66 Vengeance and Redemption

Witnessing the massive wolf head roll to the ground, Wayne silently released a sigh of relief. It marked his first encounter with such a formidable monster. As the effects of the witcher's potion gradually waned, he began to feel a slight strain in his arm joints, accompanied by tingling pain throughout his muscles.

Reflecting on the battle, Wayne acknowledged that attempting to directly block the werewolf's claw attacks with a sword was too taxing. He resolved to prioritize evasion when facing similarly powerful monsters in the future.

Fortunately, the werewolf ultimately accepted its fate and refrained from launching a final, desperate counterattack. Despite the potential challenges in uncovering the truth behind the incident, dealing with an aggressive dying monster would have been even more perilous.

Wayne sheathed his blade, returned the silver sword to his belt, gazed at the werewolf's lifeless body, hesitated briefly, and then decided against dissecting it for materials. Recognizing the creature's intelligence, ability to speak, and its role as a devoted husband, Wayne found the idea of harvesting its organs too cruel, at least for now.

Stepping over the werewolf's remains, Wayne ascended the wooden steps and entered the hunter's lodge. Although it appeared ordinary to the naked eye, with two bedrooms and a living room featuring aged furniture and decorations, Wayne's acute sense of smell detected the lingering scent of blood, leading him to the bedroom.

Upon reaching the bedroom, Wayne discerned the location of a basement beneath the wooden floor by tapping it with his scabbard, identifying a hollow sound. As he prepared to lift the concealed wooden door leading to the basement, his attention was drawn to an oil-painted portrait on the bedroom wall.

The portrait depicted a robust middle-aged man with short hair, tenderly embracing a young woman with long chestnut hair. Positioned between them was a bright-smiled boy of about ten years old. This revelation hinted that the werewolf still had a son, though Wayne remained unaware of the child's whereabouts.

Considering the infectious nature of the werewolf curse, which could be transmitted through bites or hereditary bloodlines, Wayne paused his descent into the basement. Instead, he searched the bedroom for clues. Leveraging his keen observation skills, he swiftly uncovered over 70 Orens hidden in a concealed compartment within a cabinet, alongside a letter resembling a suicide note.

After a moment of hesitation, Wayne opened the letter and perused its contents. Several minutes later, he returned the envelope and Orens to their original locations with a complex expression.

The contents of the letter revealed that the werewolf's original name was Meisis. Following the tragic death of his wife, he sent his grieving son to his aunt's house in town to recuperate. Determined to avenge his wife, Meisis began searching for the culprits in surrounding logging camps. Despite his efforts, he was unable to find any leads, leaving him frustrated, helpless, and filled with shame.

Recognizing the impending consequences of the werewolf curse within him, Meisis left behind the deposited Orens and the suicide note in anticipation of a grim fate.

"Save us." The desperate pleas of the living loggers echoed in the underground cave as they clung to the hope of rescue.

Wayne carefully observed the scene, noting the horrifying condition of the captives. The stench of blood and the sight of mutilated bodies painted a grim picture of the atrocities committed in this underground space. The two loggers with open stomachs had met a gruesome fate, their lifeless bodies adding to the macabre scene.

Steeling himself against the gruesome sight, Wayne decided to prioritize the rescue of the living. He approached the captives and began inspecting the hemp ropes binding their hands, searching for a way to quickly free them from their dire predicament.

Hearing the desperate cries for help from the woodcutters, Wayne observed that the six individuals matched the description given by Paula, the werewolf's wife. They all had bald heads and black beards, and the two deceased victims were relatively thin, likely the reason for their arrest. However, relying solely on these common characteristics would falsely implicate about one-tenth of the lumberjacks as potential murderers.

Using his sword, Wayne cut the ropes binding the woodcutters and gently lowered them to the ground. Assuring them that the threat had been eliminated, he identified himself as the Witcher invited by Deacon Ozick. Recognizing their injuries, Wayne advised them to rest in the basement while he informed Deacon Ozick to arrange for a doctor's assistance.

A bald-headed lumberjack, appearing older, expressed immediate gratitude, thanking Wayne for saving his life and expressing concern for his children's future. Witnessing the appreciation from the other surviving loggers, Wayne responded with a smile, offering words of reassurance and providing clean cloth strips for bandaging their wounds.

After giving these instructions, Wayne headed towards the basement exit. Unexpectedly, as he emerged from the wooden door, he was greeted by the sound of crying from outside the house.

"Father! Please, don't leave me!" "You and mother are both dead, and I am the only one left in this world."

Upon hearing the cries, Wayne's heart stirred, and he quickly deduced the identity of the distressed child.

Sighing inwardly, Wayne hesitated for a few seconds before taking a step out of the room. As expected, beside the decapitated werewolf's corpse, a ten-year-old child lay on the ground, crying inconsolably and pleading with his father not to leave him. Upon hearing the movement and seeing Wayne emerge from the house, the child was momentarily stunned. However, his sorrowful expression quickly transformed into one of hatred.

With an angry glare, the child accused Wayne of being the perpetrator, claiming that his father, a good man, didn't deserve to be killed. Without waiting for Wayne's response, the child stood up abruptly and charged towards him in a fit of desperation.

Faced with a child's furious attack, Wayne refrained from drawing his sword. Instead, he adopted a complex expression and sidestepped to allow the child to vent his anger. Placing his palm against the child's head, Wayne prevented him from getting too close.

Despite the likely futility of explaining to a child, Wayne felt compelled to convey the truth. He spoke, "Your father was a werewolf. Blinded by anger in seeking revenge for your mother, he killed two innocent loggers. Those loggers, like your father, were also fathers to other children and husbands to other women, with families of their own.

It might be hard for you to grasp now, but your father was in the wrong in this matter. He paid for his mistakes. You, too, bear the blood of a werewolf, but it's not your fault. Control your anger and destructive urges, and don't let them cloud your reason. If, in the future, you commit similar wrongs as your father, I will have to kill you, like your father today."

Having spoken his piece, Wayne observed the child persisting in his desperate stance, clutching at his chainmail with immature hands, even drawing blood from his fingers in the process. Sighing inwardly, Wayne employed his left hand to make the sign of Axi. With this, an enhanced version of mind control was forcibly introduced into the child's mind, eliciting a strong spiritual impact that caused the child's eyes to roll back, rendering him unconscious.

Wayne gently picked up the child's immature body, gazed at the sky, and after contemplating for a few moments, carried the child in his arms. With a complex mix of emotions, he sprinted toward the location of the lumberyard in Leverdon.