Demon Hunter: School of the Wolf

"ah?"

Aylin was stunned for a moment and turned his head suddenly to look at the old Duke.

The old Duke acted as if he had never said these words before, looking at the busy Meritelli priests below the city with deep and indifferent eyes.

However, the sudden noisy chatter around them proved that these words were not the demon hunter's imagination.

"Lord Mason...are you trying to summon the witchers to stay in Elland?"

"It's not impossible. I heard my distant nephew in the Guards Knight talk yesterday. If it weren't for the demon hunter named Aylin in front of me, everyone in Elland would have died..."

"What? Really? I don't believe it. Ms. Agatha told me just a few days ago that we were spared that day because she tried her best to hold up a magic shield to protect the inner city..."

"Do you listen to Agatha? A few days before May Day, she was still complaining to me in Lady Betty's salon about Duke Mason making such a fuss that she, an elegant senior sorceress, was sent to Vizima to deliver some goods like a delivery boy. It's extremely unseemly. She also thinks that nothing will happen on May Day, thanks to the prophecy of High Priest Ianna, otherwise..."

"Thanks to the high priest indeed. Praise to the goddess Meriteri..."

"Praise to the goddess Meriteri..."

…

"Ladies, be silent. Demon hunters have keen senses. No matter how soft you speak, they can hear you. Besides, even I can hear your voice clearly."

Finally, an old male voice spoke up, and the restless noise stopped.

At this time.

The old Duke suddenly turned his head and stared at the demon hunter with a confused expression:

"I know that the Wolf School has encountered some...difficulties recently."

"But as long as you are willing to move to Elland, no one or any force will dare to embarrass you again under the protection of the Temerian royal family."

The old Duke spoke with force and domineering words.

But no one present could doubt the truth of this statement.

Although Temeria has just gone through wars, plagues and rebellions, no one dares to deny that she is still the strongest country in the entire northern continent.

in other words.

It was precisely because of these wars, plagues and rebellions that the countries in the northern continent saw clearly the strength and courage of Temeria.

Not only is she one of the three oldest human nations on this continent.

She is also the headquarters of the most powerful Knights of the Flaming Rose in the northern continent and the home of many knights. Its military strength is top-notch.

Even Falga, who bloodbathed the entire northern kingdom, could only return in defeat under the kingdom's iron cavalry, and eventually died in the hands of the Temerian king.

Even Oren, Temeria's own currency, can be regarded as one of the few common currencies in the northern continent and can be used in basically all countries.

therefore.

Temeria's military, economic, and political strength can be imagined.

Aylin didn't doubt this.

Temeria does have the strength of the Sanctuary Wolf School, and it's more than enough.

in addition.

There is indeed a hidden danger of monsters in Elland, and there is a large demand for demon hunters.

After all, so many people died on May Day, but it was still an accidental and unnecessary death.

Even if Meriteri's priests pray for burial, the probability of becoming a ghostly creature like a demon is not low.

Aylin just didn't understand. Why did the old Duke ask him this question?

He is just an ordinary demon hunter who has become a master demon hunter of the Wolf School for just half a year.

How could He De replace the leader of the school and agree to this condition?

It's getting cold. Do you want to put on some extra clothes for me?

Aylin glanced at Vesemir who was lowering his head in thought, considered his words, and said:

"I'm afraid this matter will have to be decided by Grandmaster Soi after I return to Kaer Morhen..."

The old Duke seemed to have expected this. After nodding slightly, he said nothing more.

"Tap tap tap~"

The sound of neat footsteps came from the city.

"It's begun." The old Duke said softly.

Aylin suppressed the remaining doubts in his heart, stood beside the old Duke and followed the footsteps.

A group of warriors wearing black armor walked out of the city gate neatly, four in a row.

That was the old Duke's demon-hunting army.

A large group of people with sad faces and white flowers in their hands followed.

Although their movements were scattered, they were not as organized as the black-armored warriors.

But there is an atmosphere of solemnity and sadness.

After walking out of the city gate, they naturally dispersed to both sides of the avenue, watching the black-armored knights take the large urn from the hands of the temple priests.

