Captain – Chapter 292 – Journey’s End

Though Caine had become a true pirate in the eyes of the crew and even the captain after personally killing Captain Solomon—becoming increasingly decisive and unconcerned with appearances in his actions—there were still many things common to pirates that he found difficult to accept, or rather, was not very familiar with.

This included pirates’ passionate desire for money, women, and rum, as well as those seemingly simple and crude, but actually quite complex, insider slang terms.

It seemed he would need to find time to properly study these signals, otherwise he might be fooled again by these two conspirators.

Thinking silently, Caine sighed softly, took the young dragon staring at him onto his lap, and then said in a casual tone: “Speaking of which, Captain, that check was given by Grandfather Federo for himself and on my father’s behalf as our honeymoon fund. While half of it is certainly yours, the rest…”

Hearing this, the smugness immediately vanished from Roy’s face, replaced by squirrel-like vigilance. She seemed concerned that the man before her might steal her winter food supply, and asked with extreme caution: “What exactly do you mean by that?”

The captain naturally understood what Caine meant, but given the situation, he clearly wanted her to return his share of the money. Since she was fundamentally unwilling to do so, she could only pretend not to understand.

At the same time, she hoped this attitude would make the young man abandon his impossible idea, but it didn’t seem to be working.

“That’s not a small sum. Calculated properly, it might be as much as a quarter of the Mermaid’s total trading proceeds from this journey. Captain, you surely can’t just ‘pocket’ it, can you?”

Although the treasures the Mermaid carried were only a portion of Solomon’s wealth, their value was still immeasurable, perhaps comparable to several years of tax revenue from a large city. Add to that the gold coins obtained from nobles competing in the auction, and by the end, they would surely fill the ship’s hold beyond measure.

But even so, the value represented by that check could still account for a quarter of the trading fair’s proceeds, which gives an idea of how enormous the amount written on it must have been.

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Hearing the word “pocket,” the maiden’s eyebrows raised: “Pocket? Are you clear on this? When we discussed it before, you agreed!”

“That’s true, but thinking about it later, this is you repaying kindness, Captain. How could you use someone else’s money? So for your peace of mind, I’ve decided to take it back. This way, the amount written on that check will be entirely from your heart, right?”

Though she wanted to refute this, hearing it put that way, Roy seemed to feel there was some logic to it, and her momentum suddenly diminished considerably.

But even so, trying to “snatch food” from Captain Roy’s hands was still an impossible dream.

In the past, for just a few thousand gold coins, she had hidden the Mermaid for months to plunder merchant ships escorted by Federation warships. With such a large sum now, asking her to return it would be like asking for her life.

Silently seething inside, the captain showed no trace of hardness on her face. Instead, she slightly lowered her eyelids, appearing rather fragile and wronged.

Her tone when speaking was so dejected it tugged at the heart: “You’re right, that’s certainly the principle. But we’re already engaged… although it’s not completely finalized, we’re still family, aren’t we? Is it really necessary to distinguish between what’s yours and mine so clearly?”

The maiden’s emotions couldn’t have been more genuine, and that pitiful little appearance would make anyone feel reluctant to push further. Someone who didn’t know her might actually believe it.

But Caine wouldn’t.

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He knew she was acting. The emotions displayed might be real, but they certainly weren’t due to his expressed attitude—rather, they were for the gold and silver that might flow out of her purse.

In reality, the young man wasn’t truly demanding she return the money. He just couldn’t stand her smug expression and wanted to teach her a small lesson, while also venting a bit for being kept in the dark like a fool.

Therefore, upon seeing the captain show weakness, Caine naturally “revealed his hand”: “Alright, alright, look how anxious you’ve become. Of course we don’t need to distinguish so clearly between us.”

Hearing this, Roy raised her eyelids, widening her eyes slightly. Seeing the faint smile on her first mate’s face, she realized she had been tricked. She then pounced on him with gritted teeth, wanting to let him know what a “terrible” price he would pay for teasing Captain Roy.

The carriage immediately became noisy. The raven’s cheering, the young dragon’s joyful low growls, and the pair’s unmistakably fake “fighting” sounds rose and fell, not subsiding for a long time.

In these playful, relaxed, and happy days, even the passage of time seemed to accelerate.

The sound of hooves and wheels crushing the road rose together, rarely ceasing, until several days later, when Loriton’s simple buildings came into view, and they finally quieted down.

The carriage door opened, and Roy and Caine descended one after the other.

Afterward, the carriage continued its journey, carrying the young dragon and the raven to the predetermined port city to await the Mermaid’s arrival.

As this journey neared its end, the captain, reminded by her first mate, finally remembered her band of loyal crew members and sent them a letter from a courier station in a small town they passed through.

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The letter was perfunctory, only stating the endpoint of their journey, which was the unremarkable port city where the carriage was headed.

“That captain in Ilruwin has retired and returned to the Federation. When the time comes, let our young master Anderson write a letter home to send someone to look for him. If he’s doing well, that’s good, and if he needs anything, we can offer some help.”

“The family at the small farmstead has received that sum of money. Their future food, clothing, and various expenses certainly won’t be a worry. And with their brother having some position in the military, I don’t think I need to worry about them anymore.”

“But that butler grandfather…”

Roy sighed softly, standing in the somewhat desolate street of the small town, her expression slightly downcast, but with little regret.

She had taken this journey with her first mate to repay those who had once cared for and helped her. Although they all had some connection to Robert, they all had significant debts of gratitude toward her.

The butler who managed Robert’s daily life was the same, but her actions had ultimately caused him considerable shock, which was unavoidable and irreparable.

Seeing someone he had watched grow up die because of her, Roy naturally wouldn’t expect the grief-stricken old butler to understand or forgive her. She wouldn’t appear before him again to upset him once more.

She only hoped to make his life somewhat better, to make those close to him happier, and perhaps in that way, somewhat alleviate the sorrow in his heart.

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“Didn’t we see the intelligence sent by the dark division? Though that grandfather was grieving, he safely returned to his hometown, where family and children were waiting for him. And you’ve already asked Grandfather Federo to look after them.”

“This is all we can do, so stop blaming yourself.”

Hearing her first mate’s soft comfort, the maiden sighed lightly and smiled somewhat forcedly: “Yes, this is all we can do. I just hope the butler grandfather can come to terms with it.”

After saying this, Roy adjusted her mood and took her first mate for a stroll through the small town that seemed little changed from ten years ago.

The two lingered for some time before the familiar scenery and that dilapidated pasture. Then, after purchasing three white chrysanthemums from a flower shop, they left the town.

They came to the outskirts not far from the town, near that tranquil canal. After passing through a sparse grove, they finally stopped before a slightly raised mound of earth.

Green leaves had fallen on the small mound, with various wild flowers blooming riotously beside it. At its front end stood a rough stone slab, with several white lines carved from crushed stones—crooked but particularly eye-catching.

It was a name, and a call filled with sorrow and love.

“Evelyn Wilson, my beloved mother.”