"Allen, I've already decided, we—hmm?"
Lowering her head, Mary was quickly reviewing the lines she had prepared in her mind when she suddenly wrinkled her nose, catching a strong scent of roses. She froze, looked up—and screamed in shock as if seeing a ghost.
"Why is it you?!!"
The one who opened the door wasn't Allen, but Philippa Eilhart.
Her eyes were half-lidded with sleep, and she lazily wore a rose-red silk nightgown.
The gown's low neckline revealed a large, snow-white expanse of cleavage, and she stood there in all her languid radiance, opening the door just like that.
"Why can't it be me?" Philippa Eilhart leaned charmingly against the doorframe, lips curved with amusement. "My quarters in Kaer Morhen are right here. Who exactly did you expect to open the door for you?"
"Of course, Al—" Mary blurted out instinctively but then stopped herself abruptly, frowning at Philippa Eilhart with clear irritation. "Why should I tell you?"
"And besides, this isn't your room. The school arranged a separate one for you, right next to Lady Tissaia de Vries'. Wait—where's Allen?"
Suddenly realizing something, Mary's eyes went straight to Philippa Eilhart's exposed chest. Her heart seemed to stop, and her face instantly went pale.
Her body swayed slightly. She pushed Philippa aside and rushed into the room.
Carpet, curtains, ruby decorations…
The large, soft bed covered with a wine-red velvet blanket was perfectly neat.
The smell of rose oil in the air, rather than getting stronger as she entered, actually became fainter.
Mary's face flushed red, her delicate cheeks puffing up in anger like a goldfish blowing bubbles.
"Philippa Eilhart, this kind of prank isn't funny. It's utterly tasteless."
Mary glared furiously at her.
"Hahaha," Philippa Eilhart laughed aloud. "No, Margarita Laux-Antille, it is funny—and quite amusing, too."
As she spoke, her gaze drifted from Mary's flushed face down to the small leather satchel at her side.
Before she could get a good look, Mary quickly shifted the strap, hiding the pouch behind her back.
"Especially when one knows someone came here intending to replace me," Philippa said lightly.
Snap!
She snapped her fingers, and the silk gown instantly transformed into a sleek leather outfit.
The lazy drowsiness vanished from her face in an instant.
Mary was silent for a long time. The redness on her cheeks slowly faded.
"Did Lady Tissaia de Vries tell you?" she asked quietly.
Philippa shook her head.
Not Tissaia de Vries? Mary froze, her brows furrowing.
If not Tissaia, then who—?
"You don't need to ask anyone in particular," Philippa said, shaking her head knowingly. "The whole of Kaer Morhen already knows."
"That's impossible!" Mary shouted.
How could the plan to rescue Hen Gedymdeith have spread everywhere?!
Philippa didn't mind being interrupted. "Of course, the details of the rescue mission aren't known to many. But rumors like 'Mary's going to fight the new sorceress over Allen' and 'the Archmistress and Lady Vera are at odds'—those have spread everywhere…"
"I heard several versions of it myself as soon as I returned from Kaer Village."
Mary fell silent.
She wished she could faint right then—just to avoid hearing any more of these mortifying words.
Gods above!
How could such rumors spread through Kaer Morhen?!
The apprentices were busy with training all day and had no time for gossip, nor access to such "high-level" information.
Vesemir, Danthe, and Master Aristo had both the time and the means to know, but they weren't the sort to spread such things…
There weren't even that many people in Kaer Morhen to begin with, so how—
Wait!
There was a group in the old fortress—people with plenty of channels for news and far too much free time…
"Clay! Spencer!" Mary ground her teeth furiously.
For some reason, standing before Philippa Eilhart made her feel guilty.
Technically, she was in the wrong. After all, she'd intended to take over someone else's mission—but she had her reasons: Philippa's attitude, her own competence, and the approval of Tissaia de Vries.
Still, with the person in question standing right before her, she couldn't get a word out.
