Aegor simply didn’t have enough wildfire to destroy Caitlin Bay.

A large quantity of solidified, deactivated wildfire transported from King’s Landing was stored in ten relatively intact castles along the Wall, whose climbing stairs had been repaired and were fully under Night’s Watch control, serving as a strategic reserve against a wight invasion. Aegor had decided not to deploy these reserves unless absolutely necessary. When he led the Gift Army south this time, the carriages accompanying him carried fresh wildfire mixed by several pyromancers in Crown Town.

Aegor’s original plan, when he used both persuasion and force to bring a few “alchemists” from King’s Landing to the Gift, was to retain talent in case black powder would be needed in the future. But until that moment arrived, their task was simply to “mix wildfire,” providing the Night’s Watch with a continuous supply of super oil. However, plans never keep up with changes. The expense of small-scale wildfire production had once been only a fraction of the Night’s Watch Industry’s revenue, but the appearance of the Gift Resettlement Plan, that bottomless pit, immediately swallowed all the resources Aegor could allocate.

Insufficient funds due to long-term planning, soaring prices driven by war, and poor transport capacity all led to unstable supply of materials for wildfire production, intermittent mixing, and naturally, low output. Aegor had left Crown Town with only half a cart of wildfire, which was almost entirely used up during the assault on Deepwood Motte and the subsequent encirclement battle on the beach, leaving only a few jars. His earlier declaration to Asha that he would burn Caitlin Bay to the ground with wildfire if they refused to surrender had been nothing more than a bluff.

—

Aegor had originally planned to attack with wildfire an hour after his envoy entered Caitlin Bay, but ultimately changed his mind and initiated the plan earlier.

The trebuchets came from House Manderly, originally stored in White Harbor as city defense reserves. This time, they had been dragged north to Caitlin Bay to serve as siege weapons. These were not hastily made machines, so their performance was excellent. The wildfire jars were also quite light. After lighting the oil jar, the mechanism was quickly triggered, and with a swing of the arm, the jar flew several hundred meters, landing inside Caitlin Bay’s walls.

Although the projectile didn’t strike any towers, Aegor had not intended to cause casualties. He merely wanted the enemy to understand they possessed such a powerful weapon.

“If there’s no response from inside the castle, throw another jar in a quarter of an hour.”

“Yes, Lord,” the soldiers operating the trebuchet replied, but one quickly asked, “But we don’t have many jars left. What do we do when we run out?”

“I’ll order Ser Manderly and the two armies to prepare for the assault.” Aegor looked at the last few jars of wildfire beside the trebuchet, then at Caitlin Bay, shrouded in mist and swamp in the distance, and sighed. “If there’s still no movement after we’ve used the rest of the wildfire, send the signal and launch a coordinated attack with our southern allies.”

“Understood.”

“Thank you for your efforts. Either way, the war in the North should come to an end after today.”

After giving his orders and offering encouragement, Aegor turned and walked toward his tent. Sending Asha to persuade the defenders of Caitlin Bay to surrender had been a gamble, an attempt to gain greater merit and influence at a lower cost.

And gambling has winners and losers. If you gamble, you must accept defeat.

In any case, the fact that he had led troops to retake Deepwood Motte and arrived at Caitlin Bay in time to assist was already established. Even if Asha failed in her mission, his losses would not be significant.

The only real concern was, “If Asha doesn’t return, can I still ensure she’s captured alive during the assault on Caitlin Bay?” After all, Lady Glover was still hoping to exchange the Kraken’s Daughter for her two children.

(Since Crow’s Eye had publicly declared support for Stannis, true or not, he could no longer openly oppose the North. Those two Glover children were no longer of any use to the Iron Islands. Even if Asha, the captive, were lost, perhaps Robb Stark could find another way to recover them?)

As Aegor pondered this on his way back to his tent, the startled shout of a soldier from the watchtower behind him suddenly rang out: “They’ve surrendered! They’ve surrendered!”

…

Behind Caitlin Bay’s walls, the smoke from the burning wildfire had yet to clear. Under the watchful eyes of all those who had rushed to the swamp’s edge upon hearing the news, the kraken banners on the fortress walls were being lowered one by one. A short while later, the North gate slowly opened, and the last of the fortress’s garrison walked out in a line.

