Chapter 64: Moment of Departure
It was still dark when Arthur returned to the encampment of the caravan.
Marala was already cooking porridge over the fire, and Zoltan was standing on a large rock, swinging his axe with impressive force. As for Koglgrim, he was sharpening his sword.
Everyone was awake except for Dandelion.
"You're finally back! Run into trouble?" The Dwarf greeted Arthur happily upon seeing him. He put away his axe and sat cross-legged on the rock so that his eyes were level with Arthur's.
Arthur asked, a little curiously: "How did you know I ran into trouble?"
Zoltan clapped his axe excitedly: "It's obvious, isn't it? Look how we were treated in Gray Dog Village. I heard Big Black Tree Village is much richer, but not only did you fail to bring us along, you didn't even bring back a bottle of beer. Don't worry, I know these bumpkins best. Just wave an axe in front of them, and they'll become quiet as little chicks."
Arthur shook his head and added some wood to the campfire: "How much longer until the porridge is ready? I'm hungry."
Marala handed him a piece of smoked meat: "Have this to tide you over, but remember to chew it well."
Zoltan's eyes went wide: "Damn it! The people of Big Black Tree are so inhospitable? You worked for them, and they didn't even offer you food?"
The Dwarf jumped off the rock, ready to go argue with the villagers, but Arthur quickly restrained him: "Stop. The situation over there is… complicated. Even if they had offered me food, I wouldn't have been able to eat it."
"Ooh~" The Dwarf exaggeratedly shook his huge head and teased: "Let me guess. Hmm, did someone come out of the closet?"
Arthur shook his head and briefly recounted the story of Niren's family, deliberately omitting the murder.
Zoltan laughed heartily when he finished: "If Dandelion heard that, he'd surely mock your lack of experience. That's what's got you so upset? Even the King says—a man loving his sister is a beautiful and natural thing—why can't the reverse be true?"
Dandelion's clear baritone rose from underneath the caravan: "Who's calling me? Ouch!" The poet, rushing to join the commotion, hit his head on the underside of the carriage as he got up.
Marala served Arthur a bowl of steaming meat porridge, stirring it as she said: "Poor Hanna. She did nothing wrong, yet she was still killed."
"If you ask me, it wasn't Margareta who killed Hanna." Dandelion, the true bard, didn't miss a beat, rubbing his red head as he crawled out, still managing to engage in the conversation.
"If not her, then who? If she hadn't replaced the parsley leaves, Hanna wouldn't have died." Zoltan slammed his axe into the ground, yelling with wide eyes.
"That's not the way to look at it." Dandelion explained with a yawn: "If Hanna hadn't died, Arthur wouldn't have known about the mess in Big Black Tree Village, and they would have continued to be used as a weapon—then the whole family might have ended up dead."
Zoltan sputtered angrily: "So, the hunter had to lose his wife to be saved, is that it?"
Dandelion sighed: "Why are you shouting at me? I didn't kill Hanna. If you ask me, this whole thing is a dead end. As long as the tax-contracting system exists, these instances of collusion and tragedy will never disappear."
Good gods, he's bringing up structural problems now. Arthur couldn't help but look up at Dandelion: "Do you bards usually study such a broad range of subjects?"
Dandelion puffed out his chest, saying proudly: "I am an outstanding graduate of Oxenfurt Academy!"
During the journey, the poet had boasted more than once that he had taken seven liberal arts electives during his time at Oxenfurt Academy, graduating top of his class in every single one. However, this was clearly a fallacy and had nothing to do with the matter they were discussing.
Zoltan puffed out his beard: "You lute-strummers are all slippery smooth; I can't argue with you. But if anyone harmed my wife, not even to save my life, it wouldn't be allowed!"
Marala sighed: "Perhaps the hunter left alone because he, too, couldn't accept the truth."
The topic was heavy, and the camp quickly fell silent, broken only by the sound of Arthur slurping his porridge.
They started their journey just as the sky began to lighten. Perhaps due to drowsiness, the atmosphere in the wagon remained silent throughout the morning.
"I'll keep this brief."
When the walls of the city of Mayena appeared in the distance, Arthur was the first to break the silence: "You might not believe it, but the werewolf in Big Black Tree Village was part of a very large conspiracy. For the mastermind behind it, my actions are tantamount to making an enemy of him, and continuing to stay by my side will become very dangerous."
"So, I hope we part ways in the city ahead."
With the exception of Marala and her son, who were already scheduled to take a portal from Mayena, everyone else objected.
Dandelion lacked any sense of caution regarding danger: "You think this is something? When I traveled with Geralt, things were far more exciting than this!"
Geralt, Geralt, it's always Geralt! Arthur felt as if he were living in the man's shadow.
Zoltan loudly protested: "You helped me get revenge! I won't abandon you when danger comes! I am an altruist!"
Even Kolgrim, who had taken up the role of coachman, tapped the roof of the wagon: "Lad, there's no need to dismiss me. To hurt your pride, I've probably been through more life-or-death crises than you've taken shits."
Zoltan loudly agreed: "Exactly what I was going to say! When I was working in the mines, someone was buried alive or blown up every month! Compared to that, living enemies are nothing! We'll just deal with them!"
Dandelion's fingers danced, and a passionate melody erupted from his lute: "In this world, there are no problems that cannot be solved, and no enemies that cannot be vanquished!"
Seeing that each of them was speaking more eloquently than the last, Arthur had no choice but to swallow his words of dismissal.
Mayena was much smaller than Maribor City. Marala only had to observe the flow of people in the streets for a moment to draw a conclusion: "This is a small city of about a thousand people."
Arthur was curious how she knew. The merchant woman shrugged, claiming she could estimate the general size just by looking at the amount of goods and customers in the market they had just passed. But when Arthur looked toward the market, he only saw a crowd jostling about, completely lacking any insight.
The merchant woman's analytical method was no easier than the spell model of a novice mage.
Thanks to its status as a border city, although Mayena was small, it did possess a Teleportation Tower and a Far-Seer Mirror that could link the whole kingdom.
This time, Arthur learned his lesson from Maribor; he intended to personally watch Marala and her son step through the portal.
"You have provided far too much help. I truly hope that one day I can repay even a fraction of your kindness."
Seeing Marala's eyes glistening with tears, Kolgrim reminded her: "Remember the method Triss taught you? When you get there, remember how to act like nobility."
Arthur handed Marala a piece of paper with a sketch of his own crest: "If anyone asks to see your coat of arms, describe this one."
Little Everett vigorously hugged Arthur's leg and said clearly: "If anyone asks what my dad looks like, I'll describe you!"
"You little rascal, remember to listen to your mother." Arthur ruffled the boy's head, giving his final instruction.
As the teleportation circle activated, a bright radiance enveloped Marala and her son, slicing across the sky as they flew north.
.............
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