[Chapter Size: 2100 Words.]
Third Person POV
Kaer Morhen.
...
...
Ard Carraigh finally appeared before the two. As one of the largest cities on the continent and the largest in the kingdom of Kaedwen, it lived up to that reputation in their eyes.
It wasn't Geralt's first time visiting the city. Being only a few weeks away from Kaer Morhen, it was a common place for witchers from the School of the Wolf to pass through.
Unlike Madara, who, when coming from the south, had traveled away from the city while heading to Kaer Morhen with Ciri.
The black unicorn banner fluttered in the wind as Madara used his eyes to see more details from a distance. According to what he had read in Cintra during his studies with Mousesack, Ard Carraigh meant "High Rock" in the Elder Speech.
The city served as the seat of the Unicorn Dynasty and was where the current king, Henselt, held his throne. According to legend, Ard Carraigh was founded where a black unicorn led Viduka, the city's founder and one of the first humans, to a prominent rock.
"Interesting. There's a river running through the middle of the city," Madara said.
"Yes, that's the Lixela River," Geralt replied.
"Anyway, let's go. Put on your hood and give me a sword. It would be bad if word got out that a witcher arrived in the city while the knights sent to Kaer Morhen are dead," Madara said, while Geralt nodded. After all, they couldn't reveal themselves openly.
Madara took Geralt's silver sword and stored it in his storage scroll while both of them pulled up their hoods to hide their faces. They rode along the road, passing through a small forest before finally reaching the city.
The place was bustling with activity, as people from the kingdom traveled in and out, mostly small farmers coming to trade their goods.
As they passed, people cast glances at the two hooded strangers. But no one bothered them as they headed straight for the city gates. Even though there was a risk that Geralt could be recognized due to his yellow eyes—an obvious sign that he was a witcher.
"..." Madara looked at the people passing by, lost in thought.
"Ciri told me that her parents were killed while traveling to Cintra when she was just a five-year-old child..." Geralt remarked, thinking that this might be on Madara's mind.
"..." Madara remained silent upon hearing that. Not that he felt sentimental about it, but it was strange to look at those people, any of whom could have been his parents. It seemed to bring back memories.
"Sorry," Geralt said, thinking he might have offended him.
"Don't worry about it. The past is the past," Madara replied calmly. He didn't truly know the parents who had brought him into the world—only considering a little more than that.
'After all... those guys said they had exterminated the Uchihas... so how did two of them suddenly appear, and how had they survived all these years...'
Madara couldn't help but think about it. There was no indication that any Uchiha survivors remained. Over the centuries since their destruction, no records of them had ever surfaced. And considering that people—especially mages—tended to investigate and document anything unusual, individuals with red eyes should have drawn attention.
'When I start traveling across the continent, I might find more answers...' Madara decided.
They were finally approaching the city gates, where the flow of people was even denser, all heading toward the entrance. Madara and Geralt pressed forward.
"Are you sure this will work?" Geralt asked cautiously.
"Of course. Let's go," Madara replied, seeming completely in control.
While the guards managed a crowd of people leaving, they also stopped and questioned anyone entering who looked suspicious.
One of the guards, as his comrades were questioning some travelers, noticed the two hooded strangers on horseback. This immediately raised an alert in his mind, prompting him to step forward and block their path.
"Who..." He was about to ask when the shorter of the two raised a brooch. The guard was surprised, and behind the brooch, piercing red eyes met his own, instantly trapping him in a genjutsu, freezing him for a moment.
"You may pass," he simply said, stepping aside to let them through.
Geralt didn't comment on anything as he and Madara continued passing through the gate, finally entering the city.
"Why did you let those two pass?" a colleague asked, looking suspiciously at the backs of the two strangers.
"They're from the king's special service," the man replied. That brooch could mean only one thing, and Madara had also used his Sharingan to convince him even more, though he wouldn't remember the red eyes that had stared into his.
"You've been here before. Do you know a place where we can gather information and wait until nightfall?" Madara asked as Geralt nodded.
"Let's go to a place," Geralt said as they headed toward the more run-down part of town, walking through the streets while people cast strange looks at them.
Geralt led the way to a tavern in a corner of the city.
"This is a good place," Geralt commented.
They made their way to the stables of the establishment, where a boy was working, washing and tending to the horses. The boy immediately looked up at them and grinned.
"Hello, sirs! Do you want me to take care of your horses?" he asked.
Geralt nodded and left his horse there, as did Madara, handing the boy a coin, which made him visibly happy. Then, he and Madara headed inside the tavern.
The place wasn't too crowded, and the man behind the counter watched them while wiping a mug, narrowing his eyes. Despite this, both of them kept their hoods up and moved toward one of the tables at the back. They wanted to eat something first.
It didn't take long for a woman to approach them.
"How can I help you?" the middle-aged woman asked.
"Anything from the menu with beer," Geralt ordered, while Madara remained silent.
The woman nodded.
"We have pork stew. That's two, right? It'll cost two coins," she said.
Geralt confirmed and handed over the money. After she left, the two of them glanced around. The environment wasn't much different from any other ordinary tavern. Some people were drinking and chatting, exchanging gossip here and there. There were at least twelve customers in the place.
