Winter had come, but in the warm South, life carried on—perhaps not smoothly, but just barely.

As a proper sworn brother of the Night’s Watch, Aegor had no idea what thrilling dangers his brothers were facing beyond the Wall, where wildlings gathered and all manner of monsters roamed. He was safe, tucked away in the Night’s Watch’s first office in King’s Landing, yet utterly exasperated by the burdens that came with it.

—

The first of those burdens was the sheer volume of work that came with managing both family and business—bond sales, loan processing, account balancing, negotiations with clients, even training the so-called “security team.” Tedious beyond words. And on top of all that, there was the matter of finding profitable ventures, exploring new markets, and devising ways to make use of the sudden windfall of four thousand gold dragons in cash.

After only a few days in King’s Landing, Aegor quickly understood why Tyrion spoke so highly of Nina. To be fair, the girl didn’t necessarily do things better than he did himself. The key was that she could handle things alone. Aegor had assigned tasks to others as well, but young men like Casey would inevitably come to him whenever a difficult decision arose, seeking guidance on how to proceed. Nina, on the other hand, he never had to worry about anything he left in her hands.

Take the dragonglass mine that the old miner had introduced to Tyrion, for example. As long as the money was in place, she managed it independently, without need for constant oversight.

If Nina had lived in the modern world Aegor once knew, at best, she would have been an office clerk or a boss’s secretary. But in this world, where the ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide made one a rare talent, someone who could truly shoulder an entrepreneur’s burdens was the most valuable resource of all.

Aegor had tried to find and cultivate more people like her, but to no avail. It was only then that he realized: Nina was someone worth keeping by his side at any cost.

In matters of recognizing and utilizing talent, Aegor, who had never been a leader before coming to this world was still far behind his partner.

…

Then there was the little she-wolf who lingered in his office all day, clinging to him and causing no end of trouble.

“A very talented girl. With proper training, she’ll make a fine swordsman… Of course, given Miss Stark’s status, learning swordplay is useless beyond mere amusement.”

This was Oberyn Martell’s parting assessment of Arya before he left.

The prince had spoken with a serious expression, making it clear he was not jesting. Dorne had no desire to entrench itself within the heart of House Baratheon’s rule, so Oberyn had no reason to flatter the Hand’s youngest daughter. That made such high praise from a master of combat all the more telling.

Beyond that, Oberyn had unwittingly done Aegor another favor. After witnessing the Red Viper’s terrifying skill firsthand, Arya had learned from her new best friend—Margaery, that Aegor had once exchanged dozens of blows with the prince without coming to harm.

Having seen Oberyn’s prowess with her own eyes, Arya had no choice but to acknowledge her master’s strength once more, and she obediently returned to her training.

In short, things had improved.

For now, at least, Aegor no longer had to suffer under his own student’s defiant assaults. But his advantage wouldn’t last. His technique was still largely reliant on what he had learned at Castle Black, and with time, Arya would catch on. Realizing this, he made a decision: no matter how busy he was, he would dedicate time each day to sparring with her.

Not only would it help him maintain his own fitness, but it would also strengthen their master-apprentice bond, reestablishing his authority after two months of separation. And perhaps, just perhaps it would improve his swordsmanship as well.

After all, if he ever found himself facing an assassin from Braavos who fought in the Water Dance style, at least he wouldn’t be completely helpless.

In a sense, he was stealing from her training. Fortunately, Jaqen H’ghar, with his ever-cryptic demeanor, never exposed him. And Arya who could hold her own in battle against the Night’s Watch remained blissfully unaware, naively assuming her master was simply going easy on her.

…

Those were two unavoidable annoyances. But the third, the one that came knocking at his door was truly a headache.

Margaery Tyrell had started visiting the office under the guise of learning swordplay.

Unlike Arya, who trained seriously from morning till evening, the Little Rose always arrived at just the right time, right before Aegor and Arya sat down for lunch. She would feign interest in swordplay, share a meal with them, and then promptly excuse herself with various pretexts. In truth, the time she spent dining far exceeded the time she spent training.

After two such encounters, how could Aegor not see through her game?

The sword lessons were a farce. What the Little Rose truly sought was the opportunity to have lunch with Arya and extract information from the little she-wolf.

First, the conversation would revolve around swordplay. Then it would drift toward daily life, then family matters. From Bran, the topic would shift to Sansa. From Sansa, to Jon. And from Jon, inevitably, to Arya’s father—Eddard Stark.

