The Lord Of Blood Hill Chapter 124: Debts Die with the Dead

As Henwell walks over alone, Taitlant mounts his horse. Once they leave the small town, Taitlant finally speaks, "Is it done?"

"There's still a bit left to handle."

"Need any help?"

"No need. Just so old business, it'll be over soon."

Taitlant nods lightly. "I'll wait for you in the next town." With that, Taitlant spurs his horse forward, galloping away into the distance.

Henwell knows he can't hide anything from this seasoned knight. The mont he saw Nailhead, the surge of murderous intent was caught by Taitlant. But the old knight chooses not to interfere. At his age, he's learned to let go of many things, understanding that everyone has their secrets. To maintain good relationships, it's best not to pry too much into a friend's secrets.

Henwell is also aware that this old knight won't gossip; he might even cover up the whole matter. Still, Henwell owes him a favor for keeping the secret.

At this mont, Henwell sits on his horse, staring blankly at the nearby town. One hand strokes Night Charger’s mane, while the other fingers the lion-headed poml of his twilight sword. Sensing his master's troubled mind, Night Charger is less lively than usual, rely nibbling at so wild grass. Henwell remains at the town gate from afternoon until deep into the night.

In the stillness of the night, a figure erges from the town. It's Nailhead, limping slowly towards Henwell. Upon seeing Henwell, Nailhead unties the bundle from his back and struggles to place it on the ground, revealing a glittering pile of gold coins and nurous gemstones—over a thousand coins alone. Yet Henwell doesn't spare them a glance, his eyes fixed solely on Nailhead.

Seeing Henwell’s reaction, Nailhead realizes there's no escape for him. With a bitter smile, he says, "You nobles love tales of redemption, don't you? I was guilty in the past, but now I want to start anew. Since my new beginning, I haven't hard anyone. Is soone like , who has made mistakes, dood to be a bad person forever? Don’t I deserve a chance to start over?"

Henwell replies coolly, "That doesn't matter. What’s between us can't be settled by law. Besides, the laws in this damned world are mostly just useless scraps of paper."

"If I wanted fairness and justice, would I have honed my skills in killing? Revenge and retribution are the reasons I beca strong! As for starting over, you may have that chance, but I don’t! Those serf children you burned to death don’t have that chance either! Nailhead, you must admit you're a scoundrel, a worthless one at that, so stop struggling!"

Nailhead stands stunned for a long ti before recalling the incident Henwell ntioned about the burned serf children. Thinking of those children being the sa age as his own, a complex mix of emotions wells up inside him.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringent.

After a mont, Nailhead sighs, "Can you spare my family?"

Henwell fingers the sword hilt, "What do you think?"

"I can tell you so secrets about certain nobles in the kingdom!"

"Leave no root behind, or it becos a future threat. I'm the most typical and direct example of that."

Nailhead pleads, "What do you want? Since you haven't acted yet, it ans you want sothing from . If you promise to spare my family, I'll give you anything, do anything."

Henwell says, "I had a longsword. You took it back then. It holds significant sentintal value for . Where did you sell it?"

"I didn’t sell it! That longsword is excellent, the best I've ever seen, so I hid it. I can tell you where."

Henwell nods slightly, "Then one of your children will live. Second question, I want information on the person you sold to."

Nailhead recalls, "His nickna is Spider, real na Abe. He's a middleman, introducing people to shady deals. I don't know where he is now; the last ti I saw him was eight years ago in Rainze City, where he had a base."

With this lead, Henwell can trace and find that Mr. Spider.

Henwell says, "Alright! Both your children can live."

"Can't you spare my wife?"

"Did you intend to spare back then?"

Nailhead falls silent, then speaks again after a while, "I have a treasure stash, which is the main reason I beca a deserter! The stuff there is useless to , and we didn't dare use it. I can tell you the location now!"

Henwell is curious, "What is it?"

"I don't know! It's a box! We couldn't open it, but it's very important! During The War of the Six Kings, two legions fought over it! Also, if that box is useless to you, there are so gold bars there. We stole them, but we do not dare to lt them down."

Clearly, Nailhead intended to leave this for his family.

Henwell says, "So, you've already killed your brothers? Saves the trouble."

Nailhead laughs bitterly, "It's fate! We should have died on the battlefield back then. These past ten years were stolen!"

Henwell slowly draws his sword, "Nailhead, Wona, whatever your na is, like I said, you truly deserve this."

With that, Henwell dismounts and walks toward Nailhead. "Any last words?"

"Could you bury later? Preferably a bit deeper."

Henwell tilts his head with a smirk, "Oh? Afraid of being left exposed in the wild? Or worried your kids might dig you up?"

Nailhead glances back at the small town, smiling, "You're right. I'm filled with sin. So, bury deep, to make my way to hell easier. I can't let my sins taint my children. They deserve a pure life, untainted by my wrongdoings."

"...As you wish."

Henwell raises his sword, and with a swift motion, Nailhead's head flies off, landing on the ground. Watching the headless body collapse, Henwell murmurs, "Debts die with the dead. We're even now."

True to his word, Henwell digs a deep pit and throws the body in. By next year, vibrant flowers might bloom here, nourished by the sinful remains below.

After finishing, Henwell heads into town, sneaking into Nailhead’s ho. He pulls Nailhead's wife out of bed and, without any disguise, smashes a wooden pillar in her ho with a punch. From inside, he retrieves a long package wrapped in oilcloth, revealing the longsword.

Gazing at the familiar sword, Henwell tells Nailhead's wife, "I killed your husband because he wronged , and now I've avenged myself. You can rember this grudge and tell your children, so they can seek revenge when they grow up. But I wouldn't recomnd it. I promised Nailhead, your husband, to spare his family. If your children co seeking death, I won't hesitate."

With the woman sobbing in terror, Henwell scales the wall and vanishes into the night...