The Witcher: Lord of the Empire

"Marshal, are you okay?"

Vissegerd snapped out of his thoughts and looked in the direction of the voice. In front of him was Ciri, watching him curiously.

It had been a while since he had seen her. The princess had changed a lot since they were last together; she was taller now, and her figure was beginning to take on the softness of a woman. However, her hands had developed calluses on the palms, something unusual for a princess.

Unlike Enns, the old butler who used to lament the princess's rough hands, Vissegerd admired those marks 'unbecoming' of a noble lady.

After all, Calanthe's hands were also rough. That queen, who at fifteen years old had led troops and won victories on the battlefield, was for Vissegerd a model of what a queen should be. Therefore, he was glad to see Princess Cirilla following in her footsteps, becoming another lioness.

Compared to the princess, the person who surprised Vissegerd the most was Lann.

After the fall of Cintra, all the royal family members except Princess Cirilla committed suicide to avoid being captured or humiliated by Nilfgaard.

Lann's presence was an unexpected breath of hope.

Recalling what happened the previous afternoon, Vissegerd, who had experienced many battles in his life, couldn't help but shudder again.

Yesterday, Lann had said that he would show him what he was capable of. So Vissegerd took him to the military camp under his command. At that time, the soldiers were in training, and Lann, quite naturally, picked up a wooden training sword and, as if walking around carefree, quickly defeated all the troops who were training.

The soldiers were impressed, although Vissegerd still had his reservations about Lann's combat skills; the latter understood this and accepted that his performance had been a surprise attack.

So he challenged the entire Marshal's guards: a frontal confrontation, in formation, with infantry and cavalry soldiers working together.

The soldiers were full of confidence.

The result: another group of people lay on the ground, while Lann, under the effect of adrenaline, seemed to have barely warmed up.

Vissegerd had no choice but to accept that Lann had just redefined his concept of individual strength.

Afterwards, Lann took him to the shore of a nearby lake and showed him his devastating magical signs, as well as his enchanted equipment.

He could not show him the signs of Axii or Yrden or the unique abilities of the Elder Blood, but what he showed him was enough to shake his firm belief in Calanthe's policy of abandoning magic altogether.

Lann showed Marshal Vissegerd a new possibility of war.

Vissegerd was full of emotion at this moment. He had heard a lot of rumors about Lann.

For him, these were exaggerations of refugee desperation, embellishments to keep hope alive.

Now, it seemed that it was all true.

"You can't imagine the strategies that cross my mind, Lann. Our soldiers will never lack courage again…"

Now calm, the marshal reflected for a moment and asked a question: "Lann, I've seen that there are other witchers on your team, like Geralt. Are they also capable of having the same abilities as you?"

Lann thought for a moment and replied tactfully: "We belong to different schools, and our respective strengths are not quite the same."

…

"Marshal, are you okay?"

Lost in his thoughts about Lann, Vissegerd lost his concentration again. The princess had to ask him a second time.

"My apologies, Her Highness."

Ciri smiled slightly, covering her mouth, with a dignified and elegant bearing. "No need, Marshal. You have a great effort ahead of you today."

When she returned to Brokilon, Ciri had adopted a formal posture, a royal poise. Even her tone of voice was calmer and more solemn. She sounded like a real princess. Lann almost thought he was hallucinating, for he remembered that Ciri had never attended the etiquette classes at the castle.

Yennefer, smiling, cleared up Lann's doubt: "I used to be a royal advisor in Aedirn, and I also took a lot of etiquette classes in the middle of magic courses. Ciri studied very seriously."

A war fortress has been built in Brokilon Town. Ciri is standing at the highest point of the wall at this moment. It is simply arranged as a platform, and the three lions flag of Cintra is flying behind her.

The blacksmith who had worked in the royal family also made a ceremonial armor for Ciri, imitating the military uniform of Queen Calanthe, although it was a smaller version.

Wearing a chainmail shirt, a white tunic draped over her shoulders, a red belt and deerskin straps, Ciri, though still young, exuded the bearing of a warrior, reminding the army veterans of Calanthe herself.

