Chapter 150: Hazan's Purpose
"A great warrior," Hazan said, his voice carrying over the applause that had erupted from the noble youths gathered around the arena. "You've given me yet another surprise. The man Jorah just killed… he was a slave fighter I purchased in Reese. I had high hopes for him."
*He gave me a surprise, too,* Ian thought with a touch of sarcasm, but his outward expression remained composed. "If he were not the strongest," he said smoothly, "how could I have recommended him to you?"
"Indeed," Hazan conceded.
Ian shrugged, cutting off any further pleasantries. "Since my friend has passed your assessment, you must allow me to take my leave. I can't wait to convince Lord Illyrio. After that, I will officially marry your sister."
"Of course, please," Hazan replied, holding out an invitation. "Take this. With it, you and your companions may enter and leave the Prince's Palace as you wish. The games the day after tomorrow will be held there."
"I will be there as scheduled." Ian nodded, accepting the letter before rising to depart.
"Wait a moment, Ian," said Celia, who had been silent until now. Her voice, though soft, stopped him in his tracks. "Don't forget you promised to come find me at the Red Temple tomorrow."
"Of course, beautiful lady." Ian took the delicate hand she offered and placed a gentle kiss on her pale green fingertips.
With that, he turned and left the underground arena, Darren and his other men following close behind.
Once they were gone, Hazan's voice dropped to a low murmur. "What do you think of his performance?" he asked Delif. "When our plan is set in motion, will he stand with us?"
Delif smiled. "I am not always as astute a judge of character as you, my friend, but no matter how you look at it, his interests are best served by cooperating with us. So long as he is clever enough, he has no reason to refuse."
"My thoughts exactly," Hazan nodded, then turned his gaze to Celia. "To be on the safe side, try to capture him tomorrow."
"Of course, dear brother," Celia replied with an obedient nod. Then, a hint of mischief entered her tone. "And what if he simply has his fun and then pretends he doesn't know me?"
"Then we detain him after the tournament. When everything is settled, he will have no other choice." Hazan paused, his expression hardening slightly. "But I truly hope it does not come to that. After all, a willing alliance and a forced cooperation are two very different things."
***
Back in his room, Ian took out a sheet of paper and began to meticulously list every person and detail he could think of related to Hazan, connecting the relevant parts with lines. He was trying to map the contours of the plan that lay behind the Prince's unnatural enthusiasm.
First, and most importantly, this conspiracy was not aimed at him. He was not in any danger, at least not directly.
He had tested this theory before, using the exploit in the optional mission system. The test had revealed that Celia held no hostility toward him, and as she was Hazan's sister, their intentions should be aligned.
Suddenly, Ian's head snapped up. Was it possible? Could Hazan have concealed the part of the plan that targeted him from Celia, thereby causing an error in the system's judgment?
To be safe, he called Rohr into the room. He designed a new test script, "Hazan's Conspiracy," with the same logic as his previous test, "The Conspiracy of the Red-robed Woman." Ian had originally wanted to use Hazan himself to attempt a [Difficulty] level task, but the prince's overwhelming warmth and other complicating factors had denied him the opportunity. Now, the optional task slot he had saved for the month would finally come in handy.
The results came back almost instantly. Just as before, the task was immediately resolved. The difficulty was still judged as [Easy].
Ian ignored the meager rewards and let out a quiet sigh of relief. This confirmed it: Hazan was not hostile to him.
The next question, then, was what value he possessed that made Hazan so desperate for an alliance.
He could rule out the possibility that Hazan wanted to win over Illyrio through him. Hazan's attitude made it abundantly clear that he had no interest in the Magister. This meant that even after removing Illyrio from the equation, Ian himself still held some great value for Hazan.
Had he demonstrated any particular strength that would warrant such attention? Ian thought not. Before Viserys had granted him a surname, he was nothing more than the illegitimate son of a declining house, wandering in a foreign land. And now, though he was what Viserys called the 'Hand of the King,' he held no real power.
Aside from a few thugs and the trust of Viserys Targaryen, Ian had nothing. And what was Viserys's trust worth? Its value would plummet to zero the moment Khal Drogo poured molten gold over his head in Vaes Dothraki for offending Daenerys.
As this thought crossed his mind, Ian froze. The quill in his hand hovered in mid-air.
*What would happen if that stupid dragon didn't die?*
He had no power to stop Daenerys from marrying the Khal, but he was more than capable of stopping Viserys from provoking his sister. If he could just stabilize that angry, foolish dragon, what would happen next?
As long as Viserys didn't get himself killed, sooner or later he would receive Khal Drogo's 'return gift'—the army he needed to reclaim the Iron Throne on the other side of the Narrow Sea.
