Demon Hunter: School of the Wolf.

Chapter 559 Meritelli, do you know Gwendolyn, the Daughter of Spring?
As soon as the playful yet majestic voice faded from the void, the ritual circle symbolizing the three phases of a young girl, a pregnant woman, and an old woman suddenly lit up with a dazzling golden light.

The cave of the old spearhead was illuminated in an instant.

Everywhere, even in places hidden by stalagmites and rock pillars, the darkness in the corners was dispelled in an unnatural way.

At this moment, the old spearhead's cave is a divine kingdom on earth.

"Buzz~"

The wolf emblem trembled and hummed.

The dazzling golden light made Erin involuntarily close her eyes. When she opened them again, a beautiful and cheerful girl had appeared on the ritual circle representing the girl.

He wore a pure white silk dress and a wreath woven from green leaves and branches on his head. His bare arms and neck were as white and delicate as mutton fat.

The refreshing scent of tulips mixed with the aroma of grass and wheat instantly relaxed me.

"The goddess is even more powerful than when we last met," Erin couldn't help but praise.

This isn't just polite talk; it's a genuine feeling.

But it wasn't a specific, magical aura; rather, it was a feeling that was hard to describe, much like the "girl" standing before him at that moment...

It became more vivid...

"My holy son has quite keen senses."

The girl smiled sweetly and walked triumphantly out of the ceremonial circle to his side.

A gentle breeze stirs up from the void, lingering and blowing.

The vibrant atmosphere of the transition from spring to summer grew even stronger.

"what……"

When the girl was only two steps away from him, she paused, twitched her slightly freckled nose, and sniffed like a puppy looking for hidden food.

“You are different now.” As the girl said this, her two slender eyebrows seemed to fly up.

This was the first time Erin had ever seen such obvious surprise on the face of a god.

Of course, he hadn't seen many gods either.

However, among the three phases of Meritelli – the young girl, the pregnant woman, and the old woman – the young girl, though slightly frivolous, charming, and lively, is only an outward appearance; her core emotions remain calm and undisturbed.

But at this moment, Meritelli was truly shocked and incredulous because of him.

"What's different?" Erin asked, carefully choosing his words.

"Everywhere is different now."

That's a pointless statement... Erin looked up at the girl who had walked from his left behind him and then around to his right, and said helplessly, "Goddess Meritelli..."

"Hehehe~" The girl narrowed her eyes and smiled slyly, "I won't tell you, consider it punishment for your long-term laxity..."

Erin watched the girl quietly for a while, and the girl let him watch her quietly.

Erin's recent behavior certainly cannot be described as lazy.

He had just solved one problem when two more popped up, he was spinning like a top.

Of course, he knew that Meritelli wasn't referring to his recent life and work situation, but rather to the celestial conjunction they had agreed upon nearly six months ago, which had almost come to a standstill.

Erin pursed her lips and quickly organized her words.

However, before he could speak, the girl suddenly turned her head and looked around curiously, changing the subject.

"here it is?"

“Kaer Morhen,” Arlin paused, took a deep breath, and said, “This place was originally a test site for the Wolf School’s Mountain Trials. We usually call this place Old Spearhead’s Cave.”

"Old Spearhead?"

“A cyclops, this is his lair,” Arlin murmured. “In the original Mountain Trials, after the apprentices swam across a killer lake teeming with water ghosts, they had to pass through this cave, then through a troll camp, and finally reach a place called the Elemental Ring to activate their school insignia in order to become true Witchers…”

The girl's eyes traced the cave, which was bathed in golden light and resembled a magnificent palace.

His gaze pierced through the empty void, seemingly glimpsing the past of this place, hence the look of pity in his eyes.

Erin even felt she didn't need to explain so clearly; perhaps she already knew about the cave when she asked the question...

What happened in front of the cave known as the Old Spearhead, and what happened after it was named after a Cyclops.

after all……

She is Meritelli.

However, Erin still described everything that had happened here in the simplest possible language.

He sensed Him and wanted to hear.

As she spoke, Erin blinked, and the girl suddenly transformed into a pregnant woman protecting her swollen belly.

He paused for a moment, but that was just as he finished speaking.

“You’re doing the right thing, my child…” The pregnant woman lovingly stroked Erin’s hair.

