Witcher: Master Kiliman’s Grand Ambitions-Chapter 43: Shani’s Gratitude, the Catriona Plague

After a few simple pleasantries and thanks, Kiriman, of course, didn’t let the two special people in front of him slip away—he directly invited them to join him, and the three of them went to a country inn to share a meal together.
“Shani, why did you come to Vizima? Lately this place hasn’t been very safe.”
As a semi–female lead in The Witcher game and the female lead in The Hearts of Stone story, this medical student girl was very popular—players liked her a lot.
When the witcher asked, Shani didn’t hide anything. She wore a determined expression and said:
“It’s because of the Catriona plague.”
“My former mentor and several good friends all perished in that plague.”
“The school is on break right now, and I accepted a commission from my new mentor to come investigate the plague situation in Vizima.”
“The plague is currently rampant, and because no cure has been found yet, just within Vizima city there are already hundreds of infected.”
“These are very valuable data.”
“In order to one day develop a remedy, I accepted an invitation from the nuns of the Temple of Meritalle and will stay here for a while to record the conditions of the patients.”
So it really was because of that.
Although the Catriona plague wasn’t shown very prominently in the game, in the witcher world it caused casualties comparable to the Nilfgaardian war; at minimum thousands, possibly tens of thousands, died in that epidemic.
Later the outbreak didn’t remain confined to Vizima—Novigrad, Wyzim, Oxenfurt, and other places all ed plague patients.
Among them, the Wyzim Rat Tower incident that gave many players nightmares was actually an extension of this plague.
Even the sorceress Keira paid close attention to finding a cure and nearly died in the Rat Tower due to her own greed, and players had to intervene.
In The Witcher, Geralt meets Shani in Vizima because this red-haired girl accepted a commission from the nuns to help treat plague patients and search for a cure.
Right now, the timeline is a year earlier—Shani hasn’t graduated from school yet.
So this trip is just her using the break to observe plague patients and record relevant data.
Kiriman pondered inwardly and found the explanation reasonable.
Maybe this event did happen in the original timeline; only his butterfly-effect interference caused the girl to meet Alvin early, get robbed by the Salamander Gang, and encounter danger.
In the original story, before Shani fell in love with Geralt, she had an ex-boyfriend—a spy chief for the Temeria kingdom named Sharle.
That probably happened around this time as well; the spy chief helped the newcomer Shani a lot and won her favor.
However, since Shani had already met him, no other man would be allowed to steal her heart—not even Geralt.
After thinking a moment, Kiriman suggested to Shani in a helpful tone:
“The Catriona plague is indeed very dangerous.”
“This plague not only wiped out entire villages, but also bred a large number of monsters and wraiths, causing tragedies across the north.”
“Listen, Shani.”
“I want to help with this matter.”
“You might not know: witchers are immune to many plagues and diseases, including the Catriona plague.”
“If you plan to go somewhere dangerous later, or need any help, you can come to me.”
“I’ll only charge you the lowest fee.”
“Like buying me a meal, or a kiss from a beautiful girl—whatever—you’ll find my price very reasonable.”
Hearing the half-serious, half-joking remark, the red–haired Shani giggled, but quickly adopted a serious expression and looked at the witcher, saying:
“Is that true, Mr. Kiriman?”
“If you’re willing to lend a hand with this plague, I won’t be polite with you.”
“I’ll come to you often for help.”
“My mentor found an herb that seems to have special efficacy against the plague—it grows in the deepest parts of the marsh, the white marshmallow flower.”
“One of my reasons for coming to Vizima now is to obtain specimens for study.”
“I’ve been worrying over this matter.”
“If such a powerful witcher could help, I’d be truly delighted.”
Kiriman raised his cup at her words, clinked it with the red-haired girl, and gave a smile that said, “Leave it to me”:
“This is a small matter for me.”
“When you’re ready, let me know.”
“I’ll protect you when you go to the marsh; I won’t let you face any danger.”
After saying that, Kiriman casually produced a small coin purse from his palm and pushed it toward Shani:
“There are one hundred orens inside as a token of my goodwill. I hope it helps with the research into the plague remedy.”
“If later you’re short on funds, I can provide more support.”
“I only hope you can soon develop an antidote and save those suffering from this plague.”
Offering both money and manpower, handsome and powerful—a hero who rescues the beauty.
In a short time, Kiriman had already earned a great deal of goodwill from the red-haired Shani.
Even Caroline and the little boy Alvin, who sat nearby, looked at the witcher with faces full of admiration.
Staring at the bulging coin purse on the table, Shani hesitated for a few seconds, then bit her lip and accepted the money.
She was only a medical student and hadn’t even graduated yet; her income was scarce.
Researching a plague remedy was not simple: it would consume huge amounts of time and money—only Shani knew how arduous the process would be.
If her respected mentor and good friends hadn’t died in this plague, perhaps she wouldn’t have had such determination—to risk danger and hardship, travel such a long distance from Oxenfurt to Vizima to accomplish this.
Not long ago she had been terrified, thinking she would risk her life to protect young Alvin and escape the Salamander Gang’s threat.
Unexpectedly, after such a short time, someone would support her so generously—willing to both fund and assist her research.
Shani’s gratitude overflowed.
“Thank you, Mr. Kiriman. Thank you for supporting me.”
“You truly are a good man, a witcher worthy of respect.”
She thanked Kiriman sincerely, then, cheeks flushing slightly, leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek.
Unsure how else to express her gratitude after his earlier hint, she offered the innocent kiss of a young woman.
Feeling the warm touch on his cheek and seeing the grateful look in the red-haired girl’s eyes, Kiriman awkwardly rubbed his face.
Although he genuinely wanted to do something good this time, his motives weren’t entirely selfless.
In this world where gods truly exist, doing good deeds does bring rewards.
Just look at Shani in the original timeline.
She was a morally upright, compassionate medical genius, later becoming the head of a medical university, respected and beloved, living into her nineties.
For a medieval mortal who endured wars and disasters, to die peacefully in old age is certainly a blessing—perhaps even the favor of the gods.
If he could contribute to fighting this world–spanning plague, even if he didn’t receive a god’s blessing, at least he hoped to avoid earning a god’s curse or inviting misfortune.
For him, that was enough.
And doing good and being thanked by others was, in itself, a pleasant feeling for both body and spirit.