The entire Airetusa was in utter chaos, the sudden outbreak of violent slaughter left everyone too busy to care for others.
The traitor wizards had long been plotting, while the other wizards could only respond flexibly.
Margaret and Triss, during the inquiry at Gastang Palace, ended up fighting with Francisca and Fikat as the rebellion broke out.
At that time, the anti-magic array had been crushed by Viggo Fortez’s immense magic power, allowing everyone to cast spells freely.
Thus, practically in an instant, a pure-blooded elf and the current dean of Airetusa began a magical duel!
Former friendships and sympathies for the plight of non-human races were swept away by violence and conspiracy.
Francisca was a warlock from the same era as Tishaya, perhaps even older.
The lifespan of a pure-blood elf was extraordinary.
But even though the traitors struck first, Margaret, who had long been on guard, immediately fired her gun.
The unexpected and sudden non-magical attack struck Francisca’s shoulder, missing a kill by mere inches at the onset of battle!
Due to the burden of her injuries, the "most beautiful woman in the world" was forced to cooperate with Fikat, barely holding off Margaret and Triss before finally making a hasty retreat.
Yet even in the delaying, the traces of their magical bombardment almost shattered a rocky cliff outside Gastang Palace.
Triss and Margaret did not know the whereabouts of Matty Soderlind, who specialized in healing magic, but Lann was clear about it.
He directly dragged Geralt to the Crystal Cultivation Laboratory.
Only here could they save Gedemitis, who had his heart cut out.
When Lann arrived, it was just as he had expected.
The door he initially sealed had been opened correctly, and inside, several wounded warlocks lay in chaos, bleeding and wailing.
On a desk in the laboratory, Gedemitis, whose robe was soaked in blood, lay open and looked like a corpse.
The equipment in the Crystal Cultivation Laboratory was operating at maximum power.
A new heart was being formed in the transparent culture fluid, visibly growing.
And Matty Soderlind was still wearing her evening gown from the banquet.
Thin gauze that could reveal every curve of the body was now glued to her with blood, making even the enchanting body lines of the female warlock overshadowed by cruel red marks.
Matty used her magic to replace Gedemitis’s lost heart, pumping blood through his body, unable to free her hand for even a moment.
"New casualties? How’s it outside?"
"The rebellion is over, now it’s just cleanup. You can treat them here at ease. What’s Gedemitis’s status?"
"I can save him, as long as the heart doesn’t fail."
After Lann spoke, the female warlock turned around in surprise, and upon seeing the tall, strong figure, visibly relaxed.
Although they had only met a few times, this person, with his powerful and reliable body, conveyed a sense of security unmistakable when on the same side.
"This is..." Matty eyed Geralt, who Lann was dragging, "Yennefer’s lover?"
"To be precise," Lann placed Geralt in the laboratory, "he’s a lover. They’re not together just to make love."
"Yennefer... Ciri..." Even in slumber, Geralt kept murmuring the two names.
Matty sighed with a touch of jealousy, "Yes, it seems they are lovers... Was he hurt in the head, did he throw up?"
Lann pointed at the mixed traces of vomit and blood already trickling to Geralt’s stomach.
Matty nodded, "Good, it looks like a mild concussion. That leg should be fine with the technology here. It’s just the rest that requires time to heal."
"Rest..." Lann nodded, "I know a good place for him to recover, but for now, I’ll leave him in your care."
After entrusting Geralt to Matty for treatment, Lann headed down Sandy Island towards Luoxia Palace’s vicinity.
That’s where Margaret pointed as Tishaya’s direction earlier.
He heard a roar.
Lady Tishaya de Veris, usually meticulous to the point of rigidity, was now standing at the corner of a fragmentary tower.
She raised her hands, flames dancing in her palms. Chanting a spell, her voice was no longer steady and clear, rather close to a scream.
A dazzling, expanding fireball roared downward as it flew out.
The fireball from Tishaya’s hand seemed powerful enough to collapse a city wall!
"Boom!!!"
She really knocked down a city wall.
