1 Chapter 1 : The Citadel

Suggestion from the Author: Don't speed read the fanfic, take your time. The fun is in the world written by me.

AI prompts in Bold

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[Order in Citadel: Novices→Acolytes→ Maester →Archmaester

Grand Maester: Outside the chain, working for King's small council as an advisor.]

-----Oldtown, Reach-----

I am Kerith.

You see, in the native language of Westeros, it means Archer. My original name and this meaning coincide—an interesting coincidence.

After my death and reincarnation, I ended up in an orphanage, which exists under the patronage of faith. Orphans talented in writing and language get drafted by Citadel, while the Faith swears in the rest of the orphans as Septons in training. I got drafted as a Citadel novice when I crossed 5 name-days.

Based on my experience as a Novice, I can say that the Citadel is competent and scary for a Westeros power. I feel like that because they can emphasize that an average child establishes their mental self by five years old, a fact proved in modern studies after a lot of work.

At 5 name-days, a child can comprehend words and work. Till then, the child's mind is a foundation built on brain development and social exposure. In conclusion, the child is a baby till he crosses 5 name-days in Westeros society.

--====Citadel====----

CLACK

So, walking through the Citadel's maze-like halls, I handed out quills and parchment to the studying Acolytes. A few of them were deep into scribbling, others were messing with weird-smelling herb pastes. Every step of mine echoed with the low hum of gossip from the acolytes.

"Did you hear? Lord Corlys resigned," one acolyte shared his piece of gossip.

Eager to share his information, another person entered the conversation. "Lord Corlys resigned because Prince Baleon is the new heir."

I guess educational institutes are the same everywhere, and Citadel is no exception.

As everyone was spreading this interesting gossip topic, it reached everyone.

"Petty nobles on the narrow sea are causing a ruckus," someone's mutter echoed from another side.

"You see, it's obvious when you think about the reason. The narrow-sea nobles got richer because of the trade towards Spicetown and Driftmark. They are reliant and indebted to Lord Corlys. Hence, they will support his wife, Princess Rhaenys's claim."

ACHOO

A sneeze interrupted the gossip. I saw the sneeze coming from an acolyte with a history link-Copper.

History acolyte Brandon grumbled, "So what?"

With my cute and squeaky voice, I joined the conversation by sitting beside them. "What do you mean by that, big brother Brandon?"

The 25-year-old brunette kept patting my head while looking at others' stupidity. "It doesn't matter what they want. The only opinion worth something is the king's judgement. Especially when the greatest king in current times judges something, it will be the truth and future."

Economic acolyte Daemon, replies, "Isn't the greatest king, the conqueror?"

Brandon showed the knowledge of a history acolyte while slamming the enormous pile of parchments on the table. "The Conqueror threatened Westeros into submission, but didn't rule it at all. At the end of his reign, he left a succession crisis, a religious crisis and a half-broken continent. Our current king, on the other hand, forged these broken kingdoms into a single entity."

Though he wanted to call Aegon a madman, he didn't. It was a smart decision and the right one.

Had he made that blunder, I would've seen his acolyte status as mere luck.

Trust me, studying is only half the job of acquiring the link. The other half involves joining a maester or Acolyte group in the citadel.

So, History Brandon is a smart and resourceful one for becoming an acolyte at a young age. And I agree with his opinion.

I understood why the greatest king is not Aegon. Other acolytes may not understand, but I do.

Aegon was a conqueror and a decent ruler at best.

The Circle Copper Link holders - the current history students - only recognized the Old King as the greatest.

Surprisingly, the smallfolk noticed the same thing. For them, it's a simple concept. He brought the longest times of peace ever seen, so he is the greatest king.

Nobles, except the actual players in the Game of Thrones, just gave lip service, entangled in their power struggles.

The words 'succession crisis' brought my attention back to the present.

As Jaehareys rejected Rhaneys, her chances at the Iron throne slipped away. Wise lords refrain from offending him, as the house of dragons stands mighty.

The talk of resignations and new heirs spread around the realm like wildfire, but the real juicy info was in the hushed whispers and exchanged glances between acolytes.

For me, it was like being stuck in the middle of a Westerosi soap opera on a tight budget.

"Did you catch hear about the Ambrose debacle?"

I turned towards the source of political gossip, a raven craft acolyte glancing around to ensure no one was prying too closely.

Another acolyte who must be his friend leaned forwards with a grin eager to know. "Ambrose, it is a vineyard in marches, right? Spit it out."

"Patience, as the Maester says, patience is a virtue child."

After multiple eye-rolls, snorts and laughs, he achieved his joke on the teacher. He continued the conversation, being proud of himself. "According to rumors, Ser Ambrose found himself in a compromising situation with the daughter of a well-known Dornish merchant. You know how sensitive the Reach lords can be for their images."

The second acolyte's eyes widened in disbelief. "You're saying he got caught red-handed having a love affair with a Dornish girl? For the marcher lords, that is a scandal of the highest proportions."

"Whether it's bold or just plain foolish depends on your perspective. But the rumour mill is working overtime. They say it's causing quite a ruckus at Ambrose House."

Though I was only responsible for delivering, it felt like I was delivering gossip rather than quills and parchments.

As I made my way through the corridors, I couldn't shake the sensation that the Citadel, with all its scholarly vibes, harbored something more than just dusty scrolls–it had an inside view of the political drama of Westeros.

One quill at a time, Kerith.

——————------------------------------------

I had two advantages in this life- Metaknowledge and My AI.

[TING]

[Database addition: Lorence book of Human behaviour.]

Filing information in the AI database brought both blessing and uncertainty.

On one hand, it was handy for storing a treasure trove of knowledge.

