After 150 years, a dragon had once again descended upon Highgarden. However, neither the city's inhabitants nor those beyond its walls had the opportunity to witness it up close.
Due to Robert's "assassination attempt", the entire city had been placed under lockdown. A curfew had been imposed at night, patrols of soldiers roamed the streets in tight formations, and all gatherings of more than five people—whether inside or outside the city—were strictly forbidden.
The three-tiered circular walls of Highgarden completely obstructed the view. The residents could do nothing but remain indoors, looking up at the sky in frustration.
As dusk approached, a thunderous roar echoed from outside the city. The people of Highgarden knew what it meant—the dragon had arrived. But without being able to see it, their disappointment grew even heavier. All they could do was hope that Wright and Renly, the two most powerful mages in the realm, would soon uncover the culprit behind the king's poisoning. Once the lockdown was lifted, they would finally be able to go outside and see the dragon for themselves.
When Odahviing landed outside the city walls, Wright and Renly had already glided into the inner city. The young dragon, Peytvahaaz, was still small enough to follow them inside the castle. Under the escort of Highgarden's guards, the two men and the dragon were led to a private reception hall.
"Where is the king?"
Wright immediately questioned the man awaiting them—Ser Lyn Corbray of the Kingsguard.
Ser Lyn responded earnestly, "Lord Wright, His Grace is changing his clothes."
He had arrived at Robert's command and handed two slips of parchment to Wright and Renly, detailing the events of the past few days.
Wright frowned. "Then we will wait. Ser Lyn, go inform the members of the Small Council and have them assemble here at once. And bring Daenerys and her faction as well."
"As you command!"
As the Archmage of the Seven Kingdoms, Wright had the authority to convene a Small Council meeting. Ser Lyn hurried out of the hall—he couldn't deliver so many messages alone. Rounding a corner, he sprinted toward the Kingsguard's quarters to rally assistance.
Even a "small" reception hall in Highgarden was spacious and luxurious. In addition to the fine sofas and chairs, a massive rectangular conference table dominated the center of the room. Wright and Renly took seats at the head of the table.
As he finished reading the parchment, Wright tapped his fingers rhythmically on the table with his left hand, while his right hand clutched a black pocket watch, anxiously checking the time.
Renly, seated across from him, remained silent. His dragon, its head larger than that of a warhorse, nudged closer. As Renly absentmindedly picked small stones from between its scales, he lined them up neatly on the table.
About ten minutes later, Robert and Ser Barristan entered the hall.
"Robert! What the hell have you done?!"
Wright's eyes locked onto Robert's neck. Even with a high-collared tunic, red blotches were visible across his skin. Immediately, Wright shoved his chair back and stood, pointing at Robert's throat as he shouted.
Renly followed Wright's gaze, and at the sight of Robert's condition, a chill ran down his spine. Goosebumps rose across his skin—Robert looked terrible!
Robert didn't respond. As he walked forward, he placed both hands on Wright's shoulders, firmly pushing him back into his seat before settling into the chair at the head of the table with a bitter smile.
Wright reached into his collar and pulled out a dragon-shaped pendant. "Did you stop wearing the magic necklace I gave you?"
Robert touched the pendant hidden beneath his own clothing. "At first, wearing it seemed to keep away small ailments. But over time, I got used to it and stopped thinking of it as a magical item. Besides, it was cumbersome against my chest, so I took it off a while ago."
Wright's expression darkened. "This necklace wouldn't have made you immune to all diseases or poisons, but when faced with a severe illness or lethal toxin, it would have activated its magic, generating high temperatures as a warning and a means of resistance. At the very least, it would have given you a chance to react and avoid further harm."
Robert sighed. "What's done is done. The question now is—do you understand my illness? Can it be cured with magic?" His voice carried a hint of desperate hope as he looked between Wright and Renly, the two most powerful mages in the realm.
Wright stood and pressed a hand to the floor. Beneath Robert's chair, a complex magical detection array spread outward from Wright's fingertips, forming a glowing circular pattern.
"This is a diagnostic spell. It will reveal many things about your condition. You'll need to give a small blood sample—Renly will heal you afterward."
Robert began rolling up his sleeves. "A little blood? That's nothing. Do I need to stand?"
"No, just stay within the small circle at the center of the array. Sitting is fine."
Wright was already deep in concentration, too preoccupied to give more than a brief reply.
