Hen nodded almost imperceptibly, a glint of agreement in his eyes.
No one objected to Karl's frank and even potentially bloody statement, which could lead to bloodshed in the sorcerer community.
Because deep down, Hen's thoughts and the decision Karl was making at that moment were very close.
He knew the sorcerer community too well: their long lives, powerful spells, and extraordinary knowledge.
These gifts, while granting them responsibility, also fueled ambition, greed, and the lust for power.
There are also true seekers of knowledge and sorcerers who explore the truth.
But more often than not, it is ambitious individuals who engage in intrigue, crave power, or attempt to control forbidden forces to achieve their selfish goals.
Suddenly, Hen felt an unusual fluctuation of magical energy.
The area in front of Ciri was already quite lively due to the presence of many sorcerers.
It began to flow and converge in a chaotic, uncontrolled manner, like a current driven by an invisible vortex, emitting a barely audible hum.
Hen frowned, his gaze quickly sweeping the entire area. No signs of unusual spellcasting were detected from Triss and Keira.
Finally, his gaze stopped on Ciri, who was talking to Triss, unaware of what was happening.
The barely perceptible, almost invisible magical fluctuations around Ciri were rapidly becoming more distinct and intense, like a suddenly formed underwater current beneath a calm lake.
He turned his head, intending to remind Karl telepathically, but Karl had already moved away.
Almost immediately after Hen felt the anomaly, Karl had already noticed it and stepped forward.
Seeing this, Hen understood everything and suppressed the thought that had already formed on his lips.
It seemed that Karl perceived Ciri's condition much more acutely than an ordinary sorcerer.
He said nothing more, and his magic quietly flowed within him, instantly creating a light blue water curtain over his body.
At the same time, telepathic messages were precisely transmitted into the minds of Triss, Keira, and those closer to Ciri.
"Everyone, immediately step away from the Princess of Cintra! She is about to lose control!"
The warning came extremely quickly, virtually a second after it was telepathically sent.
"Ugh…" Ciri let out a short, stifled groan.
Her bright green eyes suddenly lost focus, the whites rolled back, and she fell into a stupor, dazed.
Immediately after, in the center of her small body, a current of air suddenly arose, faintly glowing with a green light.
Whoosh!! The air current quickly swirled, forming a small vortex visible to the naked eye in an instant.
The wind not only did not subside but continued to intensify under the influence of some force, emitting an increasingly loud howl.
The tablecloth was rolled up, silverware clinked, and the candlelight nearby flickered violently, playing with light and shadow.
At the epicenter of the growing vortex, Ciri's body slowly lifted off the ground, hovering about thirty centimeters above it.
Her hair whipped in the wind, and an increasingly obvious and frightening aura of power began to emanate from her.
Triss and Keira reacted very quickly, starting to retreat the moment Hen gave his warning.
Triss raised a magical shield with one hand and quickly pulled the somewhat bewildered Iris into its area of effect with the other.
All three retreated simultaneously; Iris was shocked by this sudden turn of events.
But when she saw that Karl not only didn't retreat but continued walking towards the suspended Ciri despite the growing terrifying vortex, her face instantly paled.
Anxiety overcame fear, and almost without thinking, she tried to break free from Triss's hand and jump out from under the shield.
Her voice trembled and broke into sobs: "Don't go, Karl! It's dangerous! Come back!"
Triss quickly pulled her back, her eyes full of determination, and she shook her head.
She reassured her as calmly as possible: "Iris, trust Karl. Such a magical surge won't hurt him. Just watch."
Despite Triss's reassurances, Iris had never seen Karl's battle with the Spitfire Demon, and the storm erupting before her seemed terrifying to her.
Unable to hold back the tears welling up in her eyes and the worry in her heart, she didn't take her eyes off Karl's tall and straight back.
Karl heard her call, paused slightly, and turned his head.
He gave her an encouraging smile through the raging vortex and chaotic energy field.
That smile was like a calming stone, instantly dispelling most of the panic in Iris's heart.
Karl immediately stopped smiling, turned around, and was now less than a meter from Ciri.
The vortex slammed into him with force that tore at clothes and threw people back, but it couldn't even lift the hem of his garment.
Under the influence of a mere thought, his invisible bio-field expanded from him, enveloping Ciri and the vortex she had created.
Outside the bio-field, the raging air currents and magical turbulence collided with the invisible wall and were instantly isolated and neutralized.
The decorations and tableware that had been stirred up in the banquet hall instantly returned to normal, as if the gusting wind had been just an illusion.
The direct impact on all attendees was also minimized.
Nearby, Eist, slightly tipsy, was talking to Raymond.
At that moment, the effect of the alcohol had long since worn off, and fine beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.
He was deeply anxious and secretly glanced at Raymond standing beside him.
His worst fears were realized: Ciri had inherited the problematic "talent" from her mother, Pavetta.
In the past, when Pavetta was emotionally agitated, she had several times caused similar magical outbursts, nearly overturning the banquet hall in Cintra.
He and Calanthe were very wary of this and never mentioned it in their letters when they decided to arrange the marriage with the El family.
Karl's choice was dictated not only by political considerations but also partly by luck.
Perhaps this duke, who had shown superhuman strength on the battlefield, could tolerate or even… understand Ciri's special nature.
But now, at the very beginning of the wedding banquet, Ciri suddenly lost control…
Eist's heart froze in his chest, fearing that Raymond would become enraged and immediately demand the engagement be broken off.
However, to Eist's surprise, after an initial moment of surprise, Raymond's face showed neither the expected anger nor dismay.
He merely raised an eyebrow, thoughtfully watching Ciri, who was surrounded by the vortex and suspended in the air, and Karl, who calmly walked over.
Then… he picked up his glass and slowly took a sip of red wine.
He even spoke to Eist in a tone that held not a trace of anger, but rather a hint of mockery.
"Eist, before the engagement, you never mentioned… that the princess might pull such a grand 'surprise'."