Once again standing before the door of the Gilded Eye Jewelry Shop, Aldric had already made his decision in his heart.
It had nothing to do with morality, Aldric could completely understand the nuns' methods. When faced with the threat of Chaos, to eradicate it completely was the most effective countermeasure. As a Witcher apprentice, Aldric could calmly accept that.
Whether those sisters were simply doing their duty or indulging in their work, Aldric, as a modern soldier, held no prejudice. In terms of killing efficiency, the two sides weren't even on the same level to begin with.
Just as he had once declared on the day he became a Witcher: "In this world, I fear nothing."
No matter how powerful the Order of the Pure Heart or the Witch King behind them might be, Aldric feared neither. The witches' offer was generous and as a player, profit always came first.
Of course, this decision was not made impulsively; it was the result of careful, multilayered calculation.
First, the Witch King and the Sisters of the Pure Heart had no allies. Within Port Anthony, the nuns were isolated. The witches, on the other hand, had clearly made ample preparations. Besides their own faction, they might have support from the pirates beyond the outer sea and even infiltrators within the Black Ship itself.
From the standpoint of the city's inner politics, the Church would be highly reluctant to aid the Sisters of the Pure Heart, and even if they did, no one should expect them to fight to the death for them.
As for Aldric himself, his role was merely to provide backup. If the operation failed, he could easily distance himself from the entire incident. The worst-case scenario was that his involvement in the assault on the Black Ship was exposed but besides the sisters, who else would dare to trouble him?
After all, the Witchers had only maintained a superficial peace with the Order of the Pure Heart. And when the Witch King and the Order eventually reacted, how long would that take? By then, as a player, would he still need to tiptoe around them?
Carrying a mind full of calculations, Aldric pushed open the door of the Gilded Eye Jewelry Shop.
But the moment he did — a wave of raw force struck him head-on.
The unprepared Aldric was hurled backward, smashing into the wall across the street. The impact left visible cracks in the brick and mortar, evidence of just how powerful that blast had been.
A deafening roar filled his ears, drowning out all sound. For a brief moment, he felt as though he had returned to the war-torn regions. Back in his academy days, while training as a political officer, he had participated in an operation to eradicate local terrorists.
He remembered opening a door then only to trigger a hidden mine. He had spent two months recovering in a regeneration pod afterward.
That time, his life had been spared only because he was wearing a bulletproof vest specially issued to political officers. Otherwise, he would have been queued up for his third life already.
Now, as he tried to regain focus, Aldric saw a man clad in armor waving his hands in front of him, shouting something though his words were muffled by the ringing in Aldric's ears. The man didn't seem hostile. Aldric raised his right hand, pointed at his ear, and shook his head to signal that he couldn't hear.
The armored man gave him an apologetic look, then extended his hand to help Aldric to his feet, dusting off the dirt on his coat.
As his balance returned and the dizziness faded, Aldric violently shook his head. Gradually, external sounds began to seep back in.
"...Sorry... please... help... my daughter..."
Aldric sighed inwardly. Today really wasn't his day. First, an ambush; now, an indoor explosion. It had been years since he'd been thrown into such a pitiful state.
He had always known that the witches' Gilded Eye Jewelry Shop was unusual. The place could block out all sound from the outside world.
But what he hadn't expected was that this same layer of protection could also suppress his own sensory perception. He hadn't sensed the explosion at all!
Even on that battlefield years ago, he had at least felt a vague premonition of danger inside that building. He had simply misread it as a sign of armed men waiting by the window — which was why he'd thrown in a flashbang and stormed in first.
When his hearing finally returned, Aldric found himself sitting stiffly inside the devastated jewelry shop. The entire place was in ruins. Across from him sat the witch, her expression darker than soot.
Her once elegant purple robe was now charred in several places. Even through the veil, Aldric could practically hear her grinding her teeth in fury.
After a moment, she seemed to realize her own loss of composure and tried to lean back against the soft couch behind her — only for the explosion-weakened fabric to collapse into ashes under her weight.
Coughing amid the falling debris, the witch finally heard Aldric's calm voice:
"I've made up my mind. I'll help you transfer those three children."
The witch froze, then awkwardly straightened her posture. She glanced at the armored knight standing by the door and said, "There are four now."
Aldric frowned slightly. He disliked plans full of loopholes. If these witches couldn't even confirm basic intelligence, the odds of success had already been cut in half.
"Don't misunderstand," the witch said softly, raising a gloved hand toward the man in armor. "The targets haven't changed. It's this gentleman's daughter who now needs our help."
Following her gesture, Aldric turned his eyes to the armored man. The man gave a small bow. "Yes, I need your assistance. My daughter is in grave danger."
Aldric felt a strange sense of familiarity, as though he'd seen this armored man somewhere before.
"Tell me the full situation," Aldric said, setting aside that thought for now. "And explain what just happened."
"You broke my defensive spell formation," the witch said flatly. "My jewelry shop is a rune fortress, part of the array itself. When you opened that door, you created a breach in the structure." Her tone grew pointed. "After six in the evening, no one except for me and a few others can open that door from outside."
"Let's not dwell on damages," she muttered after a pause, gathering the remaining papers and trinkets on her desk. "The Black Ship will arrive on schedule. Our people will attack the Sisters once they begin resupplying, creating chaos. During that window, another team will extract our targets from the ship. That's when we'll need your assistance."
"I need a more detailed plan," Aldric replied coldly. "If you expect me to cooperate, you'd better show complete trust. Otherwise, I won't take part. Give me full disclosure and I'll do everything I can to ensure those children's safety."
The witch fell silent. She looked at the anxious middle-aged man at the door, then back at the composed Witcher apprentice before her. With a faint sigh, she relented. "Fine. I only hope you prove worthy of trust."
"There have been... complications," she continued, confirming Aldric's earlier suspicions. "The situation changed before we could react there's one of our sisters secretly stationed aboard the Black Ship."
Aldric nodded, his expression unreadable.
"Our original plan," the witch went on, "was to receive help from the Pirate Queen, Cersei Lannister. She was to send ships to intercept the Black Ship and spark a conflict. In the chaos, our infiltrator aboard would destroy the ship's supplies, forcing it to dock at Port Anthony for repairs and replenishment."
When the name Cersei Lannister was mentioned, Aldric noticed the armored man flinch ever so slightly by the door. So, they know each other, he thought.
"But everything has changed now," the witch said gravely. "The Black Ship is coming to Port Anthony on its own accord."
Her gaze turned toward the armored knight. "Because this gentleman's daughter recently awakened her talent and became a witch. The highest level of awakening, like the bright moon in the night sky, is attracting the nuns on the Black Ship."
The middle-aged knight stepped forward, bowing deeply.
"Sir," he said solemnly, "my name is Bart Rosetti. I beg you — lend your strength to those in distress."
(End of Chapter)