NOVEL NEXT Chapter 25: Chapter 25
Chapter 25: The Dangerous Woods
"Why do you think that, Master?" Mrs. Donna first looked back at Lan in surprise, then seemed to understand something, and once again let out a hearty laugh. "I see, I see. Is that a look of guilt on your face?" Mrs. Donna asked with a smile. "Guilt because a witcher from your school killed my husband?"
The young man opened his mouth to speak, but Mrs. Donna laughed heartily again before he could say anything.
"Oh, for the love of the plague, don't make that face. Killing deserves to be punished, but my man was a full-fledged drunk. He was as fierce as a drowner and didn't do much work. Honestly, it didn't make a difference whether he was at home or not; maybe it is even better without him? Did you want to hear a tragic story? I don't have one, and if I did, it wouldn't involve my drunk of a husband." Mrs. Donna waved her wrinkled hand dismissively in the air.
"Oh, I, I see?" Lan's upbringing made him feel he shouldn't speak ill of the dead, and now that the family member said so, he still felt a bit awkward.
"Ha ha! By the way, I really didn't expect the life of a witcher to be so different from us ordinary farmers, huh? Looking at you, you must have come from a respectable and wealthy family before becoming a witcher, right?" After saying that, her cheerful smile faded for the first time, replaced by an expression Lan couldn't read. It was a calm and gentle expression. What did that expression mean? Lan asked himself, but Mentos couldn't answer either.
"I'm being looked down upon, doing the work that women can't finish," Mrs. Donna said softly. "But that's life in the village. The village can't afford to keep burdens. Honestly, I'm grateful that I can still be looked down upon here and have work to do. I'm also grateful to the villagers and elders because… At least I can raise my children."
Her gentle tone, though she lacked the strength for a full-throated voice, struck Lan like thunder. He suddenly found Mrs. Donna, this aging farmer's wife, very beautiful. This beauty had nothing to do with appearance and the unusually strong hormones of a pubescent witcher. It was a beauty that faced the cruelty of life head-on, accepted the challenge, and was determined to push through to the end. Lan felt he would remember this beauty for the rest of his life.
***
The tear in the cotton armor was indeed not large, just scattered. As Lan had anticipated, it took less than twenty minutes for Mrs. Donna to finish the repair. Stepping out of the house, Lan walked down the wooden path with his eyes lowered.
"Actually… there are many inconsistencies in her story, right?" The internal dialogue began. Currently, the only person Lan could confide in in this world was one.
"Yes, sir." Perhaps it was an illusion, but Lan felt Mentos's voice was softer than usual. "A husband who was a drunk and violent, yet there were no signs of violence at home. On the day her husband was killed, he had cow dung and dirt from the fields on his feet, yet she claimed he was lazy and didn't work. There are many doubts."
But her purpose was simple. She didn't want Lan to bear guilt that wasn't his. Even if it meant speaking ill of her husband to Lan, she didn't want this young man to live with guilt. She was a good person. And it was for people like her that Lan would return to Oreton.
Energized, Lan hurried back to the blacksmith shop, where Ivan was sharpening the newly plated silver on a stone wheel. Within two minutes, the young man had two swords strapped to his back again. At noon, Lan grabbed Bernie and set sail. Both had sandwiches made of bread, salted fish, and pickles as lunch.
"I feel like you have a lot of energy today?" Bernie, steering at the stern, looked at Lan in surprise while biting into his salted fish sandwich.
Lan, sitting at the bow, had already finished his lunch in a few bites and was now checking the buckles on his armor and boots.
"I still need a lot of practice with drowners. We can head west today, and if we're lucky, we might find a drowner nest."
"You're the boss; I have no objections." Bernie shrugged indifferently.
After last night's drinking, he didn't care much about the small losses in daily catches. Perhaps inspired by Lan's energy, Bernie's journey was swift today.
Along the shore of the lake, they soon reached their first tracking point. Unlike yesterday's muddy tidal flats, the terrain here was dense woods. Large trees almost exposed their roots along the riverbank.
Lan let out a meaningless "tsk." The woods were a bit restrictive as a battle environment, but at the same time, Bernie would undoubtedly show new tracking knowledge in the woods. This made Lan feel a mix of love and hate.
"The fish population here is also quite good," Bernie said, slowing the boat while steering. "If we go northwest from the shore, we'll reach Midcopse. There's a famous local blacksmith there; you might be interested?"
"No thanks." Lan's expression was flat. Ivan's craftsmanship had already revealed the level of craftsmanship in this land of Velen. A famous local blacksmith was probably on par with Ivan, far from master level.
Bernie shrugged, brushed off the bread crumbs from his hands, and put on his long leather gloves again, tying the straps. With a splash, they both jumped off the boat and headed towards the woods along the riverbank. Bernie took the lead, responsible for tracking.
"Lan, do drowners build nests in the woods?" He was a hunter but knew nothing about monster habits, hence the question.
Although Lan had "actively" left his training before his mentor finished teaching, he had still been instructed. He slowly drew his Bear School silver sword with a "shing," not taking the usual stance with the hilt near his cheek. Instead, he held the hilt naturally with both hands at his sides, the tip of the sword pointing backward, keeping the blade on his right side. Each movement placed his center of gravity on his toes, his steps light and steady.
This wasn't a stance for an aggressive attack but for quick reactions.
"Drowners are amphibious creatures. Their nesting requirements are only 'by the water.' Whether it's a tidal flat, woods, or even a farm field, it doesn't matter to them."
The two chatted casually, mainly to relieve tension in the dense woods. The woods of Velen were fraught with danger. Wild dog packs, wolf packs and brown bears were just ordinary animals, even more dangerous monsters liked to lurk there. Additionally, the excellent sound-absorbing properties of leaves and wood meant that once a person entered the woods about thirty meters, even their dying screams wouldn't reach outside.
Imagine, just thirty meters, a few seconds' walk on flat ground. You're being devoured by monsters, and passersby outside can't even hear it. That's why the people of Velen called the woods the "green swamp."
The two continued forward, with Bernie saying, "Because we're in the woods, the drowners' scales and footprints are more prominent and easier to identify."
But when they actually got close to the drowner group, the woods still startled them. Bernie should have let them face the drowner group, assess the situation, and then approach slowly. After losing and regaining the trail several times, they did find a drowner…
Only, when they saw it, the drowner was less than a couple of meters away from them.
Fortunately, Bernie was an experienced hunter, moving lightly and quietly in the woods, which prevented the drowner from noticing them.
Lan and Bernie exchanged glances, and Bernie's lips were trembling from fear. At this distance, they couldn't see the situation of the drowner group, and it was completely impractical to change positions.
Fighting without information was a big taboo for witchers.
Reality wasn't a game; monsters didn't distribute according to levels, and a slight misstep could lead to death. An ordinary witcher in this situation would likely end their career. Lan didn't have a handy "apprentice" to scout ahead for him.
"Tsk." But in this situation, the young man only clicked his tongue slightly.
With his current 13% proficiency in [Tracking], he could have helped Bernie fill in the gaps, but he hadn't. On the way here, he had focused mainly on being alert to danger and observing Bernie's techniques.
"No other choice, Mentos!" Lan narrowed his eyes, looking at the drowner beside him, who was busy chewing on something.
"At your service, sir."
"Activate the sign assistance function."
****
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