Bear School Astartes

"Even disregarding familial relations, the Lannisters attempted to murder my crippled son at Winterfell."

Edd's voice grew cold.

Alia exclaimed in surprise, "Bran? How is he?!"

"He's fine, the assassin had his throat bitten through by his Ice Wolf. The dagger the assassin used on site was this one, with a dragon bone handle and a Valyrian steel blade. There is only one such dagger in all of Westeros; it belongs to Tyrion Lannister."

'Dragon bone', 'Valyrian steel'.

Two phrases that caught Lann's attention converged on a single dagger.

"Can I take a look?"

Edd nodded, and with a 'shing', the dagger was unsheathed.

Lann finally saw for the first time what this legendary steel looked like.

Steel patterns like rippling water, with the blade's black areas deep as if shrouded in black smoke.

The handle was handed to Lann, and the moment he reached out to touch it, Lann realized Jandry wasn't wrong.

This type of steel felt significantly lighter than the daggers he usually handled.

To explain accurately, it was at least half the weight of normal metal! Just like the lightweight aluminum window frames of his homeland.

But when the dragon bone handle was gripped, Lann noticed that his Roaring Bear Head Necklace did not vibrate.

However, when he used the Magic Power within his body to explore the dragon bone, a strange sensation arose within him.

—It was a realm of vibrant life and burgeoning vitality.

Lann thought of a line from "Dance of the Blood Dragon": "A dragon grows throughout its life until it dies. The largest known 'Black Death God', Balerion, could swallow a woolly elephant whole with its wide-open mouth!"

According to Lann's estimates of dragon size, this 'Black Death God' was at least a terrifying creature with a wingspan of over 200 meters.

Far more impressive than dragons in the Magic World!

A size that wouldn't lose face even on an Ultraman set.

Through this little piece of bone, Lann could sense the dragons' limitless growth in this world.

"It's a good dagger."

Lann felt more certain that his interest in 'dragon bone' and 'Valyrian steel' was justified, returning the dagger without showing any emotion.

But then his tone shifted.

"It seems Winterfell brought you the message and the dagger, but why would an assassination be carried out using such a unique weapon in the entire continent? Rather than this, why didn't Tyrion simply have the assassin shout his own name and charge in for the kill? That would have saved a priceless dagger."

"I think, instead of suspecting Tyrion, you should talk about where the source of the dagger's information came from?"

"Let me guess... it was from one of your relatives?"

Lann looked up at Edd.

"You don't have to be so sarcastic with me, the source of the information was someone who was infatuated with my wife when he was younger. My wife asked me to trust him."

"If I may be blunt, my lord," the young Demon Hunter spread his hands.

"If everyone whom relatives say is trustworthy were truly trustworthy, then business, politics, or even simple labor in this world would be unimaginably easy."

Edd opened his mouth but found himself unable to argue.

"I have no way..." after some time, a serious Edd sighed.

"In King's Landing, I have no one I can truly trust."

Lann's expression remained unchanged, merely nodding blandly.

If you had someone trustworthy the moment you took office, then there would indeed be a real problem.

"Even if the situation has become this dire, you shouldn't rashly add someone to your trust list. Betrayers cause more damage than adversaries."

"At least, you should be cautious about that 'Lady Laisa' and your 'wife's admirer'."

"Speaking of which, you should have absolute trust in the King, right? Why not report directly to him?"

Hearing the name of his sworn brother, Edd instinctively pressed his temples, a gesture that reminded Lann of when Mentos flooded him with data.

"Robert is too impulsive! If he knew about this, his first reaction would definitely be to act against the Lannister family, whether or not he had evidence or leverage. But if he does act... the entire Westeros would be dragged into a war. The kingdom's current situation is very tense, and a localized conflict could ignite the entire landscape!"

"A king's wrath often means little to the great nobles. I must find out what the former Prime Minister discovered, something that frightened the enemy enough to silence him."

Got it, a reckless teammate like a pig could make the enemy laugh till they bloom.

"Understood. I'll go talk to that attendant, as for you, don't take any hasty actions, right now it's obvious the entire Prime Minister's tower is being watched by someone."

Edd pressed his lips together and nodded, in this conversation, he was convinced the young man before him was indeed more experienced and deliberate than himself in some ways.

Although he didn't know why this young man had such insight for his age, being able to provide valuable perspectives in the complex King's Landing made him feel much more at ease now.

If he weren't certain that the conflict between Geoffrey and Alia that day was a coincidence, and Alia's escape was also a coincidence, he'd definitely be cautious about trusting Lann now.

But now...

"Alia." Edd Stark squatted down again, holding the arm of his younger daughter and looking at her seriously.

"I'm sorry for dragging you into this. Since you ran away and got lost that time, you seem to have matured a lot, and I don't know if that's good or bad, but no matter what... you at least have to protect yourself, do you understand?"

"I understand. I won't run around again during this time, nor will I reveal today's conversation to anyone, not even Sansa!"

Alia's words made Edd's stiff face soften into a smile, and he nodded to Lann before turning to head towards the dining hall.

He had taken Lann's words to heart.

When he ruled the Northern Territory previously, he could afford to be straightforward and sharp, because that land had been under his family's governance for thousands of years.

But now, as the Prime Minister in King's Landing, even if he was filled with worries, he had to force a smile for a normal meal, all to put on a show for others.

After Edd left, Alia turned to stare at Lann.

"Why are you looking at me?"

The Demon Hunter asked curiously.

Alia looked serious.

"It's my first time seeing Dad having no comeback when talking to someone. Lann..."

The young girl confidently stated, "You're incredibly strong!"

"Oh." The praised individual responded very flatly. "If you could attend the Imperial Council, I think your dad would probably react the same to someone sitting at that table these days."

"...Oh."

This time, it was Alia's turn to maintain a cold expression.

Throughout the rest of the day, the excitement outside the Red Castle grew louder, fueled by the approaching tournament and the enthusiasm of the crowd and merchants.

Meanwhile, Lann gave Alia Swordsmanship lessons inside the Prime Minister's tower.

Though they were set to have a "heart-to-heart" with a knight appointed by the King that evening, neither Lann nor Alia seemed to consider it a particularly difficult task.