Wizard: This witcher is neglecting his duties.

Chapter 295 The Approaching War

The disaster in the Kingdom of Cordwin, the devastation suffered by the Brotherhood of Warlocks, and the spread of hellish monsters not only made the entire north more mysterious and dangerous, accelerating the chaos in the northern kingdoms, but also attracted the attention of the southern empire of Nilfgaard, which had been expanding by force and eyeing the resources of the northern kingdoms.

While all the northern kings were focused on their own domestic affairs and trivial matters, a crisis that was about to engulf the entire north was quietly approaching.

However, crisis, crisis!

Danger breeds opportunity, whether for ambitious northerners, soldiers from the south, mercenaries who sell their lives for money, or the Witcher Order; it is an opportunity for them to rise rapidly.

Three years passed in the blink of an eye, and it was now 1256. There were still six years until Ciri and Geralt met in the original story.

The disappearance of the mist did not improve the situation in the Kingdom of Cordwin. On the contrary, the continuous spread of thousands of monsters shook the very foundation of the kingdom's rule.

Although the fog was dangerous, it only covered about one-fifth of the country. Most other areas, while facing some threats, were still able to sustain ordinary people.

Now that all the monsters in the mist have spread to the forests, fields, and villages, the villagers, who have neither equipment nor combat skills, are unable to withstand the monsters' attacks and can no longer live in those unprotected, dilapidated villages.

Instead of building high walls, they allocated most of their able-bodied young men to train guards and militia to protect the safety of their families.

It means abandoning one's hometown, taking all one's belongings, and going to a city with stronger defenses to accept the fate of being exploited.

Today, the wilderness of Kordwin has become a paradise for monsters. The escaped Fallen Wizards have become minor leaders of various monster groups, resurrecting countless corpses and occupying various parts of the Kingdom of Kordwin.

Those surviving, depraved humans, under the command of certain leaders, became the most savage bandits in the wilderness.

They attacked towns, plundered villages, captured surrendered residents, and converted them into their own, forming a pattern similar to bandit camps or even small warlords throughout the country.

However, at present, these are only troubles within the Kingdom of Cordwin and have not yet spread to the neighboring countries.

Because Henselt remained unconscious, the two major noble factions continued their conflict in their struggle for the throne.

Lacking unified leadership, the Kingdom of Cordwin's strength declined rapidly, leaving it utterly incapable of dealing with these troubles.

Originally, as a spellcasting group from the north, the Brotherhood of Sorcerers had a responsibility to help the Kingdom of Cordwin rid itself of these monsters from another world.

However, during these three years, corrupted warlocks, corrupted by the power of hell, began to appear around the world, causing a lot of trouble and tying down much of the Warlock Brotherhood's power.

It seems that because they lost control of the demon king Baal, and because they were spellcasters themselves, these people gradually regained some autonomy.

However, the evil forces of hell have a permanent effect on them, and their personalities have changed drastically, becoming cruel, cunning, fierce, and raging, with a love for killing and creating chaos.

These corrupted warlocks are not like those monsters, who can only slowly spread from the Kingdom of Cordwin to the surrounding areas.

As spellcasters, they quickly spread throughout the north, even secretly forming an evil spellcaster group that recruited many social outcasts and wandering warlocks to fight against the Warlock Brotherhood. The headquarters of this organization was located somewhere in Cordwin, which had lost official control.

According to incomplete statistics, about 30% of the civilians in the Kingdom of Cordwin have become refugees and fled to other neighboring countries.

Meanwhile, the peasants who went to the towns to make a living were on the verge of collapse due to soaring prices and the exploitation by the nobles.

In these medieval states, nobles, in order to maintain their luxurious lifestyles, shifted the burden onto the common people under their rule. The rivalry between the two major noble groups consumed more and more resources, which inadvertently exacerbated this phenomenon.

However, before the Kingdom of Cordwin could even face major problems, a sudden war had already befallen it in the face of various difficult circumstances.

………………

Blue Mountains, Kaer Mohen.

Three years have passed, and the Witcher's Castle that had stood for hundreds of years has long been demolished. With the cooperation of skilled elven architects and energetic giant craftsmen, the castle has become a castle town that resembles a small military fortress.

Although it is still named Kael'thas by Wayne, it has walls, towers, horse farms, gardens, blacksmith workshops, and all sorts of facilities.

It combines the elegant and exquisite architectural style of the elves with the massive workload of the giants. Even if this castle were placed in the entire northern kingdoms, it would definitely be considered a magnificent building that would leave people speechless and in awe.

At this moment, in the magnificent council hall of the castle, Wayne sat in the head seat, one hand supporting his cheek, his head tilted, looking at his subordinates sitting around the council table with a rather lazy gaze.

Aegra, a beautiful tree spirit dressed in a light yellow dress, was holding a pot of tea, temporarily acting as a personal secretary, and looking at everyone present with somewhat naive and youthful eyes.

"Boss, according to our latest intelligence, Demavi of the Kingdom of Aden has led an army of 10,000 men into the territory of the Kingdom of Cordwin."

"Based on their marching route, they are expected to surround Sherella, the city where Earl Carwin is located in the south, tomorrow."

"This King of Aden has a clear objective. He has probably already made deals with many people in secret and has been planning for a long time. It seems that he is preparing to take a piece of the territory of the Kingdom of Cordwin."

The one speaking at this moment is Julia, the little cat dressed in a bright suit of armor. As a subordinate of Wayne who controls the mercenary group, she is probably the most well-informed about the outside world, second only to her ally Francesca.

Due to the dangerous environment in the Kingdom of Cordwin in recent years, the country's demand for mercenaries has greatly increased. In addition to her own Cat Paw Mercenary Group, this young lady has recruited thousands of mercenaries to serve as guards for caravans and has joined the Wayne Merchant Guild, which has become famous in the north.

As the longest-established kingdoms of Temeria and Kordwin, she had countless intelligence agents within these two countries, enabling her to obtain information on all sorts of matters, big and small, which provided Wayne with considerable convenience.

"Boss, if Demavia successfully defeats Earl Carne, the nobles of the entire southern part of the Kingdom of Cordwin might all pledge allegiance to the Kingdom of Aden."

"At that time, half of Cordwin will be annexed by Aden, and given King Demavie's domineering nature, he might affect your plans."

"Do we need to do anything?"

(End of this chapter)