Henwell already knows the Holy Lake Knights are trailing behind, but since they are following from a distance, he doesn’t mind much.

  Originally, the Holy Lake Knights’ orders are to keep their distance and follow Henwell from afar.

  They’re not to make contact with him unless absolutely necessary.

  But now that Henwell has formally decred his identity and issued a threat, the centurion of the Holy Lake Knights feels this qualifies as a necessary situation.

  To prevent this warmonger from causing trouble, the centurion immediately steps in with his men.

  They drive away the mercenaries who might bring disaster to the Duchy.

  Then, the centurion sets up camp nearby and openly begins escorting Henwell.

  Henwell, not wanting to stir up more trouble, gets up and goes downstairs to Kleios’s side.

  At this point, Kleios is barely clinging to life, his vision blurry and doubled.

  Henwell lifts him by the colr and carries him upstairs.

  After over an hour of surgery, Henwell stabilizes Kleios’s wounds.

  Henwell is skilled in medicine, and since leaving the Western Federation, as a Padin, he receives extraordinary supplies on missions.

  He usually chooses the extraordinary potions—those with excellent healing effects.

  Still, Kleios’s injuries are severe; whether he lives depends on his will to survive.

  Henwell isn’t worried about that. This guy is tough and should hold on.

  Henwell deys his journey by a full day for the mute ranger.

  It’s not until noon the next day that Kleios finally wakes, weak but conscious.

  After drinking two more extraordinary potions, Henwell begins to speak with him.

  Pulling up a chair, Henwell sits by the bedside. “Two choices. One: to repay me for saving your life, you serve me for five years. Of course, you’ll be paid. Two: pledge your loyalty to me—your faith and life, and I will grant you even more.”

  Kleios struggles to sit up, but Henwell raises a hand to hold him down. “Think carefully before deciding. I leave tomorrow, you have the whole night to consider. This is a big matter; you must be sure. There’s no such thing as betrayal here. Once you choose, you must take responsibility.”

  With that, Henwell stands and leaves the room.

  Kleios feels torn inside. On one hand, he has become mute and fallen to his current state. On the other, the more Kleios learns about Henwell, the more he admires this young man.

  He acknowledges that it was Henwell who spared his life back then. After all, Kleios had come to kill him.

  In their line of work, if your skills are cking or your judgment poor, you pay the price.

  But to say he holds no grudge against Henwell would be lying to himself.

  Kleios knows full well that once he pledges loyalty to Henwell, there will be no chance for betrayal.

  Yet he was once praised as a prodigy, can he truly accept serving under his “enemy”?

  Lost in these complicated thoughts, Kleios drifts into a drowsy sleep.

  The next morning, lying in bed, Kleios struggles to salute Henwell and tries to cut his palm to swear allegiance.

  But Henwell stops him. “No need for all that fuss. Just knowing your intention is enough. Rest well, observe more along the way, and learn. One day I’ll arrange for you to come back here, you’ll be working here then.”

  Kleios is lifted onto a carriage, remaining in a dazed state throughout.

  It’s not that he’s touched by Henwell’s thoughtfulness in renting a carriage for him.

  Rather, he’s stunned by what Henwell said just now. The content isn’t as important as the way it was spoken.

  Henwell didn’t speak aloud; the words echoed directly inside Kleios’s mind.

  Having spent time in the Western Federation when he was younger, Kleios is no stranger to such things.

  He knows only two kinds of people can communicate this way:

  One, powerful spellcasters.

  Two, Bloodline Practitioners with extraordinary mental abilities.

  Compared to ordinary professionals, Bloodline Practitioners possess stronger abilities across the board, but that’s just one aspect.

  What truly makes them formidable are their bloodline powers, whether spells or various supportive effects.

  The purity of their bloodline determines how many abilities a Bloodline Practitioner can awaken.

  Their mental strength dictates how powerful those awakened abilities become.

  So, Bloodline Practitioners usually have impressive mental fortitude, some rivaling even spellcasters.

  A strong mind not only amplifies bloodline powers but also helps resist magical damage to some extent.

  Now, from Kleios’s perspective, Henwell’s mental intrusion is the hallmark of a powerful Bloodline Practitioner.

  Of course, Henwell isn’t a Bloodline Practitioner and doesn’t possess any bloodline powers.

  But he definitely has immense mental strength!

  Otherwise, he couldn’t have kept his true power hidden in Guardian City, a pce teeming with experts.

  Many spellcasters have ways to detect others’ true strength.

  The Divine Mages of the Holy Spirit Church especially employ numerous methods.

  Only with such strong mental power can Henwell create a mental barrier, a false mental aura that fools those scanning him into thinking he’s a Grand Knight.

  Henwell learned these techniques from Newwood.

  It’s a kind of combat trick Henwell adapted for pying the fool to surprise his enemies.

  When mental power is strong enough, it can also be used for communication.

  Among spellcasters, this is normal.

  But when communicating with other professionals, strong mental power can leave a mark in the other’s mind.

  This mark isn’t a magical effect, Henwell doesn’t use mental magic.

  It’s more like a mental suggestion, deepening the other’s respect and awe.

  The mute ranger Kleios, only in his thirties, is already a Vague Epiphany-level Wandering Mercenary.

  This advanced ranger rank is equivalent to a Battle Knight’s progression, proving Kleios has solid talent.

  Henwell doesn’t mind having an experienced mid-tier ranger under his command.

  He’s useful for intelligence work and training legion scouts.

  So, amid Kleios’s shock, the group moves steadily forward.

  Now guarded—or rather supervised—by the Holy Lake Knights, no fool dares cause trouble, and the journey proceeds smoothly for a full day.

  At dusk, they settle in a town.

  The Holy Lake Knights take care of all arrangements, leaving Henwell and Kleios free of worry.

  Soon, Kleios is stunned again, not by Henwell’s personal power this time, but by Henwell’s influence.