"My name is Vladmir. Vladmir the IVth. And as for the angel, apart from what I have already told you, there was one more piece of information. It is related to the first appearance of that angel.
They say that she appeared in the Viscount's mansion, where that guy works… if you ask the Viscount he should be able to tell you more about it," Vladmir, the Vampire, spoke as he looked at me with hope twinkling in his eyes.
Hearing that, I then turned back to Geralt, who was equally shocked to hear what Vladmir told.
And I closed my eyes for a brief moment as I then recalled the mansion.
[Maps!]
Checking through the maps, I saw that the child who asked me to find that angel was still sitting there on the bed, lost in his own thoughts. And while there were more people around the mansion, including the guards and other staff, there was no sign of the Viscount.
"Geralt. Is the Viscount out of the mansion?" I asked as I turned around, making him a bit cautious of me, before he gulped and nodded.
"Viscount is currently out there searching for the [Spirit of Healing!]."
"Is that so?" I pondered over the entire scenario once again. It seems like we were only touching the surface of the entire situation. The depth remains to be looked upon.
"Seems like we need to meet this viscount. But before that… Aisha… It's about time you pay for what you did as well." I slowly opened my eyes and then turned towards Aisha, making her take a few steps back before she tried to run away.
[Light Chains!]
And golden chains made up of light appeared from all around, holding her in her place, rendering her unable to move even a muscle.
"Let's see. You betrayed us, then tried selling us to a vampire. Lies, deception… well, there are many ways I could see this. But let's try finding good in it as I always do. Tell me… what's up with the situation with your brother and this vampire?" I asked with a rather devilish smile, making her look at me with fear.
Her eyes were shaking as she observed me before I loosened the grip of the chains slightly, allowing her to at least speak properly.
"I… have nothing to hide. That being took my brother under his control and from then on I have been doing his bidding. Doing everything I can to save my brother. I am not the only one who is at his mercy."
Vladmir, who was listening to her words, nodded as he accepted.
"I am a vampire who was thrown out of the dark dimension and has been hiding for a long time. To ensure my survival, it is of utmost importance to do whatever I can. In whatever way possible."
Well. They are both wrong from opposite pov but correct from their own.
'So how should I, a third party involved, see this situation?' I questioned the entire thing for a few more seconds before reaching a flimsy conclusion.
"All right," I took a deep breath, stretched a little, before speaking,
"Let's not forgive you either. You are going to work for me, too. After all, I am going to need eyes on the dark side of this city, too. If you can do that, I will help you and your brother out of the problem as well."
At first she had a complex expression on her face, but hearing the last sentence, her eyes lit up. It was much, much brighter than all the expressions she had made until now.
"Can you… can you really help both of us?" She spoke while I nodded," sure."
At this point, I had no idea that the 'help' she was thinking about included all the three kingdoms of Zarraf and could potentially start a three-way war between them.
But for now, all I was concentrating on was to gather information.
"Since we all have reached an agreement, let's start with what you three are going to do," I spoke to all three present there. I added Geralt just because I felt like. He didn't seem to mind it either…
And then I began explaining to them about the places they would collect information for me.
Even though some parts confused them and all three of them made weird expressions, none of them asked any counter questions and politely listened to what I had to say.
It was also fascinating that how Geralt was about to work with them right after one of them almost succeeded in killing him and another one outright betrayed and sold him.
Makes one question how did he end up in such a high position in the city despite being… ummm. How should I put this nicely… a retard?
Whatever the reason is, it doesn't concern me. For me, these three are going to be my information sources while I work outside and see if I can catch something.
'Perhaps I should really call Alepsia and see what is going on here.'
Given the absurd lack of any leads, I decided it would be best to ask someone who would clearly know what was going on.
Even though I don't want to owe her any more than I already do, I guess we can make another exception here.
"And with that report back to me by the evening, all three of you," I commanded the three of them and they nodded before slowly leaving from there.
Aisha looked at me with a somewhat hopeful gaze before moving out of my sight, while Vladmir simply vanished from there.
Geralt bowed to me before leaving as he spoke," it would be an honor to work with you."
It left me feeling odd as to why he said that, but I nodded, trying not to feel edgy.
Waiting till he was gone, I then looked up and then gave a silent call,
"Alepsia. You there?"