The garden of the estate felt different now, lighter, as though something unseen had finally loosened its grip on this place, the air no longer carried that same suffocating presence.
Sebastian stood near the stone path, arms loosely at his sides, his gaze drifting over the estate.
"…She's still unconscious, I assume," he said without turning.
The Count stood a few steps away, his posture straighter than it had been before, though the exhaustion in his face had not faded. "Yes," he replied quietly. "I carried her back to her chambers myself. The servants will tend to her until she wakes."
He paused, his eyes lowering slightly.
"And when she does… I know what must be done."
There was no anger in his voice now.
"I cannot turn a blind eye to what happened here," he continued. "I simply can't."
Sebastian glanced at him then, studying him for a moment.
"…Whatever you decide," he said, "make sure you're thinking clearly when you do it."
The Count gave a faint, bitter smile. "I've spent years hiding things," he said. "It brought me nothing but this." His gaze shifted briefly toward the house, toward the windows behind which his wife lay.
"I will not make that mistake again."
Silence settled between them for a moment, then the Count straightened slightly and gestured to a small chest that had been brought out into the garden. He knelt beside it, opening it with a quiet click.
Inside, coin.
More than enough to turn heads in any tavern.
He reached in and withdrew two heavy pouches, and stepped forward to offer them.
"For your work," he said. "Ten thousand marks each."
He hesitated, just slightly.
"I know it is… not enough for what you have done here. So if you require more.."
Sebastian raised a hand, stopping him.
"That's enough," he said simply. "We never agreed on a price to begin with."
The Count studied him for a moment, then nodded slowly.
"…Very well."
Sebastian stepped forward and extended his forearm.
The Count met it.
A firm clasp.
"Farewell," Sebastian said.
"Good luck on the path… Master Witcher."
Vesemir stepped in next, exchanging the same gesture, brief and respectful.
Then there was nothing left to say.
They turned and made their way toward the gate, leaving the garden, and everything buried beneath it, behind.
The guards said nothing as they passed.
The estate doors closed behind them with a dull, final sound.
Outside, the road stretched back toward the city.
For a while, neither of them spoke, the quiet of the outskirts settling around them.
Vesemir was the first to break it.
"…Not your usual first contract," he said, his tone measured.
Sebastian didn't answer immediately.
Vesemir glanced at him from the side.
"I know that look," he added. "Comes after jobs like this... You want to talk about it?"
Sebastian exhaled slowly, his gaze fixed ahead.
"I do," he admitted.
Then, after a moment,
"…Not now."
His voice wasn't closed off.
Just… held back. "Let's get back inside the city first," he said. "Find an inn."
Vesemir nodded once.
"Fair enough."
By the time they mounted their horses, the light had already begun to fade behind the distant hills, leaving the road to Ard Carraigh washed in a dull, cold glow. Neither of them spoke as they rode.
As they passed beneath the gate of the city, the noise of the capital swallowed them whole.
Voices, laughter, arguments. The clatter of carts over stone.
And, as always, eyes.
People noticed them immediately. Two figures with swords on their backs, medallions at their chests, eyes too sharp for comfort. Conversations dipped as they passed. Some turned away. Others didn't bother hiding their disdain for Witchers.
"Fucking Mutants," someone muttered under their breath.
Another spat on the ground as they rode by.
Sebastian didn't react, Vesemir didn't either.
Vesemir had seen it too many times for it to mean anything, they dismounted near a modest inn tucked between two larger buildings, its wooden sign creaking softly above the door. The place looked worn but serviceable, exactly the kind of place that didn't ask too many questions as long as coin was good.
Inside, the warmth hit them first.
Firelight flickered across rough tables, the place smelled of ale and cooked meat. Conversations filled the place, though they faltered again, just slightly, when the Witchers stepped in.
The innkeeper glanced up, then gave a short nod.
Coin spoke louder than prejudice to men of the trade. They paid without trouble and took a table in the far corner, away from most of the crowd. A pitcher of strong drink found its way to them soon after.
