Chapter 174: So, What's the Price?
The battle ended quickly.
After the bandit leader died, the remaining bandits immediately lost their will to fight.
Unfortunately, they were destined not to escape. If they had chosen to face Lynn and Geralt, though they couldn't defeat the witchers, they would at least have lived longer by struggling.
As it was, foolishly exposing their backs allowed Lynn to take out his Kovir longbow and shoot them down like ducks on the open field.
After the battle, Lynn and Geralt severed all the bandits' heads and stuffed them into sacks. They then hung them on Niedhoggr. It was a bit inconvenient, but Lynn really didn't want to put those heads in his magic-imbued leather pouch, so he reluctantly burdened Niedhoggr.
What? You ask who Niedhoggr is?
That was the black steed that Ystrad gave Lynn when he helped Ystrad return to the Marquisate of Targow.
Afterward, the two searched the entire Cockatrice Inn. Unfortunately, the innkeeper and his staff had all tragically perished, their bodies left in the cellar, unattended.
In such hot weather, leaving them too long could lead to disease.
Returning to Beauclair to inform the Duchy Guard to collect the bodies would take a considerable amount of time. Since witchers don't get sick anyway, they simply took the trouble to carry the bodies outside.
Considering that burying the bodies might attract necrophages or even lead to them becoming wraiths, they had no choice but to burn the corpses.
Subsequently, Lynn and Geralt swept through the bandit groups within the duchy like an autumn wind sweeping fallen leaves.
Bandit groups with small numbers were directly charged and cut down. For larger groups, they waited until nightfall.
People in this era were practically blind at night. Even without Cat potion, witchers could see much more clearly than ordinary people.
In the dead of night, they would stealthily enter, use alchemical bombs to create chaos, and then, amidst the confusion, cut down the leaders. Such bandit groups, no matter how numerous, were just a rabble, entirely dependent on their leaders.
As long as the leaders were eliminated, the rest would scatter like birds, posing no real threat.
If there were some bandit groups that were both numerous and occupied abandoned manors, making them easy to defend and difficult to attack, then a more civilized approach was used.
For example, poison. They didn't even need to risk themselves. They could simply create a disturbance to lure the bandits out to investigate. Then, they would seize an isolated bandit, hypnotize him with a Mastercrafted Axii Sign, and have him poison the food.
Even if it didn't kill all the bandits, it would at least cripple most of the bandit group's fighting capability. Then, they would charge in and cut down everyone they saw.
When Lynn and Geralt returned to Beauclair, it was already a month later.
The sacks containing bandit heads were so numerous that they couldn't all be hung; they eventually had to find a carriage. After a month of bandit suppression, the results were truly gratifying.
Approximately three hundred bandit heads had been collected. The remaining bandits, those who still had their heads attached, were terrified and fled Toussaint in disarray. This significantly improved the security in Toussaint.
As Lynn and Geralt prepared to return to the palace to collect their bounty from Count Raymond, they unexpectedly learned from the palace guards that Duchess Anna Henrietta had already awakened.
The Duchess had learned from Count Raymond and Fringilla about the witchers' actions since their arrival in Toussaint. Therefore, she specifically instructed that as soon as they returned, they were to be brought to her immediately.
So, the two followed the guards towards the reception hall within the palace. However, they were stopped midway by the sorceress.
"Wait a moment."
The guard respectfully said, "Lady Fringilla, if you have something to discuss, you can do so later. Her Grace the Duchess requested that I bring the witchers to her immediately upon their return."
"I know, but I won't delay them much," Fringilla said in an unyielding tone, then looked at Lynn, her voice softening slightly, "Could you come over for a moment?"
Lynn followed Fringilla into an adjacent room. Fringilla waved her hand, magically closing the room door from a distance.
"Lady Fringilla, do you need something?"
"This is for you."
The sorceress wasted no words, taking out a shield-shaped amulet and handing it to the witcher. "Try it on."
Lynn was bewildered but compliantly hung it around his neck. The witcher medallion on his chest trembled slightly for a moment, and at the same time, a cool sensation flowed from his head throughout his entire body.
Fringilla stood with one hand on her hip, scrutinizing Lynn. Her gaze was as if she were seeing him for the first time.
Then, a meaningful expression appeared on her face. "Good, it suits you. You can see for yourself." She produced a hand mirror and placed it in Lynn's hand.
He picked up the hand mirror and took a look. It was then that he finally understood why Fringilla had shown such an expression. Because the reflection in the mirror wasn't him at all, but another handsome face.
"Don't get excited. This is a Charm of Deception. It can change your appearance and looks. As long as you take it off, the magic will cease to be effective."
"This Charm of Deception is extremely precious. Even my uncle, the renowned illusionist master of Toussaint, has barely managed to create a few."
"Do you know what makes this Charm of Deception even rarer? It cannot be nullified even by dimeratium."
At this, Lynn's face finally showed a hint of surprise.
If it merely changed his appearance, that was nothing extraordinary. For example, in Beauclair, one could buy a magical cream that made people look younger, highly favored by women. But it wasn't without side effects.
The alchemist selling the magical cream would register each client's information. He wouldn't sell too much of the cream to the same client in a short period because it couldn't be used for extended durations without causing harm to the body.
Generally, after using this magical cream, one could maintain a youthful appearance for the duration of the cream's effect. However, the effect would be nullified if dimeratium was nearby.
Both magic and magical items were affected by dimeratium. Only a very few magical items were exempt.
Lynn had not expected that the Charm of Deception he was wearing was one of them—if Fringilla wasn't lying.
"This Charm of Deception is a gift for you."
"Lady Fringilla, please don't jest with me. How could such a valuable item be simply given away?"
Fringilla waved her hand, opening the door again as if closing it. Then, without further ado, she pushed Lynn out the door. "Go on, don't keep Her Grace the Duchess waiting too long."
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