Chapter 308: Fabricated?

An hour later, the cries of battle gradually faded, leaving only several burning pirate ships still ablaze, testifying to the intensity of the prior clash.

The pirates fled or lay wounded; after accounting for losses, three pirate ships had been set ablaze by explosions and could no longer be extinguished.

Two pirate ships had been struck amidships by cannon fire, causing them to take on water and sink soon.

Six additional pirate ships were overtaken and captured outright.

As for the rest, they had scattered too far to pursue.

"Young Master Adams!"

"Deputy Commander Wolf, are you alright?"

"Young Master Adams, I am well—had it not been for the three-masted warship's rescue, we might never have returned!"

Deputy Commander Wolf barely escaped death thanks to the Black Pearl's aid; after pursuing the pirates, he finally returned.

As he spoke, his gaze curiously fixed on Gervas.

This unfamiliar young man possessed an extraordinary bearing—he was not of the Austin family, clearly belonging to the three-masted warship's crew.

He was deeply curious about this youth's origins.

Was he from a ducal family, or the royal house?

After all, three-masted warships were exclusive to either.

Adams understood Wolf's thoughts.

And out of courtesy, he certainly had to introduce Gervas!

"Lord Harry, this is Wolf—one of our Austin family fleet's deputy commanders."

"Wolf, this is Lord Harry—he led the three-masted warship that saved us!"

"Lord Harry, we are deeply grateful for your rescue; without you, we would have perished at the pirates' hands!" Wolf bowed hastily, his gratitude matching Adams's.

After all, it was his own life and his men's lives that had nearly been lost.

"No need for thanks—I merely happened to pass by, sensed commotion here, and came to investigate," Gervas replied with a calm smile.

To Wolf and Adams, this demeanor made Gervas seem even more majestic and extraordinary.

"Lord Harry, may I ask—was the attack your three-masted warship just used some kind of magical device? It caused such violent explosions, leaving the pirates screaming like their mothers had died!"

"Wolf!" Adams quickly interrupted.

But Gervas merely chuckled, "It is indeed a magical device—but for now, it remains our family's secret, so I must ask your pardon for not explaining fully."

"Lord Harry, we understand!" Adams replied at once.

Soon after, both fleets began returning toward the coastline.

When they were still forty to fifty li from the Austin Marquisate's shore, Gervas finally spoke to take his leave.

"This… Lord Harry, won't you come as our guest to the Austin family? You saved us—my father must properly thank you!" Adams was stunned; such a great debt, he had planned to repay Harry properly at the castle.

"No, Adams, I have other matters to attend to now—I won't visit. But when I have time later, I will come to Austen City to pay my respects."

His identity could not bear close scrutiny.

The more he interacted, the more likely he was to slip up.

Thus, the less contact he had with Adams and the others, the better he could keep his secret.

Adams still hesitated, wanting to urge him to stay, yet fearing he might anger Gervas.

Gervas cut in plainly: "By the way, Adams—I'll take five of the captured ships, leave you one. You've no objection, I assume?"

"No, Lord Harry—the pirates were defeated by you; all these pirate ships are your spoils, not ours!" Adams shook his head quickly.

Though Wolf and his men had contributed greatly in capturing the ships afterward,

they were already deeply satisfied just to have returned alive.

How could they possibly covet the captured vessels?

Seeing Adams so cooperative, Gervas nodded in satisfaction and said no more.

Of the captured ships: five single-masted merchant vessels, one single-masted warship.

There were so few warships because they were faster and harder to capture.

Thus, most warships had fled outright.

After transferring most of the pirate captives to the Austin fleet and keeping only a few pirates who knew how to sail, Gervas set off southward with his three-masted warship.

"Young Master Adams, who exactly is Lord Harry—ducal family, or royal house?"

As he watched Gervas's fleet depart, Wolf could no longer hold back his question.

He had wanted to know this since first seeing Lord Harry.

But in the conversation between Harry and Young Master Adams, he had gleaned no clues.

"I don't know."

To his shock, Adams also shook his head firmly.

"You don't know? Young Master Adams? But I thought you seemed quite familiar with him—how could you not even know…?" Wolf could hardly believe it.

Adams wore a look of helplessness: "Wolf, I've only met Lord Harry twice. My knowledge of him extends only to his name: Harry Potter."

"Potter? Is there a ducal family in the kingdom with that surname?"

"No—Lord Harry must have concealed his family name," Adams replied.

The principality had countless minor nobles, and thus countless surnames.

But at the ducal level, there were only six families.

So Adams could be certain: no ducal family bore the surname Harry.

…

Several hours later, the Austin family fleet returned to port.

Without lingering, Adams handed the aftermath to Wolf and immediately rode back to the castle.

The Austin Marquis had already gone to bed; he had not worried much about Adams's expedition.

After all, six warships and three merchant vessels, over thirteen hundred soldiers—no ordinary pirates could threaten such force.

Yet when his bedroom door was knocked on and he learned Adams's party had been ambushed by a coalition of pirates, he sat bolt upright in alarm.

Without even bothering to dress, he threw on a robe and hurried to the conference hall.

"Adams, are you alright?"

"Father, I'm fine!"

Seeing his eldest son showed no obvious injuries, the Marquis relaxed slightly.

Of course, he also cared deeply for the fleet: "Adams, what exactly happened?"

"Father, the Wolf Du Gang's nest was a trap—someone set me up. When my men reached Devil Reef, at least a dozen pirate gangs launched a coordinated attack…"

Adams then recounted how he had sent men ashore, only to be surrounded by over thirty pirate ships, forcing him to break out.

"A dozen pirate gangs? Over thirty pirate ships?"

The Marquis grew more alarmed with each word, his face darkening.

He had seen many storms, yet hearing six warships besieged like this, he knew how dire the situation must have been.

"Then what? How did you break out? How many ships did you lose?" The Marquis braced for heavy losses.

"No, Father—we lost no warships. Though over two hundred of our Austin soldiers died, we shattered the pirates and captured five hundred of them!"

"How is that possible?"

Had he not known his son's character, the Marquis would have leapt up and slapped him.

He could believe if they'd escaped with one or two, even three or four warships.

But to claim the fleet was intact, the pirates shattered, and five hundred captured—this was absurd.

Or worse—this entire dozen-pirate-coalition ambush was fabricated.