Chapter 34: Unwanted Guests in the Wilderness
To make her words more convincing, the Knight's Lady deliberately pulled out a pouch and made to thrust it into Arthur's arms.
"If you want to ask for someone's help, you should at least let them know the situation they will be facing. Simply throwing money won't work…"
"Coachman, keep going!" Arthur was still demurring when Triss tapped the carriage awning and gave the instruction.
The whip cracked loudly in the air, and the wheels of the caravan slowly began to move.
The buzzing feeling of mosquitoes flying sounded in his ear again—it was telepathic communication… Arthur remembered the time he used the Axii Sign to communicate telepathically with Kolgrim, so he opened his mind to allow Triss's signal to enter:
Arthur: [This woman is lying. She's no Knight's Lady at all.]
Triss: [Of course. I've never heard of a noble whose crest is the silver lily.] (The silver lily is the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Temeria.) Arthur: [Then you're taking her money? Aren't you afraid of trouble?]
Triss: [Afraid of trouble? That doesn't sound like someone who just wiped out the entire family of an influential noble.]
Arthur: [That Lord pushed things too far.]
Triss: [How do you know this mother and son aren't people who have similarly been pushed to the very brink?]
Arthur: [I don't know. Can you tell?]
Kolgrim: [A woman, alone with her son on this remote path, is there any explanation other than they are fleeing for their lives?]
Arthur was stunned for a moment. He had been so preoccupied with exposing the 'Knight's Lady's' lies that he hadn't considered this angle. With Triss's perspective, the mother and son's predicament indeed felt like a desperate flight.
The fake noblewoman's conversation lacked the pretense of the aristocracy, even carrying a hint of roughness. Yet, she was completely nonchalant about getting her elaborate clothes dirty, suggesting she was also accustomed to a wealthy life. Combined with her efficient movements and calloused hands, she was likely an upstart merchant.
Merchants… are always prime targets for fleecing.
So Arthur no longer objected: [Then let's help them. It's only a slight detour, after all.]
The speed of the telepathic conversation was extremely fast, their entire discussion taking only a few seconds. To the fake noblewoman, it merely looked like Arthur and Triss exchanged a glance, and Arthur conceded.
The noblewoman was surprised and delighted: "Thank you so much, kind Miss! When I see my husband, I will definitely mention how you rescued us from distress."
She then turned to Arthur and said triumphantly: "Hey… Mr. Mercenary, since the deal is done, you should accept your reward."
The woman was generous with her money. The pouch was stuffed with glittering Novigrad Crowns, practically bursting at the seams. Even Kolgrim couldn't help but crack a small smile.
Triss used an elegant gesture to indicate that the woman needn't fuss, then gently admonished Arthur:
"It is not our custom to refuse the plea of women and children in distress, Mr. Mercenary."
The Royal Advisor seemed to be indulging her inner actress today. She spoke with the full demeanor of a noble lady and even assigned Arthur the identity of a mercenary.
During the casual chat that followed to pass the time, the fake noblewoman suffered greatly. As a Royal Advisor, Triss was intimately familiar with every word and action of the nobility. In her presence, the impostor was utterly exposed.
When discussing clothing and jewelry, the fake noblewoman could talk endlessly, though she always emphasized their price;
When they talked about managing a manor, the fake noblewoman spoke less, and the few things she did say were filled with inaccuracies and fallacies based on rumor and fantasy.
But Triss merely smiled and corrected her, never overtly exposing her pretense.
When the conversation reached the topic of heraldry, the fake noblewoman simply clamped her mouth shut, sweat streaming down her forehead.
Even an idiot would realize that her disguise had long been exposed.
But Triss still didn't stop. Instead, she lectured even more meticulously on the subject, and the 'casual chat' began to resemble a lecture.
"Melitele above, you know so much! You must be a truly extraordinary figure! Compared to you, I'm practically a country bumpkin," the fake noblewoman muttered, a slight tremor in her voice.
Triss smiled: "I just happen to have many friends. Actually, heraldry isn't difficult. You see, you just need to remember..."
Arthur finally understood. Triss was worried the woman would run into trouble after getting off the carriage, so she was personally trying to instill the necessary knowledge of a noblewoman.
Kolgrim was right; the Sorceress was very kind.
Because they had missed the posthouse, they failed to find lodging before dark and had to set up camp on an open hill. The fake noblewoman showed no sign of complaint and even dropped the refined voice she had worked so hard to maintain under Triss's tutelage:
"Gentlemen, please fetch some firewood and water. Smoked meat can be eaten cold, but it goes much better with beer when heated!"
"Everett, dig a small earthen stove, just like I taught you before!"
It was clear that camping in the wilderness made her happy.
Arthur picked up a bucket, intending to fetch water from the stream, when his pupils suddenly contracted—Kolgrim had drawn his sword.
Kolgrim drawing his sword from his back was as quick as lightning; for him, the difference between having the sword in his hand or sheathed on his back was negligible.
Therefore, this action had only one purpose—a warning!
It seemed that some very unfriendly individuals were heading their way.
Arthur similarly drew the bastard sword into his hand and turned to shout:
"Women and children, everyone back inside the carriage!"
"Why? I've been sitting in that carriage all day, and my bones are stiff... Everett, hurry and get into the carriage with me!" The fake noblewoman instinctively retorted, but when she looked up and saw the posture of the two men, she immediately realized the danger.
The fake noblewoman snatched up her son and shoved him into the carriage compartment, then scrambled in after him—Triss's day of coaching was all for nothing.
Clatter, clatter, clatter.
The ground began to vibrate slightly. In the twilight, a cloud of dust emerged from the dry woods and rapidly extended up the slope along the road they had traveled.
Arthur pulled the Temerian silver blade to the rear of the carriage, ready to be drawn out if necessary.
"Mr. Mercenary, I..." The fake noblewoman and her family clearly knew who was coming and were too frightened to speak a full sentence.
So Arthur smiled and spoke to Everett:
"Little friend, a group of people is heading this way, maybe they smelled the smoked meat your mother made. Anyway, I need to go ask them what they want first."
"My sword here has very powerful magic. Ordinary people will be scared stiff just by looking at it, so I'm entrusting you to keep an eye on it for me temporarily."
"If bad people show up, I will shout 'Greatsword,' and you hand the hilt to me. That will give them a good scare. Can you do that?"
The boy sniffled and nodded forcefully.
...............
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