The next day, the witcher apprentice did something rare—he didn't get up for his morning run. Last night had been too thrilling, too joyful, and his mind felt sharper for it. He needed a little extra sleep to settle into the change.
So he had no idea that, at this very moment, the people of Vizima were already boiling over because of Batman.
There had been plenty of people out in the prosperous Trade Quarter last night, and what happened was simply too outrageous not to talk about. Anyone who witnessed that street chase was never going to keep quiet.
"Dressed in a skintight leather outfit so shameless it defies belief, the man in black sprinted toward freedom… while the Temerian Royal Guard—symbol of honor itself—chased after him, with the young and beautiful Princess Adda leading the pursuit!"
Those in the know all understood it had only been an accidental chain of events. But that didn't stop the gossip-hungry crowds from unleashing their imaginations, constantly "sharing" one freshly invented story after another, each beginning with "supposedly," "I heard," or "don't tell anyone I told you."
…
At the headquarters of the Order of the Flaming Rose, Siegfried knocked and entered the inner chamber. He bowed to his superior—Jacques de Aldersberg.
"Grand Master."
"Siegfried, I have something for you to handle. It came from Princess Adda's side," Jacques said, skipping any small talk and going straight to the point.
The knight's face immediately twisted into a helpless, disbelieving smile. "Is it… about that free man?"
The Grand Master nodded. "Yes. Go look for this Batman. Take a squad and question the taverns. Ask your friends too. And remember—Princess Adda wants him alive and intact."
Siegfried rubbed his nose, an uncharacteristically casual gesture in front of his leader. "Forgive my bluntness, Grand Master, but I heard far too many absurd rumors before I even came here. If you want me to search for this 'free' Batman, I'd like more solid intelligence first—like what his relationship with Her Highness actually is…"
Thinking of how it had unfolded, even Jacques's usually stern face couldn't help letting out a quiet chuckle. He handed a sheet of paper to Siegfried.
"I was about to show you. This is last night's record. Vincent has a copy as well. I questioned the knights who participated and the civilians who witnessed it. As far as I can tell, the truth is basically exactly this."
Siegfried unfolded the paper. The description was brief and plain:
"Last night, Trade Quarter: A drunk harassing a woman was suddenly assaulted by two individuals dressed in black, resulting in a brawl involving six people. The black-clad victors departed and then encountered Princess Adda returning from the hunt. Finding them suspicious, the princess ordered their capture to determine whether they posed a threat. The individual called himself Batman, fled through the Trade Quarter, and refused to surrender. He ultimately fell from the city wall to the outside and disappeared."
Siegfried lifted his head, staring at Jacques with a blank expression. Compared with the street gossip, the content on the page made the entire incident feel even more absurd.
But if the Grand Master had confirmed it, then this paper was the truth. Jacques would never soften anything for Princess Adda's sake. Which meant the wild stories outside really were slander this time.
After a moment's thought, the knight pointed at the final line. "He fell off the wall… and didn't die?"
Jacques de Aldersberg slowly shook his head, meaningfully. "No. The knights at the scene said Batman could fly. From their descriptions, it sounded more like drifting or gliding. He descended smoothly into the forest beyond the walls."
"A mage?"
"Several knights were carrying anti-magic equipment. It's possible the distance was too great for it to interfere, but there's another possibility."
"A monster," Siegfried said evenly, understanding at once.
The Grand Master leaned back and closed his eyes for a beat. "Yes. In the dark, it was hard to tell whether it was a cape or wings. Either way—try to find him. If he's a monster, eliminate him. And if he's human… fulfill Princess Adda's request."
Siegfried bowed deeply. "As you command."
The Order of the Flaming Rose was only one of countless forces in Vizima. There were many other groups, each for their own reasons and their own goals, who had also taken notice of Batman's sudden appearance.
As for the gossip-hungry crowds, they couldn't see the official report, and they didn't know that "Batman" was such a lofty, dramatic name—so they improvised. Since he'd escaped Princess Adda's grasp, they called him "that free man." And a portion of children called him "Black Banana," for reasons nobody could explain.
…
The world was strange and unpredictable. Siegfried wore a long face, convinced he'd been handed a thorny mission—because Batman might be an unknown monster, or a mage, or some kind of abnormal being with a special ability.
And no matter which it was, finding him would be extremely difficult—like searching for a needle in a haystack.
So Siegfried never could have imagined that he actually found his target immediately.
Because of the possibility this involved a monster, the knight's first stop was the witcher apprentice's home.
And the one who opened the door and let him in…
Was Batman.
"What's going on? You're actually free enough to come see me at this hour?" Victor had only just woken up. He was still groggy, pulling milk from the kitchen to drink, while offering Siegfried beer.
"Usually you're already up by now. How are you and Angoulême both sleeping in today? Don't tell me you two went out and had fun somewhere yesterday?" Siegfried had visited several times before. He sat down and drank his beer immediately.
"It's nothing. Don't overthink it. Just tell me why you're here."
"Since you only just got up, you definitely don't know… last night there was trouble in the Trade Quarter…"
Yawning, Victor drank his milk while Siegfried described last night's events from an observer's perspective—along with the rumors that had nothing to do with reality, already setting sail toward the far horizon of pure nonsense.
The entire time, Victor did his absolute best to keep his face neutral.
When Siegfried finished, Victor summarized, "So what you're saying is: this 'Batman'—according to the rumors—used to be a special slave kept by Princess Adda, and he fled because he couldn't endure it anymore, so people call him 'that free man.' In reality, he's just some sudden costumed pervert.
"But if someone captures Batman alive and intact, they can trade him to Princess Adda for a generous reward. And the knightly orders now suspect he might be some kind of flying monster."
Siegfried clicked his tongue. "Your comprehension is pretty good. That's basically it. Right now several major factions are all looking for this Batman who popped out of nowhere—Vincent from the city guard, Roderick and his embarrassed royal knights, the king's right hand Vernon Roche, and our Order of the Flaming Rose. Everyone's searching." He spat, annoyed.
Victor rubbed his nose. "Do you really need to take it this seriously? From your description, it's just a guy wearing weird clothes."
Siegfried tapped the table lightly. "His escape slapped the royal knights in the face. Temeria's most prestigious order couldn't catch a streaking lunatic in the streets—now it's a joke among the court nobles.
"When the crown wants something, you don't fight it. Since Princess Adda wants him, we find him."
Victor had no mood to mock or pity the knights who'd become a laughingstock. He was thinking about whether he'd slipped up anywhere last night—some tell that could be traced back to him.
If he had, he'd be laughed at next. Whether or not he ended up on a scaffold, history would at least give him a lavish, humiliating paragraph.
And he did not want "Black Banana" to become the footnote of his life.
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