British hegemon

Chapter 15 The Young Master Has Caused Trouble Again

The "Halfpenny" girl placed the wooden basin filled with water on the small square table in the room and said softly to Roger, "Young Master Roger, Mrs. Kate has agreed to lend you the horse, but she will charge you one shilling per day for rent."

"One shilling??" Roger was taken aback.

"It is a bit expensive. Should I go and talk to Mrs. Kate again?" Young Master Roger asked her for a favor, but failed to do so. "Halfpenny" blushed slightly.

Taking advantage of someone's misfortune to demand an exorbitant price—I've done this kind of thing many times before, so it's not hard to understand. "Fine, one shilling it is."

Roger dipped his head into the water and held his breath, then wiped the water droplets off his face and refused the greasy face cloth offered by "half a penny".

The cold water sobered Roger up quite a bit. He picked up the clean sleeveless black leather armor from the armchair and put it on. The armor had probably been boiled in beeswax. Although it had many cuts and slashes from knives and swords, the surface was still relatively smooth. Although it wasn't made for him, the skirt just reached his upper thighs, so it fit him fairly well.

This thing isn't supposed to offer much protection, but it's still better than a simple linen robe.

After putting on the leather armor, Roger, with the help of "Halfpenny," fastened the belt on which the battle axe dagger and hunting knife were hanging, not noticing the little gesture of the girl squeezing her chest and winking as she helped him fasten the belt.

He took the Viking battle axe from the leather loop on his belt, held it in his hand, and swung it left and right a couple of times.

This battle axe has a crescent-shaped blade that is about six inches long. The blade is thinner and flatter than a regular axe, making it easier to chop. There are also some blurry patterns on the axe head.

The battle axe was about 25 inches long, less than 70 centimeters, but it was light, balanced, and quick to swing, making it very easy to handle. Roger felt more confident as he put the battle axe back on his waist.

When they arrived at the lobby on the first floor after getting ready, the bald man and the ponytail were already sitting at the long table at the bottom of the stairs. It was estimated that the two of them hadn't slept much last night.

The food on the table was all leftovers from yesterday's kitchen: three bowls of stewed meat and pea puree, a few pieces of dark bread, and half a can of beer. Even this breakfast was enough to make the two bald men wolf it down.

The bald man, who had stuffed his mouth full of bread, had changed into a gray-brown coarse cloth short coat. He had just caught a glimpse of a servant wearing the green sweater that the bald man had thrown away yesterday, so he must have forcibly taken off the servant's clothes.

However, Roger had no intention of getting involved in these trivial matters and went straight to the head of the wooden table to sit down.

"Young Master Roger, you're up? Hurry and eat while it's hot." The bald man poured beer into Roger's glass with great enthusiasm.

Roger glanced at the two men as he picked up his glass; both had bloodshot eyes.

Roger put down his wine glass. "I've already taken care of the horse problem. Mrs. Kate has a dwarf horse that can be pulled by a saddle. After you finish eating, go find the stableman and head out before dawn."

The bald man, impressed by Young Master Roger's abilities, flattered him with his mouth full of bread, saying, "Young Master, you are truly remarkable; even Mrs. Kate is willing to help you."

Roger did not explain to the two that the price for renting the nag was an astronomical figure of one shilling per day.

"The poison is a difficult problem. Think about it, how can we find a sufficiently deadly poison within half a day?" Roger had racked his brains last night, trying his best to recall the information, but he really didn't know where to find a deadly poison, which was the most crucial thing in that dangerous plan.

The two thugs racked their brains but couldn't figure out where to get the poison. They could probably buy it in El County or Argyll on land, but they didn't have the time for that now.

"Never mind, there's still some time. I'll think of something else." Roger lowered his head and began to work on the black bread in the wooden tray.

After quickly eating a couple of bites, the bald man got up to say goodbye. He also wanted to get out before it was fully light, so that if there were pirates watching outside the town, he would have more cover.

"Wait a minute." Roger put down the half-eaten bread he was holding, reached into his belt, and untied the black-sheathed dagger.

"Take this for self-defense. If you really encounter danger, run for your life first." The black-sheathed dagger taken from the pirate captain's corpse had a thin and narrow blade, much shorter than the hunting knife. It was just for show. Roger was more used to using knives and axes, so this ornament was useless to him. He might as well give it to the bald man to bolster his courage.

The bald man didn't think so. Apart from his half-blind grandmother, no one had ever truly cared about his life or death since he was a child. At this moment, his throat was a little choked up. "Young Master Roger, I will do my best to get things done for you, even if it costs me my life."

With that, the bald man tied the dagger to the rope around his waist and turned to leave.

The hemp rope wasn't a belt, so it couldn't hold the dagger's sheath cord at all. It looked ridiculous hanging on the bald man's buttocks. Finally, he didn't forget to wrap up the black clothes he had just received yesterday and put them on his back, obviously planning to change back after leaving the town.

But watching the bald man resolutely leave, the girl with the ponytail felt a strange sense of envy.

