Chapter 312: They're Here, They've Arrived
Gerd leaped from his horse, his broad hand resting on the hilt of the sword on his back, ready to draw it at a moment's notice.
Lynn watched him charge in, looking like a mother bear returning home to find her cubs gone. Fearing for his friend's safety, Lynn also dismounted and followed.
Gerd rushed into the ruins like a madman, but all that remained was a charred wasteland of collapsed walls and a few bodies burned to cinders. Finally, behind the ruins, he found the tavern owner's body, his head severed from his neck.
"It's them… they came. They came for me."
There was no fear or panic in Gerd's voice, only guilt and self-reproach for having brought harm to others.
"The Duchess of the Arcane Coast's people, you think?" Lynn scowled, his eyes scanning the area. The killers had left no evidence, but Gerd's guess was highly plausible.
Most islanders rarely plundered their own lands. While they saw raiding as an honor, that honor was for sacking the lands of their enemies, not their own. No one on the islands would brag in a tavern about how much they had plundered from their fellow countrymen.
And secondly, they were poor. The islands' agriculture and commerce were nowhere near the level of the Continent. Even the busiest port, Kaer Trolde, was only as prosperous as a place like Kaerack, and certainly not as bustling as Cidaris, Novigrad, or the other great northern ports.
Robbing someone was a high-stakes game. You put your life on the line. When you risked your life, you'd choose the highest payout. Since it wasn't the islanders, and Gerd hadn't offended anyone else, there was only one possibility. It was the doing of the people sent by the Duchess of the Arcane Coast.
While Lynn was deep in thought, Gerd was already digging graves for the dead. Lynn went to help him bury the tavern owner and the other charred bodies in the ruins.
After they had laid all the dead to rest, Gerd suddenly said, "Lynn, from here on, we part ways."
Lynn: ???
"I know we agreed to split the reward… I'm sorry, I'm afraid I… no, I have to go back on my word. Please return to Svalblod village. If… if I don't come back in a week, I'd ask you to clear out Aethenir Castle for Count Torgier then."
Lynn didn't ask why. "You want to face them alone?"
Gerd fell silent.
"I'll go with you."
"No!" Gerd immediately refused. "I gave the steel sword blueprint and the IOU to the tavern owner, but neither was found on his body. That means the people who want me dead now know my destination and have likely set up an ambush near Aethenir Castle."
"I've already caused people close to me to pay with their lives. I can't make the same mistake again. Lynn, don't insist. They're only looking for me."
But Lynn shook his head. "No, Gerd. You don't understand. Our Wolf School creed is that we do not abandon a witcher brother. Even if you're not of the Wolf School, you're still a witcher brother. I can't just stand by knowing you're walking into a storm."
"Besides, you said it yourself—the people after you have likely set a trap. That's all the more reason for me to stay. My help isn't unconditional, though."
Lynn's steadfastness warmed Gerd's heart. Other Bear School witchers might not understand such an emotion, but Gerd was an exception. He cherished this kindness from another person. He knew it was precious. So, he said with his characteristic gusto, "If you want the entire reward for both contracts, it's yours. No problem."
But once again, Gerd was wrong.
"No, we'll still split the money. But my condition is this: if we both survive this fight—which I'm confident we will—I want you to join my school as a teacher."
Gerd was stunned. "What? A witcher school? Sounds like your Wolf School has something big planned."
Lynn smiled. "You don't have to give me an answer right away. I'll still help you even if you refuse later, but I hope you'll give it some serious thought. Also, once all this is over, I'll answer all your questions."
Although he hadn't known Lynn for long, Gerd was willing to trust him, just as Lynn was willing to face a fire with him. "All right. Once we've sorted this mess out, I'm going to find out exactly what this witcher school of yours is."
...
Two nights later, under the cover of darkness, the two men approached the ruined castle. From far away, they could already make out several figures hovering in the air above it. Green vines and moss covered the walls, and the cracked towers looked as if they could collapse at any moment. The castle gates had long since fallen, and wild grass grew everywhere, highlighting the castle's decay.
"Look, there's Aethenir Castle."
Lynn nodded. He activated his witcher senses. He easily located the enemies hiding in the forest on the other side of the castle.
"You've found them too? Let's go. We'll take them all out."
Gerd planned to strike first, before their enemies could spot them. But Lynn stopped him.
"No, wait. I've got a better plan."
...
Two weeks passed.
Every man, including Charimier, felt an endless sense of frustration and unease, despite their unwavering loyalty to the Duchess. Lying in ambush in the woods was exhausting, and the mosquitos were a constant torment. Everyone was covered in bites. Fearing they would give away their position, they barely moved during the day. Even at night, they had to rotate guards, with at least half the men staying awake.
The result was that everyone was utterly worn out. They had been living like this for half a month since they arrived at Aethenir Castle. And they hadn't even caught a glimpse of their quarry.
This made Charimier start to wonder if the mutant had died somewhere else. Before Charimier and his men had revealed their true identities, the tavern owner had told them that the mutant had left over a month ago. By now, he should have returned from Spikeroog.
Charimier could feel his men's resentment growing. Before, they'd complained behind his back. Now, they didn't even try to hide it. Though he could still suppress them with his authority, he couldn't guarantee how long he could keep it up. After all, his men had followed him from the Duchy of the Arcane Coast to the Skellige Isles not to feed mosquitos.
As a result, a growing number of his men were starting to doubt. Many believed that the mutant's steel sword blueprint and IOU were just a show, and that he never intended to redeem them. They thought the mutant had played both the tavern owner and them for fools. After all, in the Duchy of the Arcane Coast, due to the Duchess's personal grudges, the media had fabricated false stories to smear witchers. Over time, they had come to believe their own lies.
(End of Chapter)
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