Chapter 25: Same Place, Different People
Adda's rapid-fire statement instantly caught Triss's attention. The Sorceress left Kolgrim and turned to Arthur:
"You fought the Lord?"
"Yes, some unpleasant things happened." Arthur nodded, trying to keep the topic vague.
But Adda pointed at him with a wronged expression and began to tattle: "He killed so many people! There were old ones, young ones, and strong ones! You promised Daddy you would take me out to play!"
Arthur had a headache. How did the Princess know I killed a lot of people? By scent? Furthermore, she was too deeply affected by her monster form; her mind was full of violent thoughts.
But he had no opportunity to give Adda a lecture on morality. Triss shielded the Princess behind her, her expression more serious than ever:
"What exactly happened?"
Arthur didn't want to answer the question. Triss was the Royal Advisor, after all, and discussing this topic with her was too sensitive. But Amavet Fortress was just up the road; there was no hiding it.
So he steeled himself, recounted everything that had happened, and took off the crest from his chest: "No one wanted this to happen. You can take this crest back and offer my apologies to the King."
Triss stared, refusing to take it: "How could you be so reckless? Do you think being a Knight of the Throne gives you the right to kill a noble without any reason? Do you know how much trouble this will cause?!"
Arthur retorted: "I didn't do it without reason! They burned the freemen's village and spiked their heads on spears!"
Hearing what the Lord's family had done to Hoffer Village, Triss was also furious. But she still frowned: "Even so, it shouldn't have been you who did it! One noble killing another noble. Gods, do you know how many wars have started like that?!"
Kolgrim interjected: "Don't worry about war. I overheard some gossip in the prison. The Vyrillis family has had persistently poor fortunes with its direct line for the last few generations. With the deaths of Ignatius and Florian, their bloodline is extinguished."
Triss nodded: "Alright, so you lucked out on that front. But killing a noble without trial is the kind of thing that could easily spark unrest once it spreads."
Adda added a thoughtless suggestion: "Couldn't you just stuff their house with books and objects used for casting curses? There are so many people who hate my dad; surely I wasn't the only one he was cursed by… Why are you looking at me?"
Arthur, Triss, and Kolgrim all stared at Adda simultaneously, with only one thought in their minds: "This girl really deserves to have been a monster for over a decade. Her mind is seriously dark!"
Triss cleared her throat, forcing a calm demeanor: "This is too big. I must report it to the King first."
When speaking with the King, the Royal Advisor set up a sound-dampening barrier, so Arthur couldn't hear the details of their conversation. But when the call ended, the Sorceress's expression was noticeably relaxed. She claimed that Roche would handle the subsequent matters and genuinely seemed to put the incident completely out of her mind.
Kolgrim's leg injury needed at least another week to heal, but he truly didn't want to stay in a place with so many bad memories. So, leaning on a cane, he wandered the village, trying to hire a wagon.
Arthur wanted to take this opportunity to go to Hoffer Village alone, but Adda insisted on following him. As her bodyguard, Triss naturally remained close.
As they neared the destination, Adda became excited again: "Who are we going to attack this time?"
Arthur didn't answer. The houses in Hoffer Village were all built from straw and wood. Most of them were now just patches of charred black on the ground. Only one structure in the corner, due to its distance, was still slowly burning, reduced to a skeletal frame.
"The black smoke hasn't been rising for long. To burn like this, they must have used an accelerant." Arthur analyzed.
Adda sniffed her nose and excitedly added: "It's grease. Yeah, I smell it! It's pig fat!"
Her tone was full of 'praise me, praise me' earnestness. Arthur could only compliment her: "That's amazing. I can't smell it at all."
Adda squealed happily, kicking up a cloud of dust with her feet.
Triss's face was grim: "Pig fat costs almost a crown a barrel, and they used it to set fires!"
"Movement from the well!" Adda suddenly rushed to the well and was about to lean over and peer down. Arthur quickly grabbed her braid and yanked her back, narrowly dodging a stone that shot out of the well.
"There's a monster in the well that throws rocks!" Adda shrieked. She immediately looked for a few stones on the ground nearby, ready to rush over and return fire. Arthur quickly held her back and shouted down the well:
"Who is down there?"
The sound bounced off the walls, suggesting a large space below. Seeing that the person below remained silent, he spoke again:
"It's me, Arthur. I just got back from Vizima."
His words seemed to open a floodgate of grief. Claire's muffled sobs immediately echoed from below the well:
"They're dead, everyone is dead."
"They rushed into the village and just started killing, without saying a word."
"Walker tried to protect me. A few men surrounded and hacked at him. He didn't fall until he took a dozen blows…"
Seeing Claire's emotions becoming increasingly agitated, Arthur quickly changed the subject: "Don't talk about that yet. Is anyone else down there besides you? Can you climb up yourself?"
Claire sobbed a few times, saying: "Walker said he found a waterway under the well that connects to the Ismena River. But my stomach hurts badly, and I can't swim…"
Damn it. Walker mentioned Claire was pregnant…
"Don't move. I'll figure out a way to get you up right now… Lux!"
Arthur cast a light spell into the well and leaned in to peer down. The well was shaped like a bottle, connecting to a cavern not far down. No wonder the Hoffer villagers were able to dig it themselves.
Now, Claire was sitting on a protruding piece of ground, looking up at Arthur. Her face was frighteningly pale, whether from the cold or the poor lighting.
Arthur searched the area for a rope to pull Claire out. But Florian had been thorough; everything that could burn in Hoffer Village had been destroyed.
Hearing Claire's abdominal pain grow worse, Arthur stepped onto the well's edge and looked down intently. In this situation, the only way was for him to jump down, scout out the waterway to the Ismena River, and then try to take Claire across.
The Ismena River was dozens of meters away. If there wasn't an air pocket for breathing in between, he would be fine, being strong. But a pregnant woman might not be able to endure it.
Just as he was worrying, Triss's voice sounded behind him: "Your eagerness to protect the weak is admirable, but could you move away from the wellhead?"
I forgot the Royal Advisor was here, too…
Arthur quickly stepped aside. A faint glow appeared in Triss's eyes as she chanted a spell. The sound of surging water immediately echoed from the well.
Arthur and Adda both leaned down to watch. The previously calm water surface surged toward Claire's feet in waves, finally coalescing into a large, pale blue hand that gently lifted the last survivor of Hoffer Village out.
.............
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