The training resumed the next day. Roy still made a lot of mistakes, but he was improving thanks to Letho. Then Nenneke came to see them. “Come with me.” She led them to the greenhouse cavern where the herbs were. Nenneke pointed at the end of the cavern, where no light shone, and out came someone.

“This is Astrid Lyttneyd Ásgeirrfinnbjornsdottir, Kerack’s royal advisor,” Nenneke said in a slightly teasing tone. Roy was surprised she managed to pronounce that name so fast. “Or Lytta Neyd for short.”

Roy mumbled that name, then he looked at the woman before him.

‘Lytta Neyd

Gender: Female

Age: A hundred and five years old

Status: Sorceress, member of the Brotherhood of Sorcerers, magical advisor for Kerack’s royal family

HP: 80

Mana: 260

Strength: 6  

Dexterity: 5 

Constitution: 8

Perception: 5 

Will: 7

Charisma: 9

Spirit: 26

Skills:

Source (Passive): Has awakened the power to sense chaos energy. Now a magic-sensitive human. Loved by the elements of earth, fire, water, and air. Absorbs mana automatically at all times. Can control Mana and release spells after receiving professional and systematic training, performing feats most people couldn’t.

Magic Trick Level 10

Glacial Star Level 9: Mid-tier water magic. Requires hand signs, incantations, materials, and a large amount of mana to cast. Releases a freezing shockwave that encases the target in ice. Effect is affected by skill level and Spirit.

Aqua Healing Level 9: Mid-tier water magic. Requires hand signs, incantations, and a moderate amount of mana to cast. Extracts the essence of water from the air and activates the receiver’s life force. Heals minor injuries quickly and mitigates normal injuries.

Ice Armor Level 9: Mid-tier water magic. Requires hand signs, materials, incantations, and a moderate amount of mana to cast. Encases the user in an ice armor that defends against physical and magical attacks. Any enemy that is within a certain range will be chilled, reducing their speed.

Fireball Level 5

Flame Dance Level 4

Lightning Bolt Level 4

Resistance Force Field Level 5

Ground Spike Level 8

Teleportation Level 8

Alchemy Level 9.’

There were twenty more skills, but Roy didn’t read them all. The sorceress had red hair that tumbled down to her shoulders, and she was as beautiful as a painting. Her eyes were sea blue, her nose was noble, and her lips were as crimson as a blooming flower. Instead of a sickly pale shade, her skin was a healthy tan, just like how the people on the sunny Skellige Isles looked like.

She was wearing a yellow cape, though Roy could see her chest easily. It was magnificent, and with her standing at six-feet tall, it only served to add to her beauty. Her lacy dress could barely cover her beautiful breasts. It was just like how everyone had said. It was the object of every man’s dream, but not everyone was fortunate enough to lay their hands on it.

Her stomach was flat, and her hip was firm. Her legs were covered by her dress, but Roy could see their shape. The sorceress was wearing a pair of delicate purple heels, a perfect pair for her feet, for she painted her toenails purple.

She came up to them elegantly. There was a faint, pleasant fragrance coming from her. There was confidence in her eyes, though that only added to her already unbelievable charm. “I presume this is Letho’s disciple, Nenneke?”

“Yes.”

“Um…” Roy nodded blankly, for even the sorceress’ voice was alluring. As if her bodily charm wasn’t enough. She was the third sorceress Roy had run into after being reincarnated into this world, and she was the most beautiful of the three.

Then he remembered the fact that sorceresses would cast a spell on themselves to maintain their youth until the day they died. Calm down. He took a deep breath and bowed. “Hello, Miss Neyd. I have heard of your astounding beauty, but you are even more breathtaking in person. Even the stars in the sky would lose their gleam if I were to compare them to you.”

Dimples formed on Lytta’s cheeks as she beamed at Roy. “Aren’t you lovely? You’re so much better than your mentor. Oh, he’s a savage.”

“He’s a what?” Roy gawked at Letho, then Coral explained. “Many years ago, your mentor tried to force me into something… unsavory. It was the first time we’d met, and he was already asking me to open a portal for him.”

“Oh, um…”

“If it weren’t for Nenneke, I would have turned him into a patch of soil and flushed him down a ditch.” Lytta looked cold. “I would have left him for dead,” she cursed, then she smiled again. “But you’re different. At least he didn’t rub off on you.” A pause later, she said suggestively, “I hear you’re an interesting boy.”

