Leon grabbed his hair in frustration. With Ser Duncan returning to Tarth Isle, it was truly too difficult for someone as straightforward as him to make a decision.
"Your Highness, even if I wanted to take you away from here, Illyrio would never allow it."After a moment, he shook his head and declined gently. "Once we tear away the pretense, they may not dare to harm my life—but there are countless ways to trap me."
"When that happens, you will have no chance to escape!"
Leon's words sent little Dany plunging into an icy abyss. Frightened, she stopped sobbing, her small face filled with terror.
"Ser Leon, you promised you would protect me!"
In fear, she tightly grabbed the black robe at Leon's leg, raised her head, and looked straight into his black eyes as she spoke seriously.
"Yes. We promised to do our utmost to protect Your Highness's life, and to provide you with the best education and living conditions possible."
Leon nodded in affirmation, gently patting the little girl's head to comfort her.
"But we will never interfere with your choices. My lord said long ago that your future path would be arduous. That is why, from a very early age, Ser Duncan has been teaching you—teaching you martial skills, how to handle governance and human affairs, and how to carefully choose the road ahead!"
"In Braavos, we advised you many times—some of us even begged you! Now, you must pay the price for making the wrong choice."
Feeling the warmth coming from the broad, rough hand atop her head, Dany pleaded,
"I've heard of the fame of Tarth Isle. Even among the Free Cities, there aren't many who are willing to offend House Tarth. As long as you reveal your identity, many people would be willing to help you…"
"Impossible. My lord gave orders—we must never主动宣称 ourselves as people of Tarth!"
Leon shook his head firmly. After four years together, little Dany could clearly hear the absolute, unquestionable tone in Ser Leon's voice.
In an instant, her face turned deathly pale. While harboring resentment toward her heartless brother Viserys, she also stubbornly gambled everything, clenching her small silver teeth as she threatened,
"If Brother Galedon's prophecy is correct, and the true dragon is born because of me—then if I lose my life among the savage Dothraki tribes, you will gain nothing at all!"
"Hahahaha~!"
Leon burst out laughing at little Dany's adorably vicious expression. He laughed until he was out of breath, even needing to hold onto a pillar in the corridor for support.
After a while, once he had laughed enough, he reached out and flicked the white forehead of the indignant little Dany, then put on a serious expression and said,
"When the stars weep blood, when the warhorse stumbles, when mighty warriors are devoured by blood demons;the great dragon shall answer the call of the supreme bloodline of an ancient civilization,and be born amidst blood and fire!"
"Yes—my lord once foretold it!"
"My lord is never wrong!"
...
The midday sun blazed fiercely. Twilight Hall Castle shone like an enormous mirror, competing in brilliance with the vast blue sea.
Inside the Grand Council Hall of the Military Advisory Tower, an equally fiery meeting was underway.
Rows of twenty-meter-long curved wooden tables surrounded the highest platform. Three hundred and sixteen centurions and mid-to-lower-level commanders sat upright and solemn, while dozens of administrative officers, regiment commanders, ship captains, and home-port commanders held quill pens, dipping them in ink and writing furiously on paper.
On the platform, one of the Four Knights—White-haired Nick—held a one-meter-long pointer, gesturing energetically at a map of the central Narrow Sea and Lorath on the wall. Thunderfist stood beside him, assisting with another map twice the size.
"Lorath is the poorest, weakest, and most isolated of the Nine Free Cities."
"..."
"After taking control of Lorath, we will explore the underground labyrinth beneath the city. Two long-range regiments must remain on standby—once orders are given, they are to deliver devastating strikes on the target!"
"Even if it means exhausting all wildfire and giant ballistae!"
"The navy's three fleets are to escort the fishing vessels dispatched by Lorath's city hall, driving off fleets from Tyrosh, Myr, and Lys…"
"..."
"Commanders,to summarize—during the six months we are stationed in Lorath, we must display our greatest strength and complete our objectives. Only then will we march toward the Stepstones."
"Now—do you have any questions?"
