Chapter 390: Velen
"A new lord? But why have I never heard of this?"
A knight spurred his horse forward and presented the sacred decree that verified Triss's identity.
"This is the writ personally signed by His Majesty! Don't come so close, you fool! If you dare splash your spit on this sacred document, I'll make you pay in blood!"
"Look down, see here! Do you see the Royal Seal?"
One of the guards, looking somewhat dim-witted, nodded blankly. "Y-yes... I see it."
"And seeing that, why haven't you opened the gate? How long do you intend to keep the esteemed Lady waiting outside?"
"Yes, I understand."
The guard hastily lowered his crossbow, picked up a wooden stick wrapped in a piece of black cloth, and turned to wave it toward the castle gate behind him. Only then did the gate of Crow's Perch slowly open.
Once the column had crossed the drawbridge and entered the castle, the other, visibly older guard asked tentatively. "Bard, did you see clearly? Was that paper truly a decree signed by His Majesty?"
The soldier named Bard shook his head. "I can't read, how would I know? But the Royal Seal certainly didn't look fake."
"With this new lord arriving, what about Baron Vissarad?"
"You ask me? How should I know? Why worry about it? No matter who the lord is, someone still has to work. We just need to guard the gate."
Crow's Perch
In the inner courtyard of Crow's Perch castle, someone had already alerted Vissarad. Thus, as Lynn and Triss's company entered the inner ward, the Baron, accompanied by his personal retainers, stood in the courtyard to receive them.
However, their expressions were far from friendly, and they were armed.
Just as they had done at the outer checkpoint, the knight produced the royal decree. He loudly read out the contents: Foltest had ceded Velen to Triss and had transferred Baron Vissarad and his entire family to a new fief outside Vizima.
After Vissarad finished listening, the knight exchanged a look with Triss, took another step forward, and issued a warning that contained both goodwill and menace.
"Baron, you must think this over, think very carefully, and do not take any action that you might regret."
Vissarad hesitated for a long while, finally squeezing out a sentence through gritted teeth: "I am willing to follow the command of His Majesty the King."
Vissarad knew this was a demotion. While his title remained unchanged, his land had shrunk from a Barony to essentially a Knight's fief. His wealth, power, and status had plummeted. Any chance of class elevation was gone forever.
But what could he do? As for resistance? Don't be ridiculous. His handful of men were only good for bullying peasants; challenging the King's knights was suicidal. Besides, they weren't likely to defy the King's direct order for his sake.
Vissarad sighed. Never mind. At least he kept his Baron title and a knight's fief. It wasn't the worst outcome.
Baron Vissarad packed his belongings that very day, taking his family and loyal retainers, and left Crow's Perch.
Vissarad did not take everyone from the castle. The stewards responsible for managing Velen's affairs remained. Unfortunately, when Triss summoned them to inquire about the state of Velen, she was doomed to disappointment. They knew nothing about the situation outside the capital, Gors Velen.
While in the Vizima court, Triss had heard rumors about Velen's condition, but she hadn't realized how truly dire it was.
"My Lady, we have some thoughts. Might we speak?"
"Please do."
The officials cautiously voiced their opinions: The situation in Velen was critical. Long ago, Vissarad had pulled back all guards from other areas and stopped patrolling the roads. Thus, they didn't know if the villagers in the rest of Velen were alive or dead.
If they had died from plague, starvation, or monster attacks, that was one thing; the true fear was that they had become thralls of darkness.
For a very long time, there had been legends of the Lady of the Woods in this territory. It was said She dated back to when humans first arrived on the continent. No matter how the political power in Velen changed, only the Lady of the Woods endured.
Therefore, the officials advised Triss to manage only Crow's Perch and Gors Velen, just as Vissarad had done, and leave the other areas alone to avoid trouble.
The officials' counsel was met only by the sorceress's cold gaze.
"You may leave now. Hurry, you might still catch Vissarad before he gets too far."
"My Lady?"
"I have no need for dead weight in my fief. Get out of my sight!"
Startled by Triss's sudden raised voice, the officials scrambled out of the castle hall.
Only the sorceress, the witcher, and the company of knights now sworn to the sorceress remained in the massive hall.
Triss rubbed her forehead. "Now I understand why none of Vissarad's men ever advised him when he hid away in Crow's Perch. They're all cut from the same cloth."
Lynn asked, "So, what do you plan to do?"
"This is my domain. No Lady of the Woods; there can only be one 'Lady' in this land... Lynn, I need your help. Come with me tomorrow to tour the fief."
Although Triss had initially worried about her ability to govern Velen, the notoriously poor and desolate region—after all, as Lynn had said, she was skilled in magic, but she knew nothing about ruling a territory—once Foltest officially appointed her as its lord, a strong desire to fix Velen surged within her.
Thus, early the next morning, the group left Crow's Perch and set out toward the various villages scattered across Velen province.
The first stop was Midcopse. Lynn had been to this village years ago; it was where he had met the Knight Errant on his way to Toussaint. However, years later, the village had not improved; it had grown only more dilapidated.
When their company entered the village, the locals were clearly terrified. They had never expected to see the Lord's people in their lifetime, assuming they were bandits. Only when they realized the newcomers were clad in gleaming armor and not brandishing weapons at them, but ordering them to gather in the village square, did the panicked villagers slowly calm down.
In the village square, including the elder, the villagers stood terrified. The Lord's guards hadn't been seen on the roads outside the village for ages, let alone so many knights and distinguished people. The villagers racked their brains but could not fathom why such important figures had come to their village.
.......
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