Demon Hunter: School of the Wolf.

Chapter 633 Geralt is gone?
Is it a coincidence?

[A woman skilled in alchemy, capable of releasing soothing magic through lip reading, can only be a sorceress or a druid.]

There aren't many female sorcerers in the Northern Continent to begin with, maybe a thousand at most. Besides, her partner's name just happens to be Colin, and judging from his voice, he's a knight. Considering the current year, it's only been a few years since Geralt was born...

【and many more……】

"Your treatment is done by Vinsena, the future mistress of the Ring of Maidruid. You will be alright."

Before losing consciousness, Colin's deep voice rang in his mind, and Erin's head, which had been throbbing from racking his brains, immediately relaxed a little.

That's right, no need to think about it anymore, he was indeed saved by Geralt's biological parents.

Neither Geralt's parents, Vinsenna and Colin, appear in the game.

In fact, in the original book, Vasanna only appeared once, in the short story "Something Else," which precedes the long story of Ciri's escape in Elder Blood: The Ancient Blood. Geralt was seriously injured and Vasanna treated him, which allowed Geralt to see his birth mother.

That was also the first and most likely the last time poor Geralt saw his mother.

As for Colin, he only appears in one story outside the original work, "The Endless Road," which is a very difficult short story to find because it wasn't published by Tokyo University Press. So when Erin became interested in the Witcher story before his time travel and spontaneously searched for some scattered stories, he only found a few fragmented passages translated by enthusiastic netizens.

It tells the story of how the traitorous druid Freginar stole forbidden druidic magic, summoning a Koschei (a genetically modified giant insectoid creature created by Cosimo Malaspina and his apprentice Alzu in a laboratory) to block the Kramat Road, allowing his bandit gang to control the economy of the trade route to the Amel mining area and commit various atrocities in the surrounding region.

Upon learning of this, the sorceress and druid Visena met the warrior Colin on her way to defeat the bandits, and the two eventually joined forces to kill Koschey.

This experience also led the two to fall in love...

The Endless Road is one of the few novels in The Witcher series that does not feature Geralt.

Since this story tells how Geralt's parents met and eventually fell in love, it's indeed difficult for Geralt to appear.

【But……】

As he was thinking, Erin suddenly realized something was wrong.

If I remember correctly, Vinsenna and Colin met near the Ring of Maidruid, but the Ring of Maidruid isn't in Ban Aard, or even in Cordwin.

The Ring of Maidalui is located on the border between Temuria and Soden, at least two thousand kilometers from Ban Ade...

How did I end up in Temuria, thousands of miles away, from Ben Ade?!

Could it be that Irene Brick Glass's final self-destructive explosion blew me this far, across an entire northern continent?

[Impossible, even if he's a miracle worker, it's impossible for him to survive like this...]

Was that a black dragon? Without my control, it carried me all the way to Temuria?

But if the black dragon really did develop self-awareness, wouldn't it be better to send me to Kaer Morhen? Besides...

He endured his headache and recalled the scene.

In the blinding white light of Eredin Brick Glass's self-destruction, he instinctively controlled the black dragon to shield himself, followed by a blinding white light, and then he passed out.

Could the black dragon really withstand such a self-destruction?

He didn't think the black dragon's scales could be so tough, and although he was "only" severely injured and not yet dead, the black dragon must have played a part in it.

But if it wasn't the Black Dragon, how did he manage to travel thousands of miles away...?

Thoughts churned in my mind, making my headache, which had already eased, even more intense, as if an axe was piercing my skull and stirring my soft brain.

He immediately realized that he couldn't continue thinking like this.

He began to clear his mind.

However, this mental relaxation did relieve the throbbing in my head, but a strong and irresistible drowsiness suddenly overwhelmed me.

I can't just go to sleep like this!

Good sleep can help his injuries heal quickly, but he doesn't know when he will wake up again, so he must seize every opportunity to be fully awake.

