The Lord Of Blood Hill

Chapter 543: Grief

Henwell arrives at the entrance of the gladiator dormitory in the arena and sees Michelle, wearing white, reading a book.Sunlight passes through the window and spills over her, making her golden hair gleam.

After a while, Henwell walks into the room and asks with a smile, "What are you reading?"

Michelle raises her head. "Records of Heroic Knights: The Glory of the Lord of Blood Hill!"

Henwell smiles awkwardly and rubs his nose. "That is all nonsense. A lot of it was not like that at all."

Michelle closes the book. "Oh? Then tell me what really happened."

Henwell pulls over a chair, reaches for a fruit, and starts peeling it. "All right. I happen to have nothing to do today."

"Where should I start? The beginning of everything was still that duel in the arena."

"Do you remember? I once had a knightly duel with a young knight attendant. That young knight was originally a substitute Amir had chosen for Arius..."

Henwell speaks very slowly, and Michelle listens very carefully.

On the high platform outside, Chick and the others sit or stand, watching from a distance. Their expressions are all gloomy.

After a while, Ruper comes over with several bottles of wine, tosses them to the others, then bites open the stopper of one and takes a hard drink.

Ruper's expression is somewhat twisted. "Is there really no other way?"

Kivel, standing beside him, sighs. "The church's conditions are too harsh. They never intended to make a deal. They only want to control Henwell tightly."

Chick frowns. "I will interrogate a few more Veil captives. There has to be a way."

Elia says, "It is useless. The people who might know a way are not small fry, and the Veil members we captured do not have the authority to know that much."

Dominic asks, "Then what do we do? Just watch White Butterfly die?"

No one answers him. They only look out toward Michelle, who is listening to Henwell's story.

From noon until night, Henwell carefully tells White Butterfly about his experiences over the years.

Michelle listens very seriously, occasionally asking about certain things.

At last, Henwell looks up at the night sky outside. After a pause, he says, "Michelle, tell me your story."

Michelle smiles beautifully. "Henwell, do you know the best way for a woman to make a man keep thinking about her?"

Without waiting for Henwell to answer, Michelle gives him the answer herself. "She has to remain mysterious."

"Let my story leave with me."

"In your heart, you will keep drawing the version of me you like best. In the days to come, I will always appear in the story you build."

Hearing this, Henwell opens his mouth, but no sound comes out.

After a while, Henwell slumps into the chair like a deflated ball. "I am sorry, Michelle. I cannot agree to the church's conditions."

Michelle smiles and shakes her head. "Henwell, you do not need to blame yourself. This has nothing to do with you."

"Besides, the church cannot save me. I do not want to become a Holy Spirit Nun who loses herself after being brainwashed."

"I want even less for you to become the church's puppet because of me."

Henwell rises abruptly and grips the hilt of his sword. "Michelle, come back to Peace Haven with me first. I have a way to suppress the restriction inside you."

"You have to hold on. In at most a few more years, I will become a Glory Knight. By then, perhaps I can remove the curse."

"If that does not work, I will go capture someone from the Veil at the Glory Rank. I think they will be willing to trade."

Michelle stands, catches a corner of Henwell's cloak, and shakes her head gently. "Henwell, it is too late."

"You understand. Everything is already too late."

"The restriction inside me has already been triggered, just like Ulysses. Even as a king, he could not save himself, and you are also powerless."

"This kind of restriction cannot be removed at all. Otherwise, the Veil could not have opposed the church and the empire for so long."

Henwell's emotions are somewhat out of control. "No. There will be a way. You cannot give up like this."

"I am not Ulysses. I am someone who will conquer the entire continent and become emperor. I will definitely have more methods than he did."

Michelle smiles and tugs at Henwell's cloak. "You are right. You are a heroic knight, a hero sung of across the entire continent."

"All right, heroic knight. Can you watch the stars with me? I have not looked carefully at the stars for a very long time."

Henwell stiffly turns around and lets Michelle pull him to sit before the window.

The night sky is washed clean. The stars shine, gathering into a glittering river of light.

"Henwell, do you know? When I was little, my mother always took me to look at the stars. She said that after people die, they become butterflies, fly into the sky, and finally turn into those stars."

"Henwell, which star do you think I will become? Will you recognize me?"

Henwell does not know what to say. He only feels his throat go dry.

Michelle keeps talking about all kinds of things from her childhood, occasionally letting out soft laughter.

As for Henwell, the veins stand out on the hand gripping his sword hilt.

No one knows how much time passes. The edge of the sky has already begun to pale.

Just as dawn approaches, several meteors streak across the sky.

Michelle cries out in surprise, "Look at those stars! They are flying so fast!"

Henwell forces out a smile. "Make a wish. Where I come from, there is a custom. If you make a wish on a shooting star, it will come true."

Michelle closes her eyes and begins to make her wish with a devout expression.

A moment later, Michelle opens her eyes and looks at Henwell. "Henwell, why did you put medicine on my wounds back then?"

"We were both still young then. Everyone rejected me. Why did you not refuse? Why did you not keep your distance from me?"

Henwell smiles. "Because we were both pitiful people struggling to survive. We were just huddling together for warmth."

"Neither of us did anything wrong. We only wanted to live. That was all."

Then Henwell smiles again and says, "Also, the main reason was that you were very pretty. You were the prettiest girl in the camp. Of course I would not keep my distance from you."

Michelle rises and turns in a circle in front of Henwell, her skirt fluttering. "And now?"

Henwell nods. "Still very pretty."

Michelle comes before Henwell. "Unfortunately, in the end, I still failed to survive. Unfortunately, I will not get to see the wonderful things you do later."

"Henwell, live well. Do everything you can to live. Live well in place of those companions of ours, and in place of me."

Henwell nods firmly. "I will. I will do whatever it takes to live, just like we have always struggled to do."

"I will live to the end of the world. My eyes will see all the splendor of this world in your place."

Michelle reaches out and touches Henwell's cheek. "Henwell, if I had chosen to leave with you back then, would everything have been different?"

Henwell grasps Michelle's hand. "It would have. It would have."

At this moment, bloody mist begins to appear around Michelle's body. Her entire body is about to shatter.

Henwell roars, and his Gene Lock and Will Lock open fully.

Blood Will blazes from his Gene Lock, and the Chains of Civilization from his Will Lock coil around them.

The powers of both do everything they can to block the mysterious force inside Michelle.

But it is like an ant trying to shake a tree. Michelle's body is still breaking apart.

Michelle cries out in pain and shakes her head at Henwell. "Enough. Do not waste your strength. This will hurt you."

Henwell's eyes are wet. "I can do it. I definitely can."

Michelle lifts a hand that already shows white bone and gently holds Henwell's cheek. "Henwell, let me go."

"I was never free in this life. Now I am going to become a butterfly, and at last I can be free. I am going to fly into the sky and become a star."

"Henwell, you also said I am beautiful. Then let me leave in my most beautiful form."

After saying this, Michelle gently embraces Henwell. "Henwell, can you hold me?"

Henwell raises his arms and pulls her into his embrace.

"Henwell, I feel a little cold. I cannot see anymore. Are you beside me?"

"I am here. I have always been here."

"Henwell, thank you. Thank you for making me feel like I was a person. Thank you for letting me love..."