After Geralt and Leinas left the estate of the Rockbruise family, they marched through a less glamorous part of the city. This was the place where normal citizens, soldiers, merchants and craftsmen lived. The streets were paved, albeit not with as nice stones as the nobles' district. Geralt was slightly impressed. Apart from E-Rantel, this is by far the most advanced and cleanest city he has ever been to. Of course he was aware that first looks could be deceiving. This city was obviously what the empire wanted to appear like. There were certainly people of the lower class who had been driven out, so this city could be remade. And undoubtedly, none other city in the empire would look like this. After roughly twenty minutes, they reached a small house. It looked a little bit rundown, but nothing too severe. All in all it was a place for the lower middle-class. Leinas knocked at the door. The man that opened, was in his late forties. His hair started to turn gray on several spots. Although he looked like he lost some muscle-mass in recent years, Geralt could tell he was an experienced soldier. As soon as he saw Leinas, his mood brightened up. He hugged her.

"Leinas. That's a nice surprise, What brings you here?"

"Hello, uncle Nior. I had to take care of some things in the city and hoped I could stay for a couple of days."

"Sure, sure. Oh, I see you brought a friend."

He said as he noticed Geralt. Leinas responded defensive.

"More of an acquaintance than a friend."

Geralt stretched his hand out.

"My name is Geralt. Nice to meet you."

Nior shook his hand and firmly patted his shoulder.

"I'm always happy to meet one of Leinas friends. Please, do come in."

Geralt and Leinas followed Nior inside. The room that served as a combination of dining room and kitchen was dimly lit and little bit dusty. Nior hurried to a shelf and grabbed a couple of cups and a jug of water. He pointed at the chairs next to his table.

"Please, sit down."

Leinas sat down and Geralt followed suite. Nior poured everyone something to drink.

"I am very sorry there's not much I can offer you. Had I known you would come to visit me, I would have prepared dinner for you and your friend."

Leinas responded.

"That's not necessary, but thank you. Me coming here wasn't planned, I just used the opportunity I had."

"Oooh, we have so much to talk about. It has almost been a year since we saw each other. How have you been?"

Geralt was surprised. For the first time, he had seen her genuinely smile. She was apparently very happy and comfortable. He patiently waited, as she told him ail the things she experienced in the last year. From her service as the emperors' trusted knight, to the events that led her to accompany the Sorcerer King to Kaer Morhen. Wide-eyed, Nior scratched his head in disbelief.

"So you are a Witcher? I mean, a real Witcher? With all the mutations, monster slaying and child abducting stuff?"

"Only the first two. The third one is a baseless rumor."

"Huh. I always thought you lot were fairy-tales."

"Yeah, I hear that a lot."

All in all, it was a very pleasant mood, Nior and Leinas continuously laughing and chatting. Then, Nior asked again.

"You still haven't told me why you are back in the city."

Leinas responded hesitantly.

"When I visited Kaer Morhen, Geralt noticed my condition. He told me about curses and how it might be possible to cure me. I came back to find the solution."

Euphoric, Nior exclaimed.

"Really? You can do that?"

He grabbed both of Geralts' hands.

"You have no idea, what that means to me. Leinas has always suffered because of her face. If you can really help her, please do. I will make sure to repay you."

Geralt answered.

"Thank you, but that will not be necessary. We already agreed on the payment and I don't need money."

"Still, if there is anything I can do to help, please let me know."

"Yes. In fact, there is something you could do."

Leinas pulled out a sheet of paper.

"Please take a look at this list. We are looking for people, who might hold a terrible grudge against me. Maybe you know someone I have missed."

"Why are you looking for someone like that?"

"Geralt explained to me, that a curse like mine doesn't arise by itself. Someone must have focused his anger and hatred on me."

"That's terrible. Who would do something like this to a child?"

"We are trying to find out."

Nior took the sheet and looked over thelist of names. He scratched his chin and asked.

"What does the x next to your parents' names and the o next to your sisters' mean?"

