Henwell bids farewell to Lord Keynes and prepares for his next destination. Just a few miles out of the city, his attendant Rawkins speaks up, "Sir, there's a group trailing us!"
Ayla grips her sword hilt, "Sir, they must be assassins!"
Henwell leisurely enjoys his homade shaved ice, "It's not just one group, and they're not only behind us. There's quite a crowd waiting ahead as well!"
Pointing to a small grove ahead, Henwell says, "Let's head over there!"
The trio and their six horses change direction and speed into the woods. The assassins hesitate montarily before all heading towards the grove.
As soon as the assassins approach, Henwell, now clad in armor, leads the charge with his lance, rushing towards the attackers. The assassins, primarily relying on surprise attacks, are lightly armored with leather and chain mail, and lack long weapons. Moreover, most of them are not skilled in mounted combat.
Faced with Henwell and his attendants' cavalry charge, the assassins have no desire to fight back. They make a foolish decision—to turn and flee from the charging cavalry.
Henwell quickly teaches them an important lesson: never turn your back on a charging enemy. His lance, wielding imnse force, easily shatters the assassins' shoulders, leaving mangled bodies hanging from the horses.
With the three forming a triangular assault, they dispatch over ten assassins in a single charge. After eliminating the mounted assassins, Henwell lowers his lance. As they pass the assassins scrambling on foot, a flick of his lance slices open their throats.
After the charge, a field of corpses remains—a testant to the cavalry's dominance over infantry.
Then, Henwell and his attendants make a wide arc before turning to pursue the fleeing assassins. In the second round of attacks, they switch to longbows, using arrows to finish off the remaining assassins.
Except for a few lucky survivors, Henwell and his attendants wipe out dozens of assassins in the area.
As his attendants finish off the remaining assassins, Henwell dismounts to inspect their belongings. Monts later, his expression changes drastically. He rushes to his horse, retrieves a cylindrical device, and sets it off. A piercing whistle echoes for miles, and blood-red fireworks are clearly visible even in daylight.
In Cloud Tree City, Lord Keynes sees the fireworks and pauses in surprise. "Prepare the troops! Enemy attack signal! Close the gates! Summon the city defense forces to the walls! Guards, gather and follow ..."
Mid-sentence, Keynes stops, glancing towards the direction of the warning signal, and frowns slightly. "Let's not panic yet. Guards, gather with to see what's happening. Defense forces, keep the gates tightly secured!"
Half an hour later, Lord Keynes arrives at Henwell's location with several hundred cavalryn. By now, so noble lords have arrived with their private armies, while others are preparing to deploy their forces.
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Seeing Henwell standing in the pile of corpses, Keynes thinks to himself, "Just as I suspected."
Before the other nobles can speak, Lord Keynes reprimands, "Arius, do you understand what you've done? Even though you faced an attack and felt panicked, you shouldn't have released the duchy's highest alert signal in your distress. This signal is reserved for when the duchy faces an invasion. How could you be so reckless?"
Though his words are stern, all the nobles understand that Lord Keynes is trying to absolve Henwell of responsibility. Releasing such fireworks without reason is akin to teasing the clown
, and the arriving noble lords clearly won't let this slide easily.
Just as they are about to bla Henwell, the ground begins to tremble, and clouds of dust rise from the east and west. Two cavalry battalions from the imperial legions are charging toward them. The other nobles exchange knowing glances, realizing this won't be easily resolved. Keynes also senses trouble, as the arrival of the duchy's fortress troops complicates matters further.
Soon, the cavalry arrives at the scene. Leading them are two legion commanders. The Seventh Legion's Commander, Virgil, is the first to ask, "What happened here?"
The Thirteenth Legion's Commander, Teresa, demands, "Who set off the duchy's warning fireworks?"
Before Keynes can explain, Henwell steps forward, "It was ! I am Arius, the third son of the Phoenix family. I'm on the Path of Honor, and I was attacked. I discovered sothing alarming, which is why I..."
Before he can finish, Teresa interrupts angrily, "How dare you! Your attack is your own concern! Do you know the penalty for setting off the warning fireworks without cause?"
Henwell stands tall, "I am fully aware of what the duchy's ergency warning signal ans! That's precisely why I didn't hesitate to use it. The safety of the duchy is paramount, and whether noble or commoner, none of us can stand idly by. Everyone, look at this!"
With that, Henwell presents the pile of weapons and armor on the ground for all to see.
At this mont, everyone finally notices the items Henwell is presenting. Many of those present had participated in the War of the Six Kings and quickly recognize the weapons and armor as belonging to the Kingdom of Ika. Keynes breathes a sigh of relief, seeing a way to de-escalate the situation.
Commander Virgil of the Seventh Legion frowns, "You set off the warning signal just because of this? Haven't you heard of smuggling?"
Of course I know! That's exactly what I am doing!
Keynes chuckles, "Arius is still young and inexperienced. He thought the assassins were sent by the Kingdom of Ika."
Henwell responds seriously, "My ho is on the border, so I certainly know about these things. While the weapons and armor don't prove much, these docunts should."
Henwell then produces a stack of papers. They contain sketches of Henwell and several important figures present.
Additionally, there's a detailed plan outlining a sche to create chaos after assassinating Henwell. The plan involves luring many notable figures from Cloud Tree City to the area, including the lord and legion commanders, with the ultimate aim of assassinating them.
The goal is to incite significant turmoil within the duchy, allowing the Kingdom of Ika to reclaim Peace Haven and possibly seize more territory. There is also a hand-drawn map of the southern part of the duchy, marked with military fortresses and the locations of various noble lords.
With these revelations, everyone’s expressions turn grave. Keynes glances at Henwell, finding nothing amiss in his serious deanor. Could it be that the Kingdom of Ika truly intends to make a move? It's not impossible, as this would indeed be an opportune mont to disrupt the duchy.
Representatives from each faction proceed to confiscate the evidence, collect the bodies, and escort Henwell back to Cloud Tree City. Thousands of cavalry accompany Henwell as he returns, leaving redith who is hiding in the shadows anxious and furiously trying to recall any oversights in her own actions.
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