Renly, crouching beside the spell formation, explained, "It doesn't matter where the blood comes from—just a finger prick will do." He had been studying this spell himself and was eager to observe the process firsthand.
Wright watched Robert closely as the magic took effect. His expression turned grim.
He recognized this disease. Even in the modern world, it was difficult to cure—it was secondary-stage syphilis.
In reality, this disease required treatment with penicillin. Wright had studied mechanical engineering before coming to this world—he knew the name of the cure, but he had no idea how to synthesize it. Producing penicillin required cultivating and extracting it through complex processes, and Wright was certain he lacked the knowledge and means to do so.
Penicillin isn't available, and magic isn't reliable for curing syphilis!
In the game, simply touching an altar would cure all kinds of diseases, even rabies from being bitten by a werewolf! That's because the altar was genuinely powered by a divine presence, with real gods using their strength to make an equivalent exchange with their followers!
Followers offer their faith and expand the influence of the god, while the god uses their power to help the faithful dispel diseases.
Wright speculated that it was likely the god's power directly separated the virus from the human body, or perhaps they used magic, precise down to the nanometer, to kill the virus. Currently, magic in this world hasn't reached such advanced levels.
And in this remote world, which even the gods have turned a blind eye to, the highest form of enchantment can only achieve about eighty percent resistance, and stacking further resistance barely makes a difference.
If magic resistance equipment worked like this, wearing a necklace that grants 100% poison resistance would make poisons like the Chokeholder, Lys' Tears, and Widow's Blood seem like water. Unless you're a direct descendant of a creator god, you'd be abandoned by the gods if you tried to cheat death this way!
The magic circle's light faded, and seeing Wright's expression, Robert knew the result. The hope in his face disappeared, and his gaze darkened, staring at the empty table.
Wright slowly spoke, "The illness Robert has isn't the blood plague that spread through Meereen, nor the butterfly fever from the Isle of Narth, and it's not just the red spots on his face. This is a very serious sexually transmitted disease."
Robert clenched his fist and looked at Wright. "Am I really going to die?"
"Everyone's constitution is different. Some might survive for decades, others might die in a year or two." Wright didn't hide the truth.
"Damn it!"
Bang! Robert's fist slammed into the table.
Renly quickly cast a healing spell, but Robert was using all his strength, even breaking his fingers.
"Robert, to prevent the spread, you can't have contact with women from now on, including the queen!" Wright stated.
Robert wasn't afraid of death. When he rebelled against the Mad King, he was ready to die. People in this world hold battlefield honor in high regard, so many aren't afraid of dying! But it felt like a death sentence to infect a young girl, and that was a bitter pill to swallow.
"Better to kill me now than stop me from touching women!" Robert was giving up.
"You can live with a few girls from the Brecken family, they've contracted the same illness," Wright suggested.
"Five, fine," Robert feigned ease in front of his two brothers, but inside, he was in turmoil and grief.
At that moment, the members of the small council entered the meeting room, followed by Daenerys, shackled, and her three handmaidens.
"Serves her right!" Renly remarked, noticing her swollen mouth, probably from the tongue being cut out, and the mage deliberately not healing the wound.
"The king has already discussed the events with me in detail. Now, it's time to interrogate the accomplices!" Wright didn't waste any time and went straight to the point as he moved toward Daenerys.
He tore open her tattered burlap tunic and saw that her body was covered in red spots, even more than Robert.
Varys, always smiling, had lost his grin. "Lord Wright, we interrogated Daenerys last night, but she didn't confess anything."
"It's fine, she will speak."
Daenerys' body began to tremble as she looked at Wright, though he hadn't even moved yet, leaving those present bewildered.
Wright's hands glowed with purple magic, one near each of Daenerys' ears. The purple energy flowed like water, seeping through his fingers and into her mind.
Soul extraction, originally part of the enchanting process, draws the soul from animals or humans. Once the person dies, the soul can be extracted.
In this world, there are no soulstones. After some improvement, Wright developed two applications for this magic—one to immediately store the extracted soul in an enchanted item, and another for torturing souls. However, this method is almost always one-time use.
Souls are both powerful and fragile. They are powerful because they can only leave the body at death. As long as a living being is still alive, no matter what method you use, the soul cannot leave. Of course, exceptions exist, like Durnehviir and the Others—they've long been dead in their bodies. In their case, it's possible to forcefully extract the soul without damaging the body.
