More than a decade had passed since the fall of House Targaryen, and the Iron Throne was now occupied by Robert I of House Baratheon.
Even Robert's eldest son, Joffrey, was already twelve.
On the royal training grounds, Prince Joffrey was sparring with a twelve-year-old boy who shared his golden hair.
Clang! Clang! Clang! The steel training swords struck together relentlessly, showering sparks.
Finally, Prince Joffrey grew too impatient, his movements becoming wilder until he was struck sharply on the back of his hand.
"Ah!" Joffrey cried, his steel sword flying from his grip toward the ground.
"You lost, Little Joff!" the golden-haired youth said. He held his sword across Joffrey's throat with one hand, catching Joffrey's dropped sword with the other.
"Mufasa, don't gloat. Next time, I will definitely win!" Prince Joffrey declared stubbornly.
To him, the only reason he had lost was that he hadn't eaten enough breakfast. If he had been properly fed this morning, he certainly would have beaten Mufasa.
The attending squire, seeing the match concluded, immediately brought over towels and fresh water.
Mufasa and Joffrey wiped the sweat from their faces, then drank deeply, gulping down the water.
"Honestly, Mufasa, if you entered a tourney, you might actually win the championship!" Joffrey said, handing his waterskin to the squire and looking at Mufasa, who shared his golden hair and blue eyes.
Mufasa and Joffrey were cousins. Back when Queen Cersei was pregnant, Tyrion had taken Jaime to a brothel.
A year later, Joffrey was born, and Mufasa was brought into the Red Keep by a prostitute who pleaded with the King to release Jaime Lannister from his Kingsguard vows so he could marry her.
The Kingsguard were supposed to swear oaths not to marry or father children, their rules having been modeled after the Night's Watch.
But the Night's Watch were no longer the noble black knights of old; they frequently visited the prostitutes in Mole's Town.
Thus, a Kingsguard secretly fathering a child with a prostitute was nothing new—it had happened before, and there was no way to prove the baby the woman held was Jaime's offspring.
Cersei even secretly intended to kill the infant to protect her family's honor.
Yet, Robert, purely to spite House Lannister, Cersei, Jaime, and Tywin Lannister, declared the infant to be Jaime Lannister's trueborn son, named him Mufasa, and then formally adopted Mufasa out to Tyrion Lannister.
Robert's maneuver disgusted all three Lannister siblings, and their father, Tywin, too.
However, Mufasa owed his survival entirely to Robert's willful decision.
Mufasa's birth mother died when he was three, and since then, he had lived with Tyrion, his nominal father and actual uncle.
"A tourney, huh!" Hearing Joffrey mention the competition, Mufasa was contemplating whether he should enter and test himself when a blue, translucent panel suddenly materialized before his eyes.
Mufasa's expression shifted. He told Joffrey, "I'm too tired, I'm going back to my room to rest," and retreated to his chambers, where he began to carefully examine the panel before him.
It seemed to be a system, but it lacked artificial intelligence or voice narration. Mufasa decided to test it himself.
"Name: Mufasa Lannister"
"Identity: Tywin Lannister's eldest grandson, true son of Jaime Lannister the Kingslayer, adopted son of Tyrion Lannister the Imp."
"Occupation: Aspirant Knight"
"Strength: 9 (10)"
"Speed: 9 (10)"
"Intelligence: 10 (10)"
"Spirit: 10 (10)"
"Magic Power: 10 (0)"
"Talent: Warg"
"Popularity Points: 120."
"I see. This system panel can detect my various stats, but checking others' data costs Popularity Points—one hundred points per person. I can also use Popularity Points for a lottery draw, also costing one hundred points per draw."
"Currently, my Speed and Strength are only nine points, short of the maximum ten points for an average adult. However, my Intelligence and Spirit have both reached the adult maximum of ten points. While ordinary people have zero Magic Power, mine has reached ten."
Mufasa was not surprised about being a Warg. When he was young, around six years old, he had found six pieces of dragonglass, hoping to awaken a martial soul, but achieved nothing—after all, this wasn't the Douluo Continent.
However, Mufasa had discovered that his consciousness could enter the bodies of animals, especially felines.
Joffrey kept many cats, and Mufasa had borrowed them all, which was why Joffrey had never gotten around to the rumored practice of killing cats to cut out their kittens.
"If I want to acquire more Popularity Points, I need to do things that will make me known to the masses. Yes, the tourney—I must participate!" Mufasa silently resolved.
"I still have 120 Popularity Points. I should use them right away."
"Initiate draw."
A huge circular wheel appeared before Mufasa, divided into twelve sections, each representing a different item.
Some sections held gold and silver, others armor and weapons, still others books and scrolls, and there were even some fantastic beasts.
"Begin!" Mufasa commanded. The wheel started spinning, and after what felt like ten breaths, Mufasa shouted, "Stop."
The pointer landed on a bottle of potion. The vial immediately materialized in Mufasa's hand, and he learned its name.
"Potion of Fortune: Grants the user great luck, especially ensuring survival during dangerous activities. Shelf Life: One month. Duration of Effect: Three days."
"A Potion of Fortune! Joffrey's twelfth nameday is in seven days, and King Robert will surely hold a tourney to celebrate. The timing is sufficient. Although I am not a knight, I can enter the competition disguised as a mystery knight."
Mufasa decided to enter the tourney, knowing it would allow him to appear before more people and acquire more Popularity Points. He was determined not just to participate, but to win the championship.
That night, at the royal feast, Mufasa sat beside Tyrion. Next to Tyrion was Jaime, Mufasa's biological father.
However, the relationship between the two was distant; while they shared the same hair and eye color, there was no other proof that Mufasa was truly his son.
Next to Jaime were Cersei and her three children: Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen.
Opposite the Lannisters sat Stannis and Renly of House Baratheon, along with Jon Arryn of House Arryn, his wife Lysa, and their son, young Robert.
The main seat, of course, was occupied by King Robert himself.
Robert tore off a pork knuckle and ate it, grease dripping from his mouth. After finishing, he looked toward Joffrey.
"Little Joff, your twelfth nameday is coming. I shall hold a grand tournament in your name to celebrate!"
Joffrey's face lit up with delight.
"Thank you, Father!"
King Robert then turned to his Hand, Jon Arryn.
"Jon, the costs of the tournament and the champion's prize money are Petyr Baelish's problem to sort out!"
Jon Arryn nodded with a wry smile. The royal treasury was already deeply in debt. He could only hope Baelish would find a way to borrow more money.