Chapter 47: Truth Doesn't Matter
No matter what kind of world the Game of Thrones universe actually was, Leo had already spun his tall tale.
Even if this world was full of magic, Leo was ready to trot out the "spherical Earth" theory to paper over his lies.
Sure, to everyone else it sounded ridiculous, but it was just crazy enough to hold the whole story together.
And Leo was taking a huge risk putting it out there. Claiming the world was round in a place dripping with religion and theology was basically heresy.
But it was the only way to explain why no one in any Essos port city had ever seen the fleet he'd bragged about.
He had no choice. Once you tell one lie, you have to pile on more to cover it up. The more lies you tell, the more holes you create.
Still, from the way Varys was acting—all careful and roundabout—Leo decided to roll the dice.
The more calculating someone was, the more they overthought things. And Varys clearly had his own agenda. Leo figured the Spider might actually help him out.
When Leo finished, a thin sheen of sweat glistened on Varys's bald head. The story had been a massive information dump; it took the eunuch a long moment to recover.
"But… I still see two problems," Varys said, regaining his composure. "First, men who spend long periods at sea usually end up with dark, weathered skin. Yet you…"
"Come on," Leo rolled his eyes. "I'm a duke's second son. Even at sea I lived in comfort. Plus, I was born with naturally fair skin. Why would it suddenly turn rough and dark?"
"Fair enough," Varys conceded, scratching his head. He felt a little ridiculous asking the next question. "Second… if the world really is a sphere like you claim, then what about the people, animals, dirt, and rocks on the underside? Wouldn't they all fall off?"
"I thought about that too… until I watched a ripe apple drop from a tree," Leo said smoothly, borrowing Newton's discovery and making it his own. He laid out the law of universal gravitation as if he had figured it out himself.
"And if you've ever sailed, you've noticed something strange. When a ship approaches from far away, the first thing you see is the tip of the mast rising over the horizon. The same thing happens when you spot land—the mountain peaks appear first. That proves the sea's surface is curved…"
"Of course, these are just my bold guesses! That's why I never dared say it out loud. Everyone would think I'd lost my mind! But you, my friend… do you think I'm crazy?"
Varys didn't know what to say. The story was absurd, yet every detail checked out.
He stared at Leo with complicated eyes, mind racing.
From everything he had observed lately, Leo spouted nothing but lies… yet those lies always carried an odd ring of truth that was impossible to disprove.
He claimed to be a duke's second son. There was no direct proof, but his refined speech, casual spending, and picky taste in food and living conditions all screamed that he had grown up in extreme luxury.
Even his "naturally fair" skin proved he had never done a day of real labor in his life.
Every little habit screamed pampered noble.
A commoner trying to fake that life would slip up in a hundred tiny ways. Leo never did.
Yet when it came to his actual origins, the story was riddled with holes anyone could expose with a quick check.
The contradictions had left Varys more and more confused about this man.
And now Leo had dropped the wildest claim yet: the entire world was a sphere.
But every example he gave made perfect sense—the curved sea, ships appearing mast-first. Varys could find no flaw.
If something as ridiculous as dragons had once existed—and everyone accepted that as fact—then maybe Leo's "adventure" was possible too.
Varys finally relaxed a fraction. "Well… that is quite the unbelievable tale and theory. No wonder you covered it with lies." He wiped the sweat from his bald head. "Honestly, I still find it hard to believe… yet I can't refute a single word you said…"
"In any case, this is far too complicated. I…"
"You're not actually going to report all of this to the king, are you?" Leo asked carefully.
Varys shook his head.
He wasn't crazy enough to repeat something this insane to Robert. The king—and everyone else—would think he had lost his mind.
Besides, lying came as naturally to Varys as breathing. Deceiving the king was child's play.
"I have no desire to be laughed at as a madman alongside you," Varys sighed, giving Leo a look that said you owe me. "I will tell the king and anyone else who questioned your story that my little birds have confirmed sightings of your fleet in the Free Cities across the Narrow Sea… because we are friends, after all. Correct?"
"That's perfect! You've done me a huge favor, my friend!" Leo grinned. "I don't want anyone thinking I'm crazy either!"
Varys smiled. "Then let us keep these wild matters as our little secret."
Leo returned the grateful expression. "I will remember this kindness, my friend!"
The two men shared a knowing smile, as if they had just sealed some private pact.
In the end, the actual truth didn't matter.
This was exactly why Varys had come to Leo in the first place: he wanted Leo to owe him a massive debt.
Friends helped each other, after all. One favor today, another tomorrow. Eventually they would become the closest of allies… and together they could chase some grand dream.
Or, in plain terms, Varys intended to use information and leverage to slowly control Leo.
That was the Spider's favorite game—and he played it with everyone.
Leo, of course, knew exactly what kind of man Varys was. The grateful act was pure performance.
He also wasn't worried about Varys repeating any of this conversation. If the Spider tried, Leo would simply deny everything and call Varys the madman for spinning such a ridiculous tale.
Varys was smart enough to know no one would believe the spherical-world story anyway. So he would use his monopoly on information to help Leo sell the lie, earn Leo's trust, and get exactly what he wanted.
The truth? It had never mattered.