At dusk, Roy returned to the Mill, took out the still-warm meat skewers, and set them by the warehouse door. He knocked, then went into the living room.
Over dinner, Roy brought up Faywen to Henk and his wife. Their account matched Tross's almost exactly.
He probed them indirectly, asking why they hadn't sent their daughter to House of Cadell.
Toya was young, and her disability put her among the vulnerable. House of Cadell might accept her as a student. But the couple only pleaded that they couldn't afford the tuition, and insisted that Toya wasn't very bright and simply wasn't suited for it.
Roy gained a deeper understanding of where the couple's limits lay, so he said no more.
After hastily finishing dinner, he unexpectedly found a visitor before returning to his room.
The oil lamp hanging on the wall illuminated a petite figure standing with her back to him at the doorway. Slightly hunched, with one shoulder higher than the other, she carefully wiped each blueberry before placing them on the bucket outside.
When she was done, she let out a deep sigh of relief and prepared to return to the warehouse. But the moment she turned around, she spotted the figure behind her.
She froze in place. The happy smile on her small, round face instantly stiffened, and then she lowered her head, flustered and helpless. Her whole body began to tremble.
But this time, she didn't run away.
"Toya, don't be afraid. I mean you no harm..." Roy gave her as gentle a smile as he could and kept ten feet away rather than foolishly walking over. "I just wanted to thank you. The fruit you've brought over these past few days has been fresh and delicious."
"You..." The girl fell silent for a few seconds, then suddenly took a deep breath, as if it had taken all her courage. Turning her face away, she stammered, "Aren't you afraid of me?"
Her voice was as clear as an oriole's, with a little girl's innocent sweetness, and a nervousness she could barely contain.
"Why would you ask that?" Roy deliberately met her eyes. "I think you're no different from any other girl..."
Toya's breath caught, and her heart seemed to stop. No one had ever said anything like that to her. Not even her dearest father had ever said the words she'd longed most to hear.
It was as if sand had gotten into her eyes. A stinging ache welled up.
Roy continued, "Those nasty little brats with no decency do nothing but run around, make trouble, play pranks, and mock people. But you've already started caring for the livestock and poultry, tending the garden and fields. You earn your own keep with your hands."
"You're amazing," Roy said with an easy smile. "I think it's only right that we properly introduce ourselves. My name's Roy. I'm about your age, the son of a farmer from Xiabosada, and I haven't been in Edersberg long. Toya, you've accepted my gifts these past few days and even given me something in return. That makes us friends."
"Friends?" To Toya, the word seemed impossibly far away... When she was little, she'd had a few friends. But after her body began to change and her ugly hunchback grew more pronounced, they gradually drifted away. Some even avoided her as if she were a snake or scorpion. She could barely remember what those friends looked like anymore. All she could picture were the cruel faces of people laughing at, cursing, and sneering at her.
She didn't dare hope she could make another friend.
The firelight fell across her bewildered face. Toya seemed to drift into a daze, but before she knew it, her tense body had relaxed. She was no longer so guarded.
"Why don't we go somewhere else and talk? Don't be nervous. Just everyday stuff, like... what did you have for lunch?"
Roy looked around. The moon had risen in the sky, beside the clearing where he worked up a sweat every night. The night breeze rippled the pond, and the silver veil of moonlight swayed gently across the water, turning hazy.
Roy watched the girl sit by the pond, not far to his left, and breathed a sigh of relief. He'd thought she might run off straight away. He'd never dealt with a girl this sensitive before, and he'd been worried he might touch a sore spot.
But at least he'd taken the first step.
The girl was clearly uncomfortable in this situation. Head lowered, she twisted her fingers together again, too nervous to glance at the boy beside her or even look at her reflection in the pond, as if it were some kind of monster.
"Toya, relax... How about this: have you ever seen a magic show?"
"No... What does magic mean?" the girl asked very cautiously.
"It's pretty much the same as a conjuring trick. You know what those are, right? As it happens, I can do one for you now. Watch closely!" Roy's commanding tone startled her, and she instinctively obeyed, looking over at him.
"Don't blink..."
Roy held out his right hand, showing her the empty back and palm. Then he began turning his wrist, once, twice, three times...
Toya counted silently for a few moments. Then her lips parted and her dark eyes widened. A delicate card had suddenly appeared in Roy's empty palm. It showed a woman with red hair and a red dress, as bewitching and beautiful as a blazing fire, wrapped in an air of mystery.
Roy kept turning his right hand with the card on it. After a few more rotations, the card vanished without warning.
"Roy... how did you do that?" The girl was completely captivated. It was only a very clumsy trick, but she'd never left Edersberg since birth, let alone had a chance to see any conjuring tricks. "Where did you hide the card?"
"If I tell you how it works, it won't be magic anymore. Why don't you guess where I hid it?" At that, Toya really did prop her chin on her hand, letting her long brown hair hang over the pond as she thought hard.
For that moment, she forgot her insecurity and unease.
But Roy suddenly strode over until he was just one foot (0.3 meters) away, interrupting her thoughts.
The girl stiffened. Cold sweat appeared on her forehead and pale cheeks, and her heart pounded. It wasn't embarrassment or anything like that; she was simply tense and afraid.
After so long being abused, she always felt that anyone who came close would hurt her, either by beating or cursing her.
