Just after Henwil's seventh birthday, the truce's peaceful period ended, and the War of Six Kings erupted once more.
Henwil's father, having perford excellently on the battlefield last ti, was once again conscripted by the baron to the front lines.
Watching his confidently departing father, Henwil felt deeply unsettled for a long ti.
He clearly understood that this second War of Six Kings was different from the previous one - both sides had finished testing each other, and this ti it would truly be a bloody struggle to the death.
Half a year later, terrible news arrived, though it wasn't that Obian had died in battle.
Rather, the Ika Kingdom had lost a crucial battle, leaving a small portion of the eastern territory directly exposed to enemy forces.
Unfortunately, Split Flow Bay fell precisely within this vulnerable territory.
Due to limited awareness, most townsfolk remained completely unaware of what was about to happen.
Even those who considered the possibility of enemy occupation thought it wouldn't be so bad - just paying a bit more taxes at worst.
But Henwil thought differently. After half a year of bloody combat, the enemy had suffered significant losses too.
Prolonged warfare and brutal close-quarters combat had stripped soldiers of their human rationality.
Both soldiers and officers were teetering on the brink of ntal collapse.
As the saying goes, bandits comb through like a coarse brush, but soldiers scrape through like a fine-toothed comb!
Henwil could vividly imagine the horrific scenes - burning, killing, looting, corpses littering the fields - definitely not empty threats.
Realizing this, Henwil imdiately went to his mother, urging her to take his younger siblings and flee the area imdiately.
Their family had a carriage, and with so gold, silver, and supplies, they could hit the road.
Henwil had calculated that the enemy vanguard would need about two weeks to reach them.
That gave enough ti to escape to the nearest major city for shelter.
Several fortresses protected that city, making it a tough nut for enemy forces to crack.
However, his mother ca from an ordinary rchant family and lacked this foresight, disbelieving his predictions.
Indeed!
No matter how clever Henwil seed, to others he was just a seven-year-old child.
Abandoning their ho and livelihood to flee to an unfamiliar city based solely on a child's word was too heavy a decision for any woman to make.
Since he couldn't persuade his mother to leave, Henwil had to find another solution.
He secretly went to the warehouse, carrying sack after sack of grain into their family's hidden cellar under cover of darkness.
This secret storage chamber had been prepared during Obian's father's rchant days, abandoned for many years now, with most people forgetting its existence.
Though only seven years old, Henwil already stood 1.3 ters tall and had been secretly practicing knight's body training techniques, making him as strong as any sixteen or seventeen-year-old youth.
He could manage carrying dozens of pounds at a ti.
To avoid detection, Henwil worked with utmost secrecy.
Over fifteen days, like ants moving their nest, Henwil transferred vast quantities of grain, fruits, and vegetables into the hidden cellar.
By the twentieth day, the cellar contained enough supplies to sustain their family of four for over a month.
But on that very day, a group of refugees arrived in Split Flow Bay.
They brought terrible news - the enemy had broken through, burning and looting along the way, seemingly intent on reducing the entire region to barren wasteland.
Only then did the townspeople wake up to reality, frantically packing their belongings to escape.
But it was already too late. If refugees could reach them, enemy scout cavalry must already be patrolling around the town.
Fleeing with entire families in tow was clearly impossible now.
That evening, a string of severed heads thrown into town by enemy forces confird Henwil's fears.
They were the heads of residents who had tried to flee that afternoon!
Like everyone else in town, Henwil's mother fell into panic.
She was just an ordinary woman who could only hold her children and sob, praying to the gods that the enemy wouldn't be completely inhuman.
Henwil called to her several tis, but his mother remained trapped in panicked ntal blankness until he shook her firmly, bringing her back to awareness.
"Wahh... I should have listened to you earlier, Henwil. Now we can't leave anymore..."
Henwil stopped his mother's crying: "Mother, listen! What I say next is crucial! You must rember it clearly!
I've stored food and supplies in our hidden cellar - enough for us to survive for a month without coming out!
The enemy isn't here to occupy this place but to destroy it and create panic. Otherwise, there wouldn't be any survivors!
The enemy wants to demoralize the kingdom's forces while forcing other cities into panic, creating refugee waves that compel the kingdom to divert troops here.
Never mind! None of that matters. Just know the enemy won't stay here long.
Shortest a few days, longest two months - they'll withdraw eventually!
Besides the food in the hidden cellar, I've also hidden so supplies in the storage room under our house.
Even in the worst scenario, we can hold out.
Now we must stay calm. Tonight we'll leave quietly - you take brother and sister, and we'll take back paths to the hidden cellar.
Enemy cavalry only patrols main roads, not side paths. If we're careful, we won't be detected."
His mother asked anxiously: "What about you? Aren't you coming with us?"
Henwil shook his head: "I need to scout the surroundings to provide early warnings!"
Saying this, Henwil picked up a bow and arrows left by his father and tied a short sword to his waist.
Seeing this, his mother covered her mouth and sobbed again: "This won't do! You're just a child!"
Henwil showed a confident smile: "Exactly why the enemy won't notice .
Don't worry - side paths aren't suitable for cavalry. The enemy won't rashly enter unfamiliar terrain.
Besides, rember - I've been learning from Knight Cookler. I'm already a young man who will beco a knight soday!"
Henwil gave a thumbs-up to reassure his mother.
Whether Henwil spoke truth or not, his mother knew this was their only option now.
So she took the younger children, carrying a travel pack, exiting through the back door and following Henwil's guidance to quietly leave town.
Outside, Henwil periodically stopped to check their safety, emitting bird calls to signal his mother and siblings to continue advancing.
This stop-and-go progress covered only one kiloter in over an hour, but fortunately the hidden cellar lay just ahead.
Just then, flas lit up the town.
Henwil urged his mother to hurry inside, but she asked worriedly: "Aren't you coming in? Where are you going? It's so dangerous outside!"
Henwil explained patiently: "I need to erase our tracks so enemies can't follow them here."
Before leaving, Henwil emphasized again: "Mother, unless you hear the secret signal, absolutely don't open the door or co out.
If I don't return, don't co looking for . If I encounter danger, I'll hide myself and reunite with you later."
With that, Henwil began using branches to sweep away their footprints from the ground.
Watching her eldest son's retreating back, his mother felt as if she might lose him forever, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably...
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