Late that night, Geralt returned to the courtyard reeking of alcohol, a coin pouch still in his hand. If he had not been thinking of Witt's half inside, he would certainly have kept drinking.
"Hey! Witt, you really should've come with me. Michiel's... hic... really soft... heh heh."
Fortunately, the petty thieves of Ban Ard knew enough not to mess with someone carrying two swords.
Witt had recognized Geralt's footsteps before he even entered the courtyard. He had climbed out of bed and was already waiting outside his door.
"Everything all right?"
Geralt waved a hand. Although he swayed on his feet, his powerful witcher recovery was already freeing him from alcohol's numbing effects.
"I took first place in a drinking contest in Vizima back in the day. This Kaedwen stuff? I drink it like water," Geralt boasted, getting carried away.
"All right, get some rest. We have a contract to finish tomorrow."
Witt was about to turn back toward his room when Geralt stopped him. "Hey, Witt, don't you want your half?" He made to toss over the coin pouch.
"No need. Old Graz already gave me mine in advance." Witt raised his left hand and waved it, revealing the Ring of Favor on his finger.
"What?" Geralt did not understand.
So Witt told Geralt about his earlier deal with Old Graz.
"That's wonderful, Witt!" Geralt was sincerely happy for his brother.
"Why don't you try the ring too?"
A sober Geralt would probably have refused Witt's suggestion, but he happened to be drunk.
"Sure."
Geralt took the Ring of Favor, put it on his finger, and casually cast a Quen Sign on himself, but nothing changed.
"It doesn't seem to do much for me. I can't see any of the things you mentioned." Witt had also told Geralt about the ring's effects earlier.
"Looks like this ring only works for people born with magical talent." Witt put the ring back on his left hand.
"Mm, probably. We witchers get our ability to cast through mutations, and we can only use the magic stored inside our bodies."
A gust of cold wind sobered Geralt considerably. With the air of an old hand, he said, "One suggestion, though. Wearing that ring openly is too conspicuous. It could easily bring unnecessary trouble."
The Ring of Favor's engraving was both antique and exquisite, not to mention the faint light it gave off from time to time.
Witt raised his hand to look, then took the ring off and nodded. "True." His old pair of gloves had been burned beyond use during the fight with the griffin.
"It's getting late. Let's finish that contract tomorrow." With that, they each returned to their rooms to rest.
The next morning, Witt rose early to exercise. Years of training had instilled good habits in him.
The diligent Old Graz had gone to the academy's laboratory even earlier. With a Source's blood in his possession, he could no longer contain his urge to investigate.
Seeing that Geralt was still asleep, Witt decided to take the opportunity to buy a pair of leather gloves.
Just as he was hesitating over whether to visit Sabrina's shop again, Hector slowly approached from a distance.
"You're up awfully early, Witt!" Hector remarked, unable to hide the fatigue on his face.
"I'm used to it." Seeing that Hector did not look well, Witt suggested, "Why don't you get some rest, Hector?"
Hector smiled awkwardly. "Didn't the teacher tell me yesterday to investigate the succubus first? Well..."
Understanding crossed Witt's face. After all, Hector carried an unmistakably strong fragrance, and even his freshly washed hair could not hide the excited flush on his face.
"Rest here for a while, then. I'll go out for a stroll and buy some food. You can tell us what you found once Geralt gets up."
"Mm, all right..."
By the time Witt returned with his purchases, Geralt was awake, and Hector had used a little magic to remove the fragrance from his body.
"Tell us what you found, Hector." Geralt took a sip of fresh, hot goat's milk.
"Mm..." Hector swallowed the hard bread in his mouth. "According to Zatt, who went with me last night... he visited that succubus before. It originally took customers at a tavern in a village outside the city. The tavern wasn't particularly well known, and the succubus deliberately concealed its identity. But at some point, the monster's true identity was discovered, and people gradually started disappearing in the city."
Witt glanced at Geralt, then asked Hector, "Did your friend Zatt mention what the succubus looked like?"
Hector frowned and thought for a moment before nodding. "He said... the monster had a pair of curled horns like a sheep's, a lovely face, and an alluring fragrance all over its body that made people somewhat..."
"Unable to pull themselves away?" Witt supplied as Hector racked his brains.
"Yes, exactly! That's what he said." Hector abruptly snapped out of it and hastily agreed.
"What about her body? Anything unusual?" Geralt asked.
"She had strange marks that looked like white tattoos, and... her feet weren't human feet. They were sheep's hooves!"
Witt nodded. All the details Hector had mentioned matched a succubus's features.
But then he raised a question. "It's not that we don't believe your friend, but in our experience, people who sleep with a succubus under the influence of her seductive magic can't notice those half-beast features. They only see her as a beautiful, wanton woman in her bedchamber."
Hector seemed to grow somewhat angry at Witt's doubts. "Witt, you seem to have forgotten that we're students of Ban Ard Academy. Despite all the criticism we receive from outsiders, we still know a few simple counterspells inside out."
Witt did not mind and smiled. "Sorry, I'd rather forgotten. Please don't take offense. I'm not doubting your friend. It's just a professional habit."
"If there are no other questions, I need to help the teacher with his experiments. Excuse me." With that, Hector left.
Watching Hector walk away, Witt said, "There's something seriously wrong with Hector."
Geralt nodded. "Even magic and that pungent perfume powder couldn't hide the smell of sulfur on him."
"Looks like there's no need to ask Old Graz whether Zatt exists. Let's split up," Witt suggested. "I'll look for the succubus outside the city, and you follow Hector, Geralt. I keep feeling he's hiding a secret."
"You're going to look for the succubus?" Geralt raised an eyebrow. "Can you control yourself, Witt?"
"First, I'm not as good at tracking as you. Second, these killings have even attracted the attention of a sorceress like Sabrina. Presumably, the succubus has long since left the village tavern, so my side is actually less dangerous. Be careful, Geralt." Witt automatically ignored Geralt's teasing.
"Let's do that, then."
Before leaving, Witt sighed and said to Geralt, "Why can't we find some simple contracts where we only have to deal with monsters?"
"You'll get used to it, Witt. You'll get used to it."