"Sorry... I scared you." Roy looked apologetic, spread his hands, and stepped back another two paces, waiting until the girl's breathing returned to normal and she "came back to life."
"I just wanted to come over and find the card."
He pointed to the girl's white apron.
"Toya, believe it or not, that card is lying quietly in your pocket right now."
The girl hesitated, then reached into her pocket. A card appeared in her calloused, chilblain-covered palm. It was the very same one that had appeared in Roy's hand.
Unfortunately, she couldn't read, so she couldn't make out the woman's name. But she stared at the lifelike woman on the card, admiring her graceful figure and beautiful face, with a hint of envy and longing in her eyes.
"Isn't it interesting?" Roy said. "You can have the card."
"Why?" Toya was puzzled. The medicinal herbs and food he'd given her over the past few days had already overwhelmed her. "I can't accept it. It's too precious."
"It's just an ordinary Gwent card," Roy said honestly. "Most tavern owners sell them. If you feel bad about it, just bring me some more fruit tomorrow."
Toya clutched the card, reluctant to part with it. After a long moment, she said, "Well... all right." She carefully tucked it into her pocket. "Who's the woman on the card?"
"Sabina Glevissig, a Sorceress from Ard Carraigh, the capital of Kaedwen."
"A Sorceress?"
"Trust me, you'll understand what that means someday. For now, let's talk about something else." Roy sat down beside her. This time, the girl didn't react with the same strong aversion as before. Perhaps to relax, she gently copied Roy and swung her feet.
Two passengers now rode in the "moon boat" on the water.
"What kind of work do you usually have to do at the Mill?"
"Besides the things you mentioned, I have to feed the pigs, clean, and weed the crops..."
"Hey, you're so young. You shouldn't have to do so much..." In truth, girls around ten either got married or helped with the farm work at home, but they didn't have lives as miserable as hers.
"Do you have any hobbies? Painting, singing, dancing, Gwent?"
"I don't know how to play Gwent. Maybe... singing? But I don't dare. Una will scold me and say I sound as awful as a rooster crowing,
and the others will laugh at me too."
"Don't listen to them. Your voice is perfect for singing..." Roy praised her sincerely. "If you went to another big city, you might even become an opera singer. It's late now, but if we get the chance, would you let me hear you sing?"
The two chatted about everyday life. Most of the time, Roy did the talking and asked questions, while Toya listened quietly and occasionally chimed in. Her answers were brief and slow, but Roy still managed to glean some useful information.
Her hunchback hadn't been there from birth. It had appeared suddenly eight years ago as a mild symptom, then worsened with each passing year. Her mother had worried herself sick over it and died five years ago. Then that mean, fat woman, her stepmother Una, had come along.
After that, Toya's life became an endless cycle of hard labor, and her father gradually grew distant from her.
From her answers, Roy sensed fear, helplessness, and bewilderment.
And Toya could tell that the boy's eyes held none of her father's disappointment and disdain, her stepmother's hatred, or the scorn and contempt of the children and people around them. Instead, his gaze was full of patience and understanding.
She felt something she hadn't felt in a long time... respect.
Since her mother died, Toya had never felt the urge to confide in anyone. But not today. The moon had risen higher, and an hour had quietly slipped by.
"Roy, do you really... want to be my friend?" She brushed off her skirt and stood up. In the bright moonlight, her hunched back and uneven shoulders were all the more visible.
"You've got it wrong," Roy said with a hearty laugh. "We're already friends."
"Can I talk with you again tomorrow?"
"Of course. Whenever I'm back at the Mill, you're welcome to come find me."
The girl let out a long sigh of relief and limped toward the dilapidated warehouse.
Roy watched her walk away.
Toya
Gender: Female
Age: 13 years and 10 months
Status: Commoner
Health: 30↓ (Magicka erosion)
Magicka: 120↑ (Magicka erosion)
Strength: 3
Agility: 4
Constitution: 3↓
Perception: 6
Willpower: 6
Charisma: 4
Spirit: 12↑
Skills:
Source (passive, innate): Awakened naturally, sensitive to Chaos Energy, or Magicka. Favored by the elements of earth, fire, water, and air, her body absorbs Magicka on its own at all times.
After receiving professional, systematic training, she will be able to manipulate Magicka and cast spells, accomplishing feats beyond the abilities of ordinary people.
Roy remembered something Letho had said while teaching him Meditation: when a sensitive person awakened, if they weren't sent to a Sorcerer's academy in time to receive training and learn to control the elemental forces, they would lose control of their Magicka, go mad, and lose their reason. Or worse, their bodies would be warped into hideous deformities as the Magicka tormented them.
The Mill owner's daughter, Toya, was clearly one of those unfortunate cases. The heavens had given her an extraordinary gift for Magicka, but no one had taught her how to control that power. The deformity of her body was undoubtedly caused by the Magicka raging out of control inside her. If left unchecked, she would have a much shorter life than most.
At first, Roy had indeed acted out of sympathy, but now he had other ideas. He couldn't become a Sorcerer, but that didn't stop him from befriending a future Sorceress. It was a long-term investment.
What was the point of calling himself a Witcher if he couldn't make a few friends who could cast spells?
But the situation was complicated. He had to plan carefully and take it one step at a time.
Before you continue