Chapter 647

Disaster had come knocking while Aegor sat comfortably at home.

As he worked silently from the shadows, weaving an intricate web and enjoying the satisfaction of toying with an opponent far more experienced than himself—using the advantages of timing, terrain, and a well-laid plan—everything suddenly derailed.

It was a disaster.

Put simply, his opponent had rage-quit.

Beaten down game after game, Illyrio had finally slammed the controller, smashed the console, and walked away—refusing to play this "Game of Thrones" any longer.
----


The sting operation within the Industrial Research Institute had already begun, following Aegor’s original plan.

By early afternoon, he was supposed to urgently meet with the Queen to report his "progress," presenting her with evidence that Illyrio Mopatis had been involved in the theft of gunpowder schematics. Once he secured her approval, a joint force of Unsullied and Night’s Watch agents would conduct a raid on the Pentoshi envoy’s residence by evening.

At that moment, during the chaos of the search, the forged schematics would be planted.

Once that was done, the evidence chain would be airtight—not just a frame job, but an ironclad conviction. Illyrio would be finished, his influence erased.

But in the end, the plan—hastily prepared as it was—had gaps.

Harvey, the agent tasked with shadowing Illyrio, suddenly discovered that his target had left the inn without any warning, carrying nothing, heading straight for the River Gate—attempting to flee the city.

Not daring to act on his own, Harvey immediately sent a messenger back to Aegor while personally leading a team to pursue the escaping Pentoshi.

But there was no time to wait for instructions. Illyrio was about to leave the city.

Faced with an urgent situation, Harvey acted on instinct—he rushed to the gate’s commanding officer, flashed the token of authority Aegor had given him, and falsely invoked the Hand’s authority to order the guards to halt Illyrio’s departure and conduct a search.

This was a problem.

The River Gate guards were not Aegor’s men; their loyalty belonged to the Queen. They were not going to help him fabricate evidence against a foreign diplomat.

Worse, with hundreds of witnesses present, Harvey had no way to secretly plant the schematics in Illyrio’s carriage.

At best, this improvised interception would serve as a heavy-handed warning, humiliating Illyrio before forcing him to turn back in disgrace.
----


Aegor had never expected Illyrio to flee.

This small miscalculation was partly due to the hurried nature of the plan—but mostly because framing Illyrio was never meant to be a death sentence.

In fact, had he stayed, the plan would have worked even better.

At this "perfectly timed" moment, if Illyrio suddenly disappeared, only for the gunpowder formula to conveniently leak shortly thereafter, the conclusion would be obvious to all:

Illyrio Mopatis was the true culprit.

Daenerys would never trust him again.

Whether Illyrio lived or died was irrelevant—either way, he would no longer be able to interfere with Aegor’s Grand Crownlands Plan in the short term.

That was why Aegor had overlooked this possibility.

After all, who would have expected the tiger to come charging out of the mountain, willing to fight to the death rather than retreat?

That fat, cunning bastard had found a crack where there should have been none—had pounded his way through the gap and set the entire board on fire.
----


By the time Aegor arrived at the Queen’s temporary residence, cold sweat ran down his back.

He had already lost precious minutes, and the first wave of senior officials had beaten him there.

Grey Worm, Tyrion Lannister, and other high-ranking ministers had already assembled.

The key witnesses were being interrogated directly by Daenerys herself.

The hall was silent.

Everyone was listening intently as the first-hand accounts were laid bare.

For the first time in a long while, no one even noticed when Aegor—the most powerful man in Westeros after the Queen herself—stepped into the room.
----


"…At the time, my lady, the Hand’s envoy rode to me, still mounted, holding a token of authority. Without dismounting, he ordered me to close the gates immediately and prevent the Pentoshi delegation from leaving. Once I verified his identity and confirmed the token’s authenticity, I began evacuating civilians from the gate and moved to surround Illyrio’s carriage."

The speaker was one of the few men seated in the room. Not due to rank or privilege, but because his shoulder was still bleeding through his bandages.

"The carriage was extravagantly decorated—impossible to mistake. A noble’s ride, through and through.

"I ordered the guards, retainers, and attendants to cease all movement and drop any weapons.

"I called out to the carriage’s occupants—once, twice, three times.

"Only after I warned them that failure to comply would result in forced entry did the door finally swing open."

His voice faltered slightly, his breathing labored—perhaps from blood loss.

"Illyrio Mopatis stepped out…

"…Holding a golden shortbow in his hands."

The room went dead silent.
----


Even now, the captain of the gate guards looked bewildered.

He had been genuinely stunned at the time.

That a foreign diplomat—a wealthy Pentoshi merchant—would choose to draw a weapon and attack without any apparent threat to his life.

And even more baffling—

That a fat, sluggish man like Illyrio could wield a bow with such terrifying precision.

Had he not been a seasoned warrior, had his body not reacted on sheer instinct, had he not dodged at the last possible moment…

That arrow would have pierced straight through his throat.
----


Daenerys' gaze hardened.

"You are certain," she pressed, "that you did nothing to provoke him? That no threats were issued—no insults hurled?"

She was not doubting her sworn men.

But the story was too absurd.

King’s Landing was still on high alert. The gates were heavily manned. Even if Illyrio fought his way through, he would never escape the harbor patrols and the fleet’s blockade.

He could not have been that stupid.

Unless…

He had been pushed to it.
----


"Your Grace, my words are true. The soldiers, the Night’s Watch agents, the surviving members of the Pentoshi delegation—all can attest that there was no prior altercation."

His voice was weak, but his tone was firm.

And in truth, Daenerys had no choice but to accept it.

The Queen sighed.

Her gaze shifted.

For the first time, she acknowledged Aegor’s presence.

"I don’t know your name," she said, turning her focus to another man.

"Explain."
----


Harvey stepped forward, saluting.

"Harvey, Your Grace. Former Industrial Security Captain of the Night’s Watch, now personal guard to the Lord Hand."

He exhaled.

"This all began with an ongoing investigation into the theft of gunpowder schematics from the Research Institute. The trail led us to Illyrio Mopatis.

"When we observed his sudden departure, we reported to the Lord Hand and were ordered to prevent his escape.

"We did not intend to provoke a fight. We merely sought to detain him for questioning.

"But…"

His expression was grim.

"Illyrio drew his bow without warning. He turned what should have been a peaceful investigation…

"…into a bloodbath."
----


Aegor closed his eyes for a moment.

Then he stepped forward, bracing himself for the storm to come.