Chapter 448: The Fierce Wolf Surrounded by Tigers

Seeing Henwell’s domineering threat, the faces of the Lumir Duchy nobles flare with anger.

Obilian furrows his brow. “Henwell, I think you’re underestimating us! Lumir will not accept your threats! Just because we don’t want war doesn’t mean we fear it. We are not as weak as you imagine!”

Henwell sighs. “Ah, Your Highness, you misunderstand. I’m not threatening you.I’m simply stating a fact. I’m in a land of constant warfare. Any provocation or test must be met with an adequate response.”

“Today, Ogiro pushes forward and I make no move. Tomorrow, Ika will test me. The day after, my king may squeeze me further. Once they see me as weak, they will unite and crush me together! Lumir won’t just stand by, they’ll take their share of blood and flesh from me.”

“Rather than letting it get to that point, I’d rather show I’m dangerous from the start. I’ve never underestimated Lumir, but it’s undeniable you’re the weakest neighbor I have. You know I command 100,000 elite troops. If I march south, Ika won’t confront me head-on.”

“They’ll gather strength, seize lost territories, and only then consider what price to pay to support you. That’s three or six months down the line. With those 100,000 troops, how much land do you think I can take in Lumir? If luck’s on my side, I’ll just swap territories and become one of your knight lords.”

“I don’t expect any kingdom to send armies far away to rescue you. Unless you’re willing to mobilize your entire nation and risk everything on a full-scale war with me. Otherwise, within two years, I’ll firmly establish myself in Lumir.”

“Then, you won’t have to worry about anything else, waking up every day just to figure out how to get rid of me.”

“Or, if you’re less fortunate, you’ll be scrambling to stop me from expanding further.”

Seeing their grim expressions, Henwell spreads his hands. “See? Now that’s a threat!”

Obilian and several top officials understand that Henwell is not lying.

In fact, Lumir’s leadership has secretly discussed that Peace Haven must not fall.

If Henwell is driven out of Peace Haven, his only refuge will inevitably be within Lumir’s borders.

While others might welcome this hungry wolf stepping onto their turf, for Lumir, it’s a different story.

The Ika Kingdom could use the pretense of supporting Henwell to gradually nibble away at Lumir’s territory.

Ogiro would tacitly back Henwell, letting him stir trouble right on their doorstep.

As for the Vorry royal family, who once saw Henwell as a national scourge, they would quickly switch to mourning his loss.

One moment, Henwell is a destructive warlord; the next, he becomes Vorry’s hero.

Naturally, the Vorry Kingdom would rally behind him wholeheartedly.

In the end, Lumir alone suffers the consequences.

Lumir’s leaders know Henwell’s army is formidable. To stop his expansion, they would need twice their military strength.

To eradicate this cancer, as Henwell himself said, Lumir would have to wage a full-scale war, gambling the fate of the nation against this hungry wolf secretly supported by multiple kingdoms.

No matter the outcome, Lumir would already be defeated.

The moment the war begins, Lumir’s downfall is sealed.

If they lose, it’s game over.

If they win, it’s a costly victory.

Afterward, the Vorry Kingdom would claim vengeance for Henwell and send troops south.

Ogiro wouldn’t miss the chance to take advantage either.

And their ally Ika would be more than happy to justify a large-scale invasion under the guise of supporting an ally.

The result? Lumir gets carved up by three powers.

This is the main reason why Henwell, this cancerous force, continues to survive in the land of four wars.

In previous conflicts, everyone has recognized Henwell’s destructive potential.

If this hungry wolf is ever cornered, he has the ability to drag any nation into the abyss with him.

Though everyone knows they can’t let Henwell grow unchecked, no one has the resolve to make that final decision.

At this moment, everyone carefully studies Peace Haven’s strategic position and political influence.

They pound the table in frustration, swearing that Henwell really picked one hell of a spot!

Four kingdoms are divided into two camps: the coalition and the allies. They’ve held grudges for ages, making genuine cooperation nearly impossible.

The Vorry and Ogiro kingdoms, thanks to messy marriage alliance, have lost all strategic trust between them.

Without the Belier Kingdom acting as a mediator, there’s no chance they’d sincerely unite.

Belier actually wishes these two kingdoms would just collapse outright, why would he vouch for them?

Ika and Lumir are allies, yes, but they’re still separate nations.

Ika’s overwhelming strength keeps Lumir constantly on edge.

These two won’t truly unite either; Lumir fears being cannon fodder.

So, Peace Haven looks like a battleground surrounded by four powers.

One wrong move, and it’s an ambush waiting to happen.

But that’s only if Peace Haven isn’t strong enough. If it were weak, everyone could just sit down and carve it up with smiles.

Now, this prime piece of land is guarded by a fierce beast. Anyone who tries to take it gets savaged.

That changes the stakes completely. If someone gets seriously wounded, the feast on the table won’t just be Peace Haven anymore.

Everyone’s hungry and greedy.

If there’s a chance to feast on a big prize, no one will let it slip away.

This creates a dilemma.

Everyone knows Henwell can’t be allowed to grow, but no one wants to be the first to provoke this beast.

At the same time, no one will just stand by. They keep testing Henwell, trying to find a balance.

Unfortunately, Henwell’s political instincts are razor sharp. The moment Ogiro makes a move, Henwell immediately plans a ruthless counter.

He leaves the choice to Lumir.

If Lumir rejects Henwell’s terms, Henwell fights Lumir tooth and nail.

If Lumir agrees, they’ll definitely offend Ogiro.

Ogiro, having been messed with, will mark Lumir down.

If there’s ever another chance to unite against Henwell, Ogiro’s trust in Lumir will be even lower.

Realizing all this, Obilian looks at Henwell calmly sipping his drink and can’t help but admire how tough this guy is to deal with.

Only a genius could create such a situation in the land of four wars.

Thinking about how much stronger Henwell will become in the future, Obilian already feels a pounding headache.

When he takes power, he’ll have to face a Henwell twice or even several times stronger.