Demon Hunter: School of the Wolf.

Chapter 641 The World's First Leech Bard

"Those women were really beautiful. Although they looked a bit travel-worn and dirty, I could tell that they were ten times more beautiful than the wildflowers at Camillo's Tavern. They were red roses, white lilies, and daisies..."

"Shut your mouth, Willard, are you out of your mind?"

"What's wrong? They're walking on foot, not on horseback. They're not noble ladies. If they have guards, they're at most mercenaries. And their clothes are daring and revealing. They might just be delicate flowers blooming behind red curtains, so beautiful I could write a few poems about them..."

"Shut up! Not everyone dressed boldly is a prostitute. Don't let appearances deceive you. Take a closer look at those guards..."

"They're too far away to see their faces clearly, but the leather armor, the two swords they're carrying, they seem to be... witchers, so they are..."

"A sorceress, it can only be a sorceress, you idiot!"

Amidst the cacophony of voices, Arlin, lying on a stretcher, though his vision was obscured by the green weeds and bushes, still managed to catch the whispers on the old road with his keen witcher senses. The words were light and frivolous, sounding like those of two bards.

Vera has arrived… Erin immediately realized this, and several women, that means more than just two sorceresses, there should also be Francesca Fantaby and Ida Emin.

Has the free spirit been settled yet?
Ada Emin actually came with Francesca Fantaby.

"You stay here to take care of the Hunter... take care of Lord Erin. I'll go see what's happening up ahead..."

Colin was just a mortal and couldn't hear the whispers Erin heard. Without waiting for Vincenta's reply, he got up and walked towards the old path.

Vinsenna's senses didn't seem to pick up any useful information from the commotion. This wasn't necessarily because Vinsenna's senses were inferior to those of a Witcher, but rather because picking up useful information in a noisy environment is a skill in itself.

It's not that female sorcerers can't learn, but rather that sorcerers, whose daily lives are increasingly closer to those of scholars, don't have the same need for information as witchers, especially female sorcerers of the Druid school who rarely leave the tranquility of nature.

The telepathic effect had disappeared at some point, and with Vinsenna and Colin's attention focused on the old path, Erin was unable to share her suspicions with them.

Of course, there's no need for that. Just lie quietly under this oak tree, think about whatever you want, and wait.

And at this time.

Although the outspoken bard heeded his companion's warning, he didn't remain silent for long before moving on to another topic.

“Four witchers and four sorceresses,” the outspoken bard exclaimed. “I’ve never seen so many witchers and sorceresses together before. Are they here for the black dragon of Broge?”

"That doesn't seem right either. I only learned about Brugge's black dragon by chance yesterday from Amelia's court."

"According to past practice, it would take at least ten days to half a month for news to reach the ears of witchers and sorcerers. Even if Brugge offered a high price, it would still take at least a month for them to gather together and take action."

"Mentor Ewald, you are very knowledgeable, do you know who they are?"

"To be precise, it was one male wizard, three witchers, and four female sorceresses. One of the men wasn't carrying a longsword..." the man called Mentor Ewald corrected. "Also, don't call me mentor outside. I only taught you a few lessons in Cowburg, and this was just a chance encounter. I don't deserve that title."

“That won’t do,” the outspoken bard refused decisively, speaking with respect, “When I was studying in Oxburgh, I attended a few of your classes, and those classes were of great help to me. I have always respected you very much.”

"Mentor Ewald, if it weren't for your revolutionary techniques in rhythmic structure and lexical tone, as well as those articles that balanced the narrative and rhythm of the poems, I wouldn't have been able to create such a popular Witcher Knight series as 'The Death Knight from the North,' 'The Great Griffin Knight Who Slayed the Evil God,' and 'The Godslayer of Elland'..."

Um? ! !
While listening to the bards' conversation out of boredom, Erin suddenly caught something that piqued his interest.

He wouldn't remember Villard if you mentioned him alone, but if you mentioned "The Death Knight from the North," "The Great Griffin Knight Who Slayed the Evil God," or "The Godslayer of Elland," then he would know who that frivolous and unrestrained bard was.

Yevgeny Villad.

