Chapter 157 - War of the Four Kings (IV)

Chapter 157 - 157 - War of the Four Kings (IV)"Beware of arrogance. Arrogance often precedes a fall. I regret being arrogant many times." - Tywin Lannister, Hand of the King and Lord of Casterly Rock.

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Benefort, seat of House Benefort, two days' ride from Pyke.

Looking at the short man with white hair and black eyes, dressed in sealskin clothes, Tywin narrowed his eyes and spoke in a calm tone of voice: "You're a fool if you think you can survive a dragon with just a fleet of ships."

"The Targaryen king is weak, otherwise he could very well burn any enemy." The man dressed in sealskin clothing spoke with a harsh, rough tone, his hoarse voice echoing through the room. He looked at Tywin, who was dressed in red and gold, and sneered.

Tywin couldn't help but display a look of derision on his face. Weak? He didn't think the young Targaryen king was weak. On the contrary, he had been surprised by the boy's cunning, cruel ways and quick decision-making.

Honestly, Tywin wondered why Aerys was so blessed to have such a worthy grandson, even after everything that had happened. He wanted to have a son or even a grandson like young Aenar. He would pass on his legacy without any hesitation and could die peacefully, knowing that House Lannister would prosper. Unfortunately, the gods had not blessed him with such happiness.

And unlike Aerys, all his descendants, the great Lion of Casterly Rock, were useless in every sense of the word. The first was a young man with a knight complex and honorable. The second, a stupid, narcissistic girl. And the last... a monster.

He wondered if he had offended the Seven to be cursed with such bad sons and daughters, unworthy of inheriting their legacy.

"Did you invite me to this place just to call me a fool?" The man asked with a menacing tone, his black eyes staring at the Lion of Casterly Rock without fear, something few men on this continent could do.

"Balon, thank your Drowned God that I didn't send my fleet to attack yours as soon as I found out you'd rebelled again." Tywin said, not hiding his disdain when he heard the threat in the man's voice. Yes, standing before him was Balon IX of House Greyjoy, better known as the Twice Crowned.



"You and your weak fleet of ships?" Balon smiled sarcastically. "If I remember correctly, I burned the Lannisport fleet."

On his orders, the entire fleet of House Lannister became balls of fire in the night, years ago. That was one of the deeds he was most proud of: having deeply wounded the Lion of House Lannister.

Tywin's eyes grew cold at the mention of his greatest shame. At the time, he had been furious and could only watch as hundreds of ships burned in the darkness of the night. He still remembered that incident clearly. It was the moment he realized how arrogant he had been, thinking that no one would dare attack him at the height of his prestige.

"I'm not worried about dragons, though." But Balon's next words made Tywin's eyes narrow. Was Balon mad? Tywin read the descriptions of the dragon called Caraxes. The creature was as big as a flying hill!

Who wouldn't worry about a monster that size, especially being the main target, as he was?

"Tywin, I told you, I want the Riverlands for my kingdom." Balon didn't care about Tywin's thoughts and spoke directly. His black eyes stared at the Lord of Casterly Rock with a cold, calm gaze.

Tywin looked deeply at the man and spoke in a particularly icy voice. "I've already spoken to the king. He can give the Riverlands to the Iron Islands."

It had been a long time since anyone had spoken to him in that tone. And the last one who disrespected him like that destroyed a dynasty of almost three hundred years.

"But... how much can you pay?" Tywin asked coldly, a polite smile appearing on his face. He had long ago learned to control his emotions, never allowing them to control him.

"I'll help you and King Baratheon deal with the young Targaryen." Balon smiled, showing off his impeccably white teeth.

Tywin almost laughed when he heard Balon's words. He really didn't know what gave him such confidence. Without the Reach army, the Targaryen King had around one hundred and twenty thousand men. With the army of the Reach, that number was a staggering two hundred thousand soldiers.

This army was so large that it could sweep away almost anything in its path. And with the dragons at its side, it was almost invincible. Balon's confidence in defeating House Targaryen was, to say the least, arrogance and stupidity in Tywin's eyes.

