Chapter 135 - I’d Like to Hear the Details. (1/2)
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
In the darkness of the night, a wave of uncertainty bathed over Orff. This was not how he imagined it to be.
He had been plotting revenge for fourteen years. After all the sacrifices he made… for it to end so abruptly like this… it was like a cruel joke. If Teach was still around, he might even consider abandoning this expedition and simply wait for the next opportunity.
Now that he was the only one left, Orff was uncertain if he was still able to continue down this road. He was way past his prime and getting older every day. His skills were deteriorating, and while time brought with it experience and wisdom, it could not make up for his lost youth. These days, every night, his back and legs would ache in his sleep. Every fight of his was getting more and more strenuous, and his wounds took a much longer time to heal as well.
He did not know if or when he would be presented with a chance like this ever again – tonight was as best of an opportunity as he could get.
Although Teach had lost, the battle was not over yet. He still had the Queen Anne’s Revenge, loaded to the brim with 90 cannons and a complement of nearly 70 sailors. If managed well, they might still have a chance.
The problem was that once the news about what happened on the sh.o.r.e spread throughout the s.h.i.+p, the pirates on board would surely unanimously demand that they set sail immediately.
Fortunately, the only ones who knew about the matter were Owen and the eleven men he brought back. As per Orff’s instructions, most of the pirates were on the ready by the cannons on the second deck. The few pirates on the first deck were some of Orff’s most trusted men.
The helmsman was silent for some time. Then he said to one of the pirates, “Go and tell the people down there that everything is as usual, and tell them to get prepared as per the original plan, and then, to wait patiently.”
Owen, who was still pressing a hand against his abdomen, looked to be startled. “Mr. Orff, as the boatswain of this s.h.i.+p, I cannot turn a blind eye to you trying to deceive the crew.”
Orff looked around at the others and said, “Will you give us a minute?” He then turned to Owen, reached out, and said, “How are you doing? Can you get up? Let’s go talk in the captain’s cabin. I need to know the details of what happened before we can make a final decision.”
Owen hesitated for a second but eventually got to his feet with the help of the old helmsman.
The two men arrived at the captain’s cabin. Orff closed the door and moved a chair over for Owen to sit. Once they were both settled down, he said, “When and where were you attacked?”
“What’s the point of discussing this now?” Owen smiled bitterly, but he answered the old helmsman’s question. “The battle started about twenty minutes ago. We were only a street away from the governor general’s House Inn. We were basically retreating as we fought. To escape, we even set a guest house on fire!”
“You said that Elmer was killed instantly, which meant no one else knew what your actual purpose was,” Orff muttered as he was deep in thought. “The wedding ceremony will surely be postponed because of this, and Bellomonte wouldn’t have escaped. The garrison will attack us soon enough. We should fight back first, give them a taste of something sweet, and once we have the attention of all the defending troops, we’ll send twenty men–no, fifteen should be enough–to the city to search for Bellomonte.”
“I’m afraid you’re a little irrational right now. We’ve already lost. We don’t have enough manpower on this s.h.i.+p to carry out that plan. Also, even if, under the premise that we’re able to attract the defending troops, and if we can gather 15 people, there’s still no one suitable to lead them,” said Owen as he shook his head.