Geralt explained.

"We already visited them. It is almost certain that her parents are not responsible."

"And what about Marca?"

"Although I can't say for certain, it is highly unlikely. The only reason we didn't cross her name was, because I'm not 100 percent sure she isn't the one we are looking for."

"Good to know. Right now I can't think of anyone. How about you stay for the night and let me think about it? I am not sure I can add someone to the list, but I will try."

Leinas yawned.

"Yes, that's a good idea. The day was very tiring. Especially meeting with my sister and parents drained my energy."

"Then it's settled. Your room is still untouched. For you, Geralt, you can have my bed."

"Please, don't mind me. I am perfectly fine with sleeping on the ground."

"No, no, no. How could I treat my little girls' benefactor with such rudeness. At least let me prepare some sheets and pillow." After Nior pushed the chairs together in the chamber next to the living room and softened them with some pillows and sheets, they all went to sleep. The ream was almost completely dark, as even the moon was covered by clouds. However, this didn't pose a problem for Geralt and his recently improved night-vision. Geralt took off his armor and as he attempted to lay down, a horrible creaking noise could be heard. Many would feel very uncomfortable, but Geralt smiled faintly and said.

"Feels just like home."

Before long, Geralt was fast asleep. The next morning, Geralt woke up as he noticed a pleasant smell. He left the chamber and saw Nior, preparing breakfast. The smell came from the fresh bread on the table.

"Good morning. Sorry If I have been too loud. I didn't want to wake you up."

"You don't have to be. It was time to get up, anyway."

Nior smiled at him.

"Well, since you are awake anyways, maybe we should eat."

"Shouldn't we wait for Leinas?"

"Oh, that could take a while, You see, she isn't much of a morning person. She can be reeeeeally grumpy."

"If you say so."

Geralt sat down across from Nior. The bread was still warm and his cup was filled with a hot drink Geralt didn't know. It was black and had a strong aroma. After he took his first bite, Nior asked.

"Good,right? The bakery is owned by a friend of mine. He takes great pride in his products. Even nobles regularly sent their servants early in the morning to get some. But you have to get it as soon as he opens. He is sold out in a matter of an hour."

"Yes. It's really good."

For the next couple of minutes, the both of them ate in silence. Then, all of a sudden, Nior asked.

"Tell me, do you really think you can cure her? She has been through a lot and the only thing that kept her going was the will to be free. I don't want to imagine what would happen to her if that hope was crushed. I don't think she could survive that."

In a dark and analytical voice, Geralt said.

"As I mentioned earlier, if we can find the origin of the curse, I can cure her. The only thing that stands between her and her salvation is the identity of the culprit."

"About that, I kept thinking throughout the night and I came up with four more people. Leinas probably didn't think about them."

"Who are they?"

"Two belong to a rivaling noble family, the Folbera family. Leinas father was responsible for some heavy financial losses on their side and cheated them on some deal. Then there is a girl that is madly in love with her former fiance. I noticed her several times stalking these two. She was deadly jealous of her. The last one might be little far-fetched, but around the time she was cursed, several children in the surroundings vanished. There were some rumors that one of the priests was involved, but nothing could be proven."

"Why do you think those two incidents are connected?"

"It was the same priest that later refused to help her with her curse and threatened her with violence. I don't know why, but he seemed to hate her for some reason."

"That sounds suspicious. Thank you, you have been a big help."

Nior held his head down in despair.

"Who in the world would do such a thing to a little child?"

Geralt took a sip of his drink.

"Strong emotions can drive a person to do things they wouldn't normally do. Jealousy, hatred, loneliness, envy, wrath. A broken heart can be the source of many evil deeds."

Then the door opened with squeaky noises. Leinas entered the room, her hair disheveled and with tired eyes. Nior said mockingly.

"Look who finally decided to join us. Did the princess sleep well?"

Leinas responded with a grumpy voice.

"Leave me alone."

