Chapter 481: Whose Man Are You?!
After wrapping up matters in Cloud Tree City, Henwell sets off again, racing eastward.
His hundred-strong unit consists entirely of elite knights. Each rider has two horses, all equipped with extraordinary gear. As the main extraordinary combat force of the Holy Spirit Church during peacetime, the Paladin squad is naturally top-tier.
Their weapons and armor are lavish, every knight is decked out head to toe in extraordinary equipment. Even the two horses each knight rides carry some extraordinary bloodline, with distinct roles. One excels at long-distance endurance rides, while the other boasts powerful short-term bursts, perfect for sprint charges.
That long-distance horse alone outperforms the charging warhorses of eastern kingdoms’ knight orders. For ordinary riders, keeping pace with the Paladin squad is nearly impossible.
But Henwell’s Lord Iron Guards, a fifty-man elite unit, are just as formidable. Among them is Wizet, a thirty-two-year-old Grand Knight who, although newly promoted, fights alongside Henwell and benefits from the Civilization Aura boost, making him as capable as seasoned Grand Knights.
Additionally, the squad includes six team leaders and a deputy captain, all Battle Knights. With one Grand Knight, seven Battle Knights, and forty-two elite knights, this matches the Holy Spirit Church’s standard Penitence Squad formation.
Their weapons and armor come from Peace Haven’s finest. Although their Alloy No. 55 hasn’t yet met Henwell’s ideal standards, that doesn’t mean Peace Haven can’t produce excellent extraordinary metals. Henwell simply demands alloys that are affordable, use unrestricted raw materials, ensure self-sufficiency, and meet performance requirements.
The Lord Iron Guards have recently upgraded their gear, switching from the previously copied Billie’s Greensteel to their own formula. This black metal with a subtle blue flame finish is simply called Ink Blue Steel.
It’s a transitional extraordinary alloy. Peace Haven plans to replace it with even better alloys in the future, so there’s no need for a flashy name.
While equipment made from this alloy is slightly inferior to the Holy Spirit Church’s Penitence Squad gear, there’s no significant quality gap.
The main difference between the Lord Iron Guards and the Penitence Squad lies in their warhorses.
Though both units ride two horses per rider, and Henwell has invested heavily in acquiring rare materials to imbue their mounts with extraordinary bloodlines, the breeding of high-grade warhorses in Peace Haven is still in its early stages. It will take a long time to catch up.
During long rides, if Henwell hadn’t been secretly using Will Lock to activate Civilization Aura on the Lord Iron Guards, the Penitence Squad would have pulled far ahead after just a hundred miles.
From a distance, it’s hard to tell the two units apart. Both wear dark-colored armor, though the Penitence Squad’s is more ornate. Their cloaks are black as well, making close inspection necessary to spot differences.
Another distinguishing feature is their banners, one bears the Holy Spirit Church’s emblem, while the other flies Peace Haven’s flag.
Covering two thousand miles, the journey takes a full week of day-and-night travel for this elite unit. If it were a larger force, it would take at least a month.
Henwell chooses not to enter Billie from Tyran City but takes a slightly longer route through Liverpool instead. This path passes through Catherine’s territory, and Henwell intends to help her stabilize the troops’ morale.
If Catherine returns to find her forces scattered, she’ll be a lone figure with nowhere to go. Bringing her back intact would be a direct slap in Melissa’s face.
After a brief rest at the border, the group prepares to officially cross over. Although this is Catherine’s land, Billie’s king has already stationed envoys here.
Henwell knows the Billie king respects his status, but he can’t be sure that ambitious subordinates won’t misinterpret orders and cause trouble. Many people here only have a limited understanding of the Holy Spirit Church.
If the envoy tries to make a move, Henwell’s forces need to be ready to respond. That’s why he has the unit rest and recover, to prepare for any sudden conflict.
A day later, under the watchful eyes of Vorry’s garrison, Henwell and his group cross the border and enter Billie’s territory.
They face no obstacles, as Catherine has managed this area for a long time. She had already sent envoys for help, and her subordinates know Henwell is here to rescue her.
Moreover, Peace Haven and Catherine’s Rose Legion have numerous overt and covert dealings, so the two sides are familiar with each other.
Although the Rose Legion commander guarding the border tries to downplay Henwell’s arrival, the presence of such an elite armed force naturally draws attention.
King Ulysses of Billie is no fool. He’s long anticipated Catherine reaching out to Henwell for help.
Not only has he activated spies embedded within the Rose Legion, but he’s also dispatched several elite knight squads to patrol the border, hunting down anyone trying to cross over for aid. This is one of the main reasons that messenger ended up severely wounded.
Moreover, King Ulysses sends pursuit teams working with informants in Vorry to intercept any stragglers who slip through.
If it weren’t for Meredith from the Military Intelligence Office, who happened to be in Cloud Tree City assisting Doyle’s coup and detected the movements of Billie’s spies, that messenger wouldn’t have made it alive to Peace Haven.
Under normal intelligence channels, Henwell wouldn’t have received the news for another month. By then, it might be too late.
Time is of the essence. Once King Ulysses learns of Henwell’s crossing, he’ll do everything possible to slow him down.
The king’s envoy within the Rose Legion already has orders to block Henwell at all costs.
Again, it’s a matter of perspective, many underestimate Henwell’s combat power and the Holy Spirit Church’s influence on the continent.
Just as the envoy is about to order the traitorous Rose Legion commander to mobilize troops and expel Henwell, Henwell’s squad storms into the Rose Castle.
Breaking down the main gate, Henwell commands his men to throw down over a hundred heads and shouts, “Whose men are these?!”
The rebellious Rose Legion commander shouts back, “How dare you kill my men! You’re provoking the kingdom—”
Before he finishes, Henwell hurls his spear, ripping his upper body apart.
“Conspiring with the Veil Organization to ambush the church’s Paladins, this crime demands death! Now, someone tell me who’s backing him. I want to see if he’s a Veil Organization mole, a cancer planted inside the Billie Kingdom!”