The Witcher: Lord of the Empire

"If we support Jutta to be the jarl of the Dimun clan, do you think she would join our alliance?"

Crach, though mourning the warrior's death, was nonetheless a shrewd political leader. Perhaps by mentioning Jutta's identity, he had already intended to present her to Lann as a possible ally.

"It would be better if another heir took over. Jutta is an exceptional swordswoman. Although she is a woman, no man on the Faroe Island can best her in combat. That is why they call her the Iron Maiden. She was Holger's squire..." Crach paused before adding: "But her lord died in front of her. It is a dishonor that will be hard to erase."

"Unless..."

"I'm going to avenge my uncle!" Jutta suddenly shouted, drawing everyone's attention, including Lann and Crach's.

Jutta was still lying over Holger's body. Her energy had been completely exhausted from crying so much, but she still made an effort to find Eist. She changed position and ended up kneeling, prostrating herself on the ground.

"I will destroy the true refuge of the Vildkaarls, kill all their followers, tear down the idols of their false god Svalblod and build a tomb for my uncle with the bones of our enemies!"

She raised her voice, her body still shaking from exhaustion: "I know now that the place we went to before was not the Vildkaarls' headquarters. They tricked us. Please take me with you when you find their real hiding place!"

Jutta had great influence among the Faroese soldiers. Her decision to act not only ignited her own determination, but also motivated the remaining soldiers of the Dimun clan, who fell to their knees in front of Eist. "Take us with you! We want to avenge our lord!"

Eist watched them in silence, thoughtful. In the distance, he noticed that Crach and his army of reinforcements had arrived.

After a few moments of reflection, Eist spoke: "Holger was a warrior worthy of respect. His death is honorable. I swear to avenge him and bring the blood of our enemies to his grave."

He paused, his words firm and piercing: "But you, soldiers of the Dimun clan, failed to protect your lord."

Eist's statement made Jutta and the soldiers behind her tremble.

"So in the coming battles, you will have to redeem your honor with your own blood. I am sure that Holger's grave will drink more willingly the enemy blood you collect."

Jutta, shuddering even more, fervently promised: "In the name of the warriors of the Dimun clan, we will follow your orders! I only ask that you allow us to personally cut off the heads of our enemies."

Eist let out a deep sigh and, with a solemn expression, helped Jutta up. He then ordered the Dimun clan soldiers to join the ranks of the Tuirseach clan.

After giving these instructions, he turned to Lugos, who had remained silent. "What about you?"

Lugos' condition at the moment was not good, he was seriously injured.

Perhaps because of the shame of being tricked, he had been fighting at the forefront in the previous battles, and he didn't even have the opportunity to let his guards protect him.

"I won't go." Lugos was silent for a while and said: "The mission to destroy the Vildkaarls and the cult of Svalblod falls to you, Eist."

Lugos' face was gloomy. After saying this, he stared at Eist for two seconds. Finally, he lowered his head. "Please avenge Holger."

Eist put a hand on his shoulder and replied: "I will."

...

With Crach's support, the process of clearing the battlefield moved much faster.

The Drummond clan had to escort their wounded jarl down the hill, thus withdrawing from further fighting. On the other hand, the number of combat-capable soldiers of the Dimun clan, excluding the wounded and those escorting them, barely reached a few dozen, led by Jutta, who followed in Eist's footsteps.

Thanks to Gerd's timely aid and Eist's calm leadership, the Tuirseach clan's losses were not significant. Together with the reinforcements Crach had brought, their combat strength now surpassed even that of the initial coalition of the three clans.

On the other hand, three of the berserkers of the Svalblod cult miraculously managed to survive, although they were all seriously injured. After the end of the battle, they fell unconscious and slowly regained their human form.

The soldiers of the three clans looked at them with complex expressions. Although they were residents of the Skellige Islands who had been kidnapped and forcibly converted, they were also responsible for the deaths of many of their comrades in battle, causing huge direct or indirect losses.

Some even called for these new berserkers to be executed on the spot.

