Chapter 108: A Man of Principle
"No. What you earned is what you shall receive."
Arthur was uncharacteristically authoritative with the two women, one older and one younger.
He placed his hands on Maria's shoulder and Ciri's head respectively, and said earnestly: "I am a man who intends to achieve great things. I cannot, and I especially will not, take advantage of my own people."
"Maria, if you truly wish to repay me, teach me how to shoot an arrow it's the first time I've seen someone single-handedly suppress a squad of crossbowmen."
"Ciri, although you didn't directly participate in the fighting, I need to ask you to keep the secret of the Treants. Therefore, you must also take a share; consider it a payment for silence."
Feeling the warmth on her shoulder, the usually poised archer blushed fiercely. She lowered her head and whispered, her voice a mosquito's buzz: "Just teaching archery… it's not a big deal, you don't have to be so formal. Besides, I don't have anything I need to spend money on…"
Seeing that Maria didn't refuse, Arthur was inwardly delighted with pointers from this archery master, his own bowmanship might soon surpass his two-handed weapon proficiency! Although Dragon Shouts were potent, who would complain about having too many ranged output options?
On the other side, Ciri nodded without any fuss: "By the name of the Princess of Cintra, I promise to keep your secret. But I have one condition."
Arthur bent down, lowering his gaze to be level with Ciri, and asked: "What is your condition?"
Ciri rolled her eyes, then broke into a mischievous smile: "Hmm, I request to exchange my rightful share of the gold for a single wish. I haven't thought of the content of the wish yet. I'll tell you when the time comes."
"Ooh~" Arthur made an exaggerated expression of surprise and said: "What if you ask for three more wishes when the time comes? Wouldn't I just become your genie?"
Ciri giggled, finally managing to calm herself after a while: "I'm a princess, not a scoundrel. I would never commit such fraud. Hmm, how about this: I'll just make the wish when the time comes, and how far you go to fulfill it is up to you."
Arthur curled his index finger and gently flicked her upturned nose: "Sounds fair. Shall we pinky promise?"
Ciri instinctively held out her little finger, then stomped her foot in exasperation: "I'm not a child anymore! Don't try to fool me with these tricks!"
Amidst the laughter and banter, the warhorses were inventoried. Excluding the mares, there were enough for everyone to ride, with extras that could be used as packhorses.
Jackbar stood at the edge of the forest, emitting a low sound from its trunk. The mares willingly followed behind it, disappearing into the woods.
"Forest Speaker, there is a Druid in Brokilon looking for Ciri. Should I point him towards you?"
Just as they finished dealing with all the matters and were about to leave, Groot sent another message through the psychic network.
A Druid? Arthur's heart stirred according to Groot, Druids and dryads were the only two groups capable of promoting trees into Treants after the Conjunction of the Spheres. If he could talk to a Druid, he might not only exchange experiences on creating Treants but also potentially gain clues about the Conjunction.
So he replied in the psychic network: "What is the Druid's name?"
"Mousesack. He claims to be from Skellige, sent by the Queen of Cintra."
That sounded quite credible. Arthur turned to Ciri: "Do you know a Druid named Mousesack?"
"Uncle Mousesack? Of course, I do! He used to take me to the forests in Skellige to pick strawberries when I was little!" The little girl's face instantly brightened upon hearing the name, clearly having a very good relationship with the Druid.
"But he rarely shows himself in public. How do you know about him?"
Ciri was confused for only a few seconds, then clapped her hands: "Ah, I know! You can talk to trees, just like Uncle Mousesack!"
Alright, the information matched perfectly.
Arthur rubbed the top of Ciri's head, signaling the Treants to guide the Druid.
"Mousesack? The Mousesack who nearly killed you a few years ago and ended up becoming your good friend?" Dandelion became excited, like a child who suddenly spotted candy. He produced a tea set from his satchel as if by magic, turning to Geralt: "Please, lend me some fire. I must talk to the principals of this legendary story!"
"Don't make trouble, Dandelion," Geralt said quietly, keeping his eyes on the forest: "We're too close to the woods. We shouldn't take chances."
"Let me handle it. Electricity is always safe."
Arthur raised his left hand and chanted a few short characters. A bright arc of electricity appeared out of thin air along the outside of the teapot, and the water inside instantly began to steam. Over the past two days, he had modified this 'Electric Stove Spell' into a version that could be cast hands-free, making it much more convenient to use.
The Druid's speed was far greater than they had imagined. Just as the water in the teapot began to boil, two rabbits larger than horses pulled a wooden sled out of the forest. Guided by the rabbits, the sled swept across the grass like the wind, whipped onto the main road, and finally stopped with a stylish powerslide in front of the group.
A tall, stout old man leaped off the sled and winked at Ciri: "Ha! You little rascal, I finally found you!"
"Uncle Mousesack!" Ciri cheered, jumping directly from the horseback into his arms. She introduced everyone one by one, finally pointing to Arthur:
"Eithné was going to turn me into a dryad, but thanks to Arthur Dayne, I was able to leave safely."
For each person Ciri pointed out, Mousesack offered a polite smile. But after hearing Ciri's final remark, he frowned:
"You mean you left without being forced to drink the Water of Brokilon? That doesn't sound like Eithné's style."
He was speaking to Ciri, but his suspicious gaze never left Arthur: "How did you manage that, young man? Or did you, too, strike some secret bargain with the Queen of the Dryads? What's your code name, the Red Kite?"
Arthur couldn't help but laugh, surprised to find himself suspected of being a second Red Kite.
Geralt attempted to interject: "Mousesack, you've misunderstood. We only met Arthur halfway, and he even fought the dryad who was escorting us…"
The Witcher recounted everything that happened in Brokilon, but Mousesack still pressed the issue:
"How did you change Eithné's mind? By getting ten dryads pregnant?"
Arthur grinned, mimicking Corvo Ice-Scar, and flashed a mouth full of white teeth: "Getting the dryads pregnant that's Dandelion's job. He's very good at it and doesn't need help."
"As for me, I merely reasoned with her, helping the dryad queen realize how dangerous it is to forcibly change someone else's destiny. Then she sent us on our way."
Mousesack shook his head, his expression solemn: "The Eithné I know is not a woman who can be reasoned with."
"Did you fight her?"
Arthur maintained his easy smile and replied: "Do I look like a violent man? In my hometown, we have an old saying: there is no reason that cannot be spoken, and no person who cannot be convinced."
"I just changed my method of communication, and she listened."