"I''m just a poor woman who finally escaped my nightmare. Can''t you just leave me alone?" Eva stood before the bonfire, the me''s light illuminating her face, but the look in her eyes spoke of sorrow. "I told you everything I know."


    "After this time, I swear I won''t disturb your peace, madam. Unless it''s a life-or-death situation." Roy sat on the long bench across from the bonfire, his hands sped over his knees, and he stared into Eva''s eyes. "Yank told me that Ortn took his father away. A gambler by the name of nden. Did you see them going around together?"


    Eva sped her hands tightly and fell into silence. Then she said, "One night, I awoke from a nightmare, and I saw nden and Ortn at home."


    "What were they doing? What did they talk about?"


    "I didn''t hear it too clearly. Ortn only told me that it was something important. I thought it was weird that a rich merchant like him had something important to talk about to a gambler."


    "How long ago was this?"


    "About a year ago." Eva stared at the ground and pursed her lips. "He was starting to neglect me back then, but he still hadn''t started sleeping around."


    Roy tapped his knee lightly. <em>That matches Yank''s testimonial.</em>


    ***


    "Another thing. Eji from the port told me that the women your former husband slept with were prostitutes."


    "And what about it?" Eva scrunched her nose up, her voice dripping with disdain.


    "The prostitutes resembled you. Anything you have to say about that?"


    "Are you trying to say that he still loved me?" A smirk curled Eva''s lips, and she said shrilly, "So he slept with some recements while leaving me alone at home? Don''t you think that''s a tad preposterous? I do not care about how beautiful the women he slept with were; betrayal is betrayal. If he still loved me, he would never have neglected me. He would never have given me that much pain!"


    The baby inside the bedroom let out a loud wail. Quickly, Eva went and picked him up from the wooden cot, and she patted the infant''s back. "It''s alright, Arthur. Shh… Mother''s here. Mother''s here."


    Roy nced at the adorable, chubby infant, and he froze. He noticed a grey ne hanging around the baby''s neck. A stone the shape of a diamond was embedded in it, and a petite pattern was carved into the stone.


    The light of the mes obscured the stone, and it seemed unassuming at first. However, when the witcher came within one meter from the infant, his medallion started to buzz. Chaos energy was swirling in the air.


    The witcher''s breathing turned heavier. "Unusual ne your child has there, madam," Roy said as calmly as he could, hiding his excitement.


    Eva held her baby in her arms, a sacred gleam lighting up her face, and a loving smile curled her lips. "It''s a gift from Fahd."


    "Oh no. If I may, I''d say it''s a memento from Ortn." Roy stared at them, his eyes twinkling.


    Eva tensed up, and she went a shade whiter, but she didn''t argue. "Fine. Yes, it''s a gift from Ortn. It didn''t seem valuable, so I let Arthur have it."


    <em>Doesn''t seem valuable? </em>Roy roared inside, <em>It''s more valuable than you think. </em>He cast Observe on the ne.


    ''Ne of Warding


    Components: Obsidian, silver, mana, zircon, specter dust, infused dust, iolite…


    Affixes:


    Physical Damage Protection, Energy Damage Protection, Evil Spirit Warding, Ailment Resistance.


    Every time these effects are activated, the talisman will absorb chaos energy from the surroundings to replenish lost energy.''


    ***


    It was Roy''s first time seeing an enchanted essory this powerful. It had quite a few practical effects, and it could self-recharge. <em>This ne is worth a few dozen crowns at least. </em>"So this child''s father is Ortn?"


    "I was already a few months pregnant before his disappearance. Gave birth to Arthur after I married Fahd. He doesn''t mind that." Eva looked gently outside the window, where the sea was facing them, and she smiled sweetly. "He sees Arthur as his own."


    Roy could see that the baby was just a regr human. He had no magical talent at all. <em>Didn''t inherit that part from his father.</em>


    ***


    Thanks to his mother''s cajoling, the infant''s crying stopped. He sucked on his mother''s finger and stared at the witcher curiously.


    The witcher in question was having conflicting feelings. Sorcerers might be rich, but they would never give something this valuable to anyone. He sighed, staring at the ne and trying to get a closer look at the pattern on it. "Ortn must have cared about Arthur deeply. He loved the child, and the fact you kept his ne around means you still think of him."


    "No, you understand <em>nothing</em>!" As if having a trigger pulled, Eva let out a guttural roar, and she red belligerently at the witcher. "I loathe him! This ne is just… is just a memento. He doesn''t love me or Arthur! What he did before he disappeared was unforgivable!"


    "What did he do to you?" Roy asked softly.


    "I told you that he did something worse than betraying my love." Eva shook her head. Finally, she spoke of the final lead Roy needed for this case. "After his infidelity became public knowledge, the weight was too much for me, s-so I broke down and tried to take my own life. He saved me and helped me recover as soon as possible. I thought he would change."


    Eva pursed her lips, his eyes ring with fear. "But that night, I woke with a start and saw him standing before my bed, holding a butcher''s knife. He was staring at me. With a look I saw in pirates'' eyes when I was a child." She curled up and held the baby tighter in her arms. "I could feel that he wanted to kill us both."


    Eva started crying, the beauty mark on the corner of her mouth colored crimson by her glistening tears.


    Feeling his mother''s sorrow, Arthuir started crying as well.


    "I begged and begged, and he finally left. He said nothing, but I could see that he was hesitant. He was reluctant to leave. He''s Arthur''s father! How could he try to kill him? That was even worse than his sleeping around. He spared me and Arthur, but I never wanted to see him, and he granted my wish. He went missing."


    Roy held his silence until Eva was finished venting out her sorrow and fury, then she wiped her tears away.


    <em>Stayed in a loving marriage for four months, neglected her, then slept with someone else. Left an invaluable ne for his child and then went away without so much as leaving a message. Never came back to see them either. Saved his suicidal wife and tried to kill her.</em>


    ***


    Everything Ortn did sounded contradictory, or at least that was what Roy thought. <em>He took the gambler away, slept with the prostitutes who resembled his wife, and then he tried to murder Eva. And to what end? There must be a goal, but he got cold feet in the end. There''s only one way to get to the bottom of this.</em>


    "Eva, I have a request. Can you lend me this ne?" Roy asked. "I promise I''ll give it back by tomorrow at thetest. Or I can do you a favor."


    "Yes, one." Eva held her baby tightly and turned back to look at the witcher, her eyes shining with tears. Hysterically, she pleaded, "Do not talk about that man or disturb my family again. I beg you."


    ***


    The wooden door creaked open and shut as quickly as it was opened. The witcher held up the ne, the vague light shining on the impable engraving on it. It was a star-shaped pond surrounded by three willow trees. His gut told him that this was rted to Ortn''s secret base.


    Krott had been waiting for a while. He said, "Mr. Pitt, I have gotten you a ce to crash for the night. It''s at the Lobster Inn. There''s wine, food, and special service should you need it. You''ll love it."


    "Hold on, mate. You''re a tour guide, aren''t you? Surely you must know the entire ind?"


    "Oh, not to toot my own horn, but…" Krott smiled, and he pointed at his head. "I''ve memorized this whole ce''s map."


    "Seen this ce before?" Roy showed him the ne.


    Krott stared at the ne for a few moments, and the look on his face changed a little. "Ah, I remember this ce. It''s in the woods near the northern parts of this ind, which is a no man''snd. Fished there a few years ago."


    "Lead the way."


    <strong>***</strong>


    <strong>***</strong>