Captain – Chapter 22 – Viper

As if fleeing from something, Caine and Roy left the tavern cleanly and decisively, leaving behind a group of bewildered soldiers and the Baron and his companions, who sensed something amiss after observing the situation.

“Whew, fortunately the Young Master didn’t truly get angry.”

Todd patted his chest in relief, then suddenly realized: “But who was that woman? Why does she look so familiar…”

“Come on, Captain, as long as she’s beautiful, you find them all familiar,” Todd’s deputy captain mocked from the side.

“I’d say the Young Master has finally opened up. He’s already twenty; how could he still avoid women like tigers as he did when he was young?” A soldier joked, and the surrounding soldiers immediately burst into laughter as if discovering a new continent.

“Alright, alright, stop guessing. Be careful that the Young Master doesn’t hear you, or he’ll punish you to run laps around the castle.” Todd’s train of thought was disrupted by his subordinates, and that faint thread of a clue was thus broken. He could only laugh and scold, no longer pursuing it.

Only then did the Baron cautiously interject: “Captain Todd, could the ‘Young Master’ you’re referring to be that young man just now? Who exactly is he…”

Todd only then remembered this troublemaker in the venue and glared at him fiercely, questioning: “Is the Young Master’s identity something you can inquire about? Were you trying to make things difficult for the Young Master’s female companion earlier, huh?”

The Baron was scared into shrinking his neck. Although he had inherited his father’s title, and his old man was even a Count who managed a county in the southern part of the empire, he still couldn’t muster much presence when facing this soldier captain.

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Military personnel are extremely protective of their own, as only this way can they ensure greater loyalty from subordinates. The Baron may not fear the Major above Todd, but he deeply respects the Major’s former master, the currently powerful and prestigious Governor Naren, and the Howard family he represents.

However, the poor Baron didn’t know that he had just offended a direct descendant of the Howard family.

Todd looked at him with a gaze reserved for idiots, then waved his hand, ordering his subordinates: “Tie them all up and take them back for the Major to deal with.”

Upon hearing that the matter involved the Major, the Baron knew he had likely caused a great disaster and could only plead softly with the captain: “Please don’t, Captain. If the Major learns of this, he will surely notify my father, and I’ll be beaten to death.”

The Baron’s brother, who had been full of fierce looks earlier, also stood up now, smiling apologetically: “Captain, you all have come to the tavern for a rare visit, surely to have some fun, right? How about this: the tab for all twenty-some brothers will be on us. Let’s just forget about this incident.”

Under normal circumstances, if such an incident occurred without serious consequences, Todd might have truly accepted and let it go, after all, allowing his brothers to drink to their heart’s content was a good thing. But since it involved the Young Master, this Baron and his brother’s calculations would not work out no matter what.

“You’ve all heard it; bribing military personnel, an aggravated offense. Arrest them!”

Todd sneered as he gave the order. The wolf-like soldiers stepped forward and firmly bound the ashen-faced Baron brothers and their attendants. After confirming everything was under control, he scanned the tavern once more.

Those troublemakers who enjoyed watching the excitement all whistled and looked away, while the bartenders’ faces bore sycophantic smiles.

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“Listen clearly, all of you. No one is allowed to spread word of this incident. Otherwise, you won’t be able to stay on Frans Island anymore.”

After leaving this threat, the squad of soldiers who had suddenly burst in finally departed.

The tavern was quiet for a moment, but soon returned to its usual liveliness. For these pleasure-seekers living in the moment, fights, arrests, and escorts were all too common spices of life.

Only the two people sitting in the secluded corner remained quiet. Not until the soldiers left did they shift their gaze from their drinks back to the wooden door.

“That young man just now, do you have any clues?” the person dressed as a merchant asked in a lowered voice.

“What clues do we need? Although the imperial military has always maintained strict confidentiality to outsiders, for us, what secrets are there under heaven?” The other person, dressed like a slave owner, took a sip of inferior rum and smiled sinisterly.

“Naval Admiral, Commander of the First Fleet, Imperial Lion.”

He gently placed the wine glass on the table, looking at his own reflection in the wine, and praised softly: “Caine Howard.”

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“The little lion of the Howard family?” The merchant frowned, saying with some concern: “Wasn’t he at sea with the First Fleet? If he’s here, does that mean the First Fleet is also offshore?”

“Impossible.”

The slave owner shook his head firmly and said: “Information from various channels hasn’t received any warnings of the fleet approaching. This means that this commander is now just a lone officer.”

Hearing this, the merchant sighed in relief: “If that’s the case, it shouldn’t affect Viper’s plan. But since we have such a good opportunity, why don’t we also…”

“No, don’t create unnecessary complications. If the empire loses a governor and a naval star simultaneously, how can you guarantee that His Majesty the Emperor won’t go mad?” The slave owner glanced at him, then continued: “Moreover, he had nothing to do with the events from a dozen years ago.”

“That makes sense. Then let’s not add him to the list.” The merchant nodded in agreement, then shifted the topic in another direction: “What about the young woman accompanying him? When she looked over earlier, she was just like a leopard.”

“A pirate, a dangerous pirate.” Recalling how the other party had vigilantly surveyed them when entering the tavern, the slave owner made his judgment with furrowed brows.

“I feel she resembles the Golden-Eyed Devil.” The merchant said hesitantly, not very confident in his conclusion.

“Captain Roy is a man, that’s beyond doubt. In my view, she more closely resembles the little girl who died in the sea of fire years ago, but…” The slave owner paused, then laughed and shook his head: “But that’s impossible. I saw with my own eyes how she and that woman burned to charcoal, and in the end, not even their remains were found.”

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“In any case, just have people watch them. If they intend to get involved, then tell the subordinates to be clean in their actions, not leaving any handle for the empire, at least no overt evidence.” The slave owner set the tone for this matter, expressionless.

The temperature of the island at night wasn’t very high. A slightly cool breeze blew through the narrow streets, dispersing the heated air around Roy and Caine.

After confirming that the group of soldiers hadn’t followed them, and not even scouts had been sent to trail them, Roy’s tense body finally slowly relaxed. The violent factors surging in her blood also receded. She sighed with complex emotions.

Caine led her winding through streets, and quickly found an inn that had not yet closed. He ordered a room from the owner, then casually found a place to sit down. Only then did Caine release his tight grip on Roy’s wrist, which had already turned red from his grasp.

This indicated he had been holding very tightly earlier; even if Roy had wanted to break free, it would have required considerable effort.

After the two sat down, the owner quickly brought a bottle of red wine, several pieces of white bread, and two steaks covered with thick black sauce.

Without looking at the steaming steak in front of her, Roy just gazed at her first mate with a tone that couldn’t be discerned as angry or disappointed: “It seems in your eyes, your former colleagues are still more important. If that’s the case…”

“What need do you have to follow me?”