Wizard: This witcher is neglecting his duties.

Chapter 182 The Beautiful Queen Calanthe

"I came all the way from Vizima, only to find you in prison, Geralt. You always manage to surprise me!"

After rescuing Geralt and Dandelion from the prison, Wayne seized the opportunity and immediately said in a mocking tone:

"Geralt the White Wolf, a renowned witcher, was captured by the city guards while fighting with ordinary people."

"Hehe, if we tell Lambert and Eskel about this, they'll definitely be very interested."

As a senior, being ridiculed like this by a junior he had mentored made even the thick-skinned Geralt feel somewhat embarrassed. He glanced at Dandelion, who was whistling as if it were none of his business, and immediately shifted the blame, saying:

"It's all Dandelion's fault. After causing trouble, he came to drink with me. In the end, someone brought a group of people to cause trouble, but he was already drunk as a corpse, so I had to take the blame."

"I couldn't just abandon him and run away. As the fighting went on, the city guards surrounded us."

Wayne guessed that was probably the case, so he glanced at Dandelion, who had been locked up in jail for three days and looked quite disheveled.

Faced with the gazes of the two witchers, the poet was somewhat embarrassed. He pretended that he still had a lute in his hand, and after playing it a few times in the air, he explained:

"It's not entirely my fault. Mrs. Livita didn't expect her husband to come back in the afternoon either. Although I explained to him that we were just practicing opera, that rude man simply didn't believe me."

"No one would have imagined that he would hire a group of mercenaries to harm a bard. It's so barbaric."

Upon hearing this, Geralt showed no mercy to Dandelion, replying sarcastically:

"If any man comes home and finds his wife practicing opera in bed with a bard, he's already being incredibly rational by not killing you on the spot."

Dandelion knew he was in the wrong and blushed a little, but he still argued:

"We are doing this for art, to discuss opera, things that artists do, things that ordinary people don't understand."

Sure enough, this guy had slept with a married woman. Wayne was too lazy to even complain. He took the two of them back to the hotel Geralt had rented. After being locked up for three days, the two of them were starving. They didn't care how rough the food at the hotel was and immediately ate and drank to their hearts' content.

After a hearty meal and drinks, Wayne formally inquired about the details of the commission from Geralt.

But to everyone's surprise, Geralt shook his head and said:

"I don't know the specifics either. Yennefer and I had been staying in Novigrad for the past few months when we suddenly received an invitation from Queen Lancer in Sintra, saying that she had a task for me to carry out: to ensure the smooth running of a banquet."

"Yennefer didn't stop me from carrying out this royal commission, and even asked me to invite you to come along. So I sent you that letter before I left."

At this point, Geralt glanced at Dandelion with a hint of helplessness and continued:

"Who knew that after I arrived here, Queen Calanthe was not going to see me at all, and that I could only enter the castle where the banquet was to be held on the morning of the day of the banquet."

"As a result, while wandering around the city, I ran into Dandelion, and you know what happened next."

Wayne nodded upon hearing this, tilting his head to look at Dandelion. He wondered how this guy had come to Sintra. In his memory, there was indeed a bard attending this banquet in the original story, but it wasn't Dandelion, who hadn't even graduated from university yet.

When the poet saw Wayne looking at him, he immediately smiled, picked up the lute the hotel owner had put away for him, and began to play the prelude to a piece. Without waiting for Wayne to ask, he began to speak:

"I heard from a noble friend that the beautiful Sintra princess, Pavita, is having her marriage selection banquet."

"If any man is fortunate enough to be chosen by Princess Paveta, he will have a high chance of becoming the King of Sintra and ruling this powerful country."

"How could I possibly miss such a grand occasion?"

After Dandelion finished speaking, Geralt immediately said sarcastically:

"Dandelion, this Princess Pavita's marriage selection banquet is no ordinary party hosted by a noble family."

"The banquet is being held at the royal palace in Sintra. You won't be able to get in without an invitation."

