—
As he walked toward the harbor of Dillingen, Gustave's thoughts drifted back to the hand cannon Regis had designed—or, more precisely, to the modified Fire Rune Magic Regis had used to create its propulsion system, rather than relying on the mass-produced, ordinary Glyph of Igni.
From this, Gustave realized that Regis possessed at least some knowledge of Runewords and Glyphwords, given his ability to alter the template of a Rune Magic construct. Because of that, Gustave had once asked Regis whether he could teach him or at least share his notes on Rune Magic.
However, the higher vampire refused—not out of selfishness, but because Gustave's final destination lay in the homeland of the second most advanced Rune Magic practitioners on the entire Continent, rivaled only by those of Ofir.
For that reason, Regis advised him to learn directly from the Cintrian Artificers instead, as they were true masters of the craft—whereas he himself knew only the basic fundamentals and had merely modified the spell slightly.
Furthermore, Regis mentioned that the new Cintra was no longer like the old one. It now harbored several hidden Masters of the First and Second Degree among its mages, most of whom shared faint traces of an ancient bloodline.
Not only that, but according to Regis, the city walls were currently being enchanted with layer upon layer of Rune Magic, concealed beneath crates and barriers of Dimeritium designed to disrupt magical detection.
Had Regis not witnessed one of the Second-Degree mages applying the enchantments under the cover of invisibility with his own eyes, he likely would never have realized that the castle walls were imbued with magic at all.
Upon hearing this, Gustave had been utterly dumbfounded and confused. In the novels, Cintra had always been portrayed as an ordinary kingdom—completely unremarkable in the field of magic. However, based on Regis's account, it was clear that something had changed.
Or, more accurately, there existed a role or event that had never been written in the novels—something omitted due to various circumstances.
Just as he had once realized that the northern mages of old might already have developed a primitive pistol had he not refreshed his knowledge from Season of Storms, Gustave began to understand that there was more to the story than what he knew.
Because of that, Gustave began to reason—drawing upon his [Knowledge], the fragments of information gathered by the higher vampire, and the lore he remembered from Earth—that the transformation had begun much earlier than he had realized.
After Pavetta's outburst of power upon seeing Dunny nearly killed—an event that, in the original timeline, marked a crucial turning point—Queen Calanthe had quietly begun reshaping her realm into what could only be described as the early foundation of a magical kingdom.
Centuries had buried the House of Raven's ancestral ties to Cregennan of Lod and Lara Dorren, leaving even Calanthe unaware of her bloodline's true nature. It wasn't until she witnessed Pavetta unleash that green-tinted Power that realization struck, driving her to uncover a forgotten truth—their descent from the original bearer of the Elder Blood.
And Calanthe did not miss the chance to act. She began transforming her realm into something far greater than a traditional kingdom. Just as Kovir and Povis would later rise to prominence as centers of magical learning after the events of The Witcher 3, Cintra too seemed to undergo a similar metamorphosis.
But unlike Kovir and Povis, which required an influx of Northern mages to evolve into magical kingdoms, Calanthe chose instead to cultivate Cintra's magical foundation herself—simply because the abundance of Source-sensitive individuals within her realm stemmed from the House of Raven's own bloodline.
Thus began the quiet revolution that would transform Cintra into an early magical kingdom—a detail subtly hinted at even in the Gwent standalone game, which he had once brushed off, much like Season of Storms.
Those cards were the Cintrian Artificer, Cintrian Spellweaver, and Cintrian Enchantress.
The card Cintrian Artificer represents the existence of advanced studies in Rune Magic within Cintra—research that explores how runes can be further modified.
The card Cintrian Spellweaver symbolizes the presence of male sorcerers in Cintra, similar to those trained at Ban Ard, though they focus more on developing weaponized spells.
The card Cintrian Enchantress, mirrors the female sorceresses of Aretuza, specializing in the subtle arts of political manipulation through magic and vitality-healing spells.
