Chapter 199: Everything will be fine once Haiya attacks
"Dean Haiya, is this what you meant by 'mutants who won't cause trouble'?"
"Hundreds of my loyal soldiers have been burned alive here, dishonorably."
"Don't tell me you've colluded with the mutants, have you?"
King Władysław of Kaedwen glared furiously at Haiya.
The nobles in the tent also gripped their sword hilts, staring at Haiya and the few sorcerers beside him.
The atmosphere instantly became tense and hostile.
The sorcerers around Haiya also grew nervous.
They instinctively formed a circle.
While they made no further moves, they could unleash spells in an instant if the situation worsened.
A cold sweat beaded on Haiya's forehead. In his mind, he had already cursed the sorcerers stationed at Kaer Morhen ten thousand times over.
In fact, before he incited the king to lead the army here, he had already communicated with the sorcerers stationed at the Witcher's keep through a magic telescope.
Out of shared respect as fellow sorcerers, Haiya had advised them to evacuate Kaer Morhen before the army arrived, promising them safe passage.
After sending that message, there had been no reply.
Haiya had thought it impossible for anyone to be foolish enough to willingly stay and perish with the Witchers.
Now, it seemed those sorcerers at Kaer Morhen were even more foolish than he had imagined.
Of course, there was another possibility.
They had spent too long with the mutants and developed feelings for them.
But no matter the possibility, since they chose to stand against Haiya, they were now enemies.
And enemies, naturally, required no mercy.
Though the atmosphere in the tent was tense, Haiya wasn't particularly worried about the current situation.
In truth, breaking through the encirclement wouldn't be difficult.
The real trouble was that if he did so, he and the other sorcerers would become wanted criminals in Kaedwen, hunted by everyone.
It might even extend beyond Kaedwen.
The bounty could potentially spread across the entire North.
At that point, his position as dean of Ban Ard Academy would be a thing of the past.
And even if they fled south, the kings of the southern realms would hardly welcome a regicide with open arms.
Haiya took a few deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down.
He bowed deeply to the King and the nobles.
"Your Majesty, I express my deepest apologies for the losses you have suffered. It was my dereliction of duty not to realize the existence of traitor sorcerers within the Witcher's keep."
"However, rest assured, your army will not need to engage further. We will handle the rest."
Władysław's expression finally softened.
He didn't truly believe that the dean of the esteemed Ban Ard Academy would associate with a bunch of filthy mutants.
There was simply no profit for him in doing so.
So, his earlier words were merely an attempt to provoke a response.
He truly did not want his army to attack again.
These precious troops were the apple of his eye.
If he lost too many here, how would he suppress domestic opposition? How would he contend with border conflicts against neighboring Aedirn?
But just then, Władysław heard the bald mage slowly say,
"Your Majesty, I suggest your army and the esteemed nobles retreat a safe distance further, because we will be casting a joint spell, unleashing the legendary magic 'Arzû's Double Cross,' invented by the legendary mage Arzû."
Władysław's eyelid twitched.
"Wait, that spell name sounds familiar... Wasn't that the magic that ended the Dagger War, which lasted for generations, over the Temerian throne?"
The bald mage bowed again politely: "Precisely, Your Majesty, you are indeed well-versed."
"I heard that Arzû later cast the same spell in Maribor, destroying half the city, and even the legendary mage himself was killed by the monster he summoned."
Władysław's face changed instantly.
The faces of the nobles around him also shifted.
"Are you sure using this magic is a wise choice? Can't you just summon an earthquake and bury the mutants alive?"
Haiya shook his head.
"Of course not. Summoning an earthquake or a blizzard could be countered by the magic on the other side, but summoning spells are different."
"However, we have not yet reached Arzû's level, and forcibly casting a legendary spell requires a large amount of precious magical materials..."
The King impatiently waved his hand: "Tell me how much gold you need, and I'll give it to you later."
"No, I don't want your gold. I have a small request... Please allow me to serve as the Princess's tutor."
"Tutor?" Władysław frowned in confusion. "But Lady Tissaia once said my daughter had no magical talent and couldn't become a sorceress."
Haiya smiled slightly and said,
"Lady Tissaia was both right and wrong. She only saw the Princess's lack of magical talent, but not her other talents."
"Ban Ard Academy is not just a magic academy; it also has achievements in alchemy, technology, modern history, natural history, philosophy, and various other fields. I will do my utmost to ensure Her Royal Highness becomes an outstanding individual."
A flicker of an unusual expression passed through Władysław's eyes.
He narrowed his eyes slightly.
But soon, his expression returned to normal.
"Then I'll leave it to you, Dean Haiya."
At this point, the surrounding figures and military camp suddenly dissipated like a puff of smoke. When the mist reformed into a new scene, Lynn saw Haiya and the sorcerers arranging precious casting materials on a giant magic circle.
In the center of the magic circle lay dozens of peasants, their hands and feet bound.
The King and nobles of Kaedwen didn't even glance at the unfortunate people, merely giving Haiya a cold command to begin.
So, Haiya and the sorcerers began their joint spellcasting.
What they didn't know was...
Lynn stood right beside them.
Anyone, any mage, when casting a spell that required such a long incantation, was extremely vulnerable.
If he pierced Haiya's back with a single sword, their joint "Arzû's Double Cross" would fail.
And they would suffer a magical backlash.
Kaer Morhen could also be saved.
Fringilla looked at Lynn with concern: "You can't stop them. These are past illusions, not real. If you interfere, you will be trapped in this world forever."
"I know."
Lynn knew they hadn't truly traveled back in time.
They were still in the nightmare world of the magic book created by Fringilla's uncle.
One was the stars in the sky, the other was their reflection on the lake.
He knew he couldn't mistake the reflection on the lake for the stars in the sky.
He did not intervene.
As the incantation chanted on, the massive magic circle suddenly erupted with an eerie purple light. The dozens of prisoners in the center of the circle screamed in agony, as if suffering immense pain.
Lynn blinked, then was astonished to see something rapidly crawling beneath the skin exposed outside one of the prisoner's clothes.
He quickly realized he wasn't hallucinating.
Because something was crawling beneath the skin of all the prisoners.
Then, with a piercing scream, countless beetle-like insects burst forth from inside one of the prisoner's bodies.
The insects instinctively tried to flee outside the magic circle but were blocked by the purple light around the circle like a wall.
Next, the prisoners died one after another, and more and more insects burst forth from their bodies.
Soon, they densely covered the entire magic circle.
Haiya and the sorcerers' expressions, however, grew even more solemn.
As if this was the crucial moment.
As the incantations intensified, the purple light in the magic circle grew brighter, like a thick, viscous liquid that could not be diluted, shrouding the area above the magic circle.
Finally, a terrifying giant centipede burst out of the purple mist, charging directly towards Kaer Morhen.
(End of Chapter)
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