Chapter 179: Killing Without Drawing Blood
Everyone—including the judge, the guards, the witnesses, and the defendant—turned to look at the man who had suddenly spoken.
The black clothing was so conspicuous, and Renly had met Egger during the rebellion in the Vale, so he recognized him instantly. In fact, had Egger not been arrested by the Hand, he would have been expected to testify as the primary whistleblower. After a few seconds of surprised hesitation, Renly remembered his role as judge: "So it is our 'Wight Slayer,' Lord Egger West—permission to speak granted."
"I, Egger West, in the name of the Chief Logistics Officer and Chief Recruiter of the Night's Watch, refuse this man's request to take the black and join the Order." The title of "Chief Recruiter" was a fabrication; he hadn't received such an appointment from Mormont. However, the original warrant issued by the Lord Commander before they parted did indeed entrust him with recruitment. The legal technicalities were messy... but if anyone dared to question it, Egger's answer would be: If you don't mind the trouble, write a letter to the Wall and ask.
"The Night's Watch is an ancient and honorable organization. We do not accept such unprincipled, bottomless scum!"
Littlefinger's defection and the subsequent second scroll incident had taught Egger a deep lesson: If you don't kill the tiger, it will surely return to haunt you. His conflict with Slynt over Nina had further given him firsthand experience of how sickening it was to have a petty man as an enemy.
That kind of experience was enough for one lifetime.
Let Slynt have his way and run off to the Wall to cause trouble? Give him the chance to annoy Jon Snow while plotting revenge against Egger himself? Not a chance. Due to the campaign in the Vale, Egger already had a pile of enemies at the Wall. If he let someone like Slynt go there, he would truly be digging his own grave with his own hands.
Conventionally, the most proper plan would be to let Slynt join the Watch and then find a way to kill him quietly. But that would require a massive expenditure of mental energy, and Slynt seemed to know quite a few brothers in the Watch. If something went wrong, the trouble would be endless... After a brief consideration, Egger decided: This time, he would take his revenge openly and honorably, regardless of suspicion!
As the Chief Logistics Officer and the founder of the Night's Watch industries, he had no need for the empty reputation of mercy or tolerance. After the blood feud of nearly dying at the man's hands, how could he simply forgive?
From the moment he escaped assassination on that night of chaos, Egger had sworn: Never again would he give such a petty man the chance to harm him. He didn't want to be a villain, but in this cold and cruel world, a good man must be more cunning and ruthless than the bad ones just to survive.
Slynt had to die. A dead antagonist is the only good antagonist!
"We do not accept such scum!"
Egger's voice echoed through the Throne Room, resonant and powerful, circling the stone pillars for a long time before fading.
In the past, if any black-brother had stood up and uttered such righteous words in public, it would have provoked roars of laughter. Wasn't the Night's Watch specifically the place to dump scum? A garbage dump refusing garbage sounds like a global joke... But today, inside this court, at least half of the attendees had seen the wight Eddard Stark had displayed in the Traitor's Walk. Moreover, the speaker was the legendary Wight Slayer, Egger West. Times had changed. This time, his stance on behalf of the Watch didn't draw mockery; instead, it sparked a wave of cheers.
Only then did Slynt realize Egger was actually present in the court. As the boss of the industries and the leader of the winning side... this bastard in black had actually come in person to cut off his last retreat. Did he not feel it beneath him!
"Egger West, I'll f—k your ancestors! If I can't be a crow this time, I'll haunt you as a ghost—ungh—"
The guards had heard enough and shoved a wad of cloth, which they had been clutching for a while, directly into Slynt's mouth, depriving him of the chance to further pollute everyone's ears.
"The Night's Watch fears neither demons nor ghosts." Egger stood tall, his days in prison having done nothing to diminish the aura of a Chief Logistics Officer. "If you come back as a ghost to find me, I shall simply kill you a second time!"
"Wait!" Egger's retort even drew applause from several men. Just as everyone thought the verdict was certain for the second time, another man in black—Ser Alliser Thorne, sitting not far to Egger's right—stood up. "In all my years, I have never heard of a law that says the Night's Watch can refuse a request to join!"
Egger narrowed his eyes at his colleague from Castle Black. He knew Alliser knew Slynt, but he wasn't sure how close they were. Was this old porcupine simply acting against him out of spite, or was his relationship with Slynt good enough to make him stand up in public to save his life?
"And who is this? Introduce yourself." When the Usurper's War broke out, Renly was just a toddler hiding in Storm's End. He had no way of knowing this former King's Landing officer and current master-at-arms of Castle Black.
"I am Ser Alliser Thorne, my lord."
"Ah, Ser Alliser." Renly didn't actually know who he was, but he had heard the name and knew of House Thorne of the Crownlands. He nodded with feigned realization, looking at the two Night's Watchmen with differing opinions, finding the situation rather amusing as he curled his lip: "Tell me plainly, which of you two has the final say?"
Who had the final say? Egger turned to face Alliser and asked with a smile: "Ser Alliser, what is your rank within the Night's Watch?"
