บท 142: 142. The Black Unicorn.
Vesemir murmured to himself. After hesitating for a moment, he placed his hands on the table, preparing to get up and head to the bar.
"Thud~ Thud~ Thud~"
Amidst the heavy footsteps, three knights, draped in yellow cloaks emblazoned with black unicorns, entered the inn. The noisy inn instantly fell silent. However, the silence only lasted for a moment before the inn became lively again. Of course, the noise had shifted from the previous clamoring to hushed whispers.
"Strange! Don't these commoners recognize the King's royal guards?" Hughes muttered to himself in confusion.
That was clearly impossible. Even the most ignorant country folk would surely recognize the royal family's noble insignia. Such a reaction could only mean one thing: these royal guards had been to this inn more than once.
Allen didn't respond to Hughes. From the moment these knights walked in, his gaze hadn't shifted away. He watched as the three knights entered the inn, their heads held high, and cast a disdainful glance around.
After briefly pausing on the sight of Vesemir and the others, who were carrying twin swords, the lead middle-aged knight turned to the innkeeper, who had quickly come forward to greet them, and asked: "Have you seen any strange individuals recently? Particularly anyone wearing a hood and deliberately concealing their appearance and build?"
The innkeeper tilted his head slightly, glancing at the witchers.
"Noble knights, strange people... yesterday, some witchers came by, but I didn't see anyone hiding their appearance..."
After thinking for a moment, he added: "Hmm... these witchers were well-behaved and didn't cause any trouble."
The middle-aged knight glanced again in Allen's direction before ordering: "Keep an eye out, and if you come across any suspicious individuals, you know where to find me."
"Go on, get back to work!"
The innkeeper bowed repeatedly in agreement and retreated to the bar. His hands nervously wiped at his canvas apron as he fiddled with the cups on the bar, but his eyes remained focused on the inn's entrance.
"Thud~ Thud~ Thud~"
The sound of iron boots stepping on wooden boards drew closer.
One of the royal guards at the back glanced at the school insignia on Vesemir's chest, then leaned over to whisper in the middle-aged knight's ear: "Captain, they're witchers from the Wolf School. They're probably here to participate in the king's witcher apprentice tournament."
The middle-aged knight nodded, then glanced at the young witchers, Allen and Hughes, before fixing his gaze on Vesemir: "Have you encountered any elves or other suspicious individuals on your journey?"
Vesemir shook his head without speaking.
"If you do encounter a suspicious person wearing a hood, report it to the mayor's office. There's a reward," the middle-aged knight emphasized with a lofty attitude.
Vesemir gently stroked his black wide-brimmed hat, which was placed beside him, and looked up, saying: "The Wolf School maintains neutrality. We only accept contracts to hunt monsters."
The knight fell silent at these words, his expression blank as he stared into the dark gold, cat-like eyes. As the staredown between the witcher and the knight continued, the atmosphere in the inn grew tense. The two royal guards exchanged glances and subtly placed their right hands on the pommels of their swords, their expressions eager and itching for a fight. It was clear they were eager to test the legendary strength of witchers themselves.
The customers who had been eating noticed the tense situation and quietly placed coins on their tables, leaving their meals unfinished as they hurriedly left the inn.
A moment later, The only people left on the first floor were the innkeeper, the witchers, and the knights. Hughes, who had been eating, finally sensed something was wrong and quickly put down the black bread in his hand.
Allen had already placed his right hand under the table, ready to cast a Quen shield on himself at any moment.
He had to be cautious.
After all, in the world of witchers, the nobility, due to inbreeding, often had peculiar mindsets. And for the royal guards, the requirements for noble birth outweighed the demands for swordsmanship and martial prowess. In other words, these three before them were likely high-ranking nobles with the privilege of "killing without consequence."
They were truly capable of striking.
"Sir Serio..." the innkeeper cautiously approached, probably intending to mediate.
"Hmph~"
The middle-aged knight snorted coldly at the innkeeper's words. He glanced at the innkeeper, noticing that all the customers had left due to the standoff, then turned back to Vesemir and threatened: "'Neutral' witchers, behave yourselves and don't cause any trouble for yourselves!"
He then left with his two subordinates, who looked rather disappointed. As the middle-aged knight turned to leave, Allen cast an Identification spell on him.
[Name: Serio]
[Attributes: Strength 35, Agility 34, Constitution 18, Perception 10, Mystery 7]
So high?
Allen was stunned as he looked at the stats on the panel of the middle-aged knight who was walking away. His own Strength and Agility were only 32 and 31, respectively.
Witchers rely on potions and mutations for their enhancements, so what did this Serio knight use to increase his strength?
But then Allen thought back.
In the original work, there was also a bounty hunter named Leo Bonhart, who hunted down Ciri. He had single-handedly killed three witchers, wearing the medallions of the Wolf, Cat, and Griffin Schools on his chest, and even sought to hunt the famous White Wolf. So perhaps it wasn't so strange that there were humans with attributes surpassing those of witchers.
Maybe it was because there was magic in the world of witchers?
Or perhaps it was a blessing from some deity?
Allen pondered these possibilities for a moment, then dismissed them.
These profound questions were not his concern for now. The key issue now was that this knight named Serio was just a captain among the royal guards. How many knights with similar strength to him were there in the royal guards?
And how many such knights did the King of Kaedwen have under his command?
"Apologies... um... how much did the inn lose? I can make it up," Vesemir's words interrupted Allen's thoughts.
"Call me Bob," the innkeeper replied, looking around at the empty inn. He sighed and shook his head, saying, "No need to compensate. The tables and chairs are intact, and no one got hurt. Losing a few customers isn't much of a loss."
"But you should all be careful over the next few days."
Vesemir nodded slightly and said, "Thank you, we will."
Allen, struck by a sudden thought, curiously asked, "Do these knights come by often?"
Bob, as he cleared away the other customers' dishes, glanced at him and nodded: "Around the winter solstice, these knights started spreading out in towns near Ban Ard, searching for elves."
"Last month, they caught a few, but even after catching them, the knights didn't leave."
"Now they come by every two or three days to ask."
"It seems the royal guards still haven't found their target!" Allen thought.
But did the elf the royal guards were searching for have anything to do with the human couple that the red-haired elf had commissioned them to escort?
Vesemir, unaware of Allen's inner thoughts, looked at the stew on his plate and then asked: "By the way, Bob, do you know Viscount Hudson?"
....…
📢20 advanced chapters on p@treaon📢
For advance chapters: p@treon.com/Uchiha_Itachi007 (replace @ with a)
143. Vesemir Beaten up.
144. The Viscount and the Mysterious Human Couple.
145. A New Hunting Target.
146. The Castle Ruins.
147. Trapped.
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