Chapter 208 Female Mercenary Captain Swan

Wiping away the little slave girl's tears with her thumb, the owner of the hand said in a hoarse voice, "Get up."

The little slave girl lifted her head and saw a face covered by a scarf, with messy hair and a dirty scarf, but the eyes that were exposed were so bright that the little slave girl had to shield her own.

She was wearing some old leather armor, the threads at the edges worn thin. On her back was a large sword, its hilt wrapped in rags. Her chest, tightly bound by the leather armor, pressed against her knees due to crouching down, almost tearing the threads of the armor.

After wiping away the little slave girl's tears, she stood up.

Tall in stature.

Despite her disheveled appearance, she exuded a peculiar wild charm. This reminded the little slave girl of the group that had stormed into the village, killing, robbing, and separating her from her family before taking her to the slave market. The slaves at the market said they were notorious mercenaries.

And the woman before her looked like one of those mercenaries.

"Ah." Startled, the little slave girl seemed to find strength and struggled to her feet, hurriedly apologizing, "S-Sorry, ma'am, I didn't mean to fall."

The female mercenary looked at her, and her hoarse voice spoke again, "You did nothing wrong, why apologize?"

"I..." The little slave girl didn't know how to respond and felt like crying again out of panic.

"Come with me."

The female mercenary said in an unchallenged tone, turning to leave the cabin. The little slave girl hesitated but dared not disobey, keeping her head down, not daring to look at the mercenary's back.

The female mercenary seemed to be heading towards the mess hall.

On the way.

She suddenly spoke in her hoarse voice again, "A girl must learn to be strong, especially when walking alone."

The little slave girl didn't know how to respond, but it seemed the mercenary wasn't expecting an answer. They soon arrived at the mess hall. The mercenary pushed through the crowded slaves and brought the little slave girl to the serving window, shouting, "Fat Pig Jack, give her a meal!"

"Ah, yes, Captain Swann."

As she spoke, the female mercenary turned to leave.

The little slave girl stood there dazed, unsure whether to get food or follow the mercenary. Until Fat Pig Jack shoved a wooden plate filled with semi-liquid food into her arms, "Here, I don't know what Captain Swann is thinking, helping slaves get meals again."

Holding the fragrant food, the little slave girl felt tears welling up, this time from happiness.

One meal a day, never as full as today.

In a voice barely above a whisper, she murmured, "Thank you," though she wasn't sure if it was directed at Fat Pig Jack or Captain Swann.

But as she sat in a corner of the deck, eating the mixture of beans and flour, she firmly remembered the name "Captain Swann." She couldn't understand the language between the mercenary and the cook, only remembering the sound of Fat Pig Jack calling the mercenary.

...

"Captain Swann has a lot of sympathy for the little slave girl?"

On the bow deck, the female mercenary was enjoying the sea breeze when the ship's second mate approached, asking elegantly.

"Why, can't she?"

"Of course not, on the contrary, such actions are heartwarming. I can see that beneath Captain Swann's tough demeanor lies a gentle feminine heart."

The female mercenary didn't respond, only gazing at the sea.

Unwilling to give up, the second mate continued, "I've seen you help several such little slave girls. Do you see yourself in them? People often reminisce about their past. Did you have a childhood like that? Sorry, I didn't mean to bring it up; I just wanted to understand you better, Captain Swann."

A moment later.

Just as the second mate thought he had failed, the female mercenary, looking at the seagulls, slowly said, "I have a sister whom I haven't seen in four years. If she's still alive, she would be the same age as the little slave girl."

"Hmm, I see, being separated from family indeed..."

Before the second mate could respond,

The female mercenary suddenly changed her tone, impatiently saying, "Now that your curiosity is satisfied, can you please go away?"

"Ah, don't be like that, Captain Swann, I know you're upset." The second mate reached out, trying to pat her shoulder, "I just want to comfort you, or maybe lend a shoulder..."

But before his hand touched her shoulder,

The female mercenary elbowed him, sending him flying two meters away. "Get lost!"

"You!" The second mate was furious.

Greeting him was the mercenary's cold gaze and hoarse voice, "If you don't want to die, don't bother me. A few bodies thrown overboard, I'm sure the captain won't care."

The second mate's anger subsided instantly, rubbing his chest and reluctantly leaving the deck.

Upon entering the sailors' quarters, he was immediately mocked by a group of half-dressed sailors: "Spick, look at that, the best performance of overestimating oneself!"

"Haha, with that pockmarked face, you dare to provoke Captain Swann? Hilarious."

"Don't lose heart, Spick, you lasted two minutes longer than Fox."

"As per our bet, Spick didn't last more than five minutes, so everyone who lost should pay up!"

"To celebrate Spick's failure, I'll take another sip of watered-down gin, haha."

...

The crude laughter of the sailors in the cabin.

The female mercenary didn't hear it, leaning on the deck railing, watching the ship cut through the waves, her thoughts drifting far away: "Coral Island... Flower Town... Little Maggie..."

Meanwhile.

The place she had been looking forward to.

In the castle, the gray-haired Butler Carter approached Lord Liszt, who was engrossed in writing the grand historical epic *Dragons at War*, and said, "My lord, there is something you will be pleased to hear."

"What is it?" Liszt asked without looking up from his work, as he was crafting a passage about an evil fire dragon battling a powerful dragon knight in the azure seas ten thousand years ago.

"Castle apprentice maid Maggie has entered into a mother-daughter contract with Mrs. Harriet from the grocery shop."

Hearing that it was news about Maggie,

Liszt finally put down his quill pen reluctantly and raised an eyebrow, asking, "So, what are the Harriets planning? Are they going to take Maggie back and end her apprenticeship?" Maggie was a key figure tied to the Smoke mission, and he had gone to great lengths to bring her to his side with an excuse.

He was not willing to let Maggie go so easily.

Carter's response relieved him: "Of course not, my lord. Working in the castle is an immense honor for commoners, and the Harriets would not give up such a good opportunity."

"Then, Mr. Carter, please extend my congratulations to Maggie. By the way, is she still coming for her afternoon shift?"

"She hasn't taken any leave, so she should be here for her regular shift."

"Hmm, add a grilled steak to her dinner."

"As you wish."