"I am the master-at-arms of the Night's Watch, while Egger is the Chief Logistics Officer. Theoretically, his rank is higher than mine; I do not dispute that." Alliser didn't fall for the trap. Instead, he retreated to advance, admitting the fact loudly to neutralize Egger's attempt to pull rank. "But what I question is whether a Night's Watch officer has the authority to 'refuse a request to join.' This has nothing to do with rank!"
(Clever response. But Ser Alliser, are you sure you want to play a game of wits with me?)
Egger chuckled inwardly. Aside from someone like Margaery Tyrell—the kind of Mary Sue who is born so noble and illogical that there's no opening to strike—Egger feared no one in a pure debate. "True, no law has ever explicitly stated that the Night's Watch can reject an application. But by the same token, no law has ever said we cannot! Where I come from, there is a saying: 'Anything not forbidden is allowed.' If the law does not explicitly prohibit an action, it can be done. Therefore, I believe that since the law does not stipulate that I cannot refuse, I am permitted to refuse!"
Egger was engaging in sophistry, preying on the fact that Alliser's mental agility and education level weren't high enough to debate him. "Anything not forbidden is allowed" is logically sound, but the crucial point—which Egger omitted—is that this phrase only applies to individual citizens. Anyone with even a modicum of legal knowledge would know how to counter him. That seemingly flawless sentence has a corresponding other half: "Anything not authorized is forbidden"!
Anything not forbidden is allowed; anything not authorized is forbidden.
The two phrases seem contradictory, but they represent two distinct scenarios and must never be separated. The first half protects the individual, while the second half constrains public power. Just as an arrest requires a warrant, a search requires a permit, and a war requires authorization, Egger was speaking as a representative of the Night's Watch. He was not acting as an individual, so the second half should apply: without authorization from Lord Commander Mormont representing the Order, he had no right to set a precedent and refuse an application in the name of the Night's Watch!
Theoretically, that was the case. But in this world, how many people could quickly untangle these relationships, expose Egger's sophistry, and launch a counterattack from the correct angle? Renly couldn't; Slynt's mouth was gagged; and Ser Alliser's face turned beet-red. After a long silence during which he couldn't find the words to refute, Alliser finally managed to squeeze out: "There has never been such a precedent! This is against the rules!"
"No, there is a precedent!" Egger didn't hesitate for a second. "In the early stages of the Watch's founding, only those skilled in archery and horsemanship, physically fit, and proficient with at least one weapon could join... Does that not equate to refusing untrained commoners? The Night's Watch stands at the edge of the north to combat wildlings and the natural enemies of mankind, protecting the safety of all people in the Seven Kingdoms... And what of our Lord Slynt? Look at his savage, unreasonable nature and his white-haired, frail, and exhausted appearance. Once at the Wall, I wonder how many brothers it would take to watch him just to keep him from causing trouble. Even if he lacked the courage for mischief, I must ask: with a pathetic state like his, is he protecting us, or are we protecting him!?"
"Well said!" Arya clapped and cheered. No one dared to scold the Hand's daughter for disrupting the court.
Alliser's chest heaved with rage: "You are abusing your office for a private grudge!"
I am exactly abusing my office for a private grudge! Egger almost wanted to tear open his tunic, point to the arrow wound on his shoulder, and roar those words. But that satisfying thought was only simulated in his mind; when the words reached his lips, they were entirely different: "Ser Alliser, watch your tongue. You are slandering and attacking a superior! Whether I have this authority is not for you to say, nor for me to say; it must be judged by Commander Mormont. But since he is not here, fortunately, the Master of Laws is the highest authority on the laws of the Seven Kingdoms. Lord Renly, I ask you to decide this matter!"
Renly opened his mouth. It was true he was the Master of Laws, but when it came to legal matters, he was hardly a seasoned professional. Reciting statutes was fine, but interpreting and judging disputed complexities... that was asking a lot of him.
But what era was this? In a Westeros under the feudal lord system, the King's word was law! In the absence of the King and the Hand, the word of the Master of Laws was the law. This was a world of men, not just statutes.
Renly pondered. He hadn't studied the discipline or history of the Night's Watch, but he also couldn't find any logical flaw in the phrase "anything not forbidden is allowed." Furthermore, between Egger and Alliser, he was far more familiar with the former. As for Slynt... he had no intention of saving the man's life. Thus, the outcome was inevitable.
"Very well, then I shall decide." Renly tapped his finger on the arm of the chair. After a few seconds of thought, he reached a decision: "The Chief Recruiter of the Night's Watch has the right to refuse an application. The Wall is a bulwark to protect the Seven Kingdoms, not a playground for lawbreakers to escape punishment! The defendant, Janos Slynt, has already confessed to all charges. Now, in the name of King Robert, I sentence you to death. This verdict shall be sent to the Hand of the King for confirmation. If there are no objections, the execution will take place at noon the day after tomorrow, in the plaza of the Great Sept of Baelor, as a warning to the world!"
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