When Erin rescued Bont from Drakenberg and returned to the Temple of Meritelli to judge Baron Evans, the administrator of Drakenberg, Duke Mason invited Evgeny Willard to be a witness.

He told Erin at the time that he wanted to write a chapter about his god-slaying feat, and now, judging from Yevgeny Villard's tone, "The Godslayer of Erland" has not only been completed, but seems to be quite popular.

[Wasn't Yevgeny Villard always active around Erland? Why is he suddenly in the Old Road?] Erin was a little curious.

Although Amelia was the capital of Soden and a vassal state of Temuria, Soden and Bruges had large tracts of uncultivable mountainous land, and the royal family and nobles were very poor. They should not have been able to afford bards for entertainment, and there would be virtually no bards coming to such a godforsaken place.

"Eh~"

The man addressed as Ewald's mentor sighed softly: "That was just a few lessons. You, who can compose poems like 'The Death Knight from the North,' 'The Great Griffin Knight Who Slayed the Evil God,' and 'The Godslayer of Elland,' are only a matter of time before you can be called a great poet..."

"Alright, you really don't need to mention my name outside anyway, but let's get back to the main topic now..."

"It's really strange that so many warlocks and witchers are gathered together. It shouldn't be for the black dragon."

"As for whether I recognize them or not, I'll check when they get a little closer..."

[The outspoken Yevgeny Willard seemed to have left his mentor somewhat exasperated, somewhat like Bodhi Patriarch advising Wukong not to mention his name in public.] Ewald's avoidance of Yevgeny Willard made Erin's lips curl into a smile, finding it somewhat amusing. [But then again, although there was no malice intended, his unrestrained remarks were indeed too offensive.]

【and……】

If Vera and Ida Emin really come, they're in for a world of trouble...

Erin's thoughts suddenly paused as he heard Yevgeny Villard exclaim in surprise, "That's... Master Vesemir of the Wolf School, Master Danti!"

"The Wolf School?" Ewald asked doubtfully. "Shouldn't the closest place to the Old Path be the Bear School witchers at Heinkaveh Castle in the Amel Mountains?"

It was precisely because he suspected that the group of witchers were Bear School witchers that he kept trying to dissuade Yevgeny Villard from speaking recklessly.

Because of their cold-heartedness and greed, the Xiong School often seriously injured or even killed their clients when they couldn't agree on the bounty. There were even rumors that they robbed the merchant guild for money.

It's not just a rumor; Ewald has personally witnessed one such case.

Therefore, the reputation of the Bear School witchers in the Northern Continent has never been very good, second only to the Cat School.

A wolf's offspring will not nurse a lamb's milk, and an anvil will only accept ingots from the same furnace.

What good could a sorceress be, standing alongside a large group of Bear School witchers who seem to be part of the same group?

“There’s no mistake,” Yevgeny Villard said excitedly. “Just recently, I saw Vesemir and Master Dante in the Temple of Meritelli in Elland. Elland’s Godslayer, Erin, was also there. Wait, why isn’t the third Witcher Erin?”

Elland... the Temple of Meritelli... Ewald thought for a moment, then a thought struck him: "Was it the trial of Baron Evans of Redania?"

“That’s right!” Yevgeny Villad chuckled, sounding quite pleased with himself.

Upon hearing this, even though he was old, Ewald couldn't help but feel envious and jealous.

A bard's status rises and his fame spreads as he records major events in his poetry and makes them widely known. For a story to become widely circulated, three factors are crucial: the subject matter's appeal to a broad audience, its legendary quality, and the triumph of good over evil in the ending.

And in the momentous event of the trial of Baron Evans of Redania…

The audience reach of the selected topics has almost reached its limit.

The Skellige Islands, across the ocean, would be interested in the intrigue between the two largest kingdoms of the northern continent, Temeria and Redalia.

The inclusion of extraordinary professions such as witchers and sorcerers adds a legendary quality to the story.

The appearance of the legendary Wolf School witcher Arryn adds to his legendary status, not to mention that Arryn, along with Dante, a mere two witchers, broke into Drakenberg, a famous prison fortress on the northern continent, at night.

As for the ending, the renowned nobleman of Temuria, the high priest of Melitelli, and the headmaster of Aretusa jointly tried the evil nobleman and executed him on the spot.

