Chapter 7. The Change in Bloodwind

Robb and his group first regrouped with the Winterfell soldiers who had stayed behind at Eastwood Village to bury the villagers.

After Sam woke up and expressed his decision to join the Winterfell army, he followed Robb's team without saying a word.

They arrived back at Winterfell just before sunset.

When Robb, along with Jon, Theon, and Jory, entered the council hall, Eddard and Maester Luwin, along with others, were already waiting for them.

As dusk approached, the council hall, already dim, was lit with many candles.

"…That's the situation, Father."

After recounting the events of the past 2 days, Robb stood quietly, waiting for the most powerful man in the North to speak.

Eddard clasped his hands under his chin and, after thinking for a moment, spoke, "Maester Luwin, send a raven to Roose Bolton to inform him of these events and have him give me an explanation."

"Jory, have those heads placed at the crossroads outside Winterfell with a sign listing their crimes. Let those who consider committing such acts see their fate."

"Robb, the distribution of the spoils and the compensation for the fallen soldiers are for you to handle."

After issuing his commands in one breath, Eddard's three subordinates immediately replied.

"Yes, Father!"

"As you command, my Lord!"

"I'll take care of it right away!"

Watching his eldest son turn to leave, Eddard thought of the terrible news Catelyn had shared with him the previous day. Clenching his teeth, he made a decision and said, "Robb, at dawn tomorrow, wear your training leather armor and come to the training grounds."

"Yes, Father!"

Robb, who was about to leave, turned back with a hint of confusion and agreed before heading to the armory with Jon and Theon to remove their armor and store their weapons.

"Heh heh, Robb! I killed two enemies. I should get a bigger share of the spoils, right?"

Theon casually tossed aside his blood-stained chainmail and longsword and, with a grin, spoke to Robb.

"Jon will distribute the spoils tomorrow. If you want more, talk to him. I'm heading back to my room."

With his mind preoccupied with Bloodwind, Robb brushed Theon off with a single sentence, threw his weapons and chainmail aside, and left straight away.

The chainmail and weapons in the armory would be cleaned and maintained by dedicated servants.

"Snow…"

Watching Robb's back as he left the armory, Theon turned to look at the cold-faced, silent Jon and waved his hand dismissively.

"Never mind, forget I said anything.

Heh, once I've got some money, I'll go find some whores and study some erotic arts."

Jon completely ignored Theon. He organized his weapons and chainmail and then looked thoughtfully in the direction Robb had gone.

***

"Hey, little one, did you miss me?"

As soon as he returned to his room, Robb picked up Bloodwind, who was curled up sleeping in his old clothes, and began to stroke its soft fur forcefully.

"Grr…"

Woken up by Robb's rough handling, Bloodwind whimpered pitifully in protest.

"Huh, have you grown a bit?"

Feeling Bloodwind's weight, Robb held it up in front of him and examined it closely.

The Blood Pact Points were indeed remarkable. The 1 point added to constitution over the past 2 days had clearly shown its effect!

Looking at Bloodwind, who had clearly grown larger, Robb had a thought. The familiar blood mist rose up and merged into Bloodwind's body.

[Constitution +1]

After seeing the blood-red text prompt three times in a row, no matter how Robb tried to add more to constitution, there was no further response.

He pondered for a moment, then tried adding to another attribute.

[Speed +1], [Strength +1]

There were no issues with adding points to Bloodwind's other two attributes. Reality, as expected, was different from a game.

It wasn't possible to focus all points on one attribute!

After this experiment, Robb gained a bit more understanding of his golden finger ability, but he didn't continue adding points.

[Name: Bloodwind, Contract Holder: Robb Stark]

[Constitution: 5, Speed: 3, Strength: 2]

[Species: Spirit Ice Wolf (6)]

[Blood Pact Points: 2]

This time, after adding points, Robb didn't feel any fatigue. Perhaps it was because there were still some Blood Pact Points left.

Robb cuddled Bloodwind for a while, then put him back in his nest of old clothes. Finally free, Bloodwind yawned and closed his eyes to sleep.

***

At dinner time, Eddard didn't appear in the banquet hall, and Catelyn ate her food silently with a gloomy expression.

Since she didn't speak up, neither Robb nor the others wanted to bring up anything unpleasant. Throughout the meal, it was Theon, the designated mood setter, who enthusiastically recounted his brave exploits in battle.

Watching Arya and Brandon eagerly asking Theon all sorts of bizarre questions, leaving him speechless, Robb couldn't help but smile.

However, out of the corner of his eye, he unintentionally noticed Jon observing him closely.

Jon must have noticed that my personality and behavior have changed compared to before!

This kid, besides being clueless about love, has sharp instincts in all other areas!

Robb's expression remained unchanged as his thoughts shifted, and he no longer paid attention to it.

Because no matter how much Jon observed, he would never conclude that Robb was a transmigrator.

"Robb, your father's foster father, Lord Arryn, the Hand of the King, died of a fever. His Majesty the King is already on his way to Winterfell with the entire royal family."

Catelyn suddenly spoke, changing the atmosphere at the table instantly. Everyone fell silent, listening to her explanation.

"I still remember how wrinkled you were when you were born in Riverrun, and in the blink of an eye, you've grown up.

You must be ready...

Ready to be a competent lord, ready to protect your brothers and sisters."

"Mother, I promise I'll be ready!"

Seeing Catelyn's sad expression, Robb immediately spoke to comfort her.

"Continue eating. I'm going back to my room first." Seeing her eldest son's serious expression, Catelyn said so, then turned and left the banquet hall.

"The King is coming to Winterfell! Will the Kingslayer come too? Will the Imp come?"

"I've heard people say the Prince is very handsome. I wonder if he's as good-looking as the rumors say."

"Humph, those soft southerners coming to the North, I wonder if they can handle it. But southern ladies should be more charming than northern ones, right?"

After Catelyn left, the banquet hall immediately buzzed with chatter.

Robb shook his head as he looked at his siblings, who had no idea how grim the future would be, and continued eating.

Dinner, made up of meat, fruits, and vegetables, was indeed much more nutritious than dry rations. After eating about one and a half portions, Robb gained one Blood Pact Point.

***

Northwest of the Dreadfort, between the long, narrow Long Lake and the barren Lone Mountain, there was a flat plain.

A cavalry unit of over a hundred riders was advancing steadily, sweeping the area ahead.

The Lord of the Dreadfort, Roose Bolton, was listening to a soldier report on the raven's message.

"Alright, I understand. What about the other cavalry units?"

Roose Bolton, medium in build, pale-faced, and refined in appearance, asked softly after hearing the report.

"They've all reached their designated positions. By noon tomorrow, they'll be ready to close the trap. Although these Wildlings are quite troublesome, with several hundred cavalry encircling and charging, we'll surely annihilate them all."

The soldier who delivered the report immediately replied.

"And Ramsay? Since those deserters were wiped out by the Stark family, why hasn't he returned yet?"

"There has been no word from Ramsay's side."

"Hmm, have the cavalry in the southwest withdraw. The other units should continue closing in."

"The southwest? That's towards the Stark family's territory... Understood."

After giving the order, Roose coldly gazed southwest and murmured to himself,

"I'll let the 'explanation' come to you directly, Lord Stark!"