Chapter 54: Are You Also a Trickster?
Because the witchers moved almost invisible steps.
So even though the attackers arranged many sentry posts, provided Lynn and Geralt did not make a conscious movement to the zone illuminated by the torches, those sentry posts would not be able to locate them.
After moving close enough, Lynn began to look at the attackers' camp.
The entire camp was not large.
The surrounding was constructed from wood to some chevaux de frise and fences, as primitive fortifications.
There were dozens of tents that had been erected in the center of the camp.
It could be seen that the head of these attackers was taking great precautions.
Not only did he set out sentry posts at the limits of the forest, but also nearer to the fence, Lynn saw some patrols making rounds with torches.
Apart from that, there were also some bonfires lit in the camp, and twenty to thirty men who had arms on, dressed in clothing of various patterns, were devouring food roasted over bonfires.
Following for a while, Lynn already had done some calculation in mind.
He nodded lightly on Geralt's shoulder and silently pointed at Geralt.
"Geralt, let's go. We will come back. I've got an idea."
...
It was now, in the largest tent in the forest camp.
Jadd Karadin sat alone on a plank box which was used as a stool.
The chilliness within the tent was in marked contrast to the commotion beside the bonfire outside.
However, Jadd did not seem to feel chilly and lonely.
He just consumed the meat soup in his hand by himself.
Abruptly, he froze.
Because he saw a reflection of a pair of cat eyes in the meat soup, which was as wafer-thin as water.
The wooden bowl fell on the ground, and the soup splashed all over the floor.
A mercenary waiting outside the tent heard the ruckus inside and ran in.
"Boss?" He was surprised at what was inside the tent.
"I'm fine." Jadd motioned his hand and stopped the mercenary from wanting to clean up. "I see if the people we sent were able to reach King Rad's men?"
"Not yet."
"Okay, I get it. You can go outside."
After the mercenary left, Jadd put the wooden bowl aside.
Recollections of the past could not help but remind him:
He was an orphan.
Similar to thousands of orphans who were orphaned due to war, natural catastrophes, and other reasons.
Jadd had already forgotten his recollections before he was a witcher apprentice.
He only recalled the hellish training and the mentor's strict expectations, which were almost abusive.
Day and day of physical and sword training plagued Jadd almost to the point of insanity.
And the mentor's aggressive, violent, and capricious nature led Jadd to believe that he was living hell every day.
Later, Jadd was able to pass the Trial of the Grasses in the Cat School, with only a 30% survival rate.
But if because of the Trial of the Grasses, or because of his nature.
Jadd, having become an official witcher, was becoming as aggressive, sadistic, unpredictable, and volatile as his mentor.
so.
He killed his mentor.
Under a witcher contract, he could have saved him.
But Jadd witnessed his mentor being torn apart by monsters like a rag doll.
But at this moment, something incredible happened.
The mentor's blood on his hands somehow flipped on Jadd's odd switch.
Rather than that, he calmed down.
Jadd did not know whether he was the lone sane one of the Cat School.
The flesh mutations caused by the Trial of the Grasses, which killed him nearly to death, left him feeling inordinately wonderful.
The suspicion and hyper-recklessness. these behaviors of the Cat School disappeared with the mentor's death.
His own head was similarly unprecedentedly lucid.
Jadd then determined a goal.
He did not want to spend his life discriminated against and mocked by others.
Risking his life for that little gold coin, sometimes not even getting that little sum, only pitchforks in return.
His whole body smelled, not to mention girls, even he himself did not like himself.
He did not want to spend a muddle-headed life. He wanted to spend the life of a respectable person.
So, Jadd had a plan!
A grand plan!
He employed a group of violent men initially and maintained his own gang.
This was not a difficult task to accomplish.
Living at that bloody era, there were sufficient individuals willing to sell their labor for a chance to live.
And if eating sufficiently could make them earn some money, then selling their conscience in the process wasn't difficult to accomplish.
With a group, they have to work.
Jadd turned his men into mercenaries. Well, this venture was dangerous, but it earned money in good time.
He and his co-plotters would do anything provided they were paid.
Relying on the physical ability of a witcher, which was superior to ordinary humans following mutation, and the excellent swordsmanship of the Cat School, Jadd had never encountered an opponent whom he could not beat nearly.
Soon, they became famous in the mercenary business.
With fame, more work naturally gravitated through their door.
To Jadd's surprise, he found that he actually had business acumen.
He did not spend the money he made on prostitutes and booze like his men did.
He spent it doing illegal business instead.
Selling people, trafficking anesthetic powder, running brothels. He did not care whether the money was dirty money or whether it hurt nature, he did whatever would make him money.
This helped him to make a lot of money in no time.
This excited Jadd.
When he got enough money, he would no longer have to live this life of licking blood from the blade of a knife.
This also brought him one step closer to the decent life that he wanted.
This big transaction was originally to be the final of Jadd's pre-planned agenda.
After this transaction, he could concentrate on carrying out his more profitable illegal trade.
But what Jadd did not expect was.
The attack carried out by his soldiers and the soldiers deployed by King Rad was routed.
So, when Jadd returned to this temporary base with the remaining accomplices.
He sent word to King Rad's troops:
——The enemy is much more powerful than earlier said. I won't take this job unless you pay a higher fee.
Perhaps because of the witcher mutation, Jadd was not as afraid of kings and nobles as the majority of people in this world.
According to him, nobles and kings were not of high stature because of their talent, but because they were born into noble and royal families.
He was not afraid that the temporary price increase would upset King Rad.
Even without requesting an increase in price, it was futile to do the task well.
As he was nothing in the eyes of the other party.
These upper-class people had nothing in the first place, how would they look down on lower-class people who needed to work in order to eat?
Just then.
A gust of cold wind swept into the tent.
Shouts and curses rose and fell.
Jadd was shocked at first, then grabbed his steel sword and charged out of the tent.
The entire camp was in chaos at this point.
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