Tynesday, 21st of Augustus, 470th Year of the Fifth Era

Josias was curious when he saw Serena coming back down in a rush. Before he could ask her what was going on, she had requested him to escort her back to the ship to get her medical supplies. All he could do was follow along his wife's whims as she filled him in along the way.

Apparently, Serena was preparing herself to perform a surgical operation. Josias didn't know the details of it, but Serena told him there was a procedure she could attempt to help Patar's wife. Serena was excitingly informing him of all that as they walked back to the tavern.

"Have you ever done this operation before?" Josias asked as he held Serena's large bag of tools and medical supplies.

"Nope, not at all." Serena answered curtly.

Josias widened his eyes as he paused in his walk to look at Serena. "Wait, what? You haven't?"

"No, but I've helped father through countless of these kinds of operations. We have all the supplies we need. Some potion admixtures to help sedate the patient, surgical tools I borrowed from the hospital, bandages. We also have Ruth who's the best at stopping bleedings."

"I don't know, hasian. I still think it's quite risky… Wouldn't it just be better for us to pay for some other physician to do it? We are in the western continent, I'm sure they'd have healers far more skilled than-..."

Serena turned to squint at Josias as he was about to finish his sentence.

"...I meant most of Goria's medical knowledge comes from the western practices via your father and the missionaries. Surely, over here we can find adequate surgeons to help out."

Serena sighed as she looked at Josias. He gulped. He knew that look. That guilt tripping look she would give anytime she felt he wronged her.

"Do you not trust me that much?" Serena said "Maybe if it was someone else, but my own husband?"

"Dear, you know that's not what I meant…!-" Josias breathed out a sigh "...Please, just keep yourself safe. I trust you more than any other person on this earth…"

"Then please trust me now. Just so you know, I'm not doing this on a whim either. The tumor seems to be benign but there's always a risk of it turning into something much worse. I don't want to just leave her in pain either. If we don't do this, Madame Rachel will be forced to depend on medications only to alleviate the pain. It would pain me to see them having to suffer the cost of that when there's a chance to deal with it once and for all."

Josias had no choice but to nod. He could see his wife's determination. And once Serena's determined on something, she'll see it through no matter what. All Josias could do was pray that everything goes smoothly. He'd hate to have an altercation with angered family members over a botched procedure.

But even then, he'd stand by his wife to the end. Josias sighed before he planted a quick peck on the side of Serena's head.

"Lord, what am I to do with such a headstrong wife." Josias chuckled while shaking his head.

"The right question, dear husband, is what would you do without such a headstrong wife like me?" Serena gave him a wry smile.

"That is a life I'm not interested in living." Josias said seriously. He didn't even want to imagine such a thing for any reason. If even his wife were to be taken, how much more desolate would life be? If anything, he would rather be the one to die first. God knows Serena was much stronger than him in that sense.

When the two returned to the tavern, Serena had immediately asked for a room to be prepared for the operation. Patar and Horace had emptied an unused guest room for use. Josias also helped them to carry over Rachel onto the table for the operation. Helena had helped Serena set out the surgical tools onto a cloth on a smaller table.

Once everything was set up, Serena had asked everyone to leave the room. Only Ruth, Helena, as well as Claire were left to help assist Serena. Claire was insistent on seeing the operation and was intent to help in any way she could. Surprisingly, Serena had allowed her to do so.

And with that, everyone else returned to the dining hall as they sat there accompanying Patar and his family. A few of Captain Farnaby's crewmates had arrived from dealing with some mercantile issues. Horace and Patar were more than happy to prepare food for them. It was then that they started discussing a variety of issues.

"Who is this captain Devin that thug mentioned earlier?" Johannes asked "The way he threw that name around makes him sound like some sort of noble."

"Oh, he wishes he was a noble." Captain Farnaby scoffed "But no. He's as baseborn as the rest of our ilk. Maybe he might've had some noble blood from those Gaolidain traitor scum, but that's irrelevant."

"But is he powerful?"

"He's filthy stinkin' rich is what. Got himself rich off the procurement of various goods and healthy relations with traders. The ole' bastard is one of the richest men in all of Feldonia and perhaps even Archior."

"Ah, so he's a merchant?"

"I supposed you could call 'em that."

"You suppose?"

"Aye, 'cause pirate scum is what I think he really is."

"Pirate?" Josias asked with intrigue. "How is a pirate able to operate openly like this? Wouldn't the king of these lands do anything about it?"

"Captain, I don't think you should be too liberal in your use of that word." Horace said "Also, sir Henry Devin is indeed powerful. I think I've heard news that he had just been awarded a title of knighthood from the king."

"Bah! Of course the king would shower someone that wealthy with titles and the like. A dog would be given a knighthood given the right amount of money in the king's purse."

