Chapter 138: I'll Allow You a 390-Meter Head Start
Lynn crossed his arms.
He didn't think this bandit leader could have any kind of commission for him and Geralt.
But he'd listen for now.
"Let's hear it."
The bandit leader suddenly pointed at Massimo, his gaze turning fierce.
"As long as you kill this knight of some damn duchess, you can have all the money and equipment on him. We'll even offer three hundred orens as a tribute to you two masters."
"This sissy is dressed all shiny, must be worth a fortune. What do you say, you two masters?"
Massimo's face flushed crimson.
But before he could say anything, Lynn said coldly, "Not interested. Rather than profiting from the dead, I prefer to hear your final screams as your lives end."
The bandit leader frowned and retreated behind his men.
He waved his hands forward forcefully.
"Damn you mutant freaks, kill these two monsters and that pansy knight for me!"
With the bandit leader's command, the bandits surged forward, trying to overwhelm their opponents with numbers.
This tactic, though simple and crude, had always been successful in the past.
Therefore, they naturally assumed it would work this time as well.
Unfortunately for them, they had chosen the wrong opponents.
Lynn and Geralt met the three bandits charging at the front.
In the blink of an eye, blood spurted like arrows from the limbs, chests, and necks of the three bandits.
Then, Lynn raised his left arm, and an Aard sign erupted forth.
Like a warhammer, it slammed into the chest of the fourth bandit.
As it sent him flying backward, colliding with three other bandits, the chest of the bandit struck by the Aard sign caved in.
His internal organs were likely a mangled mess, and it was clear he wouldn't survive.
Two bandits tried to flank the witchers, attacking their sides.
But the ranger-knight, clad in full plate armor and wielding a sword and shield, blocked their path.
The ranger-knight's swordsmanship was different from that of the witchers, less flashy but simple and effective.
He used his shield to block the attack of one bandit, then parried the weapon of the other with his longsword.
Then, he thrust his longsword into the latter's chest.
The bandit's companion screamed in terror and turned to flee.
But Massimo's thrown longsword struck him squarely in the back of the heart, killing him instantly.
Under the fierce fighting of the three, the dozen or so bandits who had been disturbing the peace of the village were quickly eliminated.
And the three of them didn't even suffer a scratch.
Massimo wiped the blood from his longsword on a corpse.
He looked around. "Where's the head of that bandit leader?"
Lynn's pupils narrowed slightly.
He pointed to a black dot in the distance.
"Look, it ran away with his body."
Massimo hurriedly ran towards his warhorse.
"We can't let him escape, or it won't be long before he gathers another group of thugs. If we're not here then, this village will suffer even more than before."
"He won't get far."
Lynn took the Koviri longbow from his enchanted pouch.
He first took a deep breath.
The next moment.
The longbow was drawn to its full extent.
Whoosh!
The sharp whistling sound of the arrow tearing through the air rang out.
Even Massimo, standing next to the witcher, felt a stinging sensation in his eardrums.
The high-speed spinning arrow even left a clear, slowly dissipating trail in the air.
Effortlessly blowing the head off the bandit leader who had already run nearly four hundred meters away.
Thump!
Startled by the loud bang, the mule ran even faster.
But its master, the headless corpse, fell off the horse's back and landed on the ground with a thud.
Massimo turned his head in shock, looking at Lynn, who had already put away his Koviri longbow, his face filled with astonishment.
To maintain such accuracy and power at four hundred meters...
Even among the ranger-knights who had received the six knightly virtues since they were squires, few could reach Lynn's level.
This was the proud archery of the Griffin School.
After reaching the master level in Griffin archery, Lynn's skill with the bow had even surpassed that of most elves.
Coupled with the reward advanced by the Aretuza Academy—the Koviri longbow in hand—he was even more formidable.
After expressing his gratitude to the two witchers who had assisted him, Massimo sheathed his longsword and shield.
He put his hands on his hips, looking at the still tightly closed doors and windows, and couldn't help but feel puzzled.
"Why haven't the villagers come out yet? It's all over. We helped them eliminate all the bandits. They don't have to live in fear anymore."
Geralt, who had been silent until now, answered him in a deep but charming voice.
"This is Velen, the poorest province in Temeria, perhaps even the entire North."
"Here, it's not just bandits who commit evil deeds...in fact, in their eyes, you are no different from the bandits."
"Sorry to disappoint you, Sir Knight, but this is not Toussaint. There are no flowers and applause to reward your actions."
For a moment.
Lynn was a little worried that this knight from Toussaint might do something irrational.
But fortunately, Massimo maintained his noble demeanor throughout.
He merely sighed heavily and mounted his loyal warhorse.
"Alas, it seems the rumors are true. In the North, people know nothing of honor and nobility. Master Geralt, Master Lynn, let us leave this place."
...
After leaving Midcopse, the three did not stop in any other Velen villages.
Preferring to camp in the wilderness and eat dry rations, the three were unwilling to face the rude country folk.
Perhaps it was because all three were fully armed.
In the dangerous land of Velen, they didn't encounter any trouble at all.
After two days and nights, they left Velen and entered the territory of the Maribor Principality, an affiliated state of Temeria, reaching a small village called Brenna.
The three rested in Brenna for a night and replenished their supplies.
The next day, they left and continued south.
Their destination was a city called Dillengen, located within the Kingdom of Brugge, bordering Temeria.
This city was situated on the north bank of the Yaruga River.
Once they reached Dillengen, they could find a barge and then sail directly upstream along the Yaruga River, which would take them straight to the Ravendale Valley.
From there, they would continue south.
It wouldn't be long before they reached the legendary fairytale land—Toussaint.
Lynn had never been to the South.
Neither had Geralt, almost.
The furthest south he had been was Cintra, and he had only been there once.
And he had traveled by sea, not by land.
Therefore, since leaving Temeria, the group of three had to rely on Massimo, the knight from Toussaint, to lead the way.
But after leaving the Maribor Principality, the further they traveled, the more strange a feeling Lynn had.
Finally...
Massimo, who was leading the way, first raised the visor of his helmet.
He looked around for a long while.
Then, he said in a somewhat embarrassed tone.
"Please don't shout or laugh at me...I just realized something very important:"
"I don't know where this is, and I don't know which way to go."
"In other words, it seems we're lost."
(End of this chapter)
....
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