The Lord Of Blood Hill-Chapter 186: Have You Heard Of The Lord Of Blood Hill?
After Henwell and his entourage enter the residence, reactions from various factions differ. Some sneer mockingly, others applaud, some curse loudly, and a few give enigmatic smiles.
Cronin merely sighs, shaking his head gently as he leaves.
Henwell doesn't go around visiting others; instead, he enjoys a peaceful night's rest.
The next day, he stays within the residence, not accepting any visitors. In truth, no one is eager to visit Henwell at this time.
By evening, Henwell receives an invitation to a banquet. It's a pre-Midsummer Festival event, a sort of meet-and-greet ball, held in a grand hall just outside the royal palace.
Henwell, dressed in his knight's attire, rides alone to the hall a kilometer away, without any guards. Upon presenting his invitation, the attendant gives Henwell a surprised look before directing someone to escort him inside.
However, Henwell isn't led directly to the main ballroom; instead, he's taken to an outer hall where minor nobles linger. Clearly, someone wants to embarrass Henwell.
While this outer hall is populated, the true dignitaries are in the main hall. Here, you'll find attendants and followers of the big shots, many of whom hold knightly titles themselves. The rest are minor nobles with connections but lacking the prestige to enter the main hall.
By protocol, unless specifically requested otherwise, Henwell should indeed be in this outer hall. After all, Henwell is technically just a knightly lord.
Someone wants to remind Henwell that staying in a grand residence and receiving high-level hospitality doesn't truly make him a major figure.
This petty maneuvering is certainly not orchestrated by Grand Duke Amir. Everyone knows that Henwell's status isn't determined by seating arrangements in an outer hall.
Even if Henwell were sitting outside against a wall drinking, if Grand Duke Amir passed by, he'd smile and praise Henwell's youthful nonchalance.
As for Henwell, he couldn't care less about such trivial tactics. He calmly finds a quiet corner, waves over a server, and orders some food and drinks.
As Henwell continues his meal, he catches the attention of a few people.
After a while, two individuals approach him.
"Sir, is there room here?" one of them asks.
Henwell looks up, gestures with his fork toward the empty seats, and replies, "Help yourselves."
The slightly plump noble chuckles, "Watching you eat makes me hungry!"
He then instructs the server to bring a serving of whatever Henwell is having.
The other middle-aged man, curious, asks, "Your eating style is quite unique! How do you manage to eat so quickly while maintaining etiquette?"
Henwell takes a big gulp of his drink and wipes his mouth with a napkin. "I'm used to it! My schedule's pretty tight. Always busy, so I have to eat fast."
The middle-aged man smiles, "I can see you're in a rush! But this is a banquet; maybe you should relax a bit."
Henwell shrugs, "I'm worried I won't have time to eat later."
The plump young man asks, "Are you full?"
"Halfway," Henwell replies.
This surprises the two men, considering Henwell has already devoured several servings. They chuckle and introduce themselves.
The plump young man says, "Hello, I'm Pacino, a baron from Waterhill. It's a small place; you might not know it!"
Henwell nods, "Hello! I'm Henwell, a knightly lord from a small place down south. Waterhill? If I remember correctly, it's north of Warner City, near North Eagle River. It's a nice area!"
Pacino looks at Henwell in surprise, "Oh? You've heard of our place?"
Henwell smiles, pointing to a fruit on the table resembling small cherries. "These are a specialty from around Waterhill!"
Pacino beams, "Yes, the berry grows best in our region!"
At this moment, the middle-aged man speaks up, "Hello, I'm Watson from the Berbier family. By the way, Henwell, where exactly in the south are you from?"
Henwell replies, "A small place called Beasley! You probably haven't heard of it. It's nothing compared to the Berbier family's lands near Cloudflow City!"
Pacino leans in with curiosity, "Henwell, your outfit looks great. Where did you get it tailored? Or is it your family's attire?"
Henwell's knightly attire, a striking mix of black and red, resembles a military dress uniform.
He smiles, "It's made at home. If you like it, I can have someone take your measurements and get one tailored for you, sent to your lands."
Pacino's eyes light up, "Really? That would be fantastic. In return, I'll send you some of our homemade berry wine. It's delicious!"
Henwell raises his glass with a nod, "It's a deal!"
The three continue chatting for a while. Pacino, seemingly stifled by the formal atmosphere of the banquet, is quite the talker.
Scooting his chair closer, Pacino leans toward Henwell, "Henwell, have you heard? That Blood Hill War Maniac is in the capital this time!"
Henwell pauses, "What Blood Hill War Maniac?"
"You haven't heard? The lord of Blood Hill from your southern region!"
Henwell bursts into laughter, "Haha! If you put it that way, I know who you're talking about!"
Pacino continues with a mysterious air, "I heard this guy is over two meters tall! As strong as a polar bear, capable of tearing knights apart with his bare hands! He supposedly eats an entire leg of beef in one meal and needs to kill someone every day just to sleep peacefully! Have you seen him in the south? Is he really that formidable?"
"Not entirely accurate," Henwell responds, glancing at Watson, who is starting to sweat, while listening with amusement to Pacino's animated storytelling.
With Henwell's encouraging demeanor, Pacino's enthusiasm only grows, oblivious to the slightly tense atmosphere in the hall.
Moments later, someone takes a seat across from Henwell. Pacino nods in greeting and continues sharing the rumors he's heard about Henwell. Henwell occasionally chimes in, while the newcomer listens quietly with an odd smile.
Watson, however, is visibly uncomfortable, torn between leaving and staying.
Gradually, more people join the table to listen to Pacino's tales, including two beautiful ladies whose laughter rings like silver bells, further fueling Pacino's enthusiasm.
But Watson is now sweating profusely, wishing he could escape. It's one thing to discuss unreliable legends in front of the lord of Blood Hill himself, but now several subjects of those tales are seated at the table!
Watson feels immense pressure. To his left is Fabio, the Iron Wall Knight Lord, and to his right is Arius, the duchy's young prince. Across from them, if Watson isn't mistaken, are two princesses from the Kingdom of Billie: War Princess Catherine and Karitan, the Duchess of Yosui City.
When Pacino begins to delve into rumors about Henwell and Princess Catherine, Watson finally reaches his breaking point. He stands up and hurriedly leaves, as if fleeing the scene.
His abrupt departure draws disapproving glances from the group, including Princess Catherine herself, one of the subjects of the story!
Chapter 186: Have You Heard Of The Lord Of Blood Hill?
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