Chapter 188: What a Magical World
"Baron, Ms. Fringilla Vigo has arrived."
When Lynn returned to Corvo Bianco vineyard in his disguise, his butler, Sebastian, quietly informed him.
"Ms. Fringilla? Where is she now? Still at the vineyard?"
"Yes, I've arranged for her to rest in a guest room. Shall I escort her to the drawing-room now?"
"Yes, please do."
Lynn didn't know why Fringilla was visiting, but since she was already here, there was no harm in meeting her. However, one couldn't just go as they were to meet a lady; that would be too impolite. So, Lynn took a bath and changed into a noble's formal attire before heading to the drawing-room.
In the drawing-room, Sebastian was attentively explaining the vineyard's features and beautiful scenery to the sorceress, so she wouldn't feel she had waited too long. "Thank you for your trouble, Sebastian." Lynn nodded to the butler. The butler bowed deeply and gracefully, then exited the drawing-room, closing the door behind him.
Fringilla crossed one leg over the other. "I won't bother with pleasantries; I doubt you care for them. I'll get straight to the point."
"Baron, I've come on behalf of someone. You promised her something, but you haven't fulfilled it."
Lynn frowned. "Who are you referring to? I don't recall."
"The Baron truly has the memory of a busy man," Fringilla chuckled. "Orianna, the noblewoman of Beauclair. Do you recall her now?"
"She said you promised to visit her later, but you've kept a lady waiting for quite some time."
"Indeed, if I hadn't reminded you, you might have forgotten entirely, Baron."
Lynn suddenly realized. She was right. When he had completed the contract to rescue Thane Cell from the sewers and went with Letho to settle up with Orianna, she had indeed asked him to visit her later.
Lynn hadn't forgotten the matter; it had simply been put on hold due to a flood of other tasks. However, Lynn had planned to visit Orianna before leaving Toussaint. He hadn't expected the Higher Vampire to be so impatient as to send Fringilla specifically to remind him.
But... wait. Could Orianna also know...?
Lynn's expression turned odd at the thought. "Ms. Fringilla, did Ms. Orianna ask you to find me at Corvo Bianco?"
The sorceress smiled charmingly, understanding Lynn's concern. "Of course not. The Baron is truly suspicious," Fringilla pointed to the Amulet of Trickery hanging around Lynn's neck. "No one else knows about that matter besides myself and Her Grace the Duchess. You can rest assured, Baron."
"That's good."
Lynn breathed a sigh of relief. "While I hadn't actually forgotten my appointment with Ms. Orianna, it is true that I've kept a lady waiting for so long, and I've even troubled Ms. Fringilla to come in person..."
"In that case, I'll set off to visit her immediately... Sebastian."
The drawing-room door opened, and the butler stood politely behind it. "Baron, how may I assist you?"
"Go to the wine cellar and retrieve two barrels of our oldest Rosé wine."
"Yes."
After Sebastian departed, Fringilla's eyes gleamed with admiration. "Outsiders only know Est Est, but only Toussaintois who truly understand this land can appreciate the unique charm of Rosé wine."
"The quality of this wine is in no way inferior to Est Est. Ms. Orianna is truly fortunate to taste such rare Rosé, and two barrels at that."
Lynn smiled slightly. His own vineyard's Rosé wine earning praise from a court sorceress gave him a sense of pride.
"No, these two barrels are for you, beautiful Ms. Fringilla. Thank you for making this special trip."
After Lynn and Fringilla left Corvo Bianco, Lynn changed back into his witcher attire halfway. They rode their horses to Orianna's mansion in Beauclair.
Surprisingly...
"Baron, Ms. Fringilla, my mistress unexpectedly had an urgent matter and is out. However, she specifically instructed that if you two were to arrive, you should wait in the drawing-room; she will return shortly."
Fringilla couldn't help but show a hint of displeasure. As a distinguished court sorceress, she had only agreed to run this errand for Orianna out of a desire not to easily offend anyone. Yet, after bringing the person here, Orianna herself wasn't present at the mansion to greet them. An urgent matter? What urgent matter could she possibly have?
Lynn glanced at the sulking Fringilla but didn't take it to heart. He could probably guess why Orianna had suddenly left. This Higher Vampire, who had disguised her identity and lived in seclusion in Toussaint for centuries, was different from the "abstinent" vampires like Dettlaff and Regis.
She was still a "blood-drinking" vampire. She owned an orphanage outside the city, specifically taking in children orphaned by various circumstances. These children were her blood source.
Of course, the children themselves didn't have many complaints about being her blood source. Because, without Orianna, those children would undoubtedly face a far more tragic fate. This world was never black and white. Even Geralt understood this. Again, compared to some people, monsters could appear far more humane.
What a magical world this truly was.
The servant led the two into the drawing-room, served refreshments and tea, then departed. Lynn fiddled with the Amulet of Trickery around his neck. He didn't know Fringilla's motivation for giving him such a valuable magical item.
But he wasn't the type to take advantage. He had already decided on a return gift for Fringilla. And now was the opportune moment to present it.
So, while waiting for Orianna, Lynn exposed Preggmont's "miracles" to Fringilla. Although this man had brought the faith of Lebioda to Toussaint, Preggmont's true essence was merely to amass wealth. And indeed, that was the case. He not only swindled considerable money from common folk but also collected vast fortunes from the nobility.
If Lynn remembered correctly, Preggmont was expected to propose to Her Grace Duchess Anna Henrietta soon, suggesting the construction of an unprecedentedly grand statue of Lebioda in Toussaint. And the Duchess would gladly agree, allocating a huge sum from the ducal treasury to Preggmont.
However, this statue was ultimately never built. This was because, shortly after, Preggmont's "miracles" would be exposed, and he would flee with the money. His act of absconding with the funds also brought severe consequences for the faithful followers of Lebioda.
It directly led to these believers being isolated and ostracized in Toussaint. This is also why, by the time Geralt arrived in Toussaint in The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine, the Toussaintois had returned to their faith in the Lady of the Lake.
Although Lynn had previously promised to help the Lady of the Lake expand her faith in Toussaint, he was unwilling to do so by denigrating another. Lebioda's philosophy was about spreading wisdom and saving humanity.
This aligned perfectly with the Northern goddess Melitele's ideals of love and peace. Only good people would follow Lebioda; his followers and believers shouldn't suffer the fate they did in the original storyline.
Therefore, Lynn's return gift to Fringilla was information about Preggmont. With the witcher's reminder, the sorceress understood. She certainly knew of Preggmont, the figure who had recently gained prominence in Toussaint.
As a sorceress, even in faith-rich Toussaint, Fringilla maintained an open-minded attitude toward deities. She was neither blindly trusting nor blindly opposed.
When Preggmont had displayed his "miracles" before, Fringilla hadn't witnessed them firsthand. But now, listening to Lynn's detailed account, she felt that Preggmont exuded the strong aura of a swindler from head to toe.
Toussaint was Fringilla's homeland, and the Vigo family was a prominent noble house within Toussaint. She naturally didn't want to see the entire Toussaint populace being made fools of by a charlatan. Thus, she gratefully accepted Lynn's return gift.
....
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