Chapter 98: Ironborn

"The great Drowned God has granted us courage, will, and strength."

Far away on the Iron Islands, a long-planned celebration seemed to be taking place.

A man dressed in linen, bare-chested, held a blazing torch in his hand, reciting words full of fanaticism and devotion.

He then set fire to the Sept of the Seven Gods before him.

"These false gods and foreign gods are the schemes of the Storm God. Let them leave the Drowned God's domain!"

In legend, the Storm God was the eternal enemy of the Drowned God. The Storm God dwelled in a palace in the clouds, while the Drowned God resided in a watery palace beneath the sea. When they battled, the ocean would be whipped into a frenzy of wind and waves.

However, like the Drowned God, no one but the ironborn believed in the existence of the Storm God.

Whoosh~

The fire raged, billowing smoke rose, mixed with the flickering tongues of flame. Monks and nuns in the Sept cried out for help. Some managed to escape in panic but were slain by ironborn waiting outside, their screams filling the air.

Others chose to stay within the Sept, kneeling before the Father and praying aloud. Their resounding voices seemed to strengthen their faith, suppressing the fear in their hearts.

They hoped that the Seven Gods would bring divine retribution upon the blasphemers.

In truth, since a month ago, there had been signs of such an event.

Though their numbers were small, there were still ironborn who believed in the Seven Gods. However, a month ago, these ironborn began to experience misfortune.

Homes were burned or robbed, and later, some were pelted with stones or even beaten and killed in the streets.

Spreading the faith of the Seven on the Iron Islands was a difficult task. Despite the adversity, the Sept's monks never gave up, struggling to persevere.

But they never imagined it would escalate to this.

A group of fanatical Drowned God followers first burned down the Sept on Great Wyk, then the church on Old Wyk met a similar fate. All the monks were slain, and the nuns suffered cruel treatment.

The situation rapidly spiraled out of control, catching everyone off guard.

On the bustling Pyke Island, monks of the Seven, in the name of the High Septon in King's Landing, sought protection from House Greyjoy. They asked for troops to suppress the rebellion and protect the Sept from further attacks.

But the city of Pyke expelled the monks, telling them that this was not a rebellion, but merely the ironborn's own choice.

Before the monks could flee from Lordsport, they found themselves trapped by these events, with no escape in sight.

As the monks' prayers resounded, the flames gradually consumed everything. The Sept of the Seven Gods finally collapsed amid the inferno, completely destroyed.

"Charge!"

A group of fearless ironborn, who had been waiting for some time, rushed forward to gather the wealth that had not been melted by the fire within the Sept.

...

"Brother."

Footsteps approached...

In the stronghold of Pyke, home to House Greyjoy, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed outside the great hall.

A tall, pale-skinned man with black hair and a beard strode in. He had one bright blue eye, often referred to as a "smiling eye," while his other eye was covered by a black eyepatch. Few had ever seen the color of the hidden eye or knew if it held the same smile or was filled with bitterness and malice.

"Euron."

Seated on the cold Iron Throne was a slender man with messy black hair, sharp features, and piercing black eyes that displayed the stubborn, fearless, and competitive nature characteristic of the Ironborn.

He was Euron's older brother, the current Lord of the Iron Islands, and head of House Greyjoy—Balon.

"You're not getting any younger. When will you learn to be more composed?"

At this moment, Balon's gaze was calm as he watched his brother Euron enter the hall in haste.

"Brother, you're right," Euron responded, not offering any excuses. Instead, he just gave a cold smile, revealing his pale teeth.

"But I have to ask, wasn't our recent move a bit too hasty?"

The events that transpired earlier in the day at the King's Port were secretly supported by House Greyjoy. And since a month ago, the sudden rise of the "Drowned God Movement" across the Iron Islands had been orchestrated by them as well.

Balon and his brothers had been plotting the entire affair, so Euron was naturally well aware of the details. However, he felt that everything could have been done more gradually, slowly stirring the Ironborn's fanatical devotion to the old ways without haste.

But to Euron's surprise, the plan was accelerated, and the Ironborn's fervent faith fermented at an uncontrollable pace.

Now, they had burned the sept, killed the monks, and were on the brink of chaos. Even if they wanted to stop the plan, there was no turning back.

"We could have continued to use that dragon hatchling on the continent of Essos to divert the Iron Throne's attention."

"Slow and steady."

Euron carelessly sat down on a chair beside his brother Balon and took a bite from an apple he had picked up from a nearby fruit bowl.

That was their plan.

Using Viserys to buy time, accumulating power, and even secretly allying with House Targaryen to instigate a war between the Iron Throne and the Targaryens.

Then, when both parties were preoccupied with fighting each other, they would stage a rebellion, declare themselves King of the Iron Islands, and deliver a brutal backstab.

However, Euron hadn't anticipated that Balon would advance the plan on his own, leaving them in a precarious situation.

Once word of this got out, King's Landing would surely demand they hand over the culprits.

But if the Iron Islands were to comply and hand them over, House Greyjoy's prestige among the Ironborn would plummet. The hard-earned momentum of the "Follow the Old Ways" movement would be extinguished with a single dousing of cold water.

"Hmph—"

"What do you know?" Balon coldly scoffed.

He didn't want to launch the plan so soon either, but many great schemes were ruined by the actions of lesser men. Balon never expected the Ironborn he had secretly arranged to become so indoctrinated with their own fanaticism.

Their zealous adherence to the old ways reached maddening levels, and then they went too far...