Although, according to Regis's account, Cintra's transformation was still in its infancy—with its mages only at the First and Second Degree, two or three levels below renowned sorceresses like Yennefer and Triss—it was remarkable nonetheless.
It amazed him how much the kingdom had changed under Calanthe's rule in just five or six years since the events of "A Question of Price," and how skillfully the queen had managed to keep it all hidden—flying completely under the radar of the Northern mages.
After pondering the matter for a while, Gustave quickly deduced the reason: the presence of Mousesack and his efforts to expand his druidic circle within Cintra.
Because of this, the Northern mages assumed that Cintra merely wished to remain independent of sorcerers by relying on druidic aid.
Furthermore, when they detected traces of magical activity within Cintra through their own means, they likewise attributed it to the druids' workings—never realizing that the kingdom's true intent was to transform itself into the first magical kingdom in human history.
Much like the ancient elven Dol Blathanna once led by Simlas Finn aep Dabairr, before it was undone time and again by his hot-blooded daughter, Francesca Findabair—something Gustave now recognized, especially after realizing that even the Gwent card game might serve as a subtle point of reference.
Sadly, Gustave also knew that, much like the ancient elven Dol Blathanna, if he did nothing, Cintra—the budding magical kingdom—would soon become nothing more than a shadow in history, erased by the swift and brutal slaughter wrought by the Nilfgaardians.
—
Arriving at the docks to the sound of soldiers and guards shouting that he had been found, Gustave immediately began calculating—using his [Knowledge]—what course of action would be most beneficial to him.
After all, the series of events that had led to his encounter with Regis already hinted that he might be far more intelligent than anyone had realized.
His occasional slips in pronunciation when paranoid, his stealthy departure from the cabin without informing anyone, and now his sudden appearance carrying a block of salt from seemingly nowhere—all of it painted a suspicious picture.
Yet, despite knowing he had made several blunders over the past four days, Gustave still knew he could salvage the situation to his advantage, at least in the short term—by crafting an alibi that his encounter with the Foglet four days ago had caused his mind to mature, granting him a faint understanding of the adult world.
Perhaps, in the distant future, these flaws might become points of suspicion when others began digging into his background. But by then, he would already have enough capital and influence to defend himself.
As for his mother's potential suspicions, Gustave wasn't particularly worried. Unless the situation became too exaggerated, her maternal bond and affection would likely lead her to dismiss any doubts she might have about him.
As for his father, Gustave knew the man didn't have much time left. The information he had glimpsed after expending his spirituality through [Knowledge] to interpret the coded news from the Twin Realms—brought by their house's soldiers—had made that clear.
His father was bedridden now, and the official report described the illness as tuberculosis—or, more accurately, "the king's evil," as it was written. But Gustave knew for certain that it wasn't tuberculosis.
By interpreting the reports himself through his [Knowledge] conjecture, and from the helpless efforts of the Aretuza mages recorded within them, Gustave realized the illness was a form of cancer—an ailment that even the magic of this world still struggled to cure.
Considering that his mother had employed a sorceress from the nearby city of Vengerberg—one who specialized in Creational Magic, capable of conjuring lungs out of thin air if the illness truly were tuberculosis—it was clear that his conjecture was most likely correct, and the illness was indeed cancer.
Knowing that even a sorceress on the level of Yennefer herself was unable to heal his father, Gustave simply pushed Ciri's future mother to the back of his mind and focused instead on Reynard, who was walking toward him.
Before Reynard and the nobles following him could say anything, Gustave interjected first.
"Gustave was the one who told the nannies to slip out of the ship. So move aside—Gustave wants to go to the cabin alone."
"Y-Your Highness, y-you…"
Gustave looked coldly at the nobles, who suddenly grew fearful upon realizing he could now speak like an adult. Then, he bellowed:
"Don't look at Gustave like you're looking at a monster! Because the monster is out there—killing good people—and Gustave wants to think about how to eradicate them all! So move aside!"