Nick turned to the crowd and asked. Thunderfist Kaide removed the map from the wall and replaced it with a map of the Stepstones in his hands.
Low murmurs filled the hall. Many commanders relaxed their posture, leaning closer to one another as they discussed matters with their comrades.
Galedon and Count Selwyn were observing from the back rows of the hall, giving off the distinct feeling of school leaders sitting in on a class during his previous life.
"Zhì Nǎo, where exactly does the black stone in Lorath's underground labyrinth come from?"
Having already grasped the overall plan of the grand maneuver, Galedon communicated internally with Zhì Nǎo.
Black stone was one of the extraordinary materials of this world, similar to the magic stone forged by dragonflame. It was commonly found in ancient wonders, including Asshai, the Hightower of Oldtown, and the labyrinths of Lorath.
In the legends of the eastern lands, the Bloodstone Emperor who brought about the Long Night worshipped a black stone that fell from the sky, founding the Church of Star Alignment.
One theory suggested that black stone's relationship with magic was akin to that between weirwood and the Old Gods.
[Insufficient data to derive a conclusion]
"What's the most likely possibility?"
[Remnants of the moon forged by the gods]
"Moon remnants?"
Galedon nearly cried out in shock. He knew that many myths across different lands spoke of an ancient era before the Long Night, when there were once two moons in the sky.
While traveling across the Narrow Sea and the Free Cities, he often visited local priests and elders, collecting myths passed down in various regions—both out of curiosity and to gather enough data for cross-verification.
[Myths of Qarth: Dragons came from the second moon in the sky. The moon drew too close to the sun and was scorched, shattering like an egg. Millions of dragons poured forth from it.]
[Hidden data support: the "dragons" here are a play on words, referring to magic]
"What is this 'grand maneuver'?"
Before Galedon could investigate further, Old Duncan's curious voice sounded from behind him.
He and Count Selwyn turned around, only to see that the old man had somehow arrived alongside Divine Sword Corlyn and Divine Archer Hawkeye, guarding the two patriarchs of House Tarth.
"Teacher, please—have a seat!"
Just as Galedon was about to invite his teacher to sit, Count Selwyn sprang to his feet and warmly embraced Duncan, who was clad in plate armor, grumbling all the while,
"Ha! You come back and don't even look for me first to have a drink!"
"My lord, I've heard about Alyn's matter," Old Duncan patted Selwyn on the shoulder and pushed him away slightly. "I'm truly sorry."
Count Selwyn shook his head, revealing a sorrowful expression.
"That's not something you can be blamed for, my brother. All we can say is—Alyn was, in the end, still a Lannister."
At this moment, Galedon changed the subject and suggested,
"Father, Teacher—let's go outside and talk."
Their conversation had already drawn the attention of some commanders in the hall, including First Knight Order Commander Timili and Second Sword-and-Shield Regiment Commander Kaijie Tusi.
"Hahaha~! That's right—let's go, let's go! Let's drink and celebrate your return!"
Count Selwyn forced a smile and grabbed Duncan, about to head outside.
"Hey! Timili, you bastard—what are you still staring at? Get over here!"
Timili knocked the hilt of his sword against the iron armor on his chest in salute toward Selwyn, then cast a questioning look at Galedon.
"Ser Timili, it's just in time—I'll have to trouble you to explain the details of the grand maneuver to my teacher."
Galedon sighed helplessly. Count Selwyn shared exceptionally close bonds with the older generation of landed knights—like real brothers.
"Hahaha~! You brats behave yourselves and run the meeting properly!"
Hearing this, Timili laughed heartily. He kicked Kaijie's backside hard—who was looking on with extreme envy—before trotting happily toward his two old brothers.
Ignoring Kaijie's aggrieved, thick-browed glare, Galedon looked toward Nick on the platform and nodded, signaling him to continue presiding over the assembly.
Nick had always been positioned as the strategist. Though his combat strength was inferior to that of his other three brothers, he was Galedon's most capable right-hand man.
...
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Here are a few fan-fic titles that I've recently uploaded on my Patreon:
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(End Chapter)