The headquarters of the Eternal Fire were located on a small island connected to Novigrad.

Since this island was entirely Eternal Fire territory, off-limits to unauthorized personnel, it was also known as Temple Isle.

But today, Lynn found himself entering Temple Isle, led by a Temple Guard. The two passed through layers of heavily guarded security until they arrived at an office door.

"Wait here. I'll go in and announce you." The Temple Guard left Lynn outside and entered.

A short while later, the office door reopened. "You may enter. Master Chapelle will see you now."

Lynn stepped into the office, and the door closed behind him.

"Nice office you've got here." He looked around. The interior was exquisitely and beautifully furnished; even a count's office wouldn't look much different.

"Is there anything I can do for you, Master Chapelle?"

Chapelle smiled wryly. "Please, drop the 'Master.' When we're alone, call me Sasha, like before."

"Good. I was worried that power might erect a tragic, thick barrier between us," Lynn said with a laugh, taking a seat opposite Chapelle.

"Alright, no more jokes. You specifically had Dudu notify me to come visit you under the pretense of a monster contract. It surely wasn't just to show off your new office."

"Tell me, how can I help you?"

Chapelle nodded. Without preamble, he began to recount the recent troubles that had plagued him.

"The truth of the matter is..."

No one would have guessed that Chapelle, the Eternal Fire's Security Officer, a figure of immense power in Novigrad, was actually an imposter.

The real Chapelle had died long ago. The current Chapelle was merely a doppler named Sasha.

Dopplers were a peculiar race. Their peculiarity wasn't just their ability to change their physical form at will, but also their character. Dopplers were almost never truly evil.

The worst misdeeds they could commit amounted to, at most, stealing someone else's belongings. Robbery was acceptable, but murder was strictly forbidden. No doppler would ever conceive of taking a human life, not in the slightest.

Under his management, the Eternal Fire, though not entirely turned to good, had at least seen a significant reduction in death row inmates compared to before. And those who were truly executed were finally the genuinely wicked.

However, Chapelle's actions had also led some radical elements within the Eternal Fire to grow suspicious of him. The doctrines of the Eternal Fire were originally benevolent, but no organization was immune to a few rotten apples spoiling the barrel.

The Eternal Fire was no exception; in fact, it had more than just a few. These radicals were utterly uninterested in the Eternal Fire's doctrines. Their sole purpose in joining the Eternal Fire was to climb the ranks and get rich.

Previously, they had always enriched themselves through extortion and boosted their own achievements by killing innocents and taking credit. Now, Chapelle's sudden shift had caused them considerable trouble.

Their income plummeted, and promotions seemed indefinitely out of reach.

It was said that cutting off someone's livelihood was akin to killing their parents. Chapelle had cut off not only their source of wealth but also their path to promotion. These individuals naturally began plotting in secret, seeking crooked ways to bring him down.

After listening to Chapelle's account, Lynn stood up. "Alright, I understand."

Chapelle was taken aback. "You understand what?"

Lynn cracked his knuckles and said matter-of-factly, "To get rid of those troublesome fellows, of course. What else? Should we keep them around for the holidays?"

"I called you here, not to eliminate my opponents for me."

"Then do you have a better idea?"

Chapelle paused. "That... I haven't quite thought of one yet."

"Well, there you have it, then, don't you?"

Lynn knew that unless someone was truly evil, dopplers were still unwilling to take a life. Especially in the current situation, it clearly looked like killing for personal gain. But a witcher didn't suffer from such internal conflict.

"If you're feeling bad about it, then consider this," Lynn said, spreading his hands, "If I weren't here, and you, being soft, were overthrown by those radicals, letting them seize power, what would Novigrad become?"

"If you can't imagine, then I'll tell you: first, they'd burn every herbalist and alchemist in the city;"

"Then, non-humans like dwarves and elves;"

"Finally, humans who don't worship the Eternal Fire..."

"Under their bloody rule, Novigrad would run red with blood. Who knows how many would die then?"

"Now, do you understand? This isn't eliminating opponents; it's protecting the people. If they're not removed, hundreds, if not thousands, more will die."

Chapelle remained silent. After a long moment, he said, "You always have a point."

"That's because I stand on the side of truth," Lynn extended his hand to the Security Officer. "At least you know their names, right? Give me the list. The rest, you don't need to worry about."

After leaving Temple Isle, Lynn contacted the Syndicate. He handed them the list and instructed them to investigate whether all the names on it were truly radical elements who had killed innocents to claim credit.

It wasn't that he didn't trust Sasha, but these people had no quarrel with Lynn, so it was always wise to investigate before taking their lives. It would prevent him from killing the wrong people and regretting it later, leading to unnecessary mental strain.

The Syndicate was highly efficient. In less than a week, the investigation yielded results. Drakton and his subordinates did an excellent job, not only uncovering evidence against the radicals but also obtaining their addresses and daily travel records.

With that, Lynn had no more reservations.

Two days later, at midday. Inside a luxurious mansion in the Upper City.

Lynn flicked the blood from his Gwyhyr, sheathing it. Beside him lay the bodies of twenty to thirty fully armed Temple Guards. Over the past two days, he had struck swiftly, following the order of names on the list.

Since he had a Charm of Deception to alter his appearance, he wasn't afraid of being seen while assassinating his targets. If a target had many guards, he'd kill the target and escape. If there were few guards, he'd eliminate all who saw him.

The owner of this mansion was the last person on the list.

Lynn took out the list he'd received from Chapelle, and a flame flared from his finger, igniting the paper. He casually dropped it, watching the list turn to ash.

Through these few days of combat, Lynn had also confirmed his current strength. Even without potions, his speed had reached a point where ordinary people simply couldn't react.

In his home world, there was an old saying: "All martial arts, only speed is unbreakable." Speed was the key to victory.

High speed not only meant that when he struck to take an opponent's life, they hadn't even reacted; it also meant that he could break out of an enemy's encirclement before they could complete it.

This advantage meant that small groups of enemies simply couldn't pose a threat to him. And when encountering large enemy forces, he could use his speed to easily outrun them.

....

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