Lynn had Letho collect the soldiers' equipment while he himself tried to soothe the terrified elven villagers.

"You don't need to be afraid. We are not human; we are witchers."

The elves were momentarily stunned. "Witchers?"

They then noticed that Lynn's and Letho's attire was indeed different from that of ordinary soldiers.

"Look at our eyes. Human eyes aren't like this."

"They look… like a cat's."

"Exactly. That's why we're witchers. Don't worry, we won't harm you."

Lynn's handsome face and gentle smile finally put the elves at ease.

"Thank you, two witcher masters, for saving us. Alas, we have little to offer in return for your great kindness."

Lynn magnanimously waved his hand. "It's nothing, don't worry about it."

He hadn't intervened for financial gain in the first place.

Sometimes, doing a good deed and gaining emotional satisfaction was reward enough.

Lynn conversed with them for a while, further relaxing the villagers.

Then, he subtly changed the subject, asking, "What are your plans now?"

"Plans?"

The elves' expressions froze.

The relief of surviving the ordeal faded, replaced by bewilderment about the future.

Most of their village had been killed; they needed to bury the dead, and they also had to consider how to farm with insufficient manpower.

But these thoughts were about the "future" that would trouble them eventually, while Lynn was referring to the urgent "present."

"The ones who attacked your village weren't just these dozen or so soldiers, were they? When the other soldiers realize these men haven't returned, they will surely find this place."

"If you're still in the village then, I'm afraid…"

Lynn didn't continue the sentence.

He merely shook his head.

But everyone else understood his meaning.

The complexions that had just started to improve now turned pale again.

The villagers suddenly realized the gravity of the situation and became panicked.

They had just been celebrating their rescue by the two witchers.

But hearing Lynn say that the other soldiers would return made them feel as if the sky had fallen.

If those soldiers came back here, they would surely lose their lives.

"Damn it, let's just fight them!"

A strong, young elf couldn't help but shout.

More elves, however, shook their heads and sighed.

They didn't even have weapons; how could they fight a regular army?

Civilians untrained in combat, no matter how numerous, were just a disorganized mob.

Amidst their sighs, one elf, upon seeing Lynn, suddenly brightened, as if an idea had struck him. He immediately spoke, grasping at a lifeline.

"Witcher master, please, take us away from here."

The others also seemed to awaken from a dream.

Yes!

Since that group of soldiers would be here soon, couldn't they just leave?

As for what they would do after leaving this land, which their ancestors had relied on for generations, there was no solution for that now, was there? They could only take it one step at a time, right?

Lynn didn't refuse. "Alright, let's go now."

The elves expressed their thanks, but one elf hesitated: "Master, could you give me a moment? I'll go back and pack some belongings; it'll be quick, just a moment."

Seeing this, others also wanted to go home and retrieve some things, but Lynn said in a serious tone, "There's no time! No one knows when those soldiers will return. If they come back quickly and we delay our escape, we'll lose more than we gain."

Hearing Lynn's words, no one insisted on going back for their belongings.

The journey back was smooth; the group encountered no unforeseen incidents and returned to the rendezvous point, reuniting with the others.

The others, upon hearing of the elves' plight, showed expressions of sympathy and pity.

But this was no place to linger.

So the group set off, bypassing the elven settlement and the direction from which the malicious soldiers had departed, continuing their journey towards Kaer Morhen.

Suddenly, Lynn felt a horse approaching beside him.

Turning his head, he saw Tissaia riding closer.

She glanced back at the elves, whose faces were filled with a mix of tension, unease, panic, bewilderment, and fear, and asked in a hushed voice, "Lynn, what do you plan to do with these elven commoners? Where will you take them?"

"If they have somewhere to go, I will escort them. But if not, I currently have no other solution."

This was a lie.

In truth, Lynn already had a nascent idea for how to settle these elven commoners.

But there was no need to reveal every thought to others.

Hence, he pretended he hadn't thought of a plan.

"I do have an idea. You must know Francesca Findabair, right? She's one of the very few elven sorceresses in the Brotherhood of Sorcerers."

"I have a way to contact her. I imagine, as an elven sorceress, she would be very willing to take in these elven commoners."

Lynn remained noncommittal: "We'll see later. Anyway, we're not short on rations for these dozen or so people, so let them come along for now."

Although he said this aloud, Lynn had already inwardly rejected the proposal.

Tissaia might not fully understand, but Lynn knew that the future Scoia'tael, currently known as the Free Elves, were backed by Francesca.

It was she who provided them with weapons, equipment, supplies, and everything else the commandos needed.

If these elven commoners were handed over to Francesca, it likely wouldn't be long before they transformed into hate-filled "Scoia'tael."

Lynn himself was not a human supremacist; he wasn't even human himself, so how could he advocate for human supremacy?

He held no prejudice or discrimination against elves.

What he detested were those Free Elves—the future Scoia'tael—who, after being oppressed by human nobles and armies and rising up, then turned around and oppressed human commoners.

A brave man's anger draws a blade against the stronger; a coward's anger draws a blade against the weaker.

If the Scoia'tael targeted human nobles, armies, and military installations, one could argue it was a matter of different allegiances.

But the Scoia'tael's targets were any easy prey; they attacked villages, strung up unarmed human commoners on trees, and riddled them with arrows.

That was no longer a difference in allegiance, but outright terrorism.

It belonged to the category of "caught at the airport, shot at the airport; caught in the toilet, drowned in the toilet."

.....

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