-Chapter 90-
-POV Aemon Targaryen-
I watched Aegon and Cregan try to follow Hugh's instructions and advice, and even though it wasn't easy, they both managed quite well.
Cregan didn't have any trouble getting to work; however, I noticed my cousin Aegon struggled until he caught my inquisitive gaze.
I smiled slightly as I saw him double his attention to detail to complete his task, then I focused back on mine.
After several hours, I finally managed to slaughter the 476 chickens correctly that we planned to serve at the castle.
Not that we actually needed that many chickens, but I could give some to the knights stationed at Runestone as a reward.
'Anyway, we prefer mutton and goose meat,' I thought.
The real reason I insisted on organizing this banquet was to be able to slaughter animals in large numbers without raising awkward questions.
'I already seem to be gaining a reputation as an usurper in the rest of the kingdom. The last thing I need is to be accused by the High Septon, under House Hightower's influence, of being a heretic once our interests diverge,' I thought, wiping blood from my hands into a bucket of water an apprentice had thoughtfully brought over.
I appreciated how he stood silently by my side and then poured water over my hands so I could rinse them properly.
"What is your name?" I asked the boy, who seemed smarter than those his age and appeared aware of it.
'A trait I seek but also quite dangerous, as it could backfire on him and on me, by extension, if he enters my service.'
"Mark, Your Grace," he replied quickly, trying to appear as polite as possible.
'Yet looking me straight in the eyes.'
I smiled at the boldness of this boy, who seemed about my age, and said directly in a no-nonsense tone, "What do you want?"
"I want to serve you," he said.
"What good would an apprentice butcher be to me?" I asked him.
"An apprentice butcher would be of no use to you," he said, still confident.
"But, I sense there's a 'but.'"
The young boy smiled and said, "But I would do anything you ask; I'd take the arrows meant for you, kill anyone you want, I…"
"That's enough, I understand," I said, smiling and cutting him off.
"Get back to your station before Hugh pulls your ears," I said, sending him off, amused by his bold attitude.
'It's refreshing to see people who still dare speak to me like this despite all the power I hold,' I thought before refocusing on the main issue.
[Unassigned Points: 478]
'478 points sounds like a lot, but in reality, it's not that much,' I thought, since if I distributed all the points among my 11 different attributes, that would only make about 43 points per attribute.
It took me many years to understand that 100 represented the limit for normal humans in this world.
'But it's not an insurmountable limit.'
There are strength monsters who can surpass this boundary, like Rhaenyra's brute who stands over 7 feet tall, or Gunthor, who, with proper weight training, can now bench-press over 500 kilos.
I doubt it has anything to do with magical lineages like mine, but I can't be certain since I can't view other people's attributes.
There are numerous giants in this world with strength that, in my old world, would be considered superhuman, but the norm remains relatively similar to Earth's.
'Meaning, for an injury that should heal in a month or two, if I put all my attribute points into constitution, I'd have a constitution that lets me recover 7.67 times faster than usual.'
'In short, everything would be fine within 4 to 8 days, but is this really the best solution?' I wondered, because even if I could organize to hunt once a week, I couldn't work as a butcher every day of the year.
'People would start to notice something, and rumors would spread.'
'I could put some points into my strength or my speed, or perhaps…'
I stopped thinking and shook my head, realizing there was no point in hesitating. Constitution was the most useful attribute because it allowed me to accelerate the healing speed of my physical injuries.
It also increased the speed of healing from illnesses, not to mention that it strengthened my immunity, making me less and less sick over the years while fully exploiting the hidden genes deep within me.
'My height keeps increasing even though I can't change that factor just by increasing my strength or endurance.'
'It's been a 15-year journey, but today I have a better understanding of my system,' I thought as I signaled to Aegon and Cregan to stop what they were doing.
"Let's go, we're done for today. Hugh and his apprentices will finish the rest; we have other things to do before heading back to the castle," I said to the two, who quickly wiped their hands before following me.
'They look like they've come from a battlefield,' I thought as I looked at the two, relieved to be finished with this thankless task, covered in blood stains.
[Name: Aemon Targaryen]
• [Age: 15]
• [Title: Prince of House Targaryen]
• [Allegiances: House Arryn: Lord Arnold Arryn, House Targaryen: King Viserys Targaryen]
[Familiar: Urrax]
• {Attributes}
[Constitution: 289]
[Strength: 200]
[Endurance: 200]
[Dexterity: 200]
[Agility: 200]
[Speed: 200]
[Intelligence: 150]
[Willpower: 150]
[Charisma: 150]
[Perception: 150]
[Wisdom: 120]
[Unassigned Points: 478]
{Passive Skill}
[Unburned LVL 3: Your resistance to ordinary fire is 30%, and your dragon lineage is purified to 12%]
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[Urrax]
[Physical: 23,942]
[Magic: 30,000]
[Attribute Points: 0]