And if the Dothraki were to attack Westeros, what would be the most suitable place for their forward base?
Pentos.
*Value.* Ian suddenly understood. He saw the value he had been searching for, the reason Prince Hazan was so eager to befriend him. That value lay with Viserys.
Ian realized he had misjudged Viserys, writing him off as worthless because he knew his fate.
But Hazan didn't know that fate. From Hazan's perspective, Viserys obtaining a powerful army was inevitable, and a successful invasion of Westeros was not impossible. In that context, befriending Ian—a rising star in the future court of Westeros—was a move of profound strategic importance.
To a certain extent, it all made sense.
But then Ian considered Hazan's attitude toward Illyrio, and the logic fell apart. He shook his head. Hazan's subconscious reactions indicated he had little interest or hope in winning over the Magister, and this created a paradox.
First, it was theoretically impossible for Hazan to be uninterested. Gaining Illyrio's support was tantamount to guaranteeing his uncle's victory in the next election for Sea Lord—their core objective.
Yet there was also a problem with him having no hope. When Ian had told Hazan, 'I will marry your sister after I convince Illyrio,' Hazan had agreed without hesitation. If Hazan was truly convinced that Illyrio could not be persuaded, then such a promise would mean the marriage was doomed from the start. Why, then, would he be so enthusiastic? It couldn't just be for his own amusement. It was impossible.
Viewed this way, none of Hazan's actions could be explained. Unless…
*He wants to deal with Illyrio!* A thunderclap exploded in Ian's mind. *Even kill Illyrio!*
If Illyrio Mopatis was a dead man in Hazan's plan, then it made perfect sense that he wasn't interested in winning him over. Who would waste their time courting a corpse?
At the same time, because Illyrio would be gone, Ian's promise to marry Celia *after* securing the Magister's support would automatically expire. The condition would become void. This had to happen before Ian left Pentos, which meant Hazan's move was imminent—likely just before the Khal's wedding.
This revelation provided another crucial reason for Hazan to win him over: he needed someone to control Daenerys after he killed Illyrio, to prevent her from seeking revenge.
Once Daenerys married Drogo, her will would become a force of immense destructive power for Pentos. Hazan needed someone who could gain her trust, someone who could contain her potential rage.
For that reason, it was more than reasonable for Hazan to offer his own sister in marriage to gain Ian's understanding and support. After all, Ian was still technically Illyrio's man. If Hazan was unwilling to pay a steep price, how could he ever be certain of Ian's allegiance?
Staring at the relationship diagram in his hands, Ian felt a cold calm settle over him. The reasoning sounded audacious, almost insane, but it perfectly explained the logical chain from Hazan's purpose to his behavior. He had to accept that this might be the truth.
And this truth led to two new sets of questions.
The first was related to the players. In the original story, Illyrio had survived Daenerys's wedding without incident. If Hazan truly had a plan to eliminate him, then some player must be exerting influence. Who was it? How did they do it? And what was their purpose? If this player could influence Hazan to such a degree, why hadn't they used him to kill Ian as well?
The second question was tactical. How would Hazan deal with Illyrio?
Assassination was impossible. Illyrio's security was far too tight to allow for such a loophole, unless one hired the Faceless Men. But to kill a man of Illyrio's stature… even Hazan's mother might not be able to afford their price.
A forceful attack was even more improbable. Steward Mills had said that most of the Pentoshi City Guard was controlled by an old governor who was a staunch defender of order. That man would never permit a blatant attack on a fellow magister. The officers of the remaining guard companies were divided evenly among the Braavosi, the Volantene, Illyrio's faction, and Hazan's own.
As for the two thousand mercenaries recently hired to defend against the Dothraki, command was split evenly among the three major factions. Hazan held no military advantage whatsoever.
He could only succeed with an ambush or a sneak attack, but Illyrio had come from a world of spies and whispers. His agents were in every street and alley of Pentos. The moment Hazan made a move, Illyrio would know. An ambush was impossible.
More importantly, Hazan was already locked in a life-or-death struggle with Sudar Tetrus and the Volantene party. The conflict between them had reached a fever pitch. Why would he dare to draw Illyrio's attention now?
This was one against three. Unless the purple-sailed fleet from Braavos landed directly in the port of Pentos to support him, Hazan's chance of winning was practically zero.
But that was another problem. The purple fleet in Braavos was aligned with the forces of the Sea Lord and Illyrio, who were Hazan's opponents…
Ian thought for a long time, pacing his room.
He had a rough guess, a theory taking shape in the back of his mind. But he still needed to confirm something.
He walked out of the room.
---
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