The Lord Of Blood Hill

Jeremy looks at Henwell and falls silent for a moment. “I won’t reveal your secret of being an Iron Knight.”

Henwell nods slightly. “Then I won’t reveal your secret of using your companions to delay so you could escape.”

Jeremy smiles. “Henwell! It’s a pleasure to meet you! You’ve given me so many surprises. If I’d met you earlier, we might have been great partners. Too bad now we’re stuck in this fight to the death.”

Henwell says calmly, “We’re both villains. We don’t like people like us. We prefer the good ones.”

Jeremy chuckles. “That’s true! I’m Jeremy. The members of Veil call me Dramatist. The drama I’m directing between the Western Federation and Billie has been pretty exciting, hasn’t it? Too bad you showed up to stir things up. Otherwise, it would’ve been a perfect finale. You’ve added some flaws to the play.”

Henwell shakes his head. “That’s what makes it great. Surprises and twists are what make a drama interesting.”

Jeremy claps his hands. “Great review! To show my thanks, I’ll personally design a play for you in the future. You’ll definitely be the star. I’m looking forward to what surprises and twists you’ll bring me then.”

Henwell nods. “Sounds good! But if it’s a lousy script, I’ll have to kill the writer and director!”

Jeremy raises an eyebrow. “Of course! Don’t doubt my professionalism. Also, Lady of Calamity, I bet you won’t let her go and will use her to pressure me. But I have to warn you, that woman is strange. Anyone involved with her usually ends up unlucky.”

Henwell replies, “That’s my business.”

Jeremy bows slightly. “Then goodbye for now. Next time we meet, you’ll be the star of my play!”

Jeremy’s figure gradually fades. Just before disappearing, he grins wickedly. “Oh, one more thing! Abyss Sin Shepherd Morris isn’t just a spellcaster. He’s a bloodline Warlock, a powerful one. Three Glory Rank warriors from the Western Regions have died by his hand. I hope you can escape his pursuit. I’m still waiting to write your story! If you die, well, I’m sorry.”

After Jeremy vanishes, Henwell smiles softly and murmurs, “Bloodline? Spellcaster? If that’s the case, then I won’t run anymore. Looks like my luck’s still pretty good.”

With that, Henwell returns to Catherine’s secret warehouse and tells her to wait there for a while.

Then Henwell grabs his greatswords and sets off to track Lady of Calamity.

He’s already left a trace of his aura on her, so as long as she stays in the fortress, she can’t escape his pursuit.

Soon, Henwell corners the faintly breathing Lady of Calamity in a room.

He raises his sword, ready to finish her off, but then hesitates.

To prevent Jeremy from revealing his secrets, it’s better to capture this woman alive.

Henwell removes her mask and notices traces of extraordinary disguise on her face.

Using Will Lock’s ability, he dispels the illusion covering her features.

Looking at Lady of Calamity’s true face, Henwell freezes for a moment, then furrows his brow.

After a brief pause, he sighs and decides to hide her away, leaving some healing potions and wiping away any traces she left behind.

Once that’s done, Henwell leaves the room and returns to meet Catherine.

Only now does he have the chance to explain the real situation.

At some point, Veil has already allied with Ulysses or found another way to control him.

In any case, they set this trap long ago, probably as soon as Henwell arrived at Rose Legion.

Maybe even earlier, since the moment Henwell became a Paladin, this scheme was in motion.

They exploited the Western Federation’s desire to expand influence in the Eastern nations, get a chance to capture the king.

They also used Henwell’s mission to rescue Catherine to trigger the entire plot.

Once everyone entered the fortress, the castle’s extraordinary spell severed all remote contact with the Western Federation.

Then they led them into the king’s hall, where the escape routes and shelter traps had no priority order.

No matter what Henwell and the others choose, the outcome is grim.

Veil’s professionals lie in ambush within the king’s hall’s shelter. Thanks to multiple extraordinary spells masking them, Henwell can barely detect their hidden presence.

Once the hall’s protective spells activate, it becomes a death trap.

If Henwell’s group chooses to enter the shelter first, they’re ambushed by Veil’s professionals.

Suffering heavy casualties, they have no choice but to retreat.

But the king’s hall is sealed, so they can only flee to the escape route, hoping to hold the entrance.

Yet upon reaching the escape route, they face a fresh ambush.

The exit is blocked, and the statue hall in the escape route is engulfed in flames.

Breaking through will demand a tremendous cost.

No matter what happens, once Henwell and the others activate the castle’s protective spells, everything is basically set in stone.

Veil’s plan is nearly flawless: five elite strike teams, seven top Grand Knights, fifty promising Battle Knights, and nearly two hundred elite cavalry.

Losing forces like that is enough to push the Western Federation into major action.

Afterwards, the Western Federation definitely won’t let it go quietly, they will intervene in the continent’s political affairs.

The chances of them sending troops are very high. Even if they don’t, there’s still Henwell’s Peace Haven.

As the lord of Peace Haven, being ambushed in Billie’s royal palace, what kind of outcome is that?

Peace Haven’s fierce warriors won’t just let it slide.

Those connected to Henwell won’t accept it either.

The Phoenix family, Iron Wall Legion, Arius from Yosui City, Duke Marcus of the Eastern Territory…

These forces will immediately unite to form a powerful army.

The Western Federation will give strong support, and Amir, the king of Vorry, will join in, sending troops to attack Billie.

None of Vorry’s nobles will oppose avenging Henwell.

People hate the living Henwell, but the dead Henwell? They’ll be crying over his grave with all their might.

What follows is the start of a continent-wide war.

Chaos.

Pure chaos.

War.

Endless war.

This is exactly what Veil wants.

The Western Federation expands its influence, the church pushes for missionary rights, and the empire supports puppet regimes.

Everyone gets what they want.

This is the ultimate outcome Dramatist Jeremy desires.

But now, everything is being stopped.

What puzzles Henwell is the role the Marquess of Nothing plays in all this.

Is he on Veil’s side? Or a secret agent for the church?

Or has he been with Ulysses all along?