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TWL Chapter 436: Sorcery Above Kings
🕑 Added 2025-06-02 01:36:31 +0000 UTCPhilippa clenched her teeth. Compared to their last meeting, Lann’s sudden increase in power left her without a clear strategy. And his indifferent attitude made it hard for her to steer the conversation.
After a long pause, she finally spoke again: “I can offer Redania’s full support. Unreserved support. Redania will stand by Cintra as firmly as Mahakam does now—or even Skellige.”
“And the price is…” Philippa stared at Lann’s still-unmoved expression, then bit her lip, steeling herself.
“I want your help—to seize power in Redania.”
It was a truly heretical statement, one that would shake the very foundations of the continent’s laws and traditions.
Yes, the royal families of the North were no strangers to fratricide, betrayal, or seemingly harmonious family rivalries. But the throne had always remained in the hands of royalty—bloodlines descended from kings.
At most, one kingdom’s royal house might usurp another’s, but it was always a game of elites. Never had someone of common birth risen to claim the crown.
And never—never—had it been a sorcerer.
Lann’s eyes glinted with something unreadable. “You want to become queen? A… sorceress-queen?”
“No, Lann… Duke Lannister,” Philippa corrected gently, shaking her head. “I’ve never intended to leap that far in a single step.”
She began to speak more deliberately, laying out her vision.
“Duke Lannister, your performance on the battlefield against Nilfgaard was nothing short of astounding. In many ways, you’ve shifted the balance of power across the continent. It’s made both kings and sorcerers reconsider what’s possible.”
At this point, Philippa could no longer conceal her growing excitement.
“I’m a member of the Brotherhood of Sorcerers’ Council of Mages, so I’m privy to internal discussions. Recently, the Northern kings have begun reaching out through their court mages, expressing interest in restructuring their magical institutions.”
“We’re preparing to hold a summit on Thanedd Island to discuss the matter.”
“And the key to taking control of Redania lies precisely in that Thanedd Island meeting. And for that—Duke Lannister—I need your support.”
...
Philippa was a rather fascinating sorceress.
First and foremost, her strength was beyond question.
In the later part of the original novel, the author personally used narration to bestow upon her the title of 'the most powerful sorceress in the North'. After the dissolution of the Brotherhood of Sorcerers, she indeed rose to become the leader of a newly established organization of mages.
But despite her immense magical power, Philippa's political acumen was often laughably poor.
Objectively speaking, she did have political skill. During her tenure as an advisor—which was the current period—she held considerable influence in Redania.
However, once King Vizimir II, who had kept Philippa somewhat in check, was assassinated, she completely let loose after taking over as regent.
The result? A breathless string of blunders. Not only did she fail to achieve a single one of her political goals, but she was also effortlessly overthrown and imprisoned by Radovid—the very prince she had long suppressed.
And so was born a legendary scene etched in world history: Philippa’s Forbidden Room of Dirt, Spit, and Moans.
Although she did eventually manage to escape by sheer luck, the price she paid was the loss of both her eyes—leaving her blind.
A truly touching tale of stern master and rebellious pupil.
And even after all that, Philippa still believed she had a crucial role to play in the politics of the North. In the official accounts of her background story, she would eventually be burned at the stake after yet another failed political gambit.
But for now, Philippa knew none of this.
At this very moment, she was ambitious, eager to make her mark.
She had always believed that magic reigned supreme—and that only those who wielded it, the mages, deserved to rule.
This ambition should have stayed dormant for a few more years, but now Lann had sparked new hope within her.
“You are the first in recorded human history to learn magic before coming to power as a national leader,” Philippa said, eyes burning with fervor.
Lann raised an eyebrow.
What, are you about to say that it was me who awakened your grand ambition?
“But this is dangerous,” Philippa continued solemnly. “You’re still an outsider, Duke Lannister. The kings of the North are wary of you—they see you as a threat. That’s one of the reasons they’re eager to form a marriage alliance with Cintra: because, in their eyes, a ‘magical freak’ cannot be allowed to rule a kingdom.”
“I once said in Oxenfurt that you possessed great power. I imagine you’ve already awakened it by now,” she coaxed. “Elder Blood—that’s the name of your power. It’s the source of everything you are now.”
Lann raised another eyebrow.
Seriously? Do you really think I need you to tell me that?
“You are nothing like those kings. We are the same, Duke Lannister,” Philippa said with self-assured conviction. “Back in Oxenfurt, I told you about my ‘grand cause.’ At the time, I intended to recruit you once your power had matured a bit more.”
“But you’ve exceeded everyone’s expectations. The power of the Elder Blood is truly astonishing—it means we can move on to the next phase immediately.”
