Ritt watched as Mateo was taken to the couch, and then he turned to Visenna, ignoring the witcher's proposal. "Milady, I do not wish to lie or disrespect you by keeping the truth. To be honest, so what if Ainz was a criminal? The fact remains that he still died, and we have no supplier who can sell us cheap food or consumables. The refugees will starve, and the people of this fortress will be facing another round of inflation." He said solemnly, "Even if we pass the verdict on Ainz, our problem is still not solved. The lord has been worrying over this matter for a week. Lost sleep over it. He's not going to believe some sort of red light killed Ainz, even if you are telling the truth. This might be a case of murder, but the underlying problem runs a lot deeper than that, understand?"
"So you mean the lord and his people need someone to vent their frustration on?" asked Visenna coldly, her eyes gleaming venomously green. "Even if you sacrifice the innocent, that will still not solve your problems."
"But it can buy us time. I'm sorry, but Geralt and Yurga cannot escape this. This is what Destiny has led them to."
A pregnant pause descended upon the office. Visenna's shoulders were trembling, and she stood up straighter. No longer was she gentle and soft-spoken. Her tenderness was taken over by something more feral. No longer was she the wise scholar. Now she was a dweller of the woods, filled with the power of nature's forces. She stared at Ritt fiercely, like a beast ready to come up with a plan of revenge.
"Ah, but we actually have a win-win solution right in front of us, deputy." Roy broke the ice and raised his head. Confidently, he said, "We can solve Mayena's predicament, clear the names of our suspects, and punish the wicked."
"Is that supposed to be a joke witcher? You're going to pull your hypnotic tricks on me, aren't you?" A mocking smirk curled Ritt's lips. He had far lower respect toward the witcher.
"Seems like you're still blind to the situation, deputy." Roy crossed his arms, smirking at Ritt as well. The mockery in his smirk irked Ritt. Just when he was about to launch into a tirade, the witcher spoke again. "There's only one reason Mayena can't afford their cheap consumables: coins. If you have enough coins, then you can buy anything you want."
"Bah, empty talk's cheap, witcher." Ritt scoffed. "You think we can get money that easily? It's not like money's pinned to bulletin boards like request, witcher. Think coins will come rolling just because you swing your sword around and cut off a monster's head?"
"Do you have nothing but muscles in that big, empty head of yours, deputy?" Roy snapped. He had had enough of the deputy's snide, ignorant attitude. If it's the hard way you want, then the hard way we'll use. "Or are your eyes blinded by rage and ignorant prejudice?"
"Why you…"
"You have an opportunity for coins ripe for the taking right in front of you." Roy took a step ahead, closing in on the deputy. He shot Ritt a look as sharp as knives, and the tension in the air around him grabbed Ritt by the throat, shutting him up.
Ritt had seen his fair shares of terrible criminals. He'd seen many death-row inmates, but none had an air as terrifying as the witcher. He had a feeling that the thing watching him was no human. No, it was a beast as titanic as the Blue Mountain, ready to engulf him should he make one wrong step. Fear made him take a step back.
"Ainz was a criminal, and a heinous one at that. All the wealth he accumulated, he gained through unlawful means." Crimson light flared in Roy's eyes. "According to Mayena— no, the law of the north, the punishment for his crimes must be heavy. You know what I'm talking about."
Ritt had a stroke of inspiration. His cheeks flared red, and his breathing became ragged. "His wealth will be confiscated."
"Ainz was Mayena's honorary ambassador. That title alone gave him enough power to amass a mountain of coins, let alone the wealth he plundered from the merchants over ten years. Let alone the coins he made by selling expired and tampered necessities after the war's breakout. Use whatever's left of your brain and think about it. Think about the mountains of coins you'll find." Roy paused, the light shining on his hard, icy face. "Take it, and Mayena will be loaded for at least a few years."
Ritt gulped. He'd made a rough estimate of Ainz's wealth, and there were about two hundred thousand orens to be made. If we loot… No, that man made those coins through criminal means. We're justified in confiscating it. If we take the coins, I can help the lord with his immediate crisis and gain something from it. This'll make promotion that much easier.
"I am such a fool."
