I'm not a Witcher anymore.

Chapter 123 Two evil gods are serving me alone. Isn't that a small blessing?

Zieg stood there, letting the cold night wind of Velen reclaim the surrounding air. Only after confirming that the sense of incongruity of being stripped from reality had completely dissipated did he reach out and push open the door.

Inside the room, Anna, Tamara, and Evan huddled in a corner away from the window.

Tamara stood in front of Anna, clutching her mother's sleeve tightly with one hand, her face deathly pale.

Anna leaned against the wall, her chest heaving, as if she hadn't yet recovered from those monster howls.

Evan sat on the ground, half of his body pressed against the wall, his legs weak, wanting to stand but unable to.

In the center of the room, the heavy long table was laid horizontally on the ground, serving as a temporary shelter.

Zoltan stood guard behind the long table, gripping a battle axe in his hand, his knuckles turning white from the excessive force.

The axe blade pointed towards the doorway.

Upon seeing that it was Sieg who had entered, the dwarf's tense shoulders and back relaxed slightly.

He adjusted his squatting position with some effort and asked in a muffled voice, "Is it resolved?"

"Resolved."

"That's good. This godforsaken place is a real headache."

No one in the room dared to speak for a moment.

The uneasy snorting of horses came from behind the house.

A moment later, Satya walked from the side of the house to the front door. The firelight shone into the house from behind her, casting a long shadow.

She glanced at Zieg to make sure he had no wounds before turning to look at the open space in front of the farmhouse.

The mangled corpse of the Fentonian monster was still burning in the oil, its black mane and flesh sizzling as the flames engulfed it, and thick, acrid smoke drifted on the night wind.

Zoltan, carrying his battle axe, walked behind Sieg and looked outside.

"Is this the big guy from earlier?"

Dandelion followed behind Saqia out, holding two reins in one hand and protecting the lute slung across his side with the other, as if afraid that the chaos would damage it.

His face still showed signs of shock, but when he saw the outline of the huge monster in the firelight, his eyes lit up involuntarily.

Before the fear had completely subsided, the bard's instincts kicked in first.

"Antlers, black mane, a third eye—"

He stared at the massive black shadow within the fire, his Adam's apple bobbing.

"That's Fenton, right?"

Zieg turned his head and glanced at the poet with some surprise.

"Do you recognize him?"

“I met Geralt once.” Dandelion took a breath, as if finally recovering from the commotion. “Of course, I was standing very far away, extremely far away. Far enough to prove my love of life and to show me just how difficult that thing was to kill.”

Dandelion wanted to continue speaking, but Sakia didn't look at the monster's remains in the fire again.

Her gaze remained fixed on Zig.

Zieg's Wolf School leather armor was stained with mud and Fenton's blood, and his breathing had returned to normal. But Saqia still sensed something was wrong.

"You encountered more than just that monster?"

Sakia spoke.

These words made Dandelion stop, and Zoltan frowned, looking at Sieg.

Outside, the oil was burning brightly, and a sickening crackling sound came from the charred remains of the monster.

Zieg nodded: "We've run into an even more troublesome guy."

Sakia tightened her grip on the sword hilt slightly.

"They're here for you?"

"Not yet, at least not now."

The girl walked up to Zig and checked him again to make sure he was not injured.

"You know that my sword is your sword. Your enemy is also my enemy."

"Don't worry, I remember."

Sakia didn't say anything more, but instead took a half step back to the side and stood in a position where she could draw her sword and cover Sieg at any time.

After a brief silence, a hesitant scraping sound came from the deepest shadow of the room.

Anna and Tamara seemed to finally come to their senses.

The mother and daughter supported each other as they walked from the corner to the door, their steps faltering.

Anna's body trembled, like a withered leaf swaying in a gale, as if she could be blown over at any moment.

Tamara held her mother's hand tightly, not daring to let go, her eyes filled with fear and unease.

"It's here to arrest you."

Zieg's voice was calm, as if he were stating an undeniable fact.

Anna's body trembled violently, as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over her from head to toe.

"I—I won't—"

She wanted to say something to excuse herself.

But the words just wouldn't come out.

Because she herself knew that what Zieg said was true.

That Fentonian monster was coming for her.

It was sent by Lady Lin.

Anna's face grew even paler.

Her lips trembled slightly, and her eyes gradually reddened, but not a single tear came out.

She remembered kneeling beneath that old oak tree, whispering to the altar of the Lady of the Wood.

At that time, she was just trying to grasp at the last bit of hope in her despair.

She said she was "willing to give everything," but in her heart she thought it was nothing more than an empty promise, like praying to the goddess Meritelli.

After all, who would really take the nonsense of mortals seriously?

Meritelli has never responded, has she?

But she was wrong.

Only gods don't care about mortals' promises, while older, more evil beings will meticulously record every word.

The moment she said "I do," the contract took effect under the tree covered with human ears.

It wasn't that she chose Lady Linzhong, but rather that she presented herself as a fresh dish, personally serving herself on that blood-stained table.

They heard it.

They took it seriously.

They've come to pick up the goods now.

"mom."

Tamara's voice pulled Anna back to reality from her daze.

The young woman looked at her mother's bloodless face and felt a mix of emotions welling up inside her.

She took a deep breath, released Anna's hand, and gripped Zieg's clothes tightly, as if grasping at the only straw.

Her voice trembled with a hint of tears.

"Sir, please take us to Novigrad."

"Lady of the Woods' henchmen have come knocking on our door so quickly. Without your protection, we wouldn't have made it out of Velen at all."

"As long as she remains on Velen's land, they will keep coming to her."

"Novigrad is not within Velen's territory. Once we get there, Lady of the Woods shouldn't be able to catch us. Please help us get out of this godforsaken place."

"I've already helped you," Zieg said, pointing to the charred monster in the distance.

"If it weren't for me, your mother would have been dragged into the swamp by that beast long ago. That Fent monster didn't come to kill her; it came to take her away. Do you know what being taken away by the old witch means?"

Anna understood the meaning behind those words, and the last of her strength drained away from her body.

Her legs suddenly gave way, and if Tamara hadn't caught her with her shoulder in time, she would have almost collapsed onto the cold, damp wooden floor.