The Dwarf's Secret

"Witchers don't get involved in politics," Letho's words decided for Roy as he crisply tore up the notice.

Roy had no intention of participating in the so-called parade; the atrocities committed by the rebel army looting outside the city disgusted him!

Furthermore, no matter how the rebel army and the government forces fought, it was always the civilians who suffered the most. He could almost imagine the scene tomorrow, with civilians wailing as they were dragged into prison by soldiers for participating in the parade.

One night passed, and the next morning, the two arrived at the mansion of Sevel Hoyer. Following the guards, they entered the gate. The dwarf wine merchant, who had been waiting, waved away the guards and maids.

He lowered his head, gritting his teeth, his hands clasped tightly together. He was extremely anxious, even pacing back and forth several times before them. After a long while, he sighed deeply.

"Can you two give me a guarantee, swear an oath that you will absolutely not reveal what I am about to say to anyone... no, including the ancient races, any creature?"

Sevel suddenly looked up, his eyes pleading slightly.

Letho and Roy exchanged a glance. Would this dwarf believe their promise based on mere words and no written contract?

Sevel seemed to read their thoughts. "I have no choice. I really can't stand that monster... the torment you two call Him. If this continues, I'll die!"

His eyes widened, bloodshot pupils filling them. It seemed he hadn't rested well after the Witchers left last night.

"Besides, even if an oath is taken, as long as the price is right, I don't think anyone would refuse! I want your guarantee just for peace of mind."

He gave a wry smile.

Hearing this, Letho's brow furrowed like a blade. As one of the few remaining members of the School of the Viper, his pride would not allow him to lie in such a matter.

"Money can buy many people, but it doesn't include Witchers!"

"Before accepting the commission, you did not state that you required us to swear an oath. An oath is not a mere promise; it is a power that entwines with fate like the Law of Surprise, and fate is difficult to defy."

"Therefore, a Witcher's oath is not given lightly!"

Letho held up one finger to the dwarf.

"You need to pay extra!"

The dwarf's face twitched upon hearing this, yet he felt a slight joy. The more seriously the Witcher acted, the higher his credibility?

Seeing this, Roy seized the opportunity and held up five fingers. "50 Crowns. Hmm, for half of Master Letho's price, you can get the oath of a School of the Viper apprentice."

The three reached an agreement. The total commission increased from the initial 200 to 350 Crowns, which was well within the means of the wealthy dwarf wine merchant.

"I, Letho of Gors Velen, swear by the honor of the School of the Viper that I will absolutely not reveal the secret of Lord Sevel Hoyer today to anyone, any ancient race, or any other being, lest the gods punish me and prevent me from witnessing the resurgence of our school in my lifetime."

"I, Roy, swear... hmm... by the Goddess Melitele, that I will absolutely not reveal a single word I hear from Lord Sevel Hoyer today, otherwise..."

Roy neither believed in Prophet Lebioda nor worshipped the Goddess Melitele, but his oath was not false; he would keep his mouth shut.

Half an hour later, Letho and Roy followed Sevel Hoyer into the master bedroom on the third floor. Letho first used the Igni Sign to make the fireplace blaze, then lit four torches, each as tall as a person, and placed them at the four corners of the dwarf's bed.

The entire bedroom, every corner, was brightly lit, with not a single shadow left.

"Mr. Sevel, please lie down on the bed now."

The dwarf complied, nervously covering himself with the blanket. Then, Letho's voice sounded in his ear, "Now there are only the three of us. You can tell us about your nightmare, that secret."

The dwarf closed his eyes, his face contorted slightly in pain, and slowly began to recount his story.

"This is a story about my good brother, Aken."

"Aken is from Redania. His father was a half-elf, and his mother was human. Yes, he is what people call a quarter-elf, destined for greatness from birth, so his appearance is no different from a pure human."

