I'm not a Witcher anymore.

Zieg stepped forward and grabbed Philip's wrist, which was gripping his collar.

That's enough.

Philip's chest heaved violently, but he finally released his grip.

Adal collapsed to the ground, clutching his neck, which was red from being strangled, and coughed a few times. His face was pale, but he could still breathe normally.

Zieg knelt down in front of him and asked:

"When did the box containing the silverware disappear?"

Adal took a breath and replied.

"It was...it was the day Mrs. Anna and Miss Tamara disappeared."

"Um."

Zig stood up.

Philip asked eagerly.

"Lord Sieg, what have you discerned?"

"I have made some discoveries," Zieg said thoughtfully. "I'll try to look for them for you, but I can't guarantee that your wife and daughter will want to come back to you."

Philip replied without hesitation.

"Then I'll go with you."

"you?"

Zieg looked at him.

"And what about this castle? Are you just going to abandon it like that?"

Philip opened his mouth, but was momentarily speechless.

Zieg continued.

"It's chaotic outside right now, bandits and robbers are everywhere. What if something happens to you here if you leave Crow's Nest to find your wife and children?"

He paused, then looked directly into Philip's eyes.

Even if you find them, with no home and nowhere to stay, can you bear to let them lead a life of constant wandering with you?

This statement hit Philip right where it hurt.

He was silent.

Baron Veserad may have fled, but the crow's nest remains.

There are still dozens of soldiers, food, weapons, and city walls in the city.

As long as he remains in power here, he is the undisputed master of this land.

But if he leaves, all of this will be gone.

Bandits will come, robbers will come, and Nilfgaardians may also come.

When the crow's den changes hands, it will be difficult for him to take it back.

And Zieg is right.

Even if he finds Anna and Tamara, without Raven's Nest as their home, how will he support them?

Philip remained silent for a long time before finally speaking.

"Adar".

Adal quickly stood up straight, trembling with fear.

"Yes...yes."

"Go and get the gold."

Adal felt as if he had been granted a pardon and turned to run away, afraid that if he was too slow, he would be scolded again.

A short while later, he came running back, panting, holding a leather money bag in his hands.

Philip took the money bag, weighed it in his hand, and his face immediately darkened.

"That's all?"

He tossed the money bag back into Adal's arms.

"Not enough, too little."

Adal ran away again.

This time, he brought back two money bags that were significantly larger and heavier, clearly of considerable weight.

Philip handed both money bags to Zieg.

"This is the deposit."

His voice was hoarse and tired, but his eyes were incredibly serious.

"Find my Anna and Tamara, and more."

Zig took the money bag and weighed it in his hand.

Very heavy.

Philip really went all out.

Of course, Zieg knew in his heart that this money was definitely not Philip's own savings.

It's probably Baron Veselad's property left in Crow's Den.

The baron fled in such a hurry that he didn't have time to empty the vault, which benefited Philip.

But who cares?

It's more satisfying to use this ill-gotten wealth.

I tried my best.

Philip took a deep breath, his voice trembling slightly.

"Please, Anna... she did things that wronged me, but she's still my wife. Tamara is my own daughter, I can't live without them."

He paused, his eyes reddening.

"Please, bring them back."

Zig put the money bag away carefully.

"I will go find them."

He glanced at the darkening sky outside.

"Have the kitchen bring out the food. After we finish this meal, my companion and I will set off immediately."

Dinner was great.

Although Philip was extremely anxious, he still had the cook bring out the best ingredients.

Roasted lamb leg, stewed wild boar, cream of mushroom soup, and Philip even opened several bottles of the Baron's prized Toussaint's Alfredo wine.

Zortan ate with great relish, gnawing on a lamb leg while chugging wine, and mumbling praises of the cook's skills.

Dandelion, surprisingly, didn't quip.

He glanced at Philip, then at the wine glasses on the table, and finally just bent down to cut the meat on his plate.

At times like these, no amount of sweet talk seems appropriate.

Sakia, on the other hand, ate with great concentration.

For her, Zieg had already taken on the task that required thinking, and the remaining questions were much simpler—where to go, who to kill, and how many enemies there were.

Zig didn't eat much; his mind was clearly not on the food.

He was thinking about his next plan.

He could roughly guess where Anna and Tamara had gone.

That eerie fog, that being that helped them escape—in the land of Velen, there are few beings capable of such a feat.

After finishing his meal, Zieg put down his knife and fork and stood up.

"Let's go."

Sakia, Zoltan, and Dandelion also stood up.

Philip escorted them to the city gate, his expression a mixture of complexity and anxiety.

"Lord Sieg, I beg you."

Zieg waved his hand, said nothing more, mounted his horse, and left the crow's nest with his companions.

……

After leaving the crow's nest, Sieg did not rush on his way.

He stopped the horse outside the suspension bridge, his gaze sweeping across the muddy ground as if confirming something.

After a while, he gently spurred his horse and headed toward the woods on the side.

"This way."

Following behind, Dandelion couldn't help but ask, "How did you know to go this way?"

"There's a clue."

"What clue? I didn't see anything!"

Dandelion looked around, completely bewildered.

Zig pointed to the muddy ground.

"Look closely at the ground; there are two broken wheel tracks."

Dandelion looked down for a long time.

"I saw it, so a carriage passed by?"

“It wasn’t a carriage,” Zieg said. “There are similar marks in the courtyard. Those are the small carts used to move firewood and wine barrels in the castle.”

He paused.

"It would be difficult for two women to carry the silver chest directly; the man named Evan must have helped as well. They pushed the cart to the storeroom door and then carried the chest up. When they pushed it out, a piece of wood was scraped off the door frame by the corner of the chest."

"Wait, who is Evan?"

"The man to whom Philip's wife would rather leave the crow's nest with her daughter and the silver chest."

Zortan was still riding that Mahakan mountain horse, frowning as he looked at the marks on the ground.

"Are those soldiers in the castle blind? Why didn't they chase after such obvious tracks?"

"It's not necessarily that they didn't see it," Saqia said. "It was foggy that night, the Baron wasn't there, and neither was Philip. If they were lucky, they might at most recover the lord's valuables; if they were unlucky, they might lose their own lives."

She glanced in the direction of the crow's nest.

"No one would be willing to be the first to rush out."