"Good grief… you little monster."
"When you were still an egg, you sat there like a rock for years without making a sound. Your father nearly worried himself to death."
"But now that you've hatched, you're growing faster than weeds after rain."
"What are you, Nezha? Growing stronger every single day?"
Karl crouched beside the circular nest made of stacked stones and poked the sleeping golden dragon with an exhausted expression.
The little dragon had his head tucked beneath one wing while his tail curled tightly around his body. Warm air flowed steadily from his nostrils as he slept soundly, completely ignoring Karl's complaints.
It had already been more than half a month since they left King's Landing.
Karl and his small group—three Kingsguard knights, one dragon, and himself—had spent every day traveling west toward Casterly Rock.
Fortunately, the road had remained relatively peaceful.
No ambushes.
No monsters.
No disasters.
Otherwise, Karl felt their journey would have resembled some bizarre version of Journey to the West set in Westeros.
Sadly, there was no Buddha waiting for him at the western end of the road.
Only Casterly Rock.
And perhaps Tyrion Lannister.
Other than that, Karl wasn't particularly excited about the place.
During the entire journey, the newborn golden dragon—whom Karl had named Robert—had only done three things:
Eat.
Sleep.
And scream for food.
Every time the little dragon woke up, he would immediately begin crying at Karl with loud, pitiful roars until he was fed.
After stuffing himself full, he would instantly curl up and fall asleep again.
He barely even moved otherwise.
Still, Robert was very different from Daenerys Targaryen's dragons in the original story.
Karl couldn't tell whether it was because of the special food he had been feeding him or because the egg had spent years inside the game world, continuously evolving through multiple updates.
Whatever the reason, the growth rate was terrifying.
When Robert first hatched, he had only been the size of a small bird.
Now, after just over half a month, he had already grown as large as a sheep.
His once-slender body had become round and heavy, complete with a tiny dragon belly.
His golden scales gleamed brilliantly beneath the sunlight, while the flesh around his face and neck remained surprisingly soft and elastic.
Of course, he was also burning hot to the touch.
And besides Karl, no one else could approach him safely.
Robert recognized only Karl as family.
Anyone else who got too close would immediately receive a threatening growl and sparks of dragonfire.
Watching Robert's rapid growth left Karl both amazed and exhausted.
Every single day, the little dragon looked noticeably larger.
And unfortunately, his appetite grew just as quickly.
Because of this, Karl had been forced to return to the game world every night to earn enough "dragon food" for him.
Specifically…
Dragon eggshells.
In order to gather them, Karl had spent countless nights working like a laborer inside a volcanic region hidden somewhere within the DND game world.
Not only did he have to endure Artex's endless teasing and exploitation, but he also had to swing a pickaxe himself while digging through volcanic rock in search of eggshell fragments.
If he hadn't inherited the Targaryen bloodline's resistance to fire—strengthened even further by unknown game updates—he would never have survived the temperature inside that volcano.
The place was hellishly hot.
Dragon eggs in that world clearly required temperatures far beyond ordinary fire.
As for how the eggshells were collected, Karl himself still didn't fully understand the volcano's strange mechanics.
Sometimes fragments floated upward naturally through the lava currents.
Other times, he had to dig for them manually.
Either way, every trip was exhausting.
And before Artex allowed him to ride her to the volcanic region, she always made sure to squeeze every ounce of energy out of him first.
Karl still didn't even know where the volcano truly existed.
It felt less like a real place and more like a separate hidden map.
But despite all the trouble…
Despite the exhaustion…
Karl still felt incredibly satisfied whenever he looked at Robert.
After all, this little dragon was practically his child.
Karl reached down and patted Robert's head twice.
The dragon merely grunted and buried himself deeper beneath his wings.
Shaking his head helplessly, Karl stood and looked toward the distant horizon.
Beyond the rolling hills, the faint outline of the western coastline had already become visible.
They were close.
Very close.
"Damn it," Karl muttered, rubbing his tired eyes. "At this rate, the horses won't even dare carry you anymore."
The dragon ignored him completely.
Karl eventually walked down the hill toward the camp where the Kingsguard had prepared his tent.
As soon as he arrived, Ser Arys Oakheart stepped forward respectfully.
"Your Majesty," Arys said, offering him a water flask, "we should arrive at Casterly Rock by tomorrow."
Among the current Kingsguard, Ser Arys Oakheart was the highest-ranking knight after Ser Barristan Selmy.
Naturally, most communication duties had fallen to him throughout the journey.
Karl accepted the flask gratefully and drank deeply.
The cool water immediately eased some of his exhaustion.
"Finally…" Karl exhaled heavily after finishing the drink.
Recently, their supplies had become increasingly strained.
Originally, their extra horses carried all provisions.
But after Robert's explosive growth, they had been forced to purchase a wagon from a roadside farmhouse just to transport the dragon.
Even then, three horses had to be rotated constantly because Robert's growing draconic aura terrified them.
Karl glanced westward thoughtfully.
"I wonder how well Tyrion cleaned up Casterly Rock for me."
Though outwardly calm, Karl's thoughts remained heavy.
Tywin Lannister was not a man who would quietly wait for death.
If Tywin truly had been involved in hiring the Faceless Men to assassinate Robert Baratheon, then conflict was inevitable.
Even if he wasn't directly responsible, he certainly knew more than he admitted.
That meant Karl needed to stabilize the Westerlands as quickly as possible.
Time was running short.
Meanwhile, the Wall also worried him greatly.
Wildlings.
