The Witcher World: The Path to Domination Begins in Velen

Erwin nodded, wrote "Calradia" in the blank space next to the map with charcoal, and then drew a question mark.

"Does your country... have magic? Sorcerers? Mages?"

Karl frowned

"No"

"No?" Erwin paused, taken aback. "What do you mean?"

"It means exactly what it says, no," Carl said. "There are wizards, but they're just tricks and deceptions. We've never seen any magic except in ancient legends."

Erwin stopped, turned his head, and glanced at Ron in the back row. Ron was leaning against a pillar with his arms crossed in front of his chest, his expression unchanged.

Erwin slowly turned back, his gaze sweeping across the map.

"Do you have monsters where you live? Water ghosts, trolls, ghouls, werewolves, vampires?"

Karl thought for a moment: "There are wolves, bears, and..." He paused, then added, "Pirates."

"No monsters?"

"No"

Erwin remained silent for a long time; the hall was so quiet that the crackling of the torches could be heard.

"So how did you get here?" "A storm? The ship got swallowed by a whirlpool? And then you woke up here?"

"Yes," Carl said.

Erwin tapped the wooden stick twice on the plank, as if urging his brain to work, and began pacing back and forth, muttering to himself.

"A continent without magic...a continent without monsters...another continent...storms...whirlpools..."

He stopped in his tracks.

"Celestial Conjunction"

Carl didn't understand: "What?"

"Celestial conjunction," Erwin repeated, raising his voice slightly, "This is our academic theory."

Long ago, multiple worlds converged, and creatures from different worlds were left in our world—humans, monsters, magic… all came to this world when the celestial spheres converged.”

He looked at Karl, then at the other soldiers, and finally at Ron.

"If you come from a world without magic and monsters... then you didn't sail from Calradia to Velen; you came from another world to our world."

The hall was silent for a few seconds.

The soldiers looked at each other; some frowned, some remained expressionless, but no one spoke.

Erwin's gaze lingered on Ron.

Ron stood quietly in the back row, arms crossed, his expression calm, showing no surprise, no confusion, and not even a hint of trying to understand or refute.

He simply stood there, looking at Erwin, his gaze unchanged.

Erwin opened his mouth as if to ask something, but ultimately remained silent. He lowered his head, looked at the word "Calradia" drawn with a question mark on the wooden board, and then slowly put the stick down.

The firelight cast flickering light in the hall, and the soldiers' faces still bore expressions of bewilderment and unease.

From another world, celestial bodies meet, an unfamiliar continent, monsters and magic...

Just as people's hearts were in turmoil, Ron finally spoke.

The voice wasn't loud, but it was like a heavy iron weight, settling firmly into everyone's heart.

"What's the panic?"

Ron stood up, his gaze slowly sweeping over each face.

"This world has magic, sorcerers, and scholars who study the conjunction of celestial spheres. What you are hearing is not madness, but the real laws governing this continent."

He paused, his tone calm and composed, without a trace of confusion.

"We do come from another land, but so what? If we can survive in Calradia, we can survive here."

The soldiers looked up at their general.

"What we need to do now is not to dwell on where we came from, but to establish ourselves, repair the manor, train our troops, and protect this land that allows us to survive. When we are strong enough to summon those sorcerers and scholars, I will personally lead you to find your way home."

Ron's voice fell, clear and firm, without a trace of falsehood.

"This is my promise to you—Ron Arenicos, Prince of the Calradic Empire, your general."

The hall fell silent for a moment.

The next moment, someone gave a low response, and then more and more voices joined together:

"Yes, sir!"

Karl lowered his head slightly.

In the firelight, Ron stood at the forefront, his face calm.

Only he knew that the phrase "go home" was nothing more than a promise to reassure people.

What he truly wanted to do was to create a safe haven for himself and the veterans who had followed him through this chaotic world, a place where they could truly survive.

After Ron finished speaking, the hall was quiet for a moment.

The soldiers' shoulders gradually relaxed, but their eyes remained blank.

Erwin stood by the door, not moving an inch. He adjusted his glasses and took a step forward.

"There's one thing I'd like to add."

His voice wasn't as deep as Ron's; it carried a scholarly clarity and slowness, like correcting a student's mistake in class.

"You all thought the celestial conjunction was something extraordinary, right?"

He scanned the soldiers' faces.

"It's not surprising, because you and I, and everyone else on this continent, are no different."

"Humans are not native to this continent. Elves lived here for thousands of years before humans came to this world. Where did humans come from? They came from the convergence of the celestial spheres, just like you, from another world."

Someone in the hall frowned.

Erwin continued speaking, not quickly but clearly.

"The earliest human ancestors, traveling by boat—just ordinary boats—were swept into the rift where the celestial spheres meet by a storm, and then appeared on the coast of this continent. They came from a world without magic or monsters, just like you. When they first saw the longships of the elves and the griffins flying in the sky, their legs went weak with fear."

"But they survived, took root in this land, built villages, cities, and kingdoms, and hundreds of years later, their descendants have forgotten this history and believe that they have always belonged to this land."

He stopped and looked at Carl.

"The library at Orsonford University contains records about how our ancestors arrived on this continent from the intersection of the celestial spheres. I'm not talking about mythology; I'm talking about history."

I, Erwin von Herder, Professor of History at Ossenfort University, am the one who studies this history.

He tucked the wooden stick under his armpits and spread his hands out.

"So listen carefully, you are not aliens. You are just like every other human being on this continent, except that our ancestors came earlier and you came later—that's all."

The soldiers looked at each other; some opened their mouths slightly, while others slowly relaxed their clenched fists.

Erwin stepped back, returning the central position to Ron.

"I'm done speaking," his voice returned to its slightly hoarse, calm tone.

Ron looked at his loyal subordinates, feeling nothing at all.

Come back home?

Once he has truly established himself, these veterans who have followed him will become the pillars of his future kingdom, military lords, hereditary nobles, titles, families, and legacies... he will have everything.

Those who remain in this world will be the elite, and they will naturally have a choice when the time comes.

But he wouldn't say it out loud, nor would he need to. As long as it allows people to live and keep fighting, it's worth making a solemn promise.