Still, the looks didn't stop.
A group of men at a nearby table watched openly, their expressions somewhere between curiosity and contempt. One leaned over to another, whispering something that drew a low chuckle.
Sebastian ignored them.
He poured himself a drink, staring into it for a moment before taking a slow sip.
Silence stretched between them for a while.
Then,
"There was a moment," Sebastian said at last, his voice quieter now, more distant, "where I wanted to walk away."
Vesemir didn't interrupt. He simply lifted his drink and waited.
Sebastian continued.
"Tell the Count I couldn't help him. That I didn't know what it was. Leave it… to run its course."
He exhaled faintly.
"It would've been easier... But I didn't let that woman to her fate, and say that I have no idea what afflicts her, I just couldn't."
He turned the cup slightly in his hand, watching the liquid shift.
"And I don't know if that was the right choice… or the wrong one."
Vesemir took a slow drink before answering.
"You'll see plenty of that out there," he said. "More than you'd like."
He set the cup down with a quiet thud.
"There's no clean answers on the Path sometimes. No right or wrong waiting at the end of a contract."
His eyes drifted briefly toward the fire.
"Just evil… Greater or lesser evil. And even that depends on who's doing the judging."
Sebastian said nothing.
Vesemir continued.
"The Count's wife?" he said. "Vile, no doubt about it. What she did… there is no excuse for it."
He leaned back slightly.
"And the Hym? We could argue it was doing the world a favor, but it was still a monster. And monsters… are our business."
Sebastian nodded slowly.
"I understand that," he said. "I also understand that all the training, everything we've been through… it's not just for swinging a sword."
His gaze sharpened slightly.
"It's for this too."
A humorless breath left him.
"I just don't feel like I did it right."
Vesemir studied him for a moment.
Then he gave a small, almost amused huff.
"Oh, you did," he said. "For your first contract? You did more than most."
Sebastian raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Except for one thing."
That got Seb's attention. "…Yeah?"
Vesemir tilted his head just slightly.
"You let the Hym hit you."
Sebastian paused, then he smiled.
"Oh. That."
Vesemir's gaze didn't soften.
"You keep letting things hit you because you think you can take it…" he said, voice quieter but more serious, "…you'll run into something that proves you wrong."
Sebastian leaned back slightly, unbothered.
"I know," he said. "I don't do it blindly."
He took another drink.
"Only when I'm certain it can't harm me. It throws them off. Gives me an opening to finish the fight quickly, besides I'm not going to try that with something like a higher vampire so don't worry."
Vesemir stared at him for a moment, then let out a low chuckle, shaking his head.
"Oh, you're already thinking about those, are you? Does that mean you'll accept any contracts you'll see, including those?"
Sebastian shrugged lightly.
"Maybe."
Vesemir leaned back, looking him over with disbelief.
"This kid…"
Sebastian smirked slightly.
"Relax, papa Vesemir."
That earned him a sharper look.
"You know what I'm capable of, I can handle any monster."
Vesemir snorted softly.
"Just try to make it to winter," he said.
They drank.
The noise of the inn carried on around them, after a while, Vesemir pushed his chair back slightly.
"I'll head to bed," he said. "Tomorrow morning, I'll gather supplies and head back to Kaer Morhen."
He glanced at Sebastian.
"That's where we part ways."
Sebastian nodded once.
"Alright."
Vesemir rested a hand briefly on the table.
"Don't drink yourself into a grave tonight," he added. "And don't let your head get stuck on one contract.. We kill monsters. That's what we do."
He paused for a moment.
"Nothing more."
Sebastian looked down at his drink for a moment.
Then nodded faintly.
"…That's what we do."
Vesemir gave him one last look, then turned and made his way upstairs, leaving Sebastian alone at the table.
/-\
If you Like this story! Check out my other stories! Shadow Monarch: In One Piece / Shadow Monarch in DC
&
If you wish to read more or simply support me than check out my pat-reon / FrenzyAren"
You can Get Access to More Chapters Ahead of Release on All of My Stories!