Killing the Sea Pirates

If it had been the original Roger, lowering his head and enduring a round of abuse—or taking another two slaps—would have let the matter pass. But Roger now narrowed his eyes and showed no fear of the hunting knife in the brute's hand.

Seeing that the little bastard before him still wore a fierce look, the brute's vicious temper surged. The tip of his hunting knife slowly rose and pressed against Roger's temple.

That scene from his previous life flashed before Roger's eyes. Murderous intent rose within him. He suddenly seized the small knife used for cutting meat from the wooden table, raised his right arm, and stabbed upward without hesitation.

The instant the dagger thrust toward him, the brute sensed danger. Shock and fear appeared on his face. He instinctively stepped back to dodge, but it was already too late.

With all his strength, Roger drove the knife into the brute's throat just beneath his chin. But the brute had retreated slightly, so the blade failed to strike the most vital targets—the windpipe and carotid artery.

Wracked by pain and fury, the brute screamed.

Without even thinking, Roger instinctively made his next move. His left arm struck the inside of the brute's right elbow, knocking aside the arm holding the knife. At the same time, he shoved hard against the blade, putting every ounce of strength in his body behind that half-foot dagger.

As the dagger entered the brute's head from below, blood choked out of his open mouth and splashed across Roger's face.

Roger snapped his head aside, but his hand continued forcing the dagger upward. Dark red blood poured from the brute's neck and streamed down Roger's right arm.

For an instant, the dagger met resistance, but it soon punched through. By the time the brute's eyeballs seemed ready to burst, Roger saw the tip emerge from his eye socket, smeared with blood and froth.

The brute's flailing hands dropped. His entire body went limp, and he collapsed onto the ground like a heap of mud, his limbs twitching faintly.

Everything had happened too suddenly. No one had yet reacted.

Only after the nearby Halfpenny waitress let out the first scream did the people in the hall awaken from their stupor. Several timid diners shouted, "Murder!" and fled the Red Mill with their heads clutched in their hands.

The brute was already dead, but the danger had not ended.

The two pirate lackeys who had been watching the spectacle finally came to their senses. Seeing their leader stabbed to death, they immediately drew the short swords at their waists and moved to fight Roger.

Roger grabbed a clay jug from the table and hurled it at the pirate charging first. The jug burst over the pirate's head, covering his face in shards and leftover wine.

Almost at the same moment he threw the jug, he bent down and tore the short-handled axe from the corpse's belt. He aimed it at the other pirate trying to rush forward and shouted, "If you're not afraid of death, come on!"

Seeing their leader killed in an instant and Roger now armed with a weapon of death, the two pirates did not dare advance. They could only stand off against him with swords in hand.

Roger swept his gaze across the hall, thoughts racing like wind and lightning. Then he shouted, "By Young Master John's order, I have executed the sea pirate Ulf! Whoever kills the sea pirate's accomplices will also receive a great reward from the Baron!"

At those words, although no one in the hall dared move, the two pirate lackeys immediately felt killing intent closing in from all around. They began looking about in terror, their sword blades trembling slightly in their hands.

Just as everyone stood at a loss, Ponytail—the one who had been spat full in the face—was the first to respond.

With a flip, he scrambled up from the floor, snatched up a low stool beside a wooden table, and pointed it at the two men. "They're pirates! Catch them, and we can claim a reward!"

Baldhead saw that the two pirates were already beginning to falter and finally gathered his courage as well. He raised the clay jug before him with both hands as if to smash it, but still did not dare take even half a step forward.

Three people had now emerged against them, while danger surrounded them on every side. The two pirates were completely at a disadvantage, and the hands gripping their swords shook even harder.

Just as the atmosphere froze to its limit, the pirate who had first been struck by the clay jug could no longer hold out. He suddenly turned around, intending to flee for his life before the crowd erupted.

Facing the raging crowd, the other pirate dared not linger either. He hurled a few fierce-sounding but hollow threats at everyone, backed step by step toward the door, then turned and rushed out of the Red Mill after his companion.

By the time White-faced John arrived at the Red Mill with the one-armed old constable and three constables temporarily assigned to defend the town, the two pirate lackeys had already vanished beyond the settlement in a puff of smoke...

"Sea Wolf" had been stabbed to death on the spot. The pirate lackeys had escaped to report the news, and Brodick Castle's forces were dangerously thin.

Many people feared that the pirates would gather together and storm into the settlement to avenge their great leader.

Every household in Brodick shut its doors and windows tight, while more than half the customers of the Red Mill had fled.

The scene beneath the hall staircase was truly horrifying. The corpse on the ground had already stiffened, foul-smelling blood pooling everywhere. The meat-cutting dagger remained lodged in its head, and its wide-open eyeballs looked ready to burst.

Beside the corpse, the front of Roger's robe had been dyed red by splattered blood. His entire right arm was crimson, and drops of gradually congealing blood fell one by one from between his fingers, blooming into blood flowers amid the pool beneath him.

Leaning against the entrance of the Red Mill, White-faced John's face was ashen. Had he not been bracing himself against the door, he might have long since collapsed to the floor.

