The thunderous rumble of more than three hundred horses echoed as they rode out of Pentos, leaving Illyrio staring after them in utter disbelief.
He had originally intended to give Aegon a few more reminders before they left.
More importantly, he had wanted to use the opportunity to quietly remind Young Griff to be careful.
But Aegon had departed far too quickly, leaving him no chance to say a word.
That little bastard!
Illyrio cursed inwardly.
Taking advantage of the fact that the sun had not yet reached its full intensity, Aegon led the entire force at a furious pace for 5 or 6 leagues before finally ordering the soldiers to slow down when the midday heat became unbearable.
As Aegon glanced back, he saw the soldiers tugging desperately at their collars, trying to let the breeze flow inside and cool themselves down.
Only then did he realize that the armor he was wearing actually possessed a certain temperature-regulating effect.
Under normal circumstances, wearing a suit of steel armor in such weather should have been unbearable.
Yet Aegon barely felt the heat at all.
At first, some people had been waiting to see him make a fool of himself, particularly the bodyguards Illyrio had assigned to accompany Connington.
Aegon’s armor might have looked magnificent, but sooner or later it would turn into a scorching shell of iron.
They had expected him to end up looking utterly miserable, throwing off his helmet and armor in desperation.
Yet, unexpectedly, Aegon remained completely unchanged.
Even his expression barely shifted.
“Doesn’t His Lordship feel hot wearing that black cloak over steel armor?”
“Of course he does.”
“Then why doesn’t he take it off?”
“With armor that beautiful, I wouldn’t want to take it off either.”
“Stop talking nonsense.
His Lordship is the commander.
How can a commander casually remove his armor?”
“His Lordship really isn’t an ordinary noble young master.”
Listening to the soldiers whisper among themselves, Rogett glanced toward Aegon and muttered inwardly, “His Lordship truly is different.”
“He really is,” Mengo agreed as he looked toward Aegon.
His eyes lingered particularly long on that magnificent black warhorse.
Among the Dothraki, the khals traditionally formed a group of bloodriders around themselves.
A khal could even share wives with his bloodriders, but there was one thing he would never share with another man.
His horse.
The soldiers could discuss it all they wanted, but seeing Aegon refuse to remove his magnificent armor even during the hottest part of the day made them feel embarrassed about stripping off their own protection.
In the end, they could only keep drinking water to cool themselves down.
Aegon’s example subtly strengthened the army’s discipline as well.
Even Connington had to admit that Aegon’s endurance was impressive.
Along the journey, Connington had tried several times to find an opportunity to speak with Aegon.
But Aegon was the commander of this cavalry force.
If the young man became stubborn and refused to listen, no amount of persuasion would help.
It would only create more trouble.
If things truly reached that point, the only thing Connington could do would be to fight with everything he had to protect the lives of both Aegon and Young Griff.
Now that Aegon had finally ordered the army to halt and rest, Connington seized the opportunity and approached him.
“Lord Silas,” Connington began, “I’d like to discuss the bandits we’re going to face.”
“Oh, Lord Griffon.
Rogett, pour him some tea,” Aegon said casually.
Although Aegon had been somewhat surprised that the father and son had joined his army, he had already more or less guessed their motives.
First, Connington had come to watch over and protect him.
Second, Young Griff was taking advantage of the campaign to gain some real battlefield experience.
As for revealing his true identity to Connington, Aegon had never even considered it—not for a moment.
He had absolutely no evidence with which to prove who he really was.
The fact that Illyrio had managed to deceive everyone for so many years proved that the man’s methods were anything but simple.
Aegon had practically spent his entire life under Illyrio’s watch.
And then there was Varys in King’s Landing.
His loyalties remained uncertain, and whether he was friend or foe was impossible to determine.
Therefore, until he possessed sufficient strength to protect himself, Aegon intended to maintain his current disguise.
This was the first time Aegon had interacted with Connington at such close range.
He noticed that although Connington had also dyed his hair the fashionable blue of Pentos, red and white strands were already beginning to show at the roots.
Seeing that Aegon was treating him reasonably well, Connington relaxed slightly before offering his advice.
“Lord Silas, you should already know something about the bandits we’re going to face.
Their leader, Luchys, is skilled at small-unit infiltration and surprise attacks.
I suggest we send out more scouts and exercise greater caution while marching.”
Aegon’s peripheral vision swept over Belwas and the warriors Illyrio had sent to protect him.
Then he spoke in a carefree tone.
“Lord Griffon, there’s no need to be so cautious.
Just look at the forces under our command.
They’re merely a band of outlaws.
One charge will be enough to smash them.”
Connington’s heart sank when he heard Aegon’s excessive confidence.
If he refuses to listen to my advice and insists on acting recklessly, this could become troublesome.
But Aegon wasn’t actually opposed to listening to Connington’s advice.
The old commander undoubtedly possessed genuine military knowledge.
Aegon had allowed him to join precisely because he believed Connington was far more reliable than either Geralt or Mengo.
Anyone ruthless enough to raise his own son as a replacement for the real prince was not someone Aegon could afford to underestimate.
And Connington himself had spent his younger years living by the sword.
Therefore, Aegon had already made up his mind from the beginning.
If Connington tried to get close to him, he would push him away.
“Silas, hear me out.
I served with the Golden Company for some time, and I accumulated quite a bit of practical battlefield experience—”
Before Connington could finish, Aegon interrupted him.
“What exactly are you implying?
Do you think I don’t know how to fight a war?”
Seeing Aegon’s expression and tone suddenly change, Connington hurriedly waved his hands.
“No, no, that’s not what I meant.
I only wanted to say that, if you require it, I can offer some advice regarding military tactics.”
At that moment, Belwas spoke up from the side.
“Young Master, Master Illyrio once instructed me that Lord Griffon has extensive battlefield experience.
At critical moments, you should consult him—”
Before Belwas could finish, Aegon’s violet eyes seemed to spit fire as he glared viciously at him.
“Shut your mouth!
Who gave you permission to interrupt?
Do you want me to cut out your tongue?!”
Realizing how furious Aegon was, Belwas could only invoke Illyrio’s orders.
“Young Master, Master specifically instructed us that, in a crisis, we are to follow Lord Griffon’s commands.”
Aegon’s eyes narrowed slightly.
He gave a cold laugh and turned toward Rogett.
“Rogett, you heard that, didn’t you?
They obey Griffon’s orders.
They’re not one of us.
We’re leaving.”
With that, Aegon turned and walked away without another word, while Rogett hurried after him.
“Silas, that’s not what we meant!”
Connington hurriedly called after him, trying to explain, but Aegon didn’t even look back.
He simply led his men away.
Connington helplessly turned toward Belwas.
“Lord Belwas, from now on, perhaps you should leave communication with Silas to me alone.”
Belwas knew perfectly well that he had just made a terrible mistake.
He could only nod repeatedly.
Young Griff, standing nearby, watched the scene unfold with an expression of complete helplessness.