Chapter 265: The Difficulty of Assassination

While Duke Jansen intimidates Phoenix family to protect Henwell’s territory, Henwell, having been on the road for over half a month, arrives outside Wilderness City.

Looking at the sprawling metropolis, Henwell can no longer spot the scars of war that marked it more than a decade ago.

Fifteen years ago, Kavize brought Henwell here.

It was in this very place that Henwell trained under Kavize, learning combat skills and later meeting Fabio.

This city was where Henwell first clearly realized that he had to rely on himself to survive in this world.

To live, you must kill; to live better, you must kill more!

This is where Henwell’s transformation began—the first step on his path to power and martial strength.

Here, he helped Fabio forge the early form of the Iron Wall Legion, and here he grasped the true nature of war.

Orak only knows part of Henwell’s story, like how he met Fabio here.

But he doesn’t realize Henwell is originally from the Ika Kingdom.

Noticing Henwell lost in thought, Orak asks, “What’s on your mind? Thinking about those battles back then?”

Henwell falls silent for a moment. “Do you know how many people were buried here fifteen years ago?”

Orak shakes his head. “No idea! I was fighting on the southern front then. My father took me along with the Ogiro Kingdom’s army to battle the Lumir Duchy.”

”But really, what land isn’t soaked in blood? Every country, every lord’s territory, is bought with countless lives—both enemy and our own! Too many to count! The only thing we can do is make sure we’re not the ones buried beneath the soil.”

Henwell chuckles softly. “Heh… that’s true. Everything we do is to keep ourselves from being buried underground.”

With that, Henwell spurs his horse forward.

They don’t enter Wilderness City itself; instead, they settle in a small town just outside.

It’s kind of ironic. This little town was built on the foundations of the allied forces’ camp from fifteen years ago.

At this moment, the westbound group isn’t flying the Phoenix family banner, nor that of Peace Haven.

Nor is it the flag of the Vorry Kingdom.

Instead, it bears a white-platinum cross star embroidered on it.

This is the banner of the Holy Spirit Church.

Before Henwell’s arrival, he specifically commissioned Peace Haven’s finest tailor to craft this grand flag from the best materials.

Though the town’s sheriff and residents don’t recognize the flag, its quality and craftsmanship clearly mark it as no ordinary noble standard.

Plus, every rider in the group rides two horses, fully armored and armed, with a cloak billowing behind him.

Even the dullest onlookers can tell these people are no commoners.

So the town sheriff doesn’t dare take them lightly.

He personally escorts Henwell and his party to the town’s largest inn.

He also helps the innkeeper clear out the other guests.

Though some original lodgers grumble at being forced to move, their complaints quickly die when they see the knights lined up neatly outside.

Henwell’s choice to fly this flag isn’t meant to intimidate the small-town residents.

It’s primarily a symbol of status.

Any faction—including the Ika Kingdom—that considers attacking this group now has to seriously weigh the consequences.

Sure, some might still take the risk, but at least the assassins sent will need to be reconsidered and redeployed.

Some of the original professionals will have to be replaced.

Otherwise, if the trail about attacking leads back to them, whoever’s behind it will face the wrath of having slapped the Holy Spirit Church in the face.

Henwell’s sudden involvement in the group already caught many off guard, forcing them into hurried plan adjustments.

They just finalized a new assassination plan, and now Henwell’s move clearly means they have to rethink everything again.

They’ll do their best to keep any assassin’s identity from linking back to themselves.

But Henwell is a Grand Knight—a remarkably fierce one at that.

Among Grand Knights, he’s also a rare expert.

To pull off an assassination, they’d need someone even stronger, or better yet, multiple Grand Knights working together.

And here we circle back to the same problem: Grand Knights aren’t just common soldiers!

Stronger Grand Knights—especially those on the verge of breaking through to Iron Knight—are the trump cards of every faction.

These elite warriors usually have clear family origins, since raising a Grand Knight demands massive resources.

Even prodigies get quickly recruited and absorbed by powerful families.

That’s why when Henwell reveals his Grand Knight rank, the reaction from all sides is so intense.

It means he’s a rock-solid anchor ensuring his family’s prosperity for generations.

Let’s say some fearless family is willing to sacrifice their own interests to send a Grand Knight assassin.

But would those Grand Knights truly be eager to risk their lives battling Henwell?

Especially those who are about to become the Iron Knight, they’re even less willing to gamble on a fight with Henwell.

If, under pressure from their family or royalty, a Grand Knight is dispatched to kill Henwell, will they wholeheartedly commit?

They could just tour the Ika Kingdom, miss Henwell by a step, and report back.

Claiming they failed to catch him or, shamelessly, that no suitable assassination opportunity arose.

And the higher-ups certainly won’t order them killed for that!

These Grand Knights enjoy privileges as elite forces of their kingdoms, even above many nobles.

Not to mention, each has a powerful family backing them.

Right now, Henwell’s tactic is the same as during the Path of Honor, using speed to outmaneuver slower foes.

With the Holy Spirit Church’s banner, large-scale army intercepts simply won’t happen.

So the only threats come from surprise assassinations and small, elite strike teams.

And such attacks absolutely rely on maintaining secrecy and careful planning.

Henwell’s two recent moves make it hard for his enemies to organize effective strikes anytime soon.

Henwell predicts that hordes of bandits will soon try to ambush the westbound group.

Their goal is just to slow them down, buying time for subsequent assassination attempts.

Afterward, elite killers will be sent to target Henwell directly.

Though many factions hesitate to send their own Grand Knights, they can always hire mercenaries.

Coincidentally, Henwell knows of a formidable assassin organization with plenty of skilled operatives—the Veil Organization.

He plans to use this opportunity to probe just how deep Veil’s influence really runs.

After hearing some intel from Newwood, Henwell’s quite intrigued by Veil Organization.

It won’t be long before Henwell surprises his “old employer”, showing them just how exceptional the talent they trained really is.