Chapter 369: The Prince's Great Discovery

Once the goods in the warehouse were moved out, and the mages went off to attend to their tasks, Tyene found Lyanna alone.

"After the tournament, I'll sail with you to the Shadow Tower."

"Are you going alone, Headmaster?" Lyanna asked, somewhat in disbelief. The fragile-looking Tyene was daring to venture alone to the Wall, where only men resided.

"Yes, I'm going alone. Wright is heading to Winterfell to escort the Skinchangers to the Castle Black. After some thought, I believe someone at the Shadow Tower must have betrayed humanity. It's better if I go alone to investigate," Tyene replied gently.

"Then I'll send fifty Bear Island warriors to protect you." As the headmaster of the Tyros Magic Academy and the foremost alchemist in Westeros, Tyene had never used offensive magic in public, except for alchemy. Her noble identity made Lyanna very concerned about her safety.

Tyene shook her head. "No need. Investigations must be carried out secretly. The more people, the worse it will be. Wright always rides his dragon, and everyone within miles knows when he arrives."

Lyanna, seeing Tyene who looked like a delicate doll, felt a surge of protectiveness. Just moments ago, she had been frightened, and now she wished she could hold Tyene and keep her safe. However, Tyene was unwilling to accept, leaving Lyanna in an awkward position.

"I'm not fragile!" Tyene, noticing Lyanna's thoughts, raised her hand and pointed toward a pile of damaged wooden boxes in the corner of the warehouse. A flash of white light shot from her hand, vanishing almost instantly. Only a few strands of golden hair lifted by the breeze proved that Tyene had just launched an attack.

Lyanna, keen-eyed, saw something fly out from Tyene's wide sleeves—it was a white mage's hand holding an exceptionally ornate dagger. The mage's hand extended toward the pile of wooden boxes, and the dagger's tip punctured one box, creating a small hole. Immediately, the hand retracted.

A sizzling sound followed by green smoke rose from the hole. The small hole seemed to be rapidly eaten away by some unseen creature, and the hole expanded quickly. After consuming one box, it didn't stop and began spreading to the other stacked boxes. Within less than a minute, the pile of boxes, several men high, turned into a pool of green liquid. The warehouse was filled with the scent of blooming flowers.

"So quickly turning into a pool of sludge—terrifying!"

"Headmaster, what would you like to eat during the voyage?" Lyanna, now with her battle axe back in place at her waist, immediately shifted the topic.

"I'd like some oranges," Tyene replied.

Tyene had a unique charm. Even though she was in her thirties and a mother, her personality was still childlike, making everyone who met her feel a desire to protect her. Coupled with her profound magical knowledge, people were quickly enchanted by her.

---

Unable to participate himself, Wright was not very interested in the tournament. Out of respect for the organizers, he couldn't leave, so he retreated to the back row of the podium, reading a book with it placed on his lap.

Clap, clap, clap—the sound of applause filled the arena as the winner of the jousting competition was announced. King Renly and Willen were awarding the prize to the champion. Wright also raised his hand and clapped, but his eyes remained focused on the book in his lap.

Not long after, Renly and Stannis sat next to Wright. Renly spoke first, "You're being too indifferent. At least lift your head and look at the audience!"

Wright closed the book. "Shall I use an illusion spell so the three of us can stand in the front row and wave flags and cheer loudly?"

"Only you would think of such a thing. If you want to embarrass yourself, don't drag me into it," Renly said, adjusting the crown on his head. It was uncomfortable, heavy, and easily slipped off.

"When do you think it would be appropriate to hold a mage tournament?" Willen asked. The jousting tournament at his wedding had been organized by Stannis, and now that the final match was over and no further backstage manipulation was needed, he finally had some free time.

Renly thought for a moment. "Mages are far more powerful than ordinary people now, and they have many ways of accumulating wealth. However, without corresponding honors to back them up, it's easy to make others jealous and resentful. Holding a tournament to show off would just create unnecessary conflict."

"But you were the one who formally announced the mage tournament at the Red Keep meeting!" Stannis quickly retorted. He had invested a large number of resources into studying the odds of mage duels. Renly couldn't just back out now.

Renly looked utterly confused. "Huh? When did I ever say that?"

Wright took over the conversation. "I said it."

"You?" Stannis was shocked.

The King of the Seven Kingdoms was not like an emperor, and the tiny amount of power he had was often too much work for too little reward. Renly felt that being king was far less comfortable than when he was the Lord of Storm's End. In the years he had been king, there was always one month each year when Wright would take over managing the realm from the Iron Throne, while Renly traveled freely and leisurely.

The red and white Odahviing in King's Landing represented Wright, while the small white-and-red-striped Peytvahaaz symbolized King Renly. Both of them, accustomed to riding dragons, could never be apart from their dragons. Fortunately, they both had magic to call them from afar. As long as the two dragons weren't in King's Landing, no one could tell who was sitting on the Iron Throne.

King Renly, taking Loras on vacation, traveled around while Wright worked tirelessly. Of course, Wright was well-compensated for this arrangement. Not only was he given financial support, but Queen Margaery's services were also expanded!

Since they both knew the extremely secretive Daedric Prince, Renly and Wright had kept up their martial and magical training, unlike Robert, who had become overweight and lazy. Their figures and appearances still resembled their younger selves. While the uncommon nobles might be fooled, those who saw them every day could not be.

The seven Kingsguard were Renly's trusted allies, and they had long been aware of Margaery's affair. The one who had noticed was Prince Lyonel. No matter how similar someone's appearance might be or how well they could mimic their behavior, there were still subtle differences.

One day, when Wright and Margaery were in Maegor Holdfast's bedroom, Lyonel, having mastered a small amount of magic, sneaked in through the window, planning to scare his parents.

King Renly and Queen Margaery were always careful about their propriety, and they would never be so careless as to do anything on the couch during the day. However, what Lyonel saw next shocked him—he saw the scars all over Wright's body.

Scars were one of the signs of a man's strength! Renly had healed any wounds he sustained during training with magic, but the scars left were from entering the realm of Oblivion, caused by long swords and battle axes. As for Wright, his scars were all different—some from weapons, some from magical blasts.

Now, the Red Keep was filled with magical arrays, set up by different mages. Only Lyonel, with the ability and spare time, had used the teachings of Renly and Wright to figure out the path to Maegor Holdfast's bedroom.

Lyonel's face flushed with anger, and he shouted, "Wright! You shameless bastard!"

"Let me explain!" Wright and Margaery quickly put on their clothes and shouted together.

Lyonel, seeing his mother and uncle together, was furious. Ignoring the fact that it was his mother, Lyonel quickly covered himself in ice armor and drew his longsword, Dawnbreaker, pointing it at Wright. "Bastard! I challenge you to a duel!"

Wright stood up, pushing Margaery aside. Hearing his son call him a bastard and challenge him to a duel filled him with rage. He immediately encased himself in ice armor as well. "You bastard! I'll beat you to a pulp!"

Margaery, seeing the two preparing for a magical duel, dared not approach. In her panic, she shouted, "Stop it, you bastards!"