Chapter 178: Gendry

The guard mustered his courage and swung his sword.

Whoosh.

Then the young king easily sidestepped to the left, avoiding the attack.

"Again!"

The guard gritted his teeth and swept his sword horizontally.

Viserys ducked his head, the sword barely missing him. He then suddenly lunged forward, his shoulder striking the guard's chest.

Thump—

The guard, still holding his sword, staggered back a few steps, gasping for air with one hand on his chest.

"Again."

Viserys had decided on a whim to stretch his muscles, but this poor soldier was bearing the brunt of it.

"Your Grace..."

There wasn't a single brother in the castle who hadn't practiced swordsmanship with the king; it was asking for trouble. The guard forced a wry smile, gripped his sword tightly, and charged again, aiming directly for Viserys' neck.

They never worried about hurting Viserys during their sparring sessions.

Because, for the past two years, even when two or three brothers attacked him together, they couldn't even touch the hem of his clothing.

But this time, Viserys didn't dodge. He grasped the hilt with both hands and used his crimson sword to clash with the guard's weapon.

Clang!

A loud metallic sound echoed through the silent workshop.

The guard's sword was cut in half, the tip falling to the ground.

The young king's weapon, Dusk, had severed the guard's sword, its blade pressing against the guard's neck with a gust of wind.

At that moment, the guard felt a chill run down his spine, and his hand holding the broken sword went weak, dropping it to the ground.

Clatter—

Huffing and puffing, the guard felt as if he had narrowly escaped death.

Viserys slowly withdrew his sword and gently patted the guard's shoulder in consolation.

He was very pleased with Dusk. The ability to cut through an opponent's weapon in a single clash was already an impressive feat.

Moreover, like a weapon forged from Valyrian steel, the sword contained magic. After cutting through another sword, its own blade remained undamaged, never chipping or breaking.

"This sword is good. I am very satisfied."

Viserys nodded slightly, then hung Dusk back on its rack, turning to address the two people who had retreated to a safe distance.

This sword had just been forged and still needed Master Tobho to create a scabbard for it.

"Your Grace, I'm glad you're satisfied."

"The scabbard will be ready soon."

Tobho also let out a sigh of relief.

This sword was definitely on par with, if not stronger than, a Valyrian steel sword, and he was confident in its quality.

As the creator, Tobho even looked forward to seeing Dusk pitted against a genuine Valyrian steel sword in the future.

Ice, the Stark family's sword?

Heartbreak of House Tarly?

Or perhaps the Longclaw of House Mormont, Lady Forlorn of House Corbray, or Red Rain of House Drumm.

As an experienced blacksmith, Tobho was naturally familiar with these famous Valyrian steel swords.

"Um."

Viserys nodded, picking up the broken sword tip from the floor, fiddling with it for a moment, and noticing the charred color at the fracture, he seemed lost in thought.

Then he looked up again.

When Viserys first arrived, he was drawn to the crimson sword, but it wasn't until now that he realized that the young apprentice, who was always inseparable from his master, was not present.

"Master Tobho, where is your apprentice?"

Viserys asked casually.

Now, only the bald-headed Master Tobho and Melisandre were in the workshop, and the black-haired apprentice had vanished.

After three months, Viserys had learned the boy's name.

Gendry.

When he first heard the name, Viserys didn't react, as Gendry was a common name in this world.

He also had a very ordinary identity – a blacksmith's apprentice.

However, it wasn't until the black-haired boy proudly showed off a bull's horn helmet and told Viserys that he had crafted it with his master's help that Viserys suddenly remembered the boy's true identity – he might be Robert's illegitimate son.

Gendry's biological mother was a waitress in a tavern, who died when he was just beginning to remember things.

Then, Gendry was entrusted to Tobho Mott's smithy by an anonymous knight who paid double the apprenticeship fee.

Viserys had confirmed these details from Tobho Mott himself.

Gendry was indeed brought by a knight two years ago. At first, Tobho didn't want to take on such a young child as an apprentice, but the other party offered too much.

At that time, he vaguely guessed that the boy might be the illegitimate child of a nobleman or official, and his father couldn't openly bring him home, so he secretly arranged a peaceful life for him.

However, Tobho Mott never expected Gendry to be the king's illegitimate son.

Viserys hadn't expected his investigation to uncover Robert's illegitimate child.

Use his identity to threaten Robert for a hefty ransom?

Viserys had never thought of it that way. Although many people now despised honor, he didn't want to tarnish his own reputation.

And perhaps Robert had long forgotten about Gendry and didn't care about the life or death of his illegitimate child.

So, Viserys didn't know how to deal with this boy of complicated background.

Gendry's personality was the opposite of his father's – he was a gentle boy.

But his physique inherited from his father, making him taller and stronger than boys his age, appeared to be a natural blacksmith.

Unable to think of a better solution, Viserys simply let Gendry be, allowing him to continue working at the forge, living and learning on his own.

"Gendry felt unwell and went back to rest."

His master had pushed someone into the furnace, burning them to ashes, leaving not even a bone behind...

Tobho Mott regarded Gendry as his own disciple, teaching him the methods of reforging Valyrian steel. However, he didn't expect his beloved apprentice to turn pale and vomit profusely upon witnessing the scene.

Tobho was displeased that Gendry was causing trouble while the king was visiting.

He then sent Gendry away and cleaned up the traces of his apprentice's vom it.

Gendry also lived within the Andalos Castle, but like many other servants, he resided in the dilapidated rooms on the outskirts of the main castle.

Even so, it was much better than the smithy he used to live in, where every breath was filled with the smell of charred coal.

At this moment.

The black-haired boy hid in his room, sitting on the bed with his hands around his knees, his mind still replaying the events that had just occurred and the words of the priestess.

Blood sacrifice...

Gendry's body shuddered slightly, and suddenly, he no longer wanted to be a blacksmith. .