"Sorry, Lord Tully, Sam, Dickon, for keeping you waiting."
Margaery lifted the hem of her skirt and gave a light curtsy. The bright smile on her face seemed to make the entire knights' hall a little more radiant.
Samwell only glanced at her before lowering his head again.
The beauty before him was not something he could covet.
At least, not right now.
His younger brother, Dickon, stared blankly at the delicate rose standing before them, completely unaware of how rude his behavior was.
Earl Randyll coughed softly, snapping his absent-minded second son back to his senses, then looked at Margaery and asked,
"May I ask when the Duke will arrive?"
Margaery showed a trace of embarrassment. "Father is unwell today and cannot come in person. I'm truly sorry."
Earl Randyll frowned slightly. "If that's the case, we should reschedule."
Margaery shook her head, took out a scroll from behind her, and said with a gentle smile,
"There's no need to reschedule. Father has already signed the development order and entrusted me to deliver it."
"But what about the canonization?" Earl Randyll asked coldly.
"I will perform the canonization in my father's stead."
The moment those words fell, the knights' hall fell into absolute silence.
Dickon was too slow to react, but both Earl Randyll and Samwell immediately understood—Duke Mace was deliberately making excuses.
In truth, this was hardly surprising.
After so many years of development and management in the Reach, there were very few unclaimed lands left. If one truly wished to pioneer new territory, the only options were the desolate frontier regions—places like the Crimson Mountains.
Those lands were barren and harsh, plagued by bandits and outlaws. Leaving aside whether development there was even worthwhile, the sheer difficulty of establishing a domain was enough to deter most people.
Within the noble circles of the Reach, the reputation of the Tarly family's cowardly eldest son was no secret. No one believed Samwell was qualified or capable of pioneering new lands.
Duke Mace was clearly unwilling to grant such a development order to someone like him.
If Earl Randyll—one of the most important vassals of House Tyrell—had not personally come to beg this time, Duke Mace would never have agreed at all.
But granting a pioneering order also meant that Samwell would become a vassal of Duke Mace. By all rights, the Duke should personally canonize Samwell Tarly as a pioneering knight.
Yet the Duke was obviously reluctant to accept Samwell as his knight.
That was why he had deliberately feigned illness and refused to appear, instead sending his own daughter to conduct the canonization and hand over the order.
In truth, Earl Randyll could somewhat understand Duke Mace's awkward position. If the Duke had sent his eldest son—his heir, Willas Tyrell—to handle this in his place, Earl Randyll would have pinched his nose and accepted it.
But Margaery…
What right did she have to canonize a knight?
Such humiliation—no matter how much Earl Randyll despised his eldest son—was still difficult for him to accept.
He stared coldly at Margaery, making no effort to hide his anger.
Margaery, however, maintained the same soft and innocent smile on her delicate face, as if she truly did not understand where Earl Randyll's fury was coming from.
Just as the atmosphere grew increasingly stiff, the person at the center of it all—Samwell—suddenly broke the silence:
"In that case… Miss Margaery, I'll trouble you."
Faced with such humiliation, Samwell was, of course, angry. But he also understood that the anger of the weak was meaningless.
More importantly, he had not forgotten the true purpose of this journey—to obtain the development order.
He was unwilling to lose what truly mattered for the sake of a hollow dignity.
The experiences of his previous life had taught him one thing clearly: when necessary, endure.
Hearing his words, a flicker of surprise flashed through Margaery's eyes. Then she smiled and said,
"Very well. Let us begin."
Earl Randyll shot his son a glare filled with hatred, as if saying, You're willing to accept canonization from a woman?
But since Samwell himself had agreed, there was nothing more he could say.
Margaery walked up the steps at the front of the hall, while Samwell knelt on one knee before her.
A beam of sunlight streamed down through the glazed skylight above, perfectly enveloping the two of them and lending a sacred air to the ceremony about to take place.
Samwell drew the longsword from his waist and raised it with both hands above his head.
Margaery was about to take it when Earl Randyll suddenly spoke:
"To enshrine the blood of House Tarly, this should be used—[Broken Heart]."
