It would be more pleasant. That's exactly why Geralt has switched tracks. He's not interested in pleasant; he's interested in what's not being said between the lines—and something about a man who would speak so easily about others' exploits and none of his own catches Geralt's attention. He doesn't know what he expects to hear, if he'll even get an answer, but he does expect something.

Dragon slayer makes him raise an eyebrow. The pieces slot into place: about the elf, about his story. (How many dragons are there even? They're so rare on the Continent, more than a few believe them to be myth altogether. He can't imagine what it would be like, to exist in a world where they've grown to become the main source of conflict.)

The sound he makes in reply is contemplative. If there's regret that he hears in that confession, Geralt lets it slide by. It tells him enough. He's had his own fill of them, anyway. "You found a second path. That's more than most ever get."