Departure and Return

Chapter 45

It was the sixth of November in the year 1260. Roy was wearing a yellow wool coat, sitting on the edge of Walls Inn's rooftop, legs dangling, and he held a portrait. The portrait depicted Roy and Toya, both smiling. During Saovine, he took Toya to Seville's residence behind her parents' back and enjoyed a sumptuous Saovine feast.

He could still remember it vividly. He and Toya had had their fill of honeyed wine, messed up the songs they sang, and posed for a second-rate artist. Then they surrounded the bonfire in the yard, held hands with the bearded dwarves, and danced Mahakam's specialty dance the whole night. When the next morning came, Toya woke up from her first hangover and was sent to the carriage heading for Aretuza.

"How should I contact you once I get there, Roy?" Toya stuck her head out of the carriage window before she left. She held his arm, tears welling up in her eyes, and they were filled with excitement, unease, and longing.

"Witchers don't have a stable home." Roy patted her head and joked, "I'll visit you in Aretuza after a few years. Hope you can show me some real magic then."

"It's a promise then." Toya's voice had a hint of mischief. "If you haven't come after I've returned to normal, I'm hunting you down no matter where you go."

***

Roy kept the portrait in his inventory space and held the necklace hanging around his neck. He had completed his education in the House of Cardell not long ago and said his goodbyes to Vivien, Tom, and Cardell. I wonder what Cardell did. The revolutionists have been really quiet these days. Maybe they're shocked by their leader's death.

It was a peaceful Saovine in Aldersberg. There were no marches or gang fights. Roy stopped renting his room. He didn't leave anything for Hank and Mana even after taking their daughter away. It was their punishment for abusing her. They can try hunting me down if they want. If they can find where I am, that is. He didn't plan to continue working in the marketplace, and his education was done for the time being. The words he could read were enough to understand the witcher's notes. He was going to start reading through the recipe formulas. When he hopped off the rooftop, entering the lobby, a familiar feeling welled up within him.

***

Saovine was over, but the party in the inn wasn't. A bard was leaning against the wall, wearing tight fitting clothes and leather shoes. He was playing his lute to a beautiful tune. A group of burly men were holding their foaming beers and moved to the music on the dance floor. Many women in bustiers and heavy makeup were going through the merry inn, revealing their skin, lifting their fluffy dresses, and flirting back with the men as they beckoned them.

The inn was merry, but someone stuck out like a sore thumb in the corner. The table for four was filled with glasses of colorful wine, but he was the only one drinking. Letho's bald head and stern look made him look dark, and the sword hanging on his muscular back warned everyone to stay away.

A woman chuckled and approached him. "Alone? I can be your partner."

Letho looked at her, and her familiar smile warmed him up a bit. "Sorry, but I'm not in the mood today. Next time."

"How cruel. It's only been a month, but you're already acting this cold. I can still remember how strong you were. Oh, your arm is tense. Just relax and let me handle everything." The woman beamed and leaned against his shoulder, then she craned her neck. She noticed the dried blood on his armor that still had a stench, but she wasn't surprised, as witchers were like that.

When she looked down, she saw a big package that was bursting at the seams laying on the ground at the witcher's right. She could see something red bleeding through the blue package, and she asked, "What is that?" She tried to take the package, but halfway through, Letho's muscular hand grabbed her arm.

"Keep your curiosity in check, woman. Stay out of things in which you shouldn't butt in," Letho said calmly, but the dangerous gleam in his eyes shocked the woman. She trembled and got up carefully.

The woman pursed her lips and glared at him. "I see. So all you want from me is my body, huh? Well, don't ask for me next time then. Hmph!" She then went to the dance floor and flirted with the other men.

Letho wasn't frustrated. Women were just things to spice up his life, nothing more. And then he felt something, so he looked across the dance floor and met Roy's gaze. "Has it been a year since we met? You grow fast." The witcher looked at the boy who came up to him and steepled his hand under his chin. His sharp senses were telling him that the boy had undergone a great change. He'd started out as a scrawny one, but he'd changed to become more lean, lively. His eyes were shining, his complexion healthy, and he looked better than he was.

Most people would have to work endlessly for six months to a year for them to change so much, but it hadn't been two months since Roy had left Kaer.

"Two years, actually. So that makes it one month and two years?" Roy sat beside Letho and sipped some fruit wine. "So, I've been living on my own here for a long time. Have I passed your test?"

The witcher nodded. "You did well on your own."

Roy looked at the package the woman was curious about, and he sniffed the air. "You left me here for a month just for this?"

Letho felt like testing him. "Guess what's inside."

"Even though you've cleaned it and removed most of the smell, that stench can't fool me. It's, hmm, a monster's innards, isn't it?"

Letho tossed the package to him, and Roy scrambled to open it. He almost threw it away. The first thing he saw was an eyeball the size of a fist, and it had been wiped clean. When he touched the back of the eyeball, he could feel the nerves and blood vessels that were still red.

Roy looked around and stuffed the eyeball back when nobody was watching, and then he took out a yellow paw from the bag. The underside had pads like those of feline creatures. Three sharp fangs protruded in the front, looking like black scythes. It was hard and was about the length of an extended hand of a human.

Roy imagined how easily the claw could rip through a human's armor and disembowel the wearer. Aside from the eyeball and claw, there was also an elliptical heart in there, a long beak with the fur removed, and a bloody head.

"A griffin." The package was filled with the most valuable parts of a griffin. He murmured, "You spent a month killing a griffin to prepare the decoction for me?" He was touched that Letho went to kill a griffin alone.

Griffins were proud creatures. They were hard to hunt, had a superb sense of smell, a powerful body, claws and beak that were as hard as steel, and had no obvious weakness. It would be a deadly creature for any witcher. Roy also regretted the fact he didn't take part in it. It would've been a great experience to watch the fight at close quarters.

"Are you hurt?"

Letho shook his head. "Some problems arose, but it ended well. Come. I'll teach you the way to dismember it, and I'll check on your progress."