Geralt stopped, calmly meeting Foltest's gaze, which was almost spitting fire. He had long anticipated this question.
So, he omitted the details about Triss's magic shield and remote teleportation, describing the battle in the most concise language possible.
"We found its nest, a stone sarcophagus. According to the method to break the curse, someone needed to occupy it until dawn for the curse to be lifted."
"After we wounded it and forced it back, Mr. El voluntarily offered to enter the sarcophagus."
"Because his plate armor could better withstand potential attacks, I was responsible for luring it away, buying time for Mr. El."
Geralt paused, then added, "When I left, the sarcophagus was intact, and Mr. El was safely inside. Now, we only need to wait for dawn."
After listening, Foltest's brows furrowed tightly, and the suspicion in his eyes almost solidified.
To let such an outstanding young man with a bright future lie alone in a monster's nest, inside a sarcophagus, overnight? This sounded utterly absurd and insane!
His sharp gaze scrutinized Geralt, trying to find any trace of lying or shirking responsibility on that calm face.
"Are you telling the truth? You left him alone to face danger in there, while you escaped?" Foltest's voice was icy.
"That was the only viable plan at the time, Your Majesty. Mr. El made the most reasonable choice," Geralt's voice remained steady.
Foltest stared intently at Geralt for a long while, clearly not entirely convinced.
Karl El's safety made him lose some of his reason, and his instinctive distrust of Geralt, a non-human race, gained the upper hand.
He abruptly waved his hand and sharply ordered the Guard captain beside him, "Disarm him and keep him under watch!"
"He is not to leave this place one step until Karl El comes out safely!"
The Guards immediately stepped forward, nervously surrounding Geralt.
Geralt showed no resistance, calmly allowing them to remove the two swords from his back, the dagger from his waist,
and all his alchemical bombs and potions. He even cooperatively raised his hands.
Because he knew in his heart that Triss must be observing everything through the crystal ball at this moment.
If Karl really encountered an insurmountable danger, that powerful lady would never stand by idly.
The current detention was merely an overreaction due to the King's anxiety.
Looking at the disarmed Geralt, Foltest took a deep breath.
He suppressed his surging anger and worry, speaking in a voice as calm as possible, yet still laced with threat: "Witcher, I will wait until tomorrow morning."
"If, when the sun rises, I do not see both Karl El and my daughter, Adda, emerge safely from there..."
He paused, not finishing the sentence.
But the icy gaze and the implications contained in his unspoken words were more chilling than any direct threat.
A cruel punishment seemed to be Geralt's destined outcome if the commission failed.
Geralt, however, remained expressionless, standing silently under the Guards' watch, his pale hair gently swaying in the night wind.
His cat-like eyes gazed into the distance, at the silent, dark palace that had swallowed his friend. No one knew his true thoughts at this moment... Inside the sarcophagus, there was absolute darkness and suffocating silence.
Karl El leaned against the cold, rough stone wall, clearly hearing his steady heartbeat and suppressed breathing. The Vampire Bird, Adda's transformed self, had not gone far.
Its pained and furious roars, shrieks, and the ear-splitting scratching of its claws on the sarcophagus lid formed the main theme of the long first half of the night.
The sarcophagus occasionally vibrated slightly, caused by the Monster Bird's futile attempts to ram it or move the heavy sarcophagus.
But the Yrden Sign left by Geralt acted like an invisible shackle, firmly securing the lid.
No matter how frantic it was outside, the inside of the sarcophagus remained as solid as a mountain.
Karl El felt no fear, only more pity for Princess Adda's somewhat tragic fate.
If anyone was to blame, it could only be Foltest. Who let this orthopedic king mess around, inciting jealousy among his subjects, and then a secret curse.
Karl El closed his eyes to rest, adjusted his breathing, conserved his energy, and kept his ears alert to the sounds outside.
After an unknown period, the noise outside gradually subsided, the scratching sounds became sparser, and eventually turned into tired whimpers.
In the latter half of the night, everything finally fell completely silent, leaving only the occasional sound of wind from deep within the palace and the rustling of unknown insects.
The Monster Bird seemed to be either exhausted from its injuries or had realized it couldn't move the sarcophagus, eventually choosing to rest nearby.
Karl El finally got some peace and quiet, enduring the darkest hours before dawn... Outside the palace, Foltest stood in the cold night wind for almost the entire night.
His face was ashen, his eyes deeply sunken and bloodshot to a horrifying degree, and his magnificent fur cloak could not hide the slight trembling of his body.
Anxiety, worry, anticipation, and fear gnawed at his heart like venomous snakes.
He occasionally looked towards the silent ruins of the palace, then abruptly turned to look at Geralt, who was guarded by the Guards.
The suspicion and anger in his eyes were almost bursting forth, and every rustle of wind made his heart pound.
He both hoped someone would emerge and feared that the outcome he least wanted to see would appear.
In contrast, Geralt appeared exceptionally calm. He leaned against a broken wall, his arms crossed over his chest.
His cat-like eyes occasionally gazed at the eastern horizon, which was turning pale like a fish's belly, and occasionally scanned the anxious King.
The Witcher's physique meant he didn't need as much sleep as ordinary people.
More importantly, deep down, he harbored a calm trust in Karl El's strength and Triss's final safeguard.
But Geralt's composure, in Foltest's eyes, seemed more like indifference or a guilty conscience.
Far away in the Temple District laboratory, Triss also stayed awake all night, practically glued to the magic crystal ball.
Although for most of the time, the sphere only showed darkness and unsettling silence.
But she persisted, afraid of missing any slight fluctuation.
It wasn't until the sky began to lighten that extreme fatigue finally made her rest her head on the crystal ball for a brief nap.
The first true ray of dawn, like a golden sword, pierced the gloom above the Old Vizima palace.
It also shone through a hole in the palace dome, perfectly illuminating the silent marble sarcophagus.
The sarcophagus lid emitted a faint, muffled grinding sound, as it was slowly pushed open from the inside, creating a crack.
In the laboratory, the lightly sleeping Triss was instantly awakened by the sights and subtle sounds transmitted from the crystal ball.
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