The Lord Of Blood Hill

In truth, Henwell isn’t lying. His port in South Bay is really just to build an adventurous fleet.

Henwell is certain there’s at least one more continent in this plane.

The Forgotten Continent where he is is called the East Continent by others.

That implies there must be other continents.

Maybe even the abundant continent!

Newwood never explicitly says so, but tacitly acknowledges that beyond the Forgotten Continent, other lands exist.

Whether to explore the world map or to prepare a naval officer corps, Henwell’s current investment makes sense.

Those pirate experts Newwood trains will meet him after his wedding.

Henwell wouldn’t stoop so low as to poach Newwood’s people.

But having a channel to recruit skilled seafarers early on to train naval officers is invaluable.

Now, only Henwell and Obilian remain at the table, each guarded by a single bodyguard.

These guards, like Simon, are likely Obilian’s trusted aides.

Henwell looks at Obilian. “Alright, no outsiders now. Let’s be frank. You want the throne, you have political and financial backing. What you lack is an elite armed force, a decisive military unit to settle things when crises arise.”

“I’ll help you build that army. You recruit the men, I’ll sell you equipment at a discount, and I’ll send military trainers.”

Obilian replies calmly, “That’s asking me to start a rebellion.”

Henwell sighs. “Come on, Your Highness, no need to hold back now. We both know power is built on the blade’s edge and the charge of iron hooves.”

“You want to be king? Without an army, your own army, that’s impossible.”

Obilian doesn’t argue. “But is the army you train really mine? Do I dare to use it? Also, you’re stingy, helping train the troops but not giving me the equipment, making me pay for it myself.”

Henwell replies, “If I gave it to you, would you really accept it?”

Obilian falls silent. As a prince of a duchy, accepting weapons and gear from Henwell would carry political stigma, a mark that could haunt him.

Henwell continues, “Like I said, you recruit the soldiers yourself. My people only handle the training. The army you build gets six months of training, during which your men can participate to supervise. Then, over the next year and a half, I’ll teach your officers how to command in battle. When your army is ready, it’s handed over to you.”

Obilian asks, “You won’t plant spies among them?”

Henwell laughs, “What nonsense! Of course I will. If I said I wouldn’t, you wouldn’t believe me anyway. But overall, command remains yours. I just expect some intelligence reports.”

“My father, my brothers, and the other high-ranking nobles in the duchy won’t allow me to form a private military force.”

Henwell nods. “You agreed to lease the port, so you’re responsible for it. Others may cause trouble, but they can’t mess with me. You need to guard the place. At the same time, you represent the duchy overseeing my port, having a basic armed force there is reasonable.”

“Besides, your newly formed legion, no one expects a fresh troop to be battle-ready in just two years. But I happen to have this skill, I’ve already proven I can make it happen.”

Seeing Obilian silent, Henwell suddenly shifts topics. “You know I hold a Paladin position in the Holy Spirit Church, right? Do you know what a Paladin’s role is? I have certain law enforcement powers across nations.”

Henwell then explains the Paladin’s duties.

Impressed by Henwell’s authority, Obilian asks, puzzled, “What does that have to do with me? You’re a Paladin, but you can’t intervene in royal successions or politics. Your status won’t help me.”

Henwell taps the Paladin badge on his chest. “I’m a Paladin tasked with hunting down Veil remnants. So tell me, Your Highness, have you never had contact with Veil? Your subordinates or allies never hired Veil operatives?”

“Can you guarantee none of the factions you deal with are controlled by Veil behind the scenes?”

Obilian begins to understand but still frowns. “We can deny it because we don’t know if Veil controls them.”

Henwell strokes his Paladin badge. “Whether you admit it or not doesn’t matter. What matters is Veil is a terror group plaguing the continent, wanted by all nations. And I, as a Paladin, am the warrior who hunts such terror groups and their affiliates.”

“If I say you’re guilty, then you’re guilty. If I say you’re deceived, then you become a victim.”

Obilian replies, “That makes it easy to bring them down.”

Henwell laughs, “Ha ha ha… Your Highness, don’t you think I’m a tough nut to crack? Once I set my sights on someone, it’s a real headache for them.”

Obilian sighs, “Well, this might be a bit forward, but you really are hard to deal with. Offending you won’t bring any good outcomes.”

Henwell raises his glass. “Thank you for the compliment! I take it as a sign I’m doing my job well. After all, when it comes to rooting out the continent’s cancer, I’m fiercely loyal to the Church.”

“So, Your Highness, once your political enemies catch my attention, they’re in for a rough time. If luck’s on our side, I can send them away for good.”

“If they’re lucky, I can at least cripple them.”

“At worst, I’ll ruin their reputation.”

“You see, what I can do is pretty important to you, isn’t it?”

Obilian already senses the threat beneath Henwell’s words.

If he refuses Henwell’s terms, someone else will take the offer.

After all, the king has more than one son, and more than one contender for the throne.

Then Henwell’s dirty tactics will be aimed right at him.

Just the thought of Henwell messing with him gives Obilian a headache.

With a long sigh, Obilian raises his glass, “Henwell, I know I’ll regret this decision one day. For many years to come, I’ll curse myself for agreeing to your devilish whisper today. In those days ahead, I’ll regret not once but many times that I didn’t draw my sword and pierce your chest right now.”

Henwell gently clinks his glass against Obilian’s. “Don’t be foolish. If you stab me, I won’t dodge. I’ll use that as a reason to send troops right into the Duchy of Lumir. Lumir won’t see you as a hero—they’ll think you started a war and brought ruin upon them.”

Obilian corrects him, “Just an early ruin.”

Henwell doesn’t argue. “That sounds bad enough. At least for now, no one wants to be destroyed.”