At four in the afternoon, in a single room at the temporary hospital, Angoulême lay on the bed snoring loudly. Shani sat by the dining table enjoying a belated lunch, while Victor was by the hearth, lighting a fire, setting up a cauldron, and explaining his unique compounding technique.
"...So that's how it is. No wonder you could produce disinfectant alcohol in large quantities last year. So this Endless Herbal Satchel you mentioned before is actually nothing much. This is your true secret, miraculous alchemy?"
Although his back was currently turned to the dining table, Victor had rich experience dealing with such shallow baiting techniques.
"No... that's not right! Both are core secrets. It's just that alchemy is hard to explain without a cauldron demonstration, so I didn't tell you last time. Shani, you're very lucky. Under normal circumstances, this demonstration process consumes a lot of time, but I'm in excellent condition right now, so I can use Combat Synthesis! A mystery even Angoulême has never had the chance to witness."
"Combat Synthesis? What does that mean? It sounds rather impressive."
"The most obvious shortcoming of miraculous alchemy is that it takes time. For slightly more complicated potions or bombs, even a conservative production time starts at two hours. But sometimes, when the battle situation is urgent and you need to produce items quickly, what should you do?
"For this reason, my aunt's two apprentices pioneered the technique of Combat Synthesis. By paying several times the mental strength as the price, you can instantly complete an item that would normally take a very long time to make, allowing you to respond to emergencies in real time."
Shani hopped down from her chair, walked behind Victor with bread in hand, and watched him work. "Then would this kind of quick method affect the potion's effects?"
The witcher's movements paused slightly, then returned to normal. "There may be some mild side effects, but they can definitely be ignored."
Sitting by the hearth, Shani opened her left hand. "How impressive. Then please begin your performance!"
Last year, Victor and Dandelion had often used this gesture while teasing each other, and Shani had seen it many times. Used in this situation, it was quite fitting.
Opening the herbal satchel, the boy took out several test tubes and many strange pieces of meat. "These three are Viper vitality broth, Swallow, and White Honey. They are the bases, while those pieces of meat are used to combine Void traits. Mix the above ingredients and stir them together, imagining the potion you need. The clearer the image in your mind, the faster the finished product is completed."
He spoke as though it were perfectly serious, which also made Shani become serious. She stared at the pieces of meat rolling inside the cauldron and faintly smelled a kind of meaty soup aroma.
Victor concentrated, gripped the stirring rod, and said, "Next, it is time to witness a miracle!"
Combat Synthesis activated. In an instant, the Rinne Sharingan spun, crimson light blooming deep in his eyes. Then, as the cauldron shone with rainbow light, his pupils shed their blood-red color and returned to azure.
When the shining light inside the cauldron gradually dimmed, Shani clearly saw the wondrous sight inside the pot. This strange scene was indeed miraculous.
At the central vortex swirled a mass of blue medicinal liquid, while the clear water in the outer ring remained transparent to the bottom. Through the separation of some unknown force, the outer clear water and the blue potion did not mix.
After extinguishing the fire and letting the water stop boiling, Victor took out three test tubes and used a ladle to scoop the blue liquid one spoonful at a time. Once the central vortex had been filled into potion bottles, it naturally dissipated, leaving only clear water inside the cauldron. The meat soup of unknown ingredients seemed never to have existed.
The boy closed his eyes, held one potion in his hand and weighed it. Then his expression suddenly became extremely strange.
Noticing his appearance, Shani curiously reached out and picked up the finished product, observing its transparent pale blue color. "What is it? Is there something strange about this potion?"
The witcher opened his eyes, his pupils clear and blue as washed sky. "Hehe! The potion was very successful. It's just that the side effect isn't very friendly to girls!"
Shani revealed an expression of incomprehension. Then, after Victor leaned close to her ear and told her, she laughed so hard she bent forward and back. "The side effect of your potion is disgusting!"
"What's disgusting about it? For its effectiveness, this side effect is actually quite normal." The boy said that, but the schadenfreude in his eyes was completely undisguised.
Noticing the change, Shani reached out and touched the area around his eyes. "Your eyes turned blue again!"
"Yeah. All my heightened emotions have disappeared. I'm now in sage time." After saying that, Victor himself laughed very happily.
Just then, a knock sounded at the door. When he opened it, it turned out to be the male assistant Speyer. After witnessing the witcher's bearing at the end, when he single-handedly forced the Scoia'tael to retreat, he was now extremely awed by Victor.
"Sir, a dwarf just came by and said this very important note must be handed to you." After hurriedly delivering the note, he turned and ran without looking back.
Opening the note and looking at it, the boy's expression changed slightly.
