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The wealthy in the trade area were starting to work even harder than the civilians, and Amat was one of those people.

He got out of bed and left the woman alone at the break of dawn, and his pudgy body wobbled as he hastily threw silk shorts over himself. The man was like a humpty-dumpty who looked like he’d keel over with every step, but he adamantly stayed upright, though the flabby parts of his body wouldn’t stop wobbling like jelly that was shaken. It didn’t take long for beads of sweat to start pouring from his face. He had gotten out of breath, and he would wipe the sweat off his head with a white handkerchief from time to time.

A burly bodyguard was escorting him and made sure no harm came to him. Amat used to have two bodyguards around, but he sent one away. Those who were higher on the societal ladder wouldn’t even bring two bodyguards with them, and he would be damned if he was seen bringing two with him.

Of course, there were no carriages for him, and he could only rely on his own two feet. Despite the exhaustion, Amat gritted his teeth and strode ahead like a big, fat pig on a rampage.

“Sir, be careful! There’s someone ahead!”

The warning came too late. The huge inertia that Amat had generated made it impossible for him to stop, and he crashed into the person right in front of him. Just like a big ball, Amat bounced back, as if he just crashed into a wall, and he fell with a thud.

“How dare you, barbarian? This assault will not go unpunished!”

The man whom Amat crashed into was a bald and disturbingly muscular man. He was wearing a black cloak, and two worn sword hilts protruded from his back. Standing beside him was a smaller man, though he was also wearing a cloak.

The bald man’s feral eyes glinted dangerously, sending a chill down the bodyguard’s spine. He was besieged by an urge to unsheathe his own sword and take a battle stance, but he suppressed it.

“Apologies.” The bald man went and helped Amat up. “If it’s fine with you, sir, you seem to be in a hurry. Where are you heading?”

“You don’t sound like you’re a local. Watch where you’re going next time!” Amat dusted his clothes off and wiped the sweat off his forehead weakly. “If I miss out on the princess’ lecture because of you, there will be hell to pay.”

“Princess? You mean Adda?”

Amat’s beady eyes widened in shock and anger. “You dare address Her Highness by her name?”

“A noble like the princess won’t argue with civilians like us.” The young man stepped up. A short pause later, he said curiously, “From what I know, Princess Adda led a troop against fallen vodyanoi on Black Tern Island two months ago. Did she do something again?”

Amat puffed his chest out proudly, as if he were the one who led the troop to victory. “That is correct. Thanks to Goddess Vivienne, Princess Adda vanquished the vodyanoi remnants and saved Vizima from impending danger. Now she is spreading the goddess’ gospel to those who will listen.” Amat observed the men before him closely. “You two seem like mercenaries. Or are you bounty hunters?” He extended an invitation, “Why don’t you come with me to the temple? The Church of Virtue has just been established, and it needs all the help it can get. You’ll have a bright future if you join us now. It’s better and safer than your line of work.”

“Are you talking about the Lady of the Lake here? The one named Vivienne?”

Amat put his hands in a prayer, and worship filled his face. “Praise be to our savior, Vivienne, the Lady of the Lake.”

***

The witchers followed the fat merchant as he went past the streets in the west area. Eventually, they arrived at the temple area, and to their surprise, it was built in the slums. This place used to be dark, squalid, and rotten, but it had completely changed now.

The streets were no longer filled with vomit, excrement, or refuse. All squalor had been washed away. It still looked dilapidated and haphazard, but the cleanliness was top notch. Most importantly, the streets were no longer filled with skulking thugs and bandits. Knights from the Order of the White Rose were doing their rounds of patrol, eradicating the triads that had been lurking here for ages.

The knights only used to serve those who lived in the trade area, but now, that had changed.

The group of four kept going on until they came to the center of the temple area, and they came face to face with a ten-feet tall, colorful statue standing tall beside the hospital of Lebioda. She had a human body, but her lower part was a fish’s tail. Her seaweed-green hair tumbled down her shoulders, and her hands were put in a prayer before her chest. The look on her face radiated sanctity and solemnity. A big group of people were kneeling beneath her, and they came from all walks of life.

