The Witcher: Lord of the Empire

Lann sneered: "Vlodimir... Your brother's name is this, right? I happen to know his story."

Turning his left hand again, Lann took out the letter written by Vlodimir after the carnival: “I heard that the price of your contract with Master Mirror was that of someone you loved, right? Poor Vlodimir sacrificed his life so that his brother could have a wife and gold, but he could only rest in a cold grave.”

“I heard that before he died he went into hiding but was dragged away and tortured to death by several enemies. He didn’t have to go through all this.”

"You know, Olgierd." Lann whispered. "I had someone summon him out, pretending that you asked me to let him return to the world. And he was surprised that his brother had not forgotten him, he still respected you and loved you."

“I was the one who brought him back, and in the end I revealed the truth to him. His expression was truly memorable.” Kiyan, who had been watching the show behind him, suddenly raised his hand.

Kiyan's red eyes lit up and he smiled mischievously. "But you don't have to worry that he will resent you for this, because he doesn't even have a soul now."

The amount of information on the scene was a bit too much, and Olgierd took the letter handed over by Lann in a trance.

"This is indeed Vlodimir's handwriting... What did you do?"

The system notification sounded again.

[Quest - Heart of Stone - Part 3 - Completed]

[Character Level Increase +1]

"What we did is no longer important."

Lann, feeling the new strength in his body, looked at the stunned Olgierd with satisfaction. "Now tell me your third wish."

Olgierd trembled, slowly turning his head towards Iris.

Iris, feeling her husband's gaze, suddenly spoke. "Olgierd, is what the knight said true? Did you really do that to His Royal Highness and Vlodimir?"

The system notification sounded again at that moment.

[A new quest has been discovered: Heart of Stone - Part Four: ...]

[Quest - Heart of Stone - Part Four - Completed]

[Character Level Increase +1]

[A new quest was discovered: Heart of Stone - Part Five:

Three wishes, three quests, although there were many difficulties along the way, as a witcher you chose an ingenious way. Only the last step remains. It seems that from there you will be able to get rid of the demon and obtain the power you desire. But is that really the case?]

Wow, this time part 4 was completed before even showing the specific content of the mission.

Within a few minutes, Lann had climbed three levels, and the increase in his physical condition made him feel a strange sense of unreality. If there weren't so many people present, he would have almost let out a groan of satisfaction.

But those present did not share Lann's good humor at that moment.

"Iris, listen to my explanation. I... I did it all for you, for us..."

Olgierd's bored, impassive expression began to change drastically. A surge of emotions suddenly surged into Olgierd's heart. He was knocked to the ground by this huge impact without any resistance. He covered his chest with both hands, kicked frantically, tears flowed uncontrollably from his eyes and his teeth tore at his lips.

"Hmm? Uh... Oh, ahhh!"

"My heart, my heart..."

"What's going on... I feel like a red-hot steel fork has pierced my chest!"

"Olgierd!" Although Iris had a painful past, seeing Olgierd in that state moved her deeply.

She hurried forward to check on his condition, but as she took the first step, she froze in place, her expression one of worry and panic, motionless.

Not only her, the witchers behind Lann were also the same. They had all frozen like statues.

For a moment, there was only Olgierd's wailing in the room.

The flames on the candles and fireplace rose sharply, licking at the wooden ceiling without igniting anything around them, only burning in a dense white mist that enveloped Lann and Olgierd.

Lann looked around, and this feeling was too familiar. He naturally knew who was responsible for all this, but he didn't know what new tricks this person was playing.

Soon everything was completely dark. Lann could only identify Olgierd's location by his screams and moans.

Then the fog cleared as quickly as it had arrived.

Lann looked around and found that the scene around him had changed at this moment. They were in the middle of some ruins on the edge of a cliff.

They seemed to be in a temple, surrounded by large stone blocks and fallen marble columns, with some broken goddess statues scattered around the place, conveying a sense of decay and broken solemnity.

The place where Lann was standing seemed to be the ancient open plaza where the temple worshippers used to do their prayers. There were several passages in all directions, the ground was covered with tall grass and a thick layer of sand and dust.

