176 Toussaint (Part 15)

"You again." - said Alan with no enthusiasm to witness the person.

"Sir Alan, I have a feeling you are unhappy to see me." - said Palmerin with straight pose and polite voice.

"You are mistaken." - the face of young witcher became sour, but only Ciri, who smirked at that, can notice the change.

"Sir Palmerin, we met again." - she greeted the knight with a cultured curtsey.

"You don't have to be so upright with friends, my lady. Today I came to enquire about the progress of the task of Her Highness."

"Like yesterday and the day before." - mentioned Alan, while impaling a pancake with force and loud sound. People around looked at him and shook their heads. He looked back and became bored.

"I care for the orders of Her Highness."

"Do you really want to know?"

"Yes." - this time it was Ciri who voiced her undoubtedly vital opinion. Her big forest green eyes started at Alan without blinking.

"Well, I met your... Natanis." - Alan shrugged and ate a pancake.

"And?" - Palmerin sweated under the gaze of purple eyes. There was something heavy in them, a pressure he can't bear.

"You... you went to the brothel?" - Ciri gripped her fork in a certain way.

That way she usually holds the sword.

"I did." - he nodded at the girl and stared at Palmerin again. - "And you know what... she is really harmless. But Palmerin... I nearly got raped! Me, a witcher! Your precious Natanis is absolutely fearless."

"So..." - Palmerin sat across Alan and drank a cup of tea in one gulp.

"So I kicked her out from Toussaint for some time. Everyone's happy. Now can you give me some time to have breakfast? There is a new instance of a dead infant been born. We need to look at the victim." - shrugged Alan and continued to eat. He glanced at Ciri. The latter was shining brightly and humming something while happily stuffing her mouth with honey cake.

The fork again became a tool to eat food.

"Victim? You mean you want to examine the dead child? Examine her body?"

"Yes."

"That is wrong, sir Alan. How can you do this to the mother of a child? Think about how she will feel!" - the knight protested with righteous indignation.

"I think about mothers to come and how they will feel if I don't stop that." - grumbled Alan. - "Don't waste your moral preaching on me."

"Sir Alan. There should be another way. You are desecrating the dead! And infant to boot!"

Alan raised his gaze and stared at Palmerin. This time the knight experienced true pressure of the witcher eyes. They shone with power and will. It descended on his shoulders with the weight of the world.

"I desecrate nothing. But I will, if I let dozens of dead infants become dozens plus one. Sir Palmerin, morals are there to preserve our humanity in cases nothing else can. They are there to remind us of what we are in tough times and during controversial choices. Morals exist for us to make the right call. But you need to point out priorities here. If your morals stop you from saving people, maybe you are not so moral, but foolish instead?" - Alan said and again directed his attention to the plate.

That is why he disliked Palmerin. He can really make Alan talk and feel... irritated. He knew such moralists. They will interfere in everything without fully understanding the actual picture.

"The virtues of the knight forbid us doing such things! A knight is bound by the code. If we break it, then we no longer knights but regular men with swords and armor."

"That is why knights are there to be shining and good, while we, witchers, stay grounded and get the job done. You are a knight with creed and you are here to serve as example, sir Palmerin. I'm merely a witcher without virtues and here to solve problems." - Alan shrugged and ate the last pancake. Somehow, that one tasted like rubber.

"I'm going with you."

"Whatever you say, sir Palmerin. Just don't get in my way."

Ciri hopped on her feet, took the rest of the cake from the plate and smiled brightly.

"Why are you so happy?"

"Nothing." - she came closer and patted his shoulder. - "You did well. Let's go."

"I think I know why." - sir Palmerin looked at Alan with a gaze of understanding person and received disdainful one in return.

"I know too." - grumbled Alan and followed the hooded girl.

After the burnt orphanage, Ciri became more cautious and sometimes even sad. She always wore a disguise and never complained about restrictions Alan put on her time and freedom, yet he saw that it was hard for her.

She was adventurous by nature.

That is why he investigated witcher cases with her. Plus, Ciri became a very skillful swordmaster and can use magic. With her bloodline and meditation, her body developed into something stronger than a human can have.

She wasn't on Alan's level, yet not a deadweight either.

* * *

"I won't let you desecrate my child!" - screamed a man and the woman by his side nodded her head lifelessly.

