Chapter 116

Dear Roy, the kid who talks in his sleep.

Very well, allow me to call you that. First, my apologies—my rather imprecise Supplementary Research on the Trial of the Grasses nearly sent you off this world in a muddle; Lytta will likely be the first Sorceress a Viper School Witcher chases to death when the time comes.

Fortunately, you pulled through and recovered at an alarming pace. To be honest, not even the leading Sorcerers of the Brotherhood could make sense of what happened to you. I remain curious about that flash of golden light that crossed your body; what phenomenon was that?

Your condition is now astonishingly good. Keep training hard, Lytta Neyd will find ways to help, and one day you will certainly best your barbarian tutor, though preferably before he becomes too decrepit to fight.

Even so, that does not excuse my recklessness and mistakes. As a token of deep apology, Lytta Neyd will sweep the floor in Kerack to welcome you, awaiting your arrival. If you can make it here before the end of the year, Coral will have a surprise for you.

Two last questions: I understand well why you told me to stay away from that bastard Geralt—after all, he is notorious and still tangled up with Yennefer. I cannot fathom why Yennefer would cling to that fool.

But I am curious, why did you tell me never, ever to go near Sodden Hill, no matter the reason?

What secret does Sodden Hill hide?

Next time you come you must tell me.

Time is short; if I do not hurry back Belohun will go mad.

Va faill!

Your friend, Coral

In the month of blossoming, at Ellander, Temple of Melitele.

A thin youth lay in a hammock in the temple courtyard. He sighed.

Dark-gold pupils, could it be the Mutagenic Extract concentration was too high?

He carefully folded the snow-white envelope, and again the hazy, blurred scene flashed through his mind—the red-hot Sorceress standing before a vortex-shaped Portal, waving farewell to him with the thunderous roar of spring lightning.

The boy could not help feeling for his bare head, a little wistful; did he have this habit of talking nonsense in his sleep?

As for why he had warned the Sorceress not to go to Sodden Hill, in the original history Lytta Neyd perished at Sodden Hill during the first Northern Wars, securing the fame of the Hill of the Fourteen.

But having spent so much time with Coral, they had forged a friendship, and he would certainly try to save her life.

Speaking of which, before leaving she could at least fix his appearance, lengthen his eyebrows and hair a little. It was truly odd to look like this. He had agreed he would not be bald, but perhaps a side effect of the Greater Mutagen had indeed made him lose his hair.

Fortunately he could already feel a prickly stubble on his brow; clearly hair was growing rapidly, and he would not be bald for life like Letho.

He had not expected Full Restoration not to restore hair, perhaps the System did not consider short hair a negative effect.

The Decoctions of the Grasses that Coral had modified were horrific beyond mere hair loss; without Full Restoration he would have died.

At the thought of drinking that Elixir and teetering on the brink, Roy still shuddered. Though he had prepared, planning to use an active level-up at the brink of death to escape, in the final stage after the Elixir his consciousness remained in chaos and he nearly truly left the world.

In the end his strong Primary Attribute, Willpower, did its work; like a flash of returning light, he briefly regained awareness on the line between life and death.