Seeing the ponytail's envious gaze, Luo Jie said, "That thing is not as good as the dagger in your boot."

He then added, "Once we get through this ordeal, I'll get you a decent set of weapons."

Roger glanced at the cloak and boots on the ponytail, "If you're going to infiltrate the pirate's lair, you can't wear the cloak and boots, and you have to leave the dagger behind."

"Young Master Roger, I've been pondering this all night. What if those pirates don't trust me and just lock me up? What if those bandits refuse to drink the poisoned wine I've put on them?"

Roger knew that this half-brave, half-timid girl with the ponytail still lacked confidence. "Are you really afraid of those pirates?"

The girl with the ponytail said a little shyly, "Yes, I'm a little scared. Those guys kill people all the time."

"That's right, you are indeed afraid of them, which is why you went to them for refuge, that's the truth."

"Am I in dire straits right now, struggling to make a move?" Roger asked again.

"Yes, yes."

"Is it true that they chose to abandon me because they didn't want to die with me?"

"No, no, no, Master Roger, although I, Earl, am just a rogue and a scoundrel, I am also a loyal man..."

"Brother Earl, I know your loyalty, but those pirates don't. So they won't suspect anything wrong with you joining them now."

"Once you get there, tell them that Baron John had planned this all along, and that Whiteface John was sending people to recruit islanders. They will naturally verify what you said."

"Then, as planned, you will stir up trouble between the third leader and the second leader."

"This kind of lie, mixed with truth, is impossible to doubt."

After thinking for a while, the man with the ponytail realized that it was true. Besides, he had old ties with many of the pirates. At worst, he would get another beating when he went in, which was no big deal for him.

"As for poisoning, you can do it like this..." Roger said while eating breakfast, teaching the ponytail girl some poisoning techniques he had seen or heard about.

Before we knew it, the church bells rang for the first time.

As the sun slowly rose and the sky gradually brightened, Brodick, a town that should have been awake long ago, remained silent. The townspeople, who had been on tenterhooks yesterday, still dared not open their doors.

On the deserted streets of the town, a man with a sorrowful face rode a blue mule and led a dappled horse, hurrying toward the red mill in the center of the town.

Arriving at the Moulin Rouge, he held the two reins in his left hand and pounded on the wooden door with his right, causing the red lantern on the lintel to shake violently.

The servant opened the door.

"Quickly call out young master Roger, I am his butler." The man with the bitter face spoke with great anxiety.

Yesterday afternoon, before the sun had even set, the young stable boy Igor hurriedly led his donkey, carrying young Louis, back to the manor.

The steward learned from the young stable boy, who was so frightened he could barely speak, that young master Roger had caused a terrible disaster in Brodick. He sent word to the steward to close the manor to avoid trouble and instructed him to immediately gather the strong tenants and serfs, and to give them sticks and farm tools to guard the manor.

When Lady Mary heard the bad news, she fainted on the spot. To prevent the pirates from retaliating, the grumpy-faced steward busied himself gathering strong tenants and serfs to guard the manor. By the time Lady Mary regained consciousness and began to wail and cry, it was already late at night.

Lady Mary learned that Roger had not sought refuge in the Baron's Castle, and she cried all night. Before dawn today, she forced the old butler to come to Brodick and bring Roger back to the manor, where at least the manor had sturdy towers and loyal servants and tenants.

"...Young Master Roger, please come back with me. My legs are beyond saving now. I beg you, for the sake of my half-life serving the Colin family, please spare my worthless life!" The old butler's voice trembled with tears. Two years ago, his only son died in battle, and his daughter-in-law abandoned her three-year-old grandson, leaving him to raise his grandson alone with his wife. He also had to live in constant fear and anxiety because of this wicked young master. He had become the most bitter person in the world.

Roger suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for this old man who was practically on his deathbed. In just over a month, he had already worn the old man down to his last form.

Roger thought that if he could really get through this ordeal, he would definitely get the old man a few acres of land and two tenant farmers so that he could have a few days of comfortable life being waited on.

Banishing his distracting thoughts and calming himself, Roger raised his head. "I can't go back." There was no room for negotiation in his tone.

"If I were to retreat back to the manor now, I would be dragging the entire Milk House Manor and even the entire island of Arun into hell." Even though he had already dragged Arun into hell.

"I will eliminate those pirates who are wreaking havoc everywhere and give the people of Arun Island an explanation." Roger's voice was not loud, but it sounded like thunder to the bitter-faced man.

After a long pause, the man with the bitter face shouted, "Young Master Roger, are you really determined to kill me?"

With a face as red as a bitter gourd and bloodshot eyes bulging, he flung the reins away from his hand. "Since I'm going to die anyway, I might as well stay here and die with you. At least when the master comes back, he might remember my loyalty and spare my blind old woman and grandson's lives."

After saying this, the man with the bitter face plopped down at the entrance of the Moulin Rouge and burst into tears, crying, "My son died on the battlefield, and we couldn't even bring his body back. My life is so miserable~~"

Roger stood frozen at the mill's entrance, momentarily at a loss for what to do.