Clang—
Earl Randyll drew the massive two-handed greatsword from his side and handed it to Margaery.
This Valyrian steel greatsword, [Broken Heart], had been passed down through House Tarly for more than five hundred years. Weighing over thirty pounds, it was difficult for ordinary people even to lift, let alone wield in battle.
As for a pampered noble lady…
She might not even be able to raise it.
Clearly, Earl Randyll intended to embarrass the Rose of Highgarden and vent his dissatisfaction.
Faced with Earl Randyll's deliberate provocation, Margaery did not retreat. Instead, she smiled faintly and extended her fair, slender hands.
Ding—
The tip of the sword struck the marble floor, but thankfully, the hilt remained firmly in Margaery's grasp.
She took a deep breath, mustered all her strength, lifted the greatsword, and placed it upon Samwell's shoulder.
"Hah… the greatsword passed down by House Tarly is truly extraordinary. No wonder the Earl was able to ride across battlefields undefeated with it."
After hearing this, Earl Randyll was too embarrassed to say anything more. He merely snorted softly and stepped back into place.
Margaery looked down at the half-kneeling knight before her and was about to recite the oath when she suddenly remembered something and asked,
"By the way, Sam—do you intend to keep your original family name, or change to a new one?"
After becoming a pioneering lord, Samwell did indeed have the right to adopt a new family name, signifying his separation from House Tarly of Horn Hill.
Samwell heard her question but did not answer immediately.
He kept his head lowered, his body beginning to tremble slightly.
Seeing this, Margaery assumed he was uncomfortable under the weight of the greatsword and subtly applied more strength to help bear some of it.
In truth, Samwell was not trembling from the sword at all.
He was trembling from excitement.
Because—for the first time in three months—he had seen them again.
Characters that did not belong to this world appeared in the lower right corner of his vision the moment the canonization ceremony began. He had to concentrate hard to read them clearly:
Samwell TarlyTitle: Pioneering KnightTerritory: NoneVassals: None
Strength: 1.08Agility: 0.52Spirit: 1.12
What… was this?
A status panel?
Samwell was ecstatic.
The joy crashed down like a massive boulder, shattering the restraint he had forced himself to maintain ever since crossing into this world.
At this moment, the anger, fear, humiliation, and anxiety he had suppressed for so long surged violently within his chest, fermenting into an indescribable emotion that felt as though it might burst forth at any instant.
If before, he had merely intended to rely on his familiarity with the plot to maneuver among the great powers, or cling to powerful allies for survival—
Then now, a wild and burning hope suddenly rose in his heart—
Ambition.
Ambition for that twisted and hideous Iron Throne, bristling with sharp blades and forged from a thousand swords!
"I've decided on a new family name."
Samwell raised his head once more, following the icy blade of the greatsword up to meet Margaery's deer-like brown eyes, and declared loudly,
"Caesar!
From this day forth, I am Samwell Caesar!"
Margaery was stunned.
For just a fleeting moment, she thought she saw flames dancing within the man's eyes.
But she quickly regained her composure. After confirming that there was no precedent for this family name, she smiled at Samwell, her voice turning solemn and dignified:
"I, Margaery Tyrell, daughter of Mace Tyrell, in the name of Governor of the Reach, Guardian of the South, and Duke of Highgarden, hereby canonize Samwell Caesar as a Pioneering Knight.
All unclaimed lands within the Reach may be developed by you. All unclaimed peoples may be sheltered under your banner.
May the Father grant you integrity.May the Mother grant you mercy.May the Warrior grant you courage.May the Crone grant you wisdom.And may the Stranger grant you the strength to overcome all enemies!"
"I, Samwell Caesar, under the witness of the Seven Gods, swear upon the heroic spirit of the holy ancestor 'Greenhand' Garth—
I pledge my loyalty to the great Duke Mace!
From this day onward, your will shall be my creed, and the direction of your sword shall be the path of my advance!
I shall defend this honor with my life!"
(End of this chapter)