Demon Hunter: School of the Wolf.

Chapter 582 Ban Ade's malice came howling in.

"Oh!"

A tightly clenched fist slammed hard onto the light brown walnut wood table with its swirling grain.

The beer glass on the table suddenly jumped, splashing a lot of beer onto my sleeve.

The expensive silk fabric immediately darkened significantly.

"Why did so many people die?" Sunny's forehead veins bulged. "A full ten thousand people, fighting against a long-declining tribe that can only eke out a living in the deep mountains and forests, how come two thousand people have died, and we still haven't even found where Long Ears is hiding?!"

"Are all the generals in our class, Adler, a bunch of useless trash?"

Below Sunny was a noble knight wearing half-body armor, yet still managing to show off the expensive ruby ​​necklace on his chest.

Hearing Sunny's furious rebuke, he quickly put down his glass and explained:

"Lord Sen... Lord Senni, the actual casualties in the war were only three hundred. The others either sprained their ankles due to the terrain or were forced to leave the battlefield..."

"What do you mean by deserting the battlefield? They're just a bunch of deserters!" Sunny scoffed disdainfully. "Two thousand soldiers, three or four hundred dead or wounded, and more than a thousand deserted. Is that something to be proud of?"

Cold sweat beaded on the noble knight's forehead. He pulled a snow-white silk handkerchief from his waist and wiped the sweat from his brow while constantly giving winks to the people at the other end of the long table.

“Lord Senni,” a merchant-looking man dressed in black satin wool sighed softly, trying to defuse the situation, “Count Cassius may have some problems, but those long-eared creatures have been driven into the deep mountains by humans for many years.”

“They are more familiar with the terrain deep in the Blue Mountains than we are.”

"They often take advantage of the cover of night, terrain, and weather to harass military camps, so low morale in the army isn't necessarily the commander's fault..."

“That’s right, that’s right,” the noble knight Cassius exclaimed with delight, “Those long ears are too cunning, just like rabbits in the fields. They’re so cunning and agile that they’ll gnaw on the roots of the wheat if you’re not careful.”

"However, rabbits are still just rabbits. Once our troops are familiar with the terrain, we will be able to quickly wipe them out."

"Ta-da~ Ta-da~"

Sunny tapped the table with his gold ring adorned with black opal, coldly watching Cassius.

The intense aura made Cassius feel as if he were being stared at by a hungry wolf.

It wasn't the table that was being pounded, but his heart.

Cold sweat broke out on my forehead again.

But he dared not make any move and could only wait for the trial.

In the newly born city of Ban Ade, many nobles who had lost their lands and most of their armies and were unable to recognize their own identity had recently died inexplicably.

What are counts compared to those nobles who died tragically and were covered in blood? There were even marquises and dukes among them.

“I need a deadline.” Sunny stopped banging. “When will we find those long-eared creatures? When will we destroy their burrows and wipe out those long-eared creatures who should have gone to hell long ago?”

“Two months,” Cassius quickly corrected himself when he saw Sunny’s furrowed brow, “No…no…one month…I will find those damned rabbit burrows within a week.”

"Completely remove all the long ears within a month."

"Hmph~" Sunny snorted and took a sip of his wine.

Cassius breathed a sigh of relief: "Then I'll go and urge those lazy peasants on now..."

"Send those long-eared prisoners to Master Ottolan first," Sunny interrupted, waving his hand.

"I...I, okay, I'll have someone..."

“No…” Sunny wagged his index finger, pointing it at Cassius’s face, “You, go yourself!”

Cassius's expression changed drastically, but he dared not refuse. After sitting on pins and needles for a while, his face changed color, and he slumped into the high-backed chair: "Yes, Lord Senny."

“Go ahead, you all come with us, Bren stays behind.” Sunny waved his hand.

The people at the walnut table rose, bowed to Senni, and then left the room.

"Bang~"

The heavy wooden door closed gently.

“Lord Sunny, most of the allied forces that fought against the elves were defeated soldiers from the front lines. It’s normal for them to suffer temporary setbacks.” Bren, a man dressed in black satin woolen clothes and looking like a merchant, said softly, “In just a few days, only 2,000 out of 10,000 men were killed or wounded and fled. This has already exceeded my expectations.”

Sunny swirled his wine glass and chuckled, "Of course. Compared to the money they get from embezzling military pay and supplies and selling them privately, the nobles obviously care more about their lives."

"But it's not enough."

Sunny shook his head, a fleeting glint of gloom in his eyes:
"A bunch of stray dogs dare to wreak havoc in my army. They probably think they can deal with me like they did with that puppet king."

Brun didn't speak.

Ban Ade certainly did not have an army; all the soldiers were either captured from the surrounding villages or were deserters who had defected to the nobles.

Of course, the ratio of the latter to the former is an exaggerated ten to one.

The disaster that struck from the sky a few months ago ultimately dealt a heavy blow to Ban Ad, leaving several surrounding villages deserted.

The beggars, idlers, and criminals who migrated from other countries also failed to fill the population gap.

Later, the news of the establishment of the Warlock Kingdom was brought to a complete halt.

To make matters worse.

Therefore, according to the prevailing rules in the northern continent, or in essence, all the armies did not belong to Ban Ade, but to the nobles who had fled there.

Of course, he wouldn't say that.

“The nobles have calmed down considerably; the previous warnings were quite effective,” Bren echoed admiringly, then changed the subject, “However, with Count Cassius’s abilities, he could find the elves’ lair in seven days and wipe out all the free elves in a month…”

“They can’t do it.” Bren shook his head slightly, without any emotion.

Sunny frowned and downed his drink in one gulp: "Cassius is the most suitable choice among all the exiled nobles; the others are only worse. With these human scum around, it's no wonder that Cordwin suffered such a bizarre and rapid defeat."

“But we have to use them.” Brune gracefully picked up the jug and, like a true waiter, filled Sunny’s empty glass.

“Yes, we have no choice but to use it…” Sunny sighed, took another sip of his drink, and then fell silent thoughtfully.

Brun didn't disturb them and sat quietly in place.

Raindrops pattered against the windowpanes, and a strange, mournful wind howled.

The sudden change in weather startled Sunny awake. He looked up, thinking he heard the hoarse cries of ravens and crows, but it was just the sound of the wind.

The sound of wind and rain.

"Ban Ad Ritual Ko has gone with the army?" Senny suddenly asked out of the blue.

Bren looked away from the sudden downpour outside the window, paused for a moment, and nodded subconsciously: "A ten-man squad, mainly responsible for camp security, and the handling and preservation of drinking water and rations."

"Don't let them worry about the beans and the campfire. The forest is the territory of the long-eared elves, and the free elves know more about rituals than our own people."

Sunny paused, took a deep breath, and said, "Let them do as they please."

"Free rein?" Bren thought he had misheard.

Those unfamiliar with magic would generally assume that Ban Ade ritual masters are all learned old men responsible for maintaining the city's magical barriers, vigilance, and defensive rituals. But that's not the case, or rather, it's not just that.

Although Bren gave up his future in the path of magic after graduating from Ben Ade due to his talent,

But his experience studying in Ban Ade taught him many little-known magical secrets.

The essence of ritual is to use astrology, magical materials, numbers, and symbols to compensate for the limitations of the ritual master and to leverage the magic in an environment that a sorcerer cannot fully contain.

Setting up magical defensive barriers, purification rituals, and divination naturally fall under the category of rituals.

But also rituals include creating golems, necromancy, and summoning magic.

In ancient times, magic was the most fervent and orthodox research direction for ritual masters.

Ritualists who hope to leverage abilities they cannot control are essentially madmen.

Ban Ade's ritual master is the best in the entire Northern Continent, and therefore also the most insane.

“Yes, free rein,” Sunny confirmed. “Haven’t they been complaining that there’s nothing in the academy where they can experiment with rituals?”

"Now that we have them, let them perform well and not let me down."

He was serious… Bren looked into Sunny’s cold eyes. The temperature in the room had dropped considerably due to the sudden downpour, and it was chilling.

"But...but...but..." Brun's teeth chattered, as if he were thinking of some scene.

Instead, Sunny looked at him calmly, waiting for him to speak.

However, Bren felt that Sunny definitely knew what he was going to say, but even so, after taking a deep breath and calming his inner fear, he had no choice but to speak.

“But this is taboo, Lord Sunny,” Bren said. “Once…once we are caught by the Sorcerer Brotherhood’s inspectors, we will all be burned at the stake.”

“Forbidden…” Sunny curled his lip in disdain. “I ask you, Brun, why did Ottoland’s research in Ban Ade and the Risberg Civil Cooperative urge us to capture elves? Aren’t what they’re doing forbidden?”

Bren, whose memories were stirred by Sunny's words, suppressed the sudden churning in his stomach and stammered, "But...but..."

Sunny waved his hand, interrupting him: "Don't forget, the Brotherhood of Sorcerers is not an organization, but a federation of all organizations."

"Ban Ade and the Risberg Civil Cooperative Organization is the largest component of the Brotherhood of Sorcerers; we are the Brotherhood of Sorcerers..."

"Let's define what's taboo, and what's prohibited!"