The three of them finished their breakfast. Afterwards, Nior said.

"I know you are really busy, but maybe you could do me a favor, Leinas."

"Sure, what is it?"

"You see, I have struggled finding a suitable training partner these days. Looks like nobody wants to waste their time with an old manlike me. For the sake of the old days, how about we train together, like we used to?"

All of a sudden, Leinas seemed very enthusiastic.

"Are you sure you can still do that, old man?"

"Oho. Look who is talking. Just because you were appointed as one of the four knights, doesn't mean I can't teach you a thing or two."

After they finished, all three of them went behind the house. Nior had built a small training ground with several practice dummies and a small ring-like battle ground. He took two of his practice weapons. Basically, they were long staffs with their tips wrapped in cloth to prevent injury. Leinas and Nior both took one of them and entered the ring. The marked area was roughly three meters in diameter.

"The usual rules?"

Leinas asked.

"Of course."

They took their battle stances. Geralt stood a couple of meters away, observing them carefully. As if by a signal only those two could hear, they suddenly sprung into motion. Leinas charged towards her foster father and aimed her thrust at his chest, but the old man managed to interject her attack by aiming at her legs with a sweeping attack. Leinas jumped over the pole and tried to attack Nior from above. For the next couple of seconds, she was pushing him back further and further, until he stood at the edge of the ring. In a last attempt to turn the tides, Nior activated his martial art.

"Ability Boost."

But Leinas followed suit.

"Ability Boost."

Then she intertwined her weapon with his and forced him to drop it. With the tip of her weapon at his throat, he laughingly said.

"OK, ok. I give up. Looks like I am no longer a match for you. I have to accept that you are better than me."

"You better do, old man."

Geralt calmly asked.

"Would you mind if I gave it a try?"

Geralt pointed at one of the practice spears. Nior looked puzzled.

"From what I can tell, you are using a sword. Leinas and I use spears. I don't know if I can teach you anything useful."

"Everything can be useful. There might be times where I am forced to use a weaponI am not familiar with. It could also help when facing opponents using staff weapons. I have not encountered many so far."

Nior smiled.

"That's a very good mind-set."

"Being well-prepared is one of the foundations my master taught me."

Geralt took a staff and tried to imitate Niors' posture. When Nior tried to launch an attack, Geralt made sure to observe every detail. From a normal humans' perspective he might appear fast, but for Geralt he looked almost painfully slow. But that didn't mean Geralt took him lightly. On the contrary. In the last days Geralt had noticed several times that his body and his senses were not on the same level. The sudden changes had experienced after his second mutation made it difficult for him to correctly judge and adjust his strength and speed. Therefore he took this mock battle as an opportunity to get accustomed to his new abilities. The handicap of a different weapon added to his training experience. He evaded Niors' first attack and attempted to counter, but Nior was already back in a defensive stance. This time, Geralt took the initiative and started an attack. Unfortunately, his thrust was intercepted when Nior managed to deflect the incoming attack.

"Ability Boost"

Nior tried to match with Geralts' strength and speed. The old man used this opening for a sweeping attack against Geralts' head. He took a step back to avoid the hit, when he suddenly realized a change in Niors' posture. Instinctively, Geralt swirled around and hit Nior with the long Staff of his weapon, pulling out the feet under him and knocking him to the ground. When he looked up, Geralt offered him a hand.

"Not only my little girl, but also her friend. Huuh. I am really getting old. Thanks for going easy on me."

"What do you mean."

"I have already lost my pride. You don't have to pretend. I noticed you weren't fighting me seriously."

"That's not true. I haven't taken you lightly, I simply didn't hit you as hard as I could. But I have to admit, that last attack of yours surprised me."

"Yes. That's a little trick I learned. Good to catch your opponents off guard, especially when they have a good grasp of the range and strength of your attacks."

"Hmm. Changing the leading hand mid-attack slightly changes the angle and reach of your attack. I have to keep that in mind."