"He was a wise man and often said, 'Alcohol corrodes reason,' so he never touched a drop. After coming to the Mahakam Mountains, he often gave me advice, helping me go from an unremarkable nephew of Brouver Hoag to a sought-after figure, and eventually defeating rivals like Zoltan Chivay to gain the sole distributorship of wine in Edessberg."

"He is my great benefactor, and also my good brother. But his nature meant he couldn't stay under anyone for long. After coming to Edessberg with me, he quickly set new goals and left my employ."

"Perhaps it was because he witnessed his father being abused and discriminated against due to his elven blood in Redania since childhood, never enjoying fair social status. He despised all injustice and discrimination from the bottom of his heart and took action to resist."

"Undoubtedly, the excessively high taxes throughout Aedirn were a prime example of extreme injustice. Therefore, he used his wisdom to begin secretly gathering all civilians who dared to resist."

"Regardless of race or past, anyone with a heart that pursued freedom and justice and dared to resist could join Aken's ranks, receiving free food and lodging. Of course, some of his funding came from me. Perhaps due to the revolutionary seeds in the blood of the Aedirnian people, his group grew very rapidly, soon reaching a point where Baron Tavik had to take notice."

"Edessberg now had a fifth force besides the Baron's army, the civilians, the Sparrow Gang, and the dwarves of Mahakam. The initial balance of power was broken, and Baron Tavik, a moderate, initiated negotiations with Aken. It went very smoothly at first, and the negotiations yielded results that satisfied almost everyone. The taxes on farmers and merchants were reduced by one-fifth. I advised Aken to stop, but he was not satisfied. After a period of calm, he continued to pressure the Baron."

"Alas, the prophet said, 'The anger of an honest man can burn down all of Mahakam.' The Baron was angered by his insatiable demands and issued a warrant for his arrest!"

Hearing this, Roy's eyes lit up. He had already guessed Aken's true identity.

"To evade the search, Aken secretly found me for help. As a good brother, I unhesitatingly took him in. I swear by the Holy Mountain, I hid him in the most concealed place in the entire Sevel Hoyer residence."

Roy and the Witcher remained impassive, as if unaware.

"The wine barrels in the basement were endless, and the soldiers searched tirelessly. Moreover, I forbade them from opening the barrels and spoiling my fine wine. The Baron dared not offend the Mahakam forces too much by having his soldiers do so. Naturally, they did not discover Aken hiding in a barrel of Dwarven spirit that was over sixty years old."

"Aken was very safe..." Sevel's face showed a wry smile. "Unfortunately, I overlooked one thing. He never touched alcohol, never drank. His tolerance was even lower than a newborn baby's."

"When I returned to the cellar and opened the barrel, he was actually... actually... knocked unconscious by the strong smell of the spirit, his face flushed red as he lay in half a barrel of the spirit, as if asleep. But no matter how I called him, he wouldn't wake up."

"He's dead!" Sevel sat bolt upright from the bed, grabbing Letho's bear paw, his eyes wide and his heart pounding as if it would leap out of his chest.

"It's absurd! Fate is jealous of talent! A wise man who never drank died in my wine cellar. I dream of Aken every night, questioning me why I used fine wine to murder him. I failed him for all his kindness to me."

Letho felt a sense of absurdity wash over him after hearing the entire story. The man who never drank died in a wine barrel.

"I'm a scoundrel... I... I deserve to have nightmares... I'm sorry for him! But I didn't murder him!"

"Wuwuwu..." The burly, panda-eyed dwarf mumbled incessantly in his sleep, then covered his face and sobbed uncontrollably, like a giant child. Roy couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth at the sight.

"Alright, we have learned the entire story. Lord Sevel, please calm down and come with us to the cellar to check the situation. According to your account, the cellar is undoubtedly the place you fear the most. If nothing unexpected happens, Him will manifest there!"

"Ah? C-can I not go?!" Sevel shrunk back in fear, his emotions conflicted. He wanted to witness the being that had been tormenting him for months, yet he couldn't suppress his fear.

Letho feigned contemplation for a moment. "You can watch us from near the cellar entrance!"

"Here... take the key... take the key!"