Henwell sleeps soundly for a full day, only waking up that night.
During that time, several important visitors come to see him.
Grand Duke Reyes, Dukes Fabio and Obiken, even Marquis Descartes from the Noblesâ Alliance drop by to check on him.
Besides them, Arius makes a visit too.
Actually, he came by the previous evening as well.
This time, he arrives representing King Amir, bringing a generous supply of royal extraordinary supplements and potions.
The last visitor is the church guard captain from Archbishop Atwoodâs entourage.
This Iron Knight brings a lot of gifts, all to thank Henwell for stepping in.
If Henwell hadnât spotted the assassin first and blocked the attack, the Archbishop wouldâve been seriously woundedâor worse.
Though Henwellâs interception was brief, it gave the other Iron Knights time to react.
Plus, his brave fighting afterward played a huge role in the outcome.
This Iron Knight, named Bridge, regrets to say that the Archbishop had intended to bring someone as outstanding as Henwell into the churchâs training program.
But because the Archbishop was badly injured, the guard suffered heavy losses, and that thug Newwood escaped, staying here is too dangerous.
Not just for the Archbishop, even Silver Peak City isnât safe anymore.
Bridge relays the Archbishopâs offer: if Henwell is willing, he can head west to meet a contact.
Someone will then escort Henwell into the church.
Before leaving, Bridge hands over a cross-shaped badgeâa token to find the contact.
Itâs also a symbol of status, marking Henwell as a church knight.
It means Henwell is under the protection of the Holy Spirit Church, anyone trying to kill him is provoking the church itself.
Of course, this protection applies only to Henwell personally; factions like Peace Haven arenât covered by the churchâs shield.
Bridge also reassures everyone that Newwood wonât linger here.
His target is the Archbishop, so once the Archbishop leaves, Newwood will follow.
That strange teleportation method Newwood used yesterday covers such a vast distance, itâs unlikely heâll return anytime soonâmaybe never.
Bridge also leaves behind some advanced potions and a training manual for knights.
Itâs not church knight exclusive, but a fairly universal cultivation method.
The content is enough to train up to the Iron Knight rankâan incredibly valuable resource.
Bridge specifically instructs that this material must not be sharedâonly for Henwellâs use.
Once Henwell wakes up, he carefully inspects all the items, and captain Simon tidies them away safely.
This time, Henwell feels much better physically but still struggles to get out of bed.
After taking the potions and supplements Arius brought, Henwell can feel his blood regenerating steadily.
He only rests for one night before waking again.
Half of his blood has been restored, and with some help, he manages to get out of bed.
But everyone insists he stay lying down to rest.
As soon as Henwell wakes, Melissa rushes over early in the morning.
She had stayed by his side all day yesterday while he slept, only leaving with Grand Duke Marcus that night.
Today, seeing Henwell awake, Melissa runs up, clutching her dress, and throws herself into his arms, crying her heart out.
The two Lord Iron Guards tactfully step out, giving them some privacy.
Henwell can only smile awkwardly and softly comfort the tearful beauty in his arms.
Around noon, Melissaâs older brother Spencer drops by to talk to Henwell.
He watches his sister rush out, her clothes slightly disheveled and cheeks flushed.
Spencer eyes Henwell suspiciously. âHey, you little bastard, you didnât try anything inappropriate while she was here, did you?â
Henwell rolls his eyes. âIâm so weak I need help just to pee. What kind of âinappropriateâ things could I possibly do? Besides, even if I did, itâd be totally justified, Iâm her fiancĂ©; itâs all above board!â
Spencer scoffs, correcting him, âYou wish! Itâs just an engagement!â
Henwell doesnât have the energy to argue back. Spencer looks at him, wrapped in bandages like a mummy, and grumbles, âIf I hadnât reacted fast, my sister wouldâve been knocked down by you!â
âSeriously, since you sensed something was off, why didnât you just run with her? Why did you have to be a hero yourself! That thug was deadly, if heâd used his blade back instead of kicking then, Iâd be laying flowers on your grave right now!â
Henwell reaches out, signaling Spencer to pour him a glass of water.
With a helpless sigh, he says, âYou think I wanted this? I had no idea he was that dangerous! By the time I realized, it was too late! And I thought he was after me! Of course I fought back. With Melissa right there, it was even more dangerous.â
Heâs not lying, he only felt a sharp, murderous intent aimed at him.
There was no time to debate; his instincts took over.
If heâd known the assassin was targeting the Archbishop, he wouldâve run faster than anyone.
Suddenly, Henwell asks, âHey, what happened to those monstersâ bodies? Where are they? Get me one, I want to dissect and study it.â
Spencer glares. âWhat kind of weird hobby is that? Theyâre all gone!â
Henwell doesnât buy it. âNo way! So many monster corpses, did the royal family just pocket them all?â
âNope! The Archbishop purified them all yesterday. Heard it was quite a spectacle. They piled up the bodies, then used divine magic to set them ablaze. In a flash of white light, everything turned to ashânot even weapons or armor left.â
Henwell frowns. âNobody stashed any away secretly?â
Spencer shrugs. âEveryone wanted to, but the Archbishop ordered that all the monsters be cleansed. Otherwise, more could be attracted, risking the destruction of the entire kingdom or even the continent. â
âPlus, Iron Knights personally supervised the collection. Whoâd dare pull a stunt? Most importantly, that stuffâs so dangerous, only someone like you would want to dissect it. What are you gonna doâstudy if itâs edible?â
Henwell waves him off. âYou wouldnât understand. So, the Archbishop and the others left today?â
âYeah, I didnât see them. They said theyâre leaving tonight, but no one knows for sure. Ask Arius tomorrow.â
After everyone leaves, Henwell toys with a coin in his hand.
Itâs neither gold nor silver, an inky blue metal he doesnât recognize.
Itâs the finest extraordinary alloy heâs ever seen.
Itâs the coin that thug left wedged in his ribcage after kicking him that day.
Henwell has no idea what it is or where it came from.
But he recognizes the strange imageâor rather, the wordâengraved on it.
The front shows a snarling hunting dogâs head, with a single English word behind it: Cool!