Chapter 174: The Culprit is Actually Him

The fat nobleman's speed was slow. Although he was running for his life, his entire body of fat was trembling from the strenuous exertion. However, facing Geralt—whose speed was at the peak level even among witchers—everything was in vain.

Even with a distance of over a hundred meters, it only took Geralt a short time to rush in front of the fat nobleman, blocking his path and sizing him up with an icy gaze.

With a bloated face, flashy attire, and a lecherous look, he didn't look like a good person at all. Moreover, he was indeed one of the ministers who had been following the King earlier that morning.

It matched his identity in the original story perfectly; it seemed he was indeed the culprit.

Seeing that escape was hopeless, the fat nobleman's face turned extremely panicked. He looked at the witcher who had just slaughtered his way through the mercenaries, stood his ground, and while secretly thinking of ways to flee, he roared aggressively:

"Witcher, you lowly peasant, you monster! I am the court minister, Baron Ostrit. Why are you blocking my path? Daring to offend a noble—I will have you hanged by the soldiers!"

Hearing the fat noble reveal his own name, Geralt became even more certain of his identity. He couldn't be bothered to waste words on such a doomed wretch. Ignoring whatever else he wanted to say, Geralt stepped forward and landed a few solid punches on the bridge of his nose, stuffing all the filth coming out of his mouth back in. He shattered the man's nose, causing him to spit blood and see stars, before knocking him unconscious.

Geralt shook the blood off his hands. He had still held back most of his strength; otherwise, those few punches would have beaten the man to death.

Dragging Ostrit's body like a dead dog, Geralt walked toward the New Town of Wyzima. However, he soon realized that dragging this guy around in such a conspicuous manner, given his status as a minister, would likely invite questioning from the guards. While it wouldn't be a major issue, it would be quite troublesome to have such complications.

After thinking it over, he took the invisibility cloak out of his magic bag with a look of disgust, covered the blood-covered Ostrit with it, and then dragged the now-transparent fat pig toward the Wyzima Royal Palace at a brisk pace.

After walking for about ten minutes and passing through several streets, he dragged the fat pig to the gates of the Royal Palace.

Because he had just left the palace that morning, the guards on duty still recognized him, and Geralt entered without any obstruction, meeting Triss, whom the guards had called out.

Although the sorceress was surprised by Geralt's sudden return, she still walked quickly to his side and asked softly:

"My dear, why have you returned to the palace? Is something the matter?"

Geralt didn't offer much explanation; he just leaned into Triss's ear and whispered:

"I've caught the culprit who cast the curse. Take me to the parlor where we spoke this morning, and notify His Majesty the King to report this matter."

Triss was stunned. Because she hadn't heard Geralt mention his agreement with Foltest when they left that morning, she wasn't even aware that there was another culprit behind this curse.

However, out of trust for her lover, Triss didn't ask further questions. After exchanging a few words with the soldiers guarding the palace gate, she brought Geralt inside.

As a royal advisor, she had at least that much authority.

Walking through the palace, Geralt briefly explained the situation to Triss. By the time they reached the door of the parlor, the sorceress sighed. Looking at the person Geralt was dragging behind him in a bizarre posture, she couldn't help but ask, despite not understanding why the man was invisible:

"So, who is the culprit? He caused the deaths of both the Queen and the Princess; His Majesty will certainly not let him off. His end will surely be miserable."

Geralt thought for a moment. He couldn't quite remember Ostrit's name, but he said:

"It's that fat minister we saw with the King this morning. I think his name is... Ostrit."

Triss opened her mouth in surprise, but ultimately said nothing. She pushed open the parlor door and said to Geralt: "Go in and wait. I'll go notify His Majesty; he should be here to see you soon."

Geralt nodded, walked into the parlor, found a chair, and sat down to wait quietly. After less than five minutes, amidst a slightly hurried set of footsteps, King Foltest, dressed in his magnificent royal robes, pushed open the wooden door and walked in.

Seeing Geralt sitting in the chair, he stopped the witcher from bowing. His eyes scanned the parlor once, and then, with a tone like an impending thunderclap, he asked: "Witcher, where is the culprit?"

Geralt stood up and bowed slightly, then pulled back the invisibility cloak at his feet, revealing Ostrit's fat body underneath.

Foltest couldn't even spare a moment of surprise for the invisibility cloak. He took a few steps forward, staring fiercely at the unconscious Ostrit, and asked with a mix of suspicion and rage:

"Him? Ostrit? This fellow has been my attendant since he was very young, and has been a court minister for over a decade."

Geralt's expression remained calm, as if he were stating a simple fact, his tone level: "Your Majesty, before arriving at the palace, he attacked me outside the city with over a dozen mercenaries. The evidence is irrefutable."

"And I have already interrogated him. It is precisely because he has been by your side since he was young that he fell in love with Queen Adda from a young age and harbored resentment toward you for marrying her. That is why, out of love turned to hate, he cast this malicious curse."

"He wanted the Queen and the Princess to die on the same day."

"Furthermore, his conspiracy didn't end there. The resurrection of the striga was also due to his curse."

"He hoped that the striga incident would escalate, inciting dissatisfaction among the commoners and nobles, then fanning the flames to increase the conflict between the royal family and others, attempting to overthrow your rule and seize your throne as revenge."

Of course, Ostrit had never said any of this; these facts were truths Geralt knew from the original story. But what did that matter? In a world with magic, even if you are dead, the truth can be found; it is not something you can deny through sophistry.

Moreover, Ostrit wasn't a particularly clever person. Before he was suspected, one might not have found any clues, but once the suspicion was cast upon him, all his past actions surfaced before King Foltest's eyes.

The King remained silent for a dozen seconds, his chest heaving, his movements growing more agitated. Finally, his eyes seemed to erupt with angry fire as he looked at Ostrit on the ground and roared: "That's right, it's this bastard! He had many suspicious behaviors in the past, but I treated him as a friend, as a companion who grew up with me, and never suspected him."

"Yet this scoundrel dared to betray me like this, harming my family. I will skin him alive and hang him from the city gate for all to see his end!"

Geralt offered no comment on this behavior, but said: "Your Majesty, since the culprit has been caught, I suggest you have Advisor Triss interrogate him once more. Perhaps you might even find a list of nobles who have conspired against you."

"I will officially begin the exorcism tomorrow night; no one should come to obstruct the operation again."

"If you insist on watching, please arrange your time accordingly."

"Now, please allow me to take my leave, Your Majesty. I have some matters that require preparation."

King Foltest remained silent for a dozen seconds, then sat on a wooden chair by the fireplace, looking at Geralt and saying:

"Go, witcher. I trust your judgment; the traitor must be this fellow."

"Also, handle tomorrow's curse well. As long as you can save my daughter, I will never forget my promise."