Propaganda Pamphlet, A Hog Named Henselt
How could King Henselt possibly be a hog?
Allow me to explain the reasons one by one. The first is his insatiable appetite. Like a wild boar that devours everything edible and licks its lips afterward, Henselt feasts upon his neighboring kingdoms.
This hog does not care whether the meat in its mouth is fresh. In fact, it appears to have a taste for carrion. Henselt is presently attacking Aedirn, a kingdom that has lost its monarch and is decaying like a dying man.
A hog can see no higher than the ground before its snout, and Henselt is equally shortsighted. He cannot foresee the consequences of his evil deeds. Since his motives are no different from a hog satisfying its appetites, he will ultimately lead both his army and his kingdom to destruction...
...
Propaganda Pamphlet, Henselt the Whore
Kaedwen is one of the North's greatest bulwarks, yet Henselt courts the imperial envoy like a cheap whore selecting a common merchant who has entered the brothel with a bulging purse.
Do not forget, a whore may choose to let others fuck her body in bed. Kaedwen, however, is not a whore. It belongs to all of us. Can we allow the Nilfgaardians to march freely into our homeland and ravage it?
Has anyone forgotten the massacre of Cintra?
Think about it! We have no need to ingratiate ourselves with the southerners. They are cruel and brutal, and they are certain to tear Kaedweni arses apart.
We will never accept such treatment!
...
Upon returning to the Kaedweni camp, Geralt discovered that during his two-day absence, the atmosphere of military readiness had grown increasingly lax. People were whispering everywhere, and the changes were closely connected to the two propaganda pamphlets circulating throughout the camp.
He had already read A Hog Named Henselt before leaving and could guess that Vernon Roche had written it. Its content was aggressive but lacked creativity.
The newly discovered Henselt the Whore, however, possessed such venomous sarcasm and inflammatory malice that Geralt could only admire it.
Had he not known that Dandelion was in Vergen writing hymns for the rebel army, he would have assumed that something so vicious had been composed by the bard.
Dandelion clearly could not be in two places at once, so Geralt thought of the Dragonborn Bard.
Considering Victor's personality, it would not be remotely surprising for him to do something like this.
The White Wolf shook his head and laughed as he passed through the unicorn gate and approached the royal tent on the high ground.
His superhuman senses faintly detected Henselt roaring in fury.
...
At the same time, on the opposite side of the river, Victor stood before the notice board outside The Cauldron.
Vergen Notice, Mine Production Resumes and Military Training
Good news! The monsters in the mines beneath the upper district have been eliminated, and production will resume immediately.
However, Henselt is watching us hungrily from across the river. To ensure that our forces have sufficient equipment, only miners extracting materials for weapons will be permitted to enter for the time being.
Nothing is more important than the war at present!
Anyone without other duties should bravely participate in the basic military training organized by Yarpen and Zoltan.
I have made my decision, and everyone is bound by this rule, including anyone who may wish to persuade me to change my mind.
Anyone who objects to my decision may come and see me during working hours.
Alderman Cecil Burdon
...
Vergen Notice, A Terrible Crime
It is hereby formally announced that our suspicious prince, Stennis, has been detained.
He is believed to have conspired with his priest, Olcan, and his guard, Broghan, to poison Saskia the Saint.
The accusation will be judged by a Council of Elders after the war has ended.
Attention: Anyone who uncovers decisive evidence, or discovers the whereabouts of the priest Olcan, assuming he remains alive, should inform me immediately.
A reward will be given to anyone who provides reliable and substantiated information.
Alderman Cecil Burdon
...
Upon returning to Vergen, Victor discovered that during his two-day absence, preparations for war had become increasingly strict. People were whispering everywhere, and the changes were closely connected to the two notices posted throughout the town.
He had already seen Mine Production Resumes and Military Training before leaving. As one of the principal participants in clearing the mines, he found nothing particularly remarkable about the notice.
The sudden occurrence and subsequent fantastical development of A Terrible Crime, however, surprised even him.
First, these were medieval rioters whose minds had been liberated by Saskia, so it was hardly surprising that they possessed the resolve to act immediately.
Whether Prince Shit-ennis had been falsely accused or not, they could imprison him first and ask questions later.
Yet if they truly were nothing more than a mob, they should logically have hanged the prince from a tree or torn him apart with horses. Beating him to death would also have been a popular choice.
