novelraw Chapter 73: The Path of Glory
Chapter 73: The Path of Glory
After traveling for two hours, Henwil arrived at a small town where he planned to stay overnight.
Although he was very close to the castle of his first visit target, it was already too late.
Showing up unannounced for a visit clearly didn't conform to noble etiquette.
Whether people believed it or not, he was now Arluis, operating under the Phoenix family name!
Entering the tavern, he ordered a beer and a simple meal, then went to a corner to eat by himself.
There was no cliché scenario of drunkards causing trouble - this wasn't a game or movie.
Most patrons in the tavern were commoners, and relatively well-off ones at that.
They weren't fools; they could tell at a glance that the fabric and craftsmanship of Henwil's clothes were quite exceptional.
Moreover, there was a silver wolf claw emblem on the shoulder of Henwil's coat - only nobles embroidered patterns on their clothing.
Additionally, Henwil's longsword wasn't something ordinary people could afford.All this evidence indicated Henwil's extraordinary status, so the tavern patrons definitely wouldn't seek trouble.
After all, challenging a noble was a serious crime - nobles could kill offenders on the spot without bearing any responsibility.
Therefore, no one was foolish enough to court death.
If there really were drunk idiots, other patrons or the tavern keeper would intervene to stop them.
Henwil's horse was well cared for, and he himself got a good night's sleep.
This was only the first day of the Path of Glory; even if someone wanted to eliminate Arluis, they wouldn't choose to act on the very first day.
Furthermore, in this region, most nobles had connections with the Phoenix family and wouldn't cause trouble for Henwil.
These nobles wouldn't even allow anything unfortunate to happen to Henwil within their territories.
Thus, the first half of the Path of Glory was essentially safe, like cutscenes in a mission chain.
The next day, Henwil went to the baron's castle and presented his Path of Glory parchment.
Then, the baron symbolically had Henwil spar with a knight.
Throughout the match, Henwil was extremely careful, afraid he might accidentally injure the knight.
After all, not everyone with a knighthood necessarily possessed Knight Rank strength.
Some hereditary knight titles couldn't guarantee every generation would achieve Knight Rank.
However, the Duchy had regulations - if no Knight Rank appeared within three generations, the title would be revoked.
Of course, if the family later produced someone with Knight Rank strength, regaining the title would be easier.
The knight fighting Henwil now was precisely that kind of man without genuine Knight Rank strength.
Although his swordsmanship was decent, without true knight-level power, he could hardly withstand more than a few moves against Henwil.
This was the baron showing respect to the Phoenix family, specifically arranging a weak but socially acceptable opponent for Henwil.
Therefore, Henwil couldn't stubbornly defeat his opponent directly - both sides needed to save face!
After a "fierce battle" lasting over ten minutes, when the baron slightly nodded approval, Henwil finally won by the narrowest margin with a single move.
The baron praised Henwil for being accomplished at a young age, saying the Phoenix family had worthy successors.
Henwil complimented the baron's men for being brave and experienced, claiming he benefited greatly from the fight.
Mutual flattery lifted everyone's spirits; after some business compliments, both host and guest were pleased!
The baron held a banquet to welcome Henwil, and upon departure, gifted him an excellent suit of armor.
This armor wasn't actually from the baron - Baron Jansen had arranged it long ago and placed it here beforehand.
After leaving the baron's castle, Henwil had an additional horse carrying luggage and the armor.
Normally, people rarely traveled long distances in full armor, as wearing metal shells wasn't very comfortable.
Over the next half month, Henwil visited three more barons and two viscounts, all pre-arranged.
Henwil acquired a longbow, a round shield, a two-and-a-half-meter war lance, and two attendants.
These were all items Baron Jansen had prepared.
The two attendants were actually knight squires trained by Baron Jansen, not far from achieving Knight Rank themselves.
Now equipped with "god-tier gear," Henwil next needed to visit the last noble from the allied faction.
This viscount didn't go easy on him, sending a guard approaching Knight Rank to spar with Henwil.
That is, the viscount used his family crest to leave an imprint on the parchment representing the Glory Certificate.
From here on, the path would involve dealing with moderate neutral faction nobles.
These people wouldn't give special treatment to the Phoenix family, but wouldn't cause excessive trouble either - everything would be handled by the book.
If Henwil had the capability, they wouldn't obstruct him.
If Henwil lacked sufficient strength, they wouldn't make exceptions.
Moreover, starting from this point, no one would guarantee Henwil's safety during his travels.
These nobles didn't care if Henwil died here, and dangers would begin from this moment.
Henwil made preparations, awaiting the arrival of the first wave of assassins.
Henwil entered Iris City, a medium-to-large city in the southern part of the Duchy.
Protected by city walls and garrisoned by ducal troops.
About fifty thousand people lived in the city, which specialized in a particular flower nectar.
Nearby there were also sugar maple-like trees, making the sugar industry quite developed.
Thus Iris City served as an important raw material base for the Duchy, providing one-third of its sugar products.
The city was quite prosperous, under the Duchy's direct jurisdiction.
Only a few small territories were enfeoffed in the vicinity, none particularly large.
Here, two nobles required Henwil's visit - one baron and one viscount.
After three consecutive days of travel, Henwil was travel-worn and dusty.
He needed to rest overnight in the city and freshen up before visiting the two nobles.
His attendants had already reserved rooms at the city's best inn.
As soon as Henwil entered the inn, he saw many guests drinking.
After scanning the room, he walked directly toward one table of guests: "Why aren't you looking at me?"
Confused expressions appeared throughout the tavern.
What kind of question was that?
Why should they look at him?
The table had four guests - three men and one woman, all dressed as merchants.
Hearing Henwil's question, one man smiled: "Young master, we've had a few drinks and didn't notice anyone enter."
Henwil nodded, then suddenly thrust forward with the pommel of his sword.
The sword's counterweight ball struck the man's temple directly, the tremendous force crushing his skull.
The woman opposite drew a dagger and stabbed toward Henwil's lower back.
Henwil stepped back, half-drawing his sword.
The blade rested against her neck, and with a light pull, it slit her throat.
Then, Henwil raised his leg and stomped down, his combat boot hitting the table's edge.
The long table tilted up, knocking aside the curved blades the two men had just drawn.
His sword left its sheath, cold light flashing as the blade swept across their necks.
The sharp edge cut through more than half of their necks.
Henwil picked up a napkin from a nearby table, gently wiped the blood from his blade, and slowly sheathed his sword.
Under the horrified gazes of everyone in the room, he walked directly toward the rear accommodation area.