Ainz used to be powerful. Too powerful, so he had no reason to try and take him down. But now that he had Mateo's testimonial, he could tear away the protection Ainz had. Double the chances once he found the evidence pointing to Ainz's crimes. He was sure the lord would support this idea. Ainz's heir? Bah, nothing but a distant relative. To damnation with him. Ritt clenched his fists, his cheeks red, and he trembled with excitement.
Visenna looked at the witcher, impressed by his quick thinking and proclivity toward persuasion. Relief flowed into her heart. Geralt made a smart friend, and I didn't have to do anything either.
"I see you've gotten the gist of it, Ritt. No time to lose." Imperiously, Roy said, "Clear the names of Geralt, Yurga, and Mateo. Then tell the people about Ainz's crimes. The evidence for that must be in his estate, get it? And we have a witness to tell everyone about it. I have to admit that you got one thing right. Telling everyone that a beam of red light killed Ainz would incite public terror, so I have a more plausible explanation in mind."
Roy shook his head. There was a reason he wanted to go with this: so Mateo wouldn't self combust again. Roy pointed at the mangled wolf corpse. "On his way back from his negotiation, Ainz was attacked by a pack of mutated wolves. The beasts tore him apart and ate him up. If they wish to see parts of the corpse, I'm sure you can find them. If anyone asks about the red light, tell them Geralt, Mateo, and Yurga spouted nonsense due to the shock they received. The truth was that Ainz was killed by beasts, not by a red light."
He continued. "The innocents are released, the wicked are punished, Mayena's coin problem is solved, and the people will not have to face starvation and inflation. Everyone's happy."
The witcher looked at the slack-jawed deputy, and a smirk curled his lips. Visenna's jaw dropped a little, and she stared at the witcher in awe. For two hundred years and more she'd lived, but never once did she see any witcher who could persuade as well as Roy. He can twist any story in his favor. No, to be exact, he just reassigned the roles of the characters in his story. The wolves did eat someone, and Ainz was a criminal. Yurga and his servant were shocked too, and the red light did its job of punishing the wicked. Things looked so… reasonable in this version of the story, like that was the truth of this whole thing.
Ritt took a deep breath, holding his excitement and urge to leap to action down. "I might have underestimated you, witcher. That is a tempting idea. Ainz was a criminal, and a heinous one at that. I must tell the lord about this and confiscate all his wealth. And then we will expose his crimes to the people, subjecting him to condemnation." But then he glared at the witcher with fury, coldly asking, "But why should I release Geralt and Yurga? Why should I do that after the attitude you showed me? After all the ordering around you did?"
Roy took another step closer and stood before the bald, foolish deputy. He smiled, his teeth glinting like stars. It was a warm and friendly smile, but despite that, Ritt still felt a mountain of pressure coming from the witcher, even though he was the shorter one here.
And then he saw crimson light flashing behind the witcher, and tentacles leapt out of the void, constricting his arms, legs, neck, and torso. All the air was pushed out of him, and his face turned purple, goosebumps undulating all over his body.
A wave of fear screamed from the depths of his soul.
"Ritt, I gave you the idea to save you from your multiple predicaments, and all I ask in return is that you release the innocents. That is a fair trade and very in line with the witcher code. I trust you won't go against that, or you will pay the price. A price heavy enough to silence you." The witcher opened his arms and took a few steps back.
The deputy bent over, hands on his knees as he took a deep breath. Before he knew it, his sweat had drenched his shirt, and beard. He looked at the witcher in fear, and an epiphany struck. Don't go against him no matter what. He dashed all his plans of tripping the witcher up.
Visenna cocked her eyebrow. She noticed the scent of a familiar existence coming off Roy just now, but then she shook her head. Must be my imagination.
***
"You win, witcher." A whole minute later, the deputy stood up, wobbling. "I'll do as you say. I shall release Geralt and Yurga. Once we clear things up to the people, take them and leave," he hissed.
Roy shrugged. "Sure. I do not look forward to another visit here."
***
Ritt summoned the soldiers and whispered something to them.
"A minute, you two. Geralt and Yurga will be here shortly. Do as you please. I need to see the lord now."
Visenna looked glad at first, but then she felt conflicted, and she clenched her fists.
"Do as your heart tells you to, Lady Visenna. You can't be trying to run away at this point."
Visenna took a deep breath and approached the window, staring outside stiffly. She wouldn't even look at Roy.
***
***
