Wizard: This witcher is neglecting his duties.

Chapter 19 Toruville

The female elf was tall and slender, with long, jet-black hair.

Her fluffy black hair was casually draped over her shoulders, and two braids were tied behind her ears.

She wore a green silk blouse with a leather vest draped over it, and tight-fitting trousers. A colorful silk scarf was tied around her waist, covering the upper part of her thighs.

She had long eyelashes, unusually pale skin, and chapped lips. She wore a necklace that was wrapped several times around her neck, the beads of which were made of carved golden birch wood, and the cord was a tough, thin leather cord.

Overall, she exudes the air of a heroic female warrior.

Seeing that the two witchers remained silent, the black-haired elf suddenly raised her voice and asked in a louder tone:

"Tell me, Witcher, what is your purpose in coming here?"

As she shouted, the elven archers in the trees defiantly raised their bows and arrows.

Wayne glanced at Geralt, seeing the white wolf's stern face, as if to say "I'm mute," and not about to speak, he took a step forward and said to the elf:

"Madam, we've followed the trail here to find two young men who went missing while chopping wood."

"Their mother entrusted this task to us, hoping we would bring them back."

"Looking for someone?"

The female elf chewed on the word, and a few seconds later, she grabbed a rope, swung cleanly down from the branch, and walked a few steps to a spot seven or eight meters away from Wayne. Looking at his pointed ears, she suddenly asked:

"You're an elf too, right? You should know very well what kind of treatment we non-human races have suffered in the Kingdom of Cordwin. Why then do you still help those humans carry out their missions?"

Upon hearing this, Wayne's expression remained unchanged, and he maintained his calm tone, saying:

"Yes, madam, I have some elven blood; I am a half-elf."

"But I am also a Witcher. We Witchers adhere to the principle of neutrality, and we will not participate in the struggle between factions, nor will we favor any faction."

Upon hearing this, the female elf revealed a mocking smile and said indignantly:

"You can remain neutral, but those troublemakers won't let you off the hook just because of that."

"Many of our compatriots did not resist because they believed in peaceful coexistence with humans, and their bodies were all hung from trees or swallowed by wild dogs."

"Humans are selfish and despicable. They cannot tolerate any non-human race. You should know how many elves have died in their massacres."

The female elf didn't expect to be able to persuade these two legendary, emotionless witchers before her.

She simply wanted to control her anger. After saying this, the female elf suppressed her anger and said in a firm tone:

"My name is Toluviel, and I am the leader of these elf dwarves."

"The two people you're looking for are our prisoners."

"But I will not hand over prisoners to you for no reason."

"Either you wage war against us and rescue the people, or you do some small chores for us, and once we trust you enough, we will release those two humans."

Upon hearing this, Wayne immediately frowned; he vaguely remembered the name Toluville.

This female elf seems to be destined to become one of the high-ranking officers of the Scoia'tael party, a core figure within the party. In the original story, she also had some minor encounters with Geralt and Dandelion.

However, the Scoia'tael was not formally established until more than a decade later, during the first Nilfgaardian invasion.

There is probably no formal resistance organization among the non-human races at present. They exist only as scattered and disorganized groups, forced to hide in forests and wilderness. They are most likely just a group of pitiful people who have been persecuted by humans and have nowhere else to turn.

Does Toluville mean that she also has a request that they need to complete?

Wayne considered for a few seconds, then turned to Geralt and whispered:

"These elves must also have a request; should we accept it?"

Geralt shrugged and said nonchalantly:

"We just need to remain neutral. As long as it involves killing monsters, we can accept any request from anyone."

Wayne understood Geralt's meaning and turned to give Toruville a smile.

"Ms. Toruvel, if the small job you're referring to is a monster-hunting commission, then we can accept that job."

"However, as witchers, we must receive appropriate compensation; we cannot work for free."

"If possible, I hope you can release those two young men now. Their mother has been waiting for three days. If this continues, the old woman might die from excessive grief."

Seeing the elf's impatient expression, Wayne quickly added:

"But please rest assured, we will definitely keep our promise. The long-lived elves should have heard of our reputation as witchers."

Toluviel seemed genuinely in need of the witcher's help. She squinted at Wayne, considered for a dozen seconds, and then said in a deep voice:

"Don't call me lady, I'm not a lady, I'm a half-elf."

"We can release them first, but you must make a promise."

"Those two young men can't reveal our location."

"Furthermore, only your companion can escort the person back; you must remain with us as a hostage."

Wayne wasn't afraid that these non-human races would harm him, and since he was also looking for an opportunity to get Geralt out of the way, he smiled and nodded, saying:

"No problem, Toruville, my name is Wayne."

"I think you can use the safety of the village and his mother Misha to intimidate those two young men. They are just country folk and shouldn't dare to offend soldiers like you."

Upon hearing this, Toruville looked at Wayne with some surprise, seemingly not expecting him to make such a suggestion.

The female elf pondered for a moment, then suddenly turned and called out to a male elf in the tree:

"Keep an eye on the Witcher. I'm going to bring some men out. If they dare to cause trouble, shoot them dead."

After saying that, Toluviel turned and walked into the cave, leaving the elven archers in the tree to stare at the two of them like criminals.

Wayne and the elves exchanged a few awkward glances. He turned to Geralt, noticing the white wolf looking at him as well, and asked:

"What's wrong, Geralt?"

The white wolf warned in a slightly reproachful voice:

"You acted impulsively just now, Wayne. It's not safe for you to be left here alone."

"We witchers are responsible for our own safety as well as for completing our missions. We must also learn to give up when faced with dangerous tasks."

"We only choose to take risks when we have no choice but to venture into dangerous situations."

"Remember, witchers are not heroes, never have been."

Wayne knew this was Geralt's way of showing concern for him, even though the White Wolf himself often risked his life for missions, so his words carried little weight.

But he truly cared for his friends and family.

He patted Geralt on the shoulder and said in a sincere and confident voice:

"Don't worry, Geralt, I'm confident."

"Take those two men back to the village and hand them over to them. I'll stay here and scout things out."

"Let's meet here tomorrow and discuss the elves' request."

Since the matter was already settled, Geralt had no choice but to accept it.

After waiting for about ten minutes, Toruvel emerged from the cave with two humans whose heads were covered by black cloth, bound by ropes.

She pulled the rope, walked up to Wayne, handed it to him, and said:

"I've already told them that when you go back, you should say that the two of them were chased by a pack of wolves and hid in a tree for three days."

"If they dare to reveal our whereabouts, I will lead my men to their village and kill them."

Wayne glanced at the two people whose heads were covered and who were trembling, nodded, then handed the rope to the white wolf and said:

"Take them back before it gets dark."

"It would be best if they waited until they were near the village before removing their hoods."

"This is for the safety of these non-human races, and also to protect the village."

(End of this chapter)