"But it's fine…"
"What?" Mary snapped her head up.
"I said, you can take my place," Philippa said casually, waving a hand. "You know I've been quite busy lately, and it just so happens that I'm at a critical stage—I can't spare the time."
"I only came back this time to explain things to Allen first, and then ask him to help persuade the Archmistress to relieve me of the responsibility for rescuing Hen Gedymdeith and find a new partner."
"If you can take over, all the better."
In an instant, Mary felt like she had soared from the depths of hell straight into Melitele's land of harvest.
Her lips parted—she was about to say thank you—but then she suddenly thought of something she had overlooked.
"To explain things to Allen… and ask him…" Mary murmured, turning her head toward the neat, luxurious bed. "So you haven't actually… with Allen…"
"To be precise, I haven't seen Allen yet," Philippa shrugged. "I've been waiting here a long time, and to make sure I didn't miss him, I arrived before dawn."
"But as you can see… it seems Allen didn't come back at all last night."
"Do you know where he went?"
——
Where Allen had gone—that was indeed the question.
In theory, a Witcher who had tamed a royal griffin could go anywhere on the Continent.
Considering his restless nature, the likelihood increased even more.
But in reality, Allen himself had told her that the royal griffin was nesting and wouldn't return until next spring.
Without the griffin's help, the mission to rescue Hen Gedymdeith could change at any moment. By all reason, Allen shouldn't have left Kaer Morhen.
Yet, if he hadn't left Kaer Morhen, why hadn't he returned all night?
More importantly—why hadn't he mentioned it to her?
"How's the matter with Lado going?"
Uneasy, Mary broke the silence in the dim and empty corridor, trying to calm her unease.
The whereabouts of the exiled King of Kaedwen should have been an absolute secret.
But when Mary asked absentmindedly, Philippa Eilhart still answered seriously, for she knew that Vera's apprentice was a rather peculiar sorceress, one who cared nothing for worldly power.
"I used a few connections to win over some of the northern Kaedweni nobles. Temeria and Redania are both very interested in the shattered Kaedwen—and wary of Aedirn's unstoppable advance. They've made quite a few real promises and temporary alliances…"
"Oh…" Mary nodded absentmindedly in response.
But then she suddenly looked up, startled, and stared at Philippa Eilhart. "You're the one who won over the nobles for Lado—contacting Temeria and Redania?"
Philippa Eilhart understood what she was truly asking and nodded calmly.
"After a long period of contact, Lado hired me as a temporary advisor. Once the restoration of Kaedwen is complete, I'll serve as the kingdom's court sorceress and magical consultant."
"So, Margarita, I truly am busy—and for the foreseeable future, I'll only be getting busier. I can't spare the time to rescue Hen Gedymdeith."
"But a Kaedweni magical advisor…" Mary hesitated, then couldn't help but remind her, "Kaedwen has always been Ban Ard's private domain—there's never been a female sorceress appointed…"
"That's exactly why it's an opportunity, Margarita," Philippa Eilhart interrupted her. "Before you studied under Lady Vera, you too were once of Aretuza."
"We both know how hard Aretuza's children work…"
"The laboratory lights burn purple all night long. Except for the monthly rest day, even apprentices who have full control over their chaotic power are still 'confined' to Thanedd Island—let alone the lower-ranked ones…"
"To gain faster control over their magic, every Aretuza apprentice is forced in the operating room to sever their ability to bear children…"
"And then there are the dangerous experiments, the endless duels, the mountains of books…"
"Many apprentices resent Tissaia de Vries's harshness and praise Ban Ard's leniency—but what choice does the headmistress have?"
Philippa Eilhart clenched her fists; the more she spoke, the more agitated and furious she became.
This was a side of Philippa Eilhart that Mary had never seen before.