"Yet you didn't seem to have any troubles dealing with it. I didn´t manage to land a single hit. I guess that's a Witchers' speed and reflexes for you."

"Don´t be so hard on yourself. A week ago I would have had to take you more serious."

"Somehow that doesn´t sound convincing."

"Still, thank you. I learned a lot. You never know when you encounter someone with an unusual weapon."

"Most soldiers and adventurers use swords, maces and axes, but there are a lot of different staff weapons out there. Spears and lances, but also war-hammers and I heard of a country far to the south where they use a curved, saber-like blade on a pole. And although it is very rare, some eccentric people use scythes. They can be pretty dangerous."

"Thanks for the advice."

"Ahem."

Leinas cleared her throat.

"If the two of you are finished I think we should go back to our original goal, don't you think?"

Geralt answered.

"Yes, of course."

Afterwards, Geralt and Leinas left Niors' home.

"I talked to him. He could add a couple of names to the list."

Leinas took the paper and looked over it.

"These nobles, I have only ever heard their names once, but I never met them. The priest is a scumbag. And who is this girl supposed to be?"

"Apparently the lover of your former fiance. Your uncle deemed her dangerous."

"Then it's best we take care of these four first."

The first one was the noble family Leinas' father defrauded. Albeit they still held a deep grudge against her father, they didn't even recognize Leinas. After she revealed her identity, they got furious but Geralt couldn't detect a magic reaction. Her next suspect was the girl. Upon arrival at her families' home, Geralt and Leinas learned that she was dead. Apparently she hanged herself shortly after Marca got officially engaged with Leinas former fiance. Her death was officially declared a suicide, but everyone that knew her had doubts. Geralt asked

"Do you think your family had something to do with that?"

"I don't know, but I know my father would do what ever is necessary to achieve his goals. More importantly, what do we do now? If she was the one we are looking for, there is nothing I can do, right? You said that the person had to believe."

Geralt nodded.

"We can't give up. Let's assume that she was innocent. There is nothing we can do, otherwise."

The last on the list was the priest.

"I don't really think he is the one. My family never had contact with the church before."

"Me neither, but it can't hurt to make sure."

When they entered the church, they were greeted by a priest apprentice.

"Welcome, visitors. How may I help you? Do you seek spiritual advice or do you require healing?"

"Neither. We are here to talk to the head priest."

At first the apprentice tried to deny the request, pretending that the head priest was currently unavailable, but after Leinas showed him her badge and threatened him with all kinds of charges, ranging from obstructing official matters to treason, he quickly gave in and went in the back to notify the head priest.

"I must say, your reputation is truly helpful. Had I been an my own, I would have had to sneak around and wait for him to come out."

"One of the benefits that comes with being the emperors' servant. But shouldn't you have similar privileges?"

"I don't know and frankly, I don't care. I never wanted special treatment. Being normal is more than enough."

Geralt walked around, taking a look at the statues and paintings decorating the walls. Some believers were kneeling, praying in silence.

"So this is a church?"

"Have you never been in one?"

"Not that I remember."

"Do Witchers believe in the six gods?"

"I can't speak for all Witchers, but I for my part don't believe in any gods. How about you?"

"I was raised believing that the gods are looking over us, but I can't say I am a devout believer."

After a while the apprentice returned.

"Please follow me. The head priest will see you in his office."

In the office sat an older man, clad in a very expensive robe. He appeared to be in his late fifties. Sitting behind a large desk he read some documents. He didn't even care enough to look at them when he said.

"Tell me what you want. I am a very busy man."

Leinas said.

"We came to verify something. It might be possible that somebody here committed a sin."

Without looking up, the head priest answered.

"That's not possible. I know each and every one here."

Leinas slammed her hands on his desk.

"Then you should know what I am talking about."

The head priest wore a dirty grin when he finally looked at her.

"Listen. Making false accusations just because you weren't fit to receive the gods' forgiveness is a serious matter. Maybe you should reflect more on your own mistakes than looking for flaws on others."

