The sun had risen above the horizon, though the wind was still chilly. Roy went through the throng and arrived in the eastern part of the city. The bakery was open, but Huckle was sitting on the bench in the yard, staring up into the sky.

The baker’s hair had turned grey overnight, and he’d aged ten more years. Instead of the energetic man he’d been a day ago, Huckle now looked dead inside. It wasn’t until Roy had approached him that he’d snapped out of it. “You’re here, Mr. Roy.” His voice was nothing but a whisper. “Give me a minute. Your reward’s inside.”

“I’m not in a hurry.” Roy followed him into the kitchen. He saw a “closed” sign sitting on the doorstep, but Huckle didn’t hang in on the door. His oven, which was burning from morning to night, was cold, and his tools were neatly placed on the side. Anyone who came in could see that he wasn’t open for business.

“Are you done with Berschel’s business? Do you need any help?”

“Thank you, but I’ve cleaned his body and registered his death with the guards. I told them everything that had happened, so all that’s left is his burial.” Huckle moaned. He slowly took a bag of coins from the display rack beside him. “This is the promised reward.”

Roy held the money bag. It felt like there were more than a hundred and fifty crowns inside, but he didn’t count. After Roy placed it in his inventory space, he observed the baker quietly. His eyes were bloodshot, and his jowls were oily. Obviously, he hadn’t slept a wink the night before. “When’s the burial?”

“Tomorrow. I bribed the people at the morgue so I can keep him with me for a while longer. I want to see him for the last time.”

Roy nodded. “What next? Are you still going to run the shop?”

“I…” Huckle started sobbing, and he buried his face in his hands.

Roy shook his head. He had something to tell Huckle, but he’d wanted to wait until the baker had finished with his son’s business before telling him about it. It was time. He had to give Huckle a reason to live. “I still have something to tell you, Huckle. There was a scar on Berschel’s stomach, but it was caused by something sharp. It looked like a sword’s slash, but his vitals weren’t hurt.” Or Berschel would have died from blood loss even with the spider’s webbing.

The baker’s shoulders shook, his face contorting with horror. My son was killed by the spider, so why does he have a sword scar on him?

Roy looked at him closely before continuing, “Your son said something despite all the pain he was in yesterday. Do you remember it? The things he said before he died?”

“Emily and White Rose. I don’t know who or what Emily is, but White Rose…” Huckle mumbled. Then he looked up, shocked. “Are you saying the knights hurt my son? But my son’s not even involved with them.”

“I don’t know the details.” Roy paused. “We need more information. But at any rate, your son was killed by the arachnomorph.” Roy was worried Huckle might just charge at the knights. It was possible, given what he’d done the day before. “Don’t do anything reckless. I don’t think Berschel would want you to throw your life away just like that.”

“Thank you. I’ve lived in this city for more than twenty years. I know how powerful the knights are, so I won’t go in without a plan. Not after my son has died.” Huckle took a deep breath and clenched his fists. “But I am his father. I have a duty to find out who hurt my son. I’ll make sure his death is avenged, and I’ll do it my way.” His eyes were blazed with fury, and his face lit up with anger.

“I’ll help you.”

Huckle shook his head, refusing Roy’s offer. “I apologize for my reckless action yesterday. You almost died because of me, so I’ll do it on my own this time, no matter what.”

“What’s your plan?” Roy was disappointed and relieved at the same time, so he didn’t insist on helping. It was a big one, since the knights were involved. It would take a long time to settle the matter, and Roy had a trial coming up. He had to prioritize that first. Only after becoming a witcher could he go up against the knights.

“Now that Berschel is gone, my savings are useless. And everyone in Ellander would love to get their hands on more crowns, including the knights. They keep telling everyone about their creed, but the moment you dangle a few crowns before them, they wag their tail like the dogs they are.”

Ah, money makes the world go round, huh? “Be careful, Huckle. Don’t push yourself. I’ll be leaving for the Temple of Melitele in two days. Contact me if you run into any trouble.”

“Thank you. I’ll send a message if I ever need professional help.”

***

Roy left the bakery alone. He went around the streets, immersed in the case of the knights. Eventually, he arrived at the plaza in the city center. There was a statue of a woman in the middle of the fountain, and there was a crowd around it. Roy could hear the sounds of drums amidst the roars and cheers, so he weaved through the throng to see what was happening.

After going past the people, he saw a familiar troupe performing in the center of the plaza. Collins was wearing a sleeveless jacket, showing off his muscular chest and arms. He swung the flaming torch in his right hand as he went around the audience, and then he took a deep breath, puffing his chest and cheeks out. A moment later, he blew at the flaming torch, creating a stream of roaring flames that lasted for ten whole seconds.

