The Lord Of Blood Hill

When the little girl extends her hand for money, Robin snaps, "How dare you! Get out of here!"

Frightened by his outburst, the girl bursts into tears. Arius frowns at Robin. "What are you doing to a little girl?"

Knight Commander Taitlant and the others also frown, making Robin realize his rudeness. Arius stands up and approaches the girl, crouching down beside her. Ignoring her dirty face, he uses his sleeve to gently wipe away her tears.

"There, there! Don't be scared; I'll give you the money."

After calming the girl, Arius instructs his butler, Samuel, "Give the girl some money." Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs novelFɪre.net

Samuel takes out a few gold coins and places them in the girl's hand, sending her on her way.

Suddenly, Knight Commander Taitlant speaks up, "Chabri, go get the gold coins back!"

As everyone looks on in confusion, Taitlant explains, "Exchange them for an equivalent amount in silver coins and escort her home! Make sure the townspeople see you."

Chabri nods and leaves, while Robin and Arius are left puzzled.

Samuel explains to Arius, "Lord Taitlant is very attentive. That girl isn't from a wealthy family. Judging by her clothes, her family is struggling, so having gold coins might bring trouble."

Arius is perplexed. "Trouble? What kind of trouble? Could someone try to rob her?"

Samuel doesn't respond, but Taitlant continues, "The town's sheriff or tax collector might claim that her possession of gold coins is suspicious, possibly stolen, or that she owes tax on them. They could legally confiscate the coins and, to justify their actions, might even arrest her family."

Arius, shocked, looks around at everyone, realizing from their expressions that the Knight Commander isn't exaggerating. He remains silent for a while before bowing slightly to Taitlant. "Thank you for the lesson!"

Robin grumbles, "That Henwell should have given the money to the girl earlier. Making her deliver a message and then surprisingly having us pay for it !"

Taitlant responds calmly, "He did the right thing. Poor people aren't necessarily bad, but they have no obligation to help you. If Henwell had given the money to the girl first, she might have forgotten or simply taken the money without delivering the message. We could have missed out on the message entirely!"

Arius nods slightly. "Don't overly suspect the malice of the wealthy, nor naively trust the kindness of the poor."

Cronin, the duchy's ceremonial officer, comments, "Arius, that's well said!"

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"It's not my saying! It's what Henwell told me."

Again with Henwell! Robin finds himself increasingly irritated by him. "Lord Arius, this Henwell is making us go find him; it's ridiculous!"

At this point, Knight Taitlant and the others stand to take their leave, intending to rest in their rooms. Just as Robin is about to leave, Arius calls him back. Samuel closes the door from outside, and the Knight Commander and others glance back.

They deliberately leave space for Arius to address Robin. Initially, they thought they might need to advise the young prince, but Arius proves to be wiser than they expected.

Once everyone leaves, Arius gets straight to the point. "Robin! I know you have grievances against Henwell. But let me be clear, compared to him, you're lacking significantly! Don't take it personally; it's not just my opinion. From the Grand Duke to the elders in our group, they all think the same."

"You might believe we're wrong, but for now, you need to keep your discontent to yourself. If I hear any more complaints about Henwell from you, you won't be staying by my side. Of course, if you feel wronged, you can leave now, and I assure you there won't be any trouble."

Seeing Arius's serious warning, Robin realizes his attitude problem. He quickly kneels on one knee. "I'm sorry, Lord Arius. It's my mistake! I promise this won't happen again, and I won't embarrass you!"

Arius sighs, "I know you've felt frustrated since that incident. But it's in the past now, and you don't need to keep yourself trapped there. You've been my friend since childhood, by my side for so many years. Henwell is also my friend, and within the Phoenix family, we're cousins."

"Both of you are my most capable allies, and your cooperation will help me achieve greater things. This alliance isn't going to be easy; we have many challenges ahead, and our team can't afford any divisions."

Robin lowers his head. "I understand, my lord. I promise not to harbor any more resentment towards Henwell, nor will I provoke him in any way."

Arius steps forward to help him up. "Good! Get some rest. We have to set off tomorrow. Remember, you are you, and Henwell is Henwell. There's no conflict of interest or question of replacing one another. Each of you has your own strengths that can help me. To me, you are both brothers I can rely on."

After Arius's warning, Robin becomes much more restrained. The next day, as they set out across the border, he encounters no difficulties.

A day later, as the group approaches a valley, they suddenly spot a lone rider waiting ahead. The guards immediately grip their sword hilts, spreading out cautiously. Arius recognizes the figure as Henwell and signals the group to proceed.

Henwell stands there in full armor and cloak, with a four-meter-long war spear planted beside him. Arius rides up with a smile, greeting, "Henwell, you really move fast!"

He then circles Henwell on his horse, tilting his head playfully, "Hey, have you secretly gotten taller?"

Henwell smiles back, "I've been working out every day; it's the perfect time for a growth spurt!"

As Taitlant approaches, he frowns slightly, his hand resting on his sword hilt. The other two captains also adopt a guarded stance, gripping their sword hilts, while Robin, oblivious, remains relaxed.

Taitlant asks, "Have you been in a fight? I can smell blood on you!"

Henwell glances at Taitlant, surprised by his sharp senses. Without confirming or denying, he addresses Arius and the others, "Have the rest stay outside. You guys, come with me."

They follow Henwell into the valley for a distance. After dismounting, he waves for the others to join him. They walk up to a hollow in the slope, where about twenty bodies lie strewn about.

The bodies' armor and weapons have had their insignias removed, but it's clear they are of high quality. Arius turns to Henwell, "Did you take them down?"

Henwell nods, "I arrived here ahead of you and discovered an ambush. Judging by their gear, they weren't ordinary bandits. They were likely here to assassinate us."