British hegemon

Chapter 36 A Triumphant Return

At this moment, the three of them were covered with large and small bags, looking like a moving bundle rack.

"You've all worked hard alongside me in suppressing the bandits, and now you have quite a bit of wealth on you. Staying here might attract the envy of others, and it's not safe for you. I'll lend you my horse, mule, and donkey. You should quickly pack your things, go home together, and hide them well."

"It's best to take the shortcut we came from to avoid running into Brodick's gang."

Roger pointed to the pile of "farm tools and weapons" he had rented from the islanders on the ground. "These are all for you to use for self-defense. Also, take them back and return them to your respective families."

"Once things have calmed down in a few days, I will send someone to invite you to the Moulin Rouge to celebrate."

The plump widow and her companions were naturally extremely grateful, and led their horses, mules, and donkeys on their journey home...

After waiting for another half hour, the group that had come from Brodick Castle finally arrived at the entrance of Locklanza village, accompanied by dozens of islanders who had come to see what was going on.

In the market town, they listened to Gray Mouse recount the thrilling story of how Young Master Roger slaughtered dozens of pirates in one night, and they couldn't resist finding out more.

The area around the mill was overgrown with weeds, and the group did not initially notice the rows of corpses in the open space.

As a few excited people approached the open space, screams erupted, and a timid, gossipy woman fainted on the spot.

While several islanders were trying to grope and take advantage of the unconscious woman, John the White-Faced, who was riding a horse and leading his "troops," finally arrived outside the mill.

At this moment, the pale-faced John was wearing a fine set of chainmail and a knight's longsword at his waist, even though he was not a knight at all and was just a figurehead.

John, the pale-faced "showpiece," was terrified when he saw the corpses on horseback. His fair face turned ashen, and his body trembled uncontrollably as he rode. He only dismounted after the one-armed old sheriff and two guards came to help him.

"These... these are all people you killed?" John, his face pale, pointed with trembling hands to the drying grounds over there.

"If we didn't kill them, do you expect us to bring troops to suppress the bandits?" Roger retorted sarcastically.

The pale-faced man was choked and unable to speak. When he saw the corpses all over the ground, all the arrogance he had relied on in the past vanished, and he was stunned for a moment.

The one-armed sheriff quickly stepped forward and gently tugged at the white-faced John's chainmail skirt.

The pale-faced man then remembered something and asked loudly, "Where are the pirates' money, weapons, and armor?"

Roger's previously indifferent face instantly turned ruthless. He couldn't believe this guy actually had the nerve to demand money, weapons, and armor from the pirates.

"There were no weapons or armor; all the pirates' loot was distributed to the bandit-suppressing warriors."

"What? It's all been distributed to the lowly?" John, the pale-faced man, looked around and saw that the islanders were indeed carrying a lot of things.

"Who gave you permission to make decisions on your own? I am the rightful owner of Arun Island!" John, the pale-faced man, suddenly exclaimed arrogantly.

Roger wasn't buying it. He sneered, "If you're really capable, go and snatch them from them. But I'm warning you, half of these corpses were killed by them."

"Besides, you're not yet the master of Arun Island. If you anger them, they might really dare to kill you."

Roger's few words left pale-faced John speechless and twitching.

"Alright, future Baron, commoner Roger Campbell, following your orders, led his warriors to wipe out the pirates and has killed them all. Now, we present the pirates' corpses to you for your disposal."

Roger spoke loudly, then lowered his voice and pointed to the pile of the most dilapidated weapons and armor beside him, "The scavengers and weapons and armor borrowed from Brodick Castle are all here, and they are being returned in full. Those pirate corpses are also worth some money; you can cut off their heads and sell them to other lords."

"This set of cotton armor is quite nice; consider it a gift from the future Baron."

Roger turned to leave, then stopped and turned back. "That black dog who came out of prison did a great job. I've declared him innocent as you ordered. The other two were so-so. You can decide what to do with them."

After Roger finished speaking, he turned and left. Just as John was about to have the guards behind him stop him, he saw Roger already place his right hand on the hilt of his hunting knife at his waist.

John swallowed back the words he was about to say.

Roger strode confidently toward the sheltered headland to the north, leaving behind only a pile of tattered weapons and armor and naked corpses scattered on the ground.

And the acting island owner of Arun Island, disheveled in the wind.

By the time White-faced John outside the mill finally let out a thunderous roar, Roger's pirate ship had already sailed off the cape and disappeared beyond the mountain ridge.

"Young Master Roger, where are we going now?" The girl with the ponytail, looking excited, pushed open the hatch at the base of the stern tower.

Sitting on the wooden bed in his cabin, Roger tossed a few gold coins into the iron box. The coins landed in the silver goblet with a pleasant, crisp sound.

"Ramrush Bay, anchored at Holly Island," Roger said, then relaxed and lay down on the smelly wooden plank bed.

......

The glaring afternoon sun shone directly onto Roger's eyelids through the gaps in the oak planks of the stern tower.

In his deep sleep, Roger rode on undulating clouds to a place that looked like paradise. Naked angels with halos were beckoning to him. He reached out and pushed open two giant golden doors, when suddenly a blinding light shone through the crack in the doors, jolting Roger awake.

"Dreaming." Roger opened his eyes and looked to the side, slowly adjusting to the somewhat dim surroundings.

This is the stern cabin of the pirate ship, which is quite luxurious compared to the low and cramped cabins below deck.

The enclosed cabin was about fourteen or fifteen square meters. Although the stern was narrow, most of the room was still spacious enough.

An oil lamp and two dirty linens hung on a central beam. In addition to a small wooden bed on the starboard side, there was a small square table with some wine bottles and glasses casually placed on it, two low stools, and an empty wooden shelf for displaying weapons and armor. On the left side of the room, there was a shelf for displaying washbasins, and above the shelf was a small window with glass.

If you can ignore the stench throughout the room and the filthy toilet next to the bed, this place is not bad. The former ship owner must have been a rather particular businessman.

"Young Master Roger, you're awake?" Hearing Roger get up, the young stable boy who had been squatting at the cabin door immediately pushed open the door and came in.

"How many hours have I slept?" Roger asked in a low voice, picking at the grime from the corner of his eye.

Having been under immense mental stress and engaged in continuous killings for the past two days, he was already exhausted, so he fell into a deep sleep soon after boarding the ship.

The young stable boy wasn't quite used to the concept of "hours," and after struggling to calculate for a while, he finally replied, "You probably fell asleep around the third of noon, so it should be around the fourth hour now."

"I slept for three hours?" Roger felt like he had only closed his eyes for a short while, but three hours had already passed.