The warm, rising steam seeped into my scalp, which felt very comfortable. At the same time, the vibrant aromas of tulips, grass, and wheat around me gently transformed into the scent of autumn harvest.

Erin instantly relaxed and involuntarily closed his eyes.

The cave of the old spearhead remained quiet for a long time.

"Is Bai Shuang making a move again?" Erin suddenly sighed, breaking the silence.

The warm, soft touch on my head momentarily paused.

“What a clever child,” the pregnant woman said softly. “White Frost suddenly sped up. The uninvited guests in Cordwin, their presence and actions have roused White Frost…”

"The Wild Hunt?" Arryn's eyes snapped open. "What are they doing in Cordwin now?"

The last time I heard news of the Wild Hunt was a month or two ago, when it attacked Aden's vanguard invading Cordwin, interrupting Aden's momentum to take over the entire territory of Cordwin in one fell swoop.

According to Philippa Ehrert, the situation in Cordwin is now in a state of chaos and disarray.

The capital city of Ad-Kalla has been breached for months, and the new king of Cordwin, Rador, remains missing.

The momentum of Aden was disrupted by the Wild Hunt. The political situation, which had been suppressed by the continued victories in the war, seemed to be difficult to control. Significant civil unrest broke out in various places, and the counterinsurgency war in the newly conquered territory of Cordwin never stopped for a single day.

Of course, the fact that internal strife and external threats were so concentrated and occurred at such a convenient time likely indicates that several neighboring countries were secretly assisting them.

In the short term, Aden will likely only be able to hold onto the territory it has just conquered and will be unable to expand further.

However, this is not good news for the people of Cordwin.

If Aden had taken down the Cordwin rebellion in one fell swoop, that would have been fine; at worst, he could have suppressed rebellions from time to time, and basic order could still have been maintained.

but now……

Deserters from Cordwin, deserters from Aden, bandits, brigands, local nobles taking advantage of the chaos, and even cannibals and other monsters emboldened by the corpses everywhere...

"Chaos and devastation" and "devastation" are not enough to describe the current situation of ordinary people in Cordwin.

That's really miserable.

The village of Kal at the foot of the mountain is now overcrowded, and Danti and Vesemir have had to come down the mountain these past two days to act as guards and maintain order in Kal. Of course, it's not like no one is profiting.

At least Ban Ade and the Risberg Civil Cooperative are said to be doing very well now, and news of their establishment of a wizarding kingdom has spread throughout the entire northern continent.

From Aden and Livia in the east to Kovir and Povis in the far west, even in the most humble taverns, you could hear the news.

“Ban Ade and the Lisberg Civil Partnership are testing the waters of the entire continent.” These are Tissaya de Veres’s own words.

Aretusa is very anxious now.

However, on the other hand, although the information is mixed and confusing, it is indeed true...

Since the attack on Aden's army, there has been no further news of the hundred-man Wild Hunt squad.

Were they licking their wounds in the shadows after Aden's army inflicted heavy losses on them?

"Impossible!" Erin shook his head inwardly.

The army of Aden must have had methods to counter the sorcerers in order to guard against Ban Ade and the Risberg Civilian Cooperative.

But under the leadership of the Wild Hunt captain, who was likely of the next tier of strength, Aden's army was no match for them.

"Nobody knows what they're doing..." The pregnant woman shook her head.

"Not even God?"

“Especially the gods, that’s even worse,” the pregnant woman’s voice suddenly turned hoarse, like an old woman howling in the north wind of a harsh winter. “The Wild Hunt has special methods. I can only judge from the level of White Frost’s activity that they are definitely doing something restless…”

Erin remained silent.

If a child is quiet, he must be acting like a monster.

Just thinking about how big a monster the Wild Hunt could become is terrifying.

They'd better figure out a way to break through Ban Ad's shell... Erin thought to himself.

This makes sense, since the Wild Hunt came for the fragments of the Ard Gais Gate and the guiding stone, but Erin couldn't hide the heavy unease in his heart.

To be honest, the Wild Hunt's attack on Aden's vanguard was very unusual.

Are they really so arrogant that they can't distinguish between friend and foe, unaware that after severely damaging Aden, Ban Ade will only live a better life?

It's possible, but unlikely.

