The banquet continued late into the night.
At least on the surface, both host and guests appeared to enjoy themselves.
After the feast concluded, House Hightower prepared an extravagant chamber for King Karl so he could rest comfortably.
However, after politely declining both the subtle and obvious advances of several noblewomen he had met during the banquet, Karl made one unexpected request.
He asked Archmaester Marwyn to remain behind.
Marwyn froze.
Seeing the king choose an aging, plain-looking Archmaester instead of spending the evening with beautiful ladies sent an involuntary chill down his spine.
As he desperately searched for an excuse to decline, Karl casually rubbed a faint spark of lightning between his fingers where no one else could see.
The tiny flash instantly erased every objection from Marwyn's mind.
He immediately bowed.
"It is my greatest honor to accept Your Majesty's invitation."
---
Inside the luxuriously decorated chamber, Karl sat comfortably on a sofa and gestured for Marwyn to take the seat opposite him.
The moment the door closed, Marwyn skipped all formal greetings.
Instead, he leaned forward eagerly.
"Your Majesty..."
"Was that magic?"
His eyes burned with excitement.
"I saw it clearly."
"It wasn't a trick."
"I'm certain of it."
Karl smiled knowingly.
"What would you like it to be, Archmaester Marwyn?"
The vague answer caused Marwyn's smile to stiffen.
Realizing Karl had no intention of answering directly, he decided to be equally straightforward.
"I spent eight years traveling through the distant East."
"I studied forgotten maps."
"I searched for lost books."
"I visited warlocks..."
"Shadowbinders..."
"And many practitioners of strange arts."
"I've witnessed countless so-called miracles."
"But none of them compare to what I saw today."
Karl lifted a bottle of Summer Red and slowly poured himself a glass.
"Are you referring to Robert?"
"The dragon that history believed was extinct?"
He gently swirled the wine.
"Or..."
"That little display just now?"
Marwyn finally realized Karl wasn't avoiding the subject.
He was guiding the conversation.
His expression immediately became serious.
"Both."
"The dragon."
"And the magic."
"What you demonstrated today..."
"Was real."
Karl nodded calmly.
"You are correct."
"I invited you here because I'm curious about the Citadel's knowledge of magic."
"And yes..."
"What you witnessed was genuine magic."
He calmly rolled up his sleeve.
A well-defined, muscular forearm came into view.
The next instant...
Tiny streams of blue lightning danced across his palm.
The crackling electricity twisted and flowed, yet never escaped his control.
It remained perfectly contained within his hand.
Marwyn's eyes widened.
"T-This..."
Unable to control himself, he instinctively reached out.
The moment his fingertip touched the lightning—
Crack!
A sharp jolt sent him recoiling.
Pain shot through his entire arm, making every muscle twitch violently.
Yet instead of fear...
His excitement only grew stronger.
Ignoring the tears gathering in his eyes, he stared at Karl's hand like a pilgrim witnessing a miracle.
"It's real..."
"It really is real..."
"This isn't sleight of hand."
"This is true magic."
"In this world..."
"Most people believe magic exists."
"But very few have ever truly seen it."
"So many dismiss it as nothing more than tricks and illusions."
"Even scholars know countless methods to imitate miracles using clever devices."
"But this..."
"This cannot be faked."
"This is genuine magic."
Marwyn's voice trembled.
As an Archmaester wearing a Valyrian steel link, he had devoted his life to pursuing forgotten knowledge.
Now...
Everything he had sought stood before him.
Karl dismissed the lightning with a casual wave.
"Yes."
"This is real magic."
Marwyn immediately asked,
"How?"
"How are you able to do this?"
Karl smiled faintly before lifting his wine glass.
"Do you ever wonder how you breathe?"
"How you walk?"
"How you move your hands?"
"No."
"You simply do."
He took a small sip.
"If you understand that..."
"You'll understand my answer."
Marwyn's pupils contracted.
"You mean..."
"You were born with this ability?"
Karl nodded.
"You could say that."
"And it will only continue growing stronger."
"If I wished..."
"I could turn the Hightower itself into one enormous lightning rod."
Marwyn swallowed hard.
His throat suddenly felt dry.
"A-Are you..."
"A god?"
Karl looked at him quietly.