"Ban Ard's education and control over its apprentices are far inferior to Aretuza's. In every competition between the two academies, Aretuza always wins. Even the citizens of Ban Ard rarely take pride in being students of their own academy…"
"Yet after graduation, it's always Ban Ard's male mages who win the best positions, while Aretuza's graduates can only wait for scraps and leftovers…"
"There are one hundred and thirty-seven sorcerer working as officials across the Northern Continent. Ban Ard's mages occupy three-fourths of them, while Aretuza's female sorceresses account for less than one-ninth."
"In this male-dominated age, women are forever seen as symbols of weakness."
"The headmistress has no choice but to impose even stricter demands—to make Aretuza's cruelty infamous—so her apprentices can secure better jobs, instead of falling into beds, becoming toys for ordinary men to vent their desires and earn their living."
"But in the end, at least one-fifth of the apprentices every year, sooner or later, abandon the path of magic and sell their bodies instead…"
"Margarita, do you know?"
"In my years as an itinerant sorceress, I've seen too many who've fallen."
"And those fallen women aren't even the most enraging or heartbreaking ones…"
"Do you know what material is most commonly used for forbidden rites, experiments, and 'enhancements' in illegal supernatural circles?"
Mary instinctively shook her head, unable to suppress the chill that ran through her.
Philippa Eilhart, seeing Mary's timid expression, felt a pang of pity. She pressed her lips together and, without elaborating, shifted the conversation awkwardly: "Work, Margarita. Female sorceresses need more opportunities, at least fair opportunities."
"And these opportunities can only be seized from Ban Ard, from the hands of male mages…"
"So yes, I certainly know Kaedwen is the domain of male mages. But precisely because of that, once we Aretuza take Kaedwen, the fate of female sorceresses can truly change…"
"And now, with Kaedwen collapsing, sorcerers establishing their own kingdom, and the internal strife in Aedirn, this is the perfect opportunity!"
"So my sudden change of mind isn't because I don't care about Allen's life, but because opportunities are fleeting, and a higher cause awaits me…"
After saying this, Philippa Eilhart closed her eyes and calmed herself from the surge of emotion.
"Sorry, I lost my temper a bit," she said, smiling gently at Mary.
Autumn sunlight streamed through the cold windowsill, illuminating the dim stone corridor behind Philippa, casting a dazzling glow.
Mary silently shook her head. She truly hadn't expected that a casual question would get such a response.
After a few seconds of silence, Mary asked, "Lady Tissaia de Vries doesn't agree with your ideas?"
"Tissaia de Vries prefers order and stability," Philippa said softly. "She isn't wrong. Compared to the past, the rights of female sorceresses do slowly increase each year."
"And competing with Ban Ard and male mages for worldly power will inevitably disrupt order and stability. Moreover…"
Philippa's tone paused, and in a very quiet voice, she said, "Many people will die this way…"
"Then why?"
"Because now, and in the future, female sorceresses who are forced into brothels, left to beg, targeted by cults, or turned into experimental material are still human…"
Mary fell silent again.
She opened her mouth with difficulty, looking into Philippa Eilhart's bright amber-brown eyes: "Why are you telling me this?"
"You know why, Margarita…" Philippa looked away. "But this isn't an easy choice, and it shouldn't be made blindly out of impulse or pity."
"So think carefully, Margarita. I will wait for you."
Having said that, Philippa Eilhart didn't wait for Mary's response. She walked down the stone steps alone, from the golden sunlight into the dim darkness.
Mary stayed in place for a moment. Only when Philippa's figure disappeared at the end of the corridor did she step forward to follow.
She wanted to ask something, but when she opened her mouth, she didn't know what to say.
"Maybe I should ask Allen…"
Just as she stepped out of the tower into the glaring sunlight, she suddenly thought of a good idea.
Allen was always making choices, and he never seemed confused—he was always right.
Thinking this, Mary felt much lighter.
"Where should we go now?" Philippa Eilhart squinted against the sun.
"We'll go…"
Before Mary could finish, both sorceresses suddenly sensed something and looked up at the sky.
...
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