The summer night breeze was gentle, and the light rain had just stopped along the lakeshore in Caroberta Woods.
Victor remembered that a portal in the middle of the lake, several hundred yards from this stretch of riverbank, led to Professor Moreau's laboratory.
Back when he and Keira had been conducting scientific research underground, along with indulging in all manner of intimate activities, they would occasionally emerge from their strenuous endeavors to stroll along the shore, admire the moon, and gaze at the stars.
He had never imagined that time would pass so quickly. Everything had changed, and the person walking beside him had gone from a petite blonde sorceress to a balding, gray-haired vampire.
"Young man, you seem rather contemplative. Does this place hold some special memories for you?" Regis asked in his gentle, understanding voice.
Victor smiled as he looked up at the starry sky.
"Nothing much. I just happened to remember a lovely lady."
"Heh, heh... A lovely lady is hardly something you can dismiss as nothing.
"Back when I was active in Vizima, I too once fell in love with a companion... She ran a brothel called the House of the Queen of the Night. Perhaps you've visited the establishment?"
"Mm, I know the place. It's in the Trade Quarter, beside John Natalis Square..."
Noticing the teasing look in Regis's eyes, Victor immediately slammed on the brakes.
"But I've never actually been inside. I merely heard someone mention it at the royal palace."
The witcher's hurried clarification made the higher vampire chuckle.
"Heh, heh! Relax. Even if you had visited, I would have nothing to say about it.
"Besides, your reaction makes it perfectly clear that you haven't. Anyone who has patronized the House of the Queen of the Night knows that Vanessa, the Queen of the Night herself, never entertains clients."
Victor shook his head.
"I've heard plenty about it, but I'm a loyal patron of the Eager Thighs in the Temple Quarter. It's right across from the Hairy Bear Inn, close to home and conveniently located. Only a twenty-minute walk."
"I see. Those establishments are entirely unfamiliar to me. They must have opened recently. I haven't returned to Vizima since my resurrection..."
As he spoke, Regis leisurely came to a stop.
Noticing that the higher vampire had halted, the witcher turned around, reached into his herbal satchel, and began pulling out one alchemical potion after another.
He proceeded to gulp them down in rapid succession.
...
"Speaking of which... Death. Surely everyone would like to know what it's like. What does it feel like to die? What exactly happens afterward?" Victor asked between doses of his potions.
"Your question touches upon matters of faith and philosophy, the gods you humans pray to, and your definition of death. I do not possess the answers to any of those questions.
"After all, vampires are fundamentally different from humans. Strictly speaking, I cannot even tell you with certainty that I have ever died, not even according to the human definition of death.
"True higher vampires can survive without a physical form. We require neither hearts nor brains, and we have no need to breathe."
"To tell you the truth, I'm a distinguished graduate of Oxenfurt's Department of Philosophy. Hey! At least try to conceal that look of disbelief. It's terribly rude!
"I practically qualify as a philosopher! At least, that's what Chancellor Joannis told me. Would you like to see my graduation certificate?"
The higher vampire smiled and shook his head, politely declining the offer.
Meanwhile, the witcher continued drinking his potions.
"Anyway, the question I want to ask isn't nearly so complicated. I'm simply curious about your latest experience of death. When you were defeated and temporarily lost the ability to control your body, what did you feel? Did you gain any particular insight?"
"Ah, so that is what you wish to know. It is not an easy experience to explain, but I shall do my best.
"It was an overwhelming sensation of unease. What I experienced at the time was almost impossible to describe in words.
"Only after my resurrection did I come to understand that the sensation had been one of cold, utterly unimaginable terror.
"Had it not been for Dettlaff, I might have remained lost forever in that frozen realm of fear."
"What an astonishing description. You certainly couldn't have been considered alive at the time. Yet, enviably enough, you still managed to return to this world."
Victor swallowed the final potion he had planned to take and released a long breath.
"Death is not the end.
"Unless we are killed by one of our own kind. In that case, death becomes irreversible, and resurrection is impossible. That is precisely why vampires swore long ago never to kill one another..."
At this point, Regis's gray eyebrows rose in surprise.
He was well aware that witchers incorporated alchemical potions into their fighting techniques, but he had never heard of anyone drinking them with such reckless abandon.
Even more unprecedented was the toxic reaction caused by the excessive consumption.
Rather than the usual symptoms, magnificent, multicolored war markings had appeared across the young man's face.
It was almost as though someone were playing an elaborate practical joke on the entire field of pharmacology.
"What exactly were those potions you just drank? How could they produce such an extraordinary reaction?"
The higher vampire could not help asking out of concern. The situation was simply too peculiar.
Victor drew his silver sword, Frost's Lament, spread his feet, and assumed the Ox Guard stance.
"Enhanced Cat, Enhanced Golden Oriole, Superior Thunderbolt, Superior Black Blood, Enhanced Blizzard, Full Moon, Tawny Owl, Maribor Forest, Petri's Philter, Werewolf Decoction, Griffin Decoction, and Water Hag Decoction.
"Thank you for your concern, but everyone's constitution is different. Once, when I was extremely furious, I actually... drank even more alchemical potions than I did today.
"To tell you the truth, I find it rather strange myself. It's almost as though the more toxicity I accumulate, the sharper my senses become, and the faster and stronger my body grows."
...
Indeed, the scene unfolding at that very moment marked the instant when the witcher was preparing to challenge a higher vampire.
Earlier, in the underground crypt, Victor had requested a practical sparring session with Regis so that he could gain a better understanding of Dettlaff's true combat capabilities.
Faced with this request, the higher vampire had not refused.
In his opinion, if a friendly bout could teach the young man the limits of his own abilities, that would undoubtedly be a good thing.
However, before the fight began, Regis wanted to learn more about the young witcher and determine whether his personality could withstand the despair of discovering an overwhelming difference in strength.
That was why he had requested this leisurely stroll along the riverbank.
After all, it was good for young people to possess vigor and a willingness to challenge themselves. Perhaps, when the time came, he would need to hold back a little to avoid completely shattering Victor's confidence.
Yet their conversation had revealed that the young man was remarkably spirited. There was even a peculiar conviction underlying his words...
He feels absolutely no inferiority when conversing with a superior being. He firmly believes that we stand on equal footing.
This rare and extraordinary confidence was not born of ignorance.
Quite the contrary.
Victor possessed an unusually profound understanding of higher vampires, something Regis found exceptionally valuable.
Even Geralt, one of his closest friends, occasionally became conscious of the differences between them, allowing a certain distance to creep into their conversations.
But the young witcher before him genuinely believed that higher vampires and humans were equal forms of life, and that there was absolutely no need to treat them differently.
And so, Regis had now decided to fight with all his strength.
He wanted to discover what gave Victor such extraordinary confidence.
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