“Don’t forget your promise, boy. Never murder unless absolutely necessary. Every time you take a life, you destroy a family,” Nenneke said solemnly.
Roy sighed, waving Nenneke away. “Yes, Mother Nenneke. I promise I won’t kill any innocents, so stop lecturing me, please.”
“Will you come back, Roy?” Jarre asked, reluctant to see him go.
“I’ll give you a present on the day you marry Iola II. And look after Art and Arri for me. Don’t let anyone bully them.” And Roy left.
He looked back at the temple one last time, sighing. It was bathed in the morning sun, as glorious as ever. The temple was where he’d spent the longest time in one place so far. It was peaceful and quiet, perfect for living a calm life. But that was not what Roy wanted. His wish was to journey the world.
***
The sky was overcast, covering Ellander with an air of gloom. Roy covered himself with a grey cloak, sneaking into the city. Then he arrived at the western part of the city, where a castle surrounded by arched walls stood. Before it was the bustling city square, and knights who were armed to the teeth patrolled the castle. They were on high alert, and it didn’t take long for them to notice Roy. He stood out too much with his getup.
“Hey, the guy in the cloak! Yeah, you! Stop right there and raise your head!” a guard commanded loudly, and Roy obliged. When the leading guard noticed his eyes, he calmed down a bit. “Are you a witcher?”
“Roy, from the Viper School.”
“Another one?” a burly knight with brown hair and brown eyes muttered under his breath, but Roy heard it clearly. “I’m Leland, from the Order of the White Rose. If I’m correct, you’re here because of the request on the bulletin board, aren’t you? Come with me. The captain has been waiting.”
“A request?” Roy was confused. He could feel Gwyhyr in the castle, so that meant Letho must’ve been inside too. Even Letho can’t do it? He followed the knight down the long corridor before coming to a room beside the castle’s garden, where he came across someone familiar.
Dennis was sitting on the floor, looking dejected. It had been a month since they’d last met, and Dennis had gotten gaunt, as if he had gone through something more harrowing than the Trial of the Grasses. Roy’s heart skipped a beat, and he had a bad feeling about what would happen next.
“You’re here, Roy.” Dennis forced a smile, but Roy could see he was troubled by something. The dwarf was a far cry from what he’d been during their first meeting.
“Why are you alone, Cranmer? Where’d Letho go?”
Dennis sighed and beckoned Roy to sit beside him. “It’s all my fault, Roy.” He let out another breath, then stared closely at Roy. His eyes were bloodshot, obviously from the lack of sleep. “Wait, you seem different. You look taller. And where’d all the hair go? And your eyes… They changed. Why’d they turn gold?”
“I passed the Trial of the Grasses and became a witcher. The changes you see were caused by that. It’s normal. What happened to Letho, anyway?”
Dennis sighed, and he covered his face. “Sorry. I-I don’t know how to break it to you, but…” He sounded despondent. “But Letho’s missing.”
“Missing?” Letho looked around, shocked. He could still feel Gwyhyr sitting nearby. “What happened?”
“Remember when I came to the temple to ask for help?”
“I see the request did not go well.”
“Yes. And that’s the whole reason this is happening. Did you notice anything weird going on when you were on the way here?”
Roy thought back to the things he saw on the way. “Barely anyone’s around. Everyone’s avoiding this place.”
“Yes. Some of the more gullible citizens have started calling this place a cursed castle. Said anyone who comes near will die.” Dennis turned solemn. “It started three months ago, after the two of you had gone to the temple. A murder happened in King Hereward’s castle. The victim was a male servant, and he died horribly.” He paused. “But that was only the beginning. The murders wouldn’t stop, and they only happened around the castle. All the victims died horribly. No exceptions. And the killer laid out their bodies in a…” He frowned, picking his next words carefully. “…disgusting way.”
“It must have been gruesome to shake even a veteran like you.” Roy was intrigued about it. “Tell me more.”
“You’ll get the coroner’s report later, but let’s come back to the request. The killer is cunning and experienced. Of that, I’m sure. The whole order scoured every crime scene, but not even one lead was found. And that’s disgraceful.” Dennis sounded frustrated, yet oddly happy about the order’s disgrace.
“The king has flown into a rage on multiple occasions over this. If this keeps up, the order will fall out of favor with the king. They’ll have to get their asses back in Vizima by then.”
Roy shot him a weird look, and Dennis stopped talking. “I’m sorry you had to hear that. The royal guards and the order have always been at odds with each other. We’d love to see them disgraced, but we’re loyal to our king. His majesty is increasingly worried about the case, so he wanted us to take part in cracking this tough nut. I’m sure you know I’m just an ol’ guard. Fighting’s right up my alley, but I’m the furthest dwarf away from a detective. And so, I asked Letho to help me out.” Dennis sighed again. “Mr. Letho’s a real professional. Three days ago, he told us to set up an ambush outside the palace at a certain time and place. As he had predicted, we noticed someone scurrying out of the palace. The crossbowmen started shooting, but somehow, that bastard managed to dodge every arrow!” The events were humiliating for them, especially for Dennis. “The killer’s speed wasn’t human. It was like a bolt of lightning in the dark. For some reason, the killer knew we were lying in wait for an ambush, so he escaped through the alleys. We couldn’t catch up, but Mr. Letho managed to follow that scum.” He paused for a moment. “It wasn’t until later that we noticed the signs of fighting at the Hanged Man’s Tree. There were pools of blood and pieces of Mr. Letho’s armor lying around, but he was nowhere to be found.”
Roy’s face fell, and the ominous feeling got stronger. “I got through the trial, so you’d better be alive.” He massaged his temples, trying to calm himself down. “Where’s his weapon?”
“Oh, his sword? I’ve kept it in a nearby room. It’s really safe.” Dennis’ eyes gleamed at the mention of the sword. “I might be old, but I know a good weapon when I see one. If I’m right, that sword is the legendary Gwyhyr. Its maker’s probably on par with Elder Brovar.”
“It’s made by a gnome,” Roy said. Before Dennis could ask, he said, “Since Letho isn’t here, I’ll take the sword for him. And I’ll need to investigate the crime scene.” He didn’t think Letho would just go out without a fight. There must be a clue somewhere, and my senses can see them.
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