Silvery moonlight shone on the slums of Novigrad, the cold fall breeze blowing through a grey hemp curtain and swarming the small bedroom behind it.

A magical lamp showered the room with a dim yellow light, while a young, slender man with golden eyes was caressing a telescope on a steel tripod. He touched the diamond-shaped crystal on the telescope, and motes of mana flowed from his fingers into it.

A brilliant light bedazzled the room, and a translucent light screen appeared over the telescope. The screen kept blinking, as if something were interfering with it.

Eventually, a beautiful woman showed up on the screen. She had fiery-red hair that tumbled down her shoulder, and her eyes were as blue as ponds. Her nose was aquiline, and her warm, full lips were like the petals of a rose.

The woman was in a white silk robe that showed off all her curves. The young witcher could vaguely see purple curtains and a fluffy white bed behind her. Probably her bedroom in Kerack.

"Well, look who decided to show up." Lytta crossed her arms and frowned. She scoffed, "What brings you to me, Roy of the Viper School? It's been two months since you bothered to call. I guess I should be thankful, shouldn't I?" The sorceress started firing off a barrage of questions like a lady who hadn't seen her boyfriend in months.

"Um" Roy nervously wiped his forehead. He pretended to be calm and collected, but his heart skipped a beat.

Work overwhelmed him lately, and he neglected Coral for months on end. Things weren't like this back when he was traveling from Vizima to Velen. They 'talked' through the night for more than a month.

Roy could see that Coral was mad. She didn't even bother to keep up her look of elegance and showed her true self instead. The only time he saw her acting this way was when they danced all the way back in Cintra.

He stared into her eyes and bowed his head. "I'm sorry for neglecting you, Coral. Work demanded my attention, and I barely had time for anything else."

That assuaged Coral, albeit slightly. She rested her chin on her right hand and leaned forward on her dressing table while pushing her hair away with her left. "Make it quick and don't bore me. Tell me all about your adventures, and I'll judge if you've done well."

***

Five minutes later, Coral leaned closer to the telescope. "Roy, you heartbreaker! No wonder you're calling me. You need my help, don't you?" It felt like she could step out of the screen anytime with how close she was to the telescope.

What does she mean 'heartbreaker?' Don't give me that. I never said I liked Kantilla. Roy cocked his eyebrow and stared back into her eyes. "Irenues var Steingard has the capability to summon storms. He must be famous among the brotherhood. I take it that you know him, Coral?"

The sorceress suddenly turned around. All her anger had disappeared, replaced by a slight smile. It was as if she only pretended to be angry. Coral rubbed her chin and paced back and forth in front of the telescope.

The screen swayed, and Roy could see her great bosom close up. She was showing it off on purpose. This wasn't his first time witnessing her beauty, so the young witcher managed to stay calm.

"You don't hold back, do you? Fine. I'll help you, but only because the stuff you sent me back in Vizima was good. Steingard is one of the top twenty sorcerers in the brotherhood. He's a mad scientist who specializes in biological experiments. That man constantly walks the line of the law." Mockery welled in her eyes. "He used to be an authority in the brotherhood, and he had ardent followers who supported his ideology. Much of the brotherhood knew he was doing illegal experiments in the shadows, but nobody managed to find any proof to incriminate him. Never would have thought him to target witchers. That's a recipe for disaster."

"Has he been showing up in the brotherhood lately?" Roy asked.

Lytta shook her head. "It has been a few decades since we last saw him. If I'm right, he has missed three consecutive Aretuza Conferences. Most people think he's dead or imprisoned somewhere he can't escape."

So that body under the pond was most probably Steingard's, which means the guy who escaped was his studentMatteo Sigula. Alright, target acquired. "I"

"I can guess what you want to say." Coral wagged her fingers, but contrary to her attitude, she had a soft look in her eyes. "You're a kind heartbreaker. You want me to heal that poor Cat, don't you?"

"Yes. Do you think he can be cured?" Roy asked. "Most of his skin was peeled off in the experiments, and he was burnt and cut. Most of those wounds have closed up and formed scabs, though."

Coral rested her chin on both hands and stared down in quiet contemplation.

Roy waited for her answer in silence. He stared at her perfectly beautiful face calmly. Watching a gorgeous woman while she was thinking quietly was one of the nicer things life had to offer.

"Sorry, but magic isn't omnipotent. I don't mean to brag, but my healing powers can rank in the top three in the brotherhood, but not even I can patch him up. All I can do is touch up his scars so they don't look so horrifying. Don't even think about regrowing his skin," Lytta said. "And it'll take a lot of time just to make that happen. I'm talking years, and I have to stay with him the entire time. The things he'll need for the treatment can easily cost five figures. Unless he's one of the brotherhood's leaders, a top aristocrat, or one of the richest merchants out there, I don't think he can afford that kind of treatment. But that's my rough guess. I'll have to check on him to know the details."

Roy pitied Kiyan. He wouldn't take the acorn, and now he couldn't afford this treatment either. He's never gonna marry someone at this rate.

Coral noticed the dejection in Roy's eyes. She said softly, "I'll do you a favor. I can come over and check on him sometime. How does that sound?"

"And dash his hopes of getting healed? No, thanks." Kiyan wasn't a close enough friend for Roy to spend all his money just to heal his scars.

"If that's all you have to say, then it's time to say goodbye. I need to get my beauty sleep." Or at least that was what she said. However, she didn't leave the telescope. She was wondering if Roy had anything else to say.

"Actually, I have another question." Roy pushed through his embarrassment and asked, "How much do you know about the Cat School's Trial?"

"That's an infamous school." Coral looked a little disappointed. "I've never seen their recipe myself, but the brotherhood has records about it. Their Trial is seriously defective. The aspirants who go through it will most probably develop some kind of mental illness. But you've taken the Viper's Trial, so why are you interested in the Cat's? Wait. Did you get your hands on the recipe?"

Lytta swept her disappointment away, and her eyes shone with delight.

"I know a Cat, and his disciple is going to take the Trial in three months," Roy said honestly. "If you'll help him out with the Trial, I can get the recipe for you."

My chances of passing the Cat's Trial will be better if Coral already has experience with it.

"I guess you're not a total heartbreaker. At least you still remember what I like. Tell the Cat that I shall be visiting Novigrad in three months and helping that rookie with the Trial. Make sure he gets the recipe ready." Coral shot up and started pacing back and forth again. And the risks this time are higher. Such is the Cat's Trial. Tell him to be prepared for failure. No, wait. I'll personally talk to him when I get to Novigrad in two days."

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