However, no one took any hasty action, waiting for Eist's orders.

Eist looked thoughtfully at Bill, who, after the end of the battle, had autonomously regained his human form and, although conscious, was now collapsed on the ground, completely exhausted.

Is it really a good idea to execute all the berserkers?

At least it's not a bad thing.

From the soldiers' perspective and considering the culture of Skellige, killing these berserkers would not be a problem. Even if they were innocent villagers days ago and their recent actions had not been intentional, fear and resentment towards the Svalblod cult prevailed.

But Eist decided otherwise. He ordered the berserkers to be immobilized and closely guarded. He even asked Crach to assign some of the Clan An Craite guards to escort them down the slope and ensure their confinement.

Two reasons motivated this decision:

The need for information. With all the Vildkaarls dead, there was no one left to question or guide the group to the cult's hiding places.

Lann's influence. Eist had noticed that Lann wanted to save Bill, and since he usually gave in to him, he decided to spare the other berserkers as well.

Moreover, Eist's vision had changed of late under Lann's influence. He now saw in these powerful warriors a potential advantage for Skellige.

The fear of the Svalblod cult was as much for its brutality as it was for its strength. But what if that strength could be harnessed for the people of Skellige themselves?

This situation presented an opportunity to turn weakness into strength, especially as Eist sought to increase his power in order to confront Nilfgaard and avenge Calanthe. His obsession with gaining strength, already evident in his plan to hunt down the ice giant, only intensified.

However, keeping these berserkers would require Eist to have enough authority to silence critics. In other words, he must become king of Skellige and completely eliminate the threat of the Svalblod cult to prevent future retaliation.

Otherwise, the only fate of the berserkers would be a public execution ceremony to calm the population.

...

As the soldiers began to clean up the battlefield with precision and order, Lann approached Bill.

Gerd stood next to the scruffy-looking young man, watching him curiously as he lay collapsed on the ground.

Bill looked like an amorphous mass, unable to move.

However, his condition did not seem to be simply exhaustion. The process of becoming a follower should have completely restored his status, just as it did when Lann leveled up. Although Bill had fought fiercely among the crowd in his giant bear form, the time he spent in combat was not enough to leave him completely exhausted.

Lann observed him closely and came to the conclusion that what afflicted the young man was not physical exhaustion, but something deeper... A kind of total collapse, as if the sky had fallen on him, leaving his life in ruins and plunging him into absolute despair.

The young man emanated an aura of despondency, a living death.

Lann frowned. "Lift your head."

This time he didn't need to resort to magic signs; Bill seemed to obey his orders without question.

The young man's face now looked healthy and ruddy, with no trace of the almost narcotic weakness he had displayed before. There was even a hint of attractiveness about him that would attract a mermaid. If he tidied himself up a bit, Lann even thought he could send him to Aretuza to socialize with Ace.

"I need you to guide us to the Svalblod cult's hideout. I need to know if you're fit enough to complete this mission. So tell me, what has left you in this sorry state?"

Bill's eyes met Lann's, their dark, golden glow emanating an intimidating force. Unable to bear his gaze, he lowered his head again. His voice laced with pain, he explained: "I was affected by the Vildkaarls. They made me ingest hallucinogenic mushrooms and herbs that clouded my mind and erased many of my memories."

He swallowed, fighting the lump in his throat before continuing: "I had forgotten what happened in the giant bears' den. I was torn apart and eaten by the giant bears like the others. But I regained consciousness in no time. When the Vildkaarls arrived, I had already managed to escape, although I was still dazed. I returned to the village in that state."

He paused, trying to calm his rapid breathing.

"I have a gift… I always regain consciousness quickly, even if I faint. Even the mermaid's songs, which according to legend drive men mad, do not affect me. That is why I was able to get close to Shae'nira."

"I loved her, and she loved me…" He continued, his voice breaking.

However, at this point Bill lost all composure. He hugged his head with both hands and collapsed back to the ground.

"But I killed her..."

His confession echoed through the air like a stifled cry.

"I turned into a giant bear… and tore her apart…"

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