Leinas was furious, but managed to. contain her anger.

"If there is nothing else, then please leave. And tell your friend to respect this place. He mustn't look at these documents. They are confidential."

During their interaction, Geralt wasn't really paying attention to them. He stood in front of a bookshelf and seemed very interested in it. He stretched out his hand. The head priest got very angry.

"Hey. I said to leave that alone. Touch only one of them and I will inform the knights. They will arrest you for that."

Nonchalantly he said.

"Then, by all means, do so. Aard"

The magical shock-wave shattered the bookshelf, sending books and wooden splinters flying everywhere.

"How dare you? Using your godless magic in this place of worship Is blasphemy."

"What's down there?"

Geralt pointed at the place where the bookshelf stood. After it was destroyed it revealed a hidden passage. A narrow way and some stairs led down.

"T-that's a secret. That's where we store some holy relics. We need to hide them from barbarians like you."

"Since you are a pious man, I am sure you will forgive this barbarian for what he is about to do."

Geralt grabbed the priests arm and twisted it behind his back, forcing him to stand on his toes to make the pain bearable.

"Ouch. You are hurting me. Have you any idea who you are dealing with. I arm going to make you pay."

"Yeah, yeah. Never heard that before. Now go, before I make you."

Then he shoved him down the stairs. Curious, Leinas followed them. She couldn't see anything because of the lack of light. Geralt had no problems with the dark, but the priest had troubles stepping on the stairs. He fell down the last five. At the bottom of the staircase hung a torch. Geralt took it and snapped his fingers.

"Igni"

The sudden light illuminating the passage blinded the priest and Leinas, but their eyes quickly got used to it. The staircase wasn't long, but they were now clearly underground. The stone walls didn't look like they were part of the original church. This place had been built later. Puzzled, Leinas asked.

"What are we doing down here?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't plan doing this, but as soon as we entered his office, I had a terrible feeling. I just had to make sure."

"I warn you one last time. If you further desecrate this place the gods' wrath will fall upon you."

The priest pleaded desperately.

"Shut up."

Geralt dragged him along this narrow path, until they reached a small room. The tragedy Leinas witnessed was terrible. There were several children, chained to the walls. Their limbs were as thin as twigs and most of them were barely alive. Most didn't even notice someone entered the room. They all were covered in bruises and their eyes looked hollow and dead. Geralt, who had been calm and composed till now grabbed the priest by his throat and pushed him against the wall. He yelled at him.

"What are you doing down here?"

The priest, troubles for air, said.

"I don't know what your problem is. These are orphans. Nobody cares what happens to them. Their own parents abandoned them. They are useless garbage. Here they are at least of some use.

"Enraged, Geralt threw him to the ground. The priest tried to crawl away, but Geralt grabbed a handful of his hair and slammed his face down.

"Do you have no shame? Those are innocent children. How can you even pretend to be a righteous man when you do something like this?"

The priest watched terrified as Geralt raised his fist and crashed it into his face. He raised his fist again, but Leinas, putting all her strength and weight into gripping his arm, managed to hold him back.

"Wait. He is already unconscious. Any more and he will die. Do you really want that?"

For a moment, Geralt seemed to think if it was worth it. Leinas noticed and added.

"Do you really want these children to see that?"

After realizing how it must look for them, he let go of the priests' head. During the sunset they both sat on a small wall across from the church, looking as several priests were taken away by knights. The children had been taken to the magical academy for treatment. Leinas said.

"I made sure they would face their trial in the Sorcerer Kingdom. They will never be able to atone for their crimes, but at least they will have a very hard time."

"Thank you for holding me back. I really lost it back there."

Half-jokingly, Leinas responded.

"I had no idea you could be that emotional. You always seem calm to the point of indifferent."

Geralt responded to her joke.

"Please keep it to yourself. I appear very unprofessional this way."

She nodded.

"Sure."

Then the two watched the sun slowly disappear behind the horizon.