Taking the initiative is always better than being controlled. It truly is an irrefutable truth.
Amidst relief and lingering fear, this old saying echoed repeatedly in Aegor's mind.
With the Lord of Light's blessing, he would never be poisoned, meaning Varys's plan could never have reached its full success. But immunity to poison was not the same as immortality, and surviving the poison did not mean being untouchable. After much thought, Aegor still could not figure out how he could have escaped blame if the eunuch's plan had unfolded as intended—if the Northern lords and Petyr had dropped dead from poison while feasting and celebrating in Winterfell, a castle under his command.
Even if he had survived, what sort of divine intervention would have been required to clear his name, salvage the situation, and resolve the conflict with the North and the rift with Daenerys?
That was beyond his power, beyond anyone's power. Just the thought made his arms break into gooseflesh.
The opponent's plan had been conceived earlier, crafted more meticulously, executed with greater secrecy, and even had a cleaner aftermath. In every aspect, it outclassed the grand play Aegor himself had staged. Yet, because the eunuch's timing was off by just one day, this master strategist—a political genius wherever he went—had his brilliant game overturned by Aegor, who, though slightly less skilled, was far more decisive. The result: the grand schemer himself became nothing more than a ghostly memory in history's river.
...
Harvey had clearly thought of this as well. Before today, he had only admired Aegor's decisiveness and ruthlessness. But after learning how narrowly his Lord Commander had escaped being poisoned, he found himself in genuine awe.
"My lord, you predict things like a god. My admiration is like—"
"Stop with the flattery." Aegor rolled his eyes at the captain of the guards. As the helmsman of this ship, he could not afford to be as stunned or secretly pleased as his subordinates. He quickly shed all useless emotions and turned to deeper matters. "From this incident, we should have learned two lessons at least. Have you thought about what they are?"
"Uh... I failed to monitor the lower ranks of the Gift Army, which allowed outsiders to infiltrate without our notice. I'll make sure to pay more attention in the future."
Aegor shook his head. "Your direction is right, but your thinking is wrong. This isn't your fault."
He had not foreseen this either, so how could he blame his men?
He had become Lord Commander of the Night's Watch not only because of his skill, but because capable men were scarce in the Watch. The Night's Watch and the Gift Army had long existed in a simple political environment—either allies or enemies, nothing in between. It was human nature to grow careless in areas where no lessons had been learned. They were lucky this time. Though they had made a mistake, they had not paid the price. But if they failed to learn from it, they would be no different from beasts.
"A person's energy is limited. You are my captain of the guards. Your duty is to do your job well and ensure my safety. There is specialization in every craft. The environment of the Seven Kingdoms is far more complex than Beyond the Wall or the Gift, and human hearts are unpredictable. We must quickly establish intelligence and security departments to ensure that while our hard power remains strong, our soft power does not become a weakness. Take some time to draft a list of candidates for these departments and submit it to me this afternoon."
Playing dead had been far too dull; it was good to find something to do. It was time to focus on political matters.
"That makes sense." Harvey nodded, already thinking about which guardsmen might be flexible enough to transfer into the new department. "What's the second point?"
"Are you going to use your brain or not?" Aegor gave him a sharp look, though he didn't really expect him to understand. "That Ezzan preferred to commit suicide by poison rather than reveal anything, which means all our information about him and Varys's poisoning plan is pure speculation. Did that make you happy, or did it make you think?"
"This... what else is there to think about?"
"He wasn't even afraid of death, so why wouldn't he confess and expose Varys? Why would a man on the brink of death cling to the image of a victim instead of shifting the blame?"
"Maybe he thought that, no matter what he did, he couldn't escape, so he simply gave up."
"No. This means that Varys's death does not mark the end of his faction. Someone stands behind him. Those who commit suicide by poison either do so out of loyalty to protect their true master or out of terror that keeps them from betrayal. That is why he refused to name Varys's plan—to avoid transforming him from the 'victimized Master of Whisperers' into a 'treacherous spy within.' Either way, we must now stay vigilant against this mysterious figure behind the scenes."
Harvey frowned, taking a while to catch up with his commander's leap of logic.
It was not really his fault. Without the vast informational advantage that came from Aegor's identity as a transmigrator, even Aegor himself could never have drawn such far-reaching conclusions. He knew the truth already, so when he feigned deduction, it made him seem almost prophetic.
Not only did he know there was someone behind Varys, he knew exactly who it was: Illyrio Mopatis, the wealthy Magister of Pentos in the Free Cities. The "kind benefactor" who had once sheltered the exiled Targaryen siblings. Prince Aegon—whether his biological son or not—was certainly connected to him.
This man was not only a benefactor to Daenerys but also clever enough to suspect Aegor's true involvement. And though thousands of miles away, he would likely take up Varys's mantle and become Aegor's greatest future threat.
...
Harvey shook his head and decided not to overthink it. What mattered was simple: whatever his Lord Commander said was always right.
"The Queen is furious about the prisoner's suicide. She has ordered his identity, background, and the mastermind behind him to be investigated at all costs. But with what little we know, it will be extremely difficult. Other than the fact that Ezzan was 'not from Westeros,' we know nothing about him—not even his birthplace. And that eunuch, Varys, left no traceable family or friends." Harvey gave a half-laugh, half-sigh. "My lord, you intended to make this a cold case, and although the investigation went completely off-script, the moment the suspect took his own life, it became one anyway. The gods are truly helping us."
Aegor shrugged. "We can only say we've been very lucky. Cancel all follow-up actions and quietly destroy any false evidence that was prepared. Since someone has sealed this case with his death, let's not complicate things further."
"Understood." Harvey nodded, then remembered something else. "There's one more matter. What should we do with the kitchen staff who were bribed by Ezzan? They're still locked up."
"Hang them all. Hang them in Winterfell's training yard... No, there are dragons there. Then hang them by the roadside outside the south gate. Make sure the Northern lords arriving for the assembly can see them as they enter the city."
"Ah?" Harvey was stunned. "But there are ten of them. Isn't that too harsh for an uncommitted crime? Perhaps execute two as a warning and send the rest back to the Gift as laborers? We shouldn't waste manpower."
"Uncommitted crime?" Aegor raised a brow, amused by the phrase. "Yes, it's an uncommitted crime, but tell me, Harvey—do you think the Gift Army obeys my orders because of shared ideals, or because I've moved them with kindness and they're loyal to me unto death?"
Harvey hesitated, then gave the right answer. "Neither. It's because you've ruled with both kindness and severity, subduing them with strength and leading them by force."
"Exactly. The Gift Army follows me not out of loyalty or love, but out of fear. They obey because they know that disobedience means death. If I have to agonize over whether a soldier who colludes with the enemy deserves death or redemption, I'll exhaust myself with internal discipline before I ever reach King's Landing with Daenerys." Aegor set down his bowl and fixed his subordinate with a sharp look. "The New Gift folk are our subjects, and the Gift Army are comrades who once fought beside us against the White Walkers. That's true. But saving humanity once does not change what they are—a band of savage Free Folk. And such people only understand one thing: if you are gentle, they become vicious; if you are ruthless, they become obedient. That's not just how you command troops, that's how you deal with people in life. You're my captain now, but one day you'll lead your own army. Remember this: a kind army is not fit for a commander. The benevolent cannot command troops."
(To be continued.)