I abused this ability till a peculiar bloating sensation appeared in me. It is difficult to put the feeling into words because my senses get overloaded when that happens.

I could vividly recall the first time it happened during my early days of novice duty. I tried to cram behaviour studies into the database.

[Knowledge point: Behavior studies are a sub-subject under the greater subject of silver healing, written by the masters of the past.

The circled design of silver represents the Westeros equivalent of psychology.]

Yes, the links have unique designs referring to the minor subjects under the bigger subjects- like languages in economy and behavior in healing.

Although Behaviour has a small amount of thousand books, it is crucial for me.

Believe me, 1000 is a small number compared to books on major subjects. For example, the history section has bookshelf chambers spanning miles, filled with the 8000-year-old history of the known world.

Anyway, back to the point. In my need to master behaviour studies. Yes, I needed to do that since I'm in Westeros. That is enough explanation.

The sheer volume of information stored by me turning the pages was enough to trigger this strange sensation. Squeezing a library into a tiny room does that to me, but it worked.

Since then, I'd learned to manage it. Bit by bit, over the last three months, I carefully filed away the insights, ensuring I didn't overwhelm the database.

Though I must say, the Citadel is worth its name. The books even had info on body changes when lying or angry or horny.

There were studies by one named Lorence, 1000 years back about lie detecting while checking the pupil, sweating even facial expression, but unfortunately, it takes talent, is impractical and, most importantly, it is costly to popularize.

The last point doesn't matter to me.

Therefore, my aim to become a Westeros mentalist is a go.

ヾ(≧▽≦*)o

Just as I said, Citadel is quite scary and it can help me achieve my aim.

In mathematics, they've mastered high schooling-level concepts.

In Physics, Maesters have explored concepts such as gravity and a round Earth, but ultimately these concepts were rejected and abandoned. Frankly speaking, it is eerie how much this part of history is imitating Earth's history.

Some of these concepts have been around for hundreds of years, and some have even existed for thousands of years. It's almost as if the world is stuck within a bubble of technology.

SLAM

I close the book, having enough studying for the day.

I walked back to the dorms, but simultaneously I did some exploring and noting the Citadel's blueprint in the AI.

[Citadel: Corridor 42 added.

Location: 3rd floor, Silver section]

CLANG

After seeing the door's heavy locks, I turned around.

[Citadel update: Seal at the end of #342 corridor]

Most areas in the citadel have locks that restrict access to only selected Maesters.

Disregarding the special designs for the minor subjects, each major subject to show the completion of the subject regarding the Citadel library shows increasing numbers of links- to a maximum of 7.

The first link is crucial as it forms the foundation of the subject.

For the Maester certification, the acolyte needs to complete at least 1 link in astronomy, history, healing, economics/trade, and Raven craft.

Then comes the Archmaesters; these guys completed all 7 links in a particular subject, completely mastering it based on all the knowledge in the Citadel. These super geniuses then reforge the 7 links it into a bigger single link.

The grand maester is a position representing the Citadel in the small council, a recent addition.

AI.

[Ting]

Show the simple meaning of links regarding healing–

[1 link: Competent healer: Recognize and cure common diseases.

2-7 links: Additional competency in related subjects such as plants, poisons, zoology, etc. in any order.

7 links: complete mastery in healing, represented by a single large link the size of an adult fist.]

With enough time, I can become an Archmaester in healing if I familiarize myself with the terms local to Westeros and stupid mystical plants and magical animals.

However, that plan has several problems.

1- I don't want to swear off women, wealth, and family.

2- I don't like to be cooped up in this library till death.

3- A noble shouldn't be able to harm me and face only a minor punishment like a slap.

4- Most importantly, it has a very good chance of death considering the civil war in the future.

Of course, there is the fact that I am prideful and ambitious.

In my previous life, I didn't burst my ass off to become a doctor for nothing. It was a prestigious and good profession.

The means to escape this citadel and achieve greater things in the world only increases my longing for it.

My ideal goal is to forge multiple links in various fields and impress others with my intelligence. Then I would move away from here.

Of course, no oath is a requirement.

However, reputation is the biggest in Planetos, unlike in the modern world. Therefore, I must leave the citadel without damaging my reputation. Possible, as nobles and merchants have done it previously.

AI.

[TING]

Note the following aims.

[1. Political backing: To leave the Citadel without consequences- needs a reputation.

2. Forge the links: For the reputation as the greatest healer, in an age where common diseases can be life-threatening- silver link opens many doors.

3. Companions/followers: This is a medieval society, and it is tough to live alone, especially if you want to achieve something. This is Westeros. I require unwavering loyalty, regardless of extreme circumstances.

4. A Life long [Hopefully]: Gods, I have a burning desire to be a king. Every day spent here, the power of Iron Throne fuels my desire for such power. King Kerith. KK. Sounds good.]

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[Culture of Citadel:

At the Citadel, novices are those who begin their education. Once they earn a link for their chain, they become acolytes.

Most acolytes treat novices as if they are slow-witted. Oldtowners can hire acolytes to train in letters at the Scribe's Hearth. Of course, the majority of income comes from reading letters or writing wills.

Ironically, the maesters can order acolytes who violate the rules of the Citadel to be confined to their rooms and even give physical punishments based on the occasion. For example, if an acolyte steals from the kitchens, Maesters can have rotten vegetables at them.

When an acolyte is ready to make their vows, the Citadel puts them in a completely dark room made of razor-sharp obsidian and presented with a glass candle.

Unless they can light the candle, they have to remain in that room all night. The tradition serves as a lesson about truth and learning.

After that, the acolyte becomes a maester. ]

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