For a bard, there could be no better story.

Moreover, Yevgeny Villad was even among them.

It is said that King Geydemar of Temeria specially dispatched his court painter, the dwarf Ruiz Dorrit, to Elland, presumably to depict the historical moment of the trial in an oil painting.

The political considerations were secondary, but based on his knowledge of Ruiz Dorrit's painting style, Yevgeny Villard must have had a place in the painting as well.

What a rare and precious experience this is!

Thinking of this, even jealousy couldn't describe Ewald's feelings at this moment.

If it were any other bard, or even if Ewald were younger, they would certainly have considered poisoning him along the way or assassinating Yevgeny Villad somewhere.

This would also mark a legendary end to Yevgeny Villard's life as a bard... Ewald thought to himself, looking at Yevgeny Villard's smug face.

“Come on, Instructor Ewald, I’ll take you to see Vesemir and Master Danti.” Yevgeny Villad patted his chest, stepped down from the carriage first, and walked toward the approaching witcher and sorcerer.

“Don’t call me mentor…” Ewald sighed, and followed suit.

In any case, for a bard, the more important people he knows, the better.

He was already famous and certainly didn't lack money, but he wanted to be remembered for eternity, standing alongside the legendary bards of epic tales in the golden palace of time.

Yevgeny Villard's writing skills were not top-notch; he only became famous because he knew Duke Mason, a great nobleman of Elland, and encountered the legendary witcher Erin twice.

Ewald pondered, then followed Yevgeny Villard out of the narrow carriage door with his head down.

"Step~"

Stepping onto the old path, the dusty stone slabs, I was about to look up.

"Crack~"

A snap of the fingers.

A red light suddenly flashed before my eyes, and a leech fell from the sky, writhing in the dust.

Ewald paused, then subconsciously looked up and happened to see a beautiful, aloof red-haired woman staring indifferently at the leeches wriggling on the ground.

Noticing his gaze, he raised a cold eyebrow and met Ewald's eyes.

A blood-red fox!

Ewald immediately recognized this as the legendary figure's signature spell, and felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, with a chill instantly seeping from his tailbone to his scalp.

“I didn’t say anything!” Ewald screamed.

Vera gave him a cold glance, then looked away and walked past him.

The entire noisy old road fell silent, with everyone making way for the group of people.

"Hurry up and pick up your companion," the witcher, whom Yevgeny Villard called Vesemir, sighed as he passed by, and said softly, "Two days, it will be back to normal in two days."

"Th...thank you..." Ewald said, his voice hoarse with gratitude.

Vesemir waved his hand, thought for a moment, then took an empty glass bottle from his waist and gave it to him before leaving with the other witchers and sorcerers.

Ewald overheard two of the sorceresses, one so beautiful she didn't look human, and another lovely-looking girl, standing some distance apart, asking their companion why Vera would cast a spell on a human.

Of course, it's because that human brought it upon themselves!

Ewald answered in his mind.

Then he sighed, squatted down, carefully picked up the leech, and placed it in the glass bottle the witcher had given him.
-
Yevgeny Villad also ran into trouble.

Vera was in a good mood because she was close to finding Erin, and she didn't care even when she heard Yevgeny Villad's frivolous words.

Throughout her life as a sorceress, Vera must have heard countless unintentional or even intentional insults because of her daring attire.

But due to some unexpected events—or rather, due to the conflict between Francesca Fantaby and Mary—the only lovebird in everyone's possession was accidentally released while searching for Erin's location.

This frustrated Vera, who had been searching along the old road for most of the day, and she casually cast "Vera's Body Transformation Spell".

“We’re almost at Brugge,” Dante said, frowning as he gazed at the city walls faintly visible below the mountains in the distance. “Did we miss it, or is Erin waiting for us in Brugge?”

“Let’s go to Brugge first,” Vesemir said. “Even if we miss it right away, we can send it after Erin receives the lovebird…”

Vesemir hadn't finished speaking.

A man dressed as a wandering knight suddenly emerged from behind the silent travelers and caravans on the old road.

He cautiously approached Vera, whose face was icy cold, and then carefully asked:

"Excuse me, are you Ms. Vera?"

(End of this chapter)