In a modest inn, House tossed a pouch of coins onto the counter and easily secured one of the best rooms.
Ace settled the female student into the room next door, then turned to face his long-lost companion, looking utterly exasperated.
"A dimeritium bomb? Seriously? Even if I had been caught, I would've been fine!"
House silently removed his hood. "I saw that sorceress across the way going straight into an offensive spell. My hand just... reacted. I couldn't tell whether the spell was lethal or not."
Ace sighed. Even with just a few words, he could tell House had been through a lot lately—enough to develop that kind of absurd reflex.
"But I have to admit," Ace said as House removed his magical disguise, revealing his true face, "You've become a witcher too, huh?"
There was open envy in his voice.
"Not just me. Milva too. And Levin." House gave a cryptic smile. "You missed our war for restoration, knight's son."
"And just recently, the Duke granted me a knighthood…"
A cup flew through the air toward him, which House caught effortlessly thanks to his enhanced reflexes. He grinned as he watched Ace's face twist in frustration.
The tension broke. They roughhoused for a bit, laughing freely like old times, before slowly settling into silence.
It was quiet.
They had much to say—but neither knew where to start.
House gently placed the cup back in front of Ace and filled it with wine.
Then he filled his own cup… and poured a third, placing it before the empty seat beside them.
Clang—the lion-headed silver sword Swade, still in its scabbard, was placed gently on the empty seat.
"It's been a long time since the three of us sat together like this."
Ace pressed his lips together and nodded.
"You and… this guy, the two of you have been at the Duke's side all this time. Must've been tough, right?"
House shook his head. "You've been here acting as a spy all on your own. You look like you've been enjoying yourself—but the fact that His Grace didn't have you participate in the war to restore the kingdom means he had an even more important task in mind for you."
"Today, I'm here on the Duke's orders to rendezvous with you. I need an update on your situation—and we need to align our plans going forward."
Ace immediately began laying things out: "His Grace's first objective in sending me to Aretuza was to become an apprentice under the mage Vilgefortz and gather intelligence on him, so as to assist the Duke in any future confrontation..."
House cut in before he could finish: "Vilgefortz is no longer a threat to His Grace. You can skip that part. Next."
Hearing that, Ace looked stunned. "But… I really worked hard on that..."
Seeing his companion's sudden shift in mood, House scratched his head. It was clear Ace had poured considerable effort into that first assignment.
But Ace quickly recovered: "His Grace only gave me two missions. The second was to familiarize myself with Aretuza and its students."
"That wasn't easy for a man like me—but I pulled it off."
Ace flashed a look of pride. "Under Vilgefortz's tutelage, I specialized in teleportation magic. At this point, I've left portal marks in every part of Aretuza—classrooms, meeting halls, art rooms, dormitories, the beach, the spring, even the little grove. I can open a portal there at any moment—bring someone in or get them out."
"I've also built… strong friendships with student leaders and class representatives from every year. I can now recite the full roster of enrolled students by heart!"
"Whatever His Grace intends to do with Aretuza, I can play the key role—any time, any place!"
In that moment, a powerful aura burst forth from Ace.
House's expression didn't change—but he instinctively reached toward the hilt of his sword again.
"So," Ace asked, "does this mean His Grace is ready to make his move against Aretuza? What's the plan? Once it's done… can I finally return to Cintra?"
House narrowed his eyes slightly at the question. "You seem to be doing just fine here. I almost thought you didn't want to go home."
Ace gave a 'bashful' smile—but there was unmistakable resolve in his eyes.
"All right, all right," House said with a wry grin. It had just been a joke. His expression quickly turned serious.
"I don't know what His Grace originally had in mind when he sent you here, but now—the Duke intends to destroy all of Thanedd Island. To dismantle the Brotherhood of Sorcerers and the Aretuza Academy of Magic."
Ace swallowed hard.
Not from nerves—but from excitement.
He didn't look surprised. In fact, his expression suggested this was exactly what he'd expected.
No matter how ambitious his liege's plans were, Ace found them perfectly reasonable. Or rather—he believed only such grand designs were worthy of Duke Lannister. Worthy of the two years he had dedicated to this cause.
"Soon, multiple factions will clash across Thanedd Island," House said solemnly. "It'll be a war powerful enough to wipe the island clean, to bring the Brotherhood to ruin. And Duke Lannister plans to throw fuel on the fire—using the chaos to recruit rogue mages into Cintra's service once the Brotherhood collapses."
