The Witcher: Make Witcher Great Again

Chapter 57 Our Cause is Just

Lynn answered carefully.

"Sir, if you follow the standard answer in the code, then I would answer you: Witchers usually try their best to avoid getting involved in politics, because doing so may make the Witcher's situation even more difficult."

Istrade's eyes lit up. "You mean 'if'?"

"Yes, if."

"Okay, let's assume this: If I allow... I mean, if a king who has fled to another country and has a strong claim promises to a witcher that if the witcher can help him return to his homeland and ascend the throne again, he will be granted nobility. Will the witcher agree?"

This is almost a naked statement.

Now that everyone has revealed their cards, Lin En will stop pretending.

"Sir, it is the professional custom of demon hunters to negotiate a suitable price before accepting a demon hunting commission. Therefore, I believe that the demon hunter might first ask the king what price he intends to pay him."

"I think the king would not be stingy with an earl title and the land that goes with it. Of course, there might be more."

"In that case, I believe the witcher would be happy to help a king with legitimate authority return to his loyal country."

……

The group returned to the inn and used the horses they had brought back from Judd's group of mercenaries to pull the carriage.

Although the quality of these horses is not as good as the ones used by the caravan before, it is better to have them than not.

With these horses, everyone can continue on their journey without abandoning their carriages.

After previous experiences, everyone would rather camp in the wild than stay in a country hotel.

In this way, we traveled for several more days.

The group finally arrived at Targo City.

The city of Targo is located at the foot of the Feilong Mountains. It is surrounded by high walls and most of the buildings in the city have pointed roofs.

An artificial moat surrounds the high wall. The moat is wide and deep, and the only way to enter the city is through a bridge that can be raised at any time.

A gallows stood on the plain outside the city, and as the rumors said, it was a landmark building of Targo.

There was a long queue on the bridge waiting to enter the city.

Finally it was Lynn and his group's turn. The guards were about to check, but Istrade stopped them and showed the ring on his finger.

The guards immediately recognized it as the seal ring of the Thyssen family.

"Forgive me, sir, we did not recognize you."

Istrade said coldly, "Will you let us pass now?"

The guards immediately made way.

"Of course, please come in."

After entering the city of Targo, Istrade handed the caravan over to the captain of the guard and left in a hurry with only a few people.

It is estimated that it was because of the assassination of King Reid on the road, and he was anxious to meet the ruler of Targo - Lady Beniga.

Before leaving, Istrada told Lynn and Geralt that he would come to see them after he finished his work to settle the payment and everything.

After arriving at Targo City, Lynn and Geralt had completed their escort duties, so they no longer needed to follow the caravan.

The two went directly to a hotel in the city and booked two rooms to stay in.

I took a comfortable hot bath to wash away all the fatigue from the journey.

In the evening, Istrada came to visit as promised.

Istrada changed into luxurious clothes.

When he was in the caravan, he was dressed like a wealthy businessman.

And now, he was wearing aristocratic clothes without any concealment.

He had no intention of beating around the bush. After sitting down, he went straight to the point.

"I know the two witcher masters have many questions, and I promised to reveal everything. Now, I think the time has come."

He paused, clenched his hands on his knees, and spoke as if mustering up courage.

"Actually, my full name is Istrade Tissen."

"Are you a descendant of Baldwin Thiessen, who once ruled Kovir?"

Geralt frowned beside him.

He didn't expect that his luck would be so good.

A random long-term mission to escort a caravan.

Its leader turned out to be a descendant of a royal family that had long since lost power.

If there was anything that bothered Geralt more than encountering unruly people, it was working for princes and nobles.

Geralt couldn't remember how many times he had accepted a commission to hunt demons, but ended up being involved in court struggles.

But the problem is that as a demon hunter of low status, he often cannot refuse even if he wants to.

More often than not, the more he tries not to get involved, the deeper he gets stuck.

But thankfully, what happened in the past won't happen again... at least not this time.

Because now their escort mission has ended.

They can also take the opportunity to withdraw from it.

"Sir Istrade, I'm so sorry. Please forgive us if we have been inappropriate during this journey."

After dealing with princes and nobles many times, Geralt has almost figured out a way to deal with them.

Simply put, it means praising them as highly as possible.

No one doesn't like to hear good words, especially princes and nobles.

Say a few nice words to fool people, then take the money and leave, never to be seen again.

This was Geralt's idea, but this time, his plan failed with Istrad.

"Master Geralt, what are you talking about? There's no need to talk about this between us."

"But you guessed it right, Baldwin Thyssen is my father."

