After listening to Francesca's words, Wayne frowned deeply. 'Is this idiot Henselt completely out of his mind?' He thought. Instead of doing anything constructive, the man seemed intent on creating trouble for others. For a moment, Wayne entertained the notion of simply getting rid of him.
As someone wielding considerable power and wealth, why should he tolerate a self-righteous fool?
Deciding to take action, Wayne mulled over his thoughts for a few seconds before looking at Francesca with a meaningful expression.
He began, "What do you think would happen if the King of Kaedwen were to suddenly die of an illness? Would it be beneficial or detrimental to the elves in Kaedwen? Could it cause any unforeseen consequences?"
At first, the elven sorceress was slightly taken aback by Wayne's casual suggestion of regicide. However, her long life, spanning thousands of years, had given her a strong capacity for acceptance, especially when it came to human kings, whom she had never particularly liked. Quickly suppressing her surprise, she began to consider the feasibility of the idea.
After a few moments of contemplation, Francesca met Wayne's gaze and spoke in a serious tone:
"King Henselt of Kaedwen is nearly thirty years old now, and despite having married twice, he still has no children or heirs. If he were to die unexpectedly without leaving a will, the Kingdom of Kaedwen would likely descend into chaos over the issue of succession. This could even trigger a war among the lords and possibly lead to other neighboring countries getting involved."
She paused before continuing, "However, the death of a king is far more significant than the death of a count. The Brotherhood would undoubtedly send their most powerful members to investigate. The Supreme Council might also get involved, and they're warlocks on my level—experienced and formidable."
"This would undoubtedly cause a great deal of turmoil, and the Northern kings would demand answers."
Wayne nodded, understanding that the consequences were just as he had expected.
However, he wasn't afraid. With his current strength, he feared no one in a one-on-one fight, and with the ancient blood running through his veins, he was confident he could stand against even the most powerful people in the world, like Vilgefortz. As long as his identity as a Witcher remained concealed, avoiding trouble for his brothers, even if Dante became the most wanted man in the world, it would be a minor inconvenience that could even enhance his reputation.
"Then let's plan to eliminate Henselt before this public trial," Wayne decided. "It's tiresome to constantly be on guard against such a fool, and creating chaos in Kaedwen could aid in evacuating and rescuing the non-humans."
"However, I don't have any spies in Kaedwen, so I'll need you to handle gathering the intelligence. Once we have enough information, we can develop a battle plan."
Seeing how decisively Wayne had set the goal of killing a king, Francesca hesitated. She stepped closer to him, worry evident in her eyes, and softly urged, "Isn't that too reckless, Wayne? The human population is now dozens of times larger than that of the elves. If they discover that an elf was behind the king's murder, our situation could become very dire."
Wayne grinned at her concern. He lifted her beautiful face with his fingers, his expression confident but his tone indifferent.
"Then we simply won't let them find out," he said. "After all, it will be Dante who kills him, not the elves or the Witchers."
"The fewer people involved, the better. They must be those you trust completely. Just tell me the time and place, and I'll take care of the rest."
"Of course, this is only a suggestion. If you have other plans, we can discuss them."
At this point, his tone shifted, becoming more admonishing:
"But, the reason the Aen Seidhe elves were defeated by the humans was because they lacked the determination and courage to fight to the death. They hesitated, giving humans the time they needed to grow stronger."
"If you had defeated them when they first landed, the world would look very different now."
"Hesitation leads to loss, and we don't have many choices left."
Francesca didn't pay much attention to the young Witcher's somewhat presumptuous behavior. She turned her head slightly, considering what Wayne had said, but still hesitated as she replied:
"This is a matter of great importance. I need to discuss it with the sages of the elves first."
"Don't act rashly for now. After we've had a thorough discussion, we can evaluate the feasibility of this plan."
Wayne withdrew his fingers, shrugged indifferently, and said, "Take your time and think it over."
Then, recalling something, he added, "By the way, the mercenaries I hired have been working in Vizima for nearly two months now, and they've made significant progress."
"Don't leave just yet. Why not join us for lunch, and in the afternoon, you can take the refugees with you."
That afternoon, Wayne once again showcased his world-class culinary skills at his mansion, preparing more than a dozen exquisite dishes to entertain both old and new friends.
For Letho and the others from the Viper School, as well as the girl Syanna, this was their first time tasting Wayne's cooking. The delicious dishes, enough to conquer any appetite, left them all gaping in shock before they began devouring the food with little regard for their manners.
None of them had expected that Wayne, who was so strong, wealthy, and fond of luxury, would also possess such remarkable cooking skills.
Berengar and Alex, who had grown to nearly half a man, hadn't tasted Wayne's food in a long time and savored every bite.
Of everyone present, Francesca was perhaps the only one who managed to maintain the poise of a lady, eating gracefully with small bites, exuding beauty and elegance at all times.
