Chương 186: 186
Unwilling to harm the guards, Wayne surveyed his surroundings and, with a display of superhuman strength, lifted a massive banquet table. He used it as a makeshift weapon, batting away the armored guards like ping pong balls.
The guards were taken aback. While they had encountered strong individuals before, seeing someone wield a hundred-kilogram object like a mere twig was a new experience.
However, Wayne, in his role as a bodyguard, wasn't overly diligent. He focused on blocking the armed guards and knights, allowing some unarmed nobles to slip past. These nobles, having bypassed Wayne, didn't dare to turn back and face his wrath. Instead, they swarmed Urcheon, raining down punches and kicks until he was dazed and bruised, a testament to the fury of an outraged crowd.
Geralt, meanwhile, leaped from the dais, wielding the sword. He charged towards the melee, cutting down several guards in his path. Despite not daring to harm the nobles, he managed to reach Urcheon's side and extract him from the chaotic fray.
At that moment, Princess Pavetta, who had been silently observing the chaos, could no longer contain herself. With a cry of "Duny!", the chaotic magic within her erupted.
Like a powerful Aard wave, the surge of magic swept through the hall, its epicenter at Pavetta's location. Skellige envoys, Queen Calanthe, nobles surrounding Urcheon, the guards, and even Urcheon himself were lifted into the air and flung several meters back, crashing into tables, chairs, and walls. The force of the blast shook the entire banquet hall, even causing tremors throughout the castle.
Only Wayne, Geralt, and Mousesack remained standing. Everyone else was caught in the chaotic maelstrom of magic, struggling to stay afloat. Even Calanthe, the queen, was thrown from her throne and sent hurtling towards the wall. In a selfless act, King Eist rushed to her aid, shielding her with his own body and taking the brunt of the flying debris.
Mousesack, the oldest among them, struggled to keep his footing, his wooden staff his only support. His beard and green robes flapped wildly in the magical wind, and he was nearly torn apart by the force. But the old druid had no time for self-preservation. He shouted to Geralt and Wayne, "This is raw magic! Pavetta cannot control it! We must stop her, or we'll all be torn to shreds!"
Pavetta, levitating in the air, was enveloped in a swirling vortex of energy, a powerful green shield forming around her.
The shield not only deflected the chaotic airflow but also formed a solid barrier, akin to armor. However, unlike Mousesack and Geralt, who were severely affected by the raw magic, Wayne, also a bearer of Elder Blood and a source warlock, felt only a tightness in his chest and shortness of breath. His control over magic allowed him to create a protective barrier of chaos energy, shielding him from the full brunt of Pavetta's power.
He turned to Geralt and shouted, "I'll handle the princess. You protect the others!" Gathering his magic, he formed a pointed Quen shield and slowly advanced towards Pavetta, resisting the immense pressure of the raw magic with each step.
Pavetta, suspended in mid-air, seemed to sense the approaching danger, even in her unconscious state. A surge of even more potent raw magic erupted from her, causing the mortals in the hall to cry out in agony. For these ordinary people caught in the magical storm, every second was torture.
The sheer number of people present made it difficult for Wayne to reach Pavetta quickly. If it were just him and the princess, he could have used his Elder Blood's teleportation ability to reach her side instantly. But it took him nearly two minutes to traverse the ten-meter distance, fighting against the overwhelming pressure.
By then, after enduring several minutes of torment, everyone except Wayne, Geralt, Mousesack, and the unconscious Urcheon had succumbed to the magical onslaught, lying sprawled on the floor, barely clinging to life.
Witnessing the escalating chaos, Wayne could wait no longer. Maintaining the Quen shield with his left hand, he began channeling chaotic magic into his right hand. While wary of harming Pavetta, he gathered roughly a tenth of his power and unleashed it in the form of an Aard blast, striking the edge of Pavetta's magic shield.
A deafening boom shook the hall, dislodging more debris from the ceiling. The guests, huddled in the corners, cried out in pain, covering their ears.
