I'm not a Witcher anymore.

"I know that Fugen is gone."

"I know there's no point in staying here."

"But if I'm gone... who will remember them?"

"Who can prove that Furtwängler ever existed?"

"If even I escaped, that fire would have truly burned everything to the ground."

The campfire crackled and sparks flew.

All around was silent.

The cold wind howled through the ruins, making a mournful sound, as if countless souls were whispering their lamentations.

……

Zig stood up from the campfire and dusted off his clothes.

"All beings are equal, freedom is priceless—am I right? This is what you want to build."

Sakia looked up at him, somewhat surprised.

How did you know?

"Just a guess," Sieg said calmly. "What other ideal could possibly be there that would allow different races to set aside their prejudices and fight side by side?"

"But what makes Fugen truly memorable is not these stones, nor these ruins."

"There was once a group of people who believed that elves, dwarves, humans, halflings, and gnomes could stand under the same banner. Not as slaves to anyone, not as vassals to anyone, but as equals."

"This is the real Franciscan."

"You can guard these ashes without fear from the Nilfgaardians or concern from the northern nobles. In a few years, even the people of Ben Green will treat this place as a ghost story to scare children."

Dandelion opened his mouth, but unusually did not interrupt.

Zieg continued:

"But if you leave here and find another place to plant your flag again, you're still here, hope is still there, and those people can slowly come back."

Zoltan put down the wine bag, his expression becoming serious.

Do you have room?

"Not now." Zieg shook his head.

Upon uttering those words, Dandelion nearly choked on his own saliva.

But Zieg quickly followed up with his next sentence.

"But I have a way."

He looked at Saqia.

"I can find a place away from Nilfgaard and the northern kingdoms, where I can also obtain food, medicine, and weapons."

"I only need you to believe one thing."

Sakia asked, "What?"

"Fergen isn't over yet," Zieg said. "It's not over as long as you're willing to get back up."

Quietly, we settled down by the campfire.

Sakia looked at the young man in front of her.

He did not promise to retake a city the next day, nor did he say that he could change the entire continent.

But there was something more practical in his words.

road.

A path emerging from the ashes.

After a long while, Satya looked down at her hands.

That hand once held a sword, raised a banner, and led elves, dwarves, men, halflings, and gnomes to defend Fergen.

Later, it could only drag the carcasses of wild animals from the ruins and light a fire that no one could see.

She slowly clenched her fingers.

"You said you could give them a place where they could survive."

"Yes."

"What if you can't do it?"

"Then you can leave anytime, or you can wake me up yourself."

Zoltan grinned.

"I can testify to that, she really did wake her up."

Dandelion said softly, "They usually might not wake up."

Sakia glanced at them, a faint smile finally appearing in her eyes.

She looked at Zig again.

"You may not look very big, but you've got quite the nerve."

Zieg did not deny it.

"So, are you willing to leave here?"

Sakia was silent for a moment, then stood up.

"I can go with you."

She looked at Zieg, her voice regaining its clear and firm tone.

"My sword will clear all obstacles for you. Your enemy is my enemy."

"On the condition that you remember what you said tonight."

Zieg smiled.

"certainly."

Sakia reached out her hand.

"Also, do not call me Lady Saqia, nor the Dragon Slayer, or the Virgin of Aden. Those titles were burned to ashes in the fire of Phrygian."

She looked directly into Zieg's eyes.

"Just call me Sakiz."

Zig took her hand.

"Welcome, Sakia."

……

The campfire in the ruins burned all night until the first rays of dawn pierced the sky.

Zieg was the first to wake up.

The campfire had gone out, leaving only a pile of ashes and a few pieces of charcoal that were still glowing red.

The aroma of last night's roasted bear meat has long since dissipated, replaced by the damp, musty smell unique to ruins, and a faint, pungent odor drifting from afar.

Zoltan leaned against a broken stone pillar, clutching his ever-present battle axe, snoring loudly.

The dwarf slept in a very unrestrained manner, with his two short legs stretched out wide, and his beard still stained with the oil from last night's roasted meat.

Dandelion curled up in his cloak, wrapping himself up like a cocoon, with only a tuft of messy hair showing.

His lute was carefully placed beside him, covered with an oilcloth, clearly more valued than himself.

Sakia sat leaning against a crumbling wall not far away, arms crossed, her greatsword resting horizontally on her lap.

Her eyes were closed, and her breathing was steady, but Zieg knew she wasn't really asleep.

The girl's alertness far exceeded that of ordinary people; even when resting, she could remain aware of the movements around her.

Zig did not disturb her, but stood up quietly.

He walked to the edge of the ruins, stood on a collapsed section of the city wall, and gazed into the distance.

To the east, the horizon is being tinged with a pale orange-red by the morning glow.

To the west, in the direction of the Pontal River, was still shrouded in a gray-blue mist.

That's the direction they're headed next.

Novigrad, the largest free city in the north, is located at the mouth of the Pontal River.

However, before that, they still needed to cross a vast, war-torn land.

There was a rustling sound behind me; it was Saki.

She stood up, slung the greatsword behind her back, and walked to Sieg's side.

"What are you thinking about?"

"I'm thinking about a route." Zieg looked away. "Should we travel by land, or try to find a boat to go downstream?"

Sakia raised her head and looked westward, the morning light falling into her eyes.

"The boat won't work."

Her voice was very confident.

"After the fall of Phrygian, the Nilfgaardians did not stop. They continued their westward advance, their target being the floating harbor."

The floating harbor is the most important hub on the Pontal River.

Whoever controls the floating harbor holds the lifeline of the entire river.

"If the Nilfgaardians have already captured the floating port, they will certainly block the river and inspect all passing ships."

"If the floating port were still in the hands of the Temurians, they would be equally vigilant and would not allow any ship of unknown origin to pass through."

"Therefore, in either case, traveling by water is tantamount to walking into a trap."

Zieg paused for a moment, then nodded.

"Then let's take the land route."

After waking Zoltan and Dandelion, the four packed up quickly and left the ruins of Fujen.