After lunch, Wayne took Francesca, disguised as a human girl, to visit the stronghold of the mercenary group, led by the young and attractive Julia. Upon arrival, they met with Julia, who had been leading the mercenary group.
Thanks to Wayne's financial support, Julia's mercenary group had grown to thirty members and was now experiencing a period of rapid development.
Their work had been impressive. Over the past two months, they had not only recruited poor non-human races from the slums of Vizima, offering them a vision of a brighter future and paying significant settlement costs, but they had also expanded their efforts. Members of the mercenary group had been dispatched to other major cities in Temeria, establishing additional strongholds to recruit more non-human races and laying the groundwork for future operations.
They had successfully gathered nearly 700 non-human refugees in an abandoned village outside the city, including around 400 elves.
This achievement pleasantly surprised Wayne. Although these recruits only added about 400 points to his rescue mission, far from enough to exchange for a master-level treasure chest, the ability to gather so many people in just two months indicated that the work was on the right track. The rewards would grow larger over time, and the points would accumulate like a snowball.
After some brief greetings, Julia led Wayne and Francesca outside the city to meet the non-human refugees they had settled.
As expected of a top graduate from a military academy, Julia's management was meticulous. The semi-military organization of the village made everything orderly, and the refugees' spirits were high.
Wayne promptly paid the agreed-upon sum to Julia.
The large sum, nearly 10,000 orens, instantly captivated the eyes of the young female mercenary leader, who was only in her twenties. At the same time, it relieved the burden she had been carrying.
Despite the considerable startup capital Wayne had provided, recruiting and settling over 700 non-human refugees and purchasing various supplies had nearly drained the mercenary group's funds, even putting them in debt.
Had it not been for the fact that Wayne's mansion was right in the city—an anchor point she couldn't simply run away from—Julia might have thought herself crazy or deceived for spending such a large sum. But now, with this influx of funds, the mercenary Group was poised to enter an even faster growth phase. It might not be long before they transitioned from a small mercenary group to a large one.
Wayne's casual display of financial power also caught Francesca's attention. She had been prepared to advance the funds herself, as she would have to pay Wayne for his mission on a per-person basis. However, she hadn't expected this Witcher to possess such significant resources.
After completing the transaction, Wayne handed over the results to the elf sorceress.
Francesca's next actions fully demonstrated her strength as a top-tier sorceress.
The elf sorceress used a magic array to set up a large illusion around the abandoned village, concealing it entirely from prying eyes. This long-term formation ensured that no one could enter the manor without holding special magical items. It could also serve as a future base for relocating non-human refugees within the Kingdom of Temeria.
In just one afternoon, Francesca also constructed a large portal in the village, directly connecting it to a location in the Valley of Flowers. With the help of soldiers on the other side, all 700-plus refugees were safely transported to the Valley.
By nightfall, the only one left in the entire manor was the elf sorceress, who now looked a little tired.
This sight astonished Julia, the young mercenary leader Wayne had asked to stay behind to watch over the manor. The extent of Francesca's power left her utterly speechless.
Although Julia had encountered sorceresses before, witnessing Francesca's ability to transport nearly 700 refugees in a single afternoon left her in awe. This wasn't just ordinary magic—it was raw, unparalleled power.
Wayne, standing beside her, placed a hand on her shoulder and spoke in a measured, yet profound tone:
"Miss Julia, we'll be working together for a long time. You're a smart woman, and you understand how things work."
"I won't interfere with the development of the mercenary Group, but I hope you exercise caution. Don't compromise on quality by recruiting questionable characters who could easily turn traitor just for the sake of rapid growth."
"Now that you have considerable resources and the backing of extraordinary powers, you can afford to be selective. Focus on building an elite team, not a hodgepodge of mercenaries."
"You have a long journey ahead, and within the entire mercenary group, you're the one I trust."
"As long as you serve us well, the benefits you'll receive in the future will far exceed what you can imagine."
After offering this advice, Wayne returned home with the weary Francesca.
However, the elf sorceress didn't stay long. After taking some cakes and snacks that Wayne had prepared for her, she opened a portal that same night and returned to the Valley of Flowers. Though Wayne wasn't sure how she managed to convince so many refugees to settle in the valley, as its overseer, Francesca needed to be there to make the necessary arrangements for the sudden influx of people.
With these pressing matters settled, Wayne could finally turn his attention to his own affairs.
The most significant of these was the treasure chest he had been saving for four months.
Ever since he had returned to Kaer Morhen for the winter last year, Wayne had been biding his time, waiting for the right moment to open the chest.
Of course, the main reason for the delay was that, over the past few months, he had only accumulated some ordinary and expert-level treasure chests, which hadn't excited him much.
However, his recent return from Toussaint had added four master-level treasure chests to his collection—two from his missions in Toussaint and two as rewards for rebuilding the Witcher Order.
Now, everything was in place, and he was just waiting for the next lucky day to open them.