The Lord Of Blood Hill-Chapter 77: He's Wearing a Human Skin Mask!
Henwell's response doesn't satisfy Baron Hornes, who still looks incredulously at Henwell, repeating his question. "Why weren't you in the room?"
Henwell points to the open window, "The moonlight is too bright! I have trouble sleeping, and such bright moonlight really affects my rest. But since it was already late, I didn't want to bother the servants, so I went next door to my attendant's room to make do for the night."
Henwell's room is flanked by two rooms occupied by his attendants. After hearing Henwell's explanation, one of the baron's knights checks both rooms. In the left room, they find Henwell's clothes, and in the right room, the two attendants are residing. Seeing his knight nod lightly, indicating no issues, Baron Hornes is at a loss for how to handle the situation.
Just as he considers laughing off the incident, Henwell suddenly steps further into the room. "Hey! Why is this window open? It's quite chilly at night; sleeping with an open window might make someone sick!"
With that, Henwell walks toward the window, reaching out as if to close it. Before Baron Hornes can stop him, Henwell suddenly calls out, half his body leaning out the window. "Look! There's someone on the wall outside! An assassin! An assassin!"
Henwell's shout wakes the entire estate, and guards rush from all directions toward the commotion. Baron Hornes squeezes to the window and sees a figure in black moving along the estate wall.
Realizing the situation is dire, Baron Hornes plans to hold Henwell back to give the figure a chance to escape. But Henwell unexpectedly retreats from the window, returning to the crowd.
Just as Baron Hornes tries to signal the black-clad figure to leave quickly, the window of the adjacent room opens. Seeing Henwell leaning out halfway, Baron Hornes immediately calls out, "Arius, it's dangerous! Get back inside, we'll catch the culprit!"
Henwell grins, and under the cold moonlight, his perfectly white teeth give his smile a chilling edge. He swiftly slips back inside, and moments later, reappears at the window, this time wielding a large bow. With an arrow nocked and the string drawn back, he releases a shot at the fleeing figure in black.
The high-quality bow and armor-piercing arrows leave the black-clad figure no choice but to dodge rather than face it head-on. Before the figure can steady himself on the next protrusion of the wall, Henwell has already loosed a second arrow with rapid-fire precision, predicting the figure's movement perfectly.
The figure in black now faces two options: take the arrow head-on or let go and drop. Seeing the previous arrow embed three inches into the wall, he knows he can't withstand it. So, he lets go, preparing to fall to the next level.
As he drops over a meter, he's horrified to see Henwell has already released a third arrow. With no way to change direction mid-air, the figure can only watch as the arrow strikes his chest with deadly accuracy.
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As he hits the ground, Henwell fires another arrow for good measure. The first arrow, although partially absorbed by the figure's defenses, still pierces nearly two inches into his body, disrupting his balance and causing him to crash hard onto the ground.
As his internal fighting spirit dissipates from the ten-meter fall, Henwell's second arrow proves fatal, driving through his chest and pinning him to the grass.
Henwell sets down the bow, grabs his longsword, and leaps out the window. Using the window ledges to slow his descent, he lands smoothly and swiftly on the ground. He reaches the fallen figure before the guards can arrive, ready to confront whatever threat remains.
With a flick of his longsword, Henwell reveals the face beneath the mask. "Baron Hornes," he calls up, "this is one of your knights!"
A moment later, Baron Hornes descends, his expression dark as he glares at Henwell. "Why did you kill him?"
Henwell adopts an innocent look. "Because he was an assassin! As your guest, treated with such hospitality, I couldn't just stand by."
The baron retorts angrily, "Couldn't he have been out catching the assassin?"
Henwell bends down and retrieves a woman's intimate garment from the corpse. "Baron, I don't think catching an assassin requires this! This looks like it belongs to the woman from the room earlier—the scent is the same! And his attire hardly seems suited for apprehending anyone."
He clicks his tongue in disbelief.
"Tsk tsk! A knight lusting after his lord's daughter-in-law, and planning such vile acts—it's madness. It's a disgrace to his knighthood and to you, Baron. I suspect he planned to abduct your daughter-in-law, thinking I wouldn't be in my room after the banquet. He intended to commit his crime, but your timely intervention startled him, leading to his escape and our discovery. Acting out of justice and honor, I subdued him. Baron, isn't that the right way to put it?"
Baron Hornes responds coldly, "Arius! You're pushing it too far!"
Henwell steps forward, "Oh? Are you blaming me now? Did I say something wrong? What narrative do you want, Baron? That I, drunk and lustful, abducted your daughter-in-law in the dead of night, was caught by your knight, and silenced him?"
Baron Hornes wishes he could claim that as the truth, but with so many eyes watching, any attempt to twist the story would be futile. He risks becoming a laughingstock among the nobility if he tries to defend it.
Baron Hornes pauses for a moment, then asks, "Arius, what do you want?"
Henwell gestures, and his attendant Rawkins hands him the Proof Of Glory. "Baron, how about leaving your seal on this? I'm sure there's a better way to handle this!"
Baron Hornes replies, "I'll have my seal on it shortly."
Henwell simply smiles at Baron Hornes, maintaining eye contact. After a brief standoff, Baron Hornes reluctantly agrees and has his family seal brought over, leaving its mark on the parchment.
Henwell puts away the document and draws a dagger, crouching down. "What are you doing? Desecrating my knight's body?"
Henwell turns with a grin, "Baron, you're mistaken! This can't be your knight. It's clearly an assassin disguised as one of your men. Your knights are loyal; they wouldn't commit such heinous acts. I believe someone has used a disguise!"
As he speaks, Henwell cuts away the face of the corpse in front of everyone. After he's done, Henwell points to the mutilated face and holds up the bloody mask, exclaiming, "See! I was right! This person isn't one of your knights!"
Everyone, including Baron Hornes, steps back. Their gazes toward Henwell are filled with caution and a hint of fear...
Chapter 77: He's Wearing a Human Skin Mask!
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