Chapter 66: The Storm Gathers
Though the communicator had no image function, Triss spoke as if she could see Arthur: "I know you possess great talents in both swordsmanship and magic, but these people are not wolves or some other monster you can simply wave a sword at and drive off."
"I know."
Arthur felt frustrated, yet he understood Triss's point: historically, dealing with such entrenched, privileged factions required either co-option and division or armed suppression but that was the King's job. What sense did it make for him, a transplanted knight with a mere honorary title, to risk his neck?
Unless... unless he was a king like Foltest.
Sensing the atmosphere growing tense, he turned to Keira: "Could you show me how to use this Far-Seer Mirror? I have a few things I need to show Triss."
Keira smiled and hooked a finger under Arthur's chin: "That's easy enough."
The Far-Seer Mirror functioned somewhat like augmented reality, allowing people miles apart to converse face-to-face, but its capabilities weren't limited to visuals.
As Keira finished adjusting the device, a faint scent of roses Triss's perfume immediately wafted through the communication room.
The moment Triss's image appeared, Keira said with a sarcastic drawl: "Look at him. The boy was frowning and miserable just a moment ago, but now that you're here, his eyebrows have smoothed out."
Arthur avoided the subject: "Can this Far-Seer Mirror transmit scent, too?"
Triss chuckled softly: "A single Far-Seer Mirror costs at least three hundred crowns, and it needs to be calibrated before every use. If it could only transmit sound and images, it would have been replaced by communicators long ago."
Her image took a step forward, gently stroking Arthur's cheek: "You look like you've grown taller since I last saw you a few days ago."
Arthur was genuinely startled this time: "It transmits touch as well?!"
He could truly feel the sensation of a hand caressing his face!
Keira giggled: "That's nothing. Sorceresses used to use Far-Seer Mirrors to have long-distance dates with their lovers! It only fell out of fashion because it consumes far too much magical power."
Arthur didn't quite grasp the full implications, but he was astonished nonetheless.
He pulled a sketch from his pocket and asked: "Do either of you recognize this marking?"
Triss shook her head, indicating she hadn't seen it, but Keira recognized it immediately: "I knew those bastards didn't jump out like rabid dogs for no reason. It is connected to you."
"Anyone with this kind of marking is most likely a high-ranking spy."
Triss questioned: "How does a spy get mixed up in this?"
Keira glanced proudly at Triss: "Little genius, so there are things you don't know. While Ban Ard always claims to rival Aretuza, since the school is built within Kaedweni territory, they are heavily infiltrated by the Kaedweni government."
"Every year, more than a third of the students are expelled for violence, theft, and other behavior, and they immediately turn into spies for Kaedwen."
Keira pointed at the sketch in Arthur's hand: "Most dropouts are just noted in the archives. Only those involved in major leaks or even murder cases are branded with this Golden Seal."
"Kid, you've run into serious trouble."
Arthur didn't reply, thinking: What trouble? He's already turned into a pile of wolf shit outside Big Black Tree Village.
He moved on to his second question: "I recently killed a werewolf, and I found a necklace made of wolf fangs on its body. What is that thing used for?"
The moment he asked that, both Triss and Keira's expressions turned grave:
"Where did you find it?"
"Does this item have anything to do with that spy?"
Arthur summarized his experience in Big Black Tree Village, omitting only the part where he killed the Village Chief.
Keira's face darkened as she explained: "The Council's archives record that a 'Magical Revival' movement sprang up last century. This movement aimed to reproduce the legendary magics that had been lost, the most popular being Alzur's Witcher mutation ritual."
"The archives vaguely mention that due to the impatience of some members, an extremely severe crisis of trust erupted between Witchers and sorcerers, which has persisted to this day. After both sides paid a heavy price, the Council abandoned the idea of recreating the Witcher ritual."
"However, some members refused to give up. They turned their focus to the simpler and easier process of lycanthropy mutation. One of the results of that research was this type of wolf-fang necklace, used to cast the curse…"
Keira continued narrating that dark history: how large numbers of common people were converted into werewolves only to be destroyed, and how those who miraculously recovered were often captured for live dissection...
What a fucked-up world!
Rience's threat hadn't been an empty boast; Niren truly was still surrounded by danger.
The only good news was that once the curse was fully broken, the wolf-fang necklace would lose its magic and become nothing more than a crude ornament. At least, Arthur didn't have to worry about improper handling of the necklace damaging Niren's soul.
Because Keira was present, he didn't mention the small booklet found on Rience. Instead, after ending the communication, he handed it over to the Blue Stripes garrisoned in the city.
Compared to Triss, who was engrossed in magic, and Keira, whose loyalties were less clear, it was more reliable to have the Blue Stripes investigate this matter. If the locations of the lycanthropy curses heavily overlapped with the territories of Rosa's lovers, things would become very interesting indeed.
Something rather amusing happened on the way out of Mayena.
Two guards, one fat and one thin, stopped Arthur on the street: "Hold it right there. I know you."
Arthur feigned terror: "I haven't committed any crime!"
These were clearly two ruffians who had stolen guards' uniforms. One uniform was nearly bursting at the seams, while the other was so large the wearer's hands couldn't even poke out of the sleeves.
Zoltan stifled a laugh and winked at his companions, pretending to gasp in alarm: "Ah! Good heavens, we've run into trouble!"
Dandelion grabbed his lute and darted onto the roadside steps: "Fear not! I shall support you with the sound of my music!"
Kolgrim sighed, let out a few dry 'Ahs,' and drove the caravan out of sight around the corner.
Seeing Arthur's companions 'flee,' the 'Fat Guard' smugly declared: "Half a month ago, in Maribor, you seriously insulted the Church of the Eternal Fire and the Holy Inquisition, uh, the Heresy Inquisition. We are under orders to take you in for questioning. Hand over your weapon!"
The man must have had a few too many drinks before taking this job; his tongue was thick.
Arthur decided to play along. He unstrapped his hand-and-a-half sword from his back, inserted it deeply into the sheath, and then handed it over.
The two ruffians burst into laughter. The 'Thin Guard' said: "Who said this kid was tough to deal with? He's just a useless sod!"
The 'Fat Guard' showed Arthur what he thought was a menacing smile, resembling a piece of bacon with teeth: "Listen, kid, someone paid us brothers to take your life. In your next life, be careful who you piss off…"
While delivering his threat, he tried to pull the sword out to stab Arthur. But the sword was like it had been welded to the scabbard. Even as his face turned beet red from the effort, it wouldn't budge.
"What are you looking at? Come help me…" The 'Fat Guard' struggled several times, failing to draw the sword. Seeing Arthur's mischievous smirk, he realized he'd been tricked. Just as he was about to signal his companion to use brute force, he turned back to find the 'Thin Guard' already squatting on the ground, covering his head.
Two burly men in blue uniforms smiled and asked: "Pardon us, but who is it this gentleman has offended? Would you care to tell us?"
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