In the woods, three corpses were lying crookedly. They were all well-equipped, but the enemy's sword tips penetrated the vital points around the gaps in their armor, with deadly precision.
Silent and stealthy, like cunning hunters, these soldiers had been killed not long ago.
There were many torches set up all around, and Lann's expression was difficult to explain under the intertwined light and dark flames.
"Your blood is still fresh, and the enemy is still close. Your Excellency, we can still pursue..."
"No." Lann shook his head. "We retreat."
"But my lord..."
"Retreat!"
The vice-captain may be angry, wondering why the earl, who was so brave during the day, has become so timid now. But Lann already had a guess about the enemy.
A witcher, the murderer is definitely a witcher. Based on the appearance and characteristics that the bandits had described, Lann was sure of this.
Iconic double swords. The witcher always carries a steel sword and a silver sword on his back. A steel blade is used for more mundane beings, while a silver blade is reserved for beasts of the supernatural. It is said that silver swords are very effective in destroying monsters and many magical creatures are sensitive to silver. However, silver swords are too fragile and expensive to make, so witchers will prepare an extra steel sword to deal with battles with humans.
Iconic potion belt. Witchers are also alchemists who prepare magic potions. They can prepare magic potions with various functions including healing, night vision, underwater breathing, attack and defense, etc. In addition to potions, they can also carry a small amount of alchemical bombs.
As a result of the painful and dangerous Trial of the Grasses, witches will gain cat eyes, which allow them to see in the dark and have good dynamic vision.
In addition to the above abilities, a witcher also has other abilities such as superhuman physique, spell casting, etc.
If the army is assembled for a head-on confrontation, Lann is not afraid of the opponent, because whether in the novel or in the television series, the witcher (except in the game) is quite weak in frontal combat against the army.
But now they are in the jungle, the enemy is in the dark and we are in sight. This is the time when he can make the most of traps, magic potions, tracking, and other monster hunting methods that witchers are experts at. Given enough time, it may be impossible to annihilate all of his men, but most of them could be killed before returning to Cintra.
The vice-captain blew the horn to rally the troops, and the scattered troops slowly retreated towards the camp.
When counting the number of people, the soldiers came back with bad news: three more soldiers were missing.
The troops that rashly dispersed to look for the missing soldiers gave the unknown witcher a chance, allowing him to silently harvest three lives. Including the three corpses found previously, a total of six people died, which was surprisingly more casualties than when they encircled and suppressed the bandits before.
Swade, the attendant, came over and handed Lann a water bag, and the irritable Lann drank it all in one gulp.
"Sir, there is something strange about the leader of these bandits."
"I know." Lann said: "That's a witcher."
"Witcher?" Swade and the vice-captain, who heard it, exclaimed in a low voice. "I have heard of them often in songs and Gwent. There is also a poet called Dandelion who often writes Poems about Witchers."
Swade asked: "I have never seen a real witcher, but isn't it their duty to hunt monsters? How come he has become a bandit leader?"
Lann threw the water bag back to the attendant and said: "It turns out that there are special cases among witchers, and we have encountered one now."
The question now is why this witcher clings to his own group of soldiers.
In The Witcher Saga, witchers seek advantages and avoid disadvantages. Except for the School of the Cat, witchers will give in as much as possible to organizations such as the army and knights. They are well versed in how to protect themselves.
Even the crazy School of the Cat is not crazy enough to want to hunt an army alone.
Suddenly, Lann thought of the crystal containing magic power. Even though I searched through the family collection and contacted half of Cintra's upper class, I still couldn't find a piece of the source of magic power.
Yes, so that can explain why there is a witcher here, and why a large-scale bandit group that is rare in the northern countries can be gathered here.
What if the witcher came here just for this crystal? Did this group of bandits even gather for this crystal? The plundering of passing caravans was just wild food they couldn't help but hunt.
This can also explain why this crazy witcher is like a provoked beast and won't let go of people like him. He did not lose his mind for revenge, but his life was held in his hands.
"Your Majesty, what should we do next? Wait until dawn or..." The vice-captain watched Lann's face change, feeling uneasy, and cautiously stepped forward and asked.
"No, we don't wait." Lan said: "Scatter the people around the camp."
"Huh?" The vice-captain who had just called everyone back was dumbfounded.
"But this time, we will be in groups of twenty. We will hold up torches to illuminate the surroundings. Don't spread too far apart to avoid being attacked. Don't go too far. Come back immediately when you hear my signal."
"Huh?" The vice-captain was even more stupid. It didn't look like a camp that had dispersed to find someone, but rather like a camp that had dispersed for a temporary walk.
Swade nodded in agreement. He didn't think as much as the vice-captain. He obeyed Lann's order unconditionally. "I will go and select the troops to accompany you."
"No." Lann waved his hand. "I'll stay."
Swade paused and then said: "Then I will select the troops to stay with you..."
"I'm left alone."
After speaking, Lann ignored the reactions of others and walked to the fire to sit down. He took out the crystal that had absorbed all the magic power and looked at it carefully.
What he was looking at was not this crystal that had no value anymore, but what he hoped to use this crystal to elicit.
Since you know the other party's purpose, why go to find the other party? Wouldn't it be better to wait for the other party to come to your door?
Just because he was worried that so many soldiers would scare the other side, he had no choice but to disperse them all.
"I've been looking for you for a long time, Witcher." Lann summoned the panel and looked at the rows of gray abilities on it. "I could actually wait for dawn and let the troops protect me back to the city, but wouldn't that be What a pity?"
"I have been in this world for more than a year. I have spent so much effort and experience looking for the witcher. I never expected that you would appear in front of me now. It really takes no effort at all."
"You're here now, so you have to play some role...but don't let me down."
---
I will post some extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. >> patreon.com/TitoVillar
---