The corner of Lann’s mouth twitched. If not for his superb control over his expressions, he would’ve laughed out loud right then and there.
To ease the moment, he finally interrupted her monologue.
“You mentioned earlier that the kings plan to hold a meeting on Thanedd Island—and that you see this as your opportunity. What do you mean by that?”
Philippa, thrown off by the interruption, drew a sharp breath.
Then she explained, “Your performance on the front lines has terrified them all.”
“You appeared out of nowhere, striking simultaneously in the East, Center, and West. You destroyed an entire legion single-handedly.”
“Even in direct, large-scale clashes, your forces crushed enemies that outnumbered them several times over—while suffering barely any casualties of your own.”
Philippa marveled, “You’ve completely upended the North’s understanding of warfare. Everyone is now reassessing the role of magic—and even that of non-human races.”
“The heavy infantry of Mahakam stunned the world. Vizimir II has now opened military enlistment to non-humans in hopes of strengthening the kingdom’s standing army. King Foltest, it’s said, has started adopting a more conciliatory approach toward the dwarves within his borders—and has even begun reaching out to settled elves in hopes of recruiting them.”
At this point, Philippa no longer even bothered to use a title for her own king. She referred to Vizimir by name, without the slightest deference.
"Only Henselt of Kaedwen looked truly shaken—he escalated persecution against non-humans in his territory under the pretense of wiping out the Scoia’tael.”
Understandable. Classic Henselt.
“That’s also why this conclave on Thanedd Island is being convened. Each kingdom will send its royal advisors and senior officials to attend, to discuss the potential enlistment of graduates from Aretuza and Ban Ard into the military, and the expansion of national sorcerer advisory councils.”
Philippa wore a reserved expression. “At last, they’re beginning to take magic seriously again.”
Lann chuckled softly. “So they’re only sending delegates? The kings themselves won’t attend?”
“There’s a difference between respect and trust,” Philippa replied with a shake of her head. “So many mages gathered in one place—that’s far too dangerous, from a king’s perspective.”
“Then why am I only hearing about this now?”
“You have Triss and Yennefer,” Philippa said. “The Brotherhood will contact you through them eventually.” She then lifted her chin slightly. “But I’m a member of the Council, so I received the news earlier.”
“You said this meeting is your opportunity. What are you planning to do?”
Seeing that Lann was finally intrigued, Philippa smiled.
“Redania has the North’s finest intelligence network, and recently, we received a lead—there’s a Nilfgaardian spy within the Brotherhood!”
Lann’s expression froze slightly.
He fell silent.
Philippa drew a deep breath and continued, “His name is Vilgefortz. A remarkably young, yet immensely powerful sorcerer. He’s a member of the Chapter, the body even higher than the Council. He led the Brotherhood and the Northern coalition in repelling Nilfgaard during the Second Battle of Sodden, and he holds immense prestige among the Brotherhood.”
“You may not know him yet, Lann,” she said, the tone of her address subtly changing once more. “But you should. He’s an extremely formidable enemy.”
“Back in Oxenfurt, the one who sent Rience to assassinate you—the one pulling the strings behind the scenes—was him. I stopped you at the time because it wasn’t yet the right moment to go to war with him. Back then, you weren’t strong enough to face him.”
Lann clenched his jaw.
“I… I’m shocked, Philippa,” Lann said slowly.
“I was too, the first time I heard it.”
“But what does this Vilgefortz have to do with your plan?”
Philippa gave a confident, calculating smile.
“I reported this to Vizimir II. After verifying the information, he was horrified to learn such a dangerous enemy was hiding within the North. He even began to worry that Vilgefortz might become another ‘you’—so he now sees him as a major threat. But Vilgefortz is elusive. The only time he’ll definitely appear is at this meeting.”
“So I tempted Vizimir with the prospect of harnessing the power of Northern mages and convinced him to authorize me to lead a military force to Thanedd Island,” Philippa said. “That’s when I’ll eliminate Vilgefortz—and his ‘allies.’”
Lann arched an eyebrow. “So you’re planning to launch a coup under the guise of an official mission, essentially helping Vizimir II seize control of the Brotherhood?”
“Not Vizimir,” Philippa corrected. “Me.”
“To ensure the plan’s absolute success, Vizimir will send the Royal Guard with me to take command of the Brotherhood at Thanedd. It’s Redania’s most elite force. With those troops gone, his own security will be left weakened—and I happen to know him better than anyone else.”
“Right now, everyone in the North believes Nilfgaard is backing the Scoia’tael. I’ve arranged for a few elves to pose as Scoia’tael operatives—who will then assassinate Vizimir II.”
A plot to kill the king—laid bare, just like that.
The powerful sorceress spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world, her expression calm and matter-of-fact.
