NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 74: Props
The red-haired swordsman from House Fregar swept his sword, forcing Viserys to quickly distance himself. Just as he was about to counterattack, he felt his body swaying. Looking down, he saw two red streaks spreading from his chest. The red-haired swordsman attacked again, and though Viserys desperately dodged, he still lost an arm. Before he could react, the red-haired swordsman's long sword pierced his chest.
With all his remaining strength, Viserys looked toward his room. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the audience in a panic. Dany was rushing towards the arena like a madwoman...
"Ho—" Viserys gasped, waking up from his brief nap. His Dragon Dreams had been triggered. He looked at Dany, who was sitting next to him, fanning him, and began to relax.
"There's something wrong with that sword." Recalling the scene in his dream, he knew the swordsman's weapon must have some kind of mechanism. The mechanism fired a hidden weapon, and the hidden weapon was probably poisoned.
'Should I report it now?' He hesitated. After considering, he decided against it. If they could bring such a sword into the arena, they could probably switch it during the inspection. Unless it could be exposed on the spot, other plans would be difficult. Since he already had a prediction, he would watch the opponent's movements closely.
Viserys glanced out of the window of the room and saw that the audience was mostly seated. After the last match ended, he had chosen to rest in the room. Knowing Tormo might act out of desperation, he had used Dragon Dreams to make a prediction. Sure enough...
When Viserys woke up, Dany handed him a cup of honey water.
...
The finalists for the afternoon were about to be decided, and Ferrego was there again. Roth and Tormo were still present as well. In fact, Ferrego had only been there twice before, for the first and final rounds. However, suspecting Tormo of foul play, he decided to attend again, believing his presence would deter any brazen actions.
Yet, Ferrego hadn't expected Tormo to appear so confident. Tormo thought his "little move" was very subtle. Under those circumstances, Viserys was a dead man. As long as the swordsman finished him off, the wounds caused by the hidden weapons would be covered up, making even an autopsy futile. Tormo had instructed the swordsman to make the corpse as bloody as possible.
He had already envisioned his punishment for Viserys: beheading him and watching his sister become a whore for everyone to ride. 'A Targaryen brat and a Targaryen whore,' he thought with a sinister grin.
Tormo's expression made Roth uneasy, but he didn't pay it much attention. Even the high priest of the Temple of the Moonsingers couldn't foresee Viserys' fate, so how could he fail here? It was as if Roth knew Viserys was the protagonist, destined to face numerous obstacles and dangers along his journey. Although he didn't know the exact plot, he could tell from the progress bar that the end was still far away.
Viserys and the red-haired swordsman had already taken the stage, and the anticipation of the upcoming competition electrified the theater. Jorah had bet most of his fortune on the red-haired swordsman, doubting Viserys would make it to the finals. To compose a song like that was a divine gift; could the gods truly be so kind to one person?
Soon, the theater announced the start of the competition. Viserys parried his opponent's attacks while observing his movements. He needed to catch him in the act to cause the greatest damage to House Fregar. He would never let Tormo, that old bastard, get away with it.
The day before, Viserys had warged into the Seagull and visited Tormo's Bird Garden. The old bastard enjoyed listening to the birds chirp and drinking tea there. Viserys planned to peck out his eyes while he was relaxed, letting his sons fight among themselves.
However, Tormo not only had bodyguards but also a net overhead to prevent the birds from escaping. The nets were very strong, and the seagull couldn't peck them open by itself. Unless someone helped it...
To lure his opponent's attack, Viserys focused on defense, reducing the frequency of his strikes. Every now and then, he gave his opponent a chance to make a mistake. But the red-haired swordsman wasn't skilled enough to capitalize on the first two or three errors. Viserys' performance made Ferrego's chief swordsman, Qarro, frown. 'Why has this young man's swordsmanship suddenly declined so much?' he wondered.
As he pondered, the red-haired swordsman, Leon, finally caught Viserys' big mistake. He rubbed his thumb on the hilt of his sword, revealing two small holes, then swept sideways with a bit of force. His face twisted into a ferocious, bloodthirsty grin, ready to tear his opponent to pieces. However, to his surprise, Viserys did not retreat but stepped forward to block. The poisoned steel needle that should have flown out of the hilt fell out directly due to insufficient force.
Ding-dang~
Both fighters glanced down simultaneously. He knew he had been exposed and tried to kick the needle away. Panic set in, causing his offense and defense to fall into complete disarray.
From his seat in the center of the stands, Tormo noticed something was amiss. 'How is this possible? How could he—!' The scene before him made his eyes widen as he instinctively leaned forward. Ferrego and Roth also noticed his reaction but said nothing. No one wanted to explain it to Tormo.
Viserys cut off the red-haired swordsman’s arm with his sword. Blood gushed out, splattering blood everywhere. The swordsman, sweating profusely, leaned against the corner of the arena. His severed arm still clung to his sword, making Viserys jump up.
'There's something wrong with his sword!' Several guards in blue rushed onto the arena in full view of everyone. Ferrego nodded to Qarro, who then entered the arena, causing everyone to move aside. He took the sword in his hands, examined it carefully, and picked up the steel needle from the ground. After ensuring there was nothing more to inspect, he took it to the center of the stands.
"What's going on?"
"What's wrong with the sword?"
"Isn't Viserys the winner?"
"By the gods, this is happening in Braavos. Shame on you!"
The stands were full of complaints, each spectator focused on different aspects of the incident. The inspection results came out quickly, and the referee announced, "The contestant Leon, who used a concealed weapon in the competition, is disqualified! Viserys Targaryen wins..."
Everyone knew Leon was a swordsman from House Fregar, but the Sealord didn't mention their family name first, a move intended to save face. However, it was clear to all that Leon was from House Fregar.
"This shameless fellow, please have the Sealord's Palace sentence him to death!" Tormo's face turned pale, but he had to maintain a facade of righteousness.
The Sealord, with a blank expression, declared, "According to the law, he should be stripped of all his property and expelled from Braavos."
This verdict made Tormo's face even more ashen. Braavos, as a commercial city, highly valued its reputation. Although House Fregar was powerful, its reputation was now tarnished, with far-reaching consequences for the future.
However, House Fregar wasn't the only one affected. Jorah now had to figure out how to survive in Braavos, where prices had risen seven or eight times, with only thirteen silver moons and forty-seven iron coins to his name.