Olgierd's wailing gradually stopped at this time.

Lann suddenly felt something and looked up at the sky.

There, hanging in the sky, was a full, radiant moon that dominated their entire view. Its size and brightness were so intense that it seemed as if it could fall upon them at any moment, its blinding glare almost unbearable.

At the source of the moonlight, a figure suddenly appeared.

Transparent, infinite and orderly souls also appeared, grouped together in the air, singing in an ethereal melody, like a kind of hymn or lament.

The sound of a lute sounded from somewhere, and the sound of a flute could be heard faintly.

The singing of souls and music merged into the figure's entrance melody.

The figure slowly descended from the sky, as if the void had laid out a ladder for him. Each step he took resonated with an enigmatic echo, while bright blue flames rose from his feet.

The moon was behind the figure, as if the stage had been lit especially for him. He opened his arms as if welcoming the spectators or wanting to embrace an old friend who had been absent.

The Master Mirror had arrived.

Olgierd finally managed to control his intense emotions. His body trembled slightly, he looked exhausted, unable to stand upright, and he looked completely embarrassed.

"I'm glad to see that everyone is here~"

Master Mirror smiled excitedly, but then suddenly stopped in the next moment. His eyes fixed on Lann intently. “Lann, what’s wrong? What is that aura you’re giving off…? Have you been possessed by another being?”

Lann was stunned, and then he realized that the [Medium] talent he shared with Kiyan was sensed by Master Mirror.

“No, that’s not it. However, I recently helped a friend expel a demon that looked like a black cat. I may have been affected a bit in the process.”

Master Mirror nodded, still with a cold face. "It's okay, don't worry... I will help you get rid of these influences. Maybe you will feel that those influences have brought you some imperceptible help recently, but I have better ones here, you don't need to care."

Olgierd interrupted their conversation: "O'Dimm, what are you doing here again?"

The Master Mirror frowned, but then his polite smile returned. "Von Everec, how do you feel now? Are you no longer so troubled and feel better?"

Olgierd held his left chest and took two deep breaths. "O'Dimm, what do you want?"

Master Mirror spread his hands. "Why ask such a question? What I want is naturally your soul."

After speaking, he pointed to the horizon, where the endless choir of souls was still singing. "I left you a place closest to the center, and I have been waiting for you for a long time."

Olgierd's breathing became rapid, and he finally felt fear.

But suddenly he seized upon a hope, and said: "Have you forgotten? The contract says: If you want my soul, you must first fulfill my three wishes, and then, then..."

His pupils suddenly contracted, looking at the canvas spread out by Lann under his feet, on which a crescent moon was drawn with simple strokes.

Master Mirror finished what Olgierd hadn't finished saying expressionlessly: "Then I'll stand on the moon with you."

He glanced at the canvas spread on the ground with admiration, slowly stepped back, and suddenly a steady energy emanated from his hands. It was not wind, nor telekinesis. At least Lann didn't feel the slightest fluctuation in the air around him, but the dust on the ground seemed to be pulled away, revealing the hidden pattern.

The floor was decorated with black stones and a crescent moon outlined in white quartz.

"Originally, I was going to use this place to complete our contract." Master Mirror looked at Lann with a smile. "But I didn't expect Lann to have such a surprising idea... I'm so happy that you have mastered the essence, Lann."

Olgierd was visibly flustered, and he slowly stepped back. “No, the contract is not like that. The moon is up there in the sky! Not here…”

Master Mirror lost his patience at this moment. He had a contract in his hand and showed it to the two of them word by word. “I gave you what you wanted, and your contract has also been fulfilled on the moon.”

The center of the contract lit up with sparks, which soon turned into flames that devoured the contract from Olgierd's first demand to his signature, turning everything into ashes.

"The contract is established." Master Mirror said in a cold tone.

The instant the contract turned to ashes, Olgierd felt a sharp pain in his heart that suddenly increased, leaving him stunned.

The strength left his body, and he involuntarily stepped back onto the ground, muttering: "You cheated. O'Dimm, you cheated..."

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