"Damn it, Raymond, did I mention I knew Elisa after she died?"
"…"
"Karl, your mother was born in Karryas. When she was young, she had a playmate named Keira Metz."
"Keira was reportedly taken to some mage academy, and Elisa occasionally corresponded with her before her passing."
"Your mother also has a letter for her that she needs you to deliver."
Upon hearing a familiar name, Karl was first delighted, then his face fell.
What kind of person Keira was, he couldn't be clearer… a sorceress who loved vanity, craved power, played political games, and enjoyed using others.
To trade artifacts with her? He really couldn't guarantee the outcome.
A sorceress had many ways to make him willingly hand over artifacts without her having to pay any price.
So, his idea was that even if he had to trade with a sorceress, he would find one with good character, otherwise, it would likely be a one-way trip… A month and a half later, two figures rode on horseback, one in front of the other, along a muddy road.
Behind them followed a carriage, used to store plate armor and other supplies.
Karl rode his warhorse at the very front, while Dalton deliberately lagged behind.
Dalton did this to reflect the difference in their status, so that strangers could instantly distinguish who was the master and who was the subordinate.
Originally, with Karl's current status, he should have at least several attendants serving him.
But unfortunately, customizing the plate armor and warhorse cost a lot, and he wasn't very well-off, so Raymond told him to make do for now.
Karl's knight status had been officially conferred half a month prior.
At that time, everyone in Badov with an official position, no matter how small, came to witness the conferment ceremony.
Originally, Raymond was troubled about what reason to find for conferring the knight status.
But at the dinner table, Karl mentioned that he had killed a Water Hag, which gave him a legitimate reason for the reward.
However, to make Karl's story more convincing, Karl returned to the village once more to destroy the Water Hag's lair.
He also killed the remaining three Water Hags and showed their heads to the commoners again.
Dalton held the reins with one hand and unfolded a map with the other, confirming the route.
"Lord Karl, according to the map, the distant fork in the road leads to Karryas. Shall we proceed along that road?"
"Mr. Jack mentioned that you have a letter to deliver to an old acquaintance in Karryas."
"No need, Dalton, we'll go directly to Vizima, the capital of Temeria."
"Yes, Lord Karl."
At this moment, Karl was feeling rather depressed, the reason being simply that he had to deliver a letter to Keira, and he wasn't keen on interacting with Keira.
But this was his mother's last wish after all, and if he didn't fulfill it, he would feel very guilty.
"Dalton, are there any rumors about the Vizima royal family?"
He thought that chatting might relieve some of his unpleasant feelings, so he took the opportunity to ask Dalton about Vizima.
"Hmm… rumors? It's said that the King has been searching for the Witcher's whereabouts, and he's very troubled by it."
"He once ordered people not to kill the Vampire Birds in Old Vizima, and violators would face severe punishment."
Searching for the Witcher, Vampire Bird?
Karl, catching the keywords, immediately brightened up, a smile playing on his lips.
He really hadn't expected Princess Adda's curse to still be active, which meant the timeline was still in a relatively early stage.
If he won the Martial Arts Tournament, the King would indeed grant a reward.
But the status of a bastard was always too sensitive, and Foltest would most likely not agree to a pardon.
If he could lift Princess Adda's curse, he was ninety percent sure Foltest would agree to pardon his bastard status.
However, there was still one point he needed to consider carefully.
That was the situation with the Vampire Bird, which was quite tricky.
Since it was Adda, cursed, he couldn't kill it, and he even had to be careful not to get killed himself or injure the Princess.
Even Geralt, after drinking elixirs and in peak condition, almost capsized when facing this situation.
He hadn't fought a Witcher before, so he wasn't sure what the gap was between him and a top Witcher like Geralt, especially after the latter had drunk elixirs.
But one thing he was very sure of was that in terms of pure strength, even a Bear School Witcher, after drinking elixirs, was far less powerful than him.
And the Wolf School's mutations were balanced in all aspects, with no particularly outstanding areas… Three more days passed before the two arrived at the outskirts of Vizima.
Passing through a village in the suburbs, Karl glimpsed a peculiar building located in the center of the village.
It featured stained glass, a tall, pointed roof, and a lit brazier on a wooden stand at the entrance.
Above the building was a flame-like emblem, and armed church members patrolled the vicinity from time to time.
"Lord Karl, that building is a church, belonging to the Eternal Fire Church."
"They have the right to bear arms and can teach their doctrines to the villagers."
Dalton, seeing Karl observing the building, opened his mouth to explain.
Karl nodded indifferently, then withdrew his gaze, no longer paying attention to the church.
He had no good feelings for the Eternal Fire Church; the entire church could be said to be filled with brainwashed followers.
The followers themselves couldn't afford food, yet they had to make offerings to the church, and violating the doctrine would result in physical punishment.
Moreover, the Eternal Fire Church required, but was not limited to, followers dedicating themselves, money, and bodily atonement, almost to the point of directly selling indulgences.
As for who got to enjoy all this for free? He knew with his gut that it was the church hierarchy and a host of nobles.
As they rode their horses along the road, the surrounding villagers, seeing the clothes the two wore and the carriage following behind, especially after noticing the crest on the side of the carriage,
all had expressions as if they had seen a plague, and hurriedly moved away from the road, fearing they couldn't avoid them fast enough.
The main reason was that the noble lords were too exalted in status, and they couldn't afford to offend them.
If they displeased the other party, even if they were beaten without cause, no one would speak up for them, and the other party would not be punished for it.
The group arrived near the city gate, where many people were queuing on the bridge.
Among them were merchant teams and ordinary vegetable vendors, who were talking in low whispers.
It was clear that although this was not the free city of Novigrad, there were still many people who came here to make a living.
Karl raised an eyebrow, intending to urge his horse to the back of the line and queue normally like everyone else.
"Wait, Lord Karl… where are you going?"
Suddenly, Dalton's voice rang out from behind.
"Uh, Dalton, where can I go? Of course, to queue." Karl replied softly without turning his head.
"Lord Karl, queuing is something only commoners have to do…"
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