That wasn’t the end of it. Collins took a deep breath and inhaled the flames, not leaving even a single spark behind. But that wasn’t all. He licked his lips and bellowed, and out came the flames from his mouth, shooting up to the heavens.

The crowd went wild, and Ferroz took to the stage. His face was a mess of colors, and the ugly faces he was making made him even uglier. Ferroz was holding a yellow plate in his left hand while juggling a few marbles in his right. His movements were so fast the marbles looked like a hula hoop. 

He then went up to a little girl who had her hair tied up in pigtails, and he stopped juggling. Ferroz stuck his finger up his nose, closed one eye, and arched an eyebrow. He even stuck out his tongue, much to the surprise of the girl. Then, a wooden sculpture in the shape of a pig’s head appeared on his tongue and slid down to the girl’s outstretched hand.

The girl chuckled, and a man who looked like her father picked her up. He roared in laughter before tossing a few coins to Ferroz. A short while later, more and more of the audience followed the example.

There was a thin string connected to two wooden stakes in the middle. Suddenly, someone stepped onto it. It was Eveline. She was wearing a thin, red-striped top, showing off her beautiful curves. The dancing queen smiled sweetly at the audience as she showed off her arsenal of tricks on the string. She did a backflip, flipped ahead, and even did a handstand, never losing her bearings. Thanks to her superhuman flexibility, she put on a performance none could ever hope to match.

Then it was Amos’ turn. The hook-nosed performer swiveled his hands, and Gwent cards appeared between his fingers out of nowhere. He flicked them into the air, causing them to spin around before going back to him like thin boomerangs. Since all the cards he used were different, it looked like a colorful whirlwind to the audience.

Everyone gasped in surprise. When they were trying to get a closer look, Amos suddenly swung his arm and kept his cards within his robe. Then he smiled mysteriously before tossing his cards to Eveline. Eveline turned around nimbly, circling in the air for a few moments as she caught every single card Amos tossed her. All but one. Then she caught it between her lips before opening her arms, not unlike a swan. Eveline then hunkered down to bring the show to a close.

The crowd erupted into a frenzy. Fifteen minutes later, the troupe’s show for the day finally came to an end, but the crowd was still reluctant to leave. They talked to the performers for a while before finally going back to their business.

The troupe made a lot of coins, though most of them were copper.

“This is my first time seeing a troupe’s performance. What a show.” Roy praised Eveline, who was sweating from the performance, then he waved at Ferroz.

Eveline pushed her hair back, her face flushed. “Just trying to make a living.” She chuckled.

“That’s an art,” Roy said genuinely. “You must have practiced hard to deliver that performance. Compared to you, the so-called bards are nothing. They only got to where they were by talent.”

“Oh, you’re so sweet. If you keep that up, I might just think I’m a real performer.” Eveline beamed and held his hand. “But let’s not talk about that. Where’s Letho? I don’t see him around.”

“He’s making potions.” Roy smiled. “I’m going solo for the time being. What about Arri and Art? Are they doing fine?”

“They’re in the temple. Kantilla’s looking after them. The priestesses are helping the kids to get used to the temple. Lovely bunch.”

Roy chuckled. He could imagine how frustrated it must’ve been for Kantilla to play the babysitter role. “Seems like everything’s back to normal. What next? How long are you gonna stay in Ellander?”

“A month or so. Have to make some money for the trip, and we have to stay with the kids for a while longer.” Eveline winked cheekily at him. “Are you sure you don’t want to come with us, Roy?” She invited him again. “Vizima’s May Day is a feast for the eyes.” She paused for a moment and frowned with concern. “I’ve run into quite a few witchers over the years with the troupe. They’re powerful, but also lonely. Most of them die a horrible death. You can come with us and relieve yourself of the stress.”

“Everyone has their own way of living. You guys like to perform, while I’m fated to fight monsters.”

“I see. This might be the last time we meet, then.” Eveline sighed.

“Not necessarily. We have a long lifespan. Maybe the troupe will already be the most famous performance group in the north the next time we meet again.”

“Perhaps.”

Roy made small talk with the other members before leaving. Letho had to keep to himself for a couple more days, so Roy went about his business. He wanted to make sure he could pass the trial, so Roy had to get enough EXP to trigger Full Recovery at will.

To that end, Roy went to Ellander’s wilds to hone his skills. He hid in the bushes, practicing his archery, getting familiar with Gabriel, and gaining some EXP in the meantime. The beasts in the forest would net him anywhere from one to ten EXP. After two days of hunting, he hunted two rabbits and a group of five dogs. Regrettably, he only managed to kill one dog by ambush and another by stunning it with Fear and slicing its head off. In the end, he gained sixty EXP. Right now, his EXP bar was 990/2000.

Roy came back to the makeshift lab on the third day. The door was open, and Letho was packing the alchemy items, his eyes gleaming. “To the temple, boy.”