There were farmers, fishermen, labor, shop owners, and the employed. Most of them were dressed poorly, but that didn’t stop them from listening to the sermon with great devotion.

A woman with white hair was standing before the crowd, surrounded by a few knights of the order. A white robe draped over her, and she stood up proudly. A crown made of seaweed and vines decorated the top of her head, and she was holding a thick scripture, reading from it loudly.

“Honor is given to those who hold on until the end; to those who bravely face their challenge; to those who never deceive…Sympathy differs men from beasts. Those who sympathize with their comrades, those who would never abandon the ones in need will receive the goddess’ blessing…”

The woman wasn’t reading with utmost passion, but her voice was infectious. Anyone who listened would accept, acknowledge, and even bow to her.

Roy held down his vibrating pendant. He was a witcher, and he saw a different thing through his senses. As the woman read through the scripture, he saw waves of magical energy spreading outward from the statue, washing over those who were in the vicinity. The merchant and his bodyguard felt the energy’s summon, and they went into the crowd, leaving the witchers behind.

Aerondight felt the magic coming from the statue, and it vibrated in resonance. It felt as if it would unsheathe itself and fly toward the statue. However, the sword would go nowhere now that it was bound to Roy. Roy sent a thought over to it, and Aerondight calmed down.

He started hearing voices in his head. It was the soft voice of a woman summoning her virtuous knight, Roy of Lake Vizima. She wanted him to see her at the lake, but he knew it wasn’t the time. He might be Roy of Lake Vizima, but he was also a witcher of the Viper School, and the White Orchard took precedence.

Roy pleaded silently, Please give me some time, Goddess Vivienna. I will see you once I have finished my work in White Orchard.

And the voice stopped.

“A hundred believers in two months.” The witchers were still in shock even after they left. Especially Roy. He knew he told Adda to start a religion back then, but he only meant it as a joke, and Roy had forgotten all about it after he left. Never would he expect Adda to take it as the truth and actually form a religion with Vivienne as its patron deity. Nor did he expect the religion to flourish to the point where it was starting to eat into Lebioda’s territory.

But then he thought it was actually expected. Adda was Foltest’s only daughter and the child whom he loved the most. It would be easy for her to start something in the capital of Vizima.

“I felt the Lady of the Lake’s power coming from the statue,” Roy muttered. “Vivienne tacitly agreed to this, and she has chosen Adda to be her messenger. A high priestess, to be exact.”

Letho looked surprised, and he was thinking about this matter through a witcher’s point of view. “From what I know, Ladies of the Lake are similar to the ancient leshen we fought in Mahakam. They’re magical creatures who can absorb their believers’ faith energy to strengthen themselves, but this is the first time I’ve seen one who started a religion in broad daylight.”

“You can’t compare the two of them. The Lady of the Lake is far more powerful than leshens, and they have never harmed anyone. Aside from their slightly hedonistic nature, they’re kind spirits,” Roy said surely. He didn’t remember anything like the Church of Virtue showing up in the witcher world, for most Ladies of the Lake didn’t care about fame or fortune. They spent most of their time in their lakes and seldom appeared before anyone.

“So why did Goddess Vivienne go with this? It’s not like a Lady of the Lake’s behavior. Did something change after the whole thing with Dagon?” Roy had a guess. “So she accepted the suggestion I gave Adda.”

The Lady of the Lake had an edge over the likes of Melitele, Lebioda, and Kreve. She existed in this world, and she could create miracles whenever she wanted to. There were also legends told about them, making it easy to gather believers.

“History is starting to change, and some things aren’t going in the direction I thought they would. We have the Church of Virtue now. Will Salamandra and the Order of the Flaming Rose appear while this church is still here?”

“What is it, kid? You don’t look too good.”

Roy shook his head. He was filled with trepidation and anticipation at the same time.

“The believers are too fanatical. It’s going to cause problems down the line,” Letho said.

“But the princess and her knights are all in it. Nothing bad will happen, right?”

“Just wait and see.”

The witchers left Vizima and traveled northeast. The White Orchard was located thirty miles due northeast.

***

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