News of an Acquaintance

Chapter 111

Coral had a room in the temple, and it was faithfully recreated in a sorceress' style. The design and furniture were lavish. There was a dressing table made out of mahogany, and it was decked out with various makeup products. Roy noticed the crystal accessories hanging around, and the gigantic storage box that was sitting quietly in a corner. There was a telescope lying around, and a big, purple bed filled with feathers sat in the middle. The weirdest thing about the room was its walls. They were covered in beast hides, but the style was jarring, for the hides came from different animals.

Coral waved her hand, and a deer hide flew toward her. Roy stood beside the bed, taking in the girly view, and he looked at her nervously. For some reason, Roy couldn't take his eyes off her since the day before. Coral still looked as exquisite as before. Her makeup added so much to her charm, and the purple crystal earrings made her look more magical. She was also wearing an obsidian necklace.

However, she had switched her dress out for a blue silk one. The dress' design was bold, for the middle was only tied together by two straps of cloth, revealing almost her whole waist. Roy took a deep breath to refresh himself, though all he could smell was Coral's scent. It was refreshing too, of course. Every sorceress would equip herself with a perfume of her style. They loved to spend money on that too. For example, Yennefer always sported a perfume that smelled of lilac and gooseberries. Anyone could smell it before she even showed up. Lytta, of course, had a distinct fragrance to her as well.

"Let's see…" She stared at the hole in Roy's leather armor. "I know a bit of tailoring, and this'll work well. I'll modify your armor so it can fit you better. And I'll up the aesthetic too. Of course, this hole's going to be patched up."

"I-I see." Roy was nervous because of the bed's presence. He was worried something might happen to him. "Why don't we go to the lab. I can always get some new clothes."

"Oh, are you worried you might bother me? Coral chuckled. "Don't worry. I'll patch this up with magic. It's really easy." Coral brushed her hand across the hole in Roy's armor, and she muttered an incantation. Roy felt a gust of air brush across him, and then the hole was gone. When he looked closely, he noticed that a part of the deer hide was missing too.

"Magic's awesome."

"It gets less awesome when you get involved with it," Coral mumbled. "Now take your clothes off, boy."

"What?" Roy's heart skipped a beat. "But my armor's patched up, and Letho's waiting for me. I can't stand him up."

"Ah, ignore him." Coral looked at him, stopping for a moment when she noticed his pointy ears. "You kept it a secret, but I know you're a part-elf. Don't let that go to waste. You're supposed to be elegant, not a brute like Letho out there. I'll craft a more suitable shirt for you. You're going to be the girls' center of attention. I guarantee it personally."

"Forget it. I'm a witcher, and I fight all the time. I run through clothes easily." Roy never liked flashy clothes. He preferred practicality over flashiness.

"You know you can't say no to me."

Roy took his armor and clothes off, since he couldn't refuse anyway. His shoulder, back, chest, and belly were covered in bruises. Most were starting to heal, while some were new. They were the results of his training over the past month. Coral touched his bruises, and Roy frowned, but didn't wince.

"He's cruel." Coral frowned angrily. "If he keeps hurting you before you heal, your body's going to be filled with bruises once the hormone injections are done."

"It'll heal eventually." Roy had no complaints, since Letho was massaging him every day. "Besides, these scars are my pride." Not like they'll be there permanently. They'll be gone once I level up.

"No. No woman would love a man filled with scars." Coral muttered an incantation, and a flash of bright light covered Roy. A cool sensation traveled his body, as if he were covered in a cooling salve. Coral nodded, then she stopped chanting. The sorceress gesticulated, controlling the needle and thread from afar as she patched his armor up.

Roy didn't agree with her statement though. A certain someone was scarred by a sword and had a lot of wrinkles on his face, but he was still popular with women. Flirting is all about the vibe.

"Sit right here." Coral pushed him down on her lap, then she leaned ahead and took his measurements with her hands.

On the other hand, Roy stiffened at the sight of her magnificent breasts. His whole body stiffened. Not just one particular spot.

Coral smiled. "I stand corrected. The hormone injection worked well. And I'm sure you know all too well about it."

"What do you mean?"

"The hormones accelerated your metabolism and growth. You're sexually developed now. Once you sleep with someone, that'll be the end of the first part of the trial."

"I have to sleep with someone? Does that mean se…" Roy gawked at Coral. Are you sure you should say that to a young, hormonal teenager?

"Don't be embarrassed." She winked at him. "I've seen every inch of your body when you were out cold. And I'll let you in on another secret. I'm old enough to be your great-great-great grandmother. If I had any descendants, my great-great-great granddaughter would be around your age." Coral took a strand of red hair off of Roy's face. For some reason, Roy thought she sounded melancholic.

Can't imagine anyone's great-great-great grandmother looking as hot as you. Roy calmed himself down. Most sorceresses had a long life and outstanding beauty, but they could never bear children. After getting reengineered at their academies, their reproductive organs would shut down, closing the door to pregnancy. That was the pain they had to bear.