"What is it? Who is looking for you?" Shani walked closer to his side.
Victor shook his head, put the note and one tube of potion into the herbal satchel, then stuffed another tube into the doctor's hand. "I need to go outside for a meeting. Please shake Angoulême awake and have her drink one tube, then warn her about the side effect. The other tube is yours to allocate freely. I'll be back very soon."
Seeing this, Shani did not press him further and only said, "Be careful on the road."
...
On the way down the stairs, he faintly heard noisy arguing coming from the hall. One comparatively loud keyword made the witcher stop, activating his extraordinary five senses to eavesdrop.
In truth, the content of the conversation was nothing special. It was just a drake-voiced man unilaterally berating several others for their incompetence, calling them stupid as pigs and insulting them with very ugly words, while the others begged for mercy in low voices. What drew the witcher's attention was that the man doing the scolding was being called Lord Grandet.
This name seemed to be one he had heard somewhere not long ago. Thinking of the note he had put in his pack, then connecting it to the person who had given it to him, Victor raised his brows. Perhaps this was fate's choice. Originally, he had almost forgotten the name Grandet.
After the crowd dispersed, Victor went downstairs and took a look. Although he was wearing rough cloth clothing, Mr. Grandet indeed looked different from ordinary people. He could be called a classic example of a rat-faced man.
Putting on sunglasses, he casually found a few people and asked about the local landlord's usual behavior. After confirming that he was a villain, the witcher, having made up his mind, walked up to him and smiled slightly. "Excuse me, may I ask if you are Lord Grandet?"
The other party narrowed his triangular eyes and glared over. "Pah! Even with sunglasses on, I can recognize those dog eyes of yours. Piss off, monster hunter. I have no food here for wild dogs!"
The boy immediately laughed. This was the first time he had been cursed to his face. If it were other monster hunters, they might be constrained by worldly opinion, angry yet unwilling to talk back. A few, like Berengar, might even feel the other party was right and thus grow ashamed.
But Victor was neither angry nor self-abasing. He merely focused his mind, removed his sunglasses with his left hand, curled the ring finger of his right hand, and formed the Axii Sign. The instant their eyes met, the azure Rinnegan spun, and Grandet's mind fell into a daze.
According to Witcher Signs, the Axii Sign could influence another person's mind, briefly charm and control them, with duration and effect depending on the difference in willpower. One needed to note that the instant the Sign took effect, the eyes would briefly glow or show some other abnormality, which made it easy for anyone not controlled to notice.
"You misunderstand, respectable sir! I don't need food. I only came to pass on a message for someone. There is a friend outside who very much wants to chat with you. Perhaps you need me to lead the way!"
"All... all right... someone is looking for me. Lead the way."
After the Sharingan stopped spinning, Grandet staggered after Victor out of the hospital. The few people who had witnessed the entire process looked at one another, but no one jumped out to stop them.
...
As night first fell, the Trade Quarter would normally have already been brightly lit. But during a riot, no one wanted to attract the attention of mobs. Especially at night, when it was said that terrifying Headhunter Lickers would appear in dark corners.
Opening the door of a well-preserved house, Victor let Grandet enter the room first, then followed him inside and greeted the two elves sitting within.
"Good evening, sir and lady. Allow me to introduce to you the respectable Mr. Grandet."
Hearing the name, Yaevinn curiously looked at the dazed and silent Grandet, then suddenly understood and chuckled softly. "So that's how it is! A witcher's little trick. I was wondering who this gentleman was, to have such magnificent courage that he dared walk into a house where I am present. You should know, my wanted posters are pasted all over the streets.
"Come sit. Thank you, my friend, truly, thank you very much! Although I made that request of you when I left, I actually had no expectations. The fact that you were still willing to come to the appointment after receiving the note already makes me very happy."
Toruviel, beside him, said nothing. She took out rope, stepped forward, and began tying up Mr. Grandet. Her rough movements quickly interrupted the effect of the Axii Sign. The local landlord began struggling, but it was meaningless. He tried to shout and scream, and the female elf skillfully stuffed a rag into his mouth.
Having completed her task, Toruviel clapped her hands. "Yaevinn, I'll take this fellow to the meeting place first, then bring over the several leaders in the city to witness it. Once everything is ready, I'll come call you."
After speaking, she deeply embraced Victor, then dragged the local landlord away. The boy did not ask what she was bringing people over to witness. He knew very clearly that this was the last time he would see Mr. Grandet alive.
The witcher pulled out a chair and sat. "There's nothing to thank me for. I must honestly tell you, if this fellow hadn't been too detestable before I went out, I would already have forgotten the matter!"
