Shortly after Rhaegar left, a portal opened inside the tent, and Yennefer, bringing a girl around thirteen years old, emerged from the portal.
When Yennefer was about to greet Cadmus, she stopped and looked at the scene before her with a stunned gaze. Before her, Cadmus and Triss were dissecting a body not much older than Ciri. This left her perplexed. She had been gone for less than half an hour, and Cadmus was already dissecting a corpse!!!
Beside her, Ciri opened her mouth and looked at the scene with a shocked gaze. Her supposed teacher was now holding a lung and examining it as if it were the most natural thing in the world. She had to admit, it was terrifying.
"Yennefer, this is the body of a saint!!!" Triss, seeing her friend arrive, approached with a brain in her hands and spoke in an excited tone, unconcerned about her blood-stained hands.
Hearing Triss's words, Yennefer understood what Cadmus was doing and looked at the brain a meter away from her with a bright gaze. Because of blood magic, she had traded the ability to have children for supernatural beauty and longevity.
However, she had always wanted to have children and now deeply regretted her choices. So, she had always sought a way to become pregnant again. From her research, she knew that a True Miracle was necessary to make her conceive.
Therefore, seeing the corpse of a saint made her heart race like never before. When Yennefer was about to say something, she felt something pulling her arm and looked down. She saw Ciri looking around with a touch of fear.
This surprised her, but she soon understood. Ciri had been trapped in Stregobor's dungeon and had seen the horrors a mage could do. The scene in the tent was not exactly different from what Ciri had suffered while watching girls her age being killed.
"Cadmus, this is Cirilla." Holding the girl's hand, Yennefer spoke, drawing Cadmus's attention.
Cadmus lowered the lung in his hands and placed it in a large jar containing a green liquid. He snapped his fingers, and the blood on his apron disappeared, and he put the transparent mask back into his bag.
He turned and looked at Yennefer, or rather, at Cirilla. Looking at the girl with silver-blonde hair and green eyes, who stared at him with a touch of apprehension and fear. Cadmus could not believe that a small figure like this had actually caused the destruction of Valyria.
The sages of Ny Sar were truly geniuses and also quite cruel. Knowing that the bearer of the Elder Blood was a slave, they quietly returned her and waited for the girl or her descendant to finally suffer emotional or physical trauma.
"I apologize for this scene, Cirilla." Cadmus, seeing the girl's fear, spoke in a softer tone. "This is one of my enemies, a saint of the Church of the Seven. He may look young, but he is older than you and me combined—much older than that."
Ciri looked at Cadmus with a touch of skepticism, but seeing Yennefer nod, she looked at Cadmus with a less skeptical gaze, though she was still cautious. After all, it was quite normal given what she had been through.
"I am Cadmus Peverell, Court Mage to King Rhaegar and Lord of Harrenhal, and now, I will be your teacher." Cadmus introduced himself with an exaggerated gesture and a touch of comedy, making Ciri smile, though only for a moment, as the girl hid what she was feeling.
"I am Cirilla, just Cirilla." The girl was brave and introduced herself with a relatively loud voice. She looked directly into Cadmus's eyes—a gaze that seemed to burn with an unyielding green flame. In that look, Cadmus saw many things, especially the determination to grow stronger.
"That is a good look, girl," Cadmus said with a smile. "As a future witch, this feeling of determination will make you stand out above the rest."
The first step to being strong is having determination. If someone lacks determination, there is no chance at all of that person becoming strong. After all, humans are predominantly lazy creatures; without determination, it was hard even to get out of bed and feel sleepy again.
Ciri nodded and looked at Cadmus with a less skeptical and more courageous gaze. Turning to look at the boy lying on the metal table, she asked with a touch of discomfort, "Is this truly your enemy?"
"Exactly, he died about half an hour ago under the combined attacks of Lady Kinvara, myself, and Mitra," Cadmus said with a smile. "The Church of the Seven is the king's main enemy, and as my student, he is now your enemy too."
Triss and Yennefer looked at each other; they saw the shock in each other's eyes. They didn't know who Mitra was, but they knew Kinvara's name. After all, she was a woman over four hundred years old and at the peak of power on the continent of Essos. There wasn't a powerful person who didn't know the name of the High Priestess of the Great Red Temple of Volantis.
She was also one of the beings recognized as apostles still living on the planet. So, knowing that such a figure was in Westeros and fighting was quite surprising.
"But don't worry, they are a bunch of fanatical idiots, but they aren't that strong." Seeing the girl in silence, Cadmus added with a smile.
"I am not afraid of Ban Ard and Aretuza, let alone this so-called Church of the Seven," Ciri spoke, looking directly into Cadmus's eyes, surprising him.
"Yennefer, I will allow your entry into my castle. Speak with my wife, and she will prepare your accommodation. Ciri will stay with me on the battlefield." Cadmus couldn't turn back, so Ciri had to stay by his side, even if he was participating in a war.
"No need, I will also stay on the battlefield," Yennefer spoke in a calm tone. She truly didn't want to be separated from Ciri. After months of caring for the girl, she had grown very attached to her. She saw her as the daughter she could never have.
"Very well." Cadmus was surprised but accepted without much thought. Although Triss or Yennefer were not as strong, they were powerful witches who could help him watch over the entire battlefield. He didn't trust Melisandre in the slightest. The Apostle-level Red Witch was quite shrewd and had experience that would make him look like a novice beside her.
Besides, he gained an apprentice with Elder Blood, a powerful witch, and another witch specialized in potions came as a bonus. How could he refuse something so good?
Triss wanted to say she wanted to leave, but faced with Cadmus's gaze, she showed a slightly helpless look and said nothing. Besides, she was truly curious about the saint's corpse, so she didn't mind staying.
"Very well." Cadmus nodded with satisfaction. Then, he looked at his tent. Thinking it was too small for four people, especially for three women, he waved his hand, and a space expansion spell began to expand the space inside the tent.
A place of three hundred square meters appeared before Yennefer, Triss, and Ciri. Shortly after, stone walls rose from the ground, forming rooms and corridors.
"Choose your rooms; there is a bed and other things inside the room," Cadmus spoke in a casual tone, as if he hadn't just done something that was simply incredible.
Ciri's eyes widened, completely shocked by what she had just seen. Not just her; Triss and Yennefer were also shocked. Cadmus's teleportation method was quite rustic, but the space-related spells from the Harry Potter universe were superior to many magic worlds.
"Don't be too shocked; you will learn to do this after a few years of study." Unlike Gaemon, Rhaegar's son, Ciri was truly his apprentice.
For a mage to choose an apprentice was not simply something trivial, but essentially continuing his legacy. Ciri would inherit part of Cadmus's legacy, although it wouldn't be complete like Daenerys's or even his own children's and future descendants', but it was infinitely better than Gaemon's, who only had the basics of the basics.
Ciri's eyes shone upon hearing that she could actually create a world like her teacher. Yes, in Ciri's eyes, the scene before her was the creation of a world.
If Cadmus heard her words, he would have rolled his eyes, as Ciri's Time and Space Manipulation power was much better than any other time or space spell. It was an innate ability in her blood; she didn't even need gestures or any incantation.
If Ciri learned to control her powers, creating a true world would not be just a naive dream, but something she could actually do. After all, that is the manipulation of space and time.
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Read my other books:
House of The Dragon: The Pale Prince
Game Of Thrones: The God-Emperor of Planetos (500,000 words written).
Percy Jackson: Godwyn the Golden.
Game Of Thrones: The King's Court Wizard