The Witcher: Lord of the Empire

Guided by the soldiers, Lann and his group entered the Temple of the Eternal Fire and saw a short man performing a morning prayer before a group of soldiers dressed in white robes.

"The flame lights us up, it protects us from evil.

Pure flame, it heals our hearts.

Sacred flame, it drives away the beasts.

The flame burns everything, it destroys the enemy.

The flame dances, it lights up our path.

The red flame shines, it protects us from pain.

The flame never goes out, it guides us in death.

The flame gives us warmth, it directs our lives."

The soldiers responded with fervor.

"Eternal Flame, we pray to you.

Eternal Flame, we place our faith in you.

Eternal Flame, we recognize no other gods."

The short man nodded in satisfaction and shouted: "Let's go!" All the soldiers headed out of the island.

They were men of faith, with an inner fire that drove them to 'warm the people, drive away evil.' Their high spirit and determination impressed Lann, who had met soldiers from many kingdoms.

The short man had noticed Lann and, although his attitude was cold, he approached to explain to them. "Today we received a report that a gang is planning an armed confrontation near the square. We must ensure that they do not cause harm to the citizens."

He is Chappelle.

As head of the Novigrad Security Bureau, Chappelle was one of the most powerful people in Novigrad. He was said to have been a cruel and extreme fanatic, but after recovering from a heart attack, he had changed, becoming kinder and more compassionate.

However, he had not lost his military prowess, and his way of acting, combining harshness and softness, had improved the reputation of the Eternal Flame in Novigrad, and invisibly made the city more prosperous.

And if Lann remembered correctly, there was more to Chappelle's recovery from his heart attack.

 

"If you want to act in Novigrad in the future, you must also pay attention to these gangs. They act fiercely, but they also have basic rules." Chappelle said: "King Vizimir II informed me about you. I will provide you with information, but my soldiers will not act on behalf of the king. They only obey the Eternal Flame."

Lann knew from the beginning that the Eternal Flame's limited aid would be like this.

"Providing intelligence is enough. For us who have just arrived in unknown lands, this may alleviate our immediate concerns. I need to know the location of Olgierd von Everec."

Chappelle nodded. After receiving the letter from Vizimir II, he had sent people out to investigate. "Olgierd and his Wild Ones are stationed in the northeast corner of Novigrad, about half a day's ride from here. I don't know how you are going to deal with them, but you can't hurt the nearby civilians, otherwise you will become my enemy, understand?" Chapelle said with a strong enough attitude.

"Of course." Lann said. "If you've heard rumors about me, you should know my style of doing things. Your request is in line with my code of conduct."

Chappelle sneered. "Rumors are the least reliable."

...

Lann and his group left the city through the gate of Temple Island and galloped all the way to the northeast. The horses raised a lot of dust, which attracted the attention of passers-by.

After a while they came to a mansion, and Lann knew that was their objective when he saw a flag flying high, displaying the banner of a boar.

Under that boar flag, several robust warriors were fighting.

There were men and women, most of them with strange hairstyles. They had all the hair on the sides of their heads shaved, leaving only a long fringe on top that fell down one side of their faces.

It was like a wild boar's mane.

They are the Redanian Free Company, a noble militia that acted as bandits.

The rumble of the horses did not go unnoticed, and the earth trembled beneath their hooves, causing those on the ground to immediately rise to their feet.

Their reaction was quick, going from amusement to combat stance in an instant.

When Lann and his group were about a hundred paces away, Lann pulled on the reins and the group slowed, coming to a complete stop about thirty paces away.

The dust raised by the horses slowly settled about five steps away from the Wild Ones, almost touching the swords that were already unsheathed.

After a moment of tense silence, House rode forward. Seeing the lack of discipline among the Wild Ones, he felt a bit of disdain.

This private army really has a nomadic style, and there is basically no standard equipment. Men mostly wear leather armor robes, and women even only wear long gowns with open chests. They are just like a group of mercenaries gathered together.

Although their fierce gazes were genuine, as outlaws, facing the regular cavalry with a hail of arrows and a charge could have easily finished them off.

"Before you stands the Lion of Cintra, Lann Lannister, we seek the head of the House of Everec. Olgierd von Everec, come forth and introduce yourself!"

Seeing Lann sitting calmly at the rear, sending only one servant to make the announcement, the Wild Ones began to murmur among themselves.

Then a young man wearing a long robe with diagonal buttons and a cynical face walked out of the crowd, shaking his head and shouting: "I am Olgierd, what do you want with me?!"

Before he could finish speaking, another big bearded man emerged from the crowd, speaking with an annoying accent: "I am Olgierd, damn kid, get out of the way!"

House frowned.

That's not all. At that moment, a woman stepped out of the crowd. Her shirt was not buttoned, and the exposed skin was densely covered with tattoos. "If you ask me, I am Olgierd~"

All the Wild Ones laughed out loud, clearly mocking Lann's group.

"Bold!" House roared, and was about to draw his sword, and the cavalry of Cintra also drew their weapons.

As long as Lann gave an order, they would disperse the scattered troops in front of them.

At the crucial moment, a calm and unquestionable voice rang out from the mansion behind the Wild Ones. “Stop!”

That voice seemed to have a special power, causing the Wild Ones' movements to freeze instantly.

They showed no intention of disobeying that order, even as the Cintra knights, swords drawn, stood ready to attack. Still, the Wild Ones lowered their weapons and began to slowly retreat.

Seeing this, Lann also raised his hand, clenching his fist, signaling the Cintra knights to calm down.

In order to fulfill the Mirror Master's contract, Lann needed Olgierd to be alive to express his three wishes.

A man walked out of the manor. He had broad shoulders, a tall figure, reddish-brown hair and a beard. He wore a long robe with a ranger style and a long scimitar on his waist.

He was a very attractive man, with several scars on his face that, far from making him look threatening, gave him a rough and charming air.

Lann rode Black Wind forward towards Olgierd. When he was close enough he looked at Olgierd and was stunned for a moment. Damn! This guy is David Beckham.

'David Beckham' stopped about five steps away from Lann and looked at the imposing black horse with genuine admiration. "Good horse."

'Seriously? We're about to engage in combat and you're still staring at the horse?'

"An earl should not be treated like this. I apologize to you on behalf of my subordinates, Lannister."

The man stretched out his hand to Lann. "I am Olgierd von Everec. Although we may draw swords against each other later and I will definitely kill you, I still want to say that I am glad to meet you. After all, your ballads are wonderful and have indeed brought me some joy."

Despite being surrounded by swords, Olgierd offered his hand to Lann. He was closer to the Cintra cavalry than to his own army. In the blink of an eye, at least eight swords could pierce him, and his body would be crushed by the horses.

But he didn't care about the danger at all. It seemed that he felt that this kind of etiquette was more important than his own life.

Lann knew that Olgierd had a reason for being so reckless. After all, he had made a deal with the Mirror Master. This man despised the Mirror Master, but he also took advantage of the gifts the Mirror Master had given him.

Lann watched him for a moment, then rode forward and extended his hand: "I am Lann Lannister. I'd say you're happy too soon, but I'm also glad to finally meet you."

Olgierd laughed loudly. "You're much more interesting than the rumors say! It's been a long time since I've seen someone like you."

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