The Mountain of Ice and Fire

Duke Tywin slowly said, "Lord Odes, how many soldiers are in your city guard?"

Lord Odes was slightly taken aback.

Duke Tywin knows the strength of his city guard like the back of his hand, so why ask such a question?

But since Duke Tywin asked, he naturally had to answer honestly.

"Two thousand guards, Your Grace."

"What about the navy?"

"Two thousand sailors."

"What about in wartime? If there's a war, how many troops can you mobilize?"

"Four thousand guards, four thousand sailors."

"Oh. And how many soldiers does Ser Gregor have?"

Lord Odes was taken aback again, then said, "Eighty-six cavalry, Your Grace."

"In wartime, how many soldiers can Ser Gregor mobilize?"

"...Eighty-six cavalry...Your Grace..."

"Lord Odes, how many families are there in your territory, inside and outside the city?"

"Eleven thousand families, Your Grace."

"How many families are there in Ser Gregor's territory?"

"...Thirty families...Your Grace..." Cold sweat began to dampen Lord Odes' back.

"Lord Odes, if I were to worry, it seems I should worry more about you."

Lord Odes was speechless, unable to say a word.

He never expected the Duke to say such a thing.

His Grace was just praising his concern for Gregor, but now he suddenly changed his tone. What does this mean?

"Lord Odes, what's your surname?"

"Lannister, Your Grace."

"And mine?"

"Also Lannister, Your Grace." Lord Odes dared not sit any longer. He stood up, respectful but no longer composed, sweat breaking out on his forehead.

"How long has there been a master-servant relationship between the Lannisters of Lannisport and the Lannisters of Casterly Rock?"

"A thousand years, Your Grace."

"Yes, more than a thousand years. So what are you worried about? We have always been one family. We are all Lannisters of the same blood. I may suspect anyone in the Westerlands, but I would never suspect Lord Odes, because we are all Lannisters."

Lord Odes' panicked mood was strongly soothed again.

He gave a sheepish smile, but his heart was completely put back at ease.

That's right, the Lannisters of a thousand-year master-servant relationship have never changed. This is no longer something that can be described by the word 'loyalty'. This is a family whose blood is thicker than water, a blood tie that requires no questioning. So what Duke Tywin said earlier, 'Lord Odes, if I were to worry, it seems I should worry more about you,' was just a jest from His Grace.

Lord Odes blamed himself for thinking too much.

In the entire Westerlands, it's impossible to find a blood tie as strong as that between the Lannisters of Lannisport and the Lannisters of Casterly Rock. Blood is thicker than water, a thousand years of master-servant relationship, there's no need to prove it with anything else.

"My Lords, there's no need to worry too much about Gregor's eighty-six cavalry and thirty families. Maesters, compared to the Citadel's thousands of maesters and the thousands of technological inventions and research results, Gregor's little inventions are nothing. I don't want everyone's suspicion of Gregor to affect his loyalty. I have a sense of proportion, caution, analysis, and judgment regarding Gregor."

The three maesters and two lords listened respectfully to Duke Tywin's words.

Ser Kevan was originally a smart and talented man, but he was willing to be Tywin's shadow and foil, stemming from his admiration for Tywin's ruthlessness and extraordinary talent. Any thorny problem and complex situation became very simple in Tywin's hands.

Tywin was hired by King Aerys Targaryen as Hand of the King at the age of twenty and served for twenty years. He was the uncrowned king. The Seven Kingdoms all recognized that he was the true king, a true king hidden behind King Aerys.

If King Aerys hadn't angered Tywin, Tywin wouldn't have resigned as Hand. If King Aerys hadn't humiliated Tywin, Tywin wouldn't have stood idly by, letting the royalists and rebels fight to the death. In the end, Tywin defected to the rebels, personally captured King's Landing, and ruthlessly destroyed the Targaryen dynasty.

Kevan always admired his elder brother Tywin wholeheartedly. He lost himself and willingly became Tywin's shadow, just like the neurotic Polliver's absolute loyalty to the Mountain.

"I don't want what we said today to be spread to anyone. Absolutely not a single word can reach Gregor's ears. I want all the benefits he can bring to the Westerlands. But if today's conversation is leaked, it will affect his enthusiasm for inventions and his loyalty to Casterly Rock."

Duke Tywin's gaze slowly swept over the two lords and three maesters. Everyone nodded quickly, indicating that they would strictly keep it secret and not reveal a single word to the outside world.

In fact, even if Lord Odes were allowed to go out and say it, he wouldn't dare.

If Gregor found out, breaking his legs would be a light punishment.

It was precisely because he was afraid of Gregor finding out that Lord Odes chose to hold the meeting at Ser Kevan's castle, ensuring foolproof security.

"Even the meanest dog is still a dog. A mean dog needs meat bones, not wooden sticks with nails. If he finds out about our suspicions today, it will be a wooden stick with nails. If anyone leaks today's conversation, I will make him regret coming into this world."

The two lords and three maesters all shuddered.

Duke Tywin slowly stood up. "Lord Odes, I have always known in my heart that you are very loyal to Casterly Rock."

"Thank you, Your Grace," Lord Odes quickly thanked him.

Duke Tywin's gaze finally stopped on Kevan. He stared at Kevan with a meaningful look for a long time, until Kevan understood the meaning in his eyes. Then he withdrew his gaze, didn't say goodbye to the knights and maesters, and strode away.

Grand Maester Hallyn quickly followed.

Since Tywin was seventeen years old, Kevan had willingly and wholeheartedly followed his brother Tywin. His understanding of his brother Tywin's thoughts was like an innate talent. He understood the meaning of his brother Tywin's eyes. One layer of meaning made him feel cold in his heart, and for the first time he felt a deep crisis for the Westerlands.

This kind of crisis was something he had never thought of before. He felt ashamed because of it, and he also felt cold all over.

And the second layer of meaning in the gaze was Tywin blaming him for having too low a vision and too small a pattern in his chest. Even if he were given a piece of land, Kevan would not be able to become a duke who could manage great nobles, but could only become a lord of a city, just like the level of someone like Odes Lannister.

This made Kevan's face burn, as if he had been slapped by Duke Tywin.