Chapter 75: This Is a True Dragon
King's Landing — Great Sept of Baelor, Execution Platform
"Boom… Crack…"
"By the Seven! Is that a dragon?"
Watching the dragonfire sweep across the sky, Ser Barristan Selmy let out a long sigh filled with emotion. The events he had witnessed today were even more legendary than anything he had experienced in the first half of his life.
After all, during Barristan's youth, dragons had long since gone extinct. Most stories about them were little more than legends.
"Fa… Father! Wi… Will we die?"
Sansa Stark looked at Eddard Stark with tear-filled eyes. After rushing to her father's side, her courage seemed to have completely run out. Feeling the scorching dragonfire passing overhead, she became overwhelmed with fear.
"Hush… it's alright. This… this is Jon's strange method. He will save us and get us out of here."
After Jon manipulated the dragon's body to unleash a blast of dragonfire toward the Great Sept of Baelor, he quickly moved the massive creature closer to the execution platform. Curling the dragon's body into a "C" shape, he brought its back close to the platform.
"Ah… Ow…"
"Boom…"
Just then, a series of high-pitched screams of agony echoed through the square like thunder, followed by the heavy thud of something massive crashing onto the ground.
"Ser Jaime actually managed to kill the giant!"
Barristan was currently supporting Lord Eddard Stark as he helped him climb onto the dragon's back. When he witnessed this astonishing scene, the hot blood in his chest seemed to boil.
When he had been young, he too had been a fearless knight. But after living through so many political upheavals, he had gradually become more cautious and wary of trouble.
"I may be old… but my honor remains."
After helping Eddard and Sansa onto the dragon's back, Barristan the Bold seemed to have reached some realization.
"Are you not coming with us, Ser?"
Seeing that Barristan showed no sign of climbing onto the dragon, Sansa quickly asked.
"I must seek redemption. I must find a king truly worthy of my loyalty."
Hearing Sansa's question, Barristan replied with a resolute expression.
"Cough… The one before you is a true dragon. Get on quickly! There should only be three remaining bloodlines of House Targaryen now, and Jon is one of them!"
"What?!"
Upon hearing Eddard's words, both Sansa and Barristan cried out in shock.
"ROAR—"
Unfortunately, Jon had already begun to grow impatient. He made the dragon release a deep, rumbling growl toward the three of them before spraying dragonfire at several soldiers in the distance.
"Let's go!"
After receiving Eddard's confirming look, Barristan finally leapt onto the dragon's back as well. The old knight remained remarkably agile, settling behind Eddard with only a few swift movements.
"ROAR—"
Feeling the signal from the people now seated upon his back, Jon began preparing to take flight.
Because of Barristan's hesitation, nearly twenty seconds had already been wasted. If Jon did not hurry, he would not reach the gathering point across Blackwater Bay in time.
Cersei Lannister and her son King Joffrey Baratheon had fled far too quickly. Jon did not know whether his dragonfire could have reached them.
Moreover, Jon had sensed something strange. When his dragonfire struck the Great Sept of Baelor, it seemed as though some mysterious force had weakened or neutralized the flames.
"Look! The dragon is flying!"
"Did you see that? That boy standing on the giant's shoulder just now turned into a dragon!"
"Could it be that House Targaryen has truly returned?"
"Nonsense. All Targaryens have silver hair!"
"You're the one speaking nonsense! There have been many Targaryens without silver hair throughout history—but anyone who can control a dragon must be a Targaryen!"
"But didn't you see? He didn't ride the dragon—he became one!"
"Perhaps that is what a true dragon is!"
As the massive dragon soared across the sky above King's Landing, the smallfolk throughout the city erupted into heated discussion—especially those who had witnessed the spectacle at Rains of Castamere Square.
This news would soon spread across the Seven Kingdoms, shaking the realm to its core.
Because of the dragon's appearance, many people subconsciously overlooked something equally important.
The family of Eddard Stark, who had been accused of murdering King Robert Baratheon, had vanished from King's Landing.
Although this disrupted many carefully laid plans, the great players of the realm could already sense that a storm was beginning to gather.
"Whoosh… Whoosh…"
At this moment, Sansa Stark was filled with excitement.
As the cool sea wind brushed against her pale cheeks, she felt a strange sensation—almost as if she had stepped into another world.
Just yesterday, Sansa had been trembling in terror, convinced she would soon be killed.
