A Teammate Like This—Why Not Run?

"Long live the King in the North!"

"Long live the King in the North!"

"Long live the King in the North!"

Cheers like a tidal wave rose behind Jon, but he no longer cared.

It seemed Jon had failed to stop Robb from becoming king, but he had never intended to stop him from the start.

He had only used opposition to Robb's kingship to test whether his cousin could listen to advice.

It seemed this lot from the North was truly rather shortsighted.

There was no need for him to remain here any longer.

He planned to work with Stannis in the future and earn a title and lands on the battlefield of the Blackwater.

Jon had already made his stance clear before everyone.

It would not be long before everyone learned what had happened here.

That was practically the same as clearing up his own background.

That way, Stannis should trust him more, perhaps even see him as someone who could be recruited—or used to divide Winterfell.

But Jon had no interest in Winterfell.

Originally, the Starks had been the greatest losers of the War of the Five Kings, leaving the North at the mercy of others.

If he could win the Battle of the Blackwater, the Lannisters would end up in the same position.

He could seek the Westerlands for himself.

Even if not Casterly Rock, gaining a vast stretch of land in the Westerlands was entirely possible.

If Jon were not a transmigrator, then the best course for the North would be to ally with Renly.

That would allow them to achieve their strategic goal of avenging themselves on the Lannisters more quickly.

And Renly was incompetent. Winterfell only needed to join forces with the Riverlands and deter the Westerlands to immediately become the overlord of the north.

Later, they could arrange a marriage alliance with Renly's descendants and set their sights on the Iron Throne.

The middle course would be as Stevron had said: sit atop the mountain and watch the tigers fight.

Once they had decided the victor, they could make their own choice.

The worst course was declaring themselves kings.

Becoming king could unite the hearts of the North and the Riverlands, but it would also leave them isolated and helpless.

Build high walls, stockpile grain, and delay proclaiming oneself king. That was a strategy proven by history.

But Jon was now a transmigrator.

As a transmigrator, he knew that Renly's seemingly overwhelming momentum and vast army would soon collapse with a crash.

Stannis held the ultimate weapon known as the Shadow Assassin.

Who would not fear a method that ignored the laws of physics and took a man's head?

But even so, choosing to become king was still the worst possible choice.

If they acknowledged Renly as king, there would still be room to negotiate with Stannis in the future.

If they made themselves kings, they would immediately become targets of scheming.

If Robb could curb his greed for the crown, Jon was willing to help him. At the very least, killing Tywin and taking control of the Westerlands would not be a problem.

But if he insisted on becoming king, it meant there would be many more battles ahead.

So Jon planned to run.

Before leaving, however, he intended to cash in the little political capital he had accumulated in the North.

Robb had divided the army into two forces, one primarily cavalry and the other primarily infantry.

Among the people Jon had saved on the Green Fork, many were related to the lords currently at Riverrun. Some, like Harrion, were even directly Rickard's sons.

He decided to trade those favors for a batch of weapons and armor, then recruit troops in the Moon Mountains.

He would build up strength for the coming Battle of the Blackwater.

There was still quite some time before the Battle of the Blackwater.

More than enough for him to train them.

As Jon pondered, he suddenly felt something stir within him.

[Remaining upgrade attempts: 1]

The corner of Jon's mouth lifted slightly, and his mood improved a little.

Then he caught sight of Ramsay, the little flayer standing guard by the door. The man was watching Jon with a sinister gaze.

There was mockery and gloating in his eyes.

In his view, Jon's opposition to Robb becoming king was political suicide.

There would be little room for him to rise in the North in the future.

"What are you looking at? Your life is still mine," Jon said quietly, making Ramsay shudder.

What are you so smug about? One day I'll be the Earl of Dreadfort. You'll always be nothing but a bastard, unless you can kill your own brother too.

Ramsay brooded darkly. At that moment, a young noble about Jon's age walked to the door and respectfully said to him,

"Lord Jon... His Majesty King Robb requests your presence to discuss the next battle plan."

"Him? Why does Robb still trust him?!"

Ramsay, standing nearby, felt as though his understanding of the world had been overturned.

But Jon paid him no heed.

When he reentered the wooden hall, most people refused to look at Jon, as though deliberately ignoring him.

Only Catelyn, Robb, Brynden...

Catelyn's expression was somewhat vacant. She had likely realized that the North's situation would become very difficult from here on.

Robb's body was somewhat tense. This brother, who had always advised him and planned for him, had opposed him. It weighed heavily on his heart.

Brynden was rather expressionless. Clearly, Robb had asked him to preside over the coming meeting.

Besides them, there was also a little boy.

Jon saw the "Plowman" sigil on the boy's chest and remembered that he came from House Darry.

House Darry could be considered an oddity among the Riverlands lords.

To this day, their family still kept portraits of every Targaryen king.

Their loyalty to the Dragon Kings was beyond question.

Unfortunately, the Mountain later slaughtered the last remaining bloodline of House Darry.

This little boy should be House Darry's only legitimate male heir at present—Lyman Darry.

Lyman Darry was currently looking at Jon with worship in his eyes.

Jon more or less understood why he was looking at him that way.

He was only eight or nine, precisely the age to admire lone heroes.

Perhaps Jon's clear declaration of his stance had struck a chord with him.

Jon ultimately sat in the southwest corner.

It was not a particularly conspicuous spot.

Yet the nobles around him deliberately shifted their chairs farther away, as if avoiding him.

That only made Jon's place seem more noticeable.

At that moment, Brynden slowly rose and addressed Jon.

"Jon, we have won two great victories in the Riverlands. Next, we intend to recover our lost lands. Do you have any good suggestions?"

"Suggestions? I just want to get out of here."

The moment he heard that this was their first strategic objective after crowning a king, Jon felt his head ache.

He was glad he had not chosen to follow the North down this dark road to the bitter end.

In his eyes, Tywin's army was right there, while the garrison at the Golden Tooth in the Westerlands was watching them like tigers.

Splitting their forces to reclaim lost lands at a time like this was simply insane.

Lose the land and preserve the people, and both could be recovered. Lose the people while preserving the land, and both would be lost.

Unfortunately, these shortsighted nobles would never understand that principle.

Compared to trying to stop the nobles from crowning Robb, Jon no longer had any "passion" for this matter.

He only wanted to get some weapons and equipment as soon as possible, then recruit men in the Moon Mountains and build up power that truly belonged to him.

But he knew that if he continued refusing, all he would receive was opposition and rebuke.

"I intend to join Lord Bolton on the eastern front to hold Tywin's main force in check, creating favorable conditions for the recovery of the lost lands."

When Jon said that, some among those who had deliberately turned their backs on him occasionally looked over their shoulders.

"At least the boy knows what's good for him."

"If he keeps objecting, throw him out."

Robb's expression eased somewhat when he heard Jon say this.

For some reason, he had clearly become the King in the North, yet without Jon's support, the crown upon his head still felt uncomfortable.