The Lord Of Blood Hill Chapter 170: They Have Names

Within the neutral faction of the Vorry Duchy's nobility, Viscount Holdsworth approaches the faction's leader, Count Reyes.

"Henwell, the lord of Blood Hill in the southwest, has a request for us. He wants us to help exchange the bodies of his n who died in Billie during the prisoner swap. In return, he's letting us na our own terms."

Count Reyes asks, "What do you think?"

Viscount Holdsworth responds, "I've interacted with this young man and have so business dealings with him. He's incredibly talented, even more than I initially estimated. This seems like a great opportunity to win him over. Even if he doesn't join us, he could offer us significant returns at crucial monts in the future."

Count Reyes sighs, "I also value him highly. But this matter is difficult to assist with. I've received word that the Kingdom of Billie has publicly disclosed certain details to their populace."

"They're explaining that this war was incited by provocateurs, and those spies were hidden within the delegation. Their influence led Arius to believe the kingdom was out to kill him, prompting his escape and the subsequent misunderstanding and conflict between the two nations."

"Fortunately, the spies have been executed and are now displayed on the capital's walls. These so-called spies include mbers of our delegation who didn't escape, as well as Henwell's fallen n. Therefore, Billie will never agree to this request."

Viscount Holdsworth sighs and nods, preparing to return and explain the situation to Henwell in his reply.

The leader of the Duchy's noble alliance, Marcus, residing in the Mist Fortress of the eastern region, is sternly lecturing his daughter.

"You've been completely infatuated with that Henwell! Why doesn't he co to directly with his requests? Instead, he uses you as a ssenger! He doesn't even want to owe a favor, trying to get sothing for nothing, and now he's still playing gas with !"

"You've been too harsh on him! When he visits, you don't even look at the gifts he brings!" his daughter retorts.

Count Marcus, exasperated, says, "Don't you see? He's not in love with you; he's in love with your status. He never truly cared about you. If he did, why didn't he co to thank you after escaping from Billie? Why did he rush back to his territory? He had ti to fight with Ogiro but didn't co to see you!"

"To him, you're far less important than his land. You're just a stepping stone for his advancent! Henwell is too calculating; you won't have a good outco with him. He's not soone you can trust with your life."

lissa stands her ground, "His na is Henwell! I like him, and a man should achieve great things while he's young!"

Count Marcus sighs, "I admit he's quite a character, even a hero. But my dear daughter, you only see the hero's legend, not the hardships of being the hero's family, especially his wife."

"I don't care! If you won't help , fine! Henwell doesn't have ti to co to because he's busy. I'm going to find him now!" With that, she lifts her skirts and runs out, leaving Marcus with a headache.

After rubbing his temples for a while, Marcus calls for Gunter, a knight. "Go keep an eye on Miss lissa. Don't let her cause trouble! And if she insists on going to Peace Haven, don't stop her if you can't. Once lissa sees for herself, she'll understand that such a man marries his ambitions; power is his true wife."

As Gunter leaves to carry out his orders, Marcus adds, "When you see Henwell, tell him this: Since he's co this far, he shouldn't be so impulsive. Wanting a good reputation is understandable. He's done more than enough, and none of his n would bla him. The living are always more important than the dead. He needs to calm down and carefully consider his next steps—that's what's truly important for him."

Over the course of two weeks, Henwell receives nurous replies. He now understands that the Kingdom of Billie is determined to hold onto the bodies of those who perished.

There are many reasons for this, but the simplest is that Henwell has troops, and his brief war with Ogiro went rather well. The Kingdom of Billie seems intent on stirring up so tension between Henwell and the Vorry Duchy, hoping to create a rift over this matter.

No one truly believes that Henwell genuinely wants the bodies back; they assu it's just a ploy to win hearts and minds. But is that really the case? Henwell admits there's an elent of wanting to gain favor, but he also promised those n he'd bring them ho.

A few days later, Jansen visits Henwell, bringing a fine bottle of wine. "At last, we have so resolution! Now, we need to plan our next steps after our elevation in the duchy."

Henwell takes the wine and pours Jansen a glass. "We've gained tangible benefits this ti, though the glory might not co my way. Your promotion to marquis is already a stretch! They might try to make so adjustnts elsewhere."

"But overall, everyone needs to digest their gains from this, so there won't be any imdiate moves against us. We should just continue developing steadily. As they grow stronger, so do we."

Jansen takes a sip of wine. "Arius will remain in his new territory, near Yosui City. This not only stabilizes the Kingdom of Billie, minimizing public unrest, but also keeps us and Arius apart. With such distance, it's hard for us to support each other. We lack allies in the nation's upper echelons, and Arius is missing two significant supports."

Henwell smiles faintly. "Balance, indeed. Yosui City is already prosperous, and Arius is capable. It won't be long before he builds a formidable force. With the two of us holding several tens of thousands of troops, and if we join forces with Arius, the matter of the duchy's heir could beco quite unpredictable!"

Jansen raises his glass. "Henwell, during this ti, we must remain patient. The future belongs to young people like you!"

Henwell clinks his glass against Jansen's. "Uncle, I understand why you're here. You're trying to persuade not to take the rejections from various sides to heart."

Jansen pauses for a mont. "I know you genuinely want to bring back the bodies of those n, but now isn't the right ti. They served the nation with honor, and they deserve to be brought ho. You need to focus on the bigger picture for now. Once this situation has passed, we'll have plenty of opportunities to reclaim their bodies."

Henwell remains silent, nodding gently before downing his drink. The two chat a bit longer before Henwell sees Jansen off at the manor gate.

Jansen hasn't gone far when he hears Henwell shouting from behind.

"Uncle! They aren't just 'those n.' Their nas are Rudolph, Orendin, Laonis..."

Henwell calls out each na, capturing the attention of everyone around. Jansen pauses for a mont, sighs, and then rides away from the manor.

In the gentle spring rain, only the echoed nas linger in the air...