Captain – Chapter 52 – The Lion Roars in the Rainy Night

“Oh, so that’s what you had in mind.”

Only when the Duke spoke those words did Roy understand why he had told her so much, and why he was willing to give his life to bring this affair to a close.

So she smiled and asked: “You want to be the scapegoat?”

“Yes. Since my identity has been exposed, the military will naturally suspect that I was the planner of that fire back then, because only I would have the ability to reach inside those iron walls. So, what’s wrong with letting them come to that conclusion?”

Darren pressed on a section of the stone wall nearby. After a slight tremor, the secret door leading to the residence gradually opened, and the sounds of battle between the assassins and the ferocious pirates became clearer.

“I will die tonight with my children, and completely sever the hatred that has continued since twelve years ago, allowing that little lion to no longer live for revenge. And what you need to do, Captain Roy, is to survive and meet him, tell him the blood feud is over, then take him away—to the sea, to the southern islands, anywhere would be fine…”

Roy followed behind the old duke, looking at his broad back, listening to his gentle instructions, and finally a faint admiration appeared in her golden pupils.

“As long as it’s not in the empire, in this country filled with conspiracy and war.”

The intense sound of rain returned to their ears, and the thick smell of blood entered their nostrils. What greeted the two in the dark residence was a floor of corpses and six blood-covered assassins waiting with bowed heads.

Darren stood before them and said consolingly: “I hope the young master of the Howard family, after leaving the empire and moving away from revenge, can see the truly beautiful side of this world.”

“My Father, of the thirty-five surviving saints, only six of us remain.”

An assassin whose face was covered with black gauze reported softly, his tone devoid of any emotion: “The enemy had fifty-eight people in total. Forty-two fell in the previous battle. The rest are on the street outside the residence, presumably waiting for reinforcements.”

The assassins addressed Duke Darren as “My Father,” the way church followers address the Pope, and referred to themselves as saints. In the eyes of these killers immersed in darkness and death, Viper was the god who gave them life, and the Black Raven Society was the most sacred temple in the world.

“Very good. You’ve all done very well.”

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Darren’s gaze swept over each child whose face was covered but whose form was so familiar he could recognize them, smiling encouragingly.

With the remnants that included nearly ten severely injured people, they had still held the residence and made the enemy pay a heavy price. Even the captain, listening quietly on the side, had to admit the strength and resilience of these assassins.

“I say, Your Grace, after all these beautiful scenes you’ve described, how do you know Caine will truly be willing to leave with me?”

Hearing the question from behind, Darren turned his head slightly, with an extremely confident smile on his face: “Just as you said to the Elder earlier, I believe in that child, just as Federo, Naren, and His Majesty the Emperor believe in him. At a time like this, Admiral Caine will certainly make the right choice.”

“Although we call him the little lion, in fact, he already has the dominance of a young Naren, after all…”

“He is the Imperial Lion.”

The downpour showed no sign of stopping, accompanied by continual rumbling thunder and occasional flashes of lightning.

The old Howard residence was completely silent. Whether it was the castle full of nobles with military intelligence coming and going, or the home that carried the officer’s beautiful childhood memories, all had fallen into a heavy and oppressive silence.

Nobles who couldn’t sleep due to anxiety, the governor gazing through the wooden window, the major pacing back and forth, soldiers in a panic… everyone was intentionally or unintentionally looking toward the cage that imprisoned the lion, waiting for some change to occur.

It was as if a fateful thunderbolt would surely shatter this darkness before dawn.

The light of the kerosene lamp flickered slightly. That yellowed portrait remained unchanged, just as it had been twelve years ago, but the coat rack that once held Governor Naren’s admiral uniform was empty, with only a black tricorn hat with gold trim remaining.

With a slight breeze, the light of the kerosene lamp went out.

The next moment, a hand wearing a snow-white glove touched the edge of the tricorn hat, taking it from the coat rack and placing it on a head of brilliant silver hair.

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Firm footsteps sounded in the dim room, quickly reaching the closed wooden door.

Without any hesitation or pause, the wooden door symbolizing the empire’s will was pushed open by a steady hand.

The major, who had been pacing back and forth in the candle-lit corridor and sighing constantly, happened to witness this scene. After a moment of stupefaction, he immediately thought of a certain possibility, and his pupils contracted slightly.

