Game of Thrones: The Road to Pirate King

Chapter 82 The Mad King's Wildfire

In the dimly lit corridor of the "Beauty's Nest" brothel, Pamela Fisher's eyes quickly scanned the surroundings before she skillfully dragged a guard who had been knocked unconscious, stripped naked, and had a rag stuffed in his mouth into an empty room. Euron, who was waiting in the room, snapped his neck.

Moments later, Euron Greyjoy had changed into the clothes of the guard who often loitered there, and with his head down, he blended into the transport team that had just replenished their supplies at "Lady's Nest" and were preparing to return to their base at Starfish Harbor.

Pamela's arrangements and cover were flawless; the guards merely gave the familiar group a lazy glance before waving them away.

Seastar Harbor was heavily guarded, but the movement of people within was difficult to completely prevent. Euron, using his disguise and the fragmented information provided by Pamela beforehand, skillfully evaded most of the checks, and like a ghost, silently approached the command center in the heart of the harbor—near a study in the Redwin family castle facing the harbor.

He heard arguing coming from the study, and the opportunity was fleeting. In a secluded corner, Euron quickly took out a strangely shaped, dark purple fruit from his pocket.

[Clear-Clear Fruit] - Single-use, lasts for half an hour. - Does not conflict with the user's Devil Fruit abilities.

As soon as Euren Tutu swallowed the fruit, a strange power instantly flowed through his body. His figure became blurred and transparent, like an ink droplet merging into water, and finally disappeared completely into the air. The one-time invisibility fruit had a short-lived effect, but it was enough to achieve his goal.

He moved like an invisible wind, skimming along the cold stone wall, until he finally crept to the window of the brightly lit study. The heavy curtains weren't fully drawn, leaving a gap. From inside, the sounds of a heated argument were escaping unimpeded.

Lord Harlan Grandson, a member of the Royal Guard, his face flushed with rage despite his imposing presence. He had lost his usual authority and was practically roaring, "—Earl Adrian! Wake up! This isn't a request, it's a gift from the King! Do you know the price we paid? The risks we took to safely transport these 'things' here?! The slightest mistake—"

Earl Adrian Redwin's face was equally grim. He stood before the desk, his body leaning slightly forward in agitation, his fingers tapping heavily on the surface. "A gift? A risk? Sir Harlan! I thank the King and you for your kindness! But this gift you speak of—the dozens of carts, the thousands of cans of this stuff—is Wildfire!" He practically spat the word out, as if it were poisonous. "That kind of highly unstable, destructive green nightmare that only the Alchemists' Guild could create! You want me to use this stuff against the Iron Islands fleet?!"

Even while invisible, Euron's breathing was almost entirely contained within the room! Wildfire! It was that kind of thing! His eyes (though invisible, his senses remained) instantly locked onto the tightly guarded convoy that had just arrived towards the port. A chilling yet excited shiver ran down his spine. If he could create a small, blazing sun here using the power of the Soul-Soul Fruit, even for just a moment, he could throw it into the carriages carrying the wildfire. The argument in the study continued, interrupting Euron's fleeting calculations.

"This is the most direct and quickest way for us to win!" Sir Harlan argued, trying to suppress his anger. "Once the Iron Islands' longships are caught in wildfire, they are impossible to extinguish! They will burn to ashes in the green flames!"

The entire Whispering Bay will become their crematorium! This war will end in an instant!

"End? How will you end it?!" Earl Adrian's voice suddenly rose, tinged with an insulted pride. "With this disgusting thing and these despicable means?! Sir Harlan! Who are we? We are House Redwin! We possess the most powerful and well-trained fleet in the Seven Kingdoms! Our warriors are masters of naval warfare, and our captains are experienced! We seek to defeat those Ironborn pirates honorably on the open sea, through strength, courage, and strategy! Not with this indiscriminate, out-of-control alchemical artifact that could set the entire Green Pavilion Island ablaze!"

He abruptly waved his hand, pointing to the outlines of his warships outside the window: "Victory should come from our sails and swords, not from these green curses in jars! Even if we achieve such a victory, the Redwyn family will lose face! What will the Seven Kingdoms think of me? They will say, 'Look, the grapevines of Greentree Island were held up by wildfire, not courage!'"

"You—you're corrupt! You're foolishly arrogant!" Sir Harlan trembled with rage, the armor beneath his white robes jingling softly. "War is only about victory! His Majesty demands the Iron Islands' submission, not your chivalry!"

"Then please return, Lord Harlan!" Earl Adrian refused to back down, his attitude extremely firm. "Go back and tell His Majesty that Green Pavilion Island and the Redwin family thank him for his 'kindness,' but we don't need it! We can win this battle in our own way! We can defend our homeland!"

The study fell into a deathly silence, broken only by the heavy breathing of the two people.

A moment later, Ser Harlan Grandson let out a cold snort of utter disappointment and anger. "Very well! Adrian Redwyn, you will regret your 'pride' today! I hope you will remember your words when the Ironborn's long axes come crashing down on your castle gates!" With that, Harlan Grandson turned abruptly, his armor clanging, and strode out, slamming the door shut.

Soon after, as Euron's invisibility wore off, he saw Sir Harlan, his face ashen, gather his white-robed brothers and royal guards, angrily shouting as he personally escorted the dozen or so heavily covered wagons loaded with thousands of canisters of dangerous wildfire away from Starfish Harbor in a grand yet utterly defeated manner, as if they were taking away not the hope of victory, but a burning humiliation that had been mercilessly returned.

As the invisibility effect gradually faded, Euron's figure slowly emerged from the shadows. He gazed at the departing convoy, his eyes flashing with an extremely complex light—a hint of mockery for Redwin's foolish arrogance, a touch of regret for missing a tremendous opportunity to engulf Green Pavilion Island and even the Redwin family in flames, but more than anything, a sharp glint of light from a reassessment of the situation.

Adrian Redwyn chose a more "glorious" path, even if it meant more bloodshed and a longer battle for Redwyn's fleet.

Euron silently retreated into the shadows, disappearing without a trace as he had come, leaving behind the hustle and bustle of Starfish Harbor and the expensive "pride" of the Redwin family.