Yennefer tried to hunt down the green dragon once, for she wanted to be fertile once more. When she was about to succeed, the golden dragon swooped in and ruined her plans. After that, Yennefer saw Ciri as her daughter. Part of it was because she couldn't have her own children, so she poured her love onto Ciri.

Some sorceresses were lucky enough to retain their fertility. Visenna was one example of that. She was Geralt's mother. But that was a long time ago. Even if there were sorceresses who remained fertile after the reengineering, the academies would require them to magically neuter themselves. That was the sacrifice for magic and eternal beauty.

***

Coral kept patching up his armor while chatting with him. She sounded loving and almost motherly. Letho wouldn't do that, and when Roy thought about how much she took care of him, he felt touched.

"Oh, right." She patted his head. "A woman's age is their biggest secret, and now I've told my secret to you. You should tell me your secret in exchange. Where are your parents? And when did you find out you were a part-elf?"

"Moore and Susie, huh?" Roy was reminded of the fact that it had been four months since he and his parents went their own ways. He wondered how they were doing in Novigrad. I should ask Letho if I can send them a letter. He modified his background story and told that version to Coral. However, he kept his character sheet, his life in the other world, and the Child of the Sun a secret.

Lytta wasn't satisfied with the story, so she stared at Roy. "Do you know who Casiga is, Roy?"

"No. Who is she? Your friend? Another sorceress?" He massaged his temples as he combed his memories for that name, but he got nothing.

"That's her new name. It symbolizes her departure from her past life. Her old name was Toya." She smiled when she noticed Roy was surprised.

That's the hunchback I helped out in Aldersberg. Did she finally get into the academy? "You saw her." Realization struck Roy, and then he started concerning himself with Casiga. "So Toya… I mean Casiga, has joined Aretuza. How is she doing? Is everything well?"

"Don't worry. She has started her life as a disciple, and it'll go on for ten years, according to the academy's syllabus. She's probably practicing meditation with her fellow disciples. She gets along well with everyone. Even made some friends. Besides, life on Thanedd might be boring, but at least memorizing and chanting incantations is better than getting tortured by her family."

Roy heaved a long sigh, and his mood was buoyed. He smiled, genuinely happy for Toya.

Coral noticed that smile, and she nodded. "An old friend told me about it when I went for a visit last month. She talked of her past in great detail during the interview. It was then we found out that you were the reason she even got there in the first place. Then Mother Nenneke asked me to help you guys out. When I heard you were involved, I decided to come over to see what the fuss was all about. I couldn't believe a witcher's disciple would meddle in this kind of affair."

No wonder she's so warm to me, like I'm a friend.

She thought about what had happened, and she twiddled her thumbs, her eyes filled with surprise. "You helped a girl with a tragic past escape her life in Aldersberg, sending her to the Isle of Thanedd so she can join Aretuza. That's unheard of. Even in fairy tales." She looked down into his eyes, her hair tumbling down the sides of her head. "You're famous in Aretuza, you know." She tried to see through him. "If you ever go there, the sorceresses will gawk at you like you're some sort of new creature. Someone probably wants to dissect your brain and see how it works. Why'd you help a deformed girl, anyway?"

All Roy could smell was a nice fragrance, as if he were sleeping on a bed of roses. Coral was the only person he could see. Everything else was unimportant. His heart started pounding as he fell further into his trance. Roy started feeling lost, as if he were hypnotized, but he snapped out of it quickly. Roy looked away, then he got off from her lap and stood.

"So you want to know the reason." Roy licked his lips, pacing back and forth. "I stumbled upon To… Casiga among all the humans and dwarves in Aldersberg. That was probably fate. You know how religious witchers are about fate. Since fate decreed this meeting, and since I could help her out, that's what I did."

"You pitied her?"

Roy didn't deny it, though he elaborated, "But a bigger part of it was because I wanted someone to help me out if ever I was in a pickle. This was an investment. If Casiga were to fail, then that would mean I would have done everything for nothing."

Coral suddenly chuckled. She was gorgeous whenever she laughed. Then she raised her finger, and the shirt and armor slipped onto Roy by magic.

"What are you laughing at?" Roy buttoned his shirt, stomped his foot, and moved his limbs around. He also realized there was a crest on his armor. It looked like a rose and a briar at the same time.

Coral stopped laughing, though her breathing became shallow. "You're a young boy, and you're talking about fate with me? Why, I'm old enough to be your ancestor. I wouldn't mind if the one talking was Letho though."

"At least that's what I believe."

"Very well, then. I'll go along with that." Coral looked at him gently, her gaze full of approval. "Since you helped a sorceress out, you shall be duly rewarded." She leaned forward, wearing a serious look on her face. "I'll do my best to help you out in the trial, with or without the recipe. I will make sure you pass. That's a promise."