Henwell knows Ashiburn doesn’t trust him.

  But Henwell doesn’t need Ashiburn’s trust—just his greed.

  Henwell ys out a rough story, and Ashiburn will make it believable on his own.

  Is this risky? Hell yes!

  But it’s not a risk that’ll wipe out his whole family.

  Henwell just needs to slowly reel Ashiburn in. As for the Veil Organization, that’s even easier to handle.

  As long as they get some advantage—like church intelligence, Henwell holds enough value.

  Keeping these two powerhouses in check is just part of Henwell’s pn.

  Through the Veil Organization, Henwell builds a bigger intelligence network, extending his reach far and wide.

  The nobles surrounding Peace Haven are all targets Henwell wants to infiltrate.

  With Ashiburn’s backing from the Holy Spirit Church, Henwell earns the title of Padin and commands a squad of church knights.

  That opens up a hell of a lot more options!

  If anyone dares to cause trouble, Henwell can just flip the script, frame them on the spot for colluding with the Veil.

  Then he leads his church knights straight to their doorstep!

  With this protective charm, no one dares mess with him anytime soon.

  That’s a huge boost for Peace Haven’s development, at least it guarantees a stable environment.

  Plus, Henwell gets twenty advanced study slots every year, which is incredibly valuable.

  His own subordinates don’t need most of these slots, but that doesn’t mean others don’t.

  Henwell can trade these slots for all kinds of benefits.

  Whether it’s currying favor with his father-in-w or helping Fabio and Arius secure their positions, these slots are perfect gifts.

  He can also use them to pacify and divide the Phoenix family members who oppose him.

  At worst, Henwell can recruit professionals with these slots.

  In short, the possibilities here are huge, giving Henwell the freedom to maneuver however he wants.

  Henwell’s risky move is part of an even bigger scheme.

  He wants to use this chance to stir up more chaos within the Western Federation’s Holy Spirit Church.

  Sure, Ashiburn is the archbishop of the Western Federation, but that doesn’t mean he calls all the shots in the Church here.

  Besides Ashiburn, there’s Judgment Bishop Eppdin, who oversees the archbishop’s actions.

  Then there’s Hume, commander of the Church’s knight order, representing the knight faction.

  Where there are people, there’s politics.

  Where there’s politics, there’s scheming and backstabbing.

  On top of that, Henwell aims to further drive a wedge between the Holy Spirit Church and the Groias Empire.

  The Church already controls Guardian City, which has made the Groias garrison uneasy.

  If they suffer a few more betrayals, the resentment will only grow.

  How would the Groias troops find out the Holy Spirit Church betrayed their squads?

  Good question.

  The Veil Organization, of course!

  Veil isn’t some saint, it actually want to see the Church and Groias Empire tear each other apart.

  They won’t miss a chance to stir the pot.

  But Henwell won’t be the one openly saying it.

  He just quietly watches the factions pull and tug at each other.

  Meanwhile, he uses the chaos to grow his own power as much as possible.

  At its core, Henwell’s pn is to buy himself enough time.

  In no more than ten years, Peace Haven will explode in growth.

  By then, King Vorry’s protection will expire, and King Amir will have to make a choice.

  Either name Arius as heir or prepare to face off against Henwell.

  Henwell knows he must prepare for the worst.

  At Peace Haven’s current growth rate, in five years it will become a massive force.

  By then, Duke Amir will have to decide.

  Henwell’s pn sees Peace Haven’s popution nearing four million in five years.

  The main battle corps will expand to six, plus a cavalry corps.

  That’s over 100,000 elite troops ready for mobile combat.

  And that doesn’t even count the two mixed corps from the Phoenix family.

  With Fabio staying neutral, Arius holding things back, and his father-in-w threatening from the fnk, Amir can’t just pull the kingdom’s full military might against Henwell.

  Even half the kingdom’s corps would struggle.

  With fewer than twenty corps, forget taking Peace Haven, just stopping its advance will be a challenge.

  If Amir’s military gambit fails, the fallout will be massive.

  The monarchy will take a huge hit, Vorry might even turn into an electoral principality!

  So if Amir moves, it has to be with overwhelming force to wipe Henwell out.

  Henwell respects a family that’s sted a thousand years and a kingdom that’s centuries old.

  They surely have cards he hasn’t seen yet, so he must prepare thoroughly.

  That’s why Henwell keeps dancing between the Holy Spirit Church and the Veil Organization.

  All to buy himself a long, stable period to grow stronger.

  That night, Henwell only gets three hours of sleep. The rest of the time, he lies awake in bed, running over the pn, looking for any weak spots.

  The next day, Orak doesn’t ask Henwell what he discussed with Archbishop Ashiburn.

  Henwell accompanies him to register at the Church’s Knight Order.

  The Knight Order isn’t some fancy academy. The people here aren’t genius kids.

  They’re church knights who come here for rigorous training after proving themselves in battle.

  Everyone holds the rank of Battle Knight, all over twenty years old, many married with families.

  So don’t expect to see childish squabbles or pyground politics here.

  The rules are strict.

  Orak already has his study permit.

  He and his thirty-three men are assigned to a rge dormitory together.

  Henwell was supposed to leave after dropping them off.

  But when the knights see the Holy Cross Star badge hanging on Henwell’s chest, almost all of them bow respectfully.

  That Iron Knight emblem clearly carries more weight than Henwell expected.

  Maybe it’s because of the badge, or perhaps Ashiburn gave instructions.

  The main instructor for Orak’s css is swapped out for an Iron Knight, assisted by two Grand Knights.

  This is a seriously high-level setup.

  Though the Iron Knight isn’t there every day, coming once a week is already a precious opportunity.

  The very first lesson benefits Orak and the others immensely.

  Even Henwell, who’s just listening, feels he’s gained a lot.

  After all, this is the orthodox, most prestigious faction, and their Iron Knights have unique expertise.