Beside her stood Lann, Mousesack, Vissegerd, Geralt, Yennefer, and ten guards selected from Lann's guard team.

Before them, the entire army of Brokilon and Vissegerd's troops gathered to swear allegiance.

At the same time, there were a steady stream of other people coming here, and Lann's servants and guards led people to maintain order.

"Except for the soldiers who are still on the front line to guard against the Nilfgaardians, the rest are all here. They need to swear to their princess and know who they are fighting for." Mousesack said softly to Ciri.

Ciri nodded and stepped forward, revealing her face to those presents.

During the time Cintra stood, the princess rarely appeared in public; and afterward, in Brokilon, Lann had hidden her in Kaer Morhen. For many, it was the first time they had seen Ciri, the first time they had seen the face of their princess.

…

"She is… our princess Cirilla?"

"She looks like a little girl… although she looks a lot like Her Majesty."

"Are we going to fight back against Nilfgaard under her leadership?"

The soldiers had good discipline and could remain silent, but there were discussions from time to time among the people, as if they had considerable doubts about Ciri's existence.

Lann frowned and took two steps forward past Ciri. Then he turned around, bowed his head and knelt on one knee towards her.

Silence fell over the crowd.

Vissegerd also advanced while looking at the soldiers, then raising his voice said:

"Brave warriors of Cintra, we have all been through dark times."

"Our kingdom was invaded by Nilfgaard, our lands were burned, our lives crushed under their yoke. Many of us lost parents, wives, children… some, everything. We have taken refuge in Brugge, building a base in a foreign land, waiting for the day when the flag of the three lions will fly again, the day when the roar of the lions will echo through Cintra."

"We have pressed forward with the fire of vengeance, but we have often felt lost. I have shared food and shelter with you, and I know well what you feel. We have all cried out for the one who guided us in the past: Her Majesty Calanthe."

The marshal paused, his eyes moist. "We lost our queen, and we could not protect her in her last moment. That is a stain that will never be erased."

"But in the future, we will be able to regain our glory on the battlefield, because we have a new leader..."

"Our princess, granddaughter of Her Majesty, Her Highness Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon."

Vissegerd raised his voice in passionate fervor, and his declaration resounded in every corner of the place. Then he turned to Ciri and, kneeling with one knee on the ground, solemnly proclaimed: "I swear here, before Her Highness the Princess, that I will always be loyal to Cintra and to you, my lady."

"I promise to use my knowledge, my wisdom, and my courage to defend the dignity and honor of the kingdom, to protect her security and the integrity of our lands. I will fight with all my might for the security and prosperity of this kingdom. I will fulfill this oath until the last moment of my life."

Under the platform, all the soldiers knelt in unison, proclaiming loudly: "We will fulfill this oath until the last moment of our lives!"

The rumble of thousands of men shouting in unison caused the trees and leaves of Brokilon Forest to shake, disturbed by the force of their determination.

…

Geralt looked on with a slightly uncomfortable expression, though his posture remained firm. Yennefer, with her arms crossed, showed a slight smile on her usual impassive face.

Mousesack, for his part, had glassy eyes. Although it was not yet the moment he had been waiting for, seeing Ciri present herself to her people and accept their loyalty filled him with deep emotion.

Ciri took a deep breath and felt that the scene in front of her was many times more terrifying than the monsters she encountered in Kaer Morhen. However, this time she was not trembling; she felt something in her veins come to life, giving her renewed strength.

She straightened her back, her breathing became deeper, and her expression became even more cold, solemn, and imposing.

She walked slowly past Lann and Vissegerd, her gaze scanning the soldiers lined up in tight formations, as if waiting for her signal.

"Raise your heads, my brave warriors!"

Thousands of eyes were cast at Ciri. Ciri looked at them and felt countless emotions in an instant.

The princess took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled, recalling the breathing method she learned in Kaer Morhen. It was originally prepared for hunting monsters, but she didn't expect it to work now.

Her mind was blank for a moment, so she looked back at Lann. At that moment, it seemed that a warm flame began to burn in her body, making her cold hands begin to warm up.

At the same time, long passages of words began to automatically emerge in her mind, as if they were from a blessing.

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