Chapter 400 Six Women and Victor Part 1

October 23, 1571.

For the Duchy of Toussaint, it was a night of unimaginable sorrow.

That night...

Only the palace district of Beauclair escaped disaster.

Nearly seventy percent of the capital's other important areas, including Hauteville in the Upper Town, San Sebastian in the Lower Town, the Port District, Lebioda's Gate, Epona Square, and many others, were brutally attacked by terrifying monsters.

Hundreds of knights were killed, more than a thousand innocent civilians lost their lives, and tens of thousands of people were left terrified at the mere mention of vampires. The duchy's winery and tourism industries suffered devastating losses.

The very foundations upon which Toussaint had been built were nearly destroyed by the vampire siege!

That night...

Would forever be remembered in the duchy's history as the Night of Long Fangs!

And when the entire incident was later reviewed, the most baffling part of all was that both the beginning and the end of the slaughter had been equally abrupt.

There had been no warning whatsoever.

The attack had come without warning.

And so had their retreat.

Nothing remotely similar had ever occurred throughout Toussaint's long history.

It was also from that day onward that people finally realized the ancient tales of vampires roaming the wilderness were not entirely drunken nonsense, but warnings that deserved to be treated with caution.

...

In the blink of an eye, it was early November.

Half a month after the Night of Long Fangs, Duchess Anna Henrietta held a wine-tasting banquet at the palace to celebrate the initial restoration of order and Beauclair's return to peace.

As the first grand celebration held since that nightmare, naturally the number of guests had to be unprecedented, while the performers spared no effort in keeping the atmosphere lively.

The courtyard was carpeted in lush green grass and decorated with exquisite carvings and statues. Delicious dishes and fine red wine filled the tables, while the beautiful weather and picturesque surroundings seemed completely untouched by the smoke and bloodshed of half a month earlier.

At one crowded banquet table, the valiant knight Sir Guillaume de Launfal was regaling a gathering of honorable ladies and gentlemen with his tale.

"...Ah! That night was truly a catastrophe! At the time, I simply couldn't imagine how the heavily guarded Dulevant Gate could possibly have been breached!

"We all know now that it was a bruxa's invisible surprise attack that brought down those loyal and courageous knights. But at that terrible moment, there was no question that all of us near the gate were in mortal danger.

"Fortunately, I suddenly thought of Her Enlightened Ladyship, Duchess Anna! She has always cared for and protected us, and at such a crucial moment, a knight absolutely could not disappoint her!

"You may find what I am about to say difficult to believe, but it is the truth! When three fleders emerged from the darkness and were about to tear us limb from limb, I cried out in our moment of greatest peril, 'Knights! For Anarietta!'

"Then my companions and I all felt a power rising from the deepest reaches of our hearts.

"That solemn force was what men call courage!

"Loyalty to Her Enlightened Ladyship made us knights utterly fearless!

"We fought valiantly, our swords suddenly spinning as swiftly as wagon wheels, and we drove those monsters back and slaughtered them as easily as crushing rabbits..."

As Guillaume's story grew more and more dramatic, Victor sat in a pavilion beyond the bushes, wineglass in hand, listening with considerable enjoyment.

He had a feeling this tale, overflowing with quintessential Toussaintois values, would make at least page three of the Beauclair Morning Post tomorrow.

A traumatized country needed exactly this sort of comforting inspirational story.

Deputy Captain Horace, who was sitting beside him, looked considerably more awkward.

As one of the people involved in the Night of Long Fangs who understood the sequence of events better than almost anyone else, he knew perfectly well who deserved the greatest praise.

"Sorry, Vic... We can't reveal the entire truth, and because of that, most people will never know the extent of your contribution."

Horace rubbed his nose awkwardly.

Victor shrugged.

"It's fine. I actually prefer things this way. I'm satisfied. I'm just a passing witcher who happened to draw his sword and lend a hand.

"Besides, apart from matters concerning her sister, Her Enlightened Ladyship has always treated me well. Neither you nor Damien ever truly imprisoned me, so I have no vindictive desire to expose everything just to make trouble for you."

