Chapter 139: Bandits

Even with just the slightest thought, he knew that this object that had fallen from the sky would be of immense value.

It was said that across the Narrow Sea in Westeros, there was a city called Starfall, named so because a meteor had once fallen from the sky there.

At the same time, the meteorite iron that had fallen was forged into a weapon that was in no way inferior to Valyrian steel, the legendary sword 'Dawn.'

Faced with an opportunity that would make anyone dare to suffer a thousand cuts, the leader of the merchant caravan was unwilling to give up so easily.

And since they couldn't escape...

The man's breathing grew somewhat heavy, and he licked his chapped lips.

…

Not long after.

Andaros' army finally arrived in front of the merchant caravan.

Meanwhile, the light cavalry had already encircled them.

"Stay put!"

The caravan guards were herded together by the cavalry's spears as if they were rabbits.

Viserys sat on his horse wearing simple clothes, his head adorned with a glittering golden crown, holding the reins with one hand, and glanced at the merchant caravan not far away, which was now completely surrounded. His eyes narrowed slightly, just as he was about to speak.

At that moment.

"Honorable Targaryen, great King of the Seven Kingdoms."

A man, who seemed to be the leader of the merchant caravan, dressed even more lavishly than Viserys, with a stout body and wide waist, came forward to greet them.

He saw the banner of Andaros' army and the three-headed dragon sigil on Viserys' chest.

Although the news of Andaros' army's victory against Khal Drogo in the Battle of Geth hadn't spread yet.

However, the names of Andaros and Viserys had already become well-known in this region. The young king, now surrounded by countless knights and warriors like stars surrounding the moon, was easily recognizable.

Fresh from a recent battle, the soldiers of Andaros exuded a strong, bloody scent and an aura of ruthlessness. Their eyes were different from those of ordinary people.

Many of the caravan guards, who appeared fierce, were frightened by the cold gaze of these soldiers, and their scalps tingled. They quickly lowered their heads, meek as little rabbits.

"We are a legitimate merchant caravan under the protection of Norvos."

"What is the matter that you have stopped us?"

The leader of the merchant caravan came before Viserys' mount and slightly bowed, speaking neither humbly nor arrogantly, looking up.

"A caravan protected by Norvos."

"So impressive?"

Viserys pulled at his warhorse, its hooves stopping just in front of the leader. He then studied the confident-looking caravan leader for a while without saying a word.

Prince Oberyn of Dorne also examined this uninvited guest up and down, seemingly discovering something. He then whispered a few words into Viserys' ear.

"Hmm?"

Viserys turned to look at Oberyn, then turned his gaze back.

The caravan leader, standing in front of Viserys' warhorse, appeared calm on the surface, but was quite nervous inside.

He then heard the calm voice of the young king above him.

"Take them all."

With Viserys' command.

Whoosh—

The battle-hardened Andaros soldiers on both sides, without any hesitation, immediately moved to apprehend the entire merchant caravan upon hearing Viserys' order to apprehend them. They acted like hungry wolves, eager to take control of everyone in the caravan.

Among them, the smarter ones immediately threw their weapons to the ground.

Clang, clang...

Without any resistance, they raised their hands and were roughly tied up by the swarm of soldiers who forced them to kneel on the ground.

As for those who reacted slowly, didn't drop their weapons quickly enough, or fanatic followers of R'hllor who wanted to put up a fight, they were killed on the spot by Andaros soldiers.

Swish, swish, swish—

Sharp swords effortlessly sliced through necks, and heads rolled onto the ground.

The sudden turn of events caught many off guard.

"You bunch of bandits!"

"The Lord of Light will bring divine punishment upon you heretics!"

Amidst the chaos, one of the disguised R'hllor followers, who had been masquerading as a guard for the merchant caravan, no longer hid his true allegiance.

He had just injured a soldier's arm but was then stabbed repeatedly, knowing he wouldn't survive, he let out a desperate roar.

Thud...

An Andaros soldier then beheaded him from behind.

The captured R'hllor followers, who had given up resistance, turned pale upon hearing his desperate roar.

The leader of this group, disguised as the merchant caravan leader, was also captured and bound, kneeling on the ground with a terrible look on his face.

He knew his cover was blown.

However, he didn't know how his disguise was discovered.

Did the famed young king, who had supposedly fled from Westeros to Essos since childhood, see through his ruse with just a glance?

"I've heard rumors of a Brotherhood of R'hllor followers roaming this trade route."

"I didn't expect to encounter them today."

Viserys remained seated on his horse, watching as the disguised Brotherhood members were captured and heads rolled without even blinking.

In reality, Viserys hadn't noticed any clues.

However, Oberyn, having once been a mercenary traveling through Essos, was familiar with various underhanded tactics.

He seemed to have noticed something amiss and quietly alerted Viserys.

But even without Oberyn's warning, Viserys wouldn't have let these people leave easily.

Although the wildfire still raged on the mountain and spread rapidly, Viserys estimated that the fire at the meteor's crash site had died down.

The biggest obstacle was the suffocating white smoke, but overcoming that was manageable.

Viserys was most concerned about the secrets of the Red Comet being discovered by someone else.

Preserving the meteor crash site and determining if the Red Comet had a close connection to magic was crucial for him.

"Your Grace, this is a misunderstanding."

"We are a legitimate merchant caravan, not members of any Brotherhood."

The leader of the Brotherhood tried to argue further.

However, Viserys waved his hand dismissively, not bothering to engage with the petty arguments of a minor figure. Even if they were a Norvoshi-protected caravan, he had resolved to plunder them today. He ordered his soldiers to search the caravan.

Crash—

The cargo from the merchant wagons was scattered across the ground. Although the cargo appeared ordinary, a closer inspection revealed traces of sword slashes and bloodstains.

It seemed that this Brotherhood had just plundered another caravan, killing everyone and taking their cargo.

At this moment, one soldier seemed to have found something.

"Your Grace."

He approached, cradling a somewhat heavy wooden box in his arms.