"Begin!"

The elves, with bows in hand, let loose a flurry of arrows. The sound of arrows thudding into targets echoed through the forest.

After each elf had shot about a dozen arrows, Lynn told them to stop.

"Alright, everyone stop."

The witcher mutations had given him exceptional eyesight. He didn't even need to walk to the targets to see them clearly.

He scanned the targets.

Each one was dotted with arrows, all clustered near the center of the bullseye, rather than scattered across the whole face of the target.

"Not bad," Lynn said with a nod of satisfaction.

Just like dwarves had an innate talent for mining, construction, and smithing, elves were indeed more gifted at archery than humans. They had only been training for a little over a week, and these elves could already hit a target eighteen meters away, with most shots landing near the bullseye. If he trained them for another two or three years, he could likely have a troop of elite archers who could hit a hundred-step target without fail.

"Take a break."

Lynn pulled out some pastries and water he had bought in Novigrad from his runed leather pouch and distributed them to the elves. They thanked him and found relatively clean spots to sit and eat.

Looking at these kind and simple elves, Lynn was glad he hadn't agreed to Tissaia's suggestion. These long-lived creatures, who had so much time to hone their archery skills, were much better off with him than becoming terrorists. What a waste that would have been.

As he was thinking, he saw a figure walk into the forest. It was Lambert.

"What's up? Tired of training the brats? Come over to watch us?"

"I am tired of it, but that's not why I'm here," Lambert said to Lynn, his usual mischievous grin gone. "Old man Vesemir wants you at the castle right away."

Seeing Lambert's serious expression, Lynn frowned. "What happened?"

"I can't explain it. Let the old man tell you."

Lynn didn't hesitate. He told the elves to pack up their gear and return to the castle with him.

Following Lambert, Lynn arrived at a room on the second floor of Kaer Morhen, where he saw Vesemir, Geralt, and Tissaia. They were gathered around a table, looking at something.

Lambert strode right in. Lynn, however, knocked first, which made everyone in the room look up.

"Master."

"Lynn, you've come at a good time. Come and take a look."

Vesemir beckoned him over.

Lynn walked closer and noticed a crystal clear sphere, about the size of a human head, sitting on the table. He blinked. Inside the sphere, he saw six figures on horseback, trekking through the snow.

Lynn recognized the Kaedwen crest on their shields.

"What are these Kaedwen soldiers doing in the Blue Mountains?"

Lambert crossed his arms. "Could they be scouts?"

Lynn shook his head. "Scouts? What are they scouting for? Is there anything left in Kaer Morhen worth coveting?"

Vesemir looked at Lynn. "Lynn, could it be that when you returned…"

"No, Master, you can rest assured about that," Lynn said, shaking his head again, his voice firm. "Ever since we entered Kaedwen territory, we deliberately avoided all the cities, towns, and villages. It couldn't have been our fault."

Tissaia chimed in, "Master Vesemir, we were indeed careful to bypass populated areas when we traveled. And I believe now is not the time to be assigning blame."

Lynn started to walk out. "Everyone, continuing to deliberate here won't get us anywhere. We might as well go and see what their intentions are."

Tissaia followed him.

"I'll go with you. You're good at fighting, but you might not be so good at other things. You wouldn't refuse the company of a high-level sorceress, would you?"

"Of course, Lady Tissaia. It would be our honor to have you join us."

Since someone needed to guard the castle, Lynn, Lambert, and Tissaia ultimately went together.

With Tissaia's reconnaissance magic, the trio quickly found the team of Kaedwen scouts on a main path. The six riders on horseback were completely oblivious to the three figures hiding on a nearby hillside.

"It's three against six. The advantage is ours. I say we just go and butcher them."

Lambert's tone was ruthless. The School of the Wolf had endured the Kaer Morhen massacre, and they were all wary of outsiders entering the Blue Mountains. Especially since these soldiers were clearly not lost travelers or hunters. They were prepared. Although Lambert usually complained about being a witcher, he would show no mercy to anyone who threatened Kaer Morhen.

But Tissaia's expression showed a hint of reluctance.

"These soldiers are just following orders. We should observe them a bit longer."

Although Tissaia was a high-level sorceress, living in a world of luxury and power, she was still unwilling to take lives without reason.

"Observe what? If we let them find Kaer Morhen, it'll be too late."

"Hold on, Lambert."

This time, Lynn sided with Tissaia. It wasn't out of simple compassion. If his family were threatened, he would be just as ruthless.

But on second thought, killing these men wouldn't solve the problem. If they were truly Kaedwen soldiers, no matter what their purpose was or who sent them, not letting them return was not a solution. Their masters could simply send more people. So they had to find a way to make their masters afraid.

He quickly came up with an idea, but it would require Tissaia's help.

The group's speculation was correct. This cavalry team was indeed a squad of Kaedwen soldiers sent by King Henselt, who ruled Kaedwen, for reconnaissance.

However, their purpose was not Kaer Morhen itself. Henselt wanted to acquire more land under the sun. Kaedwen was located in the northeastern corner of the known world. To its north was a small autonomous region called Aedirn. It was an exclave of Kovir, not an independent state.

Kaedwen was a universally disliked nation, isolated among the Northern Realms because its successive kings had done nothing but vile things. As a result, the Northern Realms often imposed trade embargoes and international sanctions on Kaedwen.

Other resources were manageable, but the kingdom suffered from a severe lack of iron. Without iron, they could not produce weapons or armor. But Aedirn and Redania, which bordered Kaedwen, refused to export iron ore to them.

.....

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