But souls are fragile because once they are harmed, the person's mind becomes disoriented, dull, or even mad. A slight tug can keep someone bedridden for months, and any damage to the soul can leave a person mentally crippled once it's forced back.
"Ugh..."
Wright didn't touch Daenerys' body, and she stood motionless in place. Her eyes were vacant, her mouth stretched wide open, and continuous sounds came from her throat.
Usually, interrogations are handled by specific officers, and Wright hadn't had the chance to use this magic until now. After a short period of adaptation, he had become familiar with it again.
"Ah!!"
Now, this was the kind of painful scream that accompanied soul torture.
Barristan, seeing Daenerys in pain, felt a twinge of sympathy and quietly turned his head to look out the window.
Varys, staring ahead with his eyes unfocused, had his mind entirely on the kingdom's succession.
Robert, although almost inept at ruling, wasn't completely foolish—aside from his lavishness and love for women, he was skilled in using people and building alliances. With the help of his ministers, he managed to keep the kingdom running, barely.
But if one day Robert suddenly died, according to current laws, Princess Jocelyn, being a woman, would have no right to inherit. Since Robert's disease made it impossible for him to father a healthy heir, the throne would fall to Stannis.
Stannis as king? Varys couldn't shake the dark thoughts that arose in his mind.
The screams gradually faded, and Daenerys, her eyes glazed over, regained some of her sanity. She looked down to see her clothes soaked in sweat.
"Tell me your real thoughts," Wright said, switching to one-handed magic as he pushed Daenerys to the seat directly opposite Robert at the head of the table.
Daenerys' mind was still connected to the magical threads. At that moment, Wright's other hand activated an illusion spell, creating a blue illusion identical to Daenerys, standing by the table. Wright clasped his hands and connected the magical threads: "She can now speak through the illusion!"
Slumped in the chair, Daenerys opened her mouth slowly. Since her tongue had been cut out, no sound came from her, but words emanated from the illusion beside her: "I originally planned to kill Wright Baratheon. The dragons caused a massive plague in Meereen, killing over three-quarters of both sides in the battle. During that time, I was under house arrest in the Great Pyramid, and I thought of poisoning Wright with my body. But Wright is impotent; after being in Meereen for months, he didn't touch any women, and I failed to seduce him despite my attempts."
"We all know you're not!" Lord Mace was the first to speak up in support of Wright.
Robert and Daenerys were seated at opposite ends of the long table, mirroring their current antagonistic positions. Robert loudly asked, "We know you were under house arrest in the Great Pyramid, but according to our intelligence, you were in perfect health before that, and during your confinement, you couldn't have contact with men. So how did you contract this disease?"
Daenerys: "Wright and the great masters of Meereen were focused on me, but I still had a few handmaidens. I couldn't meet men, but my handmaidens could, and they passed the disease to me afterward."
"Everyone entering the Great Pyramid undergoes strict screening. You must have had accomplices in Meereen!" Wright thought for a moment; there were inconsistencies in her story.
Daenerys looked at Wright: "You managed to infiltrate me, so why couldn't we send someone to infiltrate those hypocritical great masters?"
"Continue," Wright replied, not wanting to dwell on Meereen. Whether she lived or died there was of no concern to him.
Daenerys: "Afterwards, I learned I was being sent to King's Landing, and I saw it as a good opportunity to get close to the king. Among the Nine Free Cities, the favorite topic of gossip is Robert's affairs. His character is known to even three-year-olds, so when I entered the Red Keep, I made sure to present myself before him. And, unsurprisingly, your king was like a sow; any woman was good enough for him."
Robert glared at Daenerys and shouted, "We could have lived well, maybe even like Maester Aemon, living to a hundred, but now we're both going to die. Do you regret it?"
Daenerys, in great pain, used all her strength to straighten herself up in the chair, meeting Robert's gaze: "Robert, you ended the Targaryen dynasty in Westeros, and now I end your reign! Those who destroy others' kingdoms will eventually lose their own. I have no regrets!"
"Wright, no need to continue the interrogation."
Having seen countless people, Robert could tell from the look in Daenerys' eyes that she was telling the truth. "Maester!"
"Your Majesty, how may I serve?" The assistant quickly ran to Robert's side, as Maester Pycelle was still locked in the dungeons.
