Clay was absolutely furious! Someone dared to mess with his sister!
A guard had just brought the news: his sister, Vera, had been wandering around the city and lost her guard. When the guard finally found her, Vera had been harassed by a young nobleman from House Lannister.
When the guard revealed his identity, the arrogant young man realized he'd actually harassed a noble lady. But that wasn't the end of it; the way he dealt with the situation was to throw a few copper stars on the ground!
This was like rubbing House Manderly's face in the dirt. It was too much to bear!
Hosta's eyes were bloodshot as he heard the details from the guard. First, the young master had spent a night in the mud, and now Miss Vera had been harassed by a Lannister because of the guard's negligence. If this wasn't handled properly, even three heads wouldn't be enough for the Earl of Manderly to chop off!
"Young Master, I'll go gather the guard. We won't let these riffraff get away without knowing the meaning of Wrath of the Sea God!"
Without waiting for Clay to speak, Hosta, whose beard was trembling, rushed out like the wind.
To be honest, the few dozen plate-armored knights Clay had brought were more than enough to deal with a young nobleman. However, openly resorting to violence while the King was in residence, no matter how angry he was, Clay had to consider the consequences.
Although he was now in a difficult situation, gathering his forces to display House Manderly's anger was a necessary move. However, Clay, having calmed down slightly, felt that something was amiss.
This was utterly ridiculous. Vera, though a bit naive, wasn't stupid. And the guard wasn't just for show. Having been protected for so long, Clay knew Vera's security detail was, in some ways, even stronger than his, the heir.
Getting lost wasn't realistic. Even if it happened, was it really just a coincidence? She was harassed the moment she left the guard's sight. Clay keenly sensed a planned conspiracy.
He rushed to the scene. The White Harbor guard, their armor gleaming, swords drawn, had surrounded the Lannister nobles, who were held firmly in place by Vera's guards.
Hosta was pulling Vera away, and when she saw Clay, she immediately threw herself into his arms, bursting into tears.
"Are you her brother?" Clay could smell the strong scent of alcohol in the man's words from a distance.
He coldly eyed the Lannister noble, still on horseback, his face full of disdain. Clay felt anger, but also confusion. Surrounded by dozens of plate-armored knights, Clay could have those fools turned into a pile of limbs with a single command.
Tywin Lannister's main family line was doing well, but how could these side branches be so absurd, lacking brains altogether?
Ignoring him, Clay quietly comforted Vera. It was fortunate nothing more serious had happened; otherwise, it wouldn't be a decision he could make alone, and he'd have to consult with his father.
"Dismount, Lannister!" Hosta, holding his longsword, pointed towards the center of the encirclement.
As his words fell, the White Harbor cavalry, riding on horses with heavy breaths, slowly pressed forward, the encirclement gradually shrinking, and the swords were getting closer and closer.
The deep blue merman flag fluttered, flanking the roaring lion in the middle, which was like an isolated island.
The commotion was so great that Lord Eddard, the master of the house, soon received the news. He was talking with Robert about his family sword, Ice, at the time. Upon hearing this, his face immediately darkened, and he went out with his greatsword.
King Robert, who had also heard the news, kicked over a chair and quickly followed his good brother. However, as he passed the door, he instructed a servant: "Go and call the Queen."
In the arena, seeing that Clay ignored him at all, and thinking he was intimidated by his identity, he shouted even more arrogantly: "Cowardly Merman, you don't deserve to have such a beautiful sister, hand her over to me, I'll take her to see the beautiful scenery of King's Landing, which is much better than this godforsaken place that can freeze your balls off."
The scene went silent, everyone was staring at Clay.
He's really asking for death...
The more he acted like this, the more Clay felt strange. Why would such a brain-dead idiot target him?
Clay worried that he would be controlled by his emotions, and a single strike would play right into the hands of some people. But now, Clay had no choice…
Of all the people he could insult, he had to insult his own grandfather. Everyone knew that Lord Wyman had the nickname, Lord Merman.
As the heir, upholding the patriarch and the family's honor was his undeniable responsibility.
He released his sister, pushing her towards the guards beside him. Clay sighed, and in the next second:
The activated muscles of a Witcher propelled him like a cannonball from his position. He charged at the Lannister, whose smile had frozen on his face, and drew his longsword.
The sound of the sword entering flesh, the sound of bone being cut, was accompanied by the painful neighing of horses.
Clay slashed with his sword, severing the front legs of the leading Lannister noble's mount. The horse fell, pinning its master beneath it.
A barely audible sound of bone breaking. This fellow, who seemed to have some osteoporosis, had his thigh broken by his own mount. After falling in a daze, he let out a shrill scream.
Clay walked in front of him, raising his longsword stained with crimson blood. Since he had already started, killing him would be the cleanest solution.
"Spare me, spare me…"
He was arrogant like a god before, and now as lowly as grass, truly pathetic.
"Too late." He said lightly, and the longsword thrust down, blood splattering!
Amidst the gasps of the onlookers, the Lannister noble clutched at the longsword embedded in his abdomen, his eyes nearly bulging. He didn't believe Clay would kill him until the very end, after all, his surname was Lannister.
King Robert and Duke Eddard, who had just arrived, stopped in their tracks, looking at the expressionless figure in the center of the arena.
"The Seven…" Robert muttered, accustomed to death, he wasn't repulsed by the corpse, but simply thought this Manderly kid, whom he had only seen at the first banquet, was actually a ruthless character, killing a Lannister just like that.
"Enough, Clay." Duke Eddard strode into the arena, surveyed the scene, and then said in a low voice to Clay.
"It's alright, Duke. The Stark family's honor is like the ice of the North, pure and untouchable, and as your vassal, the Manderly family is the same." Clay bowed slightly, as a gesture of respect to Eddard and Robert, and said: "Your Majesty."
Robert nodded stiffly. He realized he'd just done something foolish. The words he'd told Lancel before leaving had created a much bigger problem. The Queen's figure had appeared not far away.
He'd intended to use his royal authority to give that Lannister a good thrashing, then have the Queen take him away, forbidding him from reappearing before Robert left Winterfell.
Unexpectedly, Clay had killed him so quickly that he hadn't had time to display his kingly power.
A small squad of soldiers, their cloaks embroidered with the Lannister lion and the crowned stag, forced their way through the crowd. The Queen entered the scene, saw the body, Clay, and the blood-dripping longsword he'd just withdrawn from the corpse.