Remembering everything that had happened that day, the deputy captain shook his head with a wry smile and raised his glass in a toast to the witcher.

After finishing his wine, Horace noticed someone approaching.

Grinning, he patted Victor on the shoulder, stood up to surrender his seat, and disappeared into the crowd without looking back.

A light, sweet citrus fragrance drifted over from behind.

Then a pale green gown entered Victor's vision.

The newcomer was Vivienne de Tabris.

She gave a graceful curtsy, her eyes sparkling brightly.

"I'm delighted to see you here, the valiant Viscount Victor Corion. Tales of your martial exploits are already spreading among the people. They say that on that terrible night, you entered through Dulevant Gate clad in shining armor, wielding a razor-sharp sword, and saved countless innocent lives."

Victor smiled faintly and winked.

"My dear Vivienne, someone as clever as you surely knows that legends are always exaggerated to some extent. Of course, I won't deny that I did make one tiny, insignificant contribution to the duchy's peace that night."

"Oh, really? That's not what Horace told me!"

Vivienne laughingly contradicted him.

Then she leaned close to his ear and whispered.

"Hey! If you'd like to discuss the matter privately with me, I know a very nice place. I hear it's extremely quiet, and when someone is already talking there, no one else comes around to disturb them."

Bathed in bright sunlight, Victor shook his head and laughed.

"That is an extremely tempting invitation. Unfortunately, I still insist on following that strange principle of mine. You're still a few months short of eighteen, so... you understand."

"You insufferable bastard!"

She genuinely hadn't expected that after finally gathering the courage to invite him, she would once again be soundly rejected.

The young woman glared fiercely at Victor, then turned and stalked away in a huff.

A hopelessly dense man like that deserved to remain single for the rest of his life.

Victor rested his chin on one hand and watched Vivienne leave, sincerely regretting the situation.

Then he heard footsteps approaching behind him.

Turning around, he found none other than the Chamberlain, Sebastian Le Goff.

The Chamberlain approached the witcher and warmly grasped his hand.

"Thank you! Thank you, Viscount Corion. Thank you for everything you did for the duchy!"

Sebastian offered no further explanation, but his meaning couldn't have been clearer.

Victor's contribution during the Night of Long Fangs was not something that could be summed up in a few sentences.

"There's no need to be so formal. As a witcher, a passing witcher at that, killing monsters is simply part of my job."

"Those unaware of the truth may say that, but no one who knows what truly happened could possibly think that way. Please allow me, Sebastian Le Goff, to personally express my sincerest respect.

"And please believe me when I say that Anarietta and Lady Syanna do not see it that way either..."

Victor raised his eyebrows mischievously.

"Really? I've spent the past half month lying at the estate recovering from my injuries, and neither of them so much as asked after me. They didn't even send anyone to visit."

"Admittedly, you should not have been neglected. But I believe you can understand that immediately after such a catastrophe, there was an extraordinary amount of work to be done."

Sebastian explained politely.

Then he leaned closer and lowered his voice beside Victor's ear.

"In fact, my lord, that is precisely why I have come. I am here to ask you to accompany me.

"Two distinguished ladies wish to discuss this matter with you in private.

"I assure you, the place is very quiet. When people are talking there, no one else will come and disturb them."

Victor froze inwardly.

Those words sounded strangely familiar.

Hadn't he heard almost exactly the same thing only moments ago...?

Could it be that Syanna had enjoyed the first experience so much that now the two sisters wanted a rematch together!?

No, no, no, no!

That was absolutely impossible!

Anarietta's heart belonged to Dandelion, while what had happened with Syanna had merely been temporary warmth shared for a single night.

Now that the extraordinary circumstances surrounding them had passed, she might not even want to rekindle what had happened between them.

Shaking his head to cast aside such unrealistic fantasies, the witcher raised a hand and gestured for the Chamberlain to lead the way.

"It's fine. I was only joking just now. I wasn't blaming anyone. We suffered a few casualties at our estate as well, so I can easily imagine how busy Her Grace has been."

Amid the bustling celebration, only a handful of observant guests noticed Victor leaving together with Sebastian.

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