"When the thrones of Kovir and Povis passed from my grandfather to my father, the Povis Schism occurred not long after."

The Kingdom of Kovir and Povis is a kingdom composed of a number of city-states including Kovir, Povis, Targo, Creyden, Maliur, Holopor, Kangon, and the Arc Coast.

In their heyday, Kovir and Povis had a land area comparable to that of Redania.

The so-called "Povisić Schism" actually started with a rebellion launched by a noble from Povisić.

This nobleman, named Reid, declared that Povis had seceded from the kingdom and proclaimed himself king.

After Povisi became independent, a number of city-states including Targo, Creyden, Maliur, Holopor, Kangon, and the Arc Coast also became independent.

This is the "Bovis split."

"Povis's independence also triggered a rebellion within Kovir."

"A great vassal named Marquis Edi took advantage of the opportunity to seize the throne from my father."

"The Thyssen family lost power and was forced to flee Kovir, going into exile in the Targo Principality, which also gained independence due to the Povisi secession."

"While on the run, my father suddenly died of a serious illness. The Thyssen family was in the most dangerous moment."

"But fortunately, Lady Beniga, who rules the Targo Marquisate, accepted us. At the same time, the Thyssen family has many branches in the Targo Marquisate, and they also provided me with a lot of help."

The more Geralt listened, the worse it felt. He quickly gestured to stop him: "Please wait a moment, sir."

"I think I understand what you want us to do, but please don't continue talking, otherwise we won't be able to extricate ourselves from this."

As a member of the royal family, if he was interrupted while speaking, if it were any other noble, he would probably have lost his temper.

But Istrade was not angry.

"Master Geralt, if you're worried about the compensation, I can swear to you in the name of the Thyssen family that I will never treat you unfairly. I wonder if this can dispel your doubts."

Geralt shook his head.

“No, it’s not about the reward.”

A puzzled look came over Istrade's face. "What's the question?"

Geralt said firmly, "The code of witchers is to remain neutral, Lord Istrade. We do not participate in political struggles."

Istrade had actually heard of the code of the witcher.

but……

Istrade looked at Lynn beside him.

At Lin En's signal, he did not continue the topic.

He took out two large bags, a disk slightly larger than his palm, and an exquisitely crafted heraldic ring and placed them on the table.

"Each of these bags contains five hundred gold crowns... Master Geralt, I know what you are going to say. Please listen to me first."

"I'm not one to force others. Since you've mentioned the witcher's principle of neutrality, I won't continue to embarrass the two masters."

"I know we agreed on a reward of 200 crowns each, but the two masters saved my life and the lives of my men on the road, more than once."

"Besides, I've also said that my gratitude will never be just words."

"So, please accept it."

"As for this Eye of Nehrene, it is a magical item that allows one to see through illusions. Master, you face more dangers than I do. Do not refuse it. I would be happy if it could be of use to you."

"Finally, this emblem ring bears the silver hand emblem of my Thyssen family. If you ever run into any trouble, you can simply present this emblem ring to the Bilgewater Cartel headquarters in Novigrad."

"But please keep it carefully and don't lose it. If someone unrelated to you finds it, it will be very troublesome for me."

The Bilgewater Cartel is the largest multinational trading company in Kovir. In name, it's just a private merchant organization, but in reality, the Thyssen family often uses business activities as a cover to send spies and agents to other countries and regions.

After the Thyssen family lost power, the Bilgewater Cartel turned to King Edi, who seized power.

But now it seems that the Bilgewater Cartel is only superficially loyal to King Edi.

In fact, it is still firmly controlled by the Thyssen family.

Lin En appeared calm on the surface, but his heart was already in turmoil.

In order to win over allies, Istrade is really willing to bleed.

The Eye of Nehrene is fine.

No matter how precious this magical item is, a royal family would still be willing to give it up.

The most valuable item is the emblem ring.

You have to know that what Istrade is going to do now is a beheading.

This emblem ring would probably only be given secretly to the person Istrade trusts the most.

It is used for friend or foe identification.

Therefore, if this emblem ring falls into the hands of an unrelated person, disaster will occur.

From this, we can imagine that in order to win over Lynn, Istrade almost cut out his heart.

Geralt picked up the two bags full of gold coins without hesitation.

But the Eye of Nehelene and the Sigil Ring are too valuable.

He can't have it.

Especially if you take the emblem ring, it is equivalent to taking sides.

Geralt has been avoiding the political whirlpool for decades as if it were the plague. How could he lose his integrity at this time?

However, just as he was thinking this, Lynn actually reached out and picked up both the Eye of Nehrene and the emblem ring.

(End of this chapter)