Chapter 820: A Dinner-Table Meeting

Back at Blood Hill Manor, Henwell sits down for his first proper conversation with Ronan.

Ronan has learned a great deal in the past six months.

At the very least, he now understands who Henwell is.

Even Peace Haven's strength and prosperity lie far beyond anything he once imagined.

Life at Blood Hill Manor is more comfortable than anything he ever dared dream of.

Henwell cannot be called particularly frugal, but neither is he someone who pursues luxury.

Henwell avoids grand displays of luxury, but a man in his position cannot live like a pauper either.

Blood Hill Manor has three kitchens, each staffed by its own team of cooks.

One receives visiting guests, another prepares meals for Henwell's family, and the last feeds the manor's staff.

The third is little more than a large communal kitchen, yet the food is still excellent. The Lord Iron Guards eat there too, after all.

Any cook qualified to serve at Blood Hill Manor is a master, even when preparing ordinary home cooking.

Ronan eats food from the third kitchen. Every day, he goes to the large dining hall beside the manor's main building and serves himself.

The hall runs as a buffet, with more than a dozen dishes, fresh soups, and all kinds of pastries. Ronan can eat as much as he likes.

Ronan is shy by nature and usually waits until most people have finished before entering the dining hall.

At the moment, he stands before the food with a tray in his hands, unable to decide what to take.

He wants cake, but the Lord Iron Guards told him that a proper meal must be balanced. He needs meat, vegetables, and a glass of milk.

If he eats all that, however, he will be too full for the delicious cakes.

Yet Ronan does not want to disobey those imposing Knights.

He gives his small stomach one last mournful look, sighs, and obediently goes to collect a balanced meal.

Just as he is mourning the lost cake, someone chuckles behind him. "Little fellow, take a smaller main course, rest after the meal, and then come back for a slice of cake."

What a good idea!

Ronan heartily agrees, then nearly jumps out of his skin. A tall man has appeared behind him without his noticing.

He looks up and recognizes the master of the manor, Peace Haven's uncrowned king, the Blood Hill Lord.

The sight of Henwell sends the boy into a panic.

Ronan wants to kneel in greeting, but he has no idea where to put the tray in his hands.

His mind goes blank. Ronan thrusts the tray toward Henwell with both hands. "M-my lord, please eat!"

Henwell and the Lord Iron Guards behind him burst out laughing. Henwell reaches down and pats the boy's head.

"All right, little fellow. There is no need to kneel in Peace Haven, especially while eating."

"Nothing is more important than eating your fill. Even a king has to eat first."

"Go find a seat. I will get my food and eat with you in a moment."

"There are several excellent dishes today. I will have you try them later."

With that, Henwell and the others walk past Ronan, pick up trays, and begin choosing their food.

Ronan stares after him. He never imagined that even the Blood Hill Lord had to collect his own food.

In truth, Henwell eats in the dining hall quite often.

He spends most days inspecting the work of different departments.

He frequently returns at night, and the exact time is never certain.

Henwell does not ask the second kitchen to save food for him. It only needs to prepare enough for Melissa and the rest of the family.

He prefers eating here for another reason as well: his appetite is enormous.

At the family table, he has to model proper manners for his children. The effort often leaves him hungry.

The dining-hall staff and the manor workers see Henwell often. Apart from newcomers, the veterans simply bow when he passes.

Before long, Henwell, Dalton, and several others arrive near Ronan carrying plates piled with food and sit down around him.

All of them are huge, averaging two meters in height. Even without armor, they look imposing.

Wedged among them, Ronan looks like a tiny chick surrounded by giants. From a distance, he almost disappears.

Henwell places several dishes on his plate. "Eat more, little fellow. You are still growing."

Henwell leaves him in peace after that. The boy is already nervous enough.

Henwell and the others eat quickly, clearing several plates in no time.

The Lord Iron Guards seated farther out bring over several more trays, and Henwell says, "The grilled fish is excellent today. Bring me two more."

Over the meal, Henwell asks Dalton, "I ordered you to transfer to the Iron Guard Legion. Why did you refuse?"

Dalton replies, "My lord, after the expansion, a legion has more than twenty thousand soldiers. I barely passed my command courses."

"If I took command, would I not be putting the lives of more than twenty thousand comrades at risk?"

"I like serving with the Lord Iron Guards. There are fewer people, fewer complications, and better benefits. I do not want to leave."

Henwell sighs. "How many years have you spent at my side? It is time to make room for someone younger."

Taylor, deputy commander of the Lord Iron Guards, cuts in. "Exactly. How am I supposed to take over if he never leaves?"

Dalton shoots back, "Then you go take command of the Iron Guard Legion."

Taylor lets out a long sigh. "I would love to, but our lord is sending me to Peace Haven's newly formed Twelfth Legion."

Henwell takes a sip of soup. "The Twelfth Legion will deploy between Phoenix and Vorska while also watching Ika to the west."

"I need someone reliable there. The Eleventh Legion is beside Peace Haven's Central District, while the Thirteenth Legion has assistance from Iron Wall. Neither should encounter serious trouble."

"The Twelfth Legion alone sits in the middle, with the Ika border to its left and a collection of restless neutralist nobles to its right."

"Phoenix and Descartes have already been purged, but plenty of diehard loyalists of the old order remain. We cannot let them stir up trouble."

"They cannot cause a true crisis, but they have more than enough nerve for petty schemes, and they will pursue them eagerly."

"The Northern Mountain Front's logistics base is complete, but certain high-value materials still have to pass through this region."

"As the Calamity War drags on, calamity outbreak sites are erupting across the continent, and the continent's extraordinary properties are growing noticeably stronger."

"Many civilian professionals have already emerged. They are untrained Knight-Rank professionals, and they crave extraordinary materials."

"Everyone knows Peace Haven makes excellent extraordinary equipment and runs fixed transport routes. Some people will inevitably risk their lives for a chance to rob us."

Taylor stares at him. "Surely they would not dare target us?"

"Every convoy traveling north is escorted by two Grand Knights, supported by twenty Battle Knights and eighty Knights."

"That is already a small knight order. Do they not understand what they are facing? Are they coming here just to die?"

Henwell sets down the fish bone. "Sigh... When ordinary people first gain power and have nothing to measure themselves against, arrogance comes easily."

"They do not think they are challenging the unknown. They imagine themselves to be chosen ones and expect the whole world to step aside."

"Power needs knowledge and experience to guide it. Without them, it becomes nothing more than a way to hurt oneself."