Chapter 177: Pentos Requiem
"Sentencing Magister Groiro Tetrus to death, stripping the Tetrus family of all property and power, and appointing Hazan Moharis as the new Prince of Pentos?" Marte Tetrus's tone became unusually sharp. "Where is Hazan? Shouldn't he give me an explanation?"
"Prince Hazan and his army have already stormed into the manse. Oh, and," the lieutenant paused, "our scouts say they broke through the outer courtyard of the manse without encountering any resistance."
"Without resistance? So Hazan and Illyrio are really allies?" Marte laughed bitterly. "This so-called grand trap was actually aimed at us?"
"This…" The lieutenant was momentarily at a loss for words.
"Gather all our forces in the surrounding area and launch a full-scale siege of this manse!" Marte ordered. "Aren't they trying to wipe out the Tetrus family? Well, Hazan won't leave here alive either!"
"Your Highness, we have already captured the outer courtyard of Illyrio's manse without encountering any resistance. According to the scouts, they have withdrawn all their forces to the castle in the back mountains," Hazan's lieutenant came to his side.
"Abandon the manse below entirely? Does Illyrio have that kind of nerve?" Hazan shook his head. "Then let's besiege them first. We can deal with them after we've eliminated the other forces loyal to Illyrio."
"By the way," Hazan added, "let's loot Illyrio's treasury before Marte and his men!"
"Um... we've already been there, but it seems Illyrio's treasury has already been looted once. Although most of the items are still there, the most valuable pieces have been taken."
"How could that be? Where did such a thief come from?" Hazan was somewhat bewildered. Marte's army hadn't even entered the manse yet, so how could someone have arrived at Illyrio's treasury before him?
"Your Highness... Your Highness!"
Suddenly, a voice interrupted Hazan and his lieutenant's conversation. Hazan looked over and saw a young man rushing toward him.
He recognized this person—he was the spy he had deployed outside the Council Palace.
"What happened? Why the rush?" A bad premonition rose in Hazan's heart. He vaguely felt that this news was related to the Council Palace's closed gates.
"The Great Council claims that Magister Groiro Tetrus murdered Prince Treggo, and the Great Council has now sentenced Magister Tetrus to death. Furthermore, the Great Council has voted to elect you as the new Prince, and Magister Illyrio has stated that he will gradually grant the Prince real power!"
Hazan's heart skipped a beat. He knew almost without a doubt that this was a ploy by Illyrio to sow discord.
"Summon Marte Tetrus immediately! I want to explain to him in person!" Hazan quickly ordered. "Never mind, I'll go find him myself."
Hazan had completely lost his usual composure and hurriedly tried to run out of the courtyard.
But he had only taken a few steps when he heard a burst of rapid footsteps, followed by the clanging of steel and shouts of battle.
It turned out that the Tetrus family's army had engaged in combat with his own guards.
"It's too late," Hazan stopped. "We have to find a way out."
Once the battle started, it would be too late to offer any explanations.
Moreover, because Hazan had encountered considerable resistance during his attack, while Marte's army faced no resistance whatsoever, their combined forces at this point were roughly one to three.
He simply didn't have the strength to fight Marte.
However, Hazan had only taken a few steps when he ran into another contingent of the Tetrus family army charging in from another direction. Forced to leave a small group of guards to cover his retreat, Hazan chose another direction to flee.
Unfortunately, he ran into the enemy again.
Although the outer courtyard of Illyrio's manse was as complex as a maze, the final exits were few and far between.
At this point, Hazan finally realized that he couldn't bypass Marte's army, so he simply picked up his weapon and charged toward the enemy, attempting a forced breakout.
They had encountered nothing more than a mob of poorly trained soldiers, which Hazan easily routed with a single charge. But before he could even catch his breath, he was met with reinforcements—an elite force personally led by Marte Tetrus.
In the chaos, Hazan still couldn't find a chance to explain to Marte before being surrounded.
Hazan knew this time he was doomed. Neither the Red God's protection nor his mother's gold could save him.
What Hazan couldn't understand was how Illyrio had discovered his plans and made these preparations in advance. He couldn't fathom it.
When Ian's falcon took flight from the rooftop, Marte had already led his remaining troops northward.
In the garden of Illyrio's manse, corpses littered the ground, including Hazan.
Ian felt a pang of regret. If he hadn't changed his plans at the last minute and decided to take Daenerys with him, Hazan could have been a valuable ally.
Unfortunately, from the moment Ian decided to take Daenerys away, the conflict between him and Hazan became irreconcilable—Hazan was a Pentoshi, and Ian taking Daenerys away would expose Pentos to Drogo's wrath, something Hazan absolutely could not accept.
Therefore, Ian had to ensure the deaths of both Hazan and Illyrio so that no one would know his role in this disaster for Pentos.
He would also avoid incurring Marian Frey's revenge for betraying Hazan.
As for losing Braavos as a potential ally due to Hazan's death, Ian felt confident that the current situation allowed him to prevent Daenerys from declaring abolition at an inopportune time, making Braavos less critical.
Soon after, Ian's falcon arrived at the city's south gate.
By this time, the Dothraki had already gathered outside the gate. Ian had previously written a highly insulting letter to Drogo in the name of Illyrio, calling him an uncivilized savage and claiming he was unworthy to marry the Valyrian princess.
Ian wasn't worried that Drogo wouldn't be enraged.
Then, a squad of fifty Unsullied dressed in ordinary sellsword attire poured out of the slums and seized the gate. The south city had originally been Hazan's territory, but after being besieged by the forces of Tetrus and Illyrio, Hazan had lost most of his forces, leaving the gate virtually undefended. The Unsullied easily captured it.
The Unsullied opened the gate, letting the Dothraki horde into the city.
This was the first squad of Unsullied that Illyrio had given Ian. Ian had disguised them and sent them near the gate, telling them these Dothraki were there to support Magister Illyrio, and they hadn't suspected anything.
Standing atop the city wall, Ian's falcon watched the Dothraki roar in and the flames that began to rise from the south gate and spread northward.
The acrid smell of blood filled the air, making him feel uneasy.
"I'm a player," Ian reminded himself.
If he couldn't treat everyone in this world like an NPC, he would eventually die at the hands of other players.
Thucydides had said that those in power will stop at nothing when there is profit to be made.
But it wasn't just those in power who would stop at nothing.
Unwilling to linger, the falcon spread his wings and soared back into the sky.
Behind him, the crackling of flames, the thundering of hooves, the war cries of the Dothraki, the clash of steel, and the screams of the Pentoshi mingled together, like a grand symphony.
Ian knew it was Pentos's requiem.
(End of Chapter)
Let's push the story forward! 🔥
Rewards System:
500 Power Stones = New Chapter
10 Reviews = New Chapter
20+ chapters waiting on P3treon – Soulforger