To everyone's surprise, Dandelion smiled smugly upon hearing this, and played a piece of music in the Skellige style on his lute, saying:

"Don't underestimate me, Geralt. The main target of Princess Pavita's marriage selection banquet this time is either the child of the Skellige Islands lord or a prince of the Sintra vassal state. This is a political marriage held for the purpose of forming an alliance."

"I have already made good relations with the young nobles of Skellige, and they would be happy to have a bard who can play Skellige music join them at this banquet."

"If you don't have a banquet invitation, I can even take you to a banquet to enjoy a delicious meal."

Wayne shrugged at this. Dandelion had always been very sociable and could make friends with many people, which was one of the reasons why he was able to appear at all sorts of important occasions.

After listening to their explanations, Wayne looked at Geralt and asked directly:

"So, Geralt, when is the banquet? And in what capacity are you attending?"

Geralt squinted and took a sip of the cheap beer in the tavern. His spending power was not to be underestimated. In just a few months, he had already spent almost all the huge sum of money he had received from Wayne, most of which went to brothels in the north.

"The identity Queen Calanthe has assigned me is that of Lavix of the City of Four Horns, an unknown nobleman. You will serve as my attendant and attend the banquet with me."

As Geralt's voice faded, Wayne finally heard the system notification for the mission.

Ding! Quest triggered: [Princess's Marriage Selection Banquet], Master Level. Accept quest?

After hearing the system notification, Wayne didn't rush to check the mission details. He glanced at the surroundings of the inn with some disdain, then stood up and said to Dandelion and Geralt:

"Let's go, let's find a better hotel. This kind of place doesn't seem like a place where a nobleman would live."

………………

Not to mention how Lord Wayne and his two companions spent a carefree night in Sintra, on the day of the banquet, Dandelion himself went to the Skellige nobles' group, teamed up with the young Skellige nobles, and sneaked into the banquet.

Wayne, along with Geralt, entered the Sintra palace with the invitation to the banquet.

Because Wayne was with them, the two of them had already taken good care of their appearance at the best barbershops and clothing stores in town before attending the banquet.

So even though the palace steward Harkso scrutinized them for a long time, he couldn't find any fault with them. In the end, he simply took out two exquisite and luxurious noble coats and handed them to Geralt and Wayne. On the chest of the coats, there were special noble badges sewn with gold thread, showing their noble status.

The royal palace in Sintra is a magnificent castle built on elven ruins, with an overall architectural style that is both sturdy and beautiful.

When Wayne and Geralt entered the magnificent banquet hall, led by the steward Harkor, they successfully met Queen Calanthe, the most powerful woman in the country, at the head of the banquet hall.

This was a tall and beautiful woman. Unlike most noble ladies, even at this aristocratic banquet, Queen Calanthe was still wearing an exquisite suit of armor that resembled an evening gown. Every time she spoke, she would look directly into the eyes of the person she was speaking to. From her eyes to her gestures, every move she made revealed a resilient and confident temperament. She truly lived up to her reputation as a lioness.

Although the queen was already a widow in her thirties, her beauty was still legendary in the northern kingdom and she was admired by many nobles. Along with her beauty, she was also known for her bravery and iron-fisted rule.

It is said that when this queen was fourteen years old, her father had already passed away. Kalanther ascended the throne at the age of fourteen, and at the age of fifteen, she led her army to defeat Nasser's army in the Battle of Hauchebuz. In winning her first battle, she also earned the nickname "Lion of Sintra".

Unfortunately, there is no queen in the laws of the Kingdom of Sintra. If a woman wants to wield power, she must marry a man. Even with Queen Calanther's strong and iron-willed character, she could not defy the laws of the country. At the age of seventeen, she married the handsome former king, Duke Rogner de Salm.

After that, although the Duke of Rogner became the nominal king, the actual power of the country was still in the hands of Queen Calanthe.