Instead, they had merely detained him.
As a result, Broghan and the soldiers loyal to the prince had no choice but to remain and continue fighting, however unwillingly.
It was a remarkably farsighted solution. It did not resemble the work of an impulsive mob at all. It looked more like someone was manipulating events from behind the scenes.
Victor did not find Angoulême inside The Cauldron.
Instead, he found a sober Dandelion, Zoltan, and Yarpen, along with quite a few other dwarves.
It was almost unbelievable. Normally, they would not sober up before noon.
Victor decided to speak with them first and catch up on everything that had changed.
...
Dandelion was sitting with his chair facing the entrance, so he was the first to see Victor. He raised a hand in greeting.
"Victor! It's wonderful to see you. The gods alone know how desperately I missed you."
"I know. On the way back, I visited Miruna first. But you greatly disappointed me. I thought you could have lasted much longer."
"Th, that's nonsense! Of course I could have lasted longer! I left early because Vergen needed me. The people here need my poetry to inspire them!"
"Really? I don't believe you. Why don't we visit the ruins again right now?"
Left with nothing to say, Dandelion casually picked up his weak fruit wine, took a drink, and turned away from Victor.
The witcher laughed happily.
"Come on, let's drink! Zoltan, tell me what happened with Prince Stennis's arrest."
The dwarf clinked his cup against Victor's.
"Nothing particularly unusual. The people are convinced Prince Stennis had something to do with Saskia's poisoning. They wanted to kill him in revenge."
"Saskia isn't dead. Who organized them?"
"A farmer named Kalten. He represents the peasants on the town council. Other than Saskia, he doesn't listen to anyone."
Dandelion turned toward the dwarf and added, "He's also a brute who doesn't mind using any excuse to rob and injure people. I've heard that he particularly enjoys targeting nobles, and that he buries the silver he steals somewhere in the ravines."
Victor paid no attention to Dandelion's sulking. A man acting coy was not remotely charming.
"Who stopped them?"
"Skalen Burdon at first. He's Cecil's young nephew and captain of our militia. He brought his men to preserve order.
"Unfortunately, Kalten only had to shout, 'You bastard who oppresses honest folk! Where were you when Saskia was poisoned?' and Skalen immediately lost his nerve.
"The knights and noble landowners stepped forward afterward, but all they could do was confront the crowd and protect Prince Stennis inside his chambers.
"Finally, Iorveth came out to restore order.
"He arrived with his archers and said, 'If you want to leave this courtyard without an arrow in you, put down your weapons.'
"Everyone chose to follow his advice."
Victor could not suppress a smile.
He had never expected that the person who would preserve order in Vergen and prevent a destructive internal conflict would be the leader of the Scoia'tael, a man widely regarded as an enemy of humanity.
The irony was impossible to ignore.
"Geralt was also a great help," Dandelion added. "He improvised a speech about reason and the rule of law, explaining the immense danger of lynching someone without conclusive evidence.
"Even I thought it was an excellent speech.
"In the end, everyone agreed to imprison the prince for now. Once Saskia has recovered and the war is over, they can determine whether the accusations are true."
Victor did not particularly care whether Prince Shit-ennis was innocent.
In fact, he leaned toward presuming the man guilty.
Regardless, the prince needed to donate the royal blood.
"Where is he now?"
"He's still living in the same place. The only difference is that Scoia'tael are guarding the entrance," Yarpen suddenly answered.
After speaking, the dwarf tugged at Victor's sleeve and walked toward one of the private rooms.
Realizing Yarpen wished to speak with him privately, the witcher finished his weak fruit wine and followed him inside.
Yarpen did not waste time on formalities.
"Vic, I heard from Iorveth that you're gathering ingredients to cure Saskia. How's it going?"
That was indeed not a question suited for a public room, but Victor had no difficulty answering the dwarf.
"I'm still missing the final ingredient, but I'll obtain it very soon."
"Good. I wanted to tell you that I've had a feeling these past few days. Philippa Eilhart is suspicious. I think she's planning something amid this entire mess.
"You know what sorceresses are like. They'll plot and scheme until tumors grow between their legs!"
Yarpen's words nearly made Victor choke, and he almost burst into laughter.
"Oh, my dear bearded friend, we're currently aboard a leaking ship, and we don't even know whether it can continue sailing.
"I know you hate sorceresses, but they're still preferable to the racist Henselt. Could you try setting your hatred aside?"
