"Young Master Little Odin, but..." Fisher looked to Odin III for help, and the latter nodded gently.
Then the bundle was slowly opened, revealing a premature infant of three or four months.
He was only twenty centimeters long, though his round head had already begun to take shape.
Little Odin reached out to touch his child, but just before his hand made contact, he seemed to lose the courage to touch him and withdrew it.
"Thank you." He nodded to Fisher, said nothing more, and returned to the fire.
Seeing this, Fisher sighed softly as well, then went over to Dick.
"Let me."
Dick took the infant and placed his body on the extinguished fire.
A short while later, the infant's body slowly vanished in the flames, and the Nightwraith's figure drifted out of the house once more.
This time, it was larger than before, and the mist around it was thicker.
As time passed, and with the human vital essence she had just absorbed, she had grown even stronger.
But this time, she did not attack anyone else. Instead, she slowly drifted in circles directly above the fire until the flames had completely died out.
Meanwhile, much of the black mist around her dispersed, though it did not disappear entirely.
Odin III looked at the witcher, who shook his head. "There should still be something she misses."
Suddenly, something occurred to Dick. He walked over to Little Odin, who was watching from a distance. "That bracelet. It's something she misses."
"Is this something she's attached to as well?" Little Odin murmured. "It's the only gift I ever gave her."
With that, he handed over the bracelet.
Dick drew his silver sword and slowly approached the fire, just in case.
But the Nightwraith did not attack him.
Seeing this, Dick took a deep breath, then flung the bracelet in his hand hard at the Nightwraith.
In an instant, the bracelet merged with the monster, and dazzling light burst from her body.
A few breaths later, the blazing light faded slightly.
The last thing everyone saw was a young girl holding a tiny baby in her arms, a gentle glow enveloping them both as they kept rising into the sky.
On the girl's face was a peaceful smile, devoid of any malice.
Dick clearly noticed that her final gaze was directed toward Little Odin.
Her eyes were filled with deep affection.
The oppressive atmosphere around them vanished along with the monster, and the temperature slowly returned to normal.
The autumn breeze blew past, wonderfully refreshing.
Dick registered the notifications from his panel:
Contract completed. Gained Energy Points x30. Resolved [Wraith] for the first time. Gained Energy Points x15. Current total: Energy Points x55.
Odin III spoke. "Has the problem been completely resolved this time?"
"Yes." Dick nodded.
"Witcher, it seems I misjudged you before.
"Perhaps you extraordinary people all have certain eccentricities, such as your fondness for bullying the market vendors. But I've always been willing to tolerate such eccentricities in capable people."
After saying this, he clapped his hands lightly, and Captain Fisher, standing nearby, handed Dick a purse.
"There are exactly 100 crowns in here, as payment for this job."
"Thank you, then." Dick smiled faintly and tucked the purse into his bag.
"Witcher, I think I may have misunderstood you earlier." Captain Fisher wanted to explain.
"There's no need to say more. Now that the misunderstanding has been cleared up, I'm sure we'll get along very well." Dick smiled.
Captain Fisher felt relieved at those words. He certainly did not want a witcher valued by the lord making trouble for him.
Although this witcher was not often at the lord's side, what if he made life difficult for him?
Just then, Kebi, Little Odin, and Xiya came over as well.
Little Odin spoke solemnly. "Father, I intend to return to Ravenstern City tonight."
"Why are you leaving in such a hurry? I did make mistakes, but I can make it up to you," Odin III said hastily.
"The Jatu have come hunting again recently. Even our area has been affected.
"Wasn't that why you led the troops out today?
"Besides, Duke Amara is gathering an army there too. If I perform well and please his daughter, perhaps you'll benefit as well."
At those words, Odin III stiffened and said nothing more.
Little Odin gave a derisive chuckle, turned, and left.
Kebi hurriedly said, "I'll go comfort him.
"Dick, Xiya, see you another day."
"Yes, see you," the two replied.
"It's getting late. I intend to head back. Goodbye, Odin III," Dick said.
Odin III said nothing more and merely nodded.
Dick looked at Xiya. "Would you like to head back with me? We're going the same way."
Xiya smiled faintly. "Sure. Let's leave together."
And so, the two walked out of the fortress. At the fork in the road, Dick suddenly stopped. "Lady Xiya, do you have a laboratory at your place?"
"Are you trying to..." Xiya looked slightly puzzled, but understood a moment later,
"You want to learn alchemy? I really didn't expect that. How about this? It's late today, so come to my place tomorrow. You should know the address."
"That's wonderful, thank you. But I'd like to ask, do you have the commonly used alchemical ingredients?"
"I'm a sorceress. Although I'm only an apprentice, I naturally keep those tools on hand. Don't worry, just come over when it's time."
"Thank you."
"Remember to get a good night's rest. Even though you're keen on studying now, don't read that notebook again after you get home. Save your energy. We may be busy for a good part of tomorrow," Xiya reminded him.
"I understand. You can't get fat from a single mouthful." Dick laughed.
After parting with the sorceress-to-be, Dick returned to his house.
Autumn had only just begun, and the weather was not particularly cold.
With his extraordinary witcher physique, Dick simply scooped up spring water with a dipper and rinsed himself off. Only after he felt refreshed all over did he settle down to sleep.
"Oh, slow down!" a woman chided.
"Is this all right?" a man's voice asked.
"A little less force."
"But I can't control my strength very well. All right, I'll try."
"Yes, just like that. Keep that rhythm. Don't stop."
Small though Xiya's laboratory was, it certainly had everything it needed.
It had every piece of equipment an experiment could require, including beakers and test tubes.
At that moment, following the sorceress-to-be's instructions, the witcher was placing a bunch of flowers into a small stone vessel and grinding them with steady, firm strokes of the stone pestle in his hand.
Half an hour earlier.
Dick got up early and went to the market to buy some breakfast. After paying, he left under the vendor's grateful gaze.
Then he arrived at the place he had arranged to meet the sorceress-to-be.
That was the entrance to Xiya's courtyard.
The courtyard walls were built of neatly stacked stones, their surfaces covered in a thick, tall expanse of green ivy that blocked all view of anything inside.
Dick knocked on the wooden courtyard gate. Two knocks rang out, but even after a long while, there was no response from within.
With no other choice, Dick knocked again. Then he stopped, for his keen Witcher Senses had already detected someone appearing in the courtyard.