In order to keep the power of the country in the hands of her family, Queen Calanthe always wanted to have a son. However, fate had other plans. After giving birth to Princess Pavetta, Queen Calanthe suffered two miscarriages and eventually lost her fertility.

This is why King Rogner began to pursue other women who were capable of bearing children, which put Queen Calanthe's position in jeopardy.

As it turned out, not long after, King Rogner suddenly passed away. Whether it was due to an accident or treachery remains unknown.

It was precisely because of the power struggle between the noble council and Queen Calanthe that Princess Paveta was forced to hold a marriage selection banquet at the age of fifteen to choose a new male king for the country.

Recalling the information they had received from the well-informed Dandelion, Wayne and Geralt, led by the palace steward, approached Queen Calanthe.

After giving a slight bow, Queen Calanther dismissed her attendants, looked at Geralt intently for several seconds, then turned her gaze to Wayne behind him before asking with some confusion:

"Geralt the White Wolf, I believe I only invited you here. Who is this young man behind you?"

Upon hearing this, Geralt, with his usual poker face, replied in a hoarse voice:

"This is my companion, Wayne the Witcher, who is also a highly skilled and powerful Witcher."

Queen Calanthe frowned slightly as she looked at Wayne's handsome yet somewhat immature face, seemingly distrustful of his abilities.

However, the queen quickly dismissed these unnecessary thoughts, nodded to Wayne and Geralt, and then pointed to the two seats beside her, saying:

"Two witchers? Good, that's safer."

"Once the banquet begins, the two of you will sit beside me and act according to my orders."

"When I tell you to make your move, then make your move immediately."

Upon hearing this, Geralt, showing no fear of Queen Calanthe's power, stated directly:

"We witchers have our own standards of conduct and do not follow orders from others."

"If your order goes against our principles, please forgive me for not being able to do so."

Hearing Geralt's curt reply, Wayne, standing behind him, almost couldn't help but cover his forehead and burst out laughing.

Geralt truly lives up to his name. In the Middle Ages, when noble power was at its peak, perhaps only someone like him would dare to openly defy the king's orders without the slightest hesitation.

However, it is perhaps precisely because of the principles that White Wolf adheres to that he has always been able to make the right choices, making him a beloved protagonist in many stories.

If it were him doing it, even if he wanted to refuse, he would never choose such a blunt approach that is prone to conflict.

As expected, upon hearing Geralt's curt reply, Queen Calanthe's beautiful eyes widened, and a hint of anger flashed across her stunning face, like an enraged lioness, as she said:

"You have angered a royal nobleman, Witcher. With just one order from me, your corpse will be carried out by my guards."

"I pay, you do the work. You don't need to worry about what I tell you to do. That's the attitude you should have towards your employer."

If it were anyone else, they might have been intimidated by the Queen's imposing presence. Unfortunately, she was facing Geralt, who was known for his gentleness but not his strength. The famous White Wolf simply shrugged and said in an indifferent tone:

"Then you should invite a mercenary to this banquet, not a witcher."

"Only those who are paid to do things will obey their employers like dogs."

Upon hearing Geralt's answer, even Wayne behind him felt that this guy really deserved a beating, especially since he was Queen Calanthe, whom few had ever dared to defy.

Seeing the queen's ample bosom rising and falling, and her expression one of extreme anger, Wayne, fearing she might suddenly strike, immediately stepped in front of Geralt and smiled at the queen, saying:

"Your Majesty Queen Calanthe, please forgive Geralt's rudeness."

"As demon hunters, our duty is to protect good people who are harmed by monsters."

"As long as this principle is not violated, many things are negotiable."

Upon hearing this, Calanther gave the handsome young witcher in front of him another serious look, then glared at Geralt. Just as he was about to say something more, the guards at the entrance of the banquet hall suddenly shouted:

"King Esther Tursek, a friend of the Sintra royal family, has arrived."

(A long chapter of 4,200 words, and another long chapter of 4,000 words this afternoon.)

(End of this chapter)