Only a few days earlier, in order to display his cruelty, Joffrey Baratheon had ordered the heads of several of House Stark's servants and retainers to be mounted on the spikes of Maegor's Holdfast.
Having lived a sheltered life since childhood, Sansa had never witnessed anything so horrifying.
Although she had desperately begged Cersei Lannister and Joffrey for mercy, the mother and son had treated her like a toy for their amusement.
Just moments ago, when Joffrey had ordered Eddard Stark's execution, Sansa felt as if the world itself had collapsed.
Yet in only a few short minutes, everything had changed.
Now she was riding on the back of a giant dragon, soaring above King's Landing.
Though her elegant silk dress had been dirtied and torn, Sansa felt an overwhelming urge to laugh.
Because she was finally free.
"ROAR—"
At that moment, the great dragon released a low growl toward them.
Then Sansa faintly heard her father speaking.
"Hold on tight! We're going down!"
Hearing this, Sansa instinctively grabbed hold of the soft fin-like ridges along the dragon's back.
When she had first climbed onto the dragon, she had assumed those ridges were hard bony spikes.
Only after touching them did she realize they were surprisingly soft.
Since it was her first time riding a creature like a dragon, Sansa instinctively gripped the fins tightly and squeezed the dragon's back the way one might cling to a horse.
Although she had been raised as a noble lady, Sansa was still a member of House Stark, and she had at least learned basic horsemanship.
"Whoosh… Whoosh…"
Powerful winds rushed past them.
Sansa's hair and skirts billowed wildly in the air like a knight's cloak.
To ensure that the three riders would not be blown off his back, Jon struggled to stabilize his flight.
Because this was his first time carrying passengers, his speed was far slower than usual, and his available time was running dangerously short.
Seeing that time was almost up, Jon quickly signaled to Eddard Stark.
Before coming to King's Landing, Jon and Eddard had already marked several rendezvous points on a map of the city.
A small fishing village along the shores of Blackwater Bay had been chosen as their primary meeting point.
At the time, Eddard had felt Jon was being overly cautious.
But now, it was clear that Jon's strategy of multiple fallback locations had been extremely wise.
"ROAR—"
After landing, Jon's dragon body began shrinking rapidly.
Because the transformation time had expired, Eddard, Sansa, and Barristan practically tumbled off his back.
Fortunately, they had landed in a field of corn. Though shaken, none of them were injured.
However, their expressions immediately turned strange when they saw Jon standing there completely naked.
"Ah—!"
The first sound Jon heard after returning to human form was not gratitude.
It was Sansa Stark's piercing scream.
"Cough… um… Ser Barristan… may I borrow your white cloak for a moment?"
"Ah—yes. Of course."
After being transformed by the system's power, Jon's body now possessed muscles far stronger than before.
Sansa had stared for a moment in stunned confusion before finally realizing what she was looking at—hence the scream.
Fortunately, Ser Barristan Selmy quickly removed his white cloak and handed it to Jon.
After making a few quick adjustments, Jon wrapped it around himself like a robe reminiscent of those worn in ancient Valyria.
"Uh… let's go. There are people waiting for us at the docks."
Seeing the strange looks on their faces, Jon felt slightly embarrassed.
To break the awkward silence, he stepped forward and supported Eddard.
"I never expected you to have prepared so thoroughly. I trusted others far too easily."
Leaning against Jon, Eddard sighed heavily.
"It's not too late to realize that now. At least you managed to send grain and weapons north. The advantage is still on our side."
"Since your plan failed… I'll handle the rest."
After handing Eddard a healing potion, Jon spoke calmly.
Originally, the two had disagreed over how to handle the political situation in King's Landing.
Eddard had hoped to help Robert Baratheon govern the realm.
Jon, however, wanted Eddard to support him in building a new power base.
In the end, neither could convince the other.
So they made a pact.
They would each pursue their own path—and if one failed, the other would step in to help.
Although Eddard possessed knowledge of the future, Jon had the advantage of the system, allowing him to foresee Eddard's eventual defeat.
But Jon knew his stubborn uncle well.
Eddard Stark was the sort of man who would never turn back until he had crashed into the wall himself.
Only by experiencing real pain would he finally be willing to support Jon completely.
Though the process had been somewhat roundabout, Jon had ultimately achieved the result he wanted.
"Lord Eddard! Your wounds are actually healing!"
Watching Eddard's injuries rapidly improve, Ser Barristan Selmy exclaimed in astonishment.
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