However, since Balon wanted to die, who was he to stop him? On the contrary, Tywin even wanted Balon to come to the continent as soon as possible with his army. The more House Targaryen used up its own forces, the greater their chances of victory.

"The king has already allowed it. As long as you fight House Targaryen, the Riverlands will be yours." Tywin spoke in a calm tone, his eyes fixed on the face of the new king of the Greyjoy Dynasty bearing the name Balon.



Balon nodded with a satisfied expression. As long as he conquered the Riverlands, he was willing to enter this war without any qualms. A smile appeared on the King of Pyke's face.

Tywin flashed a look of derision when he saw Balon's happiness. Even if the war was won, how much power would Balon have in the end?

Besides, with the small population of the Iron Islands, it was completely impossible for House Greyjoy to control the Riverlands. Houses like Blackwood and Bracken, who were once kings, would rebel without hesitation. No noble house in the Riverlands would kneel before House Greyjoy.

In Tywin's eyes, Balon's demands were stupid and incredibly naive.

Tywin would wait for the right moment to stab Balon in the back when he was at his weakest. Until that happened, he would wait and watch the destruction of House Greyjoy with a cold, murderous gaze.

"Since we've settled everything, I'll say goodbye." Without waiting for Tywin to reply, Balon simply left, without showing any sign of thanks or the slightest respect for the Lord of Casterly Rock.

Tywin didn't stop him and watched coldly as the man disappeared, with no intention of saying another word to him.

"But it's better this way. Arrogant people are easy to predict." Tywin muttered with a calm, calculating look. If the young king of House Targaryen were arrogant, this war would be much easier. However, the boy was in no hurry to fight and was marching calmly.

"Lord Tywin." In his thoughts, Tywin heard his name called and narrowed his eyes when he saw the Lord of Benefort, Quenten.

"Lord Baelish is missing." Quenten directly communicated the news he had just received.

Tywin's eyes narrowed, and a cold smile appeared on his lips. "I've finally found you, little bird."

Previously, he had had doubts about who was controlling Lysa Tully, but after examining the entire life of the daughter of House Tully, he found a very interesting piece of information. Petyr Baelish had grown up alongside Catelyn and Lysa Tully. There were even rumors that Lysa had lost her virginity to Baelish.

With this information, Tywin would be a fool not to suspect Baelish. However, he didn't expect him to flee at the slightest sign of danger. Now he was sure that Baelish himself was behind Lysa.

"Send a hundred men to find Baelish." Tywin ordered in a calm, cold tone. He couldn't tolerate betrayal, especially from someone who kept as many secrets as Baelish. The man had to die before he disrupted his plans.



"Yes, milord." Quenten replied respectfully before leaving Tywin alone in the room again.

Looking at House Greyjoy's fleet leaving for Pyke, Tywin's lips lifted in a rare smile. Although war was dangerous, he liked it. The feeling of controlling the lives of tens of thousands of people was far more than satisfying - it was a divine feeling.

"Balon, be a good squid and consume the forces of House Targaryen. I'll pour a glass of wine over your grave after it's all over." Tywin muttered with a calm, cold gaze. He was a spiteful man and didn't tolerate disrespect, especially from someone like Balon Greyjoy.

However, when he remembered the size of House Targaryen's army, Tywin's mood turned serious. Those numbers were desperate. Fortunately, even with the support of House Tyrell, keeping such an army in the field for long would be impossible.

"Even if the logistics are worked out, an army of two hundred thousand people won't be able to fight for more than a month before food, steel and clothing run out." Tywin knew well the art of managing an army.

And logistics was the most important factor in any military campaign. Without adequate supplies, an army would fight for a week at most before being forced to retreat in the face of starvation and a shortage of weapons and armor. So although the number was impressive, he wasn't exactly worried.

Remembering the confidence Balon had shown at the mention of the dragons, Tywin wondered what it could be. However, he decided to put that aside. There were more important things to do.

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