Because the Ironborn had been hiding within the towers, Aegor hadn’t been able to use the Shapeshifter to estimate their numbers from the air. But now the answer was clear. Their numbers were even fewer than what he had told Asha earlier, but roughly matched his actual estimate—just over fifty men.

When Victarion Greyjoy sailed back to the Iron Islands with the main Iron Fleet to attend the kingsmoot, he had left behind more than a hundred men. Now, more than half were gone. Half had been killed in battle during multiple assaults by the Northern army, while the other half died from poisoned arrows shot by the harassing swamp raiders, from unsanitary food, disease, and starvation. The Ironborn were born pirates, not garrison troops. Caitlin Bay had neither adequate fresh water nor sufficient provisions, and no healers to treat wounds or illness. Even the Maester had been killed. Throughout the siege, the Ironborn could do nothing but watch their comrades die one by one.

Those who survived this trial displayed impressive physical resilience. Though only fifty Ironborn remained, their combat effectiveness far surpassed the average. To take Caitlin Bay by force would have cost at least a hundred Northern soldiers. If Aegor’s mountain clansmen or Wildlings—who had never seen a proper castle—led the assault, the casualties would have been even higher.

The camp quickly became active. The Gift Army moved forward to receive the surrendered soldiers who had “voluntarily taken the black,” while House Manderly’s soldiers rushed into Caitlin Bay to take control of the fortress. They had arrived earlier than the Gift Army and had cooperated with his plan, so Aegor had no grounds to claim credit for being the first to enter the city. Soon after, the Stark direwolf banner once again flew over Caitlin Bay’s walls.

After issuing instructions on how to handle the surrendered troops and ordering that Asha’s status be elevated in recognition of her contribution, Aegor did not personally meet with the Kraken’s Daughter who had fulfilled her mission. Instead, he led his personal guards on horseback into Caitlin Bay, now under new control.

Northern and White Harbor soldiers bustled about like unruly tenants. They didn’t care—after all, it wasn’t their home. The Ironborn, as invaders, had made no effort to maintain hygiene. Once despair set in, they didn’t even bother disposing of the dead. The castle was now full of garbage, excrement, and corpses, giving off a sickening stench. Without thorough cleaning, it would be difficult to reoccupy.

After asking around, he found Robb Stark, who had already entered the city with his trusted men and was hiding on the wall to escape the smell.

…

“You came just in time.” Robb nodded at Aegor. Though still a youth, with a neatly trimmed short beard and a composed demeanor, he carried himself like the Warden of the North. “I was just about to send someone to find you.”

Seeing the serious expression on Robb’s face, Aegor didn’t dare take liberties despite their familiarity. “The garrison of Caitlin Bay has requested to take the black from me. Along with the Ironborn captured during the assault on Deepwood Motte, including Balon Greyjoy’s daughter, they await your decision, Lord.”

Knowing Robb, it was unlikely he would refuse and insist on executing the Ironborn. But people change. The Robb he once knew had been Eddard Stark’s eldest son, while the one standing before him now was the new Warden of the North, the supreme authority north of the Neck. The fact that the garrison of Caitlin Bay had surrendered to the Night’s Watch in the North, rather than to Robb Stark in the South, carried an implicit sign of disrespect.

Robb was now the one in charge. Even if he didn’t care about such matters on his land, Aegor still had to report and ask for his decision. This was a rule Aegor had learned from his previous life’s workplace before his transmigration.

“Forget it. You deal with those who surrendered to you. Doesn’t the Night’s Watch always complain about being short-handed? Just leave Balon’s daughter. The Glovers want to trade her for their children.” As Aegor had expected, Robb waved it off. “Now let’s talk about this ‘Gift Army’ marching south. I’m grateful the Night’s Watch thought of the North in its time of need. But the Night’s Watch is not supposed to meddle in the Seven Kingdoms’ internal affairs. That’s been the rule for a thousand years. Now that someone has broken it, how am I supposed to explain this to the other six kingdoms?”

(To be continued.)

***

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