Because he suddenly remembered a question—

The ending of "The Endless Road" is that, although Vinsena is seriously injured (her head is smashed by the traitorous druid Freginal), she joins forces with Colin to destroy the Koshche monster (a giant insectoid creature).

However, in places not mentioned in "The Road to Endlessness," Colin seems to have ultimately died at the hands of bandits gathered by the traitorous druid Freginar.

He had not read the specific chapters about death, and after a general search, he could not find the specific passages.

Whether Colin actually died at the hands of the bandits gathered by the traitorous druid Freginar is not important now, and he can't travel back in time to find out the truth.

He only knew one thing for sure—Colin would die at some point due to some accident.

Otherwise, Geralt wouldn't have been abandoned by Vinsenna and become a Witcher.

Furthermore, from what Vesemir tells Geralt about his origins and Vinsenna's identity...

Erin speculated that Visena most likely encountered Vesemir after losing Colin and was rescued in some dangerous situation, which triggered the Law of Accidents.

Reality will definitely differ from the original novel, something that has happened countless times since he transmigrated.

However, the main storyline, without his interference, continued to develop according to the original schedule.

Since Vinsenna and Colin have already met, it means that this thread of fate has not been affected by his existence.

That is to say...

Colin will still die as in the original timeline...

He made his decision amidst a complex mix of excruciating pain and exhaustion.

Moreover, even though it's still early and there's still time before Colin's inevitable death, the danger remains undiminished.

Reality is not an illusion, as has been proven countless times in the past.

What if Koschey, instead of waiting in the cave for Vincent and Colin to eliminate him as in the novel, actually blocked their path?

What if treating him deviates from the original timeline, leading to his encounter with the traitorous druid Freginar and his band of robbers?

Even if the traitorous druid Freginar did not only recreate Koschey, but also the Lustful Demons and the Fearful Ones, these killing tools created by Malaspina, Arzur, and Adalan in their experiments and modified from ordinary small creatures through forbidden magic's multiple triangular effects...

This is not impossible.

In the original story, the magic in the Witcher world had long since declined to the point that monsters had lost even the favor of the elements, and even Witcher masters could be killed by pitchforks.

But in reality, even before Erin's transmigration, a seasoned Witcher could unleash a torrent of flames from a single Ignite that could melt steel, Ald could beat people up like paintings, and Ban Ald Academy could even maintain a magical barrier that covered the entire academy for a long time...

When in the original work was there such a spectacular scene?

In the final battle, Vigfortz fought Geralt's party, but it was nothing more than a clash of fireballs and lightning spells. "I have to do something!" he thought.

It wasn't just because of Vinsenna and Colin saving his life, but also because of saving himself.

He has no fighting ability at all now and can only rely on the protection of Vincenta and Colin.

If, with Vinsenna present, there is any danger that could kill Colin, he would almost certainly die.

As for Geralt's fate, will his appearance cause changes and prevent him from following the path of the Witcher?

He can't care about that anymore.

Moreover, a life with both parents and an ordinary existence is perhaps what Geralt of Rivia, and most Witchers, yearn for but cannot attain.

But what can I do now?

Right now, I'm so weak I can't even speak, and even thinking for a few seconds requires all my strength...

He struggled against his groggy mind and heavy drowsiness, and his mood became increasingly negative.

He struggled to turn his head, opened the Demon Hunter's Notebook, hoping to find a solution.

"Ding! Ding! Ding..."

The influx of information turned the previously insignificant system notification sounds into deafening thunderclaps and the hum of a bell ringing in one's ear.

The Witcher struggled with all his might to keep his mind from being overwhelmed and turning into an idiot amidst the deluge of information.

His soul, like a candle flickering in the wind, was even more mutilated than his body, which was unable to move and even had difficulty breathing. It was so mutilated that even the most basic reward calculation in the Demon Hunter's Handbook could hardly bear it.

Unexpectedly, the first ordeal after waking up wasn't the destined bandit attack and Koschi's brutal killing, but rather something from the Demon Hunter's Notebook...

He tried his best to gather his thoughts and close the Demon Hunter's Notebook.

At this time.

The silence, caused by the deduction that the Witcher's mentor had "encountered" an unfortunate event, was broken by Colin's deep male voice.

"Nana, do you feel something... different...?"

"Different? What's different?"

"It's just...it's just..." Colin seemed to be struggling to find the right words, and the Witcher could imagine his face turning bright red as he stammered, "It's just that I seem to...I seem to be stronger..."

"What are you saying? There are children right here!" Vincent scolded.

"[You still care about my existence,]" Arlin thought to himself with a bittersweet amusement as he overheard their conversation. "[Don't let my presence cause Geralt to disappear...]"

"That's not what I meant. It's just that I've been having a burning sensation in my body lately, and my strength seems to be increasing, but when I swing a straight sword, it doesn't feel any different..." Colin hurriedly explained, "Never mind, it's probably just my imagination..."

Vinsenna didn't let the doubts go and asked a few more questions. The wolf emblem on the Witcher's chest hummed with magical power, so she must have also released a magical check.

"There's nothing special about it. Your body is probably repairing the ruptured muscle fibers. Have you forgotten the big battle a few days ago?"

“Koschey…” Colin paused for a few seconds, then took a deep breath. “I’ll never forget that name, or that flat, rusty, rough skin covered in thorns, or those serrated pincers, those eyes that darted around on the stem. Back then, I thought you were dead, and that I was going to die too…”

"But we survived."

"Yes, we survived..."

There was no joy or relief at surviving in Colin's tone; his deep voice only conveyed remembrance and regret.

[It was a comrade who was killed.]

But Koschey... has Koschey already been dealt with...?

The Witcher guessed, his mood somewhat heavy.

He could tell from the familiar tone in which Vincent and Colin spoke that they must have met not long ago.

Koschae is the final boss of the Endless Road, and his death means that everything the Witcher knows about the story is outdated.

In addition...

If Colin was killed by the bandits gathered by the traitorous druid Freginar...

How much time do they have left?
Realizing a possibility, the Witcher immediately began to struggle.

He wanted to make a sound, but his limp body seemed to be detached from his soul, remaining motionless. Instead, a burning pain suddenly surged from his throat, chest, arms, and calves.

The world vanished, reduced to shattered fragments.

The conversation between Vincent and Colin faded into the distance, shrouded in a thick fog as darkness rapidly descended.

This pain was even more unbearable than swallowing herbs to make medicine; it erupted suddenly and engulfed all consciousness.

Pain makes time seem endless, every painful moment becomes eternal, and one even wishes to die.

Fuck Koschiy! Fuck the robbers! Fuck Ban Ad! Fuck Ottoland, Eredin, and White Frost!
If I die now, none of this will concern me anymore. Let me just sleep! Let me fall into eternal slumber!
Let me die! Let me die! Let me die!

He roared desperately, feeling his veins bulge, burst, and splatter blood with each roar...

He had no idea how long it lasted, or when he finally calmed down, exhausted...

He only remembered hearing Vera's voice from a great distance, in a hazy, intermittent way, sounding like Mary, and then perhaps more like the little priestess. Vesemir, Soy, and Aresto also joined in one after another.

“He’s awake…” Vera called out, and then the priestess shouted some unintelligible words, “convulsions… spasms… shock…”

“What… do I do?!” Vesemir, Soy, and Aresto asked.

“…What did you say…” Mary listened intently.

"Danger? Don't worry, you're safe now." The magic was working; her red hair fluttered in the wind as Vera softly comforted her.

It wasn't me! It was you...it was you...

[It's you...you're in danger!]

He gathered his last bit of strength, opened his eyes wide, and roared.

then……

The void of dreams once again enveloped the wounded witcher.

(End of this chapter)