"Draft a document in my name. Daenerys is to be sentenced to death for attempting to assassinate the king, and her handmaidens and accomplices should also be executed."
Assassinating a king, even if it was premeditated, is a serious crime. Moreover, since Daenerys had 'successfully' attempted the assassination, no one dared speak up in her defense for fear of being implicated.
At that moment, Wright stepped over to Robert's side: "Daenerys is pregnant!"
"What!" Not only Robert but also the ministers and the Kingsguard were shocked. Everyone turned to look at Daenerys, and the only possible father of the child in her womb could be Robert.
For a while, her death sentence was decided, then they were staring at her stomach. Daenerys knew her body better than anyone, and now, she neither smiled nor felt sorrow. She stared at Robert, her eyes seemed to say: "Go ahead, kill me, and carry the title of parricide."
Robert pointed at Daenerys' stomach and asked, "Will her disease be passed to the child?"
"Yes!" The men in the room, to varying degrees, had heard of sexually transmitted diseases, and with such a contagious disease, the child Daenerys would bear was doomed to die during its growth.
"Daenerys' death sentence stands, but she'll give birth before execution. Lock her in a bedroom for now!" Robert softened his stance, giving her more time to live.
The assistant scholar handed over the drafted document to Robert. After carefully checking the list, Robert took the pen and signed his name.
Robert's statement about the handmaidens and accomplices being executed would have far-reaching consequences.
Daenerys and the three handmaidens she brought were immediately shackled. That night, soldiers from the Highgarden were preparing the execution ground, and the next morning, a public trial was scheduled. Due to her pregnancy, the king allowed her execution to be delayed until after the child was born.
Since Daenerys had arrived in King's Landing, there were still some handmaidens in the Red Keep who had grown close to her. These women, daughters of nobles, traveled with the royal procession. The closer they were to Daenerys, who had no qualms about associating with the king, the more it showed their noble status, which gave them more clout at gatherings. Now, however, they were implicated for hiding Daenerys' illness, and all were sentenced to hanging.
Maester Pycelle, who had failed in his duty, was found guilty of intentionally hiding the king's disease, thus delaying treatment and spreading it to the women around the king. He was also sentenced to hang as an accomplice.
All women Robert had slept with since his last expedition were to be investigated. Those involved in entertainment who tested positive would be executed. Noblewomen who were found to have the disease, depending on its severity, would either be executed if it was worse than Robert's or sent to become nuns if the symptoms were lighter.
Given the current state of medical knowledge, only the severity of the disease could be used to investigate whether they had contracted it before the king's return. People's constitutions varied, so there would be a high margin of error, but the investigation had to go forward. Storm's End, Robert's homeland, didn't implement a blanket policy, but if the nobles were smart, they knew how to arrange their sick daughters' cases.
The biggest suspect in King's Landing was Maester Aemon. Before swearing his oath, his original name was Aemon Targaryen. His great-grandfather, Aegon IV, had died of a sexually transmitted disease. His brother, Daeron Targaryen, also known as the Drunken Prince, died from the same disease, and Aemon had cared for him until his death. Since Daenerys had been infected when she arrived at the Red Keep, and since she frequently met with Aemon, who had experience with such cases, he was highly suspected of encouraging her to seduce Robert.
Better to kill wrongly than let anyone slip through. Maester Aemon, who lived to be 100, never imagined his life would end in such a way, facing charges of being the mastermind behind an assassination attempt on the king.
The list of the guilty had already been discussed by the members in the small council. Wright, upon seeing the list drafted by the maester, considered pleading on Aemon's behalf but soon realized that with Aemon's position and the coincidental timing, it would be hard to clear his name.
"Let him rest in peace," Wright thought. It was Daenerys who had led to the early demise of House Targaryen.
Maester Aemon had been one of the few people Wright respected. He decided to honor him in his own way, by compiling the many manuscripts left behind by Aemon into a book and writing an introduction to defend his scholarly legacy.
Tonight, in Highgarden, there would be no sleep. The truth behind the king's assassination attempt was spreading fast. Ravens flew in all directions, and soldiers were posted throughout the city to put up notices, detailing the events and the charges of those involved in the morning's execution.
Of course, the public notice didn't specify the exact nature of the disease, only that Daenerys had infected Robert with a terrible illness.