Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

It was fairly easy to understand Francesca's diffident. Lord Vilgefortz was seemingly invincible in one to one combat, yet he was taken down by Cirilla and Olivia. Francesca would stand no chance against them.

Moreover, the strength increase of Kaer Morhen was showing no signs of slowing down. Even her forces in Scoia'tael were no match to Kaer Morhen. Under these circ.u.mstances, it would be almost suicidal to cross them.

Francesca now considered negotiating her release. None would have foreseen Cirilla and Olivia being this strong. As the foster parents of Cirilla and Olivia, Geralt the White Wolf and his true love Yennefer stood all to gain from their daughters' success.

Apart from Scoia'tael's Francesca, the most talented and ambitious ruler among nations of the Northern Realms, Foltest of Temeria also received news of Vilgefortz's unexpected defeat in the joint hands of the two Cintra Princesses. The elder Princess Cirilla gained legendary status through that epic battle; the younger "Pearl of The North" was already renowned at that time. Now that Olivia had Cirilla's support as an unparalleled talent even among source mages as her protector knight, people revered her all the more.

In the eyes of Foltest of Temeria, Vilgefortz had been the primary threat from the Northern Realms. This was due to his outstanding achievements during his service for The Nilfgaardian Empire in the empire's first battle at the Northern Realms.

Previously, Vilgefortz had portrayed himself as the most powerful ace of Emperor Emhyr, while the other mages of the Nilfgaardian Empire could only step aside and watch.

It was as if Vilgefortz alone had the ability to determine the outcome of a battle!

Therefore, even Foltest trembled at Vilgefortz's name. They had hired numerous "Cats" to a.s.sa.s.sinate Vilgefortz, determined to eliminate this major threat and prevent him from further aiding the Nilfgaardian Empire in upcoming battles.

However, the reality was cruel. Those deployed a.s.sa.s.sins were never heard of again. Instead, fresh rumors circulated, claiming that the mighty Lord VIlgefortz had gained a new batch of fresh test subjects in his research laboratory. They were believed to be Witcher samples!

After failure upon failure, a.s.sa.s.sins were no longer willing to take up on his offer. Lord Vilgefortz gained even more fame through this. Rulers of the Northern Kingdoms were on the brink of calling off this pointless attempt!

However, Foltest did not antic.i.p.ate the invincible Vilgefortz would die in such manner. A teenager had slain him in combat.

If the news had not been authenticated repeatedly, Foltest would have a.s.sumed that it was a lame joke. Vilgefortz was the most significant threat of the Northern Realms, how could he be killed just like that?

This had come as a blessing in disguise. He immediately gained confidence in the idea of mobilizing the Allied Army of Northern Realms to reclaim Cintra!

At the same time, Foltest felt newfound respect for Olivia and Cirilla, the former Princesses of Cintra Kingdom. He felt that these two Princesses of the fallen kingdom only appeared to be neutral, but in reality, they were fiercely loyal to the North!

Foltest had not yet met the famed "Pearl of The North" Olivia. No matter how stunningly beautiful Olivia was, Foltest would never have any interest towards her, unless she was a blood tied sibling. The renown and talented ruler among the Northern Realms had such extreme fetishes.

But now, Foltest wished to meet Olivia and Cirilla. He even thought of formally inviting both Princesses to take up positions in the Temeria kingdom. Take Olivia as an example. As a prodigy in business, she could easily take up the position of finance minister. As a Princess of Cintra Kingdom, as well as her breakthroughs in management principles, no one would disagree to this appointment.

Most importantly, Olivia had been directly involved in the killing of Vilgefortz; this was the best proof of loyalty. There was no question of it.

As the "Pearl of The North" was still single, Foltest could also get to introduce her to young and talented males from the Kingdom of Temeria.

Olivia aside, Cirilla could be appointed as the kingdom's mage. She had already successfully killed Vilgefortz. Wouldn't she receive a hero's welcome wherever she goes?

With Cirilla's might, nothing could possibly stop her.

From this battle, Cirilla as a source mage and news of her ability to manipulate s.p.a.ce-time magic got out. People were already mentioning Ithlinne's Prophecy ——[2]

"Verily I say unto you, the era of the sword and axe is nigh, the era of the wolf's blizzard. The Time of the White Chill and the White Light is nigh, the Time of Madness and the Time of Contempt: Tedd Deireádh, the Time of End. The world will die amidst frost and be reborn with the new sun. It will be reborn of Elder Blood, of Hen Ichaer, of the seed that has been sown. A seed which will not sprout but burst into flame." [3]

Ithlinne, an elven prophetess, was famous for her foretelling of the end of the world. According to her prophecy, the world would be destroyed by an ice age, and all humans would die. Only elves would remain. An offspring of the Elder Blood known as the Swallow would deliver them from certain doom. Several signs would herald the destruction of the world, and the cataclysm would begin when elven blood soaks the earth. This would mark the advent of the 'Time of Disdain, the Axe and the Wolf's Blizzard,' which could be interpreted as a drawn-out war or a return to barbarism.

Many believed in the Ithlinne's Prophecy. They firmly believed that the white blizzard would spell the end of the world. Ithlinne's Prophecy could be heard at every port, town square or city gate. The prophecy was used as the ground principles of every village witch, druid or scholar, scholar's article or publication, fortune tellers to decipher the future, druids to warn the people. Ithlinne's Prophecy had already penetrated into the daily lives of every corner. Everyone knew of words such as, "wolf blizzard's era, the coming of white blizzard's era" and "the world to be destroyed in the icy blizzard." However, not many actually understood what it truly meant.

These self-proclaimed seers' stories about Ithlinne's Prophecy often misinterpreted the calm surface of the lake as the sky. According to some scholars, the white blizzard was not referring any legendary or mysterious supernatural calamity. It was merely referring to everyday natural phenomena using dry and dull technical terms.

Some people believed that Cirilla's Elder Blood had started to manifest in its full power and had contributed to her victory against Vilgefortz. Many ambitious rulers began to set their sights on Cirilla. Whoever rules over Cirilla would rule over the world!

However, Cirilla belonged to only one person, Olivia.

Translation Note:

[1] The Cats (or Felines) were witchers who developed fighting styles focusing on speed, precision, and agility. As a result, Cat school witchers as well as their equipment do not deal a lot of raw damage but can inflict deadly critical hits. By extension, their gear was designed to maximize flexibility and provide the greatest possible range of motion.

[2] Ithlinne Aegli aep Aevenien was a legendary elven healer, astrologist, and Oracle. She had a gift for divination and prophecies, the best known of which is Aen Ithlinnespeath. Ithlinne's Prophecy has been observed to have correctly predicted many things, such as the Northern wars (1239-1268) and the plagues of 1268, 1272, and 1294.

[3] Ithlinne's prophecy, also known as Aen Ithlinnespeath is a prediction made by the elven prophetess Ithlinne. It is mentioned over the course of the Witcher series, and it is tied to the computer games rather prominently.

In the final book of the saga, The Lady of the Lake, the background story reveals that Ithlinne's prophecy is in the progress of becoming reality: The harbors of Kovir and Poviss are no longer ice-free in winter, and a 100 years earlier, pumpkins and sunflowers could be cultivated in Talgar and Caingorn. A global cooling has begun, although it will be another 3,000 years until glaciers bury civilization.