Chapter 329: The Great Memory Restoration Technique
The mental state of Chalamire was as broken as his physical appearance. He had thought that being imprisoned by the Nilfgaardians was the worst thing that could happen.
He was so naive. The "good" times were still to come. As the saying goes, life is full of ups and downs... but mostly downs. Success is temporary; failure is eternal.
Just as Count Tulleus died unable to comprehend how the imperial army could be defeated by islanders, Chalamire never expected to fall into Skelligan hands.
He was done for. He knew Geralt had a close relationship with the islanders. He would never see his death coming. Even though Chalamire was moved to a much more comfortable cell shortly after being thrown into the dungeon, he was still pessimistic.
He believed this was only because the islanders hadn't yet figured out how to torture him, and they didn't want him to die too quickly.
Chalamire had considered suicide. The jailers brought him food without knives or forks, and the bowls and plates were made of wood, but he could still bite off his own tongue and drown in his own blood. But he didn't.
It would be too painful and too slow. He lacked the courage. Yet, if he continued to live, the islanders might resort to cruel methods, and his death would be even more painful and miserable.
As Chalamire agonized, he heard footsteps outside his cell. Then, the sound of the door opening. Confused, he looked up. His internal clock told him it was not yet time for the jailer to bring food.
Instead, he saw two large, burly jailers walk in and stand on either side of him. Then, two more figures entered. Based on their attire, they were clearly not soldiers. A witcher and a... sorceress?
Chalamire was not entirely sure the cloaked woman was a sorceress, as he had zero sense for the power of Chaos; he was a pure muggle. He only surmised from experience that a highborn lady or maiden would never come to a place like this.
As Chalamire studied Triss, Triss was also watching Lynn. She didn't understand why Lynn had brought her to the dungeon, but she knew he would explain everything.
"Allow me to introduce you. This is Sir Chalamire, a knight from the Duchy of Curved Coast. From this knight, I've learned a very interesting piece of information. Triss, you know about the civil war that happened in the Duchy of Curved Coast a while ago, right?"
Though she didn't understand why Lynn had shifted the topic to the history of a minor kingdom next to Redania, Triss followed his lead.
"About a year ago, the Duchy of Curved Coast erupted in a civil war between the previous duke and the current duchess, Helana. Duchess Helana claimed her father—the duke she was opposing—was a usurper, which is why she led a revolt. In the end, the civil war concluded with Duchess Helana's victory."
The information Triss had was no different from what Lynn had heard. He smiled. "Did your sources ever tell you that Duchess Helana was able to win the civil war because she received secret support from the Nilfgaardians? In return, the Duchy of Curved Coast would provide aid to the Nilfgaardians when needed. For example, when the Nilfgaardians sent a squadron to the North to retaliate for the Skelligan raids, they didn't just impersonate the islanders to rob Novigradian merchant ships and try to damage relations between the Northern Kingdoms and Skellige."
"They were also stationed at the port town of Ashton in the Duchy of Curved Coast."
Triss was stunned. "What? This can't be true!"
The situation on the continent was relatively peaceful. The North and South had not yet openly declared war. Nilfgaardian merchants could travel freely in the Northern Kingdoms, and likewise, Northerners could do business in the South. Most of the Northern kings didn't see Nilfgaard as a threat; conquering a piece of land was one thing, but holding it was another. The constant rebellions in the lands annexed by Nilfgaard over the decades only confirmed the kings' beliefs.
However, a Southern squadron being stationed in a Northern port was a completely different matter. After all, the Northern Kingdoms had no military passage agreement with Nilfgaard.
As a royal advisor, she immediately realized the "great benefit" Lynn was talking about. The fact that the Duchy of Curved Coast had a secret pact with Nilfgaard was huge news. It was enough to justify military intervention from the neighboring countries. Temeria had no stake in the Duchy of Curved Coast, as the two countries were too far apart, with Redania in between.
But it was different for Redania. Historically, the Duchy of Curved Coast was a Redanian vassal. Though now independent, King Vizimir II dreamed of planting Redania's eagle banner on its territory once again.
Now, this was the perfect excuse for "Just" King Vizimir to intervene in the duchy's affairs. And as the country that had provided this perfect excuse, Temeria would certainly get its share of the benefits from Redania. King Foltest would not shortchange her.
With that thought, Triss's eyes were practically glistening as she looked at Lynn. He was handsome, tall, well-built, had incredible stamina, and brought her good luck... If the time and place were right, Triss would have dragged him to bed right then and there.
The next day, a radiant Triss boarded the Temerian ship with Chalamire. After sailing for a while, they reached Oakwood Cove, entered the Pontar River from its estuary, and then traveled along its tributary, the Ismena, to Vizima.
Triss did not rest. She rushed straight to the palace with Chalamire and met with King Foltest. A few days later, King Foltest and King Vizimir had a secret meeting. No one knew what they discussed, but when King Vizimir returned to his capital of Tretogor, his entourage included an additional prisoner.
Upon his return, King Vizimir immediately ordered Dijkstra, his spymaster, to interrogate the prisoner that very night. To Dijkstra's surprise, he didn't even have to use any of his methods. Without even the "Great Memory Restoration Technique," Chalamire confessed everything.
(End of Chapter)
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