The Lord Of Blood Hill-Chapter 263: You’re Not Getting Married?
Henwell and his group leave Peace Haven’s western district.
At the border area, Roderick waits with over a thousand cavalry, having been on standby for quite some time.
Orak’s border crossing was notified to the Ika Kingdom two months ago.
This is the will of the Holy Spirit Church, and the Ika Kingdom dares not disobey.
The passage permit, personally signed by the King of Ika, was sent early to the Southeast Marshal’s office.
Roderick now serves as the Southeast Marshal of Ika Kingdom and is rumored to be promoted to Count by the end of this year at the latest.
He takes Orak’s crossing very seriously.
Having just taken over the Southeast Marshal’s office, he doesn’t want any mishaps on Orak’s journey to the Western Federation under his watch.
After all, Orak is backed by the Phoenix family and is Henwell’s official elder brother.
If anything happens on his turf, Roderick’s freshly appointed position as Southeast Marshal would be in jeopardy.
Seeing Henwell personally accompany the group reassures Roderick that his approach is prudent.
He’s determined to safely escort this hot potato, Orak, out of his territory!
Roderick pulls out the King’s issued passage permit: “Knight Orak, this is a permit from His Majesty. Don’t lose it! With this, neither you nor your team will be stopped at any checkpoints along the way.”
Orak spurs his horse forward, crossing the border marker, tapping his chest in salute: “Many thanks to the king of your great nation!”
He takes the permit and pulls out a cross-shaped insignia given by Archbishop Atwood.
Dipping it in red ink, he stamps the cross-designated area on the permit with a dotted line.
Then Orak hands the permit back to Roderick.
After verifying its authenticity, Roderick takes out his Southeast Marshal token and seals the permit with his official stamp.
The permit returns to Orak, who seals it inside a metal tube.
Roderick raises his hand, and the cavalry behind part to clear a path.
“Knight Orak, I hope you return successfully. My personal guard will escort you for a stretch until you leave my jurisdiction. Rest assured, my guards won’t interfere with you, and all your food and lodging expenses along the way will be covered by us.”
Orak accepts without refusal, smiling and bowing slightly: “Thank you very much, Marshal.”
With a wave, Orak’s westbound party slowly advances, crossing the border line and fully entering Ika Kingdom territory.
Seeing Henwell clad in full armor and carrying his war spear, Roderick furrows his brow. “Henwell, why are you crossing the border? Get back to the buffer zone immediately!”
Henwell tilts his head and replies, “Why can’t I come here?!”
Roderick’s voice turns serious. “Henwell, this is an illegal border crossing, and it’s a serious matter. Knight Orak has a permit signed by His Majesty the King. Your unauthorized crossing is provoking conflict!”
Then, his tone softens. “Henwell, don’t worry. I’ll take good care of your brother. Not just within my jurisdiction, I have many friends who will do their best to ensure Knight Orak leaves the Ika Kingdom safely.”
Henwell shakes his head firmly. “No! I have to escort my brother all the way to the Western Federation!”
Roderick raises his hand, resting it on his sword’s hilt. “Henwell! You’re putting me in a tough spot here!”
Suddenly, Henwell laughs. “Ah, come on… why can’t you take a joke?”
Roderick’s expression remains cold. “This isn’t a joke. You need to understand, our sides are only in a temporary ceasefire. The territory you occupy is legally still ours. It’s just a buffer zone now. If you push too hard, believe me, the kingdom will show you just how serious we are!”
Henwell reaches into his chest and pulls out an object. “Hehehe… take a look! What do you think this is?”
Roderick stares at the finely crafted badge in Henwell’s hand, momentarily speechless.
Henwell points upward. “You might not know that the Archbishop thinks highly of me! Being awarded this means I’m authorized to go for further training!”
Roderick’s eyes widen. “You? You’re allowed to go for training?”
Henwell’s face darkens. “What do you mean ‘allowed’? Why can’t I? I’m a twenty-three-year-old Grand Knight! One of the brightest young talents on the continent, personally cultivated by the church. Is that so hard to believe?”
Roderick still looks puzzled. “But… but how can you just leave like that? What about Peace Haven? Aren’t you worried?”
Henwell shrugs. “My men are watching over things! Besides, my uncle is taking care of it. There won’t be any war breaking out in the short term. Peace Haven will keep running smoothly whether I’m here or not.”
Then Henwell eyes Roderick suspiciously. “You’re not thinking of taking advantage of my absence to launch a sneak attack on my territory, are you?”
Roderick rolls his eyes. “As long as you don’t come stirring up trouble for me, I’m fine! But seriously, you’re really going? Do you know what that means? And I heard you’re already engaged, with your wedding set for this year’s Harvest Festival. So what’s the deal with heading off to the Western Federation now? You’re not getting married anymore?”
Henwell waves his hand, and the knights around them step back.
Orak also gestures, and everyone else moves aside.
After a moment’s hesitation, Roderick tells his chief guard, “Give us some space!”
Soon, only the three of them remain.
Roderick asks, “What’s really going on? Are you really leaving? Peace Haven without you isn’t Peace Haven at all!”
Henwell laughs. “Relax! It’s not that serious. I’ve got everything arranged. Nothing will go wrong in the short term.”
Then his expression turns serious. “This time, I’m really going, but not for training. I’m escorting my brother safely to the Western Federation.”
Roderick argues, “Like I said, I’ll do what I can. It might not be perfect protection, but at least there won’t be any major problems.”
Henwell shakes his head. “You don’t get it. There
will
be big trouble! Someone powerful will come after my brother.”
Roderick’s eyes widen. “I don’t know much about the Holy Spirit Church, but I heard from Duke Kolen that they’re a force that can command royal families. Vorry’s rise to a kingdom needed their approval, and the royal families respect them deeply. Your brother is someone the Holy Spirit Church is grooming. Who would dare mess with him?”
Henwell sighs. “Ah, many people want to. You’ve got some idea now. My uncle was made the Southwest Duke of Vorry, which complicates things for the Phoenix family and me. If something happens to my brother on this westward journey, it’ll be serious. Our situation will get messy.”
Roderick gasps, “Are you saying King Vorry wants to move against Orak?”
Henwell shakes his head again. “Not just him! Your king, the King of Ogiro—they all have reasons to act. Without the Phoenix family’s alliance, both Ika and Ogiro kingdoms have excuses to try and pull me away!”
Chapter 263: You’re Not Getting Married?
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