Chapter 378: Maester Marwyn

'Maester' Marwyn arrived in Pentos half a month ago, his purpose being to find Viserys. However, this was not their first meeting. They had a brief encounter before.

The stout, battle-hardened maester that Viserys and Mia had met in the ruins of Valyria was none other than Marwyn. Unfortunately, at that time, they did not recognize each other, and thus, there was no interaction.

When Viserys received the renowned 'Mage' Marwyn in his study, he immediately recognized him. When Viserys and Mia had escaped the ruins of Valyria on the back of Balerion, Marwyn had also somehow managed to escape the ruins.

However, without a dragon, Marwyn could not fly as fast as Viserys, who had returned to Pentos in just a few days. Marwyn had seen the dragon descend that night and guessed that it might be Viserys. He then discreetly left the ruins of Valyria, boarded a merchant ship, and traveled all the way to Pentos, finally finding the rumored young dragon lord.

Marwyn differed from the other maesters of the Citadel. He was always a maverick. His philosophy was at odds with that of the Citadel. The Citadel hoped to create a world dominated by knowledge, where maesters would promote human progress and the development of productivity. In this world, there would be no magic, no dragons, and perhaps even no gods. Nothing that could threaten human development.

But Marwyn was a maester who studied magic and the occult. He was the only one in the entire Citadel to have earned a Valyrian steel link. Naturally, his views differed from those of the other maesters. He even referred to his colleagues as 'grey sheep.' He believed that since these mystical powers existed in the world, they must have a reason for their existence.

Humans should study magic and master it to bring about a better life.

After receiving Marwyn and understanding his intentions, Viserys immediately handed over some of the precious books he had brought back from the ruins of Valyria for him to proofread.

Some of these books were so old that their contents had become blurred, and they were so fragile that they would crumble at the slightest touch. Some were even stuck together and could not be separated by hand. They required special techniques to peel the pages apart.

Many of the Valyrian-era books that Viserys had brought back were severely damaged, which Marwyn found somewhat heartbreaking.

However, there was no helping it. When Viserys had fled with these books, he had been attacked by a demonic dragon and had only escaped after a desperate struggle, so it was inevitable that the books would be damaged.

After receiving these books, Marwyn began to study and translate them diligently, trying to decipher their original meanings from the blurred characters.

Now, his research had made a significant breakthrough, revealing a major secret.

"Your Grace."

The stout old maester, who looked like a bull, hurried over. At that moment, Viserys was in the garden, playing with a young dragon.

It was the little silver dragon that had hatched from the fifth egg. Its mother might have encountered some difficulties during its birth, or perhaps there was not enough magic within her, resulting in the young dragon being undernourished from birth and appearing incredibly weak.

But it still managed to break out of its shell due to its strong will to live.

"Silver Nugget."

In Valyrian, 'silver nugget' and 'silver' had similar meanings, so it could also be called 'Silver.'

His reason was that a good name would help it grow. As the father who had personally hatched five little dragons, he did not expect Silver Nugget, in its current state, to become a terrifying sky dominator. It would be enough for it to grow up smoothly.

As Viserys was playing with Silver Nugget, who had grown a little, Marwyn hurried over. He had made a significant discovery in his translation work.

The owner of these books was of no ordinary status. Viserys speculated that he was at least one of the forty ancient nobles, equal to or even higher than the Targaryens. Naturally, the books he collected were incredibly precious.

And Marwyn had extracted a word from these books.

"'Demon.'"

"Demon?"

Viserys stood up, looking somewhat puzzled.

And the little silver dragon spread its wings and landed on his shoulder. Although Marwyn's expression was serious, he couldn't help but take a few extra glances at the presence of the young dragon.

"These little creatures are truly the most beautiful beings in the world."

Then the 'Bull Maester' couldn't help but exclaim. He was obsessed with magic and all things mystical, and dragons were no exception.

Their soaring figures in the sky fascinated him. The reason he had come to find Viserys was to get a closer look at the dragons.

Marwyn's disciple had thought the same. She was Mirri Maz Duur, who had followed Viserys early on.

Unfortunately, although the witch possessed magical powers, she was not prepared for the malice of men and was killed by Jorah Mormont.

However, despite his fascination with dragons, Marwyn did not forget why he had come. He quickly composed himself and spoke again.

"Yes, Your Grace."

"From the information I've compiled over this period, I have solid evidence that the Freehold of Valyria had extensive connections with 'demons.'"