The Witcher World: The Path to Domination Begins in Velen

The sheriff was a burly middle-aged man whose legs were still trembling involuntarily as he approached Ron's horse, barely managing to maintain his standing posture. Ron did not dismount but simply looked down at him.

"My lord, may I ask what brings you to Valen with such a large entourage?"

"Humpbacked Mud Marsh, tell me the exact location."

The magistrate's legs trembled even more violently, and his lips moved a few times, as if he wanted to say something warning.

But when his gaze passed over Ron and landed on the group of fully armed soldiers, the neat ranks, the uniform breastplates and chainmail, the gleaming spears and the pre-loaded crossbows.

He immediately swallowed back what he was saying and began to explain carefully: walk deeper into the swamp, pass through three crooked trees, turn left in front of the shrine, and continue along the dry streambed until you can see the center of the swamp.

His voice grew softer and softer, as if afraid the swamp itself would hear him.

Geralt stood to the side, watching the short, stocky sheriff obediently cooperate, and muttered to himself...

"Wow, usually when I accept a request and want to ask something, the villagers either tell me to get lost or call me a freak or something like that."

"They only call me 'Master' when they need me. What a bunch of opportunists!" He spoke dryly, as if he were complaining about his breakfast.

Ron decided to leave the army in Lower Valen to wait, as the swamp terrain was unclear and unsuitable for large-scale marches.

As he and Geralt passed the entrance to the snack aisle, a shrine appeared by the roadside, with a withered bird's claw hanging from the center of a rough tree branch tied with hemp rope.

The deeper you go, the denser the shrines become. After crossing the dried-up streambed, a clearing appears ahead, with a crooked wooden house standing in the center, its windows glowing with warm yellow oil lamplight.

The swing creaked and swayed in the courtyard, and several children were squatting there chatting. The air was filled with the aroma of porridge and honey.

An old woman came out of the door, carrying a rough earthenware bowl in her hand, the oat porridge inside still steaming.

She wore a faded gray-blue robe, her hair was tied in a bun, and she walked slowly, but her back was still relatively straight. She looked up and saw the two people standing outside the courtyard, and her steps faltered.

Ron recognized her; she was standing on the porch, holding a bowl in one hand and wiping her other hand on her apron.

"Mrs. Anna," Ron said

Anna placed the earthenware bowl on the porch railing, gesturing for the children to go inside. Her eyes held no surprise at seeing familiar faces, only a lingering weariness and calmness. She slowly spoke to Ron.

"I was pregnant with his child," she said bluntly, neither defending herself nor crying.

"I didn't want to give birth to this child, so I begged the ladies to stop the child's birth, and they granted my wish."

She pulled her sleeve up, revealing a dark red brand on her hand, shaped like a twisted bird's claw, with slightly blackened edges.

"We made a pact that even if I leave here, my life and death are in the hands of the ladies; I cannot leave."

Ron didn't speak, but turned his gaze to Geralt, and the two exchanged a glance.

"Let's go talk to them" is not a request, but a statement. If we can't reach an agreement, we'll try another approach until they agree.

Anna turned and pushed open the wooden door. Ron and Geralt followed her into the house. The room was dimly lit, with only the flickering shadows of the firewood in the fireplace casting on the walls.

A huge tapestry hangs on the wall directly opposite the entrance, its surface almost covering the entire wall.

The tapestry is embroidered with three young women, their exquisite and beautiful features tinged with mystery, and the tapestry gleams with a special luster in the firelight.

It wasn't silk fabric, but human hair; strands of hair in different colors were spun into threads and embroidered into the silhouettes of the three women.

Anna walked to the tapestry, each step as if performing some kind of forced ritual. She reached out to touch the edge of the tapestry, her fingers trembling slightly when they touched the embroidered surface made of hair. Then she lowered her head and began to recite a prayer.

The embroidery threads on the tapestry began to wriggle, surging outwards from the inside of the fabric, like countless tiny snakes turning over at the same time.

The embroidered portraits of the three women were twisted and deformed on the tapestry. Anna's body trembled violently, and her mouth opened, but the sound that came out of her throat was not her own.

The voice was higher and thinner than Anna's usual voice, with an extremely long trailing tone, as if each word had been licked on the tip of her tongue before being uttered.

"How dare you disturb our rest, woman!"

Anna's lips were moving, but every word she uttered had a tone that didn't belong to her; something was speaking through her throat.

"Is someone possessing you and speaking to you?" Ron asked Anna.

"Oh, what a handsome and intelligent young man! Why haven't I seen him earlier?"

Anna's abdomen trembled, and the sound that came out of her mouth before was rougher and wetter, like phlegm coming up from deep in her throat.

"Oh, and there's a Witcher too," Anna said, turning her head toward Geralt, the tendons in her neck taut as if an invisible hand were gripping her throat.

Geralt looked at Anna, or rather, at those smoky white eyes. "Let's talk about removing the curse mark on her."

The voice coming from Anna seemed to indicate that she was somewhat surprised by this.

"Oh? Are we sisters not pretty enough? Or do you have such unique tastes? Hehe, but what can we sisters do when we're always kind and soft-hearted? As long as you're willing to do a small favor, this isn't something we can't discuss."

Anna tapped the edge of the tapestry lightly with her finger, a few strands of light-colored hair still wrapped around her finger.

"A silent hill near Lower Valen holds an ancient and evil spirit sealed within. We buried it beneath the silent hill and locked it with tree roots."

But that thing is still growing; its roots are burrowing out of the ground, and every root is absorbing the power of the swamp. If it's not stopped soon, the entire Velen will become a graveyard.

Anna's lips twitched, as if something was pushing out of her throat. "Get rid of it, and in exchange, we'll give Anna her freedom."

Ron looked into Anna's thinly-covered eyes. "Anything else?"

Another voice crept out of Anna's throat, lips parted, "Every tree and every puddle in the swamp is our eye and ear. Complete the task assigned to you, and we will know."

"Yes, mission accomplished. Immediately remove Anna's curse."

Anna tilted her head slightly, her white eyes sweeping over Ron's face. "Mortal, you're quite interesting. Your past is empty, your future..."

She paused, letting out a soft, almost laughing sound, "It was also completely blank."

Anna's body jolted violently, and she staggered back a step, grabbing the edge of the tapestry to steady herself. Her forehead was covered in sweat, and her breathing was rapid and heavy.

The embroidered portraits on the tapestry have frozen in time; the images of the three women are now imprinted on the fabric, holding shuttles and with their eyes lowered.

The only sounds in the room were the crackling of the firewood in the fireplace and Anna's panting.

Ron turned around and walked outside. Anna, holding onto the railing, came out of the house, her steps much more steady than before.

"Wait..." Anna called out to Ron, her eyes no longer twisted with the distorted look of possession, but filled with a long-suppressed hope that could finally be expressed.

"Children, these children, they keep being eaten. Several children have disappeared during this time, and I can't stop them..." Her hands gripped the railing tightly.

"I can't leave, but the children can. Ron, take them with you. That's my only request."

Ron did not hesitate. "Alright, I will send someone to bring the children back to the manor. There are safe houses and schools there, and the priests of Meritelli can take care of them."