The nobles parted to make way for the little prince—though he could hardly be called "little" anymore. Reynard let out a pained breath, his heart aching as the realization settled in. He had failed the Queen—failed to keep Prince Gustave innocent.
As a subject of the Twin Realms, Lyria and Rivia, Reynard had always wished for a royal descendant who would grow wise and cunning for the prosperity of the kingdom. Yet, looking at the tiny figure of Prince Gustave, he couldn't help but think—it was far too soon.
In just three short years, the boy he had known—the one who pouted when teased, who laughed brightly and looked at him with innocent fascination—was gone.
"Let's… let's… let's continue our journey…"
With his voice faltering on the tip of his tongue, Reynard turned toward the admiral's quarters, intent on reporting to the Queen as soon as possible the growth the youngest prince had undergone.
"Three winters old… gods help us—tell me, is that a blessing or a curse?"
"Melitele preserve us, no child should bear eyes like that. Whatever's inside him… it wasn't meant to wake so soon."
"If the gods still watch over the young, then they've turned their eyes from our last little prince."
Around him, some of his men and soldiers of the House of Ravens faltered, knees weak, burdened by the same feeling—that they had somehow failed to protect the prince's innocence.
To Reynard, this growth was not entirely a blessing.
For though Lyria and Rivia might one day prosper under such a mind, Queen Meve—as a mother—would surely feel as if her heart were being pierced by a thousand needles, knowing that her son might grow to think only of duty, and nothing more.
From the moment he walked onto the ship alone, needing only minimal help from his maids with obstacles he could not manage himself, it was clear that Prince Gustave was already thinking about independence.
From the way his thoughts were filled solely with responsibility and the task of eradicating monsters on the Continent, it was evident that the prince was already considering the consequences of monsters' actions on common folk.
Most strikingly, in the way he coldly regarded the nobles and did not spare a single glance for his two brothers—whom he had happily run to just four days ago—Reynard realized that the Gustave he once knew was gone, replaced by a child whose wisdom far exceeded his age, though in a troubling sense.
And he, as a general of this entourage, was ready to receive any punishment from the Queen and King, knowing he was solely to blame for allowing Prince Gustave to see the wretched monster that had awakened him to the cruelty of the world.
He knew that Prince Gustave was unlike any other child; with just a little knowledge, his mind could already consider countless different scenarios.
One example was saving the quiet lass in Red Port—an event that had already made the little prince capable of planning an army, as demonstrated in the letter he sent to Grand Lady Hanya.
Because of this, with trembling hands—hands that had never before reported anything so devastating, not even when his army had suffered defeat while building the new Twin Realms—Reynard made a report to the Queen, the King, and, most importantly, Grand Lady Hanya on what he had done to Prince Gustave.
—
With a click, the door closed. Gustave clapped and smiled at his maids. "Well done, girls. Your solemn, silent acting really dialed the atmosphere up to eleven."
Chuckling lightly, Delilah replied to Prince Gustave, "Hehe… thank you, Your Highness. It feels like being a spy, just like in the stories. The thrill of no one knowing who we really are… it's rather addictive."
Shaking his head with amusement, Gustave reassured her, "Don't worry. You'll get many of these thrilling feelings soon enough. What we'll do won't just be playing with house dolls in our own home—it will be much, much bigger."
"Hmm? What might that mean, Your Highness?"
"Nothing, nothing."
Taking a stack of empty drawing parchment from the toddler table, Gustave asked his maids, "Now, girls, I ask you this: Do you want to produce lightning from your hands? Do you want to create a bird with just a wave of your hand?"
Pausing, he resumed, "And do you want to look beautiful, remain ageless, and have thrilling adventures—like enchanting the resplendent Lady Yennefer and the gallant, heroic Geralt, just like in Master Dandelion's ballad 'The Stars Above the Path'?"
"Y-yes… I mean, certainly, Your Highness…"
"Good. In that case, draw your own version of RDBM along with the effects you want. This is the first step of many that you will need to follow."
—