"Two thousand seven hundred and sixty people..."

"Two thousand seven hundred and sixty people died in Elland on May Day..."

The old Duke stared down, seeming to be talking to himself.

But the next second.

The witcher felt a glance glance at him.

"Witcher, do you know how many registered citizens there are in Elland?"

Aylin didn't reply.

Being accustomed to the old Duke's speaking style, he knew that this was not actually a question.

But the witcher can roughly guess a number.

"Eight thousand five hundred and seventy-four..." the old Duke said.

Yes.

Even though it is one of the largest cities in the entire northern continent, the number of people in Elland is less than 10,000.

Therefore, the death toll on May Day exceeded one-third of the city's total population.

certainly.

On May Day, many people came from out of town to celebrate the festival, and in medieval cities like the Witcher World, the number of people recorded was often different from the actual number.

But even so.

The total population of Elland on May Day will not exceed 10,000.

You can imagine what a city will look like if its population suddenly decreases by a quarter...

"The Wild Hunt is really sinful!" The witcher thought.

He glanced at the expressionless old duke.

In fact, to be more realistic and cruel, paying taxes, conscription, and prosperous cities...

In the witcher world that is similar to the Middle Ages, almost everyone in Elland is considered the property of Duke Mason.

So this May Day, he suffered heavy losses.

After saying a number inexplicably, the old duke fell silent again.

The witcher cast his eyes back to the city.

The sky was gloomy and the morning breeze was cool.

The black-armored knights under the city, in groups of two, carried large urns and walked forward along the avenue.

The ordinary citizens who attended the funeral on both sides held white flowers and followed on both sides, and many of them wiped their eyes from time to time.

Time can erase grief.

But just four days is far from enough.

"Rest in peace, eternal rest..."

"The mother of all things will protect you in His care..."

"Through His love and mercy..."

"The girl will guide you safely to the land of harvest and the place of abundance..."

"The mother hums a melodious lullaby for you to accompany you to sleep..."

"The old woman holds a lantern to watch over your descendants and relatives, so that they will not be lost in the darkness..."

"Sleep in the light, rest in peace..."

"All troubles are over now..."

...

I don't know when it started, but the priests following the black-armored soldiers began to hum sacred and solemn songs.

People on both sides of the road also spoke softly in response.

Over and over again.

Accompanied by crying, covering up sobs.

The emotional ladies on the tower also quietly pulled out silk cloths and wiped their tears.

Mary couldn't bear to look away and looked at the grass on one side.

Lysa closed her eyes tightly, and Vesemir sighed faintly.

Vera looked up at the gray clouds in the sky, not knowing what she was thinking.

In the end.

Songs were heard in the city behind her, as if every household was humming sad songs.

May the deceased forget their troubles, pain, and sorrow in another world.

But they also hope that they can remember the names of their loved ones and never forget them.

In the midst of this song, the black-armored soldiers arrived at their destination.

They put down the big urn, took the shovels that had been prepared long ago from the open space next to them, and began to dig on the side not far from the avenue.

Eh...

Ailin exclaimed in his heart.

That place seemed familiar.

After he thought about it for a while, he suddenly remembered...

Wasn't that the place where the demon spirit tide appeared on the night of May Day?

He was still wondering why the demon spirits appeared in that place.

The demon hunter had a guess in his mind.

Sure enough.

As time went by, the black-armored soldiers carefully dug out a container similar in shape to the large jar behind them and carried it to the truck that had been parked there for a long time.

While the demon hunter was stunned, the driver of the truck raised his long whip and made the horse speed up.

It was unknown where to transport these containers.

After the black-armored soldiers carefully moved all the large urns into the pit and began to fill the pit with soil...

"...Sleep in the light, rest in peace..."

"All the troubles are over now..."

...

The sound of humming hymns suddenly became louder. Although the lyrics sang about resting in peace, it seemed to be eager to let the deceased in the urn wait a moment...

Wait a moment...

Don't rush to throw yourself into the arms of the mother of all things, don't rush to follow the girl's brisk steps to leave, don't rush to listen to the mother humming the eternal lullaby...

Take another look...

