After arriving at the inn prepared for the dwarves, Yarpen said, "This is as far as I go, Lann. From now on, it will be Gabor who will take you to see the Great Old One. According to tradition, I cannot enter Mahakam again in my entire life. If those stubborn old men see me, they will surely call me a traitor and throw beer at me."
Despite his words, Yarpen laughed out loud and added, "So I'll stay here and drink a few pints of Mahakam's good beer. I'm also meeting my family for dinner here. I haven't seen them for a long time and I'm really looking forward to it."
Lann nodded in understanding. He knew that tradition in Mahakam was a delicate matter, and it was not his place to interfere.
So instead of arguing, he slipped his left hand under his cloak and pretended to reach for his money bag, before pulling it out of his inventory. "Reuniting with family is always a cause for celebration. Do you have enough to spend?"
"Ha! It's never enough!" Yarpen replied with a laugh.
The dwarf caught the bag of coins Lann tossed him. Feeling its weight in his hand, his smile grew even wider.
As mentioned before, the exchange rate between dwarven currency and that of the outside world was ridiculously low. The bag of crowns Lann had given him would be enough for an entire party to feast at any tavern, and in Mahakam… well, it could practically buy the entire inn.
For a mercenary like Yarpen, who lived day to day and rarely had savings, this gift was a real stroke of luck. Even more so since today he was to meet his family: at least, for once, he could show off in front of them.
Elated, Yarpen pushed open the inn's swing door with his back, and instantly a whirlwind of voices, laughter, and the heady aroma of Mahakam's beer enveloped him. He turned to shout goodbye, "See you in a few days, Lann!"
The bustle of the inn erupted behind him, and his voice echoed through the interior of the establishment.
"Lann...?" Someone inside the inn looked up, a look of shock on their face.
Before Yarpen could take another step, his body was suddenly pushed away, as if he were a mere leaf in the wind.
A tall, slender figure emerged from the inn at full speed.
"Golden hair! Lion eyes! Archgriffin cloak! You are Lann Lannister!"
…
Yarpen leaned against the wall and, after feeling his chest, confirmed with relief that his money bag was still there.
Just an instant before, he had only seen a grey gust swirl in front of him, and the next second, he felt as if he had been rammed by a runaway horse.
"Ah... I'm sorry!"
Still dazed, Yarpen managed to hear an apology. At least the person who had run him over seemed to have good manners.
Before he could react, an irresistible force lifted him off the ground with a jerk. After checking that he had no broken bones, the grey gust sped away.
A crash shook the tavern as the wooden door slammed shut.
Yarpen scratched his head and looked inside. To his surprise, all the dwarves in the room were staring at him.
Not missing the opportunity to be the center of attention, he brushed aside the incident and raised his fist high, proclaiming in a powerful voice: "Dragon Slayer Yarpen has returned!"
…
The guards instantly drew their weapons, ready to intercept the mysterious woman who had just appeared, but a gesture from Lann stopped them.
That figure that burst like a whirlwind from the inn looked too much like a murderer. Even he, with his trained reflexes, had been on the verge of not reacting in time.
Only when the woman stopped suddenly did he manage to make out her face.
She was a tall, slender woman with golden brown hair tied back in a simple braid that fell over her neck.
Lann, who was already around 1.9 metres tall, was surprised to notice that the stranger was almost the same height as him. She wore a light brown travel jacket over a tight leather outfit, which showed off her defined muscles and demonstrated her physical prowess.
On her forehead she wore a ribbon holding back some unruly locks. Her nose was straight and well defined, her lips a little full, and her skin, though not smooth, had a healthy glow.
Her appearance was strange, different from both the inhabitants of the north and the south. In the rear, Geralt muttered doubtfully: "Zerrikanian?"
The woman stopped five steps away from Lann, straightened her clothes and, with an expression of genuine joy, introduced herself: "Greetings, Lann Lannister. My name is Saskia."
The name, along with her attire and those vaguely familiar features, made Lann recognize her immediately.
Even with his position and the power he had accumulated, he couldn't help but feel enveloped by a surge of emotion.
Saskia
For him, that name was legendary.
Saskia came from Zerrikania, a kingdom that revered dragons and took them as its sacred totem. In addition, her father is the legendary golden dragon Villentretenmerth.
If his memory served him right, she had inherited her father's ideals: equality among all beings and freedom as a non-negotiable right. Because of that, she had left Zerrikania and ventured north. In the original timeline, in the future during the war between the north and Nilfgaard, when the northern territories were on the verge of collapse, she would raise an army in Aedirn and become the legendary Virgin of Aedirn, with the dream of forging a kingdom where all races coexisted in harmony.
Even Iorveth, the leader of the Scoia'tael with whom Lann had dealt before, eventually surrendered to her cause and placed himself at her command.
In short, Saskia was a high-level military talent who fit the ideal he himself had proclaimed in the past.
But beyond that, what really sparked his interest was something else: her personal strength.
Despite her human appearance, Saskia was not actually human. Her appearance was an illusion created by magic. If she revealed her true form and faced her most powerful card, the Ice Giant, the outcome would be uncertain.
However, she had not yet revealed her identity, and Lann decided to play along.
He looked at the woman's anxious expression, who seemed to have been waiting for this meeting for a long time. She was too easy to read.
…
The Cintra guards still eyed her suspiciously, and Saskia seemed to notice her unconventional behavior.
She straightened and, with a restrained bow, corrected her tone: "My apologies, Lord Lannister... I mean, Duke. I got carried away by emotion. I have long admired your work, and upon seeing you in person, I could not contain myself."
Her attitude was firm and confident, but there was something strange about the way she carried herself. It seemed as if she were applying rules of etiquette learned by heart without knowing exactly how to use them.
As a brilliant student who had read about social protocols but had never put them into practice.
Yet, unlike those shy and insecure scholars, she radiated absolute confidence.
Lann raised a hand, signaling his guards to relax. The men sheathed their weapons, though their hands remained firm on the hilts of their swords.
They had been with Lann long enough to know danger when they saw it. This woman's presence was overwhelming, almost like a predator.
Lann stared at her before speaking, "Have you been looking for me? Have you come to offer your services? And tell me, how did a human like you end up in dwarven lands?"
Saskia, still excited, was quick to reply: "I heard about you in the Pontar Valley. I was told about your kingdom, where all races live together in peace and mutual respect."
Her blue eyes shone brightly, like a crystal spring. "From a young age, I was taught that all races are equal, but I had never seen a place where that principle was respected. When I heard about you, I was filled with hope."
She leaned forward slightly, her excitement palpable. "I decided to see for myself. On my way, I came across a group of Scoia'tael. They were quite... hospitable. They gave me directions to Cintra."
Lann kept her expression impassive, but began to wonder what group she might have encountered. The Scoia'tael of Pontar? That would be Iorveth's group, with how hostile they are towards humans, I have an idea how Saskia managed to get them to be 'hospitable' to her...
Saskia continued, "I looked for the quickest route and decided to cross the Mahakam Mountains."
"As for why I am in the dwarf's territory... it's because I am tired from the journey and plan to rest for a while. I happened to hear that there are dragons here, and I don't want to miss the opportunity to see dragons, so I plan to rest here temporarily, and then find an opportunity to go to Cintra."
Lann visualized the map in his mind.
To get to Cintra from Pontar, she had taken a straight-line route. No one in their right mind would cross the Mahakam Mountains just like that.
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