"Young Master! Young Master! The Lord has returned, and he ordered that you be informed the moment you set foot on shore!"
Almost the instant Lei Lin disembarked, he encountered an unexpected person — the manor's steward, Lane, had come directly to meet him. It was obvious he had been waiting here for a very long time; faint traces of moisture from the mist clung to his clothes.
"Father has already returned? Good, I'll go see him right away. Clean things up here, and see to the spoils and prisoners on the ship…"
Compared to the sneaking and secrecy before the raid, Lei Lin made a far grander entrance upon his return this time. He was even hoping that this victory would serve as a deterrent to any other ill-intentioned parties.
However, the only ship to enter the port this time was Lei Lin's own vessel. The captured pirate ship "Black Tiger" and a large portion of the pirates — even his cousin Isabelle — had all vanished without a trace.
What remained besides a small amount of spoils were just a handful of unlucky pirates, and of course, Steve, the former pirate captain.
"At your command, Young Master!" Lane bowed deeply. Just from the injuries on the several guards behind Lei Lin, he could tell this battle had been extremely fierce.
"Mm! Jacob, bring Steve. Let's go!"
Lei Lin climbed straight into the carriage, followed by Jacob and the prisoner Steve, whose head was covered by a black hood. Lei Lin was not about to entrust such a high-value prisoner to his subordinates — who knew what might happen otherwise.
"Father…"
The moment the carriage arrived at the manor, Lei Lin saw his body's parents — Baron Jonas and his wife — standing at the entrance waiting, their eyes filled with an indescribable worry.
Lei Lin immediately stepped down from the carriage and was pulled into an embrace by Lady Sarah. "Oh! My poor child…"
It was clear that even though she had only a vague idea of what Lei Lin had gone off to do, Lady Sarah had been terribly worried.
"As long as you're safe!" Baron Jonas maintained the composure befitting a nobleman, though a hint of joy had crept into his eyes.
Lei Lin's gaze swept past his father, and then he spotted his mentor, Ernest, who gave him a look of affirmation and encouragement before tightening his grey mage's robes and slipping into the crowd — mages were always such a reserved, emotionally restrained lot.
But at that moment, behind Baron Jonas, Lei Lin also noticed several elite soldiers clad in armor. Their cold, hard gazes gave even Lei Lin a faint sense of danger.
"Fifth-Circle professional warriors! And this many — where did Father find them?"
From the eyes of these warriors, especially their leader, Lei Lin could see respect, but none of the reliance and concern typical of household retainers. It was clear the Baron had brought in outside help.
But these were all minor matters.
"You reckless child — you must not be so rash again. Venturing out alone to lead troops is far beneath the dignity of a noble…"
Baron Jonas spoke with a note of warning. If his heir had died in this battle, he would have been utterly unable to face the future.
"Speaking of which, Father, allow me to show you the spoils and prisoners I obtained this time…"
Lei Lin clapped his hands, and Jacob personally marched Steve forward.
Although Steve's limbs had long been crippled, rendering him little more than a helpless cripple without high-level divine arts to heal him, the necessary guard was still indispensable.
“ Oh? ” Baron Jonas raised an eyebrow at the several captives Lei Lin presented and the tattered blades, showing no particular reaction.
In his view, Lei Lin had merely gone out and put down a small band of pirates — perhaps fewer than twenty, or possibly just a group of desperate, half-mad fishermen — so he saw no reason to pay much attention.
Lei Lin reached over and yanked the black cloth from Steve's head, exposing that hideous face — missing one eye — to the sunlight. The ghostly pallor from severe blood loss did nothing to lessen the horrifying sight; even Lady Sarah let out a gasp and stumbled back a few steps, a mixture of alarm and revulsion on her face.
"Lei Lin, you've frightened your mother. There's no need to drag such wretched prisoners out and assault a noble lady's eyes with them…" Baron Jonas was, after all, a military noble by birth, and the scene didn't particularly unsettle him, though his brows did furrow slightly.
He was somewhat puzzled that Lei Lin would present him with a reeking captive — drenched in sweat and blood, badly wounded — right to his face.
What the Baron failed to notice was that the elite warriors standing behind him had already shifted their gazes.
Though Steve had been crippled, the thick calluses on his hands, the broad slabs of muscle across his body, and above all the lingering aura of a high-ranking warrior had not entirely faded — and they had caught the attention of men who knew what to look for.
"This prisoner is named Steve — captain of the Black Tiger Pirates!"
Lei Lin said it simply enough, but the words immediately made Baron Jonas's eyes go wide.
"Gods above!!!"
Baron Jonas abandoned all concern for the filth covering the man and strode directly up to Steve. He brushed aside the matted hair hanging over the captive's forehead and studied him with painstaking care.