All Seven Kingdoms knew that House Hightower rivaled House Lannister, with its abundant gold mines, in wealth.
With its gold mines, the latter effectively controlled the most important raw material outright.
The rulers of Oldtown, meanwhile, had amassed a considerable fortune through their immense volume of trade.
And all that money naturally needed a force to protect it.
That was what House Hightower's guard was for.
This army, two thousand strong at full strength, had the finest equipment in the Seven Kingdoms, and its soldiers were exceptionally robust.
Unlike other houses, it did not follow a system in which soldiers doubled as farmers.
These two thousand Hightower men were a fully professional standing army.
Their numbers were second only to the army of Casterly Rock and the City Watch.
Previously, this force had always been in the hands of the old man, Earl Leyton.
Later, the old man had delegated authority, placing part of the guard under Baelor's command.
Yet this time, when Darean returned, he noticed something wrong.
Why had Guncer become the ultimate commander of some of the guards?
This was no small matter.
An army was of paramount importance, no matter the time.
Although Westeros was a society so rigid it had practically fossilized.
Rebellion, especially against one's own family, usually did not end well.
But this sort of thing should have been prevented from the outset.
What was the old man trying to do?
Were things not chaotic enough for him?
He had set up Garth to oppose Baelor, and now he had brought in Guncer to split Baelor's military authority.
With all these little schemes on his mind, why couldn't he come down from the top of the Hightower?
Darean knew perfectly well that members of the family had a long tradition of studying magic.
But the Magic Tide had not yet returned. Could they really discover anything?
Darean intended to ask Garth about this.
After all, he had never held military authority.
An outsider's opinion would be the most objective.
"Darean, I only just heard you were back. Looks like Baelor's ravens weren't much use."
The Hightower nicknamed "Greyiron" opened by mocking his elder brother.
Darean merely laughed it off and sat down before him.
"Baelor just told me a few things. Now I want to ask you."
"What exactly does the family intend to do about this?"
As though he already knew the terms Baelor had offered, Garth did not hedge at all.
With a sweep of his broad hand, he rejected them outright.
"I doubt you'll like my opinion."
"Baelor is squandering the family fortune by giving you so much."
"Does he really think everyone is blind?"
"With that handful of men you have, if you really follow Baelor's plan..."
He stared into Darean's eyes and sneered.
"Believe me, before long, bugs bred by the Dornish will turn up in your bed."
"Deadly poison will be slipped into your water jars."
"Your granaries will burn down in mysterious fires every few days."
"Don't think I'm cursing you, Darean."
"No one outside the family wants you to gain a foothold there!"
Darean fell silent for a moment, then said something in keeping with the image he had established.
He asked quietly,
"Not even if the guard goes straight there?"
Garth sneered again.
"The guard?"
"Will Guncer give you men, or will Baelor?"
"Even if they do, how many?"
"If you want to establish a firm foothold under that fellow Baelor's plan, your territory will need at least a thousand men."
"Between the two of them, they can spare you two hundred at most."
"It's a brand-new place, with gaps everywhere. Think it through yourself!"
Darean believed half of what Garth said.
After all, he had done too good a job of establishing himself as a brute.
These people unconsciously schemed a little less in front of him.
At least he now understood Garth's position.
Garth did not want him to grow powerful too quickly with Baelor's support.
Nor did he want the family's wealth poured down the drain.
But he still supported Darean's continued construction in New Land Village.
The approach was right, but the two brothers clearly differed greatly over its scale.
With that clear in his mind, Darean decisively moved on to the next subject.
"Garth, what's going on with Guncer commanding part of the family guard?"
Although he disliked this younger brother of his intensely.
Garth had to admit that the fellow was indeed far better than that useless Humfrey.
He snorted and explained,
"After you left, the old man asked for another batch of 'materials.'"
"Baelor thought it was a waste of money, so he didn't hurry to arrange it. Guncer beat him to it."
"A shipment arrived from New Barrel, supposedly containing things from the age of the Andals and the First Men. The old man was very pleased."
Smack!
Garth slapped his hands together and mocked,
"Our dear elder brother had held military authority for so many years, only to have half of it taken straight away."
"I can still remember that deathly face of his."
"Even Baelor 'Brightsmile' has moments when he can't smile!"
Darean could imagine how Baelor had felt.
However, judging by Garth's manner, he did not seem too concerned about Guncer gaining some military authority.
Darean thought over what he had seen and heard on his journey back to Oldtown.
Could I be overthinking this?
He now understood what the eldest and second brothers thought. Next came the third, Guncer.
In fact, most of the family's businesses were not in her hands.
He only wanted to meet him to hear his opinion.
After all, having met both Baelor and Garth, it would be too obvious if he did not meet Guncer.
Darean understood the importance of treating everyone equally.
"All right, I understand. Once I've seen Guncer, the four of us brothers can talk this through."
He and Garth had little in common to begin with.
With the key questions settled, there was naturally no need to stay and be an eyesore.
So he rose and took his leave.
Garth did not try to keep him, waving him away.
"Go on. Guncer should be at the training yard. You should have no trouble finding him there."
Just as Darean was about to open the door, Garth added something, seemingly in passing.
"Ah, a fellow who never touched a sword, now sparring with the guards in the training yard every day."
"He really has nothing better to do."
Understanding what Garth meant, Darean nodded slightly.
Sure enough, none of them was easy to deal with.
His second brother was first-rate at sowing distrust of others.
He headed down toward ground level in the Hightower and stopped a few maids to ask.
Sure enough, Guncer was in the courtyard.
Darean did not believe Guncer was unaware that he had returned to the family.
Yet he was still staying in the training yard at a time like this.
What was that supposed to mean?
Sneering inwardly, Darean arrived at the training yard he knew so well without betraying anything.
A slender man was holding a wooden sword, sparring with someone dressed as a guard.
A few people stood around them.
But no one was cheering.
They naturally had little interest in a dull game meant to entertain a noble.
He walked slowly over.
Darean took a wooden sword from a guard whose face suddenly lit up with delighted surprise.
"Guncer, give him a break."
"Long time no see. Let me spar with you."
Guncer abruptly turned around.
He saw Darean looking at him with the hint of a smile.
A smile had only just appeared on his face when he saw the raised sword hilt.
His smile froze.
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