Shift! The Side-Character Heroine

Olivia officially became Vilgefortz’s only apprentice. The in-game Database was updated with that information. The complicated history of this formidable “prestige master” was revealed in “character information” tab.

One of the Vilgefortz’s parents was a sorcerer. They had abandoned young Vilgefortz, who was later found by Druids of Kovirian Circle in the poor suburbs.[1][2] He was brought up and taught by the druids, living his life as a nomad alongside with them.

In an unexpected incident, Vilgefortz talent was discovered by other sorcerers. They invited him to join the brotherhood, which he had rudely rejected. Moments after turning them down, he had left the Druids community and wandered across the land. He became a soldier and a spy.

In the last chapter of his journey as a wanderer, he fell in love with another sorceress, who he left not long after.

In the Battle of Sodden Hill, he had commanded twenty-one sorcerers to fend off the invasion of Nilfgaaridan Empire. [3][4] Under his leadership, a truce was signed between the Northern Kingdoms and the Nilfgaardian Empire.

Since then, Vilgefortz of Roggeven became known across the world as a compassionate peacekeeper. [5] People would bow to him, no matter where he went.

Of course, he had intentionally built such an image…

A true antagonist was always far more righteous, compared to the protagonist. They understood the true power and influence of “righteousness.” Only a fool would mark himself down as wicked and evil.

Olivia read on. Years ago, he made a deal with Emhyr var Emreis, who was cursed by his father’s political enemy into the form of a hedgehog. Emhyr had prowled in the city of Cintra using the moniker “Duny, Urcheon of Erlenwald.”

Under the guidance of Vilgefortz, Duny had saved the king of Cintra, who later invoked the “Law of Surprise” to undo his curse.[6] The Princess of Cintra fell in love with Duny. They married and gave birth to Ciri, and a year later, Olivia…

It was clear now. Emhyr did not win the heart of her mother by charm, but as a side effect invoked by “Law of Surprise.” No wonder she never felt any love between her parents.

Perhaps her naive mother Pavetta still loved Emhyr, but Emhyr was too obsessed with his revenge. Nothing was more important than getting his throne back.

What an ambitious man! Olivia, who had Lady Zhao’s backing became impressed by his dedication and focus on his goal.

Olivia lacked compassion, just like much of these damaged souls. In her case, she could access the gaming system, so she knew that she was playing a game in a simulated world. Nothing in this game could last forever, why would she fell in love with anything?

The moment Vilgefortz took her under his wings, Oliva saw an increase in side missions. Vilgefortz curiosity towards Olivia’s capability had caused the upsurge of these missions. All these were challenges that sought to test her limits.

To Olivia, these were nothing but common questions of additional mathematics in high school. She soon collected a lot of skill points with ease.

Vilgefortz emphasized that one must first master the basic knowledge of magic foundation. Most sorcerers had incredible power within, but their knowledge limited the power of the magic cast.

Olivia passed all of VIlgefortz’s tests with outstanding results. Her master now truly pitied Olivia. If only Olivia had been born with a much stronger bloodline – she might have become a remarkable source sorceress, perhaps… No, it is better this way, she would not become a threat to his plans.

Vilgefortz soon realized what a fool he had been, training an apprentice who could potentially overpower him. He might have to make some changes to his plans.

Hence, he started manipulating Olivia into hating her own sister, Cirilia.

Olivia was at Vilgefortz’s potion lab. It was only logical for a sorceress to test the truth of magic and how it basically worked.

“Olivia, do not ever expect Cintra to acknowledge you as a genius. You will never be treated like Ciri. She is the chosen one. Your grandmother Queen Calanthe is not a fair person. Ciri is the only one who could inherit the throne. You are destined to be married to some man who would never be king, while Ciri could choose her prince at will.”

Of course, Olivia was not buying any of that. She instantly saw through Vilgefortz’s motives, but displayed a convincing expression of hatred and jealousy. All actors had to master this if they wanted to have long, successful careers.

“Please guide me, master!” Olivia had said in response to that ‘revelation.’

Vilgefortz felt the thrill of being in total control of one person’s life. He could not help but smile widely. He was not aware that he sounded just like Emhyr and said, “If Ciri disappears, everything will belong to you.”

Olivia was nothing but a powerful, future chess piece for Vilgefortz.

“Then, I will maintain a close relationship with sister Ciri. If anything happens to her, nobody would suspect me,” Olivia spoke in a cunning tone.

Surprised yet again, he looked forward to seeing the day Olivia and Ciri went to war. This one had promise. Her magic was not inherently powerful, but her intelligence could cause him a lot of trouble if she united with Ciri to stand against him…

Olivia ended her lesson of the day. Cirilla took her by hand and left the place, along with her wooden sword in hand. She told Olivia everything about her sword lessons as her little sister quietly wiped off the sweat off Cirilla’s forehead. Where had the evil apprentice of Vilgefortz gone?

