—
After a couple of hours watching the children play in the estuary pond in the market square—joined by kids of all races, which eventually turned into a small swimming contest that Ciri organized—Gustave couldn't help comparing it to his homeland of Lyria and Rivia.
In his homeland, there were no such things as happy elven, gnomish, or dwarven children. Or, more accurately, encountering them was exceedingly rare—rarer even than seeing every household manage to buy a sword for their family.
If one were to rank the kingdoms by racism, his homeland would easily take third place, with Toussaint in first—since there were essentially no non-humans there—and Kaedwen in second.
That was why seeing non-humans living harmoniously with humans in Cintra was such a surprise to him—especially as someone who came from a modern world where only humans existed. From the moment he had been reborn, he had never encountered a non-human face-to-face in his homeland; all he ever knew of them came secondhand.
Even then, the non-humans spoken of in the castle were treated with skepticism or outright hostility, despite their high status as merchants from Mahakam.
And it wasn't just the common folk—this prejudice ran deep in the nobles, wealthy families, and even the soldiers of Lyria and Rivia, whether they served under the House of Raven loyal to his mother or were ordinary troops of the twin realms. One only had to look at their faces as they eyed the non-humans with suspicion to see it.
It didn't stop there, either. Even his own maids were casting uncomfortable glances at the many non-human children in the estuary pond—a clear sign of how deeply their racism ran, passed down from parents and grandparents like an inheritance no one ever questioned.
But he knew there was nothing he could do about it. When racism ran in the blood, ingrained over generations, it would take just as many generations to wash that hostility away.
Even on Earth, racism remained a stubborn sociological issue, nearly impossible to solve outright. So no matter how much he thought about the problem, he knew he would never find a perfect solution—except letting time erode it, slowly and painfully, as it always did.
That was why, back when he had considered the future of warfare and politics, race relations had become one of his priorities. It was the reason he wanted Saskia to become queen of a territory near both his own kingdom and Ciri's.
Because he knew that in Lyria and Rivia, non-humans would become a strategic weakness—one that enemies could easily exploit by forming groups like the Scoia'tael to wage guerrilla warfare and cut supply lines, which were crucial in any medieval society.
So, establishing Saskia's state as his neighbor was the only viable way to compensate for the overwhelming racism within his own realm.
Perhaps not a direct neighbor to Lyria and Rivia, but close enough that regular trade and proximity—somewhere like Sodden or Riverdell—might gradually soften attitudes and begin transforming his kingdom into a less racist one over time.
"Your Highness, the children are being called by the Queen to the castle."
Roused from his fake sleep, Gustave deactivated his [Knowledge]—which he had occasionally used to observe the entire market square—and rose from the ground, intending to head toward the castle.
However, because Ciri was sulking over her contest being cut short, it took an extra fifteen minutes just to coax that pouty protagonist girl into moving. And even then, the walk to the castle took much longer than it should have, because Ciri—petty to the core over her canceled contest—refused to walk and had to be dragged along by her nana.
After an hour on a path that should have taken no more than thirty minutes on foot, Gustave finally arrived at the command center—the heart of Cintra's governance.
But because their route had been predetermined, he still hadn't been able to see, with his own eyes, the transformation into the magical kingdom Regis had spoken about.
However, when he opened his eyes using [Knowledge], spending a large chunk of his spirituality, Gustave could clearly see the hidden runes woven into the walls and the magical residue in the air—both of which had been masked by the green scent of druidic sorcery.
Not only that—now, with his [Knowledge] active, he could see far into the corner to the right of the palace district, where a cluster of buildings stood, one of which resembled a typical magic academy. It could only be accessed through a designated canal by boat.
Although it wasn't as large nor as impressive as Aretuza—with its structure built on a tiny island that appeared to float—it was a splendid beginning nonetheless.
And when he examined the residences in that hidden district, Gustave was also able to confirm what Regis had mentioned: the sorcerers in this kingdom were mostly First- to Second-Degree Mages. Or in other words, merely Initiates and Apprentices—the very bottom ranks of magehood.
He was able to determine their ranks thanks to his mystic ability, [Knowledge], which he used in conjunction with [Recall] to compare the lingering residue of Power from the first sorcerer he had met in this world to that of the Cintrian mages.
But what was peculiar about all of this was not the mages. It was the presence of a small entourage of Ofiri merchants, along with a single Rune Mage who had apparently taken up the role of temporary instructor to the Cintrian sorcerer.
And not only that: the leader of the caravan bore a strong resemblance to Dulla kh'Amanni, making it easy for Gustave to guess that he was either the man's father or a close relative.
Considering that the Runewright in the Hearts of Stone DLC mentions having a mentor, Gustave deduced that this Rune Mage was likely the very same person referenced by the Runewright.
As for how he reached that conclusion, it was simple: by linking the Runewright's close ties to Dulla kh'Amanni in the DLC with the family resemblance he observed here, Gustave concluded that this Rune Mage was almost certainly the mentor the Runewright once spoke of.
So when he wondered why on earth these Ofiri had come here of all places, the answer became clear soon enough—there is no smoke without fire.
Meaning that when Regis said Cintra had become the second most advanced practitioner of Rune Magic, it hadn't come out of nowhere. It was, quite literally, because they had been learning from the first-ranked practitioner himself.
And considering the Ofiri tradition of spreading knowledge far and wide—their culture and even their religion compelling them to teach the words of the world wherever they traveled—Gustave now understood why Queen Calanthe had formed a long-term partnership with those Ofiri caravans.
