"I guess it was around that time," the shadow assassin said slowly, looking directly into Aldric's eyes, "that I began to think maybe chaos wasn't all that bad after all."
His tone was bitterly amused, but his gaze carried something darker. "That old sorcerer stood up before the nuns could even begin their slaughter. I could hardly believe my own eyes. During my infiltration, I had been hiding in his storage room the whole time! I was certain he wasn't just concealing himself in that village—he had truly lived there for eight years."
"For eight long years, he never once used his powers," the assassin went on, his voice growing taut with emotion. "He simply lived as an ordinary farmer, content to live out the rest of his days in peace. If he hadn't summoned that strange little creature in front of everyone, no one—not even his neighbors—would have believed what he really was."
"The little thing danced for everyone, then bowed like a performer," he said with a half-crazed chuckle. "When it held out the old man's battered hat and started collecting coins from the onlookers, I knew then that the sorcerer must have earned his living that way once—because I saw circus props in his storeroom."
He paused, taking a deep breath to steady himself before continuing.
"The nuns tied him and that little creature together," the assassin said flatly, "and burned every villager alive in front of him. They called it 'purging chaos.' He tried to resist, but one armored nun merely touched him and his power was gone. Completely gone."
The assassin's voice dropped into a hoarse whisper. "Then they burned his pet first… and only then did they burn him."
Aldric stayed silent, his face unreadable.
"I was hiding in the shadows," the assassin continued, trembling slightly at the memory. "Too terrified to move. I thought I was going to die from fear alone. Those nuns burned everyone—men, women, children without saying a single word through the whole thing. Even the animals weren't spared. It was as natural to them as eating or drinking."
He turned his head toward Aldric, his eyes narrowing. "You should know, even lone witchers are on their hunting list."
…
"Where did you hear that the Black Ship would be docking here?"
Priest Richard's tone was calm, his voice deep and composed. He wore a specially tailored white robe that concealed his powerful, muscular frame. To any outsider, he looked like a kind and gentle priest—until a sudden glint of light flickered in his eyes, sharp enough to make one's skin crawl.
"Witchers always have their own… unconventional sources," Aldric replied, bowing slightly toward the statue of Ulfric. He emptied the coins from his newly bought pouch into the offering box below the statue—coins that, naturally, weren't his to begin with.
The priest stared at him for a long moment before suddenly smiling. "You truly live up to Alagon's praise. When it comes to lying, you're cut from the same mold as your teacher."
"Listen, child," Richard said, sitting down in his heavy chair. The wood creaked in protest under his weight. Aldric suspected that, beneath that robe, the man wore a full suit of chainmail. "Your teacher asked me to keep an eye on you for a while. I'd rather not see you get tangled up in trouble you can't handle."
"I don't know how you got wind of the Black Ship's arrival," he continued, gesturing for Aldric to sit opposite him, "and frankly, I don't care. But I will warn you—stay out of anything related to the Black Ship."
Aldric tilted his head slightly. "From what I've heard, the nuns of the Order of the Pure Heart aren't exactly friendly toward witchers."
"That's an understatement," Richard replied with a short laugh.
"But… aren't our goals the same?" Aldric pressed cautiously. "Shouldn't we be on the same side? Why would they see me as a threat?"
"The Sisters of the Pure Heart," Richard said, "do not believe they share goals with anyone. Not witchers, not the other transcendental orders, not even us—agents of the gods themselves."
He waved his hand, signaling the paladins stationed in the temple to leave them alone.
"Your teacher must have told you about the Flamebearers Pact, right?"
Aldric nodded. "A little. Something about the Osman Empire, chaos, and an agreement among transcendent organizations and witchers."
Richard rubbed his chin, thinking for a moment. "Then you should know this: the rulers of the New World, the Witch Kings, half of them are survivors of the Osman Empire. It was they who first began the study of chaos, and they were the ones who opened the first Chaos Gate. They're also the ones who understand it best."
"The Witch Kings possess immense power," he said in a low voice. "Though they oppose chaos, their mastery of it is what allowed them to transcend the limits of mortal existence. Their defiance of even the gods themselves has become… an accepted reality. So, the current arrangement is simple: we don't provoke them, and they don't provoke us. Understand?"
Aldric finally understood why the Order of the Pure Heart could freely hunt witches and sorcerers across the world. They had powerful backers… and their "divine authority" came with an iron fist behind it.
After finishing his explanation, Richard turned toward the statue of Ulfric and muttered a hasty prayer. Aldric could only catch fragments of it: "Boss… forgive me… just helping out a friend…"
Watching the man's solemn expression as he uttered what clearly sounded like coded slang, Aldric thought that if he ever had to pick a god to believe in, Ulfric might actually be a good one.
"If the Black Ship really is arriving," Richard warned as Aldric prepared to leave, "we'd normally receive an official notice ahead of time—to prepare the city and prevent those nuns from burning half of it down. I'll send men to scout the nearby seas. If a ship does enter the harbor unannounced, something's gone wrong. Stay away from it, understand?"
"Thank you for the warning, Father Richard. Perhaps it's nothing more than a rumor from the streets," Aldric said politely, bowing before taking his leave.
Just as he was about to exit, Richard called out after him, "If you do find yourself in trouble, come to me. I might be able to save your life."
Aldric stopped for a brief moment, turned back, and gave him a respectful bow before leaving the temple in silence.
The moment Aldric was gone, Richard ordered his temple guards to contact the other sanctuaries and confirm whether anyone else had received news of the Black Ship's arrival.
"One storm after another," he muttered to himself. "The Black Ship, the Sisterhood, the chaos cultists, and now the witchers—all in one place. When Antoine hears this, he's going to lose his mind."
Murmuring under his breath, Richard rose to his feet and set off toward the lord's manor.
Meanwhile, somewhere in the city streets, Aldric was sending a message to Vittoria.
"Got another big job. You in?"
Before she could even reply, a massive shadow loomed over him, swallowing him in darkness.
A sharp, cold voice came from behind.
"You're the Cathay ranger, aren't you?"
(End of Chapter)