With practiced ease, Margaery inquired about the Hand’s health, his work, his daily routine. Her curiosity never seemed unnatural, never felt forced. And before their meal was even finished, the conversation had shifted once again—this time, to rumors.

That is, to the Queen.

Her methods were leagues beyond Aegor’s own. This Little Rose was still fixated on becoming queen. She must have been hoping that Eddard Stark would uncover the truth about Cersei and Jaime’s affair, that Robert would cast Cersei aside, leaving an opening for Margaery to take the throne.

Aegor knew she was using him to gather information. But he allowed it because he wanted information, too. If someone was willing to do the work for him, why not sit back and listen?

With that mindset, what had seemed like an intrusion became a convenience.

The bad news?

From Arya’s vague but honest accounts, it seemed their model Hand of the King was indeed investigating Cersei and Jaime.

And if that was true…

The stability of the Seven Kingdoms was on the verge of collapse.

—

If Eddard uncovered the truth, would he fall back on his old habits, going to Cersei, pleading with her to flee with her children only for the queen to seize the opportunity to kill Robert, throwing the realm into chaos?

Aegor cared about the peace and stability of Westeros. But not everyone in this world had such lofty concerns. Some people only thought about the worst possible outcomes.

On the fourth day after Janos Slynt had taken his men to Nina’s house to invite her to dinner, only to be stopped by Aegor—and the fourth day since the Chief Logistics Officer’s return to King’s Landing, the Night’s Watch had been so busy they had nearly forgotten about Janos Slynt.

But Slynt had not forgotten about them.

The City Watch launched a raid on the Night’s Watch’s papermaking workshop inside the city—and arrested Neil.

—

“They just took him? On what charges?” Aegor frowned, staring at the workshop employee who had rushed over to report the news. “What did they find during the search?”

“Nothing. They arrested him for obstructing the inspection. Then they told the family they could come pick him up.”

“Impossible! I warned my brother about this.” Nina’s face darkened with worry. “I told him, no matter what Slynt tries, he must control his temper. He must not give them an excuse to interfere.”

“Neil didn’t do anything,” the worker insisted. “He just stood at the door and asked for their identification. That’s all. Then two gold cloaks grabbed him and dragged him away. It’s obvious they were looking for trouble!”

As Aegor listened, he ran a hand through his hair in irritation.

You take on the responsibility that comes with your status. There’s no such thing as a free lunch.

Being the boss meant enjoying the privileges of leadership but it also meant dealing with the consequences when your people were targeted.

Using family as leverage was an old trick. But in a world as old-fashioned as this one, it made sense.

Still, at least Slynt had made his move.

A thief might steal for a thousand days, but no man could guard against thieves forever. Better to force the confrontation now, end it, and be done with him. Instead of constantly wondering what trouble this greasy, middle-aged fool would stir up next, Aegor would rather settle things quickly. He had already saved Eddard once. Now, he was preoccupied with figuring out how to save Robert or Cersei.

He had no time to waste on small men like Janos Slynt.

“First,” Aegor said, his voice cold, “send word to the informants in the brothels. I want a full report on Janos Slynt—his background, his connections. I want to know exactly how he rose to become the commander of the City Watch and why he thinks he can throw his weight around in the capital of the Seven Kingdoms.”

His mind was already working several steps ahead, despite his anger.

Nina was his person. That was non-negotiable. He would not abandon her.

But if this could be handled without escalating matters into a full-blown confrontation, all the better. The times were uncertain, and caution was wise.

“Send word to Tyrion,” he continued. “See what he thinks about all this. And move Nina’s parents into the Night’s Watch Industrial Park. Inform the security team, they are to be well protected.”

“Yes, sir!”

Aegor nodded but then, just as the messenger turned to leave, he hesitated.

Wait.

The Night’s Watch industry had considerable power and influence in King’s Landing. But pulling those strings came with a cost. Favors owed. Debts to be repaid. If it could be avoided, it should be.

So why not use the resources that had already fallen into his lap first?

Aegor stopped the messenger. “Hold on.”

“Sir?”

“Find a place to sit for a while. Stay out of sight. Then, when we’re at dinner, when Miss Stark, Miss Tyrell, and I are seated together come back. Report the news again. But this time, act like it’s the first time.”

He leaned in slightly, voice lowering.

“Then say this…”

(To be continued.)

***

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep