Chapter 129 - Battle Approaching

The man on the wall swiftly commanded all soldiers to lower their weapons.

"Lady Olena!"

"Lord Tarly, descend from the walls of my castle. It's uncomfortable for me to keep my head up all the time."

"Understood!"

Randyl Tarly signaled to open the gates and began descending to meet the Tyrells.

This was the same Randyl Tarly who once defeated Robert Baratheon on the battlefield.

Initially, he was supposed to arrive at Cersei Lannister's summons to the capital, but Olena, sensing the possibility of betrayal among some vassals, acted decisively.

A day before departure, she gathered all the wives and daughters of the vassals she suspected and gave them a certain type of poison. It acted very slowly, so slowly that she would have time to return there and back two more times.

Under Olena's threat, the Reach remained loyal and true to the Tyrells.

People remembered why Olena was called the Queen of Thorns and what she did in her youth to elevate House Tyrell to its current level of greatness.

Randyl Tarly was one of those whose wife and daughter were held hostage.

Olena had to ensure that one of her best commanders remained loyal to her.

Randyl descended quickly and met the Tyrells.

"My lord. My lady. Please come inside, we are preparing for the Lannister attack."

Meanwhile, seeing Randyl's nervousness, Olena, without any hesitation, said, pulling out a small vial from her pocket,

"Here. This is enough for your wife and daughter. Apologize on my behalf to Melessa and Talla. They shouldn't have been involved, but the Reach must remain united. Go to them, we can make it to the castle ourselves."

Randyl cautiously took the antidote in his hands and, with a serious bow, headed towards the castle on the horse closest to him.

Seeing Olena's actions, Asmodeus nodded approvingly. If you're unsure of the loyalty of your allies and you don't have magic to bind an unbreakable oath, such an approach is very effective, especially in such a world.

"All right, let's go. This old lady needs to have a good cup of tea as soon as possible. Dragonstone smells of dragon dung! Though the scent is better than the King's Landing harbor, stench is still stench!"

Olena, for her age, moved quickly towards the castle.

The Tyrells and Asmodeus shrugged and followed her.

As they passed through the streets of Haydarden, people murmured blessings for Margaery and Loras.

Meanwhile, Olena paused each time near the flags bearing the Tyrell family crest. Intrigued, Asmodeus caught up with her.

"What is it, Lord Morningstar?"

"Lady Olena, I noticed that every time you pass by the Tyrell house sigil, your steps falter, and you slow down a bit. I became curious as to why?"

"Hah, you must be the first to notice that. Nothing special, just contemplating the dullest family motto in all Seven Kingdoms."

"The House Tyrell is one of the strongest houses in Westeros. Why do you consider your motto bad?"

"Lord Morningstar, do you know much about heraldry and mottos in Westeros?"

"Well, a little."

"If you listen to the mottos of the great houses and look at their sigils, you won't find a weaker motto than ours.

'Growing Strong' doesn't sound intimidating or inspiring; it just doesn't sound like anything.

It's as if a gardener happened to become a nobleman and decided that continuing to plant roses would keep him afloat.

By the way, your sigil is very good, Lord Morningstar. Fire everywhere and a terrifying figure of a man with two different wings in the center. By the way, what is that creature?"

"These are two beings from the mythology of my world. An angel and a demon. Angels guide people to heaven, and demons torment those who don't make it to heaven. It just so happens that my surname is the same as one of the angels who ultimately became a demon."

"Then I congratulate you; you truly have a beautiful sigil, much better than our golden rose. But I'm curious why I didn't see a motto embroidered on the sigil."

"There isn't one. I hadn't even thought about it."

"Well, maybe you could try to come up with one before we reach the terrace. You have about 10 minutes. It's interesting to see what someone of your caliber can come up with."

Asmodeus pondered, and they walked through the streets toward the upper part of the city. After a couple of minutes, Asmodeus said, "I think I know what I would choose as my motto."

"Oh, you're quick; we haven't even passed halfway yet. Then please, do indulge an old lady. What will it be?"

"We know the road to hell."

Olena turned to Asmodeus in surprise and said with a smile, "See, I told you that you would come up with a motto better than the silly 'Growing Strong.' But I'm still curious why you chose such an expression?"

"Every decision I make can affect the lives of billions of people. Sometimes I need to remind myself that the path I've chosen isn't always necessarily the right one."

The Tyrells, who were walking behind, also heard Asmodeus and looked at him in surprise. Olena nodded and said, "You are worthy of the position you hold."

With that said, Olena fell silent for the rest of the journey. When they entered the central part of the castle and headed towards the summer terrace, Asmodeus's phonebug buzzed with a call from a contact named "Beloved."

"Bzzzz, bzzzzz, bzzzzz you are being called by contacting called Beloved!"

"Excuse me; I have to take this call."

"No problem at all; we're used to it, especially since I'm always intrigued by how, someone communicates with someone hundreds of miles away while holding a beetle in their hands."

"I'll give you one if you want. Take the call."

"Hey, Rovena, what's up? I thought you were busy at the academy."