Lann heard the sound of the wall collapsing, along with startled screams and the commotion of a hasty retreat.
"Get back!" Tishaya shouted downwards with a fury Lann had never seen before, "No one invited the kings’ lapdogs here! Those kings you serve are also short-sighted fools!"
A timid voice came from below in negotiation: "Honored Lady Tishaya, we, we just want to come in and help! The North has already lost too many warlocks overnight, we can help clear the rubble and treat the wounded!"
"The municipal staff of Gos Velen are also here! We mean no disrespect or malice towards the warlocks, we just want to help..."
"I said, get out!"
The flames swelled again, burning the air with a dull roar.
"Stop, Tishaya!" Lann hurried closer, shouting at the same time, "Don’t continue, the rebellion is over! What you’re doing to those people amounts to a massacre!"
"Shut up, Lann!"
Tishaya screamed.
"The internal strife that disrupted the unity of the wizards is over, this island is still ruled by wizards! The kings have no right to intervene in the wizards’ disputes, this is our internal affair! We will resolve this foolish conflict and then continue forward, because wizards bear the fate of the world!"
Watching as the fireball in Tishaya’s hand was about to be launched downwards in her overwhelming turmoil.
Lann’s determined footsteps suddenly sank!
A sharp "swish" sound was heard! His body seemed to transform into a wisp of smoke.
The [Acceleration Technique] allowed him to instantly close the gap between himself and Tishaya.
Effortlessly, Lann grabbed both of Tishaya’s wrists with one hand, controlling her spellcasting gestures.
The still-burning flame was pressed against his armor without changing his expression, and [Smaug] absorbed it completely.
With his other hand, he covered Tishaya’s mouth, preventing her from reciting any spells.
This simple and rough method was commonly used by warriors to control ordinary mages in sudden situations.
But Tishaya was no ordinary mage, beyond gestures and spells, she could cast magic with just her mind.
Yet Lann simply used this straightforward method to control Tishaya, forcing her into his embrace.
Tishaya struggled, even in Lann’s grip, emitting muffled curses.
But already restrained by Lann, she couldn’t possibly break free.
"It’s over, Tishaya, it’s over..."
Lann spoke softly, soothing the female warlock’s emotions.
And Tishaya’s curses and struggles gradually weakened, she who seemed like a powder keg ready to explode, began to lose her strength and slacken.
Leaning against Lann, who confined her.
Once Tishaya showed no further signs of emotional agitation, Lann finally released his control over her.
Only then did Lann see what Tishaya looked like now.
The female warlock who once couldn’t stand a single strand of messy hair, with disheveled hair and soot smudged on her face.
Her intricate robe clumsily tangled, chaotic and dirty.
She hung her head low, as if not wanting others to see her current state.
But she had no intention of tidying up, even though she could have made herself look fresh with just a snap of her fingers. A vibe of utter desolation, a complete disregard.
"Philippa Eilhart has escaped, she flew away on the wings of an owl. As one of the planners of last night’s vile conspiracy, she is undoubtedly a criminal, a criminal of the wizards."
"But what about me, Lann?"
Saying this, Tishaya lifted her face, with a self-mocking smile.
"My prejudice or rather insight against Philippa led to our entanglement in mutual suspicion last night. I was obsessed with the warlocks’ independent status, but because of it, I lost it last night."
Her smile grew even more self-deprecating: "Did you know? If Viggo Fortez was one second later in entering Gastang Palace, even just one second later... Gedemitis and I would have personally released the demon-blocking golden handcuffs from those traitors."
"Because the two of us were convinced that this was a conspiracy carried out by Philippa to purge dissidents, those captured warlocks, if they couldn’t escape, might have been executed... but it turned out they wanted to execute others."
"I haven’t slit the veins in my own wrists yet, only because there’s still a little piece in my heart to save face for myself: after all, I didn’t personally release those traitors, right?"
Lann just nodded, gently embracing Tishaya, who seemed so soft she might have lost all her bones.
"It’s over, from your perspective, you already made reasonable assumptions and actions."