The Witcher World: The Path to Domination Begins in Velen

At dawn, before the sky was fully light, the Baron's old carriage was already parked in front of the Crow's Den gate, with several old soldiers of similar age carrying simple luggage following behind. They stood behind the carriage, waiting for the Baron.

The baron emerged from the gate, wearing a faded brown coat with the collar neatly folded. The wine-redness on his face had mostly faded, and his face looked much more relaxed than before.

He walked to the carriage, opened the door, and tucked Anna's old cloak inside. She was still very weak, but her complexion was much better than it had been in the swamp. She glanced at the door through the carriage window and nodded slightly to Ron.

The baron turned around and walked to Ron. The two stood facing each other for a moment, then he reached into his pocket and took out a brass key—the key to the storeroom in the north tower of the castle, which was usually used to seal weapons and supplies.

When Baron Tamara handed the key to Ron, it was as if he still had something left unsaid.

"That child won't forgive me, but I don't blame her." He paused. "If you have the chance in the future, please look after her for me and make sure she's not bullied by the witch hunters."

"I will."

The baron nodded, looked at Ron, and then said, "From the first day you stepped into the crow's den, I could smell that you weren't some wild wolf looking for food in this mud."

I've been holding on to this mess in Crow's Nest for far too long. I know I don't have the ability to change it; I'm just struggling as best I can.

He paused, then shook his head. "I thought this swamp in Temuria would only rot away, but you've shown me a different possibility."

He reached out his hand, and Ron grasped it; the old baron's palm was rough, but he held it tighter than ever before.

Then the baron turned around, climbed into the carriage, the coachman cracked his whip, and the procession slowly drove toward the village entrance. Several veterans followed behind the carriage, and as they passed the watchtower, one of them raised an old spear shaft above his head and waved it at the young man guarding the gate.

The new recruit on guard duty paused for a moment, realizing that the veteran was saying goodbye in his own way, and quickly straightened his posture.

The spear struck the stone pavement once, and more and more sentries stood at attention silently. The sound of spear shafts hitting the ground echoed from all directions, eventually forming a neat row at the gate.

Ron stood on the city wall, watching the old carriage disappear into the distance. He climbed down from the wall, pushed open the door to the castle hall, and...

The baron's tin goblet on the table had been taken away, and the baron's old seal and brass key were placed in a wooden box, along with the armory's inventory and the garrison handover register.

In the courtyard of Raven's Den, Geralt sat astride his horse, his silver sword resting against the saddle. The horseshoes clattered crisply on the stone pavement. He had been in Raven's Den longer than the Witcher had anticipated, and now it was time to set off.

Ron handed him a leather bag containing dry rations, a small amount of crowns, and a travel document signed by Ron.

Supply can be obtained from any village that has a trade agreement with the manor, with the manor handling the settlement. Geralt took the package, weighed it in his hand, and without any hesitation, hung it on the saddle.

The two crossed the wooden bridge at the village entrance and rode north along the road at the edge of the swamp for a while, occasionally hearing the sound of water from the reeds by the roadside.

Geralt suddenly spoke, not so much as a sigh, but more as a statement: "This road is too quiet." Ron nodded thoughtfully.

The two reined in their horses at the fork in the road. Geralt grabbed the reins, looked at Ron, and said, "We'll have a proper fight another time." Then he turned his horse around and rode north, disappearing into the distance.

Just then, the rapid sound of hooves caught up from behind. Hans rode quickly, the leather belt buckles of his armor snapping at his waist. He dismounted and stood before Ron, his gaze sweeping over their surroundings as he lowered his voice.

"Sir, while you were away these past few days, I noticed that the sergeant was meeting with strangers alone late at night, and today he even withdrew the patrol team from this road. I feel like something's not right with him."

After listening, Ron didn't ask any further questions. He reached into his inner pocket, took out a warrant stamped with his coat of arms, and handed it to Hans.

"Hans, go to Carradine Estate and have Karl immediately bring his personal guards and standing army to meet you." Hans took the letter, nodded vigorously, turned around, mounted his horse, and rode off towards the estate.

The twelve lightly armed infantrymen marched along the path at the edge of the swamp, and after passing through a grove of low pine trees, they entered a section of road with gentle slopes on both sides.

Three crossbow bolts shot out simultaneously from the bushes on the low slope to the left, piercing the horses of the two soldiers on the outermost edge of the formation. The horses neighed and fell to their sides.

The cavalrymen were slammed to the ground. One infantryman's leg was pinned down by the horse, while another was thrown out and his helmet hit the gravel with a dull thud.

At the same time, crossbow bolts were fired from the low slope on the right, piercing the shoulder armor and outer thighs of the two infantrymen in the middle. One of them had his neck guard pierced by the crossbow bolt, and blood seeped out from the gaps in his chainmail.

"Shield Wall! Shrink the defenses!!"

Ron ordered the soldiers to move immediately to the side of the road, drag their wounded comrades behind the horses, and use shields and the fallen horse carcasses to form a temporary defensive position.

Korti shield stood on the outermost edge, using his body to block the gap between the position and the road.

Three columns of Nilfgaardian heavy infantry advanced simultaneously from the flanks and the front, forming two rows of shield walls, with the front rank holding shields and the rear rank holding spears.

The advance was perfectly synchronized, with crossbow bolts continuously firing from the gaps in the shield wall, striking the fallen horse carcasses, shields, and the armor plates of the infantry.

An infantryman's thigh was pierced by a crossbow bolt through a gap in his armor, but he gritted his teeth and stuck the tip of his spear into the mud to keep himself from falling.

Another soldier leaned against the rocks, holding his shield horizontally. After several impacts, his forearm was slightly weakened from the continuous shocks.

Ron stepped over the horse carcass, and using the momentum of his high-speed charge, he slashed his greatsword at the upper edge of the shield. With a violent thud, the Nilfgaardian soldier holding the shield was torn apart by the blade of the greatsword, and his plate armor and shield were broken in two at the same time.

The soldiers next to him seemed to be stunned for a moment, and the spearmen in the back row immediately filled in, with two spears thrusting out from both sides at the same time, blocking Ron's path.

Ron swung his sword, sweeping the spearman on the left away. The spear on the right immediately pierced his waist through the gap in the shield, the tip of the spear grazing the armor plates and sending sparks flying.

Miko used his shield to deflect the incoming spears from the side, then swung his sword into a gap in the shield wall, piercing someone's throat.

Cole stood at the outermost edge of the breach, enduring the charge of two shield bearers, and he had just regained his footing and raised his shield again.

The shield rammed into him head-on, knocking him back two steps. Cole's hind foot sank into the mud, and then a longsword pierced his thigh from under the shield. He groaned, and the shield tilted to one side.

In the instant his center of gravity shifted forward, the spear pierced below his ribs from the other side, and Cole gripped the spear shaft tightly, pushing it outward an inch.

Blood gushed from the gaps in his armor plates. He turned his head and roared one last time at Miko, who was rushing to his rescue, "Hold the breach!!"

The sound of hooves approached from afar, first a slight vibration, then a continuous roar. The Nilfgaardian crossbowmen were the first to turn their heads, their fingers on the triggers of their crossbows.