“Before we came, I had already distributed divine power and authority to the priests,” the old woman suddenly changed the subject, interrupting Erin’s thoughts. “The temple has also entered a state of combat readiness since yesterday and has begun training the priests in battlefield skills.”

"When you go to the temple again next time, you will find that there have been great changes."

Erin paused, her expression slowly turning serious: "Has the problem...become that serious?"

The old woman remained silent for a long time, then sighed:
“Erin, I don’t want to rush you, and I know why you’re hesitating…”

“No need to argue. You’re a kind child, that’s good. I didn’t mean to criticize you,” the old woman waved her hand, interrupting Erin’s half-open mouth. “When a person grows up, they always need certain qualities to support them so that they don’t go astray.”

"but……"

He paused, looked up at the uneven rock ceiling of the cave, and his expression became even more serious:
"But no matter what the reason, the frost arrives faster every day than the day before, and we must be faster than it to survive."

"This world is running out of time. It can't wait for you to slowly grow up, slowly accept reality, and slowly learn to make choices and sacrifices..."

"The harsh reality is that not every choice you make can be as absolutely righteous as killing the Cyclops, free from any condemnation, including from your own conscience."

"it's out of the question!"

“Inevitably, innocent people will die because of your choice. They have parents, wives, and children, who have spent their lives honestly tilling the land, and some may even have tragic pasts like yours…”

"But if you continue to hesitate like this, more innocent people will die, and the whole world will be overturned, frozen and destroyed because of your hesitation."

His hoarse, harsh voice was like a cold knife, slicing through all hope with each stroke.

“This will... kill many people, many humans…” Erin said with difficulty.

The old woman gently shook her head: "I am a deity worshipped by humans, but I am still a god, Erin."

"Born gods have no emotions."

"We love humanity, but we don't love individuals,"

"We will not pity those who die innocently in the tide of history, just as we will not intervene in any human war."

"Supporting human growth and continuation is the whole meaning of our existence."

Erin remained silent for a long time.

Yes, Meritelli is a naturally born deity who is "unfeeling to heaven and earth." The girl's naivety, the pregnant woman's kindness, and the old woman's sternness are all just appearances.

How could He empathize with humans?

"How much time is left?" he suddenly asked.

"Seven hundred and sixty-three years..."

Erin's heart sank.

He remembered that when he last inquired, the time when the white frost descended was more than eight hundred years ago. In just half a year, it had been shortened by at least forty years.

Furthermore, Meritelli added that the speed at which the White Frost descends is accelerating due to the Wild Hunt's subtle maneuvers...

“I understand…” Erin took a deep breath, “I will do my best… I will take action before the end of this month…”

The old woman nodded, then suddenly transformed back into a loving pregnant woman, reaching out to gently stroke his hair.

"You are doing the right thing, my child..."

Erin gave a dry laugh, but in his mind he saw rivers of blood and corpses strewn everywhere.

The pregnant woman sighed, gently shook her head, and said nothing more. She gracefully walked towards Meriteli's concealment ritual.

At this time.

Suddenly remembering something, Erin hurriedly asked before the pregnant woman stepped into the ceremony, "Goddess Meritelli, do you know Gwendolyn, the Daughter of Spring?"

The pregnant woman paused: "Gwendolia, the Daughter of Spring, was the chief deity of the Mountain People, but she has long since perished."

"Do you know who He is..." Erin hesitated for a moment, cautiously probing, "Do you know how He fell?"

“The High Priestess of Gwendolyn died on the battlefield,” the pregnant woman answered smoothly and without hesitation. “After the Spring City of the Mountain People was occupied, Cliff’s Discipline Knights destroyed the icon of Gwendolyn and killed all the priests.”

"Different..." Erin thought to himself, "As expected, Meritelli's story is different from Ada Emin's."

"Why are you asking me this question?" The pregnant woman frowned unconsciously in front of Erin for the first time, her golden eyes seeming somewhat blank.

Fearing that Meritelli's memories would, as he and Ada Emin had guessed, arouse White Frost's "alarm," Erin quickly changed the subject:

"I unexpectedly obtained the resurrected spirit of Gwendolyn, the Daughter of Spring..."

He paused, organizing his thoughts:

"What do you think... I should do with Him?"

(End of this chapter)