Bren was shocked by what he heard. He opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Senni.

Sunny put down his glass and said coldly, "Besides, wouldn't you have the ritual department try to be more discreet?"

"What happened to the free spirits deep in the Blue Mountains is something that no one on this continent would actively care about."

"Bryn, Ben Ade is racing against time..."

"We are racing against time."

Bren paused for a moment, then nodded, his throat dry. "I understand. I'll let them know."

Sunny nodded in satisfaction, raised his glass, and was about to say a few more words of reassurance when he suddenly remembered something and asked:
"Has the investigation into that Wolf School witcher been completed?"

"Understood." Bren, who was already prepared, picked up the chiffon paper on the table and handed it to Senny, but Senny waved it away.

"Just tell me directly, are those things all true?" Sunny asked curiously.

“Most of it is true, but some of it is exaggerated,” Bren said after organizing his thoughts. “The news from Aretusa is that the so-called Godslayer did not actually kill the evil god as rumored, but rather used some method to disrupt the ritual of the evil god’s descent.”

"Moreover, at that time, Lady Tissaya de Veris, along with many sorceresses from Aretusa, High Priestess Ianna of the Temple of Meritelli, and the army of Elland, withstood the pressure of most of the ghoul tide during the evil god's ritual."

"Vesemir of the Wolf School was also fighting in the same direction as Erin at that time..."

"So it's fake?" Upon hearing Vesemir's name, Sunny couldn't help but frown, as if he had seen something extremely disgusting. "That freak Vesemir banished the evil god, but gave his reputation to that apprentice?"

“No,” Bren said cautiously, enunciating each word carefully, “The people who provided the information saw that it was Erin who made the move, but his methods didn’t seem like those of a Witcher.”

“Our people suspect it was Tissaya de Veris, or Ianna, who gave us this incredibly powerful ancient bomb or magical artifact.”

"What about the great griffin?" After a while, Sunny asked expressionlessly.

"The Great Griffin is real, and it does belong to Arryn. Our people suspect that this Great Griffin is the same one that attacked Wengeburg a few months ago, but Demavie II denied that he had ever hired a Witcher to deal with the Great Griffin."

Seeing that Sunny did not respond with a noncommittal answer, Brenton paused for a moment, then continued:
"The knights of Elland are real too, because after the Wild Hunt attacked Elland during the May Festival, Erin, Vesemir, and Vera stopped the demons of the Falgar rebels."

"The youngest Witcher Master..."

"You got it from Ban Ad, right?" Sunny narrowed his eyes, recalling the scene he saw a few months ago after his hasty return from Aretusa.

He was behind Hen Gedimidis at the time and didn't pay attention to the other witchers besides Zoe and Vesemir, so his memory of them is a bit hazy.

I never expected that a mere demon hunter who had just come down from the mountain would accomplish so many great things in such a short time.

“Yes,” Bren confirmed Sunny’s words, “Erin single-handedly killed the Ice King, who had arrived due to the convergence of the celestial spheres, in Ban Ade. The Ice King was a large monster, so…”

Sunny interrupted him by tapping thoughtfully on the walnut tabletop.

Brun waited quietly.

After a while, Sunny suddenly stopped: "Where are Vesemir and Erin now?"

“The spies from Elland say they’ve all returned to Kaer Morhen,” Brun added. “Duke Donato Rogrides’ arrangements in Redalia have taken effect.”

"The Lisberg Civil Cooperative lost Ronnie Dickinson as a result, and Redalia lost a baron."

"They have to go back and deal with these issues."

“They’re the kind of people who can actually be of any use,” Sunny chuckled, shaking his head. “But this is a good opportunity…”

"Hasn't the Risberg Civilian Cooperative Organization been clamoring to deploy their uncontrolled war behemoths to the battlefield?"

“Send them all to Kaer Morhen to warm up our freaks.”

"Aren't the masters and grandmasters of the Wolf School more valuable for experimentation than those with long ears?"

A chilling glint flashed in Sunny's eyes: "Once we've dealt with those long-eared ones, it'll be the turn of those freaks."

"besides……"

"Find Rado quickly; a living person can't just disappear into thin air."

"Yes." Bren nodded in response. Seeing that Sunny had no further instructions, he bowed and backed out of the room.

Once the room was empty, Sunny stood up from his seat and walked to the window.

The wind howled, and the window panels swayed against the castle walls.

The sound of rain pounding against the lead window frame turned into a series of frantic, broken sounds, which also soaked his robe.

Sunny, however, was completely unaware.

He felt that the rainstorm wasn't heavy enough or crazy enough.

(End of this chapter)