Seeing the growing tension between the young man and the Old Knight, another Knight tried to de-escalate the situation.
Furthermore, demolishing a lord's castle, even for defensive purposes, was unwise.
He decided to advise from another angle, quickly riding forward and saying, "Yes, Young Master."
"The soldiers are exhausted from their long journey, both men and horses.
Making them do such strenuous labor now will only deplete their strength for nothing."
Jero rudely interrupted them.
What was wrong with these scoundrels?
If his father were here, would they dare to disregard his orders like this?
"Shut up!"
"Do I need you to teach me how to fight a war?"
He scanned the weary soldiers, a disdainful smile on his face.
"Execute the order!!!"
Under the officers' shouts, the soldiers reluctantly picked up their tools, even their weapons, and walked towards the stone tower.
Dull thuds soon echoed, accompanied by the rumble of falling stones.
The soldiers cut down the original Stinkfort Family's small tower banner.
Jero watched all this, the anger in his heart seemingly subsiding a little, but it wasn't enough.
He turned his horse and rode towards the village by the river.
Looking at the dilapidated houses built from water reeds and mud, he casually uttered two words: "Burn it!!"
Torches were thrown onto the thatched roofs.
The dry reeds instantly ignited, and the flames greedily shot upwards, quickly forming a sea of fire.
Thick black smoke billowed up, even obscuring the afternoon sun.
Jero Legge listened to the crackling of wood, felt the pervasive smell of char, and the heat wave washing over him, and finally let out a joyful laugh as he watched the sky-high flames.
His laughter echoed across the desolate wasteland of water reeds and mud, sounding particularly grating.
But merely destroying houses, with jealousy filling his mind, was not enough to quell the malice in Jero's heart.
His gaze swept past the burning village and landed on a distant, overgrown hill.
A malicious smile appeared on his face.
His soldiers had reported to him that it was the ancestral cemetery of Suleiman Stinky Fort Family.
An even more insane, more vicious thought formed in his mind.
He wanted to dig up those graves! To utterly humiliate the Stinkfort Family!
When he gave this order to the Knights, their faces stiffened, and the surrounding air seemed to instantly freeze.
Even the soldiers who were demolishing the tower stopped their work, looking over in horror.
This was too shocking.
Sir Adam's face turned pale.
He practically leaped from his horse and ran to Jero.
His voice trembled; this was too crazy: "Young Master!!!"
"Are you mad?!"
"Digging up noble graves!!!"
Jero looked at him coldly, growing increasingly furious with the Old Knight.
"I am perfectly sober."
Sir Adam's voice was hoarse with agitation: "Digging up the graves of the dead, and noble graves at that, is the most vicious desecration of the deceased's peace!"
"This is an act that will be cursed by the Seven Gods!!! Neither the New Gods nor the Old Gods will forgive it!!!!"
Jero let out a sneer of unknown meaning.
Another Knight rushed over, his face filled with horror: "Young Master! This is no longer war! This is a blood feud that will never end! You are bringing an eternal mortal enemy upon your family!!"
"We are nobles!! Not barbarians!!!"
"Westeros wars have rules of war!! We can kill!! We can plunder!! But we must never touch such taboos!!"
The Knights' strong reaction instead provoked Jero Legge's rebellious streak.
He kicked Sir Adam in the chest, knocking the Old Knight to the ground: "A bunch of cowards!"
He laughed wildly, his laughter appearing twisted and ferocious against the backdrop of the flames.
The Stinkfort Family would be exterminated by his father, let alone these graves:
"What's there to be afraid of? The Stinkfort Family is about to be exterminated! Am I still afraid of the curse of a family that is about to be exterminated?!"
Jero Legge pointed his riding crop at the hillside and roared at the bewildered soldiers: "Today, I will let him know, and tell all the world, the consequence of offending my family is to have his ancestors' bones fed to dogs!"
"Let all the fools who dare to provoke my family remember the price!!!"
"Just like Lord Tywin Lannister of the Westerlands!!"
"Yes!! Just like Lord Tywin Lannister!!"
"Dig for me!!!"
Night fell, and torches were lit on the hillside, like scattered stars.
The faces of the soldiers, forced to obey, were filled with fear and disgust.
As they swung their shovels, they silently prayed to the Seven Gods in their hearts, begging for forgiveness for the terrible crime they were forced to commit.
Dirt was turned over shovel by shovel, and crude wooden coffins were exposed to the air, then violently smashed open.
Jero sat nearby, drinking wine and enjoying this scene of desecrating the Gods, occasionally letting out a satisfied hum.
Sir Adam and the other Knights stood far away, their faces as gloomy as the night, their bodies trembling with anger.
They looked at Jero, their eyes filled with contempt and a deep sense of powerlessness.
As Knights participating in this atrocity, they would all become infamous throughout the Seven Kingdoms.
Suddenly, there was a crisp clang of metal, and a soldier excitedly shouted, "I found something!!!"
Jero looked up, put down his wine glass, and asked with some impatience, "What did you find?!"
A soldier who was digging the oldest and most inconspicuous grave stopped.
He squatted down and brushed away the damp soil with his hand.
It was a long, narrow object wrapped in layers of oilcloth and leather.
The soldier curiously untied the ropes and peeled away the somewhat decayed leather and oilcloth.
A longsword appeared before his eyes.
The torchlight shone on the blade, but instead of reflecting a dazzling light, it seemed to be absorbed by the blade.
The sword body had a strange dark color, covered with flowing, wave-like patterns, as if alive.
The soldier gasped.
This was a good sword!!!
After countless years buried deep in the earth, there wasn't a single speck of rust on the blade!
The soldier didn't understand swords, but when he held the cold hilt, a perfect sense of balance and astonishing lightness came from his palm.
But he knew, this was definitely a divine sword.
A thought arose in his mind: he was going to get rich!!!
He immediately carried the sword and trotted to Jero, fawningly presenting the sword: "My Lord! Look!!!"
Jero Legge took the longsword and casually swung it.
The blade cut through the air, emitting a slight hiss.
"Hiss!!!"
He gasped, jumped up, weighed it, and a joyful expression appeared on his face.
"Damn it!! I never thought!! This family that gained its title by wiping shit!! Actually hid such a good thing in its grave!!!!"
He raised the sword and carefully examined the strange patterns on the blade against the firelight.
Just then, the Old Knight Sir Adam, who had been silent, inadvertently caught sight of the sword in Jero's hand.
His body seemed to be struck by lightning, instantly freezing.
The color drained from his face, his eyes fixed on the dark-patterned blade, and his lips began to tremble uncontrollably.
The Old Knight knelt forward, as if in a trance, reaching out to touch the sword, but stopping halfway, as if fearing some sacred object.
The sound that came from his throat was as if something was strangling him.
Finally, he gasped in a dreamlike voice, a mixture of extreme shock, greed, and fear:
"Valyrian... steel..."
"The Seven Gods be praised!! This is a Valyrian steel sword!!!!"
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