Chapter 221: Sudden Change!

'Your Grace.'

'Pentos is yours now.'

The Ragged Prince kneeled on one knee before Viserys, pledging his loyalty. The young king gazed into the distance, silent for a long time before he finally spoke softly.

'Ragged Prince.'

'You have become the true Prince of Pentos. Aren't you ready to reclaim your real name?'

The old man with gray hair, dressed in rags and still bearing splotchy bloodstains, kneeled on the ground. Upon hearing Viserys's question, he hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

'Since I left my family, my real name no longer matters.'

'The name 'Ragged' constantly reminds me not to forget the disgrace I once endured.'

The Ragged Prince, pushing himself up from the ground, then spoke.

'Oh?'

Viserys, somewhat surprised by the Ragged Prince's words, turned his head to look at him. The sea breeze blew gently against the young king's handsome face, his silver-gold hair fluttering lightly.

He had always felt that the Ragged Prince, despite his appearance, never really considered himself a 'ragged king'. He was a refined man, maintaining the manners and dignity of a nobleman in every gesture.

However, Viserys did not expect that the Ragged Prince, now having attained Pentos and truly become a prince, would still choose to wear rags.

His reason was not without merit, wearing rags served as a reminder to himself, a cautionary note not to repeat past mistakes.

Viserys merely glanced at him curiously, choosing not to ponder too deeply on the matter.

He then turned back around, contemplating for a moment before continuing.

'The effects of this upheaval must be swiftly mitigated.'

The Bloody Night seemed to have only resulted in a few deaths, but its impact on the ancient city-state of Pentos was massive, akin to a revolutionary earthquake.

All the ruling class was overthrown, the Magister's family exterminated one by one.

And the wealthy merchants who had escaped the purge were also in panic. When the morning sun shone down, the city gates were thrown open, and they quickly fled Pentos with their families.

Now, many shops in Pentos were closed, the city was in a state of depression, and Viserys needed the economic engine of Pentos, so recovery work had to begin as soon as possible.

'Understood, Your Grace,' The Ragged Prince nodded and responded.

'To quickly restore the economy of Pentos, it would be best to employ a shock therapy.'

Illyrio, who had just become the kingdom's Master of Coin, immediately made a suggestion.

Still sitting in a chair with his injured leg raised, his cane set aside, he lifted his head and spoke as he watched the Ragged Prince walk to Viserys's side.

'The specific methods can be discussed further.'

Viserys nodded slightly.

'Also, there's another matter.'

He suddenly seemed to remember something, turning his head to look at the Ragged Prince who had just stood beside him.

'Hmm?'

..."

"Viserys suddenly realized that the Ragged Prince stood very close to him, a strange sensation rising within him.

But in the next second, he saw a sharp dagger falling from the cuff of the Ragged Prince's sleeve.

Thunk.

The old man with snow-white hair skillfully gripped the dagger hilt with his nimble fingers.

Then at such close range, Viserys had no defense. He swiftly stabbed towards Viserys's abdomen.

"Damn."

Viserys's eyes narrowed.

He had just sensed something strange, and then the Ragged Prince suddenly drew his blade and lunged. At such close range, his reaction was already quite fast.

His eyes shimmered with a faint purple glow.

Thud.

Viserys firmly grabbed the other's wrist.

The dagger had already pierced through his clothes, stopping mid-air just before reaching Viserys's abdomen.

However, when the first strike did not land, the other party seemed to have been psychologically prepared for this.

His movements were proficient, calm, and steady, like a routine rehearsed a thousand times.

His other hand moved like a snake, surprisingly agile for someone appearing to be in his fifties or sixties. The dagger danced at his fingertips, then effortlessly pierced Viserys's abdomen.

Plung.

Blood instantly gushed out, staining his robe red.

Viserys felt the pain, his brows furrowed and he grunted, then gritted his teeth and forcefully gripped the other's right hand.

Crack.

His strength was far superior.

He managed to brutally snap the opponent's wrist and drove the short blade from the other's right hand into his own body.

Plung.

The dagger also pierced the other's abdomen.

The Ragged Prince, whose wrist was seized, seemed to be somewhat surprised by Viserys's strength.

He had been watching Viserys's battle with the Mountain from the crowd last night, and he thought he had a complete grasp of Viserys's condition.

Although he was not clear about the reason, according to his observations, Viserys's swordsmanship was outstanding, his reaction speed extremely fast, and it was almost impossible to kill him with ordinary long-range crossbow shooting.

That's why he chose this risky method, getting close to Viserys and striking when he was completely unguarded.

However, even so, he had a very strong premonition of Viserys's reaction speed, but he still underestimated him. Viserys's reaction was even faster than he had imagined.

His wrist was broken and the dagger was stabbed into his abdomen, blood gushing out. While Viserys, also injured, was panting heavily with furrowed brows, the other party seemed to be as calm as if nothing had happened.

Then, the Ragged Prince's broken wrist slipped away from Viserys's grip as if it had been lubricated.

The broken wrist was still slightly shaking, the stabbed abdomen was bleeding, and the blood dripped on the ground. He pulled the dagger from his abdomen and threw it out the window, then leapt from the battlements.

Whoosh.

His robe fluttered, he fell freely.

Viserys, who was suddenly attacked, held his bleeding wound tightly with one hand, blood seeping through his fingers.

He saw the other jump from the battlements without hesitation, a look of astonishment flashed in Viserys's eyes.

This was one of the highest points in Pentos, several tens of meters high, a straight up and down tower. Jumping from here, wasn't that a death wish?

"Suicide?"

Viserys thought for a moment as he watched this scene unfold.

Then he leaned on the edge of the battlement, his breathing "Suicide?"

Viserys thought for a moment as he watched this scene unfold.

Then he leaned on the edge of the battlement, his breathing somewhat heavy. With one hand pressed against his wound, he strained to look down.

However, when he saw the scene below clearly, his faintly purple pupils slightly constricted, and a clear sense of astonishment crossed his face.

"This..."

Below the high tower, it was spotlessly clean with no trace of anyone falling. There was no sign of anyone having fallen down at all.