Then Lytta extended the back of her hand to Roy. Her skin was delicate, and her fingernails were polished with purple. Roy wondered what she was getting at, then he realized she wanted him to kiss her hand. He obliged. It was only for a split second, but the sensation of her hand made his heart pound. Why’d she do that? Do I know her?

“That’s a good start.” Lytta looked satisfied. “You may call me Coral. Only my friends, close acquaintances, and those I like are allowed to call me that. I think we will be working together quite happily for some time.”

“Working together?” Roy thought she phrased that weirdly, and he felt a chill when she looked at him. It were as if she saw him as a test subject. And a good one at that.

“Yes. Didn’t Mother Nenneke tell you about it? I’ll aid you in your trial, while you will work with me on my research. I need every detail of your body.” Her eyes gleamed, and she looked up in indulgence, as if she were imagining something grandiose. “I have your scummy mentor and Mother Nenneke to thank for this. Now, I have the chance to witness something not even sorcerers have — the Trial of the Grasses, hormonal control, undisclosed secrets about virus cultivation, and the famous secret recipe.”

She made it sound like a romantic story every woman longed to have, though Roy thought it was the crazy dream of a researcher. “This is the dream of all sorcerers in the world.”

Roy gulped. He had a feeling he’d unknowingly stepped foot into a trap. He looked at Letho for help, but Letho looked surprised as well. “Ahem, Miss Coral — ”

“You dare call my name, you savage?”

“Very well then, Miss Lytta Neyd. I have to remind you that Roy has to pass the Trial before you can conduct any… experiments on him.”

“Well, that was unnecessary.” Lytta looked at Roy with great interest, then she went ahead, her chest bouncing. Roy could feel the heat coming from her.

“I’ve read something about this. In an era long past, a rogue sorcerer managed to cook up a potion that could cause mutations in the human body. His successor improvised on that formula, and many years since then, it was that successor who controlled the mutation process with magic. But somewhere in the middle, the legacy was lost, all that knowledge about magic and strength. The witchers were left with the recipe and the trial. They have the lab, and they do conduct the trial, but alas, they have no sorcerer to help them with it, and thus, the trial is equated to a death sentence.” She paused for a moment. “But now that I am here, I shall not allow such transgression to happen. I cannot allow a disciple to take in that half-baked decoction, for it means certain death.”

Letho turned away, as if remembering a painful past.

“I shall control the process with my magic, ensuring its precision. Once again, I shall recreate the miracle Alzur and Cosimo performed in history. I will make sure Roy does not suffer the ramifications of the mutations. He shall be the perfect witcher.”

Alzur and Cosimo were the sorcerers who created witchers. Legends had it they knew how to create the perfect witcher.

Roy’s indignance toward Coral was whittled down a bit when he realized she was serious about helping him. “Um, Miss Lytta — ”

“Coral!”

“Right. Miss Coral. Do I have a chance to survive if I accept your help?”

“No questions. You need my help. You can’t reject me.” The sorceress was being pushy, but Roy couldn’t refuse her, not when she had a couple of big reasons. He tried to look away, but Roy noticed he was locked in place by something. All he could do was look into her eyes and fall for her temptation.

“Your chances of survival are greatly increased with my help.”

“Greatly increased, huh?” Roy stared down, his mind wandering back to that ever-important entrance exam. His heart pounded furiously, as if it would burst out of his chest at any given moment.

He might have been confident about the trial before that, but when the time actually came, Roy actually felt nervous and panicky. Roy looked at Letho solemnly. “If I don’t make it, promise me you’ll go to Novigrad and take care of my parents for me. Gwyhyr’s yours.”

“Boy.” Letho pressed down on his shoulder. “You won’t die right at the beginning. It’s a long process.”

“The witcher is right for once. The trial is split into a few sections, and there are still a few potions you’ll need for it,” Coral said. “You have enough time to write your will, so don’t worry.” Then she covered her mouth and giggled. “Just kidding. I’m not letting you die.”

Roy took a deep breath. “Will I lose the ability to feel then? My emotions, I mean. Will I go bald? Or will my hair turn white?”

“You’ll have to ask your mentor about that, but the recipe’s fine. And with a pro like me by your side, you should be fine. None of this will happen. Probably.” She winked at him and crossed her arms. “Enough talk.” She laughed. “Now I need to check your body.”