Chapter 128: The Little Devil of the Produce Market

Luv, the apprentice at the blacksmith shop, trembled so violently he could barely stand. He held a block of anti-magic metal in his hands, moving from the corner to stand before Bab.

The Zerrikanian, his face covered in blue tattoos, assessed the size of the metal block and waved a hand to dismiss the boy.

Fergus stood with his arms crossed, maintaining the poised silence of a master craftsman, and let Yuna speak for them. "As you can see, Bab, all the anti-magic metal Mr. Luv provided is here. We haven't sold any, let alone crafted any dimeritium weapons."

Bab did not even glance at Yuna. He fixed his gaze on Fergus. "My apologies, Master. We needed to confirm the source of the dimeritium held by this 'Batman.' Our mages nearly caught him yesterday, but our spells were disrupted... and then..." He trailed off, the memory clearly humiliating. "In any case, sorry for the intrusion."

Watching the saber-wielding warrior and his men depart, Yuna relaxed her shoulders. She patted Fergus and Luv on the back to reassure them before heading into the back room’s alchemy lab to confront the culprit.

...

She slammed the door shut.

The blacksmith glared at her boss, who wore a look of feigned innocence. Her eyes seemed ready to spit fire. "You’re Batman, aren't you? The Batman who has turned the whole city upside down for the last fifteen days. The Dark Knight who showed off his prowess last night, knocking out two mages. No wonder you woke me up in the dead of night, kicked Luv out, and rushed to turn the dimeritium club back into a metal block. It was because you knew they would be tracking the source of the anti-magic metal!"

Victor had no rebuttal for the accusation. They had lived together for some time now, and their interests were aligned; it was about time Yuna knew some of his secrets. Besides, she was a sincere admirer of Batman; there was a compartment in the blacksmith shop's cupboard dedicated solely to newspaper clippings about the Dark Knight.

Since the day he saved Luv, Batman had expanded his reach. He no longer limited himself to rescuing women. Any gang member walking the streets was liable to be beaten—killing might be excessive, but a thrashing was never a mistake. This shift had quickly pushed the "Big Four" past their limit, leading them to deploy mages on night patrol. Unfortunately for them, Victor had stayed one step ahead by acquiring anti-magic gear prototypes from Yuna.

The mages had dismissed him as a mere costumed eccentric and had taken no precautions against anti-magic armaments. Caught off guard, a mage in close quarters was no harder to handle than a drunkard. He struck them down with precision. After all, those who mastered both magic and combat were rare, and certainly not the type hired for routine night patrols.

Seeing Victor’s cryptic, tacit smile, Yuna couldn't help but laugh, despite her indignation. "Have you been doing this since Vizima?"

"That’s right. At first, I just wanted to help women walking home at night, and honestly, it felt quite satisfying to beat people up."

"And that 'Miss Prejudice' mentioned in the poems—was that really a hint about Princess Adda? Everything that happened between you two is true!?" the blacksmith asked, clenching her fists in excitement.

Victor softened his expression and pinched the bridge of his nose, offering a solemn clarification. "No, I give you my word of honor: those were all fabrications by Dandelion."

Yuna’s smile collapsed, and she sighed with disappointment. "Not true... that’s a pity. You’ve ruined my beautiful imagination."

"Believe me, while they both appear female, Miss Prejudice and Princess Adda are fundamentally two different species."

A knock sounded at the door. It was Angouleme, and Victor told her to let herself in.

She entered with practiced ease, locked the door, and set her shopping basket at the leader’s feet. "Last night’s results were too spectacular; the markets are buzzing about who Batman is. Also, Vic, you might want to consider the soundproofing of these wooden walls. I could faintly hear your conversation from outside."

The young man picked up the basket and rummaged through it. "No problem, I’ll take care of the soundproofing in a couple of days. I’ve told Yuna about the Bat business. While everyone is here, tell me, how are you getting along with Luv?"

Victor’s question was a probe into whether they should keep Luv on.

After a moment’s hesitation, Yuna spoke first. "He’s alright. A cowardly young man with some talent for forging, though his heart isn't really in it. I can tell he’s hiding secrets."

"Even as a fellow Skelligan, he won't tell you?"

Yuna shook her head.

"Take it slow. It took us a while to build trust, too." Victor turned his gaze. "Yuna thinks he’s decent. What’s your take, Angouleme?"

The girl closed her eyes and considered. "I don't share Yuna's positive impression. Maybe it’s just my imagination or prejudice against islanders, but I always feel his cowardice is a disguise. At his core, he’s still a 'fierce and violent' Skelligan."

Upon hearing the regional bias, Yuna grew indignant and reached out to pull Angouleme’s cheeks, who immediately retaliated in kind.

Ignoring the two women’s squabble, Victor pondered for a moment. "Hmm... I’m siding with Yuna on this. That makes it two to one. Let him stay."

His reason for supporting Luv was simple: the phonetic similarity of the name "Luv" gave him too many bonus points. Since the boss had made the call, the matter was settled.

The girl refused to let go, and the blacksmith had no reason to yield. Yuna continued, her words slightly muffled, "Bab showed up today. What do we do now?"

"Doesn't matter. It’s a good time for Batman to take a break." Victor pulled a folded notice from the shopping basket and checked its contents.

Angouleme’s voice sounded like she was holding a tea egg in her mouth. "They say the stalls at the produce market have been plagued by some mysterious creature lately. Sylvester Amiro of the Merchant’s Guild is offering a generous reward for anyone who can catch this thieving little demon."

The young man flicked the bounty notice with his fingers. "A little demon!? Sounds interesting. The produce market operates in the morning. I’ll go check it out tomorrow."

Having said this, he ignored the two women still bickering and the alchemy apprentice headed to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

...

The next morning, Victor went for a jog before heading to the produce market to meet the client.

On the way, a dirty, disheveled beggar sitting by a brazier said listlessly, "Spare a crown?"

The young man tossed him a coin, rewarding him for getting up so early to work—or perhaps for staying there all night, relying on the fire’s warmth to avoid freezing to death.

The produce market was located next to the Tretogor Gate. Tretogor was the capital of Redania, and the gate was named as such because the royal family had funded its construction. They had donated a large sum of money to build the new gate and hired the famous master architect Anna Jaye-Pinkiewicz and her team to provide the labor. The original intention was to curry favor with the merchants and the Hierarch of Novigrad, though time proved it had little effect.

From the gate, the produce market didn't look as bustling as the Hierarch’s Square, but it primarily served the poor and, with the Merchant’s Guild’s involvement, it appeared quite prosperous.

After asking a few people, Victor quickly found Sylvester Amiro. He sported a neatly trimmed beard, wore an anchor-blue robe, and a red round-necked, slanted hat. Compared to his peers at other stalls, he looked far more respectable.