Duke Tywin slowly asked, "Earl Odd, how many soldiers does your city garrison have?"
Count Ode was slightly taken aback.
Lord Tywin Lannister knows the strength of his city's garrison perfectly well, so why ask such a question?
But since Lord Tywin asked, he naturally had to answer honestly.
"Two thousand guards, Your Grace."
"What about the navy?"
"Two thousand naval personnel."
"What if it's wartime? If a war breaks out, how many troops can you mobilize?"
"Four thousand garrison troops and four thousand navy personnel."
"Oh, then, how many troops does Sir Gregor have?"
Count Aude paused again, then said, "Eighty-six cavalrymen, Your Grace."
"If it were wartime, how many troops could Sir Gregor mobilize?"
"...Eighty-six cavalrymen...Sir…"
"Count Aud, how many households are there in your territory, both inside and outside the city?"
"Eleven thousand households, sir."
"How many households are there in Sir Gregor's territory?"
"…Thirty households…Sir…" Count Ode's back began to be soaked with cold sweat.
"Count Aude, if I were to worry about anyone, I should be more concerned about you."
Count Ode was speechless.
He never expected the Duke to say such a thing.
The Duke was just praising his concern for Gregor, but now he's suddenly changed his tune. What does that mean?
"Count Ode, what is your surname?"
"Lannister, my lord."
"And what about me?"
"You're a Lannister too, my lord." Earl Odd dared not remain seated any longer and stood up, respectful but his expression no longer composed, and beads of sweat poured from his forehead.
"How many years has the master-servant relationship between the Lannisters of Lannisport and the Lannisters of Casterly Rock been established?"
"It's been a thousand years, Your Grace."
"Yes, it has been over a thousand years, so what are you still worried about? We have always been one family, we are all Lannisters of the same blood. I would never doubt anyone in the Westerlands, let alone Earl Odd, because we are all Lannisters."
Count Ode's panicked mood was once again strongly calmed.
He gave an awkward smile, but his heart was completely at ease.
Yes, the Lannisters' master-servant relationship has remained unchanged for a thousand years. This goes beyond the word "loyalty"; it's a bond of blood that transcends all boundaries, an unquestionable kinship. So, when Lord Tywin said, "Earl Odd, if I were to worry about anything, it seems I should worry about you more," it was merely a jest from the Duke.
Count Ode blamed himself for overthinking.
Throughout the entire Westerlands, there is truly no blood relation between the Lannisters of Lannisport and the Lannisters of Casterly Rock. Blood is thicker than water, and a thousand years of master and servant have been proven beyond anything else.
"My lords, there is really no need to worry too much about Gregor's eighty-six cavalrymen and thirty households; as for the three Grand Secretaries, compared to the thousands of Grand Secretaries and the thousands of scientific inventions and research achievements in the Citadel, Gregor's inventions are really nothing. I don't want everyone's suspicion of Gregor to affect Gregor's loyalty. I have a sense of proportion, I am wary of him, and I have analyzed and judged him."
The three Grand Secretaries and the two Earls listened to Duke Tywin's words with utmost respect.
Ser Kevan was a man of great intelligence and talent, yet he willingly served as Tywin Lannister's shadow and supporting character, stemming from his admiration for Tywin's ruthlessness and exceptional abilities. Any thorny problem or complex situation became remarkably simple in Tywin's hands.
Tywin Lannister was appointed Hand of the King of the Seven Kingdoms by King Aerys Targaryen at the age of twenty, and served as so for twenty years, making him the uncrowned king. All seven kingdoms acknowledged him as the true king, a true king hidden behind King Aerys.
If King Aerys hadn't angered Tywin, Tywin wouldn't have resigned as Hand of the King. 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 switched sides to the rebels, personally captured King's Landing, and ruthlessly annihilated the Targaryen royal family.
Kevan, Tywin Lannister's younger brother, was always completely devoted to Tywin. He lost himself and willingly became Tywin's shadow, much like the neurotic Polliver's absolute loyalty to the Mountain.
The latest novels are first published on 69shuba!
"I don't want anyone to hear what we said today. Gregor must not hear a single word. I want all the benefits he can bring to the Westerlands. But if today's conversation gets out, it will affect his enthusiasm for invention and his loyalty to Casterly Rock."
Duke Tywin's gaze slowly swept over the two earls and three grand magistrates, who all nodded hurriedly, indicating that they would keep it strictly confidential and would not reveal a single word to the outside world.
In fact, even if Count Auger were to go out and say it, he wouldn't dare.
Gregor knew that breaking his legs would be too lenient.
It was precisely because he feared Gregor would find out that Count Oder chose to do so within Count Kevon's castle, to ensure absolute safety.
"Even the worst dog is still a dog. What a bad dog needs is a bone, not a stick with nails. If he finds out about our suspicions of him today, he will be like a stick with nails. If anyone leaks out our conversation today, I will make him regret ever being born."
The two earls and three scholars all shuddered.
Duke Tywin slowly stood up: "Earl Odd, I have always known that you are loyal to Casterly Rock."
"Thank you, Your Grace." Count Ode quickly expressed his gratitude.
Lord Tywin's gaze finally settled on Kevan. He stared at Kevan with a meaningful look for a while until Kevan understood the meaning in his eyes. Only then did he look away, and without saying goodbye to the knight and the maester, he turned and left.
Grand Scholar Harry quickly followed.
Kevan had willingly and wholeheartedly followed his brother Tywin since he was seventeen, possessing an almost innate talent for understanding his brother's thoughts. He understood the meaning in his brother Tywin's eyes, one layer of which chilled him to the bone, making him feel a profound crisis for the Westerlands for the first time.
This crisis was something he had never imagined before, and he felt ashamed and cold all over because of it.
The second layer of meaning in his gaze, however, was Tywin's rebuke for his narrow-mindedness and limited perspective. Even if given a territory, Kevan would not become a duke capable of managing a great noble family; he would only be an earl of a city, on par with someone like Odd Lannister.
This made Kevan's face burn, as if he had been slapped by Duke Tywin.