British hegemon

Chapter 9 Forcing Entry into the Baron's Castle

However, Roger had already entered Brodick Castle by this time.

Like most castles, this place is a hodgepodge of various buildings within its earthen and stone walls.

The courtyard was about a hundred yards deep, and on the other side of the fortress gate was a huge watchtower, which would be the last line of defense in the event of an attack.

This most fortified fortress towered high above the entire fortress for lookout purposes, and atop the watchtower was a huge oil lamp used to guide ships at sea, though it hadn't been lit for some years.

Behind the castle is an iron gate, just wide enough for one person and one horse to squeeze through. Behind the gate is a rugged path on a steep slope.

This design is relatively rare, mainly intended for sneaking out to request reinforcements or launch surprise attacks on enemy troops during a siege.

To the left of the castle is a group of messy, low houses, mostly made of wood, including a long stable, a kitchen, a bakery, and several barracks and warehouses for the castle garrison.

In the middle is a well. On the right side, occupying most of the northern part of the open space, stands a tall stone building.

It was clearly the residence of the Baron of Arran Island. Next to the tall building was a relatively shorter church, which was Brodick Church.

Roger's younger brother, Louis, is currently studying Latin here.

It started to drizzle again, but many people were still going in and out of the castle, or running from one building to another in the rain. Among them were sheriffs, tax collectors, sheriffs, cooks, craftsmen, and servants.

Roger was accompanied only by his young stable boy. The bald thugs didn't dare to enter the Baron's castle; they waited patiently by the outer wall of the castle.

When Roger entered, the slovenly city guard leaning against the doorway with a spear gave him a disgusted look, but did not stop him from entering. After all, no matter how disgusting this guy was, he was still a member of the Campbell family.

Roger ignored the strange looks from others, stopped to examine the castle, and let the blurry memories in his mind slowly become clear.

The castle was originally built by Roger's great-grandfather as a watchtower on the hillside of the harbor to monitor the port and the surrounding area for miles.

By the time Roger's grandfather died, the place had become a comprehensive castle that could accommodate hundreds of garrison troops and residents, serving functions such as military defense, governance, religion, taxation, and daily life.

By Roger's father's generation, Arran Island had weakened, and Brodick Castle, covered in moss and purple lichen, also showed signs of decay.

News of Roger's "raid" on Brodick reached the ears of the acting castle lord through the sheriff.

John IV, also known as John the Fourth, remained on the Isle of Arran to act as the lord's representative. He was the only son of the Baron of Arran, the baron, and the heir to the Isle of Arran.

Of course, he was also Roger's cousin.

Roger's first impression of his cousin was that he was a flamboyant sodomite.

A lean and elegant young man emerged from the baron’s mansion. He had delicate features, a clean-shaven beard, and wore a dark blue silk blouse trimmed with colorful threads. Even the simple red eagle and black ship emblem on his chest was sewn on with fancy silk threads.

The islanders privately called him Whiteface John, while a few daring thugs called him "Sodomy John."

Three years ago, John the White-faced man married the eldest daughter of a wealthy baron named Argyll, but now the woman beside him is not that delicate noblewoman, but a fair-skinned young man.

This fellow was a servant sent by the Baroness's family.

Roger could smell the strong scent of rouge on the two of them from a distance; this cheap fragrance was even more unpleasant than the pungent stench.

"Good day, Master John." The young stable boy quickly took half a step back and bowed to the pale-faced John who was walking over angrily.

John the White-Faced ignored the insignificant stable boy and walked straight up to Roger, demanding, "Who sent you, you bastard, to Brodick?"

Roger squinted at the arrogant young man, then spat a wad of phlegm beside him. "Why are you meddling in these other people's business instead of enjoying your beautiful wife in the bedroom? Are you impotent and want me to help you?"

Roger's reaction was partly driven by instinctual memory; he had been committing evil deeds for years, and apart from his uncle, Baron John, and his father, Sir Colin, there was no one else on the island in his eyes.

He and the pretty boy in front of him loathed each other, but most of the time the pretty boy didn't dare to mess with him. The pretty boy was just disgusting, but he was chilling.

John's fair face instantly turned bright red. He made a move to raise his hand to slap Roger, but another fair-skinned man next to him quickly grabbed him.

Roger looked up and stared intently at the pale-faced John, then let out a cold laugh upon seeing the man's appearance.

Having struggled and fought his way up in his past life, he had seen plenty of these bluffing cowards and had no intention of paying them any attention. He only came to the castle to visit the church so he could explain things to his superiors and make it easier for him to go out next time.

As Roger brushed past him with a look of disdain, pale-faced John turned and yelled at the doorway behind him, "Which bastard is guarding the door today? They let any pig or dog in!"

Roger stopped and slowly turned around upon hearing this. "Who are you calling a pig or a dog?"

The pretty boy noticed Roger's right hand was already gripping the hilt of his sword. He immediately turned to the young stable boy beside him, who was still looking down, and gave him a light kick. "Idiot, get lost."

The young stable boy was kicked and stumbled, but dared not move at all.

"Softie." Roger removed his hand from the hilt of his knife. "Ego, get over here."

The young stable boy, as if saved, chased after Roger...

Standing in front of Brodick Church, a strange sense of familiarity welled up inside me. In Roger's fragmented memories, more than a third of the events revolved around similar churches.

Like most churches, Brodick Church is built in a cruciform shape, but given the past prosperity of Arran Island, the church is actually larger than what one would expect from a baronial parish.

The west end of the church leads directly to the nave, forming one vertical line of the cross, while the horizontal line extends from the altar to the north and south wings, forming intersecting passageways.

Beyond the intersection of the large crosses, the eastern end of the church is called the altar, mainly used by the priest and his assistants. There are also more than a dozen rows of benches in the main hall of the church.

At the easternmost end, facing the coast, lies a small open space, said to be the tomb of Saint Morales. Devout islanders often come to worship here, and several generations of "Campbell" are buried here.

Next to the main nave of the church, there are several rooms where the clergy eat and sleep.

Roger pushed open the half-closed church door. It wasn't Sunday, so the church was very quiet.

I looked around the door for a long time but didn't see anyone. The priest and his assistant were not there.

"Matthew!" Roger shouted loudly, startling Igor, who was accompanying him. Igor quickly stepped forward and grabbed Roger's sleeve to stop him. "Young Master Roger, are you crazy? You're calling the priest by his name in the church."