novelraw Chapter 42: Hero Saves Beauty and the Child of Destiny
Chapter 42: Hero Saves Beauty and the Child of Destiny
Kiriman's sudden insertion into the battlefield made the atmosphere freeze for an instant.
His tall and burly physique, arrogant and confident attitude, high-quality dragon leather armor that clearly wasn't cheap, and his reputation as a Witcher made everyone present regard him highly, knowing he was definitely not someone to be trifled with.
Perhaps in the minds of many northern peasants, Witchers were dirty freaks, disgusting mutants, creatures different from humans.
But anyone with normal intelligence, even a three-year-old child, knew that Witchers were sword masters capable of fighting terrifying monsters. At least in terms of combat ability, no one dared to look down on Witchers.
Of course, except for certain idiots with low intelligence.
When they saw Witcher Kiriman make his appearance, many people's eyes lit up, and hope reignited in their hearts.
At least compared to those untrustworthy bandits, Witchers could definitely be considered honorable men who kept their promises.
The fat merchant Radovid, as the Merchant Guild leader whose wealth rivaled nations, actually didn't care about that small amount of money at all. And as a Nilfgaardian spy chief operating undercover in the Kingdom of Temeria, he was certainly not a cowardly or weak man.
However, to maintain his disguise, Radovid took out a silk handkerchief, somewhat awkwardly wiped the sweat from his forehead, and tentatively called out to Kiriman:
"Mister Witcher, six hundred Orens is still a bit too much.""How about this—I'll give you four hundred Orens as payment, plus a bottle of Toussaint fine wine. How does that sound?"
"I brought many Toussaint wines with this shipment—rich aroma and exquisite taste, absolutely worth more than the price."
"If you buy in bulk, there's even a twenty percent discount."
Kiriman chuckled upon hearing this.
Toussaint wine was indeed excellent—he'd heard drunkards praise it many times, though he'd never actually tasted it himself.
Just as he was thinking about starting some bargaining, the Salamander Gang bandits couldn't take it anymore. A bald, bearded bandit leader cursed at Kiriman:
"Goddamn Witcher, you're looking down on us too much!"
"Thinking you can take on fifteen of us alone?"
"Do you think we're stray dogs by the roadside?"
"Damn it, I think you're looking for death! I'll cut off your head and use it as tonight's chamber pot!"
After saying this, he charged forward with three or four bandits, while the others remained to guard against the civilians and merchant caravan, not moving recklessly.
This division of forces suited Kiriman perfectly.
He couldn't be bothered to bargain anymore either, drawing his Viper steel sword with one hand. To avoid his precious mount getting accidentally injured, he leaped directly from his steed while rapidly gathering magic power in his left hand, unleashing an Igni Magic Sign head-on.
Since few people knew about Witchers' combat methods, and many didn't even know Witchers could use magic signs, it often achieved surprising, immediately victorious results.
This time was no exception.
The bandit leader and his men thought their martial prowess and numerical advantage would intimidate the Witcher facing them.
But when they charged forward, what greeted them was intense flames.
The flames covering several meters ahead possessed extremely destructive power, instantly igniting their clothes and body hair, setting them ablaze.
Although Igni's flames couldn't melt steel, the several hundred degree high temperature caused excruciating pain to living flesh. The source of this content ɪs N0veI.Fiɾe.net
Several bandits quickly lost combat capability after being set on fire, could only hug their burning bodies and roll on the ground, trying to extinguish the high temperatures.
Unfortunately, this was all in vain—the Witcher moving in for the kill gave them no chance to stand again, mercilessly slitting their throats or piercing their hearts with sharp blades.
In just over ten seconds, he had eliminated the four enemies who tried to attack him.
But what surprised Kiriman next was that after he swiftly killed four bandits and used his exquisite sword skills to easily cut down two more bandits while surrounded by seven or eight robbers...
The Salamander Gang bandits actually fled with speed even he found hard to react to, scattering in panic and escaping completely.
Holy shit, was that necessary?
Weren't you still have more than half your men left? Why run away? Keep fighting!
Kiriman mentally complained, but his face maintained a calm expression as he used an enemy corpse to wipe the blood from his Viper steel sword, then looked calmly at the crowd.
But thinking about it, it made sense.
In previous battles, he had always launched sneak attacks, eliminating all enemies before they could react, never giving them chance to escape.
This wasn't a game—in reality, when casualties reach one-third, forces typically collapse completely.
They were just gang members transformed from street thugs—expecting them to have courage to fight to the last man was asking too much of them.
Kiriman mentally chuckled, then looked at fat merchant Radovid in the crowd, rubbing his fingers together in a money-demanding gesture, saying:
"The commission is completed. So Mister Radovid, it's time to pay my reward."
"Let me state clearly in advance—I have several precedents of eliminating employers who tried to renege on payment!"
"You should think carefully before making your choice."
Radovid's persona wasn't that of a brave merchant, and upon hearing the Witcher's threat, his entire body of fat trembled in fear.
He pretended to awkwardly glance left and right at his guards, then reluctantly took out four hundred Orens in gold coins and a bottle of what appeared to be quite high-end red wine, handing them to Kiriman.
Before leaving, he still hypocritically introduced himself and invited Kiriman to visit his dock, saying he wanted to hire him to clear out monsters there.
Vizima hadn't seen any Witchers for several years. Although protected by military forces, many monsters had bred in areas the military couldn't cover, urgently needing Witchers' help.
Kiriman nodded, promising to visit soon, then watched the merchant caravan depart.
As for those civilians without children, they had already slipped away during his conversation with fat merchant Radovid, not even leaving a word of thanks.
They seemed terribly afraid of getting involved in any conflict between the Salamander Gang and the Witcher.
Now only the young boy Alvin, his adoptive mother Caroline, and the young medical student girl Shani remained waiting.
They had stayed solely to express gratitude to the Witcher.
If Kiriman hadn't appeared, Shani, Alvin, and Caroline would most likely have fought desperately.
After all, whether it was the beautiful young girl, the young married woman, or the child Alvin—if they fell into the Salamander Gang's hands, some tragic fate likely awaited them.
Perhaps in their hearts, they were also marveling at their good fortune and the Goddess of Destiny's favor.
Yet similar to their feelings, when Kiriman introduced himself and got to know the three before him, he couldn't help but feel some emotion.
The gears of fate might truly have started turning, becoming unpredictable.
Whether it was the red-haired girl Shani before him or the young boy Alvin born with the blood of ancient power...
Clearly, according to the game's storyline, these important characters shouldn't appear until a year later.
How had they encountered him, this Witcher outside fate's design, so soon?