The food arrived shortly after. Madara looked at the mug of beer in front of him and decided to try it. He found the taste awful, but still drank it.
"You're not used to alcohol," Geralt commented, amused by Madara's expression.
"It's just that the beer is bad," Madara replied, pushing the mug aside.
Geralt glanced sideways at the counter.
"I think it would be suspicious if another witcher started asking questions. Let me gather information," Madara suggested. They needed to find out who the best informants in the city were, and the tavern was a good place to start.
They ate in silence after that, undisturbed, until someone neither of them expected—especially Geralt—walked in, carrying a lute in his arms.
"Hello, everyone! How are we on this fine day?" the newcomer announced enthusiastically.
The tavern patrons seemed indifferent. The innkeeper, upon seeing him, grumbled.
"You again?"
"Yes! And I know you must feel honored because of it," the bard replied with a confident smile.
The innkeeper didn't seem too thrilled about his presence, but the woman who had attended to Madara and Geralt seemed delighted.
"That is..." Madara murmured, already recognizing him.
"Dandelion," Geralt muttered upon seeing his old acquaintance.
It was typical to find Dandelion in the most unexpected places. Although it was interesting to run into an old friend after so long, Geralt knew that this could easily turn into trouble.
"Let me tell you the story of a witcher! A lone wolf who faces monsters to protect those who never thanked him!" Dandelion began, strumming his lute.
The melody of Toss a Coin to Your Witcher began to echo through the tavern.
Madara glanced at Geralt, who looked uncomfortable, and almost allowed himself a small, closed-lip smile.
"You're quite famous," he said.
The song continued, but as Dandelion improvised, the lyrics became increasingly exaggerated. Despite that, both the woman and the innkeeper seemed to be enjoying it.
Geralt, however, started to feel uneasy about where things were headed.
"You have a lot of stories," Madara observed. "I didn't know you needed a bard to save you from forest witches and strange creatures, as he describes."
Madara made a joke, but Geralt still seemed a bit uneasy hearing those songs.
"Dandelion tends to exaggerate in his tales... and in some of them, a bit too much," Geralt commented.
"I can see that. Do you want to talk to him, or shall we ignore the bard?" Madara asked.
"Dandelion is a man who can gather a lot of information. I'm sure he must know some people," Geralt said in the end.
"Alright. I'll talk to the innkeeper while you talk to your friend. I'll also get a room for us," Madara said, pulling down his hood.
He revealed a young man with black hair and eyes of the same color—something not too uncommon. Then, he headed to the counter while Geralt stood up and walked toward Dandelion.
The bard was already tuning his lute, preparing to play another song to earn some coins. Some people listened in silence, but many seemed used to his presence—some even looked bored, as if they had heard those melodies countless times before.
Madara caught the innkeeper's attention by stopping in front of him and handing over a few gold coins, clearly seeking information. The man found it strange for a young adult to approach him for that, but he asked no questions. After all, on the continent, by the age of sixteen, a person was already considered an adult.
Dandelion, on the other hand, noticed Geralt's approach and raised an eyebrow.
"Well, well, it seems we have a fan of Witcher Geralt!" he commented with a grin.
Geralt rolled his eyes, but before he could respond, the bard took a closer look at him and suddenly became stunned upon noticing his eyes.
"Ge-Gera...?" Dandelion tried to speak as soon as he recognized him, but Geralt quickly covered his mouth, drawing some attention from the tavern's patrons.
The witcher soon let go and motioned for him to stay quiet. The bard, still confused, nodded.
Meanwhile, Madara managed to gather some information from the innkeeper and, in the end, chose a room on the upper floor. He returned to where Geralt and Dandelion were, finding the bard still in shock at seeing his old friend there.
"If you want to continue this conversation, let's go upstairs," Madara suggested as he approached, while the bard looked at him curiously for a moment, not recognizing the young man.
Geralt nodded and followed Dandelion up to the second floor, to the room Madara had reserved. As soon as they entered, Dandelion looked at them, surprised and with a certain enthusiasm.
"What a coincidence!" the bard exclaimed.
"Yes, quite the coincidence..." Geralt replied sarcastically. After all, he hadn't seen Dandelion for at least four years.
"Anyway, we're looking for information about the King of Kaedwen," Geralt said.
"The King of Kaedwen?" Dandelion repeated, clearly surprised.
"Yes. The king might be holding a witcher from the School of the Wolf. After he sent a troop of knights to attack us, we had to kill them. Now, we're enemies of the king. That's why we're here—to resolve this situation," Geralt explained.
Dandelion nodded, still processing the information.
"Anyway, can you tell us where to find the main informants? Geralt said you're well-informed about everything, no matter where you are," Madara asked directly.
The bard thought for a moment and then nodded. He began to share some information about the city, while Madara told Geralt that he would act that night to gather intel from the local gangs—just like in the old days when he hunted gangs in the capital of Cintra.
-------------Nexts Chapters ----------------
Chapter 184 - Pushing the King of Kaedwen to the brink of his sanity.
Chapter 189 - Dealing with King Henselt 03.
Chapter 199 - How long has it been, Yennefer...
Chapter 208 - Escaping from the Dragons.
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