British hegemon

Chapter 7 Bad Friends

Igor shrank back. "Um... the butler said your head injury hasn't fully healed and he's worried you might have another accident, so he asked me to come and take care of you."

Roger guessed that the man with the bitter face was still worried about him and had sent someone to follow him and keep an eye on him, but he didn't care. He waved his hand and said, "Then you can just follow me around and eat my ass."

Roger had only taken two steps when he suddenly remembered something and stopped abruptly, causing the young stable boy to bump into him.

"Igor, I remember you're a stable boy. Can you handle things in the stable?"

Igor looked wary. "Young Master Roger, what are you planning to do now? You were just released."

Half an hour later...

"I told you to steal a horse, but you good-for-nothing brought out a big dog instead."

Roger kept cursing Igor who was following behind him. The donkey he was riding was too small, and Roger's feet would occasionally touch the ground as he wobbled. His freshly cleaned riding boots were now covered in mud.

Although the riding experience was somewhat lacking, at least he didn't have to walk on muddy country roads after the rain, so Roger, swaying left and right on the donkey's back, actually quite enjoyed it.

"Young Master Roger, there are only two riding horses in the manor's stable. Both of them were taken away by the master and the eldest young master to fight in the war. The remaining horse is kept at home for emergencies, and we dare not steal it."

"The steward of that blue mule in the stable, Bader, will be harnessed to a cart at noon to go north to collect wool, so he won't be able to steal any."

"I stole this donkey at the risk of getting beaten up by the pockmarked stableman," Igor complained to Roger, sounding aggrieved.

In fact, Igor was capable of stealing that mongrel horse, after all, his mother was the manor's cook and the mistress's personal maid, holding a high position among the servants.

Moreover, he himself was the steward's successor carefully groomed by the man with the bitter face, so that pockmarked stableman didn't dare to provoke him at all.

However, the young horseman harbored a secret thought. He figured that if Roger really stole a horse, he might just mount it and ride off in a flash, and he wouldn't be able to catch up.

If young master Roger runs away and causes trouble again, he will definitely be severely punished by the butler. So he only brought out the donkey for Roger, at least the little donkey can't run fast.

The master and servant strolled along leisurely, chatting casually.

This is the country road leading from the "Milk House" estate to Brodick town. The muddy roadbed is riddled with deep ruts, and there are often puddles of water on the road. If you are not careful, you will get stuck in the mud and water.

The "Milk House" estate on the banks of the Monamore River comprises a lord's manor and more than thirty low stone houses resembling Hobbit houses.

After leaving the manor, there were few large-scale settlements along the way. Occasionally, one could see two or three small huts made of weeds and piles of stones, with small vegetable gardens enclosed by fences around the huts.

These were the dwellings of poor tenant farmers and serfs, with five or six family members, along with chickens, ducks, pigs, and dogs, all crammed into that dilapidated shack.

The "Milk House" estate was considered a relatively large village settlement on Arun Island, but in Roger's eyes it was just a large courtyard with thirty or forty farmhouses, hardly a village settlement. As for the so-called small settlements along the way, Roger didn't know how to define them.

At the entrance of the manor village, a stone cross stands by the roadside. On both sides of the road are strips of farmland. The farmland extends outwards, with a gentle, overgrown wasteland on one side and Ramlash Bay on the other.

Because Roger's father was the younger brother of the Baron of Arron Island, most of the 500 acres of farmland on his family's estate were quite fertile. In addition, fishing and shrimping were also possible in Ramrush Bay, so the estate's residents were able to make a decent living.

But the other minor lords on Arran Island were not so lucky. There was not much arable land on the island, and even less fertile land that could produce wheat. In addition, the north was bitterly cold, so the winter wheat yield was very low.

Each year, the crops grown on the island can only supply food for less than nine months. The rest must be supplemented by wool, fishing, or trade. Of course, the most direct and profitable way is to go on expeditions with the army, as the profits from war can often be surprisingly high.

As summer arrives, farmers dressed in light clothing work under the scorching sun, weeding in the fields or cultivating fallow land during the off-season.

Several farmers who lived near the road initially reached out and watched as someone approached. However, upon getting closer and realizing it was the figure of the evil young master from Master Colin's family, the farmers quickly lowered their heads and bent over, almost burying their heads in the ground, for fear that raising their heads even slightly would attract the evil spirit's attention.

Roger looked at the farmers who had buried their heads in the ground like moles, and was speechless.

He knew from his vague memories and Igor's euphemistic descriptions that he was extremely unpopular on the island, but he never imagined that he was hated to such an extent.

The same thing happened along the way. Wherever Roger went, people fled as if they were plagued by a plague, especially those with women. As soon as they saw Roger's figure in the distance, they would grab their women and run away for their lives.

"What the hell have they done?" Roger cursed the original owner of the body in his heart.

After walking along the coastline of Ramlash Bay for a while, the two left the road leading to Brodik and took a side road to a small village called Ramlash.

This place, along with the uninhabited Holy Island (also known as the Isle of Saints) across the bay, was the knightly fiefdom of Roger's father.