White Walkers.
The Night's Watch.
All of it remained a ticking time bomb.
Unfortunately, Karl simply lacked the manpower to handle everything at once.
For now, he could only trust Robb Stark to respond appropriately after receiving his warnings.
As for Karl himself, he had already decided upon his policy for the Westerlands.
Mercy would no longer be his priority.
"Those who submit will prosper," he thought coldly.
"Those who resist will perish."
He would not tolerate rebellion.
Not anymore.
Disobedient nobles would either be replaced or eliminated entirely.
Given the recent Lannister uprising and Karl's legitimate claim to the throne, few people would dare openly criticize harsh measures.
Once the Westerlands were fully under control, Karl could finally focus on the greater threats:
Renly Baratheon.
Stannis Baratheon.
Unlike Eddard Stark, Karl understood exactly how dangerous those two truly were.
When no opportunity existed, they could behave like loyal lords.
But if the throne became attainable…
Neither man would willingly step aside.
Karl himself was currently their greatest opportunity.
His rule remained unstable.
His foundation was weak.
If they acted now, they still had a chance to challenge him.
But if they delayed too long…
If Karl truly secured the Seven Kingdoms…
If he consolidated military power…
If dragons returned completely under his control…
Then neither Renly nor Stannis would ever sit the Iron Throne.
Karl understood that clearly.
And so did they.
Behind them stood countless hidden forces.
The Tyrells.
The Faith.
The Citadel.
Even mysterious gods and religions.
Those were the true enemies lurking beneath the surface.
That was why Karl was so desperate to stabilize the Westerlands quickly.
He needed time.
Time to strengthen himself before the storm truly began.
Ironically, bringing dragons back into the world was both his greatest advantage and potentially his greatest mistake.
Much like becoming king itself.
Ser Arys Oakheart remained silent while Karl considered these matters.
As a Kingsguard knight, he wisely refrained from commenting on politics.
Only after Karl finished eating later that night did Arys speak again.
"Your Majesty," he said respectfully, "I will stand watch during the first half of the night. Ser Balon Swann will relieve me afterward."
"Ser Marlin will guard the dragon."
Karl nodded.
Because of Robert's existence, they now required additional night watches.
Not only because the dragon might become hungry—
But because Karl also needed to protect his own secrets.
Every night, once alone inside the tent, Karl returned to the game world to gather supplies, prepare resources, and make plans.
None of the Kingsguard could discover that.
"Thank you for your hard work, Arys," Karl said sincerely.
"Once we arrive at Casterly Rock, I'll grant the three of you some time to rest."
"And I'll begin selecting the remaining Kingsguard members as soon as possible."
Arys bowed respectfully.
Afterward, Karl entered his tent alone.
As usual, none of the knights entered unless summoned.
That arrangement had continued for more than ten days already.
Once safely inside, Karl immediately returned to the game world for another exhausting night of work.
Hours later, dawn finally arrived.
Karl stepped out of the tent looking mentally drained despite having technically slept.
Energy potions restored physical stamina.
But mental exhaustion was far harder to erase.
Outside, Ser Balon Swann stood guard near the entrance.
Unfortunately, exhaustion had finally overwhelmed him.
The knight was half asleep while standing.
Karl quietly approached before patting his shoulder.
"Go rest," Karl said calmly.
"We won't depart for another four hours."
Balon jolted awake immediately.
"Forgive me, Your Majesty—"
Karl waved dismissively.
"It's fine. Go sleep."
The knight bowed gratefully before leaving.
Karl then walked toward Robert's temporary nest beside the hill.
At first glance, he immediately noticed the dragon had grown larger again overnight.
Several stones around the nest had already shifted from their original positions.
Robert himself remained curled up exactly as before, breathing hot air steadily while sleeping.
Moments later, the dragon slowly lifted his head.
Golden eyes instantly locked onto Karl.
Then—
Like an excited puppy, Robert jumped up immediately.
The moment he opened his mouth, sparks burst outward uncontrollably.
Karl reacted instantly, grabbing the dragon's jaws before the fire fully escaped.
"Quiet!"
"Food first!"
"We'll practice your dragonfire and flying later."
"At this rate, no horse in Westeros will dare carry you!"
As he spoke, Karl pulled out a massive piece of bear meat coated with crushed dragon eggshell fragments.
The moment Robert smelled the food, he completely forgot about roaring.
Instead, he eagerly licked Karl's face with his long tongue.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Karl shoved the meat directly into his mouth.
Robert immediately bit down happily.
The volcanic aura lingering within the dragon eggshells seemed irresistible to him.
The little dragon lowered his head, pinning the meat with his claws while tearing into it enthusiastically.
Karl crouched beside him and rubbed his head gently.
"Eat well, little guy."
"You need to grow quickly."
"Your father already has ways to deal with enemies on land…"
"But enemies coming from the sea might become troublesome."
Karl narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.
"Maybe it's time to give the Iron Islands some opportunities."
"After all… where else am I supposed to get enough warships?"
As if understanding his words, Robert suddenly scraped the remaining eggshell fragments off the meat with his tongue before raising his neck proudly.
A second later—
Whoosh!
A small burst of dragonfire erupted from his mouth, roasting the remaining meat perfectly.
Then the little dragon looked up at Karl proudly, baring his tiny teeth as though asking for praise.
Karl burst into laughter.
"Well done!"
Pleased by the reaction, he immediately pulled out several more glowing dragon eggshell fragments.
Robert's golden eyes lit up instantly.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)