Take another look at the living who are reluctant to leave him...

"Ah——"

"My little Pal, don't leave——"

Suddenly, a heart-wrenching scream came from the crowd, and a middle-aged woman with gray hair suddenly rushed out of the crowd and was stopped by the priests who were well prepared.

Then she was pulled back by the crowd who were also crying.

But the middle-aged woman was still struggling, shouting hoarsely:

"... Let me pass... My little Pal is only seven years old... How could he die at this time... Let me pass quickly..."

People around, even many priests, were trying to dissuade her.

But the middle-aged woman seemed to be crazy, and she kept asking questions, messing up her hair and trying to break free from the restraints of the crowd.

The black-armored knights who were digging and burying the body stopped their actions unconsciously.

"Woo--"

Suddenly, a suppressed cry came from the side.

The demon hunter looked over and saw that the little priest lowered her head and covered her face tightly with both hands, but the big tears kept seeping out from between her fingers and fell on the ground.

Vera glanced at Alin and Mary, sighed softly, and held her in her arms.

The little priest struggled for a few seconds, and seeing that she couldn't break free, she grabbed her skirt tightly with both hands and cried silently.

In the crowd.

A woman moved her feet, and finally retracted them.

Ailin also sighed, and when he turned his gaze back to look down at the city, he suddenly noticed the old duke, who was always expressionless and calm.

He clenched his hands tightly, so hard that his knuckles turned pale.

For some reason, after seeing this scene, Ailin suddenly felt a little guilty about his thoughts of "property" and "heavy losses".

The singing stopped.

The middle-aged woman in the distance was still struggling, and even many people in the crowd began to stir.

Just as the demon hunter was thinking about how the priest of Meliteli should solve this incident...

Suddenly...

It started to rain.

The drizzle fell from the sky.

It seemed that as the raindrops gently fell on the face of the middle-aged woman, her body suddenly froze.

She looked up at the sky with empty eyes.

After a few seconds, she fell to the ground with weakness.

The next moment.

"Ah-ah-"

The woman covered her face and cried loudly.

The commotion in the crowd also stopped suddenly, replaced by one cry after another, as if all the sadness accumulated in the past four days was washed out by the rain.

At this moment, no one could tell the difference between tears and rain.

The funeral continued.

"Bang~Bang~"

The dark brown soil hits the large pottery urn.

The dead children, wives, husbands, mothers, fathers...are buried deep in the soil.

"Rest in peace, eternal rest..."

"The mother of all things will protect you in His care..."

"Through His love and mercy..."

"The girl will guide you safely to the land of harvest and the place of abundance..."

"The mother hums a melodious lullaby for you to accompany you to sleep..."

"The old woman holds a lantern to take care of your descendants and relatives, so that they will not be lost in the darkness..."

"Sleep in the light, rest in peace..."

"All troubles are over now..."

...

The funeral is over.

At some point, the crowd hummed a sacred and solemn ballad again.

Spread the white flowers in their hands one by one on the nameless grave.

"Lord Mason, the ceremony is over, and the rain is getting heavier. Take shelter from the rain!" On the tower, a servant came over to remind.

But when the old duke heard this, he just raised his hand to interrupt.

Then he stood in the rain, looking at the people who were singing funeral songs in the city regardless of the wind and rain, and the nameless cemetery that was gradually dyed pure white.

Behind him, the nobles who were gradually wet by the rain looked at each other, but no one dared to speak at this time.

For a long time.

After the people in the city presented the bouquets, they bent down and said the last words to the deceased, and gradually returned.

On the gate tower, each noble cast his eyes on the young noble on the other side of the old duke.

The young noble hesitated for several seconds before turning sideways and whispering:

"Father..."

Before he finished the title, he heard a "dong".

The old duke knocked his cane hard on the ground, interrupting the young noble.

The whispers around him disappeared immediately.

"Witcher..." The old duke turned around suddenly and looked directly into Arryn's eyes.

The witcher could see that the seemingly calm dark brown pupils were burning with an unextinguishable rage.

"I want revenge, revenge at all costs..."

"So tell me, demon hunter..."

"Who should the White Iris lance charge at!!!"