Ramlash was originally a gathering place for fishermen and was also known as the fishermen's port. At its peak, there were more than 30 fishing households, and more than a dozen small fishing boats would cast their nets to catch fish in Ramlash Bay every day.

However, a rare hurricane struck the area five years ago, destroying large numbers of homes.

In addition, with the decline of maritime trade on Arun Island, the number of island residents has decreased sharply, the fish market has dried up, and the fishermen in the village have gradually given up their original professions, leaving the island to make a living or becoming tenant farmers.

The small village now has only seven households left, but they are among the few who do not look down on Roger.

When Roger rode his donkey near the fishermen's hut, two fishermen even dared to come out and greet Roger and his companion.

It's not surprising, but in this era, fishermen covered in fishy smells were the least welcome people. Their social status was even lower than that of serfs who had lost their freedom. People would cover their noses and keep their distance when they encountered fishermen on the road.

This is the place where the grumpy-faced housekeeper never comes in person to collect taxes each year.

However, none of this was a problem for Roger. The smell of blood was a bit strong, but he didn't think those people were particularly lowly.

Igor covered his nose and complained, "Young Master Roger, what did you have to come here to see? It stinks."

Roger didn't speak, but waited quietly at the village entrance "gate" made of a few pieces of dry branches, while curiously looking at the fishing nets hanging on the wooden frame.

Sure enough, a moment later, a bald man in green clothes emerged from a fisherman's thatched hut with two other men who looked like thugs.

The bald man in green raised his hand in greeting and stepped forward with a beaming smile, "Young Master Roger, you've finally come out."

The other two thugs were around twenty years old, and their tattered clothes couldn't hide the filth and grime that clung to their skin.

Fortunately, it was the height of summer, so at least they didn't have to worry about freezing to death.

"Young Master Roger, these two are my good brothers." The bald man was worried that Roger had been away from the island for too long and was not familiar with the local people.

The bald man in green pulled over a thug with half a front tooth and introduced him to Roger, "This is Lemon, you can just call him Gray Rat. He's the one who got the roast chicken you ate last time."

He then pointed to another guy with a bruise still visible on his forehead, "That's Earl Harladson, a Viking descendant, very tough. You can just call him Ponytail."

Roger glanced at the two men and recognized them somewhat, guessing he had seen them in a past life.

The first one, with a missing tooth and gleaming eyes, looked timid and was undoubtedly a habitual thief.

The second guy, who had a name, was well-proportioned, but had an oddly styled ponytail. Whether he was a Viking descendant or a fighter was uncertain, but judging from the bruises all over his face, he was definitely a tough guy.

It's not surprising; anyone who gets involved with a bald guy isn't exactly a great thug.

Roger jumped off the donkey and bowed slightly to the group. They had never seen this gesture before and were at a loss for words, so they could only force a smile.

Roger vaguely remembered that before the original owner's accident, there was a thug wearing a dirty black cloak accompanying him. He asked the green-clad bald man, "I remember there was a brother in a black cloak with him, what was his name again?"

"Hey, you mean Blackie? He got caught stealing from the Baron's house the day after your incident."

"He's still locked up in the dungeon of the Baron's castle. When the Baron comes back, he'll probably chop off one of his hands." The bald man said this with great enthusiasm, and there was even a hint of pride in his words. He probably thought that daring to steal from the Baron was an honor in itself.

"Several other guys couldn't make it today, I'll introduce them to you later."

Roger sighed to himself, "This little island of Arun is truly a place where hidden talents abound."

"Green toad, you're causing trouble for my young master again!" Before Roger could even speak, Igor behind him was already cursing at the bald man.

Upon hearing this, the bald man's toad-like eyes widened. He recognized the "familiar" young stable boy and raised his hand as if to punch him.

Suddenly remembering that Roger was right beside him, he quickly stopped and scolded, "You little horse groom, I'm talking to Master Roger, how dare you interrupt me, you little bastard! Be careful or I'll tear your stinking mouth apart!"

Young stable boy Igor had recently followed the old steward in beating and driving away the green-clad bald man a few times, and was not afraid of such a useless thug at all.

Roger raised his head, ready to hurl another insult, but Roger turned back and hissed, "These are my friends. Don't be rude to them."

Upon hearing his young master befriending these thugs, the young stable boy immediately reminded him, "Young Master Roger, have you forgotten the injury on your head? You almost lost your life."

"Shut up."

Igor was indignant, but he didn't dare to argue with the thugs anymore, and he didn't even look them in the eye.

The thugs, feeling their pride greatly satisfied by Roger calling them friends, no longer cared about the horse herder's rudeness.

"Come on, young master Roger, let's get drunk tonight." The bald man skillfully led the donkey and cleared the way, while the two thugs quickly stepped forward to support the donkey's rump on either side.

"Young master, aren't you going to church?" Igor stepped forward and tugged at Roger's sleeve.

Roger pulled open his sleeve. "Young master, I didn't say I was only going to church."

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