บท 174: Chapter 173: Grave Digging
By the time Viserys arrived, a crowd had already gathered outside the desolate area beyond Andalos City.
"Your Majesty."
Viserys rode to the scene on horseback and dismounted. A knight with black hair clad in silver armor approached him.
"A local farmer was the first to discover this."
Viserys glanced at an old man with rolled-up pants and bare feet standing among the crowd.
At that moment, the old man was nervously answering questions from the soldiers. It appeared that he was the one who first discovered that Gillyan's grave had been dug up.
"Reward him with two silver stags."
Viserys nodded and turned his attention away, leaving a retainer to handle the matter.
He then looked back at the black-haired knight.
"Continue. Has the matter been investigated?"
"What's going on?"
This morning, a farmer passing by discovered that a fresh grave had been dug up.
In any religion, the dead should be allowed to rest in peace. The act of digging up someone's grave is undoubtedly a serious crime. Therefore, the enthusiastic old man reported it to the guards at the nearby checkpoint.
The guards on duty sent someone to inspect the site, only to find that it was the grave of 'Maester Gunther', who had been executed by His Majesty not long ago.
His grave had been dug up, and his corpse had disappeared.
The guards then hurriedly relayed this information to the castle. While the matter was not particularly significant, the guards were unsure of its importance.
So, they informed Viserys.
"That's about it. However, what is puzzling is that there don't seem to be any footprints left behind."
The black-haired knight spoke hesitantly, not daring to voice the bold guess lurking in his heart.
He was also a Westerosi sellsword who had once been employed by a noble in the Vale. He had served as a castle's master-at-arms and steward for a time, possessing some management skills.
Later, he heard rumors of the Targaryen resurgence in Essos and their dragons.
After careful consideration, he terminated his contract with the Vale noble and, like many disillusioned wandering knights of Westeros, embarked on a merchant ship bound for Essos with dreams of pledging loyalty to their king in Andalos.
"Is that so?"
Viserys furrowed his brow slightly, unsure of what to say. The situation was indeed unsettling.
"Why would anyone want to dig up his grave?"
Gillyan Lannister had been examined at the time and was confirmed to have lost both heartbeat and breath.
His corpse had been placed in a coffin and left in the courtyard overnight. By the next day, it had already begun to emit the stench of decay. It was then carried out of the castle and hastily buried in a random plot outside the city.
Furthermore, Gillyan had been stripped of all his possessions, and there were no valuable burial items.
Who would be interested in a corpse with nothing to offer?
Afterward, Viserys approached the crowd, covering his mouth and nose with his hand.
"Your Majesty."
"My king." .
The soldiers and civilians who were gathered around here watching made way as they saw him approaching. Many recognized Viserys, primarily due to his iconic silver hair and the fact that he was surrounded by guards, making him easily identifiable.
Viserys gave a slight nod and then came to the dug-up grave, squatting down to take a closer look.
However, after only a glance, Viserys furrowed his brow.
"Such a mess."
The entire area around Gillyan's grave had become a chaotic scene, with soil dug up and scattered to the sides. The coffin that had once held the body was now brutally split open, leaving a huge gash, as if a wild beast had torn through the wood.
"But... if someone came for the body..."
"Why would the gravedigger be so reckless and risk damaging Gillyan's corpse?"
Viserys couldn't make sense of it.
He had a thought in his mind earlier that the Lannister spy wasn't just Gillyan, but that there were other accomplices as well. Upon hearing of Gillyan's death, these people might have tried to steal his body to take it back to Tywin.
But now, seeing the disaster before him, Viserys couldn't help but doubt this idea.
If their true purpose was indeed to retrieve the body, they should not have been so violent.
Otherwise, wouldn't Tywin, a man known for being protective of his own, punish them severely for returning a battered corpse?
Trying to examine the footprints and paths of those responsible was now impossible for Viserys.
The surrounding traces had all been trampled by the onlookers.
Seeing Viserys's slightly furrowed brow and his gaze sweeping over the disordered footprints, the black-haired knight finally realized his serious mistake - he should have cleared the area.
"My apologies, Your Grace..."
The black-haired knight in silver armor tried to explain with an awkward expression, but Viserys simply waved his hand.
"It's not your fault."
After all, the knight wasn't the first to arrive here, and perhaps by the time he did, the area was already a mess.
Even if there were footprints, tracking them far with their current resources would be impossible, only providing a general direction.
"It's not a big deal. It's just that Gillyan's grave has been dug up."
"Let's put an end to this matter."
Viserys took a few more glances at the desecrated grave, then lost interest.
After all, evidence and traces had already been destroyed, and even a brilliant detective couldn't find anything.
Viserys then left the crowd and approached his warhorse, taking the reins from his attendant.
The white warhorse gently nuzzled his hair, and Viserys patted his companion's neck before turning to the black-haired knight with another reminder.
"If there's any more information about this, feel free to report it. If not, let it be."
"Understood."
The black-haired knight nodded hurriedly, reaching out to help Viserys onto his horse.
"No need."
Viserys declined his help.
With his polished boots firmly on the ground, the young king stepped onto the stirrup, mounted his horse, and took one last look at the gaping hole in the ground. He then turned his horse around.
"Let's go."
The attendants who had followed him from the castle also mounted their horses, and they all headed back in the direction of the castle.
...
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