His Adam's apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed with difficulty.
He had never witnessed a sorcerer cast such a miraculous spell with his own eyes, and his heart was inevitably uneasy, but seeing that both the young master and the other person had already entered.
He gritted his teeth, nodded to the astonished Hans and the other person, took a deep breath, mustered his courage, took a step, and then rushed into the portal.
The moment Dalton's figure vanished, the portal, just as it had appeared, suddenly shrank and disappeared.
Only a few easily dissipated energy ripples were left in the air.
Silence returned to the garden, leaving only the dumbfounded Hans and Jack.
Jack recovered his senses, looking somewhat lost at where the portal had vanished, and murmured, "He said before that he was studying with a professor…"
"After not seeing him for a while, could it be—he went to learn sorcery?"
Hans slowly nodded, the shock still lingering on his face, his voice a little dry: "Mr. Jack, perhaps—you are right."
Karl, Raymond, and Dalton passed through the portal.
—
Except for Karl, both felt a brief sense of weightlessness and spatial distortion, and after a slight discomfort, their feet were on solid ground.
What greeted their eyes was the interior of the academy, the hall where Hen had been before, not the Erlend Duchy.
Karl needed Hen's help; his mastery of teleportation spells was not profound enough to directly pinpoint Erlend, a place he had never visited.
To his knowledge, ultra-long-distance and precise teleportation could currently only be achieved stably by Hen, his teacher, and another high-ranking sorceress, Tissaia, along with a very few top sorcerers in the entire Brotherhood.
Hen seemed to have anticipated their arrival, or rather, he sensed the energy fluctuations from Karl opening the portal, and was standing quietly to the side.
Karl had no time for pleasantries, briefly explaining the reason and destination: "Teacher, I need to go to the Temple of Melitele in Erlend to treat him."
Hen's gaze swept over Raymond, who was extremely weak and almost completely leaning on Karl, and Dalton, who was looking around the academy environment with a mix of tension and curiosity.
He did not ask any superfluous questions, nor did he waste any time, simply nodding calmly: "Alright."
Again, without any gestures or incantations, a portal appeared instantly, much faster than the one Karl had opened earlier.
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"To near the Temple District of Erlend," Hen said concisely.
"Thank you, Teacher!" Karl nodded gratefully, helping Raymond step into this portal.
Dalton dared not delay and followed closely behind.
The light flashed again, and after a brief sensation of weightlessness, the three found themselves in an unfamiliar place.
Underfoot was a solid flagstone path, and the air was filled with the rich fragrance of flowers and the scent of damp earth, unlike the herbal and old book smells of the academy.
Before them was a vast, ancient, and magnificent building, with towering arches and vine-covered walls, speaking of the passage of time.
It was the Temple of Melitele, surrounded by green trees, birdsong, and fragrant flowers, a scene of peace and tranquility.
Before Karl could help Raymond take a step forward, or even get a good look at the entire temple.
Behind them, a slightly surprised, deep voice, incredibly familiar to Karl, suddenly rang out.
"Karl? Why are you here, and what was that just now—are you a sorcerer?"
Hearing this voice, Karl immediately recognized its owner.
He turned his head and, sure enough, saw Geralt with his white hair standing not far away.
However, Geralt's situation at the moment did not seem easy; he was confronting a group of knights clad in plate armor engraved with the White Rose emblem.
Leading them was a dwarf with a thick beard, sharp eyes, and carrying a long-handled hammer.
Karl indeed hadn't expected to encounter Geralt outside the Temple of Melitele in Erlend.
This surprise even temporarily diluted his anxiety about Raymond's condition.
When his gaze swept over Geralt, he immediately noticed that something was amiss with his state.
Geralt's abdomen and one arm were wrapped in thick bandages, faintly showing traces of herbs and blood.
Moreover, there was an almost imperceptible sluggishness in Geralt's movements.
What concerned Karl even more was the old woman standing beside Geralt.
She had a small satchel hanging at her waist, and a hood-like cover over her head; her demeanor was serene, clearly a priestess from the temple.
Her gaze was now fixed firmly on him.
Her eyes were extremely complex, mixed with the surprise of a first meeting and a scrutinizing, bewildered look as if seeing someone very familiar.
Karl, supporting Raymond, took a few steps closer to Geralt, and with the corner of his eye, glanced at the group of hostile White Rose Knights.
"Geralt? Why are you here too? And—you're quite injured," he asked directly.
A flicker of embarrassment quickly crossed Geralt's expressionless face, but he soon regained his composure.
He responded in a deep voice: "After I left Badov, while traveling and taking on contracts, I encountered another Vampire Bird—"
"Although—her situation was somewhat different from Princess Adda's, I still got a bit injured because of it."
Geralt's words were concise, clearly not wanting to dwell on the details of his mishap.
Karl was about to ask a couple more questions about the Vampire Bird, or inquire if Geralt needed help.
However, a voice from the White Rose Knights rudely interrupted their conversation.
"Hey, listen! This is not a place for you to chat!"
A young man with a shaved head, a youthful face, and an arrogant demeanor, stepped forward, his right hand on the hilt of his sword at his waist.
He first cast a disdainful glance at Karl and Raymond's attire, which, though of good quality, lacked noble crests.
His tone was utterly condescending, and he pointed a finger at Geralt: "No matter who you are, if you don't want trouble, you'd best stay away from this freak!"
"Make sure you hear me clearly, I won't warn you a second time!"
Then, he turned to Geralt, his voice becoming even colder and more impolite: "Butcher of Blaviken! The Erlend Duchy does not welcome you, executioner!"
"Leave this place immediately, or else, don't blame us for being impolite!"
As his words fell, several White Rose Knights behind him uniformly stepped forward, their hands on their sword hilts.
A chilling atmosphere instantly spread, suggesting they were ready to swarm and beat Geralt at the slightest disagreement.
Hmm? Not only threatening Geralt, but daring to threaten him too? Karl's face instantly turned cold.
Dalton tensed his body, his hand also on his sword hilt, staring intently at the White Rose Knights.
He immediately stepped forward to guard Karl, ready for battle.
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