz recognized the voice.

"It's me, Miguel."

To avoid trouble, Vilgefortz stopped.

"Why did you stop?" Miguel appeared from around a corner, the wall lamps casting light on his haggard face.

He walked closer, seemingly sensing the unfamiliarity coming from Vilgefortz, and laughed intimately with a "heh heh," his mouth curling into a warm smile. "We're all on the same side, it's not that strict. Come on over!"

Only then did Vilgefortz continue walking, but inwardly, he was muttering to himself.

If they were truly on the same side, why had the entire faction moved to this underground library without even inviting him?

Of course.

He wasn't very concerned. After all, his dealings with Miguel, Sunny, and the radicals were merely transactional.

To be honest, if one were to list the people in Ban Ard who most opposed him, the seemingly warm and friendly radicals would likely occupy the top ten spots.

Miguel and Sunny were undoubtedly among them.

This wasn't surprising.

Humans always divide identities and circles based on various factors.

Some people always feel that when surrounded by foreigners in a foreign land, their fellow countrymen become their natural allies, just as those in the same social class or ethnicity naturally form tight bonds.

Just like he and Hen Gedymdeith, who didn't even know where Sunny had imprisoned him...

But being magical sources, did that mean they had to risk their lives for a stranger's sake?

"…They always mistake the reflection on the lake's surface for the stars in the night sky…"

"What stars?" Miguel, leading the way, turned back.

"Nothing," Vilgefortz shook his head. "I just read a prophecy poem before coming here. It was quite interesting."

"Prophecy poem?" Miguel paused, then chuckled and shook his head.

"I really envy you, still having time to read poems," he sighed as he stopped in front of a wall. "I can't even remember the last time I had a moment of peace..."

Vilgefortz just smiled and said nothing.

Miguel didn't mind, summoning an obsidian staff, and facing the empty wall, began chanting a few incantations.

Clang—

A bronze door suddenly appeared on the previously empty stone wall.

"By the way, Vilgefortz," Miguel asked as he pushed open the door, "What is it that you're looking for from Sunny?"

Before Miguel could finish his sentence, loud arguing sounded from within the door.

"The request from Kovir's King is the same as that of Goidemar... This makes it the ninth country on the Northern Continent to make the same request..."

"Dean! Dean! All of them are about the Dean! Is one magical source really that important?!!"

Sunny's suppressed growl made Miguel hesitate in pushing the door.

Vilgefortz's expression grew awkward. "It seems Sunny is a bit busy... Should I... come back another time?"

Miguel fell silent for two seconds, sighed, then shook his head. "No, you're one of us, this is no big deal."

He pushed the door open.

Under the soft purple glow of magical lamps, countless ancient books swirled, their accumulated dust fluttering as they moved between shelves taller than three or four people. However, the large library had very few people, only five or six individuals.

Vilgefortz scanned the room and noticed several books flying by above him were all about sealing magic.

Another book brushed past him, its pages filled with many strange symbols.

He recognized some of them as ancient languages and dwarven languages that even the dwarves themselves rarely used, and there was also a script that looked like twisted insects.

Vilgefortz didn't know that particular script, but he recognized that these texts were all written by Hen Gedymdeith.

The handwriting of the Northern Continent's most powerful mage was everywhere in the academy; it was easy to recognize.

"It seems Hen Gedymdeith is still safe, at least for now," Vilgefortz thought.

He then diverted his gaze before Miguel turned towards him.

"Sunny is... well... still busy. Let's sit and wait for a bit?"

Miguel led Vilgefortz to a sofa and, after signaling to the other male mages around, the books flying in the air gradually ascended higher without leaving a trace.

He turned around, satisfied to see that Vilgefortz wasn't looking around or asking inappropriate questions.

"Are the kings' demands really high?" Vilgefortz picked up a cup the servant had brought, casually asking.

Miguel didn't hide anything, perhaps because it was information Vilgefortz could easily learn, so there was no need to keep it a secret.

"They're indeed high," he nodded. "Or rather, for some reason, they've suddenly become higher."

"How so?" Vilgefortz asked curiously.

Miguel sighed. "Originally, we had almost finished negotiating with Temeria, Rivia, and Redania. They were supposed to help mediate between Kaedwen and Aedirn while we held off the Wild Hunt for them."

"But for some reason, Temeria suddenly changed their stance the next day."

"Then..."

"Rivia, Redania, Hengfors, Kovir..."

"Later, even small countries like Cidaris, Verden, and Cintra started going against Ban Ard's will..."

"Even Cidaris and Cintra are opposing?" Vilgefortz exclaimed in mock surprise. "What are they asking for?"

Truthfully, he was quite curious.

Since returning from the Passolon Forest with Miguel, he had been busy researching the truth about the Child of Miracles and the Elder Blood, only hearing rumors of the radicals' misfortunes around the academy. He hadn't actually learned the specifics of the negotiations.

Miguel opened his mouth but didn't speak right away.

"Release Hen Gedymdeith!" Sunny's voice suddenly came from behind.

Vilgefortz stood up and turned towards the sound.

Sunny, his face dark with anger, walked out from between the bookshelves. Upon seeing Vilgefortz, he seemed to want to smile his usual warm, reassuring smile, but his mouth twitched, and he couldn't manage a proper one.

"Sit down, we're all on the same side..." Sunny waved his hand and sat next to Vilgefortz, across from Miguel.

"Those damn human nobles, those stupid pigs they can kill with a wave of their hand," he took a sip of water and cursed bitterly, "The Dean is in urgent need of treatment and rest right now, how can they treat him like some circus monkey for their viewing pleasure?"

I believe it… Vilgefortz's elegant smile didn't change.

"Besides, what gives them the right to question me?"

Sunny's temper didn't seem to have cooled, and he cursed for a while longer.

Vilgefortz sensed that he was getting increasingly upset, so he didn't say anything more. When Sunny's gaze landed on him, he merely responded briefly.

For some reason, the fact that it was King Goidemar of Temeria who first changed his position made Vilgefortz feel like this had something to do with Allen.

Although with Allen's age, his skills in alchemy, swordsmanship, and magic seals were outstanding, it seemed almost certain that he lacked any political talent, especially since he had just left the secluded Kaer Morhen and had spent the last thirteen years in training...

While political talent was important, vast experience was the most irreplaceable.

How could it be that he was precisely in the spot that the radicals were struggling with?

"Really lost my mind..."

Vilgefortz maintained his flawless smile, shaking his head internally, though for some reason, he felt even more intrigued by Allen.

"By the way!" After venting, Sunny finally remembered the purpose of Vilgefortz's visit and interrupted his thoughts.

"Why are you here?" Sunny asked.

"My mechanism in Passolon Forest was triggered," Vilgefortz sat up straight, glanced at Miguel, and solemnly said, "The Wild Hunt has arrived."

Miguel and Sunny exchanged a glance. There was no sign of excitement, just a sigh of relief.

"They've finally arrived!"

.....

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