"So how did this Captain Devin earn such power and capital?" Josias was curious to see who it was that Patar was taking a loan from.

"Hmph. This'll be quite the tale." Captain Farnaby said.

"We have good food and good drinks here. I'm sure you can regale us a little with a story." Johannes insisted. And so Captain Farnaby obliged.

"Captain Devin was born a few years before me on that god-forsaken Isle of Blairbeth that those Gaolidains call home. Which isn't surprising, considering he's a Gaol himself. I met and served with him during the war with the Reichers."

"Wait, so you personally know Captain Devin?" even Patar and Horace were shocked at that revelation.

"'Course I do. Don't you know he still has relatives living in the republic? This was all back when Ol' Richard Ironfist was still Emperor of Archior. When the war broke out, lots of us sailors and merchant ships were hired for privateering contracts. It worked well enough for us. We had lots of ships yet much of our trade had been cut off due to war so we had little choice."

"...So you were a pirate as well?" Josias asked the old captain who shot back an intimidating glare at him.

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"Don't ye dare, lad. I was a legitimate privateer, under direct contract and in service to the Imperial crown. Never once had I or any of my crew harmed the lives of innocents. We would always give defenseless merchant ships safe passage. Of course, after we made sure they weren't storing any harmful elements or contraband.

But not everyone operated like us, no. Captain Henry Devin was one of those men… Well, 'man' be a strong word. They act without chivalry, or even basic human decency. I personally saw how Captain Devin decimated an entire German village. Men, women, and children carried off and sold into slavery, their riches stripped bare. And the clever devil would divert a portion of his ill gotten goods to the royal treasury.

Lord have mercy on any poor sod who'd meet 'em out at sea. He'd pillage numerous coastal settlements and rob dozens of merchant vessels. He was working to fill up his own coinpurse compared to any good of the crown.

Worst off, he'd even sell out his own people. When the treaty to end the war came, news spread how Blairbeth would secede from the crown. That man sided with Feldonia and proceeded to pillage his own home village.

He capitalised on the confusion of the secessions and wreaked havoc for a while. Because of the strained relations between Feldonia and its former states, the crown did nothing to curb him."

"But from your stories, he was at least smart enough to only target 'enemies' so to speak." Josias said "He seems to be fully aligned with enriching the Kingdom of Feldonia."

"Aye, I'll admit, he's a cunnin' bastard. But I'll tell ye what, young lord, ye can only trust a man like that as far as ye can throw yer coin at 'em. The moment he senses that workin' with ye will no longer benefit him, don't be caught in yer breeches when he decides to stick a knife to yer back."

Josias crossed his arms as he thought deeply about it. What captain Farnaby said was true enough. People who were only out for themselves were only trustworthy so long as you had power. You couldn't trust them.

Was it not that way for Goria? When his grandfather was alive, none would dare stand against the might of the swordsaint king. But now?

Josias shook his head. He shouldn't worry about any of that. Goria was still the preeminent power of the Halaklands despite all that had happened. Experiencing the western continent to its fullest and learning from it should be his first priority.

"But to make a long-story short, after the war, Captain Devin cashed in on his ill-gotten gains. He invested into more trading vessels, establishing his own merchant company, and has gotten richer ever since. Now while on paper, his businesses are legitimate, as you can see from this most recent loansharking incident…"

"Exploiting the already downtrodden for even more ill-gotten gains." Reverend Timotheus shook his head "Man's greed knows no bounds. It is well that Sir Patar does his best to stay away from such dealings in the future."

"That would be for the best, reverend." Patar nodded his head with a difficult smile.

"Now that I think about it, it is quite surprising that I'd see Cap'n Devin spreading his wings even over Chessey." Captain Farnaby scratched his chin "As far as I remember, his trade offices are mostly found in major cities like Skysea. I don't remember Chessey being within his bloody influence."

"...They're a newcomer to the scene, yes. Probably only been half a decade or so. They've been mostly quiet, but lately they've been the most proactive in spreading their influence. It's why I chose to loan with them. None of the other organisations were willing to lend me a hand for one reason or another. Maybe, even after two decades here, they didn't trust that I'd make the money back. They don't expect much from a 'savage foreigner' after all."

Josias frowned as he heard the comment. It was true that life in the Halaklands were much more rural than that of the west, but was it truly that bad? Was it bad enough to be labeled as a 'savage' people? But then again, considering Josias' own views of the followers of the old ways, he could perhaps see a point.

Regardless, he had to work to change that perception somehow.

"Savage or not, while I'm glad we managed to help Amang Parbulan, giving money to those thugs leaves a bad taste in my mouth." It was Mateus who first voiced his disapproval. "I don't care what the custom is in these lands, hiking up a price by a third in two days is criminal."

