Chapter 140: A Troubled Autumn
Winter had come, but in the warm south, everything continued to function—perhaps not smoothly, but with a semblance of stability.
As a proper Night's Watchman who had sworn his vows, manned the Wall, and even slain an Other, the Chief Logistics Officer had no idea what heart-pounding adventures his brothers were undertaking north of the Wall—a land teeming with wildlings and monsters. Instead, he was inside the safe confines of the Night's Watch First Office in King's Landing, feeling irritable over a mountain of mundane headaches.
First was the sheer volume of business that came with a growing enterprise. Bond sales, loan processing, bookkeeping, client negotiations, and the training of the Security Detail created a chaotic mess of red tape. This was to say nothing of the need to scout new projects and expand markets to find a home for the sudden influx of four thousand Gold Dragons in cash.
After a few days in the capital, Egger quickly understood why Tyrion held Nina in such high regard. To be honest, the girl didn't necessarily handle things better than he would have personally, but the key was that she could handle them independently. Egger assigned tasks to others, but young men like Casey would run to him for a decision the moment they hit a snag. Only with Nina's assignments did he never have to worry—much like the obsidian mine run by the old foreman Tyrion had introduced, once the funding was in place, it ran itself.
In Egger's original modern world, Nina would be an office clerk or an executive assistant at best. But in this world, which lacked a formal education system and where knowing basic arithmetic made one a talent, a person who could actually shoulder a founder's burdens was the most precious of resources. After failing to find or promote anyone else like her, Egger realized Nina was someone he had to keep by his side by any means necessary.
In terms of judging and utilizing people, Egger—who had never been a leader before his transmigration—was truly inferior to his partners.
...
Then there was the little she-wolf who stuck to him at the office all day, which was another source of stress.
"A very gifted girl. Train her well and she'll be a fine swordswoman... though, given her status as a Stark, learning the blade is mostly useless beyond amusement."
This was Oberyn Martell's personal assessment of Arya before he departed.
The Prince's expression had been quite serious; he clearly wasn't joking. The Dornish had no intention of squeezing into the core of the Baratheon dynasty's power, so the Prince had no reason to flatter the Hand's youngest daughter. Under such circumstances, a high evaluation from a grandmaster of martial arts carried undeniable weight.
Furthermore, Oberyn likely didn't realize he had inadvertently done Egger a favor: after having her arrogance completely crushed by his breathtaking skill, Arya heard from her new bestie Margaery that Egger had traded dozens of blows with the Red Viper and emerged unscathed. Having seen true power, her attitude toward her Master suddenly became obedient and respectful again.
To put it simply, she started behaving.
Egger breathed a sigh of relief that he wasn't about to be bullied by his own apprentice yet—but if he kept relying on the meager training he'd received at Castle Black, he'd be exposed within months. Driven by a sense of crisis, he decided that no matter how busy he was, he would carve out time every day to spar with Arya.
It served multiple purposes: staying in shape, strengthening the master-disciple bond that had grown slightly distant over two months, and consolidating his authority. Perhaps it would even improve his own swordsmanship. If nothing else, if he ever faced a Braavosi assassin using the Water Dance in the future, he wouldn't be completely blind to their moves.
It was a form of stealing techniques, in a way. Fortunately, the perpetually stone-faced Jaqen never called him out. Arya, who often found herself in a back-and-forth struggle with the Watchman, naively believed her Master was simply going easy on her.
...
Those two headaches were unavoidable, but the third one to show up was a true nightmare: Margaery Tyrell had actually begun coming to the office for swordsmanship lessons.
This incredibly shrewd Little Rose wasn't like Arya, who arrived in the morning and left at dusk. Margaery timed her arrivals perfectly for when Egger and Arya were about to have lunch. She would go through the motions of learning for a bit, share a meal, and then quickly find an excuse to depart. In reality, the time she spent eating with them far exceeded the time spent on actual lessons.
