Chapter 459: Must Stay Hidden

Vanessa’s concern for her son draws a sharp rebuke from Obian.

“Henwell can’t back down now. The higher his status, the less he can afford to retreat! Don’t interfere with Henwell’s decisions, he knows exactly what he’s doing. Our job is to take care of ourselves so Henwell doesn’t have to worry about us!”

Henwell deeply understands his mother’s worries.

Then, he takes action to reassure them.

Gene Lock disengages, and Blood Will bursts forth.

Henwell becomes enveloped in a blazing crimson light. Vanessa only finds it dazzling, without any other particular feeling.

But Melissa and Obian sense something completely different, they feel the overwhelming pressure radiating from Henwell.

For the record, Melissa isn’t some weakling; she’s a knight as well.

Compared to Melissa, Obian, just newly promoted to Grand Knight, feels Henwell’s power even more strongly.

Obian’s eyes widen. “You’re already an Iron Knight?”

Back when they faced the Fury Spirit during their journey to the Western Federation, Obian had already suspected Henwell’s strength.

At that time, Obian was at the peak of Battle Knight rank and frequently sparred with Grand Knights in the legion.

He knew how powerful a Grand Knight was. Yet during the fight with the Fury Spirit, Henwell’s combat prowess exceeded everything Obian understood about Grand Knights.

That’s when he began to suspect Henwell might already be an Iron Knight.

Though he had his doubts, seeing Henwell’s true power now still shocks him deeply.

Henwell is so young!

As a father, Obian knows Henwell just celebrated his twenty-fourth birthday.

A twenty-four-year-old Iron Knight, if the nations found out, how stunned they’d be!

Proud as he is, Obian immediately recognizes the risk behind this information.

He turns to the two women with a serious expression. “No one must ever speak of Henwell being an Iron Knight!”

Vanessa isn’t a professional and only has a vague understanding of the extraordinary system. She just knows that being an Iron Knight means exceptional strength.

She doesn’t understand why the news of her son becoming an Iron Knight must be kept absolutely secret.

“Could someone hurt Henwell because of this?” she asks, worried.

Obian shakes his head. “No! There’s no one left on the continent who can kill Henwell now.”

Hearing this, Henwell doesn’t bother to clarify.

There are still many who could kill him, but very few actually have the chance.

Obian continues, “If the kingdoms find out Henwell has become an Iron Knight, their royal families will be uneasy. One Iron Knight is scary, but the royal families still have ways to court and control him. “

”But an Iron Knight who’s brave in battle, owns his own land, commands his own army, and wields strong influence, that’s a whole different matter. Especially since Henwell is only twenty-four.”

“That means Henwell can spend decades building his power, outlasting the current kings. The successors who come after, whether through politics or personal strength, won’t stand a chance against him. An Iron Knight alone is enough for a country to offer a powerful duke’s title to win him over. “

”And Henwell’s influence already surpasses that of a real duke. None of the kingdoms can offer anything that would sway him. Plus, Henwell is married now, marriage alliances won’t work either.”

“So to eliminate future risks and stop Henwell from growing stronger, they will inevitably move to suppress him. They’ll band together to destroy Henwell’s base, leaving him isolated. Then they’ll use a duke’s title to placate him. That would rob Henwell of the most critical years of his development, so no one can know he’s an Iron Knight.”

Vanessa only half understands but realizes the gravity of the situation.

After Henwell revealed his true strength last night, Melissa had already grasped this.

Born into a wealthy family, Melissa grew up surrounded by political intrigue and naturally understood much about power struggles.

What surprises her is how quickly her father-in-law picked up on the danger behind this news.

Last night, when Henwell spoke of his origins, Melissa thought her commoner father-in-law might be a bit slow on the uptake.

But Obian immediately saw the core of the problem.

Melissa can’t help but admire the parents who raised such a prodigy like Henwell, it’s clearly no ordinary upbringing.

Henwell himself is impressed by his father’s political instincts. It seems that growing up in Golden Capital, the center of power, has greatly helped his father’s development.

Holding back his strength isn’t just Henwell playing the fool to fool the wise.

He’s not a lone wolf like Newwood, so there’s no real need to hide his power or always be ready to strike enemies from the shadows.

Being the youngest Iron Knight is a title that naturally attracts a flood of talent to his side.

Just gaining the support of professionals alone would greatly boost Henwell’s development.

But everything has its pros and cons.

It’s precisely because Henwell sees the huge risks that come with revealing his status that he chooses to keep it hidden for now.

Besides, Henwell’s risky double-agent role between the Holy Spirit Church and Veil Organization is also a way to secure the Church’s backing.

If the day ever comes when he can’t hide his strength, his Paladin title alone is enough to intimidate the Iron Knights of other nations.

If he’s not surrounded and restrained, any kingdom wanting to wipe out his territory would have to plan very carefully.

Seeing that his father understands the stakes, Henwell feels reassured.

Next, Henwell takes out a box. “Father, this is a secret knight training manual I found that can help someone reach the Glory Knight rank. I’ve already made notes and packed all the extraordinary resources needed for training into a gift for you.”

“I heard Whistler and Jenny have grown up, my younger brother and sister. Whistler is only a knight rank now. He’s lazy and undisciplined. When you get the chance, send him to Tusyat City in the west and have Fred train him.”

Obian had already told Henwell about his friendship with Fred, and Henwell can’t help but marvel at how small the world is.

From Henwell’s perspective, Obian doesn’t have the time to teach Whistler.

Seeing his brother heading toward the path of a spoiled rich kid, Henwell wants to give him a dose of discipline after all these years apart.

Henwell continues, “As for Jenny, don’t rush to marry her off. I’ve made arrangements and prepared a dowry for her. It should be ready within a year. When Jenny marries, she’ll have her own resources and won’t have to rely on others.”