Though powerful, Wayne's attack only cracked Pavetta's shield. It quickly mended itself, fueled by her surging raw magic. The collision of the two magical forces sent shockwaves through the hall, forcing Geralt and Mousesack back several steps.
The old druid coughed violently, shouting to Wayne, "Don't hold back! Stop her now, or everyone here will die!"
Wayne, heeding the druid's warning, abandoned all restraint. He poured a third of his chaotic energy into his right hand and struck Pavetta's shield with all his might.
A sharp crack echoed as the shield shattered, and Wayne's palm was lacerated by the backlash of raw magic. The residual force of the Aard blast struck the unconscious Pavetta, sending her flying backward with a scream.
Seeing the danger to Pavetta, Wayne ignored his own injuries and dashed towards her, catching her in his arms before she could collide with anything and shielding her from harm with his own body.
With Pavetta's fall, the chaos in the banquet hall subsided. The guests, who had been subjected to the magical onslaught, slowly picked themselves up from the floor, their bodies aching and bruised. As ordinary people, they had no understanding of the magical forces that had assaulted them, and could only curse their misfortune.
From this point on, the story unfolded as it had originally. Urcheon transformed back into his human form, revealing himself as Duny, the hedgehog knight. The truth of Pavetta's secret relationship with Duny, and the fact that she was no longer a virgin, was revealed. Having witnessed the terrifying power of Pavetta's magic and narrowly escaped death, even Queen Calanthe accepted the undeniable force of destiny and ceased her attempts to separate the lovers.
However, the queen remained adamant about not allowing Duny to inherit the throne, and she still desired an alliance with Skellige. King Eist's heroic act of saving her life had deepened her feelings for him, and she agreed to marry him, with Eist becoming the king of Cintra. Two weddings would be held a week later in the royal palace.
Wayne chose not to be present when Geralt received his reward. However, according to Geralt, when Duny made his request for a reward, Geralt, in a moment of impulsive inspiration, invoked the Law of Surprise to claim Duny's unexpected child. As women could not become witchers, the fate of this child, whether boy or girl, remained unknown to Geralt.
Geralt, too, held onto a sliver of hope that fate might grant him an heir to carry on his legacy. Wayne could only shake his head, marveling at destiny's ability to correct course and steer events back towards their predetermined path.
After receiving their reward, the two witchers and the ever-present Jaskier departed the palace. However, instead of leaving Cintra entirely, they were invited to attend the upcoming weddings a week later. While Geralt declined, Wayne readily accepted.
Just when everyone thought the story had reached a happy conclusion, Wayne, still single and unwilling to let Duny off scot-free, decided to take matters into his own hands. He sought to alter destiny's course and witness the consequences.
Under cover of night, Wayne flew his magic carpet to Cintra Castle, cloaked in invisibility. He easily reached Pavetta's chambers, but to his surprise, he found Duny not in the princess's bed but in the study, drinking and reading by candlelight.
Perhaps the years spent under a curse, only able to become human at midnight, had left Duny with a complex relationship with nightfall, making sleep difficult.
Seeing the target of his mission, Wayne smirked and silently approached Duny under the cover of his invisibility cloak. While the future Emperor Emhyr might wield immense power one day, he was currently an ordinary man, oblivious to the witcher creeping up behind him.
Wayne reached out from under the cloak, covering Duny's mouth with one hand and delivering a swift blow to the back of his neck with the other, rendering him unconscious. His movements were quick and silent, not alerting a single guard.
Supporting the unconscious Duny, Wayne adjusted his cloak to envelop the man's limp body. He then carefully opened the study window, summoned his flying carpet, and swiftly departed the castle, vanishing into the night sky with his captive.
In the years to come, countless rumors would circulate about the mysterious disappearance of Duny, the hedgehog knight. None would know how or why the man who was to become Princess Pavetta's husband vanished without a trace, never to be seen again until many years later.
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