Chapter 261: Delegating Authority

After Orak returns to the Phoenix family with his family, he’ll only stay for a little over a month.

Then, he’s set to embark on a journey to the Western Federation.

Grace, as a mother, is visibly worried—her eldest son, whom she hasn’t seen for years, is now heading to a place she’s never even heard of.

After breakfast, Henwell speaks up directly. “Aunt Grace, don’t worry. I’ll personally escort brother to the Western Federation and guarantee his safety.”

Jansen frowns. “Nonsense! You have so many things on your plate. How can you just leave? All the affairs of Peace Haven need your attention, especially at this critical time. Don’t worry! Orak is personally chosen by the Archbishop for training; no one on the continent dares to lay a hand on him!”

Henwell shakes his head. “Uncle, I’m serious—I really am going to escort brother to the Western Federation.”

”First, since you and Aunt can’t send him off, it’s only natural that I, as his younger brother, take on the task. When I return, I’ll update you on brother’s situation in the Western Regions, so you can be more at ease.”

“Second, despite the Archbishop’s protection, the journey is long and crosses through the Ika Kingdom. There are plenty of people with both motive and means to cause trouble along the way! I’m now a Grand Knight. Anyone wanting to harm me would need to send the Iron Knight.”

”You know I have the Archbishop’s medal. Iron Knights on the continent are all well-known, with families and reputations. If they send the Grand Knight, maybe we can handle it. But if they dare send the Iron Knight, that’s a slap in the face to the Holy Spirit Church.”

’With me there, even if they send several Grand Knights, I can still protect brother and get him to safety! If they send more than five Grand Knights, I’ll immediately bring brother back.”

”That way, brother has a valid reason not to pursue further training. King Amir won’t be able to complain, unless he personally sends an Iron Knight to escort him. But I doubt he can convince those Iron Knights to cross enemy territory to escort brother to the Western Federation.”

Jansen thinks it over carefully and realizes Henwell’s reasoning makes sense.

But Jansen still has some concerns. “But are you really okay going alone? Peace Haven has plenty of eyes watching. If you’re not around, someone might try to test you.”

Henwell chuckles. “Uncle, you know our management system is different. I only set the big-picture development plans. Once the goals are set, various departments handle the details. My role is just to check those plans in each quarter.”

”I’ve already asked around. The Western Federation is thousands of kilometers away, but I’ll definitely be back within a year. I’m just setting a broad target for the team below. I train them to be independent, to help me manage Peace Haven. I’m not to be their babysitter. If I had to handle every little thing, why would I give them positions and salaries?”

He pauses briefly before continuing, “As for someone trying to test us, that’s inevitable. But they don’t really know the purpose of my trip. Don’t forget, I have the right to go for further training.”

”If they can’t tell whether I’ll come back or not, they won’t dare cause serious damage to Peace Haven. Also, this is a good chance for you to represent the family and help guard Peace Haven, easing tensions among family members.”

Jansen wants Henwell to stay, but he’s truly worried about his eldest son’s safety.

Besides, if Orak dies on the road, the Phoenix family and Henwell’s side would be trapped in a deadlock.

Both emotionally and logically, Jansen knows Henwell should make this trip.

But with such a huge territory, Henwell feels awkward dropping everything just to escort Orak.

Mrs. Grace understands her husband’s dilemma and rises to salute Henwell.

Before she can, Henwell quickly raises his hand to stop her. “Aunt Grace, what are you doing?”

She replies, “Henwell, you’ve always contributed to the Phoenix family—from protecting Arius to now safeguarding Orak. We owe you so much.”

Henwell smiles. “Aunt Grace, you’re being too formal. This is what I should do. Think of me as family, that’s what family does!”

Tears well up in Grace’s eyes. “Henwell, you poor child. You’ve been through so much. I really don’t want you to take any more risks. But you know, I’m truly worried about Orak…”

Henwell reassures her, “Don’t worry, Aunt Grace! I’m not the boy I used to be. Though I’m still young, I’ve got some skills to back me up. People know some of my… less savory reputation. It won’t be a problem!”

Henwell’s self-deprecating joke makes Elisa burst out laughing.

Jansen shoots his youngest daughter a sharp look, then turns to Henwell. “Since you’ve made up your mind, Henwell, hurry back to Peace Haven! Use this time to wrap up all the affairs there and get everything in order. Once that’s done, I’ll have Orak come find you.”

As Henwell leaves, he grins at Elisa, who’s making a funny face at him. “They brought a few white foxes to my manor. When you have some free time, come visit me. I’ll give them all to you!”

“What do they look like?”

“Hmm… they look pretty tasty!”

Henwell waves at the pouty Elisa, then bids farewell to Jansen and Grace before departing the Phoenix family castle.

In truth, escorting Orak is only part of Henwell’s plan. More importantly, he wants to get a better understanding of the mysterious Western Federation.

If that place weren’t on the continent, Henwell might treat it like the Holy Spirit Church or the Groias Empire—distant, almost mythical entities.

But since it’s here, he needs to know it inside and out.

He also plans to set up an intelligence outpost there.

Back at Peace Haven, Henwell dives into clearing the backlog of tasks.

Soon after, he calls together the heads of various departments to finalize next year’s plans and targets.

When they learn Henwell is heading out for a while and entrusting them with running Peace Haven, the pressure hits them hard.

The military and political chiefs especially feel overwhelmed.

Henwell appoints Rawkins as Chief of Military Affairs and Victor as Chief of Political Affairs.

Both have full authority to handle military and political matters on Henwell’s behalf. If they need to hit a tough decision, they’ll call an expanded meeting with all department heads to discuss.

If it still can’t be resolved, they’ll send it to Duke Jansen for a final ruling.

Henwell sees this as a good chance to test his military and political system for any gaps.

At the same time, he begins forming Peace Haven’s decision-making council, further delegating authority.

Since he plans to establish a cabinet, it’s crucial to use this stable period to train these people in advance.