Wizard: This witcher is neglecting his duties.

Chapter 48 Hekna Amulet

Cairnst's story is not complicated, but the process is heartbreaking.

Three years ago, the leader of the Wild Dog Gang was a hunter in the forest. During a hunt, he was targeted by a pack of wolves and almost died from their bites.

However, he was lucky enough to encounter Cairnster, who was out on a mission. The kind old druid used his beast-taming magic to drive away the wolves and save his life.

Little did anyone know that this guy had malicious intentions. Under the pretense of repaying a debt of gratitude, he invited Cairnster to his home for dinner.

Halfway through the drinking session, this guy launched a sneak attack and knocked Cairnster unconscious.

It's like a medieval version of The Farmer and the Snake.

Then, this guy somehow found a pair of shackles mixed with magic-blocking gold and imprisoned Cairnster, interrogating him about the methods of taming beasts. This imprisonment lasted for three years.

Hearing this, Wayne was also somewhat moved. According to Cairnst's description, he was a high-ranking druid of the elder level from another Druid Circle, who accepted a mission to come to a forest near Vizima to build a new Druid Circle.

As a result, this high-level spellcaster, after being shackled with magic-blocking shackles, became no different from an ordinary old man and was imprisoned by a lowly hunter for three whole years.

You should know that high-level spellcasters like them, given enough time and a magic node to provide them with magic power, can unleash catastrophic magic that can destroy a city.

It can only be said that in this world, everything is interconnected and mutually restraining; nothing is invincible. As long as a method is found, even a high-level spellcaster can be killed just like an ordinary person.

After understanding the general situation, Wayne temporarily arranged for Cairnster to stay on the second floor, found him some clean clothes and food, and then handed him the box containing two magical items.

He was prepared to lose the two unknown magical items in exchange for the old druid's friendship, but the old man turned out to be quite shrewd.

He grabbed the withered wooden staff, then, while chanting an incantation and channeling green magic, cast a spell on the strange ornament that resembled an eagle's claw eyeball. He then handed it to Wayne, saying:

"Wayne, thank you for rescuing me from this predicament."

"I've heard that witchers adhere to neutrality and rarely take on unpaid missions, and I don't have anything to repay you with right now."

"This necklace is a magical amulet that I made using Hekna's claws and the eye of a fish monster. I wanted to give it to you as a gift."

"As long as you wear it, the animals around you will be more friendly and won't attack you. It will also give you the ability to breathe underwater and increase your swimming speed."

"Although it's just a piece of jewelry that's not very useful, I hope it can help you in the future."

Wayne didn't stand on ceremony. He reached out and took the Hekna amulet, and immediately felt a special magical power envelop his body.

He nodded to the old druid and said:

"Thank you, Elder Cairnster. Please rest here for a while. I'll go back to the city and call a carriage to take you to my place to recuperate for a few days."

"Let's make plans after you've recovered from your injuries."

The old man smiled and nodded, not refusing Wayne's help. Although he had already suffered a great loss by trusting strangers, he was still able to maintain a peaceful and friendly attitude, clearly a druid with a rather steadfast faith.

Half an hour later, Wayne rode his steed Lucifer back to the farm with two rented carriages.

Accompanying him were the tavern owner, Old York, and several of his workers.

Upon entering the farm, the sight of corpses strewn everywhere sent a chill down old York's spine, and he cursed loudly:

"Bullshit, Melitaia, Wayne, how many people have you killed? Did you wipe out all the Wild Dogs bastards?"

"This place is like a slaughterhouse. I haven't seen such a bloody scene since I left the battlefield."

Wayne shrugged. In his mind, there was no real difference between villains and monsters; they were both beings that needed to be eliminated.

He had no empathy for those scumbags, nor did he feel any remorse for killing them.

"Pretty much, old York. Anyway, I killed all the ones who stood in my way, and I couldn't be bothered to chase after the ones that escaped."

Wayne pointed to the two horses in the stable and said:

"If you can replace those two horses with Oren for me, then you can do whatever you want with the rest of the farm."

"However, you'd better take some people and burn all the corpses on the ground, so that they don't attract ghoul monsters and endanger the safety of the surrounding residents."

Old York spat on the ground, somewhat annoyed, and said arrogantly:

"Alright, alright, you little brat, I'll clean up your mess."

"If it weren't for the fact that you helped us get rid of a menace, I really wouldn't want to get involved in this nonsense."

Wayne didn't mind old York's foul language. This old guy had lived in Vizima for decades. Although he wasn't exactly a powerful figure, he was at least a local bigwig, having run a tavern in the slums where all sorts of people mingled for decades.

Most importantly, this guy is kind-hearted and a devout follower of the goddess Melitaia. According to Wayne's vague memory, not only Melissa and her mother, but also many poor people near the tavern had received help from old York. He can be considered a friend worth making.

He watched as the old man, looking displeased, directed several young workers to dig pits and chop firewood outside the farm in preparation for burning the corpses. He couldn't help but chuckle and said:

"By the way, old York, don't forget, I've completed your mission and eliminated the Wild Dogs gang for you. From now on, I can drink whatever I want in your shop."

Upon hearing this, the old man's expression became even more displeased. He snorted and said:

"Alright, you little rascal, I'm not one to break my promises. With your drinking capacity, you think you can drink me out of house and home?"

Wayne nodded in satisfaction upon receiving the answer. He wasn't concerned about the cost of the drinks; completing the system task was the most important thing to him.

Sure enough, just as Old York finished speaking, the system's voice rang in his ears.

Ding! The expert-level mission [Eliminate the Wild Dog Gang] has been completed.

Rewards: 45 experience points, 1 expert-level treasure chest.

Upon hearing that the system had rewarded him with a whopping 45 experience points, Wayne was overjoyed. This amount of experience points was almost ten times that of a normal-level mission.

It seems the system is encouraging him to complete more challenging tasks, as the experience gained from completing many ordinary tasks is quite limited.

Being limited to completing only one task per day restricts his chances of gaining experience.

Looking at the sky, Wayne realized it was getting late and turned to old York, saying:

"Old York, I have some business to attend to, so I need to head back to town first."

"There's a big wild boar next to the farmhouse. I've already taken care of it. Remember to bring it back when you go back."

"I'll only keep some pork thighs and ribs; you can take the rest back and sell them."

"Don't worry about the money from selling the horse, I'll come find you in a few days."

After exchanging a few words with old York, Wayne took the old druid Cairnster back to Vigemar.

It was getting late. After taking down the Wild Dogs, he planned to take care of a few more things before meeting up with Geralt.

(End of this chapter)