At dusk, in a naless small village on the outskirts of White Orchard.
Kiriman leisurely arrived at his employer's doorstep.
Maintaining his composure, he ignored the malicious and contemptuous glances from certain troublemakers lurking in the shadows, focusing his gaze directly on the young woman before him as he stated bluntly:
"Your witcher contract has been completed."
"It's ti to pay the reward, Lady Judith."
Judith was a beautiful widow whose husband had been a brave low-ranking officer in Teria's army.
Last year, that unfortunate man had answered King Foltest's call and perished alongside tens of thousands of ordinary Northern soldiers in the brutal at grinder that was the Battle of Brenna, leaving behind only his widow and child to fend for themselves.
Unlike most crude and ignorant village won, Judith managed both a large orchard and raising her child alone - clear evidence of intellect and character surpassing ordinary folk.
Yet when facing Kiriman - a nearly two-ter-tall witcher with heroic features and a bear-like perfect physique - even she couldn't resist his striking appearance and imposing presence, behaving as vulnerably as any ordinary woman might.
Judith pressed her lips together, not imdiately producing the paynt, but instead lifting her head stubbornly to gaze at the witcher before her:
"Of course I want to believe you, Master Kiriman."
"But those monsters in the orchard were terrifying - every night filled with chewing sounds and low growls, while they prowled the village outskirts by day. None of our n dared approach them after dark."
"This contract concerns my child's and my livelihood for the coming year. Could you wait until tomorrow morning when I've verified the results before receiving paynt?"
A reasonable request that Kiriman had no grounds to refuse.
His eyes flickered toward the small boy peeking from inside the house before returning to Lady Judith.
Chestnut-brown hair, fair skin, regular features - not beautiful by any standard, but certainly above average.
Yet for a Northern woman prone to weight gain, likely due to her physical labor, she maintained remarkably balanced and voluptuous proportions.
Two rounded mounds strained against her linen apron; her waist, not overly slender, flowed into generous hips; her straight legs were long yet pleasantly fleshy - the very picture of childbearing physique.
Despite manual labor, her youthful body still glowed with health and smooth vitality.
In a word: luscious!
Probably the village beauty.
Kiriman's gaze wandered for several seconds before he adopted a serious expression:
"Don't call 'Master,' Lady Judith. Just an ordinary witcher."
"Paynt can wait until morning."
"But I have so rather bad news to share."
"You might want to brace yourself."
Perhaps anticipating bad news or reacting to Kiriman's impolite staring, Lady Judith nervously bit her lower lip before responding:
"I've heard plenty of bad news these past years, Mister... Kiriman."
"Father died in the wars, husband fell on the battlefield, compensation was embezzled, child's illness drained our savings."
"But please, tell directly. However difficult life becos, I'll face it."
Feeling slight sympathy, Kiriman nodded and spoke concisely without embellishnt:
"The orchard monsters were ghouls - corpse-eating pack creatures that attack the living."
"Though I've slain them all, my investigation shows they gathered there because soone buried rotting animal carcasses in your orchard."
"Simply put: you were deliberately sabotaged."
Judith froze montarily before dawning anger twisted her features:
"So that's it!"
"No wonder they appeared so suddenly, no wonder only my orchard was affected. Soone was behind this all along!"
"That damned criminal! I won't let this stand!"
After several seconds, she controlled her rage and turned hopeful eyes toward the witcher:
"Could you help find the culprit, Mister Kiriman?"
"I'll report them to the village elder."
"If the elder can't handle it, I'll write to Constable Tompsen in White Orchard."
"I won't let this go."
Kiriman regarded the widow with calm detachnt before shaking his head rcilessly:
"Difficult, Lady Judith."
"First, our agreed paynt covered only orchard clearing - not this matter."
"Twenty orens is already cheap - barely covers equipnt repairs. Without additional paynt, I don't do extras." Newest update provided by N()velFire
"Second, having arrived at noon today, I know nothing about your village. Orchard clues alone won't identify the culprit."
"Proper investigation could take days with no guarantee of results."
"Even if I found them, obtaining solid evidence would be challenging."
"Would your elder and constable believe a local or so newly arrived witcher?"
"Most importantly, witchers maintain neutrality. Without official authorization and likely to stir local conflicts - we typically decline such contracts."
Here, Kiriman's gaze lingered on the woman's voluptuous form before eting her eyes with a faint smile.
"Though... I wouldn't mind bending witcher rules to solve your problem."
"But my principle is: troubleso matters require proper compensation."
"Without adequate paynt, I'm afraid I can't help."
Indeed, witchers bore poor reputations across Northern kingdoms - often actively shunned. Even with evidence, the elder and constable might distrust him.
In these brutal tis, expecting officials to diligently assist a widow based on conjecture - spending significant effort to punish so villain - bordered on fantasy.
Yet Judith refused to tolerate such threats near her child.
Neither was stupid - as adults, she understood the man's implication and recognized her own advantages.
dieval won weren't paragons of chastity; survival often demanded sacrifices.
Gazing at the witcher's handso face, Judith hesitated only briefly before pressing her ample body against him without much reluctance.
Taking Kiriman's hand, she undid her linen blouse buttons, exposing pale skin while blushing slightly:
"Mister Kiriman, I've no more money."
"If you'll deal with that villain... I'll do anything."
Anything, hmm?
Feeling that soft, warm sensation in his palm, Kiriman couldn't suppress a smile.
He liked this world.
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