Confused by what he saw, Vilgefortz was unsure if his apprentice had taken heed of his advice. He recalled Olivia’s expression when he had spoken about her future, full of hatred and jealousy. Olivia was too young to put on a facade in front of anyone.

Of course, he felt the sincerity of Olivia when she pledged her allegiance to him. He enjoyed the company of this adorable young girl that praised him on an almost daily basis.

She was an adorable girl that would not interfere with his plans. Why would he not enjoy mentoring such a person?

Translation Note:

[1] Druids are scholars of the forest, and their understanding of nature’s workings is deep. They take in wild animals and help them heal wounds and sickness; they also take in most anything injured or orphaned. The druids’ grove, grown around the Tree of Life, is a sanctuary where no blood is spilled. Leaders of druid circles are known as hierophants, if they are male, and flaminikas, if they are female.

[2] Kovirian – The Kingdom of Kovir and Poviss (also known shortly as Kovir and Poviss or simply Kovir), one of the Northern Kingdoms located on the Gulf of Praxeda. It is also the largest exporter of mineral resources in the known world, with huge profits from trade. It is ruled by king Tankred Thyssen of the House of Thyssen and maintained neutrality during the Nilfgaard Wars, refraining from lending coin nor men to either side.

Because it is so mountainous, the region is rich in mines. Kovir and Poviss export glass, salt, iron ore, silver, nickel, lead, tin, zinc, copper, chromium, titanium, tungsten, and platinum. Not to mention three-quarters of the world’s ferroaurum, kryobelitium, and dimeritium and 80% of the world’s gold.

[3] The Battle of Sodden Hill, also known as the Second battle of Sodden took place during the first war with Nilfgaard. The hill itself is also known variously as “Mage Hill,” “Kite Hill” or the “Hill of the Fourteen” because fourteen of the twenty-two mages involved in the battle were said to have been killed fighting the Nilfgaardian Army (at least according to official sources). A reported one hundred thousand participants fought in the campaign, of which at least thirty thousand were either killed or wounded. The battle ended in a disgraceful defeat for Nilfgaard and field-marshal Coehoorn in particular.

Although there are fourteen graves, there are no more than thirteen bodies. Triss Merigold is said to be among the fourteen, but she survived if not unscathed. The names of the fallen (including Triss) are carved on a stone obelisk. Each year at Belleteyn, fires are lit to commemorate those killed on the hill.

Upon his visit to the site after the conflict Geralt was terrified that the 14th name on the hill was that of Yennefer. Fortunately for him the name belonged to another mage called Yoël Grethen whom he did not know.

[4] The Nilfgaardian Empire (Ceas’raet aep Nilfgaard in the Nilfgaardian speech) is the most powerful empire in the history of the known world. It is located in the southern part of the Continent and boasts both a thriving economy and a strong, well-trained army with talented commanders. It has expanded mostly through the conquest of foreign countries, which were then turned into provinces of the Empire. The Empire’s inhabitants believe that “real” Nilfgaardians are only those born in the heart of the Empire, and not those born in the conquered provinces.

Either stewards or kings rule the provinces (in cases in which a king willingly surrenders, he retains his throne but is subject to the Emperor or just a vassal). The empire has expanded throughout the years, conquering new lands and going as far to the north as the Yaruga River during the reign of Emperor Emhyr var Emreis.

In the Witcher saga, the Empire is portrayed as an overarching antagonist, with many free people of the North expressing hatred towards it with passion. It is introduced in Blood of Elves, when it invades Cintra.

[5] Roggeven is a Redanian controlled castle-city that lies on a river not mentioned by name; its known as the capital of the Lands given to the Order of the Flaming Rose.

[6]The Law of Surprise is a custom as old as humanity itself. The Law dictates that a man saved by another is expected to offer to his savior a boon whose nature is unknown to one or both parties. In most cases, the boon takes the form of the saved man’s firstborn child, conceived or born without the father’s knowledge.

Ciri came to be Geralt’s ward after he invoked the Law of Surprise on Duny and Pavetta. Geralt demanded that which Duny already had, but did not know of. This, Geralt revealed, was Duny’s child, carried, unknown to Duny but known to Geralt, by Pavetta. Highlighting the destiny of the relationship between Geralt and Ciri, he claims her a second time when he invokes the Law of Surprise on a traveling merchant he saves from monsters during a random encounter. The merchant is unaware that his wife has taken Ciri into their home as a war orphan.