"I owe you an apology for my doubts," Garlan Tyrell stepped forward and came before Lind, bowing solemnly as he said, "Ser Lind, your swordsmanship truly lives up to its reputation—refined and dazzling. I hope that in the future, your blade will be able to serve House Tyrell as it should."
After speaking, Garlan instructed the attendants at his side to arrange a room for Lind and Joel, and to prepare clothing and other necessities for Lind.
After hearing Garlan Tyrell's words, Lind froze for a moment, because he could clearly tell that Garlan intended to take him in as a direct subordinate of House Tyrell.
Joel had recommended him to Fortimo, and by all logic, his status should have been tied to House Crane. Whether it was Joel, Fortimo, or the White Village he came from, all of them belonged under House Crane. Although Lind, as a hunter, was a free man rather than a sworn townsman of Red Lake, from every practical perspective, the moment he became Fortimo Crane's attendant, his identity had effectively gained the prefix of the Crane family name.
Yet now, Garlan's words were clearly hinting that he intended to take Lind's allegiance away from House Crane and make him Lind of House Tyrell. For Lind, this was unquestionably a good thing.
Although Fortimo Crane was a renowned swordmaster of the Reach, the chief instructor of the Highgarden guards, and also House Tyrell's fencing teacher, the Crane branch he belonged to had long since lost in the family's internal struggles. They now had no choice but to reside in Highgarden, possessing nothing more than a manor granted by House Tyrell and some remaining Crane family assets within the city. Their status had already declined from a lordly house to little more than court nobility under House Tyrell. Thus, the greatest help Fortimo could offer Lind would be limited to knighthood at best.
House Tyrell, on the other hand, was completely different. Although they had chosen the wrong side during the War of the Usurper, they had not inflicted any substantial damage upon House Baratheon. As a result, after Robert Baratheon ascended the Iron Throne, they were not heavily punished. The fact that House Tyrell was still allowed to serve as Wardens of the South made this perfectly clear.
Moreover, Robert Baratheon's bold and martial temperament led him to hold great respect for the Tyrells who had caused him no small amount of trouble during the war—or, more accurately, for Lord Randyll Tarly. By extension, he naturally harbored no ill feelings toward House Tyrell.
On top of that, over the past year, House Tyrell had continuously worked to repair its relationship with the Iron Throne through various means. While the results were not particularly outstanding, they were at least effective to some degree. From Mace Tyrell being among the first to attend Joffrey Baratheon's birth celebration, to inviting Highgarden's representatives to participate in the tourney commemorating the birth of the Baratheon heir, all of this showed that relations between House Tyrell and the Iron Throne were steadily improving.
With external pressure eased, House Tyrell finally had the energy to begin consolidating power within the Reach itself—dealing with families such as House Fossoway of New Barrel, House Florent of Brightwater, House Rowan of Goldengrove, and other ancient noble houses that prided themselves on their long lineages. As such, House Tyrell was never short of opportunities for merit and advancement.
Though Garlan's words had set Lind's thoughts racing, nothing unusual showed on his face. After sheathing his weapons, he followed the attendant along with Joel toward their assigned quarters, absently kneading the muscles in his arms to ease the soreness caused by overexertion during the earlier fight.
Although the battle had lasted barely more than a minute, it had taken a considerable toll on Lind's stamina. His sudden slowdown toward the end was precisely because his strength had been exhausted. Though Fortimo had declared the match a draw, Lind knew very well that he had actually lost.
He had long been aware of his stamina issue, which was why he had already begun systematically improving his physique and strength back in White Village. In the short term, the results had indeed been noticeable. Even so, his endurance was still insufficient to support a high-intensity battle, and stamina training was never something that could be completed overnight. For a long time to come, this would inevitably remain his weakness.
While Lind was pondering how to compensate for this flaw, the group arrived before a small, standalone building within the estate. The attendants settled Lind and Joel into two separate rooms on the second floor, asked if they needed anything else, and then departed.
After a while, several maids led the two of them downstairs to the bathhouse and attended to their bathing.
Perhaps because Lind was bathing in the tub beside him, or perhaps because he was worried about making a mistake that might damage his image within House Tyrell, Joel restrained himself completely. No matter how inflamed with desire he felt, he did nothing improper toward the maids.
As for Lind, there was no need to mention it—he refused their service altogether and bathed himself, following the habits he had carried over from his previous life.
After bathing, Joel looked at Lind, now dressed in a fresh set of clothes, and teased him, "You're still a virgin, aren't you? When you get the chance, you really should give it a try. In this world, only fine wine and beautiful women are truly real."
"Fine wine and beautiful women?" Lind shot Joel a look and said, "You mean like you—getting knocked out cold by some street thug after just a couple cups of mead? Or like earlier, when those women were all over you and you couldn't even react?"
"You little bastard!" Joel cursed, unable to hold back, but said nothing more.
When he returned to his room, the attendants had already set out food and wine on the table. The food from House Tyrell needed no praise, and the wine was a fine vintage from the Arbor. Unable to resist, Joel took his wine and dishes and headed to Lind's room—after all, eating and drinking was always better with company.
"They didn't prepare any wine or food for you?" Joel asked in confusion when he saw the empty table in Lind's room.
Lind replied, "You forgot? I don't drink. As for food, I already ate at the inn earlier—no need for more."
Joel didn't force Lind to drink. He poured himself a cup, drained it in one go, and seemed to be preoccupied with something.
After Joel finished his second cup, Lind asked, "You didn't come here just to let me watch you drink, did you?"
Joel was silent for a moment, then said out of nowhere, "He's really impressive."
