Wizard: This witcher is neglecting his duties.

Chapter 172 Foltest's Wrath

The next day, at Vijma Palace.

Under Triss's guidance, Wayne successfully met the King of Temuria.

King Foltest was a handsome middle-aged nobleman. When the two met in a drawing room in the castle, he was dressed in fine clothes, had a gloomy expression, and was accompanied by two armed attendants and several court ministers.

Upon seeing Wayne, he ignored the advice of others and chased Triss and the others out of the living room, leaving only Wayne and him sitting facing each other by the fireplace.

"Are you Wayne the Witcher?"

The king's voice was hoarse and low. His daughter and wife had always been his greatest pain. Now, his daughter, who should have died, had been resurrected and become a bloodthirsty monster, a huge threat to the old city of Vizima.

Even the construction of the new city of Vijma and the relocation of the royal palace from its old site are inextricably linked to this event.

That is why, even now, this matter remains a major source of inner conflict for the king.

Even though everyone in the kingdom opposed him, his determination to protect his daughter remained unwavering.

"Yes, Your Majesty, I come from Kaer Morhen and am a Witcher of the Wolf School."

Wayne wore a polite smile and spoke calmly, as if he were not facing a king, but simply someone with whom he could have a normal conversation.

This attitude surprised Foltest, but it also gave him more confidence. At least he could remain so calm in front of the king, so he must have some ability.

"I don't know what the Wolf School is, but I've heard about the legend of the Witcher since I was a child."

"Unlike those prejudiced and short-sighted people, I know very well that you are all experts in dealing with monsters, experienced, and ruthless."

"But I think Consultant Triss has already told you the inside story of this matter, and you should understand who you are dealing with."

Foltest's expression remained largely unchanged, his eyes fixed intently on Wayne's, as he spoke, word by word:

"I hope you can tell me how confident you are about this matter, about lifting the curse on the vampire bird?"

Seeing King Foltest's serious attitude, Wayne also suppressed his smile and replied in a serious tone:

"If it were just me alone, I'd be about 60% sure, but if His Majesty the King gives me his support and allows me to make some arrangements, then I'd be about 90% sure."

"But Your Majesty, rest assured, even if the curse of the vampire bird is not successfully lifted, I will not harm her. My only purpose is to control her and prevent her from causing more chaos and killing in Vizima."

Foltest was silent for a few seconds upon hearing this. Wayne's answer exceeded his expectations. Whether it was whether the curse on her daughter could be lifted or whether the vampire bird could be controlled to prevent it from causing more killing in Vizima, he could accept either outcome.

However, King Foltest was not the kind of king who was ignorant of the outside world and could be fooled at will. He knew very well that within the Kingdom of Temeria, countless nobles were waiting for him to embarrass himself, waiting to weaken the royal power and benefit themselves.

The sorceresses were more inclined to obey the orders of the Brotherhood of Sorcerers than to be loyal to the king. Therefore, Foltest did not completely trust Triss and the others.

After considering for several seconds, the king put forward his conditions.

"I want to witness the entire process of the curse being lifted and see my daughter turn back into a human being."

Wayne could not agree to the king's request. Not only would it expose his strength and secrets, but if the king were to encounter any danger, it would not only be of no benefit to anyone, but would also be a great hidden danger.

So he shook his head and refused directly:

"That's impossible, Your Majesty. I'm confident I can handle the vampire bird alone, but if you're here, I'll have to take care of you."

"In that case, there's a good chance something unexpected might happen, forcing me to kill your daughter."

Seeing that Foltest was still staring at him in silence, Wayne continued:

"Alright then, Your Majesty, while I am lifting the curse on the vampire bird, you may stay outside the tomb with Lady Triss and await my good news."

"While I don't recommend that you see the ugly appearance of the vampire bird before the curse is lifted, if you insist on seeing it, I can make arrangements."

The two sides stood facing off for about a minute or two. Seemingly realizing that Wayne wouldn't back down, King Foltest sighed softly, turned to look at the burning fireplace, and after a few seconds of stunned silence, asked with a touch of sadness:

"Wayne, you witchers are experts on monsters, and you know far more about the curse of the vampire bird than ordinary people."

"Many people say that the reason my child died at birth and has now become a bloodthirsty monster is because of my relationship with my sister, Yada."

"Is it true that she is cursed because of what we did?"

"Is it really because of me and Yada that my daughter died at birth and then turned into a monster?"

Wayne considered for a few seconds after hearing this. As someone who had read the original work and played the game, he knew far more about this matter than the king himself did.

He shook his head, then said bluntly:

"Your Majesty, the birth of the vampire bird stems from a curse, from immense resentment. This is not a naturally occurring curse, but rather a vicious curse placed on your daughter by someone using special methods."

"What happened between you and your sister isn't malicious at all. It's not like two people in love did anything that's morally wrong."

"There's a real culprit in this matter: he killed your daughter and cursed her into a monster."

Fortest was stunned for a moment, then flew into a rage. His originally gloomy eyes turned extremely fierce. He had always thought that the matter of his daughter and wife was his own fault, and he never thought that there was a real murderer outside of this matter, who had been at large all along.

The thought of his daughter dying at someone else's hands and being cursed into a monster filled Foltest with boundless rage. He gritted his teeth, glared at Wayne, and said earnestly:

"Is everything you're saying true, Witcher?"

"Are you sure my daughter didn't die young, but was cursed to death?"

Wayne's expression remained unchanged; he simply nodded seriously and said with certainty:

"Yes, Your Majesty, and this person must be quite knowledgeable about the palace and have access to court affairs; otherwise, he wouldn't have had the opportunity to release the curse."

Then, Wayne changed the subject, speaking calmly:

"Moreover, Your Majesty, you don't need to be too anxious. The Vampire Bird incident was likely caused by his involvement, which led to its current state."

"If you inadvertently reveal to a group of people in the court that you have a witcher who is very confident in breaking the curse."

"This culprit is very likely to step forward and obstruct my efforts to lift the curse. At that time, I will be confident that I can find the culprit and resolve this matter completely."

Although Foltest was filled with anger, he remained calm after hearing Wayne's words. He tapped his fingers on the armrest of his chair, considered for several seconds, then looked solemnly at Wayne and said:

"Your news has shocked me greatly, Witcher."

"Although I can't completely trust you yet, I think I can try your method."

"If you can restore my daughter to human form and help me catch the murderer, as a father and a husband, I will owe you a favor, and you will surely be richly rewarded."

"Even if you want to become a nobleman and obtain a fief, I can grant your wish."

Leaving the drawing room where she had spoken with the king, Triss and several ministers waited in the corridor. When Wayne came out, the sorceress immediately went to greet him, seemingly wanting to say something.

Wayne gently shook his head at her, then whispered in her ear that he would leave the palace in Vizima after a detailed discussion that evening.

The method to lift the curse on the vampire bird was almost identical to what he had read in the original story: the vampire bird had to be driven away from its coffin and left outside until dawn.

To achieve this goal, Wayne needs to make some preparations in advance.

(End of this chapter)