When he also accounted for the Artificers, Spellweavers, and Enchanters of Cintra—figures who had yet to appear but were already hinted at in Gwent—everything finally clicked. Cintra's magical foundation came from these Ofiri people, allowing the kingdom to grow into a budding magical realm without relying on Northern mages.
Unable to continue his train of thought, he eventually found himself at the palace. After entering the chambers prepared for them, he changed into attire more appropriate for meeting a monarch. He knew Queen Calanthe wanted to meet the children, but he also knew it was merely a pretext to meet him, given the rumors about his intelligence.
Just after he finished changing—and after instructing his maids to hide the RDBM, unwilling to reveal it too early before his reputation as a genius solidified among a select few like Calanthe—he heard a loud creak, followed by a sharp bang.
"Let's go, Gustave! Let's meet my grandmama!"
Walking on his two tiny legs toward the front door of the chamber, Gustave looked at Cerys, his brother Anséis, and Ciri. He nodded to the protagonist girl, allowing her to hold his hand like a hen leading its chick as they made their way toward the imperial hall.
Looking around and not seeing Hjalmar anywhere, he asked Ciri, "Where is big brother Hjalmar? Does he not want to meet the Queen like Gustave?"
Pouting, Cerys answered with a stomp, "That big oaf slipped away when I wasn't looking! Probably went to the tavern to follow the rest of the An Craite and Tuirseach adults!"
Giggling to herself, Ciri leaned in and whispered, "How about we slip away too…? Just like Hjalmar… I know a way to get out of the castle without alerting Grandmama's guards…"
But with his maids, Ciri's maids, Anséis's maids, and Cerys's shieldmaidens all present, Ciri's "sneaky plan" wasn't sneaky at all. Seeing the adults staring at them with strange expressions, Gustave quickly stepped in before the little she-devil could follow through with her idea.
"Don't, big sister Ciri. It isn't appropriate to sneak away from the Queen. And Gustave wants to meet big sister Ciri's grandmama for the first time to ask her to help Gustave's mother fight the war. So please, big sister Ciri—don't slip away this time. This meeting is important to Gustave."
But Ciri barely heard a word after that. Her whole body trembled the moment he called her "big sister." The memory of that painful day months ago—when her father and mother died at sea, all because they simply wanted to go on a trip—washed over her. She knew she would never have a little brother or sister of her own.
So with a quiver in her voice, she asked, needing confirmation, "W-what d-did you say?"
Without thinking too much, he answered without hesitation, "Gustave wanted to meet Aunt Calanthe to ask for—" But he stopped the moment he saw Ciri's eyes shimmering with tears. Finally understanding everything through his calculation of [Knowledge] lore, he continued, but changed what he was about to say, adding to the brownie points already waiting there.
"To ask for help. Because we are all family. And families need to help each other when someone is having a hard time."
"No, not—not that! The first one, the first one!"
With the cutest, most innocent baby face he could muster, Gustave tilted his head and asked, "Oh, do you mean… big sister Ciri?"
"Yes! Yes! Hahahahaha! I have a little brother of my own! Hahahahaha! Hick—hick—! Hahaha!"
Hugged tightly by the girl who had gone from laughing with joy to breaking into tears at the memory of her lost parents, Gustave simply stayed still, letting her cling to him while quietly comforting her. He knew all too well what it felt like to lose a family.
And because he also knew her tragedy did not end here, he reassured her in his heart that karma would deliver its due. The scales were already tilted against her wretched father, Dunny—and he would make sure the weight of karma fell entirely on their side, enough to erase them completely if the girl wished it.
With one last gentle pat on her back, Gustave whispered reassuringly, "It's okay, big sister Ciri. Everything will be alright."
"Hick, hick… Y-yes… E-everything will be alright…"
Now, he was the one leading the little girl, like a hen guiding its chick. Gustave finally arrived at the imperial hall, which served both as a banquet hall and as the command center of all Cintra. And upon finally meeting Queen Calanthe herself, he couldn't help but compare her to his mother.
If Meve was the wild, unrestrained type of monarch—yet still someone completely reliable when it came to ruling a kingdom—then Queen Calanthe was the regal, imposing kind, the sort of monarch who made one instinctively kneel the moment they saw her.
It was like seeing a female version of Emhyr, but leaning more toward the barbaric side—not in savagery, but in mannerisms.
Because instead of relying on her natural aura to get what she wanted, she often resorted to shouting and headbutting like a true Skelligan—which made sense, considering Cintra's long history with the islanders and the fact that her current husband was one of them.
Like right now…
"Ciri! What happened to you?!"
Wiping away her snot with the Little Guy's hands, Ciri answered with a pout and a snort, "Hmmph! It's because Grandmama summoned us! My contest before the new year is ruined now! Hmmph!"
Hearing this—and after one of her intelligence agents whispered details into her ear—Calanthe glanced at both Ciri and her cousin's youngest son with amusement. Toward the latter, her gaze softened in brief warmth and adoration before she shifted to teasing her granddaughter.
"Oh? Is that so? Are you really sad because of my summons, my dear?"
"Of course! Look! My eyes are sad right now! And Grandmama is the one who made them like this! Hmmph!"
"Truly?"
"Yes, of course! Who wouldn't be—because of Grandmama?! Hmmph!"
"Really? Are you sure?"
"I'm sure. It's because—"
On and on the two of them tried to one-up each other. After a couple of minutes, Gustave could only stare at them with a deadpan expression, amazed at the sheer level of pettiness radiating from both sides.
But at least the brief warmth in Calanthe's eyes earlier told him that he had made a good first impression—something very important to him, considering she would be hosting him for the next couple of years.
—