"Hah, of course, I'm busy, but besides that part of my job, I have to help you even with work in the place where you are. Merlin's pants! Why are your soldiers calling me if they need something!?"

"Ahem, ahem, because you're the second priority contact for them, after me..."

"Fine, I don't have time to listen to you; class S lesson is about to start. Andzhey called me because he thought you might be busy or on the battlefield."

"What did he say? He already called me to report that the battle went well."

"He didn't call for that at all. Do you even think there was a chance that wizards would lose to Muggles if there were no wizards on the side of Muggles? Anyway, they caught that... what's his name? Ah, Euron Greyjoy."

"Um, and why do I care?"

"Well, now you definitely don't need to care; his head should be flying to the local queen by now. I decided to try to lure out more of their forces."

"Alright, truly the embodiment of wisdom."

"Okay, kiss, I have to go to class."

"Goodbye."

Asmodeus finished the conversation, put the beetle in his breast pocket, and returned to the Tyrells on the terrace.

"Sorry for my absence, but I have good news."

"Oh, what news can please someone who can move mountains with a wave of his hand?"

"I received this news three hours ago, but someone reminded me. So, the entire fleet of Euron Greyjoy is now at the bottom of the sea. Out of his 30,000 soldiers, less than a thousand survived, and they are so frightened that they can hardly speak. Among our losses, there are none."

The Tyrells were in shock. Four thousand against thirty thousand and a complete rout. Such a result in the history of Westeros had only been achieved by Aegon the Conqueror.

"This is good; now we just need to destroy the Lannister army, and we can besiege the capital."

"Yes, that's the plan."

"Do you need something from us?"

"Nothing."

"Excuse me?"

"If we want to finish the battle quickly and efficiently, I prefer to use my own people and magic. Let your men stay in the castle. Once the Lannister troops get close enough, Athena will block their retreat, and my people will launch a mass attack on the enemy army. That way, we'll wipe out the remaining 25,000 opponents. Of course, there's still Casterly Rock, but that's just a trifle."

"Will you personally join the battle? From what I've seen, I'm sure you're capable of annihilating an army of 25,000 ordinary soldiers."

"Perhaps, but I don't see the point in me entering the fray with all my strength. If asked, I could wipe out the entire army with one spell, but my people also need training."

"Haha, if Tywin heard that his army, which he painstakingly built, was being used for training, he would turn in his grave.... Jokes aside, I have one more question."

"Please."

"What will you do with Jaime Lannister? Right now, he's the one leading Cersei's forces, but he's also Tyrion's brother, whom, from my observations, you value."

"Lady Olena, in war, people die; it's normal. If Jaime Lannister comes under attack, then that's his fate. I don't care how many of my enemies die.

They're nothing more than numbers that I'll forget in a week. If Jaime Lannister is lucky enough to survive this battle, I'll leave the decision to Daenerys. If she wants to skin him alive and mount him on a pike, that's her right. If she wants to burn him, again, that's her right. I'll say it clearly, as long as he's not a wizard, I don't care about his fate."

"Our fate too?"

"I didn't say I don't care about the fate of those who can become wizards."

"Can we become wizards?"

"Lady Olena, I chose your family solely because of your existence. You will be a good counterbalance to the Targaryens after Daenerys ascends the throne. You are intelligent, and you have enough human resources. Neither I nor the Council of Wizards can pay attention to territories as insignificant as Westeros and Essos. After suppressing and establishing the vertical of power, both Westeros and Essos will become another region under the control of the Adastra Empire and the Council of Wizards. With adjustments for the local population. Until the level of education of the local residents reaches a certain level, they will not be able to travel through my world, but this does not apply to those whom we will leave to govern locally."

"So the Tyrells, Targaryens, Starks - will all become nothing more than pawns in your hands."

"A bit harsh, but yes. Pawns can be sacrificed, and they have no chance of growth. But you are in a different situation.

Your starting line is good, and you will be allowed to study at the Adastra Academy under the guidance of the best wizards."

"But you signed a contract with Daenerys, not with us. And now you're making enemies out of us."

"No one said that only one contract can be drawn up. Besides, I'm not making you enemies, rivals is a better word. Although you cannot claim the throne, nothing prevents you from becoming the most influential family in Westeros. Places in the Lower Council of Wizards are guaranteed to you based on the amount of territory you represent. Moreover, I am sure that once we open the borders, The Reach will become one of the favorite tourist destinations, as a place untouched by nature. Being a businessman in my world is much more profitable than being a lord, take my word for it."

"I understand...."

Olena nodded and immersed herself in her thoughts.

Asmodeus decided not to interrupt her and, calling Loras, left the room.

"Lord Morningstar, did you need something?"

"Yes, I am planning to move my troops here, and preferably I don't want your people to attack them when they see them. Please inform your men."

"Understood."

Loras left.

Within an hour, 2,000 wizards were stationed outside Highgarden. Although none of the locals understood it yet. Thanks to their armor, they looked like a group of very wealthy knights guarding the castle.

Asmodeus, standing on the wall, looked into the distance and muttered to himself, "Well, let's see what you've learned during this time."