The Black Bay Horse

Before Roger could even rise, Baldhead at the table spoke first. He desperately swallowed the food crammed into his mouth, yanked at his wine cup, and spilled wine all over the table. "That old bastard Gary actually dared to make you come out in person."

"Young Master Roger, let me drag that old mongrel in here and vent your anger for you." With that, he grabbed the one-handed sword leaning against the bench and made as if to go seize someone.

Roger quickly raised a hand to stop him. "Eat your food. I'll go take a look."

"Lord Roger, you're a knight now. How can you lower yourself to meet a commoner? Besides, he bears a grudge against you." Ponytail had not forgotten to address him as Lord Roger. In truth, he was mainly worried that the other man harbored ill intentions.

Roger waved a hand, unconsciously touched the little dagger at his waist, then rose and followed the serving girl out through the gates of the Red Mill...

Gary, the haggard and careworn village chief of Lochzalan Village, was filled with unease. From time to time, he glanced toward the gates of the Red Mill. Two people stood behind him. One was a freckled youth dressed like an apprentice, his clothes shabby and worn, leading a black bay horse; beside him stood a girl wrapped from head to toe, her face streaked with tears.

Lately, Gary had become increasingly on edge.

When the demon Young Master Roger had taken advantage of Gary's absence to bully his daughter, Gary had flown into a rage and knocked him flat with a single blow from a stick. At the time, he had not been afraid.

Roger had committed evil first, and he was also a detestable second son. As long as Gary had not beaten him to death, it was fine. So Gary had merely gathered several sturdy tenant farmers to guard his home. Sure enough, a few hooligans had come later, but he had driven them off with the tenant farmers' clubs. After that, no one dared cause trouble again.

Gary had also long declared that he would bring a lawsuit before the lord's court and let Baron John render judgment.

But before the Baron returned from his campaign, earth-shaking events had occurred on Allen Island. The demon young master, freshly released from his cage, had suddenly risen in court and slain the pirate kingpin Ulf. Before the news even reached Lochzalan Village, there came that murderous night when the pirate den was attacked.

As the village chief of Lochzalan, Gary knew exactly how savage and brutal those utterly wicked pirates were. Yet when he led several bold farmers to secretly approach that abandoned mill at dawn the next day, his legs went weak on the spot.

The hideous pirate corpses still made his whole body shudder with cold dread to this day. When he learned that the demon Roger had personally cut them down, Gary's heart, which had only just calmed, was suddenly flung into the air.

Then came the news that the Baron had returned to the island in crushing defeat, and that both father and son of the Colin family, both knights, had died in battle.

Gary's heart plunged straight into the endless hell. Lord Colin's knighthood and lands had actually fallen into the hands of the demon Young Master Roger. This was truly the end.

Now that the demon Roger had become a knight and a lord, dealing with a commoner village chief like Gary would take no more effort than blowing away dust. Even the Baron's court could no longer save him.

With his life at stake, Gary dared not delay. He immediately took out twelve pounds of hard-earned money and had someone buy a fine riding horse at a high price from Ayrshire. He intended to lose wealth to avert disaster and kneel before the demon Roger, begging him to spare his life.

This was savings Gary could only accumulate over five or six years.

As for his daughter's chastity, when their lives were hanging by a thread, how could he still care about that?

Watching Roger draw closer, Gary's heart leaped into his throat. Though the weather was scorching, cold sweat beaded across his forehead in layers. His hands clenched the corners of his clothes as he tried his utmost to stop his trembling teeth from chattering.

"You were looking for me?" Roger walked up to them and asked flatly.

"Oh... uh... yes, yes. Well, congratulations on your elevation to knighthood, Lord Roger." Gary desperately squeezed an exceedingly ugly fawning smile onto his careworn face.

Roger glanced at the troubled man before him, then at the girl and the black bay horse behind him. He had already more or less guessed why Gary had come.

"Are you planning to lure me out and beat me again?" Roger teased.

Seeing that Roger showed no sign of letting him off, Gary was so frightened that he dropped to his knees at once. "No, no, no! I came to bring you a congratulatory gift. This horse is worth a great deal."

He had only just received a saddle when someone came bearing him a fine horse, yet Roger did not so much as blink. He merely looked calmly at the kneeling man before him.

"Lord Roger, that day I was panicked and accidentally struck you. Please spare my life. I am willing to pay any price."

As Gary spoke the words "any price," he painfully shut his eyes and lowered his head. The girl behind him, tears still on her face, also backed away half a step in fear.

Roger walked around the trembling man and strolled over to the girl. In a soft yet chilly voice, he said, "Wrapped up so tightly—who are you guarding against?"

The girl remembered that noon. Had her father not returned in time, this demon would have violated her.

But two months later, to keep her family alive, she had no choice but to deliver herself to his door and let him humiliate her. The pain of being unable to resist tore her heart apart like a thousand cuts.

Tears dripped from the corners of her eyes as she glared furiously at Roger. Raising a hand, she untied the clasp of her cloak. The cloak slid down, and the twin peaks beneath her thin clothing were indeed full and upright.

Roger smiled faintly, raised his hand, opened his palm, and slowly reached it toward her.

The girl shut her eyes and bit her lip, waiting for the violation to come. Her heavy breathing made her chest rise and fall deeply.

After a moment, she felt nothing.

Another breath passed, and still she felt nothing.

Quite some time had passed, yet the demon's hands had still not touched her body.

Unable to bear it any longer, the girl cracked her eyes open slightly. No one stood before her.

Opening her eyes fully, she turned her head and swept her gaze aside. The demon before her had already moved to the black bay horse and was gently stroking its coat.

Roger liked this fine horse, though its black bay coat did not look particularly noble.

Other than the black warhorse in Baron John's memories, this was the tallest fine horse Roger had seen here.

The black bay horse stood at the rare height of sixty inches at the shoulder. Its neck was rather long, its body slightly longer than its height, its shoulders long and sloping, its back and loins straight, its croup long and well-shaped, and its limbs slender and dry.

This was a typical riding horse, light in its gait, quick-tempered, and gifted with both strength and speed. It counted as an excellent riding horse, though it still fell short of a warhorse's standard.

However, Roger knew little about horses. He merely thought that this black bay horse was tall, long-bodied, fine-limbed, and glossy-coated. Instinctively, he considered it a good horse, one that largely matched his impression of fine European steeds.

Roger lightly patted the black bay horse, concealing the joy in his heart as he sternly asked Gary, who stood nearby awaiting his fate, "Are you asking me to choose one of two?"

Gary did not dare answer, which amounted to an admission.

"And what if I want both?" Roger looked teasingly at the girl beside him. Her tears immediately became even harder to stop.

Gary, kneeling on the ground, shut his eyes, his face full of pain and helplessness.

"Enough. I'll accept this horse. You may leave."

Gary could not believe that Young Master Roger had truly spared his daughter just like that, but he did not dare delay in the slightest. He hurriedly rose, seized the girl's hand, and prepared to flee.

"Wait." Remembering something, Roger called Gary back.

Gary's heart gave a thump. Thinking Roger had changed his mind, the string that had just loosened instantly pulled taut again.

"Your family's wine is good. From now on, send a barrel to Milkhouse Manor every week. My steward will pay the proper price."

Gary's heart suddenly settled, but his teeth trembled even more as he answered, "Y-yes, Lord Roger. No charge. I won't charge you."

As he spoke, he quickly dragged away the still-dazed girl.

"Lead my fine horse over and feed it some oats and black beans." Roger called loudly to the Red Mill's groom.

The reeking groom immediately ran over, his face wreathed in smiles as he took the reins from Roger's hand...