Harboring an almost impossible hope, the major walked hurriedly toward the room with the open wooden door, while carefully calling out: “Young master? It’s so late, you…”

Before he could finish, that tall figure walked out of the room. Seeing the person’s attire, the major was so shocked that he couldn’t close his mouth, let alone utter another word.

His gaze fell on that dark-colored uniform, swept over the admiral’s epaulettes hanging on the shoulders, and finally stopped on that stern face.

Looking at those familiar features and the silver hair floating under the tricorn hat, the major seemed to return to his youth, once again seeing that majestic lion who commanded the navy and roamed the oceans.

By the time the major came to his senses, Caine had already brushed past him and was walking outside the residence. So he could only run to catch up, while anxiously asking in a low voice: “Young master, why are you wearing the master’s uniform, and where exactly are you going…”

Caine stopped in his tracks, turning to look at that slightly chubby face streaming with cold sweat, his voice as cold as the ice of the extreme north: “Major Ivan, have you been living in comfort for too long that you can’t even see your superior’s epaulettes anymore?”

If the young man had been gentle and nostalgic toward his father’s old subordinates while wearing that faded uniform, then when he put on this uniform that had faced countless storms and gunfire with Naren, and wore the admiral’s epaulettes that matched his identity, he instantly transformed back into that proud and cold young officer.

The pressure and aura that hit him made the major choke, then he awoke with a jolt, his face pale as he stood at attention and saluted: “I wouldn’t dare, Commander!”

“Good, follow me.”

Caine’s expression softened slightly as he strode down the corridor, pushed open the heavy oak door, and walked out of the residence into the driving wind and rain.

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Seeing the young master push the door open and come out, more than a dozen soldiers standing guard outside the residence were all startled. Todd, responsible for keeping watch, hurriedly came forward to ask for instructions. Looking at Caine’s crisp uniform and the solemn-faced major behind him, who showed no sign of joking, the captain’s eyelids twitched nervously, and he saluted with perfect formality.

“Greetings, Commander!”

Caine’s gaze swept across the pitch-black estate, finally landing on that luxurious castle: “Major Ivan, take your orders.”

“Present!” the major responded loudly.

“Gather your subordinates and the musket squad. Surround the castle for me. Don’t let anyone leave. If anything goes wrong, you’ll be held responsible.”

Surround a castle full of nobles? What is this, a rebellion?

The major’s eye twitched uncontrollably, a bitter taste rising in his heart. He didn’t know what the governor had said to the young master earlier that would cause such an intense reaction from the young man.

“But Commander, in the castle…”

“You only need to execute the order, Major. The military never cares about the will of outsiders.”

The coldness gradually faded from Caine’s face, replaced by calmness and composure, as if as long as he had the army by his side, he had the ability to control everything.

“Yes, do you have any other instructions?”

Hearing that precept memorized by heart by every Auran soldier, the stone weighing on the major’s heart seemed to have encountered a massive tidal wave, shattering into countless pieces at once. Blood that had cooled for a full twenty years showed signs of boiling again.

Yes, when they were by Governor Naren’s side, when had they ever worried about others’ opinions?

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At these words, Caine lowered his eyelids, and that familiar, beautiful face appeared in his mind: “Send someone to town to tell Merri, no matter what means he uses, to bring my people back safe and sound.”

“If the Rear Admiral refuses to accept the order?”

The major finally understood the origin of the conflict between the commander and the governor. So it was for that Miss Andersen. But since Merri had left with Federo’s orders, even if he sent someone, they might not be able to persuade him.

Caine took the purple copper lion badge from his chest pocket and placed it in the major’s outstretched hand, saying expressionlessly: “See the badge as seeing the person. If anyone refuses to accept the order…”

“Military law will be applied.”

The study in the castle was very quiet.

Federo withdrew his gaze from the pitch-black rain curtain and returned it to the military report in front of him, a smile of indiscernible meaning appearing at the corner of his mouth.

Even from a distance, he could feel the aura of that lion when it roared.

“Governor, with Admiral Caine acting like this, aren’t you going to stop him?”

The black-clad man who had reported information to Federo in Duke Darren’s manor asked in confusion as he handed the confidential report to the old man.

“Stop him? George, don’t you understand yet? He is no longer that little lion who used to obey my every command. He has become the true Imperial Lion.”

Federo placed the confidential report aside and took a sip of hot tea to stay alert. His bewitching dark green eyes rippled gently, his tone both proud and helpless: “In his familiar domain, even Naren couldn’t check and balance him. What can my old bones do?”

“Just wait. Soon, he will come before me.”