The Dryad drew his bow and arrow in front of the man, and the pair of comrades who had just been fighting side by side suddenly became at war with each other.
"I want to go to Duén Canell." Behind the man, Ciri suddenly said dully: "I have no other place to go."
"Girl, you don't know what you are talking about." The man protecting Ciri whispered, but he put down the hand holding the sword hilt.
Although he was inclined to help, he never got into other people's problems. It was one of the rules he had learned over the years. He only helps those who seek help.
"Girl, you don't know what decision you just made." The man sighed again.
Braenn, the dryad, went to investigate the surrounding area. According to her, the giant centipede is a social animal. They need to leave here as soon as possible to avoid being surrounded by the centipede group, so they need dryads who are familiar with the environment to find a way to go.
"In fact, I know." Ciri whispered, glancing secretly in the direction of the dryad.
"That's a dryad, right? I've learned about them. The dryads are a female-only race, so they will capture little human girls and then use some dryad magic to turn them into little dryads, right?"
"I have also read in books that they capture men of other races to have children, but this makes me confused about the principle."
For young children, magic seems easier to understand than physiological science.
The man looked at Ciri in surprise. He was amazed at the knowledge and reason shown in Ciri's words. "Well...it's hard for me to explain to you the principle of the reproduction of Dryads, little lady. Maybe it's easier to understand transformation magic."
Facing the man's surprised gaze, Ciri sniffed.
"I also know that this forest is full of them, and you definitely can't defeat them. You are not Lann." Ciri looked at the dryad not far away and whispered: "Lann told me that as a princess, I will surely be kidnapped and face evil people more powerful than me."
"He told me that at times like this, I should first agree to the terms offered by the other party to give myself a chance to escape. When the other person relaxes his vigilance, I will find an opportunity to sneak out and find a place to hide, and then wait for him to come and rescue me."
The man didn't know what expression to make. The little girl in front of him was so unexpected.
But he was pessimistic about Ciri's plan. "You are very smart, girl. But I don't think the one who taught you this method... Lann? He can run here to save you."
"Lann will definitely come!" Ciri raised her head proudly and dismissed the man's doubts.
"You saved me and were willing to confront the dryad for me. You seem like a good person. Lann taught me that I can use my own advantages to find someone to help me when I encounter difficulties, instead of doing it myself." Ciri then looked at the man.
"I'm hiring you to protect me now. I have a lot of money, which is enough for a mercenary like you to have food and clothing for the rest of his life. And if you have enemies, I can make them get rid of them. Don't worry, everything I say counts, and my grandma gave me that right."
"Do you have the right to chop off other people's heads? That's not a good grandmother." The man smiled and said: "It seems that you are still a princess? Which country are you a princess from?"
"You are not allowed to speak ill of my grandma. If it weren't for you saving me, what you just said would be enough to cut off your head." Ciri said angrily. "Because you saved me, you have this privilege."
"Lann also taught me that I cannot take other people's sacrifices for granted, even if that person is willing to sacrifice his life for me. If someone dies for me, I will reward him and treat his family well."
"You just blocked the centipede on my behalf and saved my life. So, I grant you the privilege, forgive you for bumping into me, and forgive you for the rude words you just said to my grandmother. But you also need to pay attention to your words, do you understand? Otherwise, I will take back your privileges."
The man felt that the little girl in front of him was so interesting. He had seen too many princesses, but there had never been any princess like the one in front of him. She was so... people couldn't think of words to describe her immediately.
"Your Lann must not have a good relationship with your grandmother." The man joked. "But what you said makes sense, your highness. I will cherish the privileges you give me."
"Don't care about things you shouldn't care about." Ciri sniffed. "If you perform well, I can even make you a knight, understand? You can become a noble. But I won't make you my knight, because only Lann is my knight, and my knight can only be him."
"Yes, yes." The man coaxed in a low voice. "It turns out that Sir Lann is your knight. Speaking of which, I met Baron Freixenet outside the forest. He said that he lost a princess. You are the princess he lost, right?"
"Lann is an earl now, but he will always be my knight. When he rescues me, you can also gain his friendship. He is a very powerful person, you will know it." Ciri said: "So Don't mention Freixenet again, even if he is your friend."
Braenn, who was observing the situation nearby, came back. She reminded the two of them to set off early. Night was approaching and they needed to find a place to camp.
Ciri suddenly remembered something and turned around and asked: "Wait. Freixenet can't enter the forest. Why can you come in? Why doesn't the dryad kill you?"
"Because strictly speaking, I am not a human being." The man replied. "I am Geralt of Rivia, a witcher."
"Alright, Geralt of Rivia. Get ready, I'm running away tonight."
...
Lann knew something had definitely gone wrong, but she didn't know exactly what.
According to the plot of 'The Sword of Destiny', the witcher Geralt will accept the commission of King Venzlav in these days to convey the peace agreement to the Queen of the Dryads.
Geralt and Braenn then set off through the forest, on the way to Duén Canell. Along the way they encounter a giant centipede that seems to threaten a halfling. The witcher takes action and confronts the beast. With Braenn's help, they finally put down the monster, only to realize that its intended victim was not a halfling, but a small human girl, no more than 10 years old, Princess Cirilla of Cintra herself.
Realizing that they cannot leave her alone there, the witcher and the dryad decide to take her with them. It is during this last part of the trip that Geralt and Ciri get to know each other a little. It seems that Ciri had been sent to meet a possible suitor, Prince Kistrin, son of King Ervyll of Verden, by his grandmother, Calanthe. Ciri, however, had other ideas and ran away. Freixenet and her unfortunate group had been trying to find her to bring her back when they were ambushed by dryads.
Finally, the trio reaches the heart of Brokilon, Duén Canell, where they also find Freixenet. Although he is still a prisoner, the dryads are treating his wounds, and he already seems much better.
In the end, for some unknown reason (Lann guessed it was the Elder Blood), Ciri was not affected by the dryad's transformation magic, and the Dryad Queen allowed Geralt to leave with Ciri.
The above plot was originally supposed to end one day ago. According to normal development, Ciri could be spanked by Queen Calanthe in the palace at this time.
The fact is that Ciri is still in the forest without any news.
Looking at the dryads in front of him, Lann needed to know what went wrong.
Lann stepped over the corpses of the Verden soldiers on the ground and walked to the front of the team, shouting loudly: "Dryads, we come in peace!"
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