He took the food and gave it a quick glance:
Not bad. Black bread spread with butter.
Dick finished it in a few bites, drank some water, and pointed ahead. "Please lead the way."
This time, the sorcerer's apprentice said nothing more and silently led the way.
Soon, they left the town and reached the western side of the outer city.
Several farming households lived beside the city walls. They were close to the surrounding rivers and made their living fishing.
The two walked slowly over and found people already waiting in an open space in the small village beside the wall.
The man at their head had a thin face and wore a suit of light blue light armor, with a longsword at his waist. Judging by his attire, he was probably a knight or a knight's squire.
For beside a hitching post not far away, a fine horse clad in pale barding was leisurely eating fodder.
In this era, anyone who owned a warhorse was either rich or noble.
The man had been chatting and laughing with the three villagers around him. Suddenly noticing someone approaching, his smile turned grave in an instant, and he stared silently at Dick.
Could this be another person the original owner of this body had offended?
Dick wondered, but said nothing.
Soon, the two reached the villagers, and the young man before them spoke first:
"Witcher Dick, you've finally come. You've been in Edinburgh for half a month, and you've never helped the villagers solve a problem. Instead, you've caused plenty of trouble.
"I thought the drowners' reputation had scared you so badly you wouldn't dare come."
"Are you the constable?"
"My name is Kebi. I'm a knight's squire in the Order of the Falcon, not the constable.
"I was born here. I heard the people back home had encountered drowners these past few days, which disrupted their fishing, so I thought I'd return during my leave and eliminate them.
"But these villagers insisted on waiting for you. I have no idea what use you'll be."
"What use will I be? Won't we find out once we give it a try?" Dick smiled easily, taking none of the would-be knight's words to heart.
His goal was clear: eliminate the drowners and obtain Energy Points.
There was no need to waste time on needless disputes like this.
Besides, although the would-be knight sounded rather aggressive, he was here to hunt drowners too. Perhaps Dick could even get his help when the time came, making the hunt go more smoothly.
Then Dick stopped looking at Kebi and turned to a better-dressed villager beside him.
The man spoke first. "Hello, Witcher Dick. I'm the constable here."
He was around forty or fifty, and his manner was neither servile nor overbearing.
He was indeed entitled to that bearing, for his position was entirely different from that of a peddler. He was an officially appointed functionary responsible for maintaining stability and peace among the nearby villages.
Naturally, he had the confidence to speak to a witcher as an equal. After all, he had the authorities behind him.
"Could you explain the situation? Although I'm a witcher who specializes in dealing with monsters,
"having enough information will help me eliminate the drowners faster and let the villagers return to their daily work sooner."
"Young man, you explain." The constable looked at a young fisherman beside him.
"Yes, sir." The fisherman glanced fearfully at Dick, then hurriedly lowered his head and explained, "Two days ago, a fellow villager and I went to the river to fish as usual.
"But before long, bubbles started rising to the surface. Neither of us paid much attention until..." At this point, his eyes widened, and even his voice began to tremble.
"Don't be afraid. Take your time." Dick naturally noticed the fisherman's nervousness and gently reassured him.
"Yes, you're right..." The fisherman gave an awkward laugh. "Until a blue head emerged from the water, and then seven or eight drowners appeared before us. Gods above, their eyes were blood-red...
"Luckily, we reacted quickly and took to our heels. After we got back, I told the constable. The villagers haven't dared fish there these past few days.
"But, witcher, that's where the river flows slowest. If we don't fish there, it's harder to catch anything elsewhere, so we need you to clear out those drowners."
"Are you certain those monsters were drowners?" Dick asked.
"I'm certain. Although I was scared out of my wits, I still saw what the monsters looked like. They looked exactly like the drowners my parents always warned us about: pale blue skin, dripping wet all over, tall bodies, and fins on their hands and feet."
Dick nodded at this. "Yes, those are drowners. Now, please show me the way. I'll deal with them immediately."
The sorcerer's apprentice beside Dick had not spoken since arriving, and had also been listening carefully to the fisherman's description. She wanted to help too.
Kebi had already heard the fisherman's story, so he was somewhat distracted. His gaze wandered, and only then did he begin to take a close look at Xiya.
At that single glance, his eyes widened, seemingly in disbelief. The serious expression vanished from his face, and a gracious smile appeared on his lips as he spoke like a gentleman:
"Hello, my lady. My name is Kebi, and I'm a knight's squire. May I ask your name?"
Xiya covered her mouth as she smiled and said softly, "Hello, Kebi. My name is Xiya. I'm a sorcerer's apprentice."
"Lady Xiya, your name is as captivating as your beauty!
"What luck! I've only come home this once, yet I've met a girl as beautiful and charming as you. Heaven itself must have arranged for us to meet here.
"You see, I'm a knight's squire, and perhaps I'll be promoted to a knight before long.
"And you're a sorcerer's apprentice. Perhaps you'll become a sorcerer soon too. Even our circumstances are much alike."
The corner of Dick's mouth twitched slightly. Naturally, he knew what Kebi was up to.
He had taken a fancy to the sorceress.
Xiya merely covered her mouth and smiled.
Seeing this, Kebi knew the lady before him did not dislike him. He moved closer to her and kept murmuring things that made her laugh again and again.
Dick could not be bothered with any of it and turned to the constable.
The constable nodded, then instructed the villagers around him, "Just wait here."
The villagers hastily agreed. They had no desire to face terrifying monsters.
Dick and Xiya followed the constable to a hillside.
Kebi also followed close behind the constable. Dick did not care whether he had been drawn along by Xiya or genuinely wanted to deal with the drowners.
As long as he could help, that was enough.
The four stood atop the slope and gazed toward the river not far away.
Dick clearly spotted two blue-skinned monsters roaming freely along the riverbank.
What else could they be but drowners?
The constable lowered his pointing hand and looked at the witcher. "Dick, I'll leave the rest to you."
The latter nodded.