"Looks like we need to go." - said Palmerin.

"We are not going anywhere." - said Alan and looked at the bulky man, who stood in their way.

"We need their permission, they are parents after all."

"Like dozens others. Should I let more infants to die? That is why I said that your code is rubbish. It is not there to help people, but for you to justify a lack of action."

"Sir Alan, you can't say it that way."

"Palmerin. Shut up." - said Alan and stepped forward. - "Do you know how many infants died already? Dozens. Your child can put an end to this. Just let me examine her."

"Do you think it is easy for us? My wife is grieving. But you, witchers, are emotionless fucks. You don't care about people and kill left and right. How do I know that all this is not your doing? Maybe it is you! Yes, it should be your fault!"

"You are mistaken. I'm investigating the case by the order of Her Highness."

"If it is so, then why are you so calm? I tell you why. You don't give a shit! It is you! People, look, he is here to take our child away..."

"Do you expect me to be emotional?" - asked Alan.

"... he wants to take it for his dirty rituals and dark magic! He is a monster, a witcher! He is not here to help! Look! He is not even grieving like us, he doesn't care!" - the man screamed and never listened to Alan. - "Help us drive them away! You are a knight, yet you are with him! How can you do this? Where are the virtues of the knight?"

Alan frowned, and Ciri nearly kicked the man.

"We need to go..." - sir Palmerin patted the young witcher on the shoulder.

"Yes, go away, disappear from our sight, monster!"

"I will beat the shit out of him." - hissed Ciri, while glaring at the man. - "Look, is it a look of a grieving father? He is smirking at me, look!"

"Ciri, let's leave first."

They went back to the horses outside the tiny village.

"Sir Palmerin, go back and report to the duchess, I will investigate here."

"Are you sure? You might need my help."

"Sir Palmerin... just go."

"Fine." - the knight mounted his horse. - "I will come back with the verdict of Her Highness. Don't fret, young witcher. I believe Her Highness will be on your side in this matter."

Alan nodded, waited for the example of morality to disappear from his sight, and turned around.

"Now we do it our way."

"Yes, yes, yes!" - Ciri nodded while rubbing her hands. Then she froze and turned to Alan with glinting eyes craving for action. - "And how is that exactly?"

Alan sighed at her.

"The man. He wasn't grieving. You are right about that. His wife was, but not him. He is very calculative. All of that was a performance, but I don't know why. Let's first examine the child. Ciri, can you call him out and make a distraction, while I investigate the body?"

Ciri nodded with serious eyes and went inside the village again. Soon Alan heard sounds of arguing and shouts of the man coupled with wails of the women. He needs to act faster. Ciri can talk with people better than him, still an angry crowd can be very dangerous.

Alan ripped the space with the usual move of his bloodline power. Now he can do it easily, like breathing.

He stepped out of the rift inside the empty room and found a body of the infant lying on the little bed.

'Pale, with blue veins, it is undoubtedly dead. No visible deformations or wounds. Eyes like glass, but still intact.'

He looked at the limbs of the child to find anything, yet failed. By all means, it looked like it died from a natural cause.

'Mouth... what is this?'

Alan took the tip of the tongue in his hand and drew it out.

'A symbol carved on her tongue? This is a marking of some dark ritual. Never read or heard about anything like that. Whatever this strange symbol is, it is not elven or any magic language. It is something very ancient.'

Alan looked at the child again, while the screams outside became more frequent and violent.

'I need to go. Nothing left to see here.'

He teleported outside and ran to Ciri's side. She was ready to kick the man in the head. It was clear by her dark face.

"I'll break his eggs!" - raged Ciri, while Alan took her hand and they disappeared in the flash of turquoise light.

"Eggs?" - asked Alan when they were far away. Ciri went red.

"He deserves it... he said if I be good he might reconsider."

"Wait, he said that right in front of his wife who lost her child several hours ago?"

"Well, he whispered it, but I heard."

"Whatever..." - Alan shrugged. The man was suspicious and now even more so. Who can carve a symbol on the tongue of the infant? Also, judging by the blood and bruises it appeared before the infant died.

It appeared before it was even born.

"We need to pay a visit." - said Alan in thought.

"Where?"

"Toussaint library."