British hegemon

Chapter 53 Subduing the 3 Leaders

The setting sun pierced the darkness through the cracks in the barn stones, illuminating a weathered face. The light and shadow accentuated the sharp features, and the somewhat tattered inner robe was neatly worn, making him look nothing like a "prisoner."

Olaf picked up the half-empty beer from the stool in the corner, his sharp eyes peering through the cracks in the rocks at the bay outside.

He had been staying at the Milk House Manor for several days. He had originally thought that the other party would lock him in the dungeon, but unexpectedly he was just staying in a barn outside a mill. The bald man with the ponytail who was guarding him did not treat him as a prisoner. He had enough to eat and drink every day, and in the evening he would accompany him for a walk to help him relieve himself.

This feeling was no different from being a guest; Olaf was increasingly unable to understand what young master Roger was thinking.

Now, hearing from the ponytail that young master Roger has become the knight Roger, Olaf gradually guesses why the other party neither kills nor releases him.

The sea breeze blew in through the ventilation openings at the top of the barn. This makeshift barn was only one and a half people high, and the wooden beams and thatch on the roof were loose and rickety, making it easy to climb over and escape.

But Olaf never considered running away. He had nothing left, so where could he go even if he escaped? At least he had enough to eat and drink and could live a peaceful life for the next few days.

For a fugitive and pirate who spends most of his life on the run, such a life is comfortable enough.

Do~ Do do.

The woman with the ponytail politely knocked lightly on the barn door, acting as if she were visiting someone's home.

"Third Chief, I'm opening the door." With that, a rustling sound of a lock being opened rang out, and the wooden door was gently pushed open.

Instead of food, the woman with the ponytail carried a clean linen robe. "Third Chief, Lord Roger invites you to dine at his residence." She then handed the clean robe to Olaf and stepped back to the door to wait.

Olaf didn't put on any pretense. He took the clothes, changed, and went out with the ponytail into the Milk House Manor.

Dinner was already laid out on the long table in the main hall on the first floor of the mansion: fluffy toast, fragrant pan-fried pork chops, minced meat and peas, and a few glasses of beer.

The woman with the ponytail asked Olaf to sit in the empty seat near Roger, and then sat down next to Sergeant Marne herself.

"Everyone's here, let's eat." Roger picked up a small knife, cut a piece of pork from the large tray in front of him, and put it in his mouth. Marn, Baldy, and Ponytail also ate their food without any hesitation.

Olaf looked around and saw that no one paid any attention to his joining in, so he didn't stand on ceremony. He picked up his glass, took a sip of beer, then grabbed a piece of bread, dipped it into the pea and meat mixture, and put it in his mouth to chew.

Olaf had never tasted such fluffy bread before, and the pea and minced meat was also delicious.

In about ten minutes, the food on the long table was almost completely eaten, and Roger put down his knife.

"Olaf, you are free from today onwards." Roger didn't deliberately look at Olaf when he spoke, just like two friends having a casual chat after a meal.

"You can leave after I get the gold and silver, but I'd prefer you stay and fight the English with me. I'll take care of your food, clothing, and lodging, and you'll get four shillings a month. Are you willing? Let's get straight to the point."

After Roger finished speaking, the others at the table quietly glanced at Olaf.

"Playing against the English"—that really hit Olaf hard.

"Sure," Olaf replied more readily.

Roger smiled, picked up his beer glass, and said, "Welcome, Olaf brothers, raise a glass."

The ponytail-wearing man excitedly raised his glass first, followed by Maren and the bald man, who also smiled and raised their glasses to Olaf.

"I'm going out to sea tomorrow, and all of you will be coming with me. Ponytail, tomorrow you take Olaf to the warehouse to find a suit of armor that fits you."

The woman with the ponytail answered loudly, while the bald man interjected, "The suit of armor that was originally left for the black dog was Olaf's. I'll go get it and return it to him."

Olaf quickly raised his hand, "Since it's already been given to him, it's no longer mine." He patted the clothes he had just changed into, "This outfit is fine, clean and cool."

The bald man glanced at Roger, who smiled and nodded.

"Bald man, have the old butler clear out the guest rooms on the second floor for the Olaf brothers to stay in."

Roger knew Olaf's past identity; he wasn't some bald, ponytail-wearing thug. Now that Olaf had joined the group, he deserved to be treated well.

Olaf waved his hand again, "Thank you for your kindness, Lord Roger. I've gotten used to staying in the barn these past few days and I like the place. There's no need to change."

Roger didn't stand on ceremony anymore. He simply instructed the girl with the ponytail to change some bedding and furniture later, and then discussed the sea voyage with the others.

Marne then learned that the pirates Roger had recently wiped out were hiding gold and silver at Elsa Rock in the south. It was far from the English-controlled coast and not particularly dangerous.

The next morning, Roger put on the sleeveless black leather armor and hung up the Viking battle axe and the wooden-handled hunting knife.

I inquired carefully last night and found that the journey south was not far and not dangerous. The cumbersome full-body chainmail and iron plate armor was very heavy, so I changed into this lighter armor.

When they went downstairs to the lobby, Baldy, Ponytail, Marn, and Olaf were already ready.

