Chapter 238 - A Luxurious Ship

Vaughn and Zenia finally caught up with the carriage and saw that scene. She was certain that the uniform that the young man was wearing belonged to the Dark Magic faction. The way Jorick was hugging the young man looked like they were…siblings.

Richaem suddenly fainted while Jorick was holding him. He must've been exhausted. Jorick carried him inside the carriage to rest.

Zenia called out to Rodham, "Rudy, will you please retrieve the medicine kit that I packed along?"

'R-Rudy?' Rodham could not believe that Zenia also gave him a new name.

He wanted to protest, but he saw the heavy bleeding of Vaughn's hand. He had no idea what caused it and retrieved the medicine kit that Zenia asked him to fetch. 

Rodham rummaged through the things that Zenia put in the back compartment of the carriage. It was a good thing that she put it in a location where it could be seen easily.

He hurried up and handed the medicine kit to Zenia. Wolstan got off the carriage when he heard Zenia's voice. Roy and Duke Gordon had decided to get off as well to make way for Jorick and his brother. Duke Gordon looked at the direction where they left their pursuers. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw that no one was following them.

Wolstan ran to where Zenia and Vaughn were sitting when he saw the blood on Vaughn's hand.

"What happened to great-grandson?" He asked with a worry-stricken face.

He knew Vaughn's ability, and it should be easy for him to avoid getting that kind of wound. Unless…

Wolstan looked at Zenia and saw that she was still wearing neat clothing and only her hair was a bit disheveled. Wolstan smiled because he was certain that Vaughn had protected his wife well.

Zenia was swift in cleaning and disinfecting Vaughn's wound. She was also a member of Ishelon's medical team and knew more than just the basics of applying treatments. 

Wolstan did not want to rush Zenia, but he was worried that their enemies might reach them before they could board the ship that would take them to Ishelon.

"Great-granddaughter-in-law I don't want to rush you, but Vaughn can ride in the carriage, and I will take his place to ride along with you. Our pursuers might catch up with us at this rate. What do you think?" Wolstan flashed a beaming smile.

Vaughn frowned and quickly realized the real intention of his great-grandfather.

"Willard and his men can handle them. There's no need for us to rush. You are already too old, great-grandfather, to ride a super-fast horse." Vaughn mocked his great-grandfather.

Wolstan glared at his great-grandson for spoiling his plan. It was rare for him to see a magnificent horse and be able to ride it. His great-grandson was truly a possessive husband.

"This will only take another minute, grandpa. We can go right away. What about the young man earlier?" Zenia asked Wolstan while bandaging Vaughn's wound.

"He's Jorick's long-lost little brother. He passed out. But he's okay. He must've been exhausted."

"Hmm. I will check on him next," Zenia turned to Vaughn and asked, "Is it still painful?"

Vaughn was touched when Zenia asked him worriedly. The wound was no longer as painful as before, but he wanted to act spoiled in front of his great-grandfather. In fact, the pain was tolerable.

He grimaced and said, "It is still painful and throbbing."

Zenia took his hand, "Let me see."

She massaged it gently for a bit and kissed it. Wolstan rolled his eyes when he saw it. Vaughn looked smugly at his great-grandfather.

Wolstan mouthed the words, 'Don't show that kind of display of affection in front of me. I changed your diaper when you were a baby.'

Vaughn returned a reply by mouthing the words, 'Don't think that you can ever ride with my wife on her magnificent horse.'

Wolstan was taken aback and did not expect that Vaughn would explicitly tell him off.

"Humph!" Wolstan turned around and walked back to the carriage.

Zenia was puzzled about the old man's sudden withdrawal.

"What happened to grandpa? Why does it seem like he was mad or something?"

Vaughn shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know. He has always been mad for as long as I've known him."

Zenia looked at Vaughn sternly. She knew that a secret conversation occurred between the two of them. When he said that his great-grandfather had always been mad, Zenia knew that he meant his great-grandfather was crazy.

"I will check on that young man. Bring Thunderbolt to the carriage."

Vaughn nodded his head and heeded his wife's instruction. Zenia picked up the medicine kit and went to the carriage to check on Richaem.

"Young Madam, you're here," Duke Gordon greeted Zenia politely.

The rest of the men just nodded their heads. Wolstan joined Rodham upfront.

"How is he?"

"He passed out after crying so much," Jorick explained immediately.

