The Witcher World: The Path to Domination Begins in Velen

"Special consultant position: I offer you patronage in exchange for your expertise; you don't need to address anyone as master."

There is no need to swear allegiance to anyone; daily expenses are provided by the manor; and magical support is required in special circumstances, which is considered a formal entrustment.

Kayla listened attentively without replying immediately. She ran her finger lightly around the rim of the teacup before looking up.

"What if my presence attracts witch hunters, or even the regular army of Redania? Can your pitiful earthen walls and militia hold them off?"

"Witch hunters, if they dare, then come on. I won't let any outsiders set foot on this land."

Kayla looked at him, not with the sarcastic gaze she had before, but with a more careful, re-assured look, and put down her teacup.

"Alright, but I won't fight for you or kill for you. I'll decide the direction of my research myself. If you really run into big trouble, then come find me."

"Sure. Also, there's a child on the estate who is my adopted daughter. You'll be responsible for teaching her to read and to herbalism."

Kayla stopped holding the book, turned around, and looked at him with an expression that was a mixture of helplessness and disbelief.

"You mean, I not only have to be your garrison sorcerer, but also the tutor for your children?"

She closed the book and tapped her forehead with the spine: "Go ahead, before I regret it, next time we meet..."

Remember to bring a bottle of Novigrad red wine, not that scary armor of yours, which probably has magic-blocking gold in it—it's such a nasty smell.

"If you want me to tutor the kids, you'll need to offer something more valuable in return. Hmm... let her go pick some sage first; I'm not going to put the slug to sleep."

After she finished speaking, she tucked the book under her arm, turned and walked into the inner room. Her golden hair swung over her shoulder in a light golden arc, and she tapped the magic lamp lightly with her fingertips, causing the light to flicker.

Before closing the door, she slipped a brass ring off her finger and tossed it gently to Ron: "Wear this, and it won't trigger the alarm next time you cross the barrier. Goodbye."

Ron looked down at the ring in his palm, then put it in his pocket.

Kayla moved to the estate two days later.

She brought only two trunks: one filled with spellbooks, scrolls, and potion bottles, and the other containing her silk sheets and several fine dresses from her cabin.

Erwin arranged for her a detached stone house near the herb garden, which had been used by the former castle steward. It had a fireplace, and the room was spacious and well-lit.

Kayla stood in the doorway, giving the room a critical look before casually cleaning up the cobwebs in the corner with magic.

"It's better than your barracks," she said. "At least it doesn't smell of horse manure."

That evening, Gretka peeked out from the edge of the herb garden and saw the blonde woman standing at the entrance of the stone house, directing several soldiers to move boxes. She was wearing an exquisite robe that no one in the manor had ever worn before.

Gretka peeked out from behind Aina and whispered, "Is she a princess?"

Kayla heard this, turned around, looked at the girl with pigtails, and then looked at Gretka, who was squatting by the herb garden, clutching the herb in her hand.

"You're the little one who asked me to tutor her?" She bent down and lightly flicked Gretka's forehead with her finger.

"First, identify the weeds in your hand. Tomorrow morning, bring me a basket of fresh sage, and then we can talk about tutoring."

She straightened up, turned and walked into the stone house, her green robe flashing past the edge of the door frame.

Gretka rubbed her forehead where she had been flicked, looked up at Aina, her expression a mix of confusion and curiosity.

Aina didn't say anything, but simply moved the basket of herbs she was holding to the side to make room for her.

The girl with pigtails leaned closer and whispered to Gretka, "You're going to take classes with that older sister from now on? Can I go with you?"

The next day, Kayla's magic lamp was hung on the beam of the new laboratory, and the entire stone house was enveloped in a soft blue halo.

"Little one, have you ever attended classes before? Can you read? Count? Do you recognize any medicinal herbs?"

"I recognize the herb 'Hundred-Remedy Herb'," Gretka counted on her fingers. "And the broom flower, and that... that one that smells like mud after rain, I don't know what it's called."

"The stuff you described that smells like mud after rain is probably mole yarrow."

Kayla pushed the basket of sage herbs aside, took a glass bottle from the medicine shelf, and placed it in front of Gretka. "I won't let you touch these today. You can't even pronounce their names properly. Come here and stand here."

Kayla took out the smallest brass balance scale, placed a small bunch of dried broom flowers on the pan, and pointed to the scale. "First, divide these broom flowers into three equal piles and weigh them on the balance scale."

Gretka stared at the scales for a while, then reached out and carefully picked up a broom flower and placed it on the tray on the left.

After dividing the items into three piles, Gretka lowered her hands, looked up at Kayla, and waited for her to speak.

Kayla put down her teacup: "Lesson one: weighing, you need to be precise down to the weight of the leaf. You're still far from perfect, but at least you didn't tip the scales over, which is better than I expected."

Gretka grinned, revealing a noticeable gap in her jaw where she was missing a front tooth.

Ron stood outside the laboratory window, his arms crossed over his chest. Through the wooden window, he saw Gretka standing on tiptoe, placing broom flowers on the scales. Kayla sat beside her, legs crossed, holding a teacup, still criticizing her, but watching her intently.

Kayla suddenly stood up, pushed open the wooden window, put her hands on her hips, and stared straight at Ron, her green eyes filled with annoyance.

"With you standing here, my scales are no longer accurate. The anti-magic gold is interfering with my instruments. Also, you scared her. She could have separated them much faster."

Gretka peeked out from behind the scales, a tiny clump of broom flower petal still clinging to her lips, and raised her little hand to defend Ron: "I wasn't scared! I sorted them really fast!"

"You weren't scared, but your hands trembled a couple of times," Kayla turned and glared at Gretka, pressing her back into her seat. Then she turned to Ron and said, "Get away from me. She's a good girl. You're just getting in my way."

Ron tilted his head, then turned and walked along the stone path toward the training ground.

Gretka's voice drifted out of the lab window: "Could I weigh just a little more? Just a little bit." Kayla replied impatiently, "We'll see next time. I decide what's taught in this class."

Then came Gretka's giggles and the soft tapping of the balance tray on the table.

A few days later, Ron arranged for Miko to lead a squad of regular troops to escort a batch of Kayla's magical items across the swamp.

With this, Kayla Metz officially moved into Calard Manor. Ron stood in the courtyard and could see the blue magical light shining through the windows, mingling with the scent of herbs emanating from Aina's herb garden in the afternoon sunlight.

In the direction of the training field, Hans was practicing battle formation coordination with Miko at the front of the formation. His steps were not yet proficient, but he tried his best to keep up with every command.

From the direction of the blacksmith's shop, the sound of Brom's hammer remained the most consistent background noise throughout the entire manor.