Lind froze for a moment. At first, he thought Joel was talking about him, but he quickly realized he was mistaken—the "impressive" one Joel referred to was someone else.
"House Tyrell truly deserves its position as Warden of the South," Joel sighed sincerely. "Even a ten-year-old child can wield subtle political schemes without revealing a trace. You won't see that in other houses. There's a reason the Tyrells have been able to keep the Reach's noble families firmly under their thumb for so many years."
"You're worried about House Crane's future?" Lind asked.
Joel rolled his eyes and said, "What does House Crane's future have to do with me? That's for the elders of the family to worry about. And even if something happens to the Cranes of Red Lake, isn't there still another branch that survived? House Crane won't disappear."
"Then why are you feeling so dejected?" Lind asked, genuinely puzzled.
Joel only glanced at him and said nothing. After taking a few more drinks, he seemed slightly tipsy, his words growing more numerous. Like an elder, he reminded Lind of various things he should pay attention to after joining House Tyrell. Then he told Lind to get some good rest, stood up, and returned to his room. Soon enough, the sound of snoring came from within.
Joel's behavior left Lind somewhat baffled. He didn't understand why Joel had suddenly become so sentimental, or why his attitude had changed so noticeably compared to how he had been ever since they left Goldengrove.
At that moment, a voice suddenly spoke from the doorway:
"He's seeing his former squire in you. Your personalities and ages are very similar—only your swordsmanship differs slightly. Back then, he sent that squire to serve under Ser Barristan as well, only for him to make a mistake before the Mad King and be tortured to death."
Lind's expression changed slightly as he looked toward the door. At some point unknown to him, an elderly man dressed in servant's clothing, with an utterly ordinary appearance, was now standing there.
From what the old man had just said, it was clear that he had been standing at the door for some time and had heard Joel's earlier words. Yet neither Lind nor Joel had sensed anyone listening outside—this alone was enough to put Lind on guard.
Joel failing to notice someone outside was one thing, but Lind's senses had been extraordinarily enhanced since his rebirth. With his hearing alone, he could easily distinguish sounds within a radius of twenty to thirty meters—footsteps, voices, even breathing.
And yet now, even while staring at the old man in the doorway, Lind could not hear the sound of his breathing at all, as if the man were nothing more than an illusion.
As Lind was still stunned by the old man's presence, the figure hidden in the shadows spoke calmly:
"You don't need to worry. I am merely someone who has lost his name and identity. I came here only to see an old friend. I should have left without a sound, but your swordsmanship piqued my curiosity, so I appeared before you."
"Your friend is Joel?" Lind asked cautiously. His hand remained on the hilt of his sword as he probed.
"He was merely an accident—just like you," the old man replied, shaking his head slightly, clearly unwilling to dwell on the subject. He then asked, "Was the one who taught you swordsmanship a Water Dancer master?"
"No," Lind shook his head.
"Not so?" A look of confusion appeared on the old man's face. "Your swordsmanship differs greatly from that of the Water Dancers, but your footwork strongly resembles theirs—clearly a modified Water Dancer's step, refined specifically to complement dual-wielding. Those capable of improving Water Dancer footwork are few even in Essos, and on the continent of Westeros, there is only one."
He fixed Lind with an intense gaze and asked again, "Are you absolutely certain your swordsmanship was not taught by a Water Dancer master?"
"I am absolutely certain," Lind replied firmly. Then, looking at the old man with a meaningful gaze, he said, "Valar morghulis. Valar dohaeris. Is that Water Dancer master your target, Faceless One of Braavos?"
The old man looked at Lind in astonishment. He neither denied nor confirmed it, only saying skeptically, "If I remember correctly, Ser Lind is merely an ordinary hunter who has never left the Reach—let alone traveled to Essos. How, then, do you know of the Faceless Men of Braavos?"
Lind did not answer. Instead, he drew his twin swords and said to the old man, "I would very much like to witness the legendary sword techniques of the Faceless Men. Spar with me, and I will tell you where my knowledge comes from."
The old man shook his head. "If you truly understand the Faceless Men, then you should know that we only kill those marked by the Many-Faced God. You are not among them."
As he spoke, footsteps and voices came from outside the building—likely servants arriving to clean the bathhouse below.
With others approaching, the old man lost interest in continuing the conversation. After bowing slightly to Lind, he retreated into the shadows.
Lind did not remain where he was. He chased after him, but the old man had already vanished from the doorway. Relying on his exceptional eyesight, Lind managed to glimpse a figure moving swiftly through the trees not far from the building, leaping onto the nearby wall and vaulting over it, disappearing from view.
Seeing that the old man had truly left, Lind returned to his room, closed the door, and lay down on the bed. He did not sheath his twin swords, keeping them instead within arm's reach, ready to be drawn at any moment.
Though he had not been harmed in the encounter, it had taught him a harsh lesson. The small pride he had developed after sparring with Fortimo Crane vanished completely. He was reminded that the world of A Song of Ice and Fire still held many mysterious powers and unknown experts capable of threatening his life—one moment of carelessness, and he could die without warning.
For the rest of the night, Lind remained in a half-awake, half-asleep state, never letting down his guard, until dawn.
When he heard Joel rising in the neighboring room, Lind immediately went to find him and told him everything that had happened the previous night.
Joel was stunned at first, but quickly seemed to realize something. His expression turned extremely grim. After telling Lind not to worry about the Faceless Man, he said nothing more.
Before leaving, however, Joel sought out Fortimo Crane privately and spoke with him for a long time.
After that, the number of guards around Garlan Tyrell doubled, and Fortimo remained constantly at Garlan's side, as if guarding against an assassination attempt.
...
...
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(End Chapter)