There was really nothing more to say. Since Yennefer had laid her cards on the table and clearly had everything under control, there was no point in Victor lingering here. He placed a hand over his heart in farewell and took his leave.
Unexpectedly, however, the moment he opened the door, he found Horace de Funés outside. The handsome Barrel Junior was pacing back and forth indecisively.
The instant he spotted the witcher, the deputy commander forced out a smile, grabbed Victor by the arm, and hurried away as though a troll were chasing them.
The two walked side by side toward the palace exit.
"How did you know I was here?"
"Vivienne came and told me. You certainly made things easy for yourself, tossing a bomb into the room and then walking off. Do you have any idea how awkward it was for me back there? I nearly wanted to jump off the observation terrace."
"Sorry. Given the atmosphere at the time, one thing led to another and it just slipped out. Besides, some things needed to be made clear. Keeping them hidden any longer would have been irresponsible."
"If I didn't know you so well, I'd almost suspect you deliberately tried to provoke Her Grace. You're lucky the Lady Duchess didn't order me to bring a squad after you. She merely canceled your contract and told you to get as far away as possible!"
"Uh... isn't that a little like throwing away the ladder after climbing up? Even if I didn't actually catch the Beast, I was at least the first to point everyone in the right direction..."
Horace shrugged, clearly having no intention of answering that, and changed the subject. "Her Grace ordered us to keep our mouths shut. You know what that means.
"And as you instructed earlier, Guillaume and I investigated which castles had recently increased their armed personnel. We've already eliminated most of them. Only a handful of castles across the Sansretour River remain unconfirmed."
"Well done! Now you should understand why. Those men are reserve forces for the coup. Lady Syanna should be somewhere among those castles."
Hearing the faint resentment in Victor's voice, Horace coughed lightly twice. "Don't take it to heart. Her Enlightened Ladyship may be angry right now, but once she's calmed down, she'll realize you did it for her own good.
"In any case, Damien, Sebastian, and I are all grateful to you. Of course, in front of Her Enlightened Ladyship, I will absolutely deny ever saying that.
"Once we've identified the castle and are ready to launch the assault, do you want us to notify you?"
"No need. That's the human part of this affair, so let the valiant knights handle it. A witcher's responsibility is the Beast. Besides, gratitude doesn't pay bills. You all know my bank account. Feel free to convert that gratitude into coin!"
Before they knew it, the two had reached one of the palace's side entrances. Horace stopped. "I'll discuss your reward with the captain. For now, farewell. But before you leave, think carefully. Is there any other unexploded bomb you've forgotten to mention? If there is, tell me now. Please don't leave me with any more lasting trauma..."
Victor accepted his freshly cleaned weapons and armor from the guards and quickly equipped them. "There are two more things I didn't get the chance to mention earlier. First, Count de la Croix's mill was the actual scene of his murder. You can send someone there to investigate, though I doubt you'll find any useful clues.
"Second, the leverage Lady Syanna used to blackmail the higher vampire, Miss Rhenawedd. That's actually an alias she used while operating in Nazair. In other words..."
"Oh! Wonderful. That makes our work much simpler. We only need to storm one of those castles and either capture the mastermind or welcome the elder princess home. Then Yennefer can help us deal with the Beast!"
Victor raised an eyebrow, unwilling to dampen the man's optimism. "Let's hope so."
The Undvik armor had just been given a simple cleaning and still carried the fresh scent of soap, along with a familiar, delicate fragrance. Victor immediately recognized it as the perfume Vivienne usually wore.
The witcher left the palace.
...
Some time later, across from a dye workshop in the port district, inside The Rocking Horse toy shop.
Victor and Regis searched the childishly cheerful surroundings for any clues Dettlaff might have left behind.
The adorable little shoeshine boy was clearly destined for great things. Once he realized what the herbalist wanted to know, he bargained himself a small pouch of startup capital and a shiny new shoe-polish formula, then revealed where the "Beast" might have been staying.
Whenever Dettlaff left his boots with the boy to be polished, the child would deliver them to this shop once he was finished. He also admitted that from time to time he had been paid to deliver notes here, though he had no idea what was written in them.
It did not take Victor long to find a Suspicious Letter beside the workbench used for repairing toys.
...
Dettlaff van der Eretein!
You don't know us, but we know far more about you than you could possibly imagine. We know your past, your origins, your secrets... We know you're a vampire, and we know your weakness is a woman named Rhenawedd.
We have news for you: Rhenawedd is alive and well, for now. How long she remains that way depends entirely on your behavior.
At present, Rhenawedd wants for nothing. She even has Kovirian pears, and you should know how fond she is of those. But all of that could change very quickly. If you refuse to follow our instructions, Rhenawedd might soon find herself without pears, or even bread and water.
We'll lock her in a rat-infested cellar and begin torturing her. First we'll tear out her fingernails, then break her bones, and finally peel away her skin piece by piece.
But you can save her.
All you need to do is go to Beauclair and kill five people exactly as we instruct. Five insignificant lives in exchange for the woman you love.
Soon, you will receive another letter telling you who must die first and how you are to kill them. You will have three days to murder that person. If you fail, you won't receive another letter. Instead, you will receive one of your beloved's fingers.
Don't bother trying to find us. You won't.
Your friends
...
Regis took the letter from Victor and read it through. Then he brushed off his knees and bowed deeply.
"Though I have never placed any faith in prophets, today I must offer one my respects. I am very pleased that my friend has been proven to have acted under coercion rather than committing these cruel murders of his own free will."
Victor chuckled softly and returned the bow, graciously accepting the compliment. Then he handed the herbalist another document, the Letters Naming the Beast's Targets.
"Unfortunately, these documents aren't much use to us. They merely prove things we already knew. They don't help us find Dettlaff."
...
[First Page] Honor
Count Crespi called himself a knight, yet he disgraced the very spirit of chivalry. Therefore, when he dies, he should not have a sword in his hand. He should be locked in the pillory, forced to atone for his dishonor. He is a criminal, and he should die like one.
[Second Page] Wisdom
You handled Crespi well. He received exactly what he deserved. Now it is Ramon du Lac's turn.
That idiot imagined himself wise and was forever passing judgment, ruining the futures and lives of others. He is a fool, and he should die like a fool, alone in a dark alley with his neck broken.
[Third Page] Generosity
Count de la Croix loved money so dearly that he committed the vilest of crimes, breaking the hearts of those who trusted him. Therefore, you will tear his corpse to pieces and leave the coin purse enclosed with this letter upon his body.
[Fourth Page] Valor
Your penultimate victim is Milton de Peyrac-Peyran. When he should have displayed courage in defense of the innocent, he instead proved himself the greatest coward among all the knights of Beauclair.
Therefore, he must die like a coward. You will kill him during the tourney, just as the Hare Hunt begins in the palace gardens. Milton will play the hare. He will flee like a coward, and then you will find him and kill him, just as a hunter kills a coward.
[Fifth Page] Compassion
Your final target will be our Lady Duchess.
Anna Henrietta has a heart of stone. There is no warmth left within it. I want you to carve that block of ice out of her chest.
...
Regis returned the documents to Victor, who tucked them into his herbal satchel.
The higher vampire sighed softly. "A weighty list of accusations indeed. Still, since the Lady Duchess has chosen forgiveness and protection, I believe this affair will soon come to an end..."
As he spoke, he gently wound one of the repaired music boxes on a nearby shelf, filling the shop with a warm, comforting melody.
This was how the higher vampire Dettlaff van der Eretein spent his leisure time, repairing toys here and then giving them to children who wanted something to play with.
//Check out my P@tre0n for 30 extra chapters //[email protected]/Razeil0810