56. Faruk.
The two Witcher guards exchanged glances, then, after checking the document handed to them by the man, they stepped aside to let him through. Robin, seeing this, was stunned. He had thought that this sorcerer came to Kaer Morhen just to take him away.
The sorcerer was accompanied by one of the Witchers, and it took a moment for Robin to react. "Allen, I'll be off then." He hurried to catch up but suddenly remembered something, rushed back, and whispered something in Allen's ear before hastily leaving. "I've left you a gift you'll definitely like in the library."
'A gift? The library is so vast, where should I even start looking?' Allen scratched his head, puzzled, as he made his way towards the library.
Walking along the path to the main keep, the Witcher apprentice suddenly recalled a detail. It seemed that the two guards didn't know a royal emissary would be arriving today. But Kaer Morhen had communication systems in place; at least, Robin had received a letter from Ban Ard Academy a few days ago. Did the grandmaster not receive the letter, or was it received and deliberately ignored? No, that emissary didn't react to the cold reception, indicating he expected it.
"This visitor means trouble!" Allen gazed at the grand, grey-white keep in the distance, a serious look on his face as he contemplated the situation.
------
Top floor of the main keep. The reception room of the Wolf School grandmaster.
"Grandmaster Sol, I am Faruk Ismail, bringing greetings from Ban Ard Academy." Faruk placed his right hand over his chest and bowed. The Witcher coldly watched the sorcerer complete his bow and said, "I did not receive any letter from the king, and now you claim to represent Ban Ard. What exactly do you sorcerers want?"
The oppressive gaze of the grandmaster made Faruk nervous, and he struggled to maintain his friendly smile. He shakily took out the document from his coat and respectfully handed it over, saying, "Please don't misunderstand, Grandmaster Sol. I indeed bring a letter from the king. Next year's apprentice combat tournament between the Wolf School and Cat School will be held on the fifteenth day after the spring equinox at Ban Ard. Therefore, I bring greetings on behalf of Ban Ard Academy. As for why you didn't receive the letter earlier, I am unsure."
Sol could tell the sorcerer was lying without needing a sorceress's mind-reading spell. But since he might indeed be the king's emissary, Sol stared at him for a few moments longer before opening the document. The unicorn-shaped wax seal split in two, releasing a fruity scent. The handwriting, phrasing, and titles were all correct. The letter was indeed from King Henselt of Kaedwen.
But even after confirming the letter's authenticity, Sol's expression did not soften. If this letter truly came from the king, the matter was even more serious. However, considering that Vera was already gathering information, Sol decided not to argue with the sorcerer and, after a moment of silence, nodded and said, "I've received the letter. You may go."
"Wait, Grandmaster..." Faruk's forehead broke out in cold sweat, but he still trembled as he asked, "I heard that the ancient fortress of Kaer Morhen is a marvel created solely by Wolf School Witchers. Could someone give me a tour?"
This was not an unreasonable request, and Faruk's phrasing made Sol slightly lower his guard. He said, "Isn't Robin leaving with you? He grew up in Kaer Morhen; let him show you around." Faruk bowed again and started to leave. As he reached the door, he turned and casually asked, "Is sorceress Vera still at Kaer Morhen?" Sol waved him off, interrupting, "Vera left a few days ago."
Faruk nodded thoughtfully, bowed again, and left.
The door shut with a bang.
Sol, holding the smooth, white letter, felt a headache coming on. Henselt's letter mentioned the elves again, hoping that Sol would attend the tournament to discuss eliminating the "long-eared ones." Sol had already refused this matter.
"No matter, I'll wait for Vera to return and let her look at this." The Witcher placed the letter away and looked out the window. The snow-capped peaks of the Blue Mountains seemed eternal, always as they had been and always would be. Gazing at the golden peaks bathed in sunset, the Witcher sighed, lost in thought. "Can the Wolf School stand as tall and unyielding as these mountains for thousands of years?"
------
Library in the northern tower.
Upon entering, Allen walked straight towards the depths of the library. He had already figured out that Robin, not specifying where he left the gift, meant it was in a place both of them knew. He even guessed what the gift might be.
Moments later, "As expected!" Allen's eye twitched as he retrieved a carefully wrapped book from a shelf storing experiment records. "The Witcher Master and the Succubus: One Thousand and One Nights."
"Robin misunderstood me! How could I possibly like this kind of book!" Saying this, Allen quickly opened the delicate sheepskin cover. Skipping the preface, he went straight to the main content.
---
About half an hour later, "Master Vesemir is truly amazing, managing to handle even a succubus!" Criticizing the contents of the book, Allen couldn't help but praise the Witcher master's skills. But then he faced a dilemma.
"Where should I put this book?" As a Witcher apprentice living in a dormitory, he couldn't take it back and keep it under his pillow. Looking around at the dusty shelves,
"I'll just leave it here. Witchers don't seem to like reading much anyway." Thinking this, Allen was about to put the book back on the shelf. "Huh?" He noticed some small writing on the back of the book cover. "To my dear friend—Allen."
The short line was written in a decorative script. Allen's face darkened, and he was about to find something to erase the writing. But after taking a few steps, he sighed and hid the book in a concealed corner.
------
Leaving the library, Allen, feeling down, almost bumped into someone. Looking up, he saw the sorcerer from earlier.
"Allen?" Robin, following the sorcerer, was surprised to see Allen but then proudly introduced him to the sorcerer. "Faruk, this is my friend Allen from Kaer Morhen. Don't underestimate him just because he's a Witcher apprentice..." Faruk, like Allen, seemed distracted.
Annoyed by Robin's continued introduction of this lowly Witcher apprentice, he was about to interrupt when he suddenly heard Robin say, "By the way, Faruk, you were asking about what sorceress Vera did at Kaer Morhen... Allen has been learning alchemy from her..."
...…
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57. I am Vera's Friend.
58. The Last Day.
59. The Trial of the Mountain Begins.
60. The Gap Between Witcher Apprentices.
61. The Foglet.