"You came one step too late." Roger raised his eyes from the corpse and looked at White-faced John by the doorway, a twisted smile appearing on his face.

"Y-you—you've caused a huge disaster!" White-faced John's voice trembled. "The pirates will definitely come back for revenge on all of you. Just wait to die."

Roger gave White-faced John a contemptuous glance. "I killed this giant outlaw under your orders. The pirates will kill you along with me."

"What? You bastard! How could I..." White-faced John looked around and hurriedly shut his mouth.

A few bold diners and waitresses still remained inside to watch the excitement. As Allen Island's future ruler, he should not show fear of sea pirates at a time like this.

"He's already dead. What use is there in being afraid? You should think about how to deal with the slaughter that's about to come."

"You are temporarily handling the lord's affairs now. Don't let people look down on you." Roger picked up a clay jug and used the leftover wine inside to rinse the blood from his right arm. His tone made him sound like a complete outsider.

After a simple wash, Roger crouched down and began searching the corpse. He picked up his hunting knife and slid it back into its sheath. The Viking hand axe, the black-sheathed dagger, and the finely made belt were removed and placed on the table.

After feeling around the corpse for a while, he reached into the sleeveless leather armor and pulled out a coarse-cloth money pouch. It was heavy and clinked crisply. He placed that on the table as well.

He then found a razor, a whetstone, and a fire striker. Roger had no interest in any of them and casually tossed them back onto the corpse.

Having looted nearly everything, Roger stood and glanced to the side. Missing-Tooth Gray Rat had long since fled in terror. Only Baldhead in green and Ponytail remained beside him, both wearing horrified expressions.

Roger stared at the two men, lifted his chin, and gestured toward the corpse. "What are you standing there for? He's dead through and through. Strip off the leather armor for me. The rest is all yours."

Baldhead in green and Ponytail stared at each other blankly for a moment, then immediately rushed to the corpse and began stripping it clean.

"Madman, madman!!" White-faced John could not bear to watch any longer. Cursing as he went, he fled this bloody hell called the Red Mill...

Split quarter-pennies and halfpennies, whole pennies, Florin gold coins, Venice gold coins, gold coins from Genoa and Naples, plus one slightly larger French gold coin.

Several types of privately minted silver coins much larger than pennies were mixed with crudely made Luxembourg coins that were not pure silver. The table before Roger was already covered with gold and silver coins of every shape, style, and value.

From this jumble of currencies, it was clear that the corpse on the floor had traveled to many places in life and plundered many innocent sea merchants, fishermen, and farmers.

Thinking that he had removed a great scourge for the common people of this era, Roger's faint discomfort after killing someone vanished completely.

There were roughly three hundred coins on the table. Aside from the silver pennies and the two types of gold coins, which he knew a little about, Roger could not recall the names of the other currencies, much less estimate their values.

He picked out six Florin and Venice gold coins, along with six thin gold coins he did not recognize, then divided the remaining coins on the table into three roughly equal piles.

After finishing all this, Roger looked up at the two men beside the corpse.

The body on the ground had been stripped bare. The sleeveless leather armor had been placed with the hand axe and dagger, while everything else had already been divided.

Baldhead had obtained the coarse black trousers, black outer garment, and underclothes. He did not care at all about the bloodstains on them. After taking off his original green wool shirt, he pulled them straight on, tied his waist tight with a grass rope, and began stuffing the razor, whetstone, and fire striker into his clothes.

Ponytail had put on the tall black leather boots. A black wool cloak covered the flesh exposed beneath his tattered clothes. He had some nerve—he forcibly pulled the dagger from the corpse's head, wiped the blood clean on the green garment Baldhead had discarded, and tucked it into one of his boots.

Roger silently cursed. What talents.

"Two warriors." Roger raised a hand and beckoned the two men over.

"The young master eats meat; you drink the soup. I'll take these gold coins. Each of you can take one share of the rest."

"The remaining share goes to Lady Kate. We killed someone here and disrupted her business, and she will still have to clean up this mess. Consider this money compensation."

Wave after wave of surprise struck them. The two street rats' eyes widened, and the corners of their mouths split uncontrollably into grins.

Once the two street rats had each taken a share of the money, Roger ignored the remaining pile. He raised his head and swept his gaze over the two men beside him. "You've divided the goods and taken the money. Now then, let's think together about how to stay alive."

The evil ghost from Lord Colin's household had caused another earth-shattering disaster, and the terrible news swept through Brodick like a tornado once more...

Night fell. Brodick had never been so quiet. The atmosphere was so eerie that even the wild dogs outside the settlement did not dare make a sound. Families with even a little property had packed up their valuables and taken refuge in Brodick Castle, whose gates had been shut tight.

Nearly all the young and strong men of Brodick and the castle had followed Baron John on his expedition. In such haste, there was simply no way to gather enough soldiers to defend the castle.

The one-armed constable, already over fifty, had no choice but to send all five of his constables to patrol the castle walls. He then divided eleven hastily assembled middle-aged men into two groups, armed them with clubs, and had them take turns assisting with the defense atop the walls.