Zenia checked Richaem's pulse and found nothing wrong with it. The young man did not look like he was suffering from any illness.

"He must be tired and overwhelmed by the things that happened around him. He should wake up soon. There's no need for worry."

"Thank you, Ze…Young Madam," Jorick replied and decided to just keep calling Zenia by her title of Young Madam.

Jorick saw Vaughn from the window. He was riding Thunderbolt. To avoid another petty confrontation with Vaughn, he had decided not to call Zenia by her name anymore.

Zenia got off the carriage and returned the medicine kit in the carriage's compartment at the back. After securing it, she joined Vaughn.

"Let's get going," she told her companions.

"What about that Willard lad and his men?"  

"They belong to the elite team of soldiers in Ishelon, grandpa. They are not worthy to be in that team if they could not take care of those soldiers."

None of them uttered another word. Zenia sounded indifferent, but they knew that she was worried. Coming back for them was not an option. As a soldier, each one of them knew their responsibilities and obligations. They should be prepared to die when fulfilling their duties.

After an hour, they finally reached the port. Zenia saw the Ishelon Military Unit flag on one of the sh.i.p.s and smiled. One of the ship's crew spotted Thunderbolt immediately and knew that the lady riding him was Zenia. They knew that Zenia was fond of wearing disguises. They also knew that Thunderbolt wouldn't allow anyone to ride him, except Zenia and a possible companion. 

"It's the Junior Commander! Lower the plank!"

Wolstan felt proud again when he heard what the man had shouted and seen how everyone moved to welcome Zenia and her companions. They all boarded the ship, including the entire carriage and horses. The sleeping Richaem was taken to the room that he would share with Jorick, who requested for it. 

The ship looked very sturdy and quite luxurious. It contained everything that they would need for a safe and comfortable journey. The visitors were impressed at everything their eyes could see. Even the screws that were used were high-quality. 

If there was an unbreakable vessel, that ship should be it. Wolstan had never seen anything like it in all his life. He began to wonder about the riches and wealth of Ishelon. The kingdom remained low-profiled, but Wolstan knew that there was no poor citizen in Ishelon.

Duke Gordon and Rodham could not believe what they were seeing. The ship looked so plain from the outside, even though it looked really strong. Roy swallowed his saliva when he realized that the ship was way more extravagant than his manor. Vaughn remained indifferent. He already knew that the Anisens were as wealthy as the King of Ishelon and perhaps even wealthier. He learned that when he stayed in the Anisen Manor for the first time. 

"Who's managing this ship?" Zenia asked the man who saw her coming.

"That would be me, Junior Commander. This subordinate greets the Junior Commander." A man with a husky voice and tall, broad stature greeted Zenia.

She turned around and recognized the middle-aged man, "Hello, Uncle Ross. You don't need to do that. Father might scold me when he learns that I made you stand in attention. Besides, aren't you retired already?"

"Ah, this lass. Can't you just pretend for a moment? I'm glad that you've chosen to board this ship. I can't believe that you will someday wear such an ugly disguise."

Zenia flashed a smile and asked, "When did you arrive?"

"We've been stationed here before you departed from Ishelon to go to Prazia. Your Big Brother kept pestering me about it."

"You build the sh.i.p.s?"

"Who else in Ishelon can create a magnificent ship such as this?"

"Where did the fund come from?"

Uncle Ross whispered in Zenia's ear, "Don't tell Ovid that I tattled. It came from your father's secret account."

"The one entrusted to my Big Brother?" She whispered back.

Uncle Ross flinched and was surprised to know that even Zenia knew it.

"How did you know?"

"That's a secret." Zenia winked at him. 

Cough! Cough!

Vaughn pretended to clear his throat. Zenia seemed to have forgotten his existence.

She held his hand and introduced him to Uncle Ross, "Uncle Ross, this is my husband."

"Greetings, Your…" 

Uncle Ross was unable to complete his sentence when Zenia talked to him using sign language. She told him that she was keeping Vaughn's true identity from their companions.

Uncle Ross nodded and slightly bowed to Vaughn. He changed the subject and continued, "I will instruct the kitchen to prepare your meal. All of you must be starving already."

He signaled one of the crew to go tell the kitchen to prepare a feast for the guests. They should not bring shame to the Anisen household and Ishelon. They should treat their guests well.

Wolstan was curious just how many sh.i.p.s were prepared just for the mission.

"Sir, please allow me to ask, how many sh.i.p.s like, this one, are there?"