"Thanedd will be the battlefield for the Duke and the witcher masters. But our mission lies in Aretuza itself—His Grace doesn't just want the sorcerers. He wants the students too. The Duke intends to found a magic academy of his own, in Cintra."
Ace slowly nodded and took a deep breath, but the thrill in his heart could not be tamed.
"I heard Aretuza's admission standards have changed recently. Is that true?" House asked.
"Yeah. It's not just mage apprentices anymore," Ace confirmed. "Aretuza's courses in etiquette and general studies are now famous across the North. They're known for producing 'refined young ladies.' So they've started accepting daughters of wealthy merchants, scholars, bankers, even minor nobles—as long as they can pay 1,500 crowns per year in tuition, plus another 200 in miscellaneous fees."
Ace shrugged. "Those nouveau riche families don't have the cultural heritage to hire proper etiquette tutors like the old bloodlines do, so they love this place more than Oxenfurt. Elena, the girl in the room next to us, was admitted exactly this way."
House grumbled, "Damn it. 1,700 crowns in total? That's enough to hire a witcher master to wipe out every drowners' nest from one end of Cintra to the other!"
Ace joined in the complaint with practiced ease. "And throw in a few ghouls while he's at it."
"But that money helps support the girls who do have real magical talent," he added. "The headmistress and the teachers often pick up girls from outside and bring them in—they don't have to pay tuition."
House nodded. He now understood the true makeup of modern-day Aretuza.
"When the operation officially begins, our main goal will be to rescue the girls with true magical talent. But we should also try to save as many of the 'ladies-in-training' as possible. That'll win His Grace a great deal of goodwill."
"As for how to tell them apart—that's your job." House looked at his companion. "You're the key to this mission."
Ace couldn't help but smile, eyes gleaming with excitement. The two retainers raised their cups and clinked them together, downing their drinks in one go.
"What about His Grace?"
House poured his drink onto the floor in front of the lion-headed silver sword.
"His Grace always has more important matters than we do."
...
"So, what you're saying is—right now, all the money from the city's merchants, nobles, and officers is sitting in your bank."
Lann summarized the report just delivered by the dwarven banker, Molnar Giancardi.
"And at the same time, the mayor here—and even the surrounding towns' mayors—hire you to manage all the city's financial records, including taxation?"
"That's right. Things like winter levies, head taxes, chimney taxes, property taxes… We even had a 'non-human levy' not long ago—thanks to those damned Scoia'tael, the state was making us pay to help fight our own kin."
"But now, thanks to you, the North sees non-humans differently. The last of those discriminatory taxes has been abolished."
The dwarven banker bowed slightly to Lann. "You have my sincere thanks."
"Kings and nobles are proud of their coin, blindly trusting in their armies while ignoring just how powerful these little clinking beauties can be."
Lann replied evenly, "I believe you, Mr. Giancardi."
"So now that you know all this—how does it help you?"
"No, no—it's not how it helps me. It's how I've come to help you."
Lann's gaze fixed on the dwarf's graying brows and deeply lined forehead.
"I'm here to give you a word of advice: withdraw your family's funds from Gors Velen as soon as possible."
The dwarf's hand, which had been flipping through the papers on the table, froze.
"Ah… has Duke Lannister received some kind of news?"
Lann gave a slight shake of his head.
"Money holds tremendous power, even on the battlefield—that much I agree with. Just like you, Mr. Giancardi, can infer political trends in cities, kingdoms, and the entire North through fluctuations in prices and tax policy…"
He locked eyes with the banker and spoke each word clearly: "But I am the one who controls those trends."
His words landed like iron.
The dwarven banker suddenly found himself unable to meet the gaze of those dark golden lion's eyes.
"…Ah."
A sigh escaped him.
"Ah… What astonishing news. If not for that lead ring on your finger, I'd be wondering whether I'd live long enough to enjoy this information."
Then he laughed aloud.
"You've just saved my family a fortune, Duke Lannister. And while you may not need any help now, we cannot ignore a debt of gratitude… Please, allow me to offer you some support—anything within my power, I beg you!"
Lann watched the grotesque smile spread across the dwarf's face. He was clearly nothing like Yarpen and the others.
And so, Lann smiled too.
"Not at the moment. But in the future, I just might."
"I've heard your family runs banks in other major cities across the North—some even offering services to the South?"
Lann's smile was warm and sincere.
"Like I said before… I truly believe in the power of money."
---
I will post some extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. >> patreon.com/TitoVillar
---