"It's true that we hate them, but I'm not saying this without reason. I really have that feeling.
"Are you defending them because of their secret knowledge, or because of their enormous tits?
"Victor, remember my words. Their skulls are full of shit."
The absurd conversation amused the witcher.
"Hahahaha! You're exaggerating. Look at it from another perspective. Even if we retreat a million steps and assume their skulls are full of shit, they still possess enormous tits.
"So what are you actually trying to tell me?"
"Perhaps they aren't all like that, but Eilhart is the worst of them. Do I need to remind you how she sold her arse to Dijkstra so she could learn the plans of Redanian Intelligence?
"Everyone in Vergen knows she has little enthusiasm for cocks."
Victor was naturally aware of Philippa's preferences. He had witnessed them personally.
Judging from the invitation she had extended to him, however, she probably did not dislike men either.
Victor thought of the dangerous, pale, overweight man who ran the bathhouse in Novigrad, Sigismund Dijkstra, and the elegant, imposing, and beautiful sorceress Philippa Eilhart.
The fact that they had once been lovers made it impossible for Victor to suppress his smile.
He remembered it from his former life, but had never paid much attention to it. The romance between the fat spymaster and the sorceress had merely been background information.
It was pure and flawless true love, the kind in which both lovers eagerly awaited the other's death.
Yarpen's mouth never stopped moving.
"I'm telling you, people like her caused the Thanedd coup. Do you think she'll behave differently here?
"Victor, I'm no good with words. Saskia only tells me to shut up, but she'll listen to you.
"The moment Saskia recovers, tell her to be wary of Philippa."
Victor stroked his chin as he considered Yarpen's warning.
"Faulty reasoning can occasionally lead to the correct conclusion.
"I agree with your conclusion. We must be wary of Philippa. Being cautious around sorceresses is always sensible.
"However, I must defend Mr. Dijkstra's reputation. He had no interest whatsoever in her arse."
...
After spending some time inside The Cauldron and hearing both useful information and complete nonsense, the witcher Victor went to the camp behind the mountain to find Iorveth.
He needed the Scoia'tael's permission to visit Prince Stennis.
Unexpectedly, Iorveth was absent.
The person who received him was Lansi aep Easnillen. The young woman with dreadlocks appeared more imposing than she had several days earlier, and the elves around her seemed to regard her with greater respect.
"Iorveth said he was tired of listening to the peasants and nobles shouting at one another. Saskia is the finest leader he has ever encountered, but she cannot defeat Henselt's army with this rabble.
"He therefore went east to gather reinforcements. There are still several Scoia'tael units there."
The lieutenant briefly explained her commander's absence.
After the witcher stated his purpose, she immediately gave him a written authorization to pass.
With the authorization in hand, Victor returned to the town.
He examined the sky after arriving. There was still time before nightfall, so he decided to visit Philippa first.
There were several matters he intended to probe.
Although Victor had joked when speaking with Yarpen, he had taken the dwarf's words seriously.
He too had begun to guard against Philippa.
After confirming that Síle was the instigator, or at the very least directly connected to Demavend's death, Victor had realized many other things.
Only Demavend's death could create room for Saskia's rise.
Síle and Philippa might well have conspired together, manipulating both sides to create the balance sorceresses loved so dearly.
Victor asked Philippa to step outside Saskia's residence for a moment and immediately came to the point.
"Did you know that Síle de Tansarville is helping Henselt?"
"Witcher, I am aware of it, but there is no cause for concern. Síle is there to ensure that Henselt does not become another victim of the man who murdered Foltest.
"We do not wish to see him become ruler of the Pontar Valley, but neither do we wish to see Kaedwen descend into civil war."
The sorceress answered candidly, appearing entirely open and aboveboard, as though she had nothing to conceal.
Her response blocked the witcher's line of questioning.
"To mortals, anything they cannot immediately understand is suspicious and therefore the product of a conspiracy. Wherever there is a conspiracy, they assume that mages must have planned it.
"I believed someone like you would not allow himself to be misled by ordinary prejudice. You are also one of its victims.
"Do not forget that we are all aboard the same ship now. None of us wishes to see it sink."
Victor stared into Philippa's black eyes, nodded in farewell, and left to visit Prince Stennis.
There was no point in questioning her further.
Remaining vigilant, however, was essential.
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