After two such occurrences, Egger saw right through it. The sword lessons were a sham; this little vixen was after the opportunity to lunch with Arya and pry information from the little she-wolf!
First, they chatted about swords, then about life, then about family. They talked about Bran, then Sansa, then Jon. Eventually, the conversation drifted toward Arya's father, Eddard Stark. After inquiring about his health with practiced ease, she began discussing the Hand's daily work. Before the meal was even over, the topic shifted to rumors—specifically, the current Queen.
This trained interrogation technique was leagues beyond Egger's. The Little Rose was still obsessed with becoming Queen! Margaery undoubtedly hoped Ned would quickly prove the truth of Cersei and Jaime's incest so that Robert would cast the Queen aside, giving her a chance to ascend!
Though Egger could see Margaery prying, he couldn't stop her because he wanted the information himself. Since someone was prying for free, he—sitting at the same table—just had to listen!
Looking at it from another angle, a nuisance became a benefit. The bad news was that, judging by Arya's vague yet undisguised accounts, their model Hand of the King truly seemed to be investigating Cersei and Jaime. The stability of the Seven Kingdoms was teetering on the edge!
Once Ned found something out, would he fall into his old habits and warn Cersei so she could flee with her children, only for the Queen to seize the chance to kill Robert and plunge the realm into chaos?
Egger worried about the peace of Westeros, but not everyone in the world shared his concern for the realm. Some people were only thinking about more sordid matters.
On the fourth day since Egger had blocked Janos Slynt from harassing Nina, and just as the Night's Watch was busy enough to nearly forget the man, Slynt finally made his move.
The King's Landing City Watch conducted a sudden raid on the Night's Watch paper mill in the city and hauled Neil away.
"They just took him? On what grounds?" Egger asked with wide eyes as the mill employee brought the news. He hadn't done anything illegal. "Did they find something in the search?"
"Nothing. They arrested Neil on the grounds that he obstructed their search, and they left word for his family to come collect him."
"That's impossible. I specifically told my brother," Nina said frantically. "I told him to keep his temper if that Slynt fellow came looking for trouble, and never to give them an opening!"
"Neil didn't do anything. He just stood at the door for a moment wanting to verify their identities, and those two Gold Cloaks grabbed him immediately. They were clearly looking for a fight!"
Hearing the report, Egger scratched his head irritably. With status came responsibility; there was no such thing as a free lunch. As the boss, while he enjoyed the perks of leadership, he also had to shield his subordinates.
Using family as leverage—such an old-fashioned tactic. Well, it fit this old-fashioned world perfectly.
Fine. Better a thief attacks than having to watch for one forever. Rather than worrying about how this greasy middle-aged man would cause trouble, it was better that he'd jumped out early. They would have their struggle, settle it, and be done with the anxiety. Egger had successfully saved Ned once and was currently busy considering how to save Robert or Cersei; he had no time for a small-timer like this.
"Go to the female spies in the brothels first. Get a full background check on Janos Slynt. I want to know exactly what gives a Commander of the City Watch the capital to be this arrogant in the capital of the Seven Kingdoms." Egger was fuming internally, but his mind raced. Nina was his person; he would never let her go. But if the problem could be solved peacefully, it was best not to make a scene. In these troubled times, caution was paramount. "Notify Tyrion of this and see what he thinks. Also, move Nina's parents into the Night's Watch industrial park and tell the security team to look after them!"
"Yes, my lord!"
"Wait!" Egger suddenly changed his mind.
The Night's Watch industry already had significant influence and connections in King's Landing, but using those meant owing favors. It was better to avoid that if possible. Why not make full use of the resources that had just walked through his door?
He stopped the messenger. "Find a place to sit nearby for a moment. Wait until we are eating—specifically when I, Miss Stark, and Miss Tyrell are sitting together—then come and deliver the news again. Pretend it's the first time you're telling me, and this is what you'll say..."
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