"It doesn't matter. The process is not important. What matters is the result." Pushing over a cup, he opened a bottle of red wine and filled it for himself and Victor. "I haven't drunk wine this good in many years!"
Raising the rose-red wine, Victor drank half a cup with the elf. "What happened? Why did your temperament suddenly change? You remembered I'm your friend again? You actually dare be alone with me in one room without bringing your loyal guard unit?"
Yaevinn smiled bitterly and rubbed his nose. "Please, don't be so harsh. Leave me some face, all right? The conflict was very intense during that period. In that one week alone, humans tried to assassinate me three times using all sorts of methods! And we hadn't seen each other for more than a year."
"Then what's different now compared to then? Don't tell me you're not afraid of being assassinated by me now?" Resting his elbow on the table, Victor chuckled mockingly.
"Of course I'm not afraid. Haven't you noticed the difference yet? You're no longer human, Victor. When you flared up at me with red eyes, I thought you understood very clearly! But even if you forget for a moment, the Order will remind you sooner or later."
"...I'm a witcher!"
"Don't joke, Victor. Do you still remember Tailles of Ellander, whom you once mentioned to me? After the lesson he gave you, have you still not learned the ignorance and hatred humans have toward witchers? Come join us! We can change the world."
"No, you can't! You're trying to make the sun stop moving."
"Of course we can! Otherwise, how do you think that bitch Francesca became the Duchess of Dol Blathanna? Wasn't it carved out blade by blade, spear by spear, by our Vrihedd Brigade?"
The Vrihedd Brigade, predecessor of the Scoia'tael, had indeed profoundly affected the course of the Second Northern War. That was undeniable. But Victor knew the true thoughts in Yaevinn's heart, so he decided to offer proper counsel.
"Let me tell you this. In my heart, elves and humans are almost no different. I understand you, Yaevinn, but I don't like your arrogance. You must understand that no matter how many humans you kill, the elven glory you long for will never return.
"I was once part of humanity, so I will not despise them, let alone look down on them. I choose to accept them. Humans are simply like that. No one can change or challenge them.
"You must accept it! This is the result of evolution, Yaevinn."
"Evolution has no need for sterile mutants!... I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. Think about it, Victor! We are raindrops. If we work together, we can become a storm!"
Victor abruptly slammed the table and stood. "Bullshit storm! Look at this city. You've turned it into a mess. On the road here, I saw far too many evildoers, human and nonhuman alike, and the same goes for the victims. The riot has also dragged your own kin into the abyss of pain!"
Yaevinn also slammed the table and rose. "No! You're the one who doesn't understand! After we leave, the king will build schools and hospitals for elves! He will also raise the basic wages of elves! This won't be because humans discovered their conscience, nor because nobles became good people, but because we came!"
They looked at each other in silence, because there was nothing else to say. At least not this time.
Then the door opened, and Toruviel walked into the house. "Yaevinn, everything is ready. Everyone is very happy, and they're just waiting for you to go over." Sensing the stiff atmosphere, she covered her mouth with one hand. "So I came at a bad time?"
Taking a deep breath, Yaevinn said coldly, "No! Your timing could not be more wonderful... Victor..." He wanted to speak, but stopped.
"...Go, Yaevinn. Go do what you should do! Everyone has their own position and point of view. Forgive me for speaking too harshly." Victor calmly continued for him.
Phoenix eyes stared into Sharingan. After several seconds passed, the elven commander smiled. "Your eyes really are distinctive. I have never seen anything like them! Live well, Vic! When all this is over, let's have another drink together!"
...
Listening to Yaevinn's footsteps fade away, the witcher had no reason to stop him. Then Victor discovered that Toruviel had not followed him out.
Turning to look at her smooth forehead and gorgeous tattooed brows, he unconsciously reached out and lightly brushed across them. "I'm fine. Don't you need to follow him?"
But she reached out and shoved Victor hard, pushing him toward a certain piece of furniture. "What does Yaevinn establishing authority have to do with me? The herbal camp never cared about those things in the first place. I only came to help!"
"Oh... so that's how it is. Hey, wait, Toruviel, what are you doing?"
"Not bad, Vic. You've got a pretty solid build! All right, no time to waste. Hurry up and let me see your 'pride' after transforming into a witcher!"
"Oh, come on! Hey, don't do this. If you keep this up, I'm going to shout!"
"Then shout! Even if you shout yourself hoarse, no one will come save you! One regret from last time is that I shouldn't have blocked your mouth. Hurry up and tell me a few new jokes!"
After suffering a completely unreasonable sudden attack, the furious witcher, beneath the flickering candlelight, utterly defeated the overconfident female elf, defeated her again, defeated her a third time, until she was routed beyond recovery.
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