As usual, cats and children noticed him first. A striped tomcat had been lazily napping atop a warm woodpile soaked in sunlight, but the moment he rode in on horseback, it suddenly began to tremble. It raised its head and let out a harsh hiss at the Witcher, then leaped off the woodpile and vanished into the nearby bushes in the blink of an eye. A child in a filthy linen shirt was playing with mud outside his home, diligently making his clothes even worse, utterly unaware that his mother had already grabbed a stick and was preparing to give his backside a taste of it.
But the next moment, he suddenly screamed. His apron-clad mother, stick still in hand, snatched up her son, rushed indoors, and bolted the door tight. All because the Witcher had passed by.
Geralt ignored these reactions. A hay cart blocked the road ahead, and he could not be bothered to urge his horse past it. He merely followed at an unhurried pace. The vegetable seller saw the bloodstained sack slung over the donkey at his side and peered at it curiously, only to glimpse a black claw bobbing up and down with the donkey's steps—bony, yet terrifyingly sharp. She covered her mouth and screamed. Geralt glanced at her and sighed impatiently.
"Excuse me, sir, do you have a moment?" A man's voice suddenly reached his ears. Geralt nearly fell from his horse. His Superman senses seemed to have vanished at that moment, giving him no warning whatsoever that someone had approached. Thanks to the mutations Witchers underwent, though vigilance had already surged within him, none of it showed on his face. Geralt slowly turned his head. A handsome man in a black robe embroidered with gold thread stood beside him, watching him.
Geralt already wanted to draw his sword.
Two things gave rise to that impulse. First, he discovered that the man was floating; his feet were not touching the ground at all. It was an obvious sign of magic, yet the medallion on Geralt's chest had not vibrated in the slightest. Second, the people around them—including the villagers gradually gathering behind him to see what was inside the sack—showed no reaction at all to the man.
It was as if he did not exist.
"..." Geralt said nothing. The noon sun beat down on his face, and a bead of sweat the size of a soybean rolled down his weathered brow.
"No need to be nervous, sir. I can see that you still have matters to attend to. If you have time later, please meet me at the Tuna Tavern over there, all right?" The man noticed his expression, smiled, and spoke with polite courtesy.
He stepped aside and made way for him.
Geralt rode on, his entire body rigid. As always, many carriages stood outside the home of the local governor, Kaldimien. Geralt jumped down from the saddle, adjusted the position of the two swords on his back, and tied the reins to the wooden fence. Behind him, the crowd had formed a semicircle around the donkey.
Even from outside the house, Geralt could hear the governor's shouting clearly. It was not entirely due to his Superman senses; the governor was simply being exceptionally loud.
"I've told you a hundred times! No! No means no! Damn it, can't you understand what I'm saying? You scoundrel!"
The moment Geralt entered, he heard the short, fat Governor Kaldimien angrily utter those words. His face was flushed red. Before him stood an honest-looking man holding a struggling goose.
"What is it? Didn't I tell you not to disturb—gods above! Is that you? Geralt? Am I seeing things?" He turned to the farmer. "Take it away! You bumpkin, how many times do I have to tell you not to bring me gifts? Are you deaf?!"
The farmer stood where he was, mumbling indistinctly, "Uh—Governor, they said..." As he spoke, he glanced at the goose, then looked away again as if nothing had happened. "You have to give the official in charge a little something, otherwise—"
"Who said that? For the gods' sake, who said that?" Kaldimien shouted. "Who? Who thinks I'd take a bribe?! Let me tell you, I don't want it! Get out!"
The man joyfully grabbed the goose and ran out the door, disappearing in an instant without even closing it. He was terrified Kaldimien might change his mind.
"Hello, Geralt."
"Hello, Kaldimien." The governor shook the Witcher's hand, then stood on tiptoe and patted him on the shoulder.
"You haven't been here in about two years, Geralt. I'm not mistaken, am I? You can't stay in one place too long, can you? Where have you come from this time? Uh, that was a stupid thing to say. It doesn't matter where you came from. It's all the same anyway. Hey, sit down, Geralt. Have a seat. There's a market tomorrow, so this place is a mess. How have you been lately? Tell me!"
"We can talk later," the Witcher said. "I have something to ask you, Kaldimien. Let's talk outside."
When they stepped out, the onlookers had already packed tightly around the donkey. The governor shouted for them to disperse. Geralt stepped forward and untied the sack. Everyone gasped and recoiled, and even the well-traveled Kaldimien drew a sharp breath.
"Gods above! Geralt, what is that thing?"
"A Kikimore. Can I collect the reward?"
Kaldimien shifted his weight to his other foot. He looked at the spider-like black corpse, at the vertical pupils in its lifeless eyes, and at the needle-sharp teeth in its bloody mouth.
"This—you—where did you get this?"
"On the riverbank. Less than four miles from town, Kaldimien. By the swamp. Someone must have gone missing there. Children, for instance."
"Oh, yes. You're right. There have been, but who could have expected—hey! Hey! What are you looking at?! Don't you have anything better to do? Go home! All of you, go home! This isn't a show! Geralt, cover it up. The flies are already gathering."
Back inside, the governor said nothing. He walked to the table, seized a jug of liquor, and drained it in one gulp. Then he sighed heavily. "There is no reward. I'm sorry, Geralt." He wiped his nose and said gloomily, "No one would have imagined something like that was hiding in the swamp. A few locals have indeed disappeared there, but hardly anyone goes wandering around the riverbank. Why did you go there? Why not take the main road?"
"If I took the main road, it would be difficult for me to make a living. Kaldimien, I trust you haven't forgotten my profession."
"Ah, yes. I forgot." Kaldimien suppressed the urge to belch and slowly let out a breath. "What a peaceful place this used to be! Those damned fools may all be dumb as rocks, but at least they were honest and well-behaved. Even little imps rarely pissed in the milk. But now there's a monster right nearby. The war only ended not long ago, gods above."
He looked at Geralt apologetically. "I'm afraid all I can offer you is my thanks, Geralt. No one posted a reward, so there is no bounty."
"What a pity. I happen to need money to get through the winter." The Witcher grabbed a jug from the table and took a sip. Wiping the white foam from his lips, he said, "I'm planning to go to Ispaden, but I don't know whether I can get there before heavy snow blocks the roads. Maybe this damned snow will trap me in some small town along the Lutonski road."
"By the way." Geralt suddenly turned and stared at the Town Mayor. His amber cat eyes made Kaldimien's heart skip a beat. "Do you have a handsome man here wearing a black robe with gold thread? He looks like he's from the East."
Before you continue