Knowing that the voyage wouldn't be too dangerous, the group wore only light armor. The bald man and the ponytail wore pirate clothing, carrying a single-handed sword, a mace, a crossbow, and other handy weapons—the same outfit they wore when they fought at the Waiting Bay border yesterday. Ma En, out of habit, wore cloth armor even though he knew there was no real danger, and his half-sword was still hanging on his leather belt. He just didn't wear his disc helmet; for warriors who had just experienced a life-or-death situation, survival was more important than comfort.

As for Olaf, his thoughts were similar to Roger's. He wore a light linen robe with a leather belt around his waist, a one-handed sword hanging from it, and high-top leather boots on his feet.

The group of people chatting looked at Roger as he came downstairs.

The bald man went up to him and said, "Lord Roger, I went to Ramrush village this morning and found three fishermen. They are all skilled sailors. They will pay you half a penny a day and provide meals."

"However, those fishermen have only ever sailed the Nafi boat, so they probably aren't very familiar with your Kirk either." The bald man looked somewhat ashamed, feeling that he hadn't done a good job of fulfilling the task Roger had entrusted to him.

Roger thought for a moment, "It's alright, we'll go to the sea salt beach and call the old fisherman. He knows how to handle the sails, and these fishermen can just follow his instructions."

Roger then asked Marne, "Have you prepared the food and fresh water?"

"It will take at most two days round trip, but to be on the safe side, I had the plump cook prepare three days' worth of food."

Roger nodded approvingly and led everyone out of the manor.

Before long, the five people were taken to the salt flats by three fishermen in a small fishing boat.

Salt boiling has begun on the sea salt flats. A dozen salt workers have dug two water channels to bring seawater from Ramlash Bay into several shallow ponds on the beach for drying. After the scorching sun and sea breeze evaporate the water, the salt will be boiled and simmered.

Roger sent the bald man to the workshop shed that was under renovation to summon the old fisherman. After explaining his intentions, the old fisherman readily agreed, since for fishermen, sailing a boat was much easier than boiling salt.

At the old fisherman's pleading, Roger agreed to bring the henchman on board as a servant.

A knight, five attendants, and five temporary sailors to handle the sails and steer the ship—a group of more than ten people—boarded the pirate ship anchored on the shallows.

According to custom, a ship that changes owners usually has its sails replaced, but there are no extra large sails available on Arran Island, so they have to make do. Even the wolf flag that was flying on the mainmast was kept by Roger.

However, at everyone's insistence, Roger officially renamed the pirate ship, formerly known as "Sea Bitch," to "Sea Wolf." One wonders what the "Sea Wolf," who died by Roger's blade, would think.

Under the old fisherman's direction and with the assistance of the bald man with the ponytail, the "Seawolf" weighed anchor and was pushed away from the shallows by the oars, sailing into the deep waters of Ramrush Bay.

Once the ship entered deep water, the old fisherman, along with three other fishermen, used rigging and pulleys to raise the square sail on the mainmast. Then, he climbed onto the stern tower and personally operated the long-pole rudder, allowing the "Seawolf" to slowly sail out of Ramrush Bay and into the waters of Clyde Bay with the wind at its back.

After turning south, the sailboat began to sail against the wind. The old fisherman secured the long-pole rudder with a rope, then quickly ran down from the tower to direct several fishermen to lower the mainmast's square sail and raise the triangular fore-and-aft sail, adjusting the angle. He then ran back to the tower and used the long-pole rudder to maneuver the "Sea Wolf" against the wind in a "snake-like" pattern.

Roger, leaning against the railing of the stern tower, watched the old fisherman constantly moving back and forth on the boat, skillfully directing the fishermen to navigate. He thought to himself, "What a talent!"

The foremast sail of the "Seawolf" was just a primitive and rudimentary triangular sail. Its speed against the wind was not much faster than that of rowing, but it saved a lot of manpower and achieved "full wind power" for the sailboat, which was a leap forward of the times.

As the sailboat gradually sailed away from Arun Island, the wind and waves on the sea, which was no longer sheltered, began to grow larger. The feeling of being blown by the wind was not pleasant, so after watching for a while, Roger led Marne, Olaf, and the bald man with the ponytail into the stern cabin.

While recuperating on Holly Island, the bald man with the ponytail had already led a group of people aboard the ship to thoroughly clean the messy cabin. All the tattered blankets and broken furniture were replaced, and a small long table and a few low stools were placed in the space outside the small wooden bed. Although the cabin was not luxurious, it was at least clean and tidy.

The young men who had been brought aboard by the old fisherman took on all the odd jobs, pouring beer for a few glasses on the small long table, and the group chatted and drank beer like that.

"...I was peeking through the crack outside the mill at the time. The tax collector's wife was being fucked by the stable boy on a flour sack. The woman was covered in flour, and her breasts were big and white..." The bald man was a chatterbox and a natural conversationalist. Although the group had only just gotten together, his mouth never stopped. He went on and on about the fight that had just happened yesterday with the neighboring village over a border dispute, comparing the women in the Moulin Rouge and the brothels in Eldshire, and now he was spouting his fabricated anecdotes.

Of course, he wisely avoided mentioning the bandit suppression battle in the north of the island.

Men have an instinctive interest in that kind of thing, so under the influence of alcohol, the group gradually started talking, and even the taciturn Maren occasionally blurted out a few vulgar remarks...

.........