“Enough,” Geralt interrupted. “Enough of that, Guincamp, these allusions are going nowhere. You want facts? By all means, they are as follows. I killed him, because it was necessary. I killed him to save the lives of other people. And I received a dispensation from the law to do it. It was granted to me in haste, albeit in quite high-sounding words. ‘A state of absolute necessity, a circumstance precluding the lawlessness of a forbidden deed, sacrificing one good in order to save another one, a real, direct threat.’ It was, indeed, real and direct. You ought to regret you didn’t see the possessed man in action, what he did, what he was capable of. I know little of the philosophical and metaphysical aspects of demons, but their physical aspect is truly spectacular. It can be astonishing, take my word for it.”

“We believe you,” confirmed Pinety, exchanging glances with Tzara again. “Of course, we believe you. Because we’ve also seen a thing or two.”

“I don’t doubt it.” The Witcher grimaced. “And I didn’t doubt that during your lectures at Oxenfurt. It was apparent you knew what you were talking about. The theoretical underpinning really came in handy with that wolf and that man. I knew what it was about. The two cases had an identical basis. What did you call it, Tzara? A method? A technique? And thus, it was a magical method and the technique was also magical. Some sorcerer summoned a demon using spells, extracted it forcibly from its plane, with the obvious intention of exploiting it for their own magical goals. That’s the basis of demonic magic—”

“—goetia.”

“—That’s the basis of goetia: invoking a demon, using it, and then releasing it. In theory. Because in practice it happens that the sorcerer, instead of freeing the demon after using it, imprisons it magically in a body. That of a wolf, for example. Or a human being. For a sorcerer—as Alzur and Idarran have shown us—likes to experiment. Likes observing what a demon does in someone else’s skin when it’s set free. For a sorcerer—like Alzur—is a sick pervert, who enjoys and is entertained by watching the killing wrought by a demon. That has occurred, hasn’t it?”

“Various things have occurred,” said Harlan Tzara in a slow, drawling voice. “It’s stupid to generalise, and low to reproach. And to remind you of witchers who didn’t shrink from robbery. Who didn’t hesitate to work as hired assassins. Am I to remind you of the psychopaths who wore medallions with a cat’s head, and who were also amused by the killing being wrought around them?”