"You may believe I am."
"Or you may not."
"It depends entirely on how you define a god."
"If a god is someone born with knowledge..."
"Someone possessing power beyond ordinary men..."
"Then perhaps I qualify."
He looked directly into Marwyn's eyes.
"Tell me."
"In the eyes of scholars..."
"Do gods truly exist?"
Marwyn remained speechless.
"Born with knowledge..."
"Innate power..."
He repeated the words absentmindedly.
A cold chill ran down his back.
His body became stiff.
Half-rising from his chair, he awkwardly froze in place.
Karl found his reaction rather amusing.
Then he gently redirected the conversation.
"Relax, Archmaester."
"I told you from the beginning."
"I'm only interested in learning about the Citadel's knowledge of magic."
Marwyn finally forced a bitter smile.
"I'm afraid I cannot completely satisfy Your Majesty's curiosity."
"Didn't you just say you're born with knowledge?"
Karl chuckled.
"A god may not necessarily possess all knowledge."
"But the possibility that one exists..."
"Can never truly be denied."
Marwyn nodded slowly.
"I understand."
"I'll do everything I can to answer your questions."
"But before that..."
"There is something important I must warn you about."
Karl raised an eyebrow.
He had expected Marwyn to begin discussing magic.
Instead...
The old Archmaester surprised him.
Karl smiled knowingly.
"Does this warning concern dragons?"
Marwyn wasn't surprised that Karl immediately understood.
"Yes."
"I believe bringing your dragon to Oldtown may not have been the wisest decision."
Karl smiled.
"Because someone wants dragons to disappear."
"And those people belong to the Citadel."
"That's what you're trying to tell me."
Marwyn nodded.
"Exactly."
"Do you believe dragons vanished because heroic knights killed them with swords?"
He shook his head.
"No."
"The Citadel has always sought to build a world where there is no place for prophecy..."
"No place for sorcery..."
"No place for magic..."
"No place for glass candles..."
"And certainly no place for dragons."
He looked directly at Karl.
"Everything you've done..."
"Especially at Highgarden..."
"Threatens many people in this city."
"Just as House Hightower's welcome today demonstrated."
Karl looked genuinely surprised.
"I never imagined I'd hear those words from an Archmaester."
He leaned back slightly.
"So tell me..."
"Why reveal all this to me?"
"What do you hope to gain?"
Marwyn had effectively betrayed his own institution.
Yet his expression remained calm.
"What a scholar should pursue..."
"Is truth."
"Not conceal it."
"People shouldn't be divided into superior and inferior simply because of birth."
"Bloodline does not determine everything."
"That's why I'm telling you."
Karl found himself even more surprised.
Such ideals...
Spoken openly in a feudal world...
Were remarkably bold.
Karl slowly tapped his fingers against his knee.
"The reason rulers preserve class divisions..."
"Is because those divisions protect their own power."
"That's simply political reality."
His gaze sharpened.
"And don't forget."
"You're saying all this..."
"To a king."
A dangerous pressure suddenly filled the room.
Karl's killing intent spread throughout the chamber.
"So tell me..."
"Should I execute you?"
Marwyn met his gaze without flinching.
"If Your Majesty needs my head..."
"I gladly offer it."
"But if what you truly need..."
"Is what's inside my head..."
"Then I don't believe you'll choose such a wasteful solution."
For a brief moment...
Silence filled the room.
Then Karl laughed softly.
The murderous aura vanished.
"A pioneer willing to betray his own class."
Marwyn calmly shook his head.
"I've never betrayed myself."
"And perhaps..."
"The class you speak of never truly accepted me in the first place."
His eyes brightened.
"Do you know the Archmaester serving at Castle Black?"
Karl answered immediately.
"Archmaester Aemon."
"Aemon Targaryen."
"A forgotten prince of House Targaryen."
Marwyn smiled.
"Then Your Majesty also knows..."
"Why he spent the rest of his life at the Wall."
Karl nodded.
"Because of his blood."
"He could never escape suspicion."
"Exactly."
Marwyn's smile became bitter.
"Just like me."
Karl neither agreed nor disagreed.
He simply smiled.
"Just like you?"
Marwyn returned the smile.
"Just like many of us."
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)