The Mice is a side quest in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 that has you help Innkeeper Prochek from Tachov to pull a prank on his rival in Zhelejov. You need to paint a prized white bull belonging to Olbram. But, of course, it’s not as easy as just picking a brush and going to town—you’ll need to get the right materials, sneak around unnoticed, and do it without getting caught. Here’s how to complete the Mice quest in KCD 2 with everything you need to know.
How to Start the Mice Side Quest in KCD 2
To begin the Mice quest in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, visit the village of Tachov, located northwest of Troskowitz. Look for Innkeeper Prochek at the local inn and talk to him. He’ll tell you about his long-standing rivalry with the Zhelejov people, especially their landowner Olbram. Prochek wants to play a trick by painting Olbram’s prized white bull.
You have the choice to accept or ignore this quest. If you accept, here is the plan to complete the task:
- Get a sleeping potion to knock out the bull.
- Find some paint to give the bull a new look.
- Wait for the right time and sneak into Zhelejov to complete the prank.
This quest is linked to another side quest called Frogs. If you start one but don’t finish it before picking up the other, you’ll fail the first quest automatically. Complete one fully before starting the next. Telling Olbram and people of Zhelejov about Prochek’s prank also cancells Mice quest, so you can begin Frogs instead. So, decide which quest you want to complete first before committing.
Get a Sleeping Potion and Paint
To pull off this prank, you’ll need two key items:
- Lullaby Potion – This will put the bull to sleep.
- Black Paint – To give the bull a fresh, unexpected look.
If you don’t know how to make the Lullaby Potion used to sedate the bull, visit Radovan, the blacksmith in Tachov. He can give you the recipe, but he won’t just hand it over for free. You have a few ways to convince him:
- “I’ll use it against the Zhelejovites” – He will give you the recipe with a solid statement but still need to pay the price.
- “I’ll pay you” – Straight-up buy it from him.
- “Wouldn’t you tell a fellow blacksmith?” – Requires a Blacksmith skill of 7-14 to succeed.
- “I’ll get it somewhere else” – Skip Radovan and look for the potion or recipe in shops or apothecaries.
If you’ve completed the quest The Blacksmith’s Son beforehand, Radovan will teach you the recipe for free. Otherwise, you can buy it from him or find it at an apothecary. You can make a save using Savior Schnapps here to try the different dialogue options.
With the recipe in hand, head to an Alchemy Bench. The closest one is in Troskowitz, inside the apothecary’s garden. You’ll need the following ingredients for the potion:
- Poppy – Available anywhere, grows in fields south of the apothecary’s garden in Troskowitz.
- Thistle – Common near the apothecary’s herb garden or farther south in the fields.
- Herb Paris – Found in forests near trees or bought from the apothecary in Troskowitz. You can read our guide on how to find Herb Paris if you find it hard because it’s not easy to get.
After collecting all the items, here’s how to craft it:
- Add oil to the cauldron.
- Drop in Poppy and boil for one turn of the sandglass.
- Add Thistle and boil again for one sandglass flip.
- Grind Herb Paris in the mortar and toss it in.
- Pour the potion into a phial.
You’ll need at least three doses to make the bull fall asleep. Brewing weak versions of the potion will not impact a lot and require additional doses until the animal goes into dreamland.
The next item on your list is black paint, which you can buy from the tailor in Troskowitz (behind the stocks). The tailor charges 60 Groschen for dye, but you can avoid paying by passing a Speech check (8+).
He will then ask why you need the paint. Do not tell him you’re painting a bull, it’s not right to tell others about your crazy work. Instead, choose the dialogue option:
- “Nothing important” – This keeps your plan secret.
The trick is to not interrupt him; if you let him ramble about paint colors and options, he’ll eventually hand over the paint for free. If you cut him off, your reputation will drop, and you’ll have to invest your Groschen.
Drug the Bull’s Water Trough
Now that you have both the Lullaby Potion and dye, go to Zhelejov in the early evening (around 4-5 PM). The white bull is kept in a barn near Olbram’s house, but you can’t just walk in and start painting. First, you need to drug the bull’s water, so locate the stone trough inside the barn. The trough is inside the right barn from where you enter. Make sure Olbram and his workers aren’t watching as they can get suspicious. Pour in the Lullaby Potion and step back.
You must drug the bull during the day, otherwise, the game won’t give you the option. The bull needs to be away from the trough when you put a drug, otherwise it will not work. Be wary of NPCs when doing that to avoid trouble—wait for them to leave before you pour the potion. After that, wait till the night and let the potion do the job.
Paint the Bull
Once the potion is in the trough, wait a few hours for the bull to drink and go to sleep (usually around 7 PM or later). If a hired hand is near the door, throw a stone away to distract him. With the path clearance, sneak inside and interact with the bull.
You have a few choices for what to paint on the bull as per your liking:
- Paint a saddle
- Paint Olbram covered with shit
- Paint Sigismund and a few knobs
Pick whichever option you like—it won’t change the outcome. After your work of art is complete, leave the barn without getting caught.
Return to Prochek
With the bull successfully vandalized, go back to Prochek in Tachov and tell him how it went. He’ll be delighted and reward you with 85 Groschen.
At this point, Prochek will invite you to a meeting about the ongoing feud. If you ask about it, you’ll unlock the next side quest: Battle of the Frogs and Mice. But if you haven’t completed the Frogs side quest yet, do it now—starting Battle of the Frogs and Mice will make Frogs to be gone completely.