"Well there isn't much ye could do legally, anyways." Captain Farnaby shrugged "Loans from sources like that aren't under the king's watch. Neither is it under the jurisdiction of any lord. Even if it were, I'd doubt any high lord or pompous magistrate would care enough to do anythin' about it…"

Mateus sighed out in frustration. "I'm just upset I didn't get to at least pummel that thug's face in. Lord knows he deserved a good clout or two."

Josias rubbed his nosebridge in concentration thinking about it. He agreed with Mateus that something had to be done about such an injustice. Though the question remains what. As the captain said, there was no legal way to do anything. Unless…

"...But what if there was something we could do about it?" Josias finally said as he cast his gaze on the rest of the people there. Apparently, his companions all said he was making a face.

"...I don't like that look on your face, Josi." Johannes said.

"Yeah, nothing good comes out of his mouth when he looks like that." Sadrach nodded.

"Pfft. This is gonna be good." Mateus added.

Josias looked at Hesekiel, but his cousin merely tilted his head and squinted his eyes further.

"Amang Patar, when you asked those people for a loan, how did you contact them?" Josias asked.

"Oh, well, they have a warehouse at the end of the jetties in the harbour. Why… do you ask, young lord?" Patar looked slightly concerned.

"Saint Lawrence and Andrew help us all. Ye can't be serious, lad." Captain Farnaby rubbed his temples.

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I don't see what harm can come of… 'dropping by' this warehouse of theirs. Preferably a few hours before dawn. No need to announce our arrival or anything. In fact, might this building be accessible from the rooftops or the floorboards by any chance?"

Josias' companions all shook their heads with astonished faces. Josias couldn't help but laugh though. This was the first time he's felt excited in so long. What did he have to lose anyways?

Just as his companions were about to argue against his idea, Claire had came down the stairs.

"Father! The operation is finished! Lady Serena did a marvelous job!" Claire didn't wait for her father's reaction as he and Horace too raced up the stairs at the news.

Josias breathed a sigh of relief, thanking God that nothing went wrong. Now, he needed the same amount of luck to pull off what he was about to pull off.

***

(Extra Serena POV, after the Operation)

"Alright, madam Rachel, how is it? Do you still feel the discomfort when I bend your knee?" Serena said as she held Rachel's leg, moving it up and down, bending it as well. It certainly felt far more mobile than before she operated on it.

"Oh dear Christ, it… It actually feels better! Milady, this is…" Rachel had tears in her eyes as she answered Serena. Serena nodded with a satisfied smile.

"Thank the Lord, always, ma'am." Serena said "Now, please remember not to force yourself to move your joints for a few days. But don't mistake this as me saying not to move at all. Balance as in all things."

Rachel couldn't hold back her sobs anymore as she nodded.

"Milady, I swear I am forever in your debt. I… I don't know how I'd ever repay you…! I'm just a humble tavern owner." Rachel was about to hold onto Serena's hands but she pulled back.

"Careful now, ma'am." Serena held up her hands, showing her bloodied gloves "I think we could all use a good washing here. Isn't that right, ladies?"

Her assistants chuckled at her comments. It wasn't too difficult a procedure, but they were all just as bloodied and dirty as her. Cutting the tumor out wasn't the difficult part. Having to cut open layer by layer to get to the bone, now that was tedious. Not to mention the suturing process. Luckily enough, Ruth's magic did its wonders as she was able to clot the blood vessels from bleeding unnecessarily.

Regardless, it was true that she did indeed require a good washing.

As she was having these thoughts, the door opened to Claire returning with her father, brother, and younger sisters.

"How… How was it, young lady? Is my wife alright?" Patar alternated looks between Serena and Rachel. Serena chuckled softly at the man's worry. She always loved seeing husbands who cared for their wives like that. It reminded her of her own father. Not to mention her own husband.

Serena picked up a bowl and showed it to Patar. Inside of it was a cut off piece of bone.

"This has been growing on top of your wife's knee bones for quite a while. A rogue growth. A tumor, as we call it. Now, I'm not going to bother you with the needless details, but suffice it to say. I truly do believe your wife will be fine after this so long as she takes care of herself."

"Oh ancestors! I can't thank you enough, Lady Serena!" Patar had dropped himself to the ground once more. "I swear we will repay it to you someday. Even if it takes my whole lifetime. We are greatly in your debt!"

"Amang Patar, please get up. It really is fine! It's the least I could do." Serena sighed as she saw the groveling man.

But, it wasn't a bad feeling. Not the feeling of having someone bow to her, but the genuine joy and thankfulness she was witnessing. It was something borne out of love and concern. Truly, she would only be blessed to experience and see love like that.

Serena thanked God under her breath. She felt it was truly His work. All she could do now was pray that it truly was the best cure for Rachel.

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