Chapter 31: Dust-Covered History
Triss absolutely refused to believe that Arthur's reason for turning her down was truly 'the world is so big, and I want to see it.' She uncharacteristically started lashing out at others: "This is impossible! Did you say bad things about Sorcerers to him? How else could he reject such a perfect opportunity!"
Kolgrim's gaze was icy: "Madam, do not use the witch's familiar tricks to judge a Witcher. We have no lavish robes to draw followers, nor sufficient wealth to spread rumors. The Sorcerer's usual tactics are of no help to our livelihood."
"What rumors?" Arthur asked, simultaneously nervous and curious.
"Gods know what she's talking about," Kolgrim said coldly.
"You are clearly alluding to the tragedy caused by those rumors! It is unfair to blame me for that incident; I was born fifty years after it happened!" Triss said angrily.
Kolgrim: "Think what you will. I have never told him those stories. Refusing you is Arthur's own decision."
"What exactly are you two talking about?" Arthur grew even more curious. This feeling of listening to a coded conversation was unbearable.
"It is a thorn lodged in the heart of every Witcher, and one that Sorcerers have always refused to discuss. Should I tell him?" Kolgrim looked at Triss with amusement.
The latter said in resignation: "Tell him. I'd also like to hear how Geralt tells this story to other Witchers."
Kolgrim nodded: "If anything differs from what you've heard, you may point it out at any time."
The moment Kolgrim opened his mouth, the timeline drifted back to the last century.
It all started with a Sorcerer named Artamon, who was reportedly very prominent at the time; even the King of Kaedwen had to consider his opinions. Now, however, people only knew he came from Ban Ard.
(Kaedwen, one of the four major Northern Kingdoms, with a territory shaped somewhat like a grid, Kaedwen is located in the top-right quadrant.) (Ban Ard, a magic school located in Kaedwen, relatively close to Kaer Morhen.)
In any case, like most successful men, Artamon had a mistress but was consistently unable to impregnate her. One day, for reasons unknown, Artamon married her off to a Marquis.
From there, the story quickly shifted from a simple romance to a thriller crime…
The Marquis died suddenly, the lady gave birth to a son, and successfully secured the title of Count for her boy. Every Sorcerer and priest in Kaedwen knew the child belonged to the Sorcerer, because Artamon was proudly boasting everywhere that he had solved the problem of male mages being unable to sire children. But since he had the means to secure official recognition, and the Marquis was deceased, no one was willing to stick up for a dead man.
As the key to legally utilizing and transferring the Marquis's inheritance, the little Count naturally received the full protection of the Marquise and Artamon. He loved to fight and often injured people badly because he didn't know his own strength. Since no one dared offend the noblewoman who frequently visited the court and the highly-placed, ruthless Sorcerer, the young Count was never punished. This lasted until the day he messed with the wrong person.
Initially, it was just an ordinary brawl. Only the object of the fighting was quite formidable: a man who, bare-handed, managed to knock down the Count and his companions.
Having tasted defeat, the Count was no different from a humiliated hooligan. He successfully forced out his opponent's true capabilities with a dagger at the cost of his life.
With the loss of the young Count, Artamon and the Marquise had no further right to the Marquis's inheritance, and the fief was reclaimed by the King. The double blow drove the young Count's parents to madness, Artamon becoming particularly unhinged. In his reasoning, no one could overcome the enormous disparity between unarmed and armed combat and escape his hunt. Therefore, there was only one truth the one who murdered the young Count was a Witcher.
Artamon didn't bother to collect any further evidence. Instead, he immediately leveraged all his contacts, demanding that the King declare all Witchers to be murderers. But this was a time of royal succession in Kaedwen, and the new King did not agree to such an insane demand. Thus, they resolved to take matters into their own hands.
They began by spreading rumors and slander against Witchers in every salon and gathering. They also published a large number of pamphlets titled Monsters, or Descriptions of Witchers. When public opinion was sufficiently ripe, Artamon organized hundreds of well-trained rioters and attacked Kaer Morhen, which was guarded by only eight Witchers.
The event ended in absolute tragedy. With the exception of Vesemir (Geralt's mentor), almost all the Witchers died fighting, and only a third of the thugs managed to escape.
The authorities executed a few of the low-life thugs, but Artamon and the Marquise, the main perpetrators, were never even charged.
Many years later, Vesemir finally completed his revenge on the last murderer, then calmly turned himself over to the Kaedwen government. Ultimately, due to the machinations of the Sorcerers, he was hanged at the Stugglefoss prison.
"That's my version of the story. Now, it's your turn." Kolgrim carefully adjusted his broken leg to make it more comfortable.
Triss bit her lip, shaking her head: "The Council never records such things, and no one brings it up, even in private gatherings."
"However, I have a question Sorcerers cannot naturally procreate. Perhaps the Marquis simply died of a sudden illness?"
Kolgrim shrugged: "You can discuss that with Yennefer. She is also an expert in infertility. If Artamon left any manuscripts behind, they would certainly be in her hands."
Triss unconsciously looked towards the upper right corner, then nodded bitterly after a moment: "Perhaps you are right. I did see the name Artamon on Yennefer's bookshelf. But when I asked about him, she contemptuously said he was merely a scoundrel who died too late."
Triss looked at Arthur, appearing more vulnerable than ever: "Although this sounds like an excuse, I genuinely feel that I should not be held responsible for that incident."
Arthur nodded: "I understand. But just as you have nothing to do with the tragedy at Kaer Morhen, I truly have no interest in continuing life at an academy."
Triss sighed deeply: "Alright, geniuses are always nonconformists. Then, are you willing to study and exchange knowledge about magic with me as a friend during our upcoming journey?"
Arthur smiled: "As long as I don't have to follow a nine-to-five schedule, I'd be happy to."
Triss offered a strained smile and handed back the notebook she had given Arthur yesterday: "This notebook contains my notes from my time studying at Aretuza. It's a bit messy, but quite detailed. You can look through it when you have spare time, and if there's anything you don't understand, you can ask me."
Full-time study had been converted to a correspondence course. Arthur let out a soft breath and contentedly accepted the notebook, which still carried a faint fragrance.
"Did you fight with Triss? She looks very unhappy." The moment Triss left, Adda rushed over to Arthur, reporting anxiously.
"It's nothing. We just had a slight disagreement about where to go tomorrow," Arthur said, rubbing her head to comfort her.
"Ah, then where are we going tomorrow? You're not going to take me back to Vizima, are you?"
"No. We'll take a caravan and go play somewhere else." Arthur pointed to Ves, who was sitting nearby: "We'll rest here today. You can go practice archery with the older sister a bit more."
Adda cheered and ran off, dragging Ves along.
Looking at the empty courtyard, Arthur's gaze was thoughtful.
The Council of Sorcerers this organization didn't leave a good impression.
Although Triss had argued that the Council strictly controlled the use and teaching of magic for the welfare of all humanity, one thing deeply troubled Arthur: a riot that killed nearly a hundred people and destroyed a fortress simply because Sorcerers played a less-than-honorable role in it didn't even deserve a single line in their historical records?
...............
AN: For early access to advanced 80 chapters on P-a-treon:
Join now: P-a-treon/Chaos_God
(Just remove the- hyphen to access normally)
Thank You so much For your Support and for Reading!