Chapter 2: This Lady... At dusk, in a small, nameless village on the outskirts of White Orchard.
Kiliman calmly arrived at his employer's doorstep.
He remained composed, ignoring the malicious and disdainful glances cast from the shadows by some ill-mannered villagers, his gaze fixed on the young woman before him, and he stated directly:
"Your witcher contract is complete."
"It's time to pay, Madam Judith."
Judith was a beautiful widow; her husband was a brave, low-ranking officer of Temeria.
Last year, that unfortunate soul answered King Foltest's call and, along with tens of thousands of ordinary Northern soldiers, sacrificed himself in the brutal meat-grinder battle of Brenna, leaving behind only an orphan and a widow to live alone.
Unlike most rude and ignorant village women, Judith could manage a large orchard and raise a child alone, so her intelligence and character must have been exceptional.
But when she faced Kiliman, a Witcher nearly two meters tall, with a heroic appearance and a perfectly muscular body like a giant bear, she still couldn't resist the charm of his looks and physique, acting as softly as any ordinary woman.
Judith pursed her lips and did not immediately produce the payment. Instead, she looked up at the Witcher before her with a hint of stubbornness and said:
"Of course, I trust you, Master Kiliman."
"However, those monsters in the orchard are terrifying. Every night they make chewing and low growling sounds, and during the day they constantly circle outside the village. The men in the village don't dare to go near them at night."
"This contract concerns my and my child's livelihood for the coming year. Could you please wait until I confirm the results tomorrow morning before I pay you?"
This was a reasonable request, and Kiliman certainly had no reason to refuse.
He glanced at the little boy peeking from inside the house, then his gaze returned to Madam Judith before him.
Long brown hair, fair skin, regular features; her appearance wasn't beautiful, only slightly above average.
However, for a Northern woman prone to gaining weight, perhaps due to the physical labor she performed, her figure was quite well-proportioned and full.
Her two plump mounds strained her linen apron, her not-too-slender waist connected to rounded hips, and her straight, long, yet shapely thighs clearly indicated a body type suitable for childbirth.
Despite engaging in physical work, her young body still radiated health and a smooth glow.
In short, one word: luscious!
She was probably a village beauty.
Kiliman's gaze lingered for a few seconds, then he said earnestly:
"Do not call me Master, Madam Judith. I am just an ordinary Witcher."
"The payment can wait until tomorrow morning."
"However, I have some not-so-good news I wish to tell you."
"You'd best be prepared."
Perhaps hearing bad news, or perhaps sensing Kiliman's impolite gaze, Madam Judith bit her lower lip nervously, but quickly asked:
"In recent years, I've heard quite a lot of bad news, Mr. Kiliman."
"My father died in war, my husband sacrificed himself on the battlefield, the compensation I received was embezzled, and my child's illness drained my savings."
"However, please tell me directly. No matter how difficult life becomes, I will face it."
Kiliman felt a slight pang of sympathy. He nodded, and without exaggeration, he said concisely:
"The monsters in the orchard are called ghouls. They are a species that feeds on corpses, are communal, and actively attack living beings."
"Although I have slain all of them, according to my investigation, these monsters were nesting in your orchard because rotten animal carcasses were buried there."
"In short, someone deliberately tried to frame you by attracting those monsters."
Judith first froze, then her expression turned to one of angry realization, and she gritted her teeth, saying:
"So that's how it is."
"No wonder those monsters came so suddenly; no wonder only my orchard had problems. Someone was indeed meddling."
"Damn them, this is a crime, I cannot let him get away with it."
A few seconds later, Judith suppressed her anger and looked at the Witcher with hopeful eyes, asking:
"Can you help me find the culprit, Mr. Kiliman?"
"I will report him to the village elder."
"If the village elder cannot deal with him, I will write to Mr. Tompus, the bailiff of White Orchard."
"In any case, I will not let this matter rest."
Upon hearing this, Kiliman looked at the widow before him, his expression calm, and he shook his head, saying mercilessly:
"That would be very difficult, Madam Judith."
"Firstly, the agreed-upon payment was only for clearing the monsters from your orchard, and did not include this matter."
"The price of twenty Orens is already very low, not even enough for me to repair equipment wear once. Without more payment, I will not do anything extra."
"Secondly, I only arrived in this village at noon today and know nothing about your village. It's difficult to identify the culprit based solely on clues from the orchard."
"If I were to investigate thoroughly, it would likely take several days, and I might not even find a result."
"And even if I found the culprit, it would be difficult to provide very strong evidence."
"Do you think your village elder and bailiff would believe your local people, or would they believe a newcomer Witcher like me?"
"The most important thing is that we Witchers always maintain a neutral stance. For matters like this, which are not officially sanctioned and easily lead to conflicts with locals, we generally refuse to accept contracts."
At this point, Kiliman's gaze lingered for a few seconds on the woman's ample figure before him, then he looked into her eyes, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"Although, I don't mind breaking the Witcher's rules to help you resolve this trouble."
"But my principle is that troublesome matters must receive sufficient payment."
"If there isn't enough payment, I'm afraid I can't help."
Indeed, Witchers did not have a good reputation in the Northern Kingdoms; in fact, it was quite bad, and many people shunned them. Even if the Witcher before her found the culprit, the village elder and bailiff might not believe him.
And in this barbaric era, to expect the village elder and bailiff to diligently spend a lot of time helping a widow like her find the culprit and punish that scoundrel, based only on some speculation, was undoubtedly a pipe dream.
But Judith was absolutely unwilling to allow such a threat to remain near her and her child.
Everyone wasn't a fool. As an adult, she could, of course, understand the man's hints, and she was well aware of her own advantages.
Women in the Middle Ages were not all chaste and virtuous; for the sake of survival, many things could be sacrificed.
Gazing at the Witcher's handsome face, Judith didn't hesitate for long, nor was she particularly resistant in her heart. She quickly pressed her full body against him.
She actively took Kiliman's hand, unbuttoned her linen shirt at the chest, revealing a patch of fair skin underneath, her face slightly flushed, and said in a pleading tone:
"Mr. Kiliman, I don't have any more money."
"If you can help me deal with that culprit, I will do anything."
Anything?
Feeling the soft, warm touch in his hand, Kiliman couldn't help but smile.
He liked this world.