CH-5

As a wealthy earl, Haraldson naturally had many treasures and secret places where he kept them.

While watching the story, Rollo remembered that he once buried treasure with a child from the village of Ragnar.

Something about the child, someone, needing to keep watch over his treasure in the hereafter, or something.

It was difficult to say if that was how he generally kept valuables, or if it was just a one-time thing, and whether he truly genuinely had faith in people being able to be reunited with their prized possessions after death.

Svein, the loyal, cruel steward, strangled, snuffed out the child before burying him in the hole he dug himself.

Yes, the child had worked hard to dig the hole, all by himself, without knowing that he would be killed and put in it along with the riches…

Haraldson not only overworked children at night, but also murdered them mercilessly.

After torturing Svein and finding out a lot of information about Haraldson, Rollo discovered that it was a practice that Haraldson did a lot,

There were secret places in, and outside, actually all around Kattegat where gold, precious metal had been kept in such a fashion by the superstitious earl.

The man desired a comfortable lifestyle not only during his time on earth, but also after his death.

'Haraldson, I didn't expect you to be a superstitious man who believes in such debatable things...'

'Didn't you want to go to Valhalla? How many kinds of afterlives do you Norsemen believe in? There does appear to be so many of those in just one single culture…'

Rollo perceived Haraldson as a practical and ruthless man, not someone with superstitious beliefs.

Rollo was sweating slightly and holding a shovel. He was inside Kattegat, in an area with few people or houses.

He was finished digging a hole in one of the locations suggested by Svein.

Rollo's methods of torture were powered by an Essence and were extremely reliable, even classified as magic, so he could make people remember vivid details and point out things they had forgotten with precision, not to mention the ones they needed to recall with pinpoint accuracy.

It didn't appear to be the first time Haraldson killed someone to protect his valuables…

In the hole, there was gold, but also the dead bones and skull of someone, this time appearing to be a child.

Again.

Certainly not the same as the one in the story because Svein hadn't gone to Ragnar's village yet.

This one particular hole was filled with a plethora of items that were extremely valuable, so many that Rollo only required a few items, perhaps two or three.

"... I think I'm good to go with this…"

Rollo muttered, his hands full of exquisite silver plates and jewels.

He dug out what he considered enough, took it with him, and left the area after closing the hole again.

The only reason he disguised himself as the fat Svein before coming here was to ensure that he was not stopped by any guards. 

However, there were none.

Evidently, Haraldson only trusted Svein to know some important things.

It was more convenient.

Both for Haraldson and Rollo.

The latter hummed internally with satisfaction as he walked away, having accomplished everything he had set out to do tonight with ease.

Just like he had promised Ragnar.

Svein's disappearance and the earl's response had nothing to do with him.

Svein was on a break today, so tonight should be fine.

Rollo didn't want to work as a good, loyal steward, even if he wanted Earl not to notice that one of his subordinates had gone missing.

Worst case scenario, if too much time passes, he could pop up in Kattegat as Svein a few times and do some comical things before fleeing, disappearing again, turning Svein into a wanted criminal, some Zorro, all in order to avoid raising the earl's suspicions about him and Ragnar.

He was thinking about the original Zorro here, Don Dio De La Vega, the one with two Rs in his name, the one who wore a face mask and flicked a paper thin fencing sword, not the one with green hair and no sense of direction whatsoever.

That extremely strong Zoro, one with only one R to his name, was also a lovable character that Rollo enjoyed as much as anyone else, but he was not the one he currently wanted to borrow a bag of tricks from.

XX

"Where and how did you get your hands on this?" 

"This is extremely valuable, Rollo!"

"Do you have any idea how much this costs?"

Seconds later, Floki inquired, exclaimed, perplexed and stunned as he gazed at the precious plate, the riches Rollo had brought him.

Rollo had teleported to this spot. 

He didn't need to teleport directly in front of people he knew; behind their homes was fine.

Before doing so, he had secretly and selfishly pocketed the other two plates, as well as the jewels...

The boat construction didn't require that much money.

He also didn't work for nothing.

"I don't know Floki, how about you tell me?"

Rollo responded with a big shrug, entailing that he didn't know and didn't care much.

Eccentric and recluse, Floki was sophisticated, though. 

He was very contrary.

In such ways that could deceive and catch strangers, people unfamiliar with him, off guard.

The worldly-versed non-worldly man had an eye for items of value and special things; he didn't need Rollo's appraisal and explanations to appreciate how useful what he had received was.

The boat-crazed boatbuilder exclaimed, clutching the plate he was kissing, 

"Rollo!"

"I could manufacture ten boats with this!"

"Exactly as wonderful as the one I swore to make for Ragnar!"

Rollo smirked and remarked, 

"Really? I had no idea this could be so valuable; I picked it up on the way somewhere while lovingly strolling through the forest with a beautiful woman; you better take good care of it if it's this good. Please let me know if you need me to convert this into more practical, less flashy currency."

"Ragnar and I are wary of the earl; he is a dangerous man, and we would prefer that he not know what we are doing right now."

Floki laughed like a hyena, dancing and smooching the good thing brought to him, as if it was his first child, then said, 

"I'll do what you say from now on, for a little while at least… If that can make up for this... But what is this about the Earl being a danger?"

Rollo smirked and began to explain to him some things, or ideas at least…

Floki was much more akin to be engrossed in these abstract, depressing political matters than Ragnar, and was happy to be extra cautious, distrustful of people, so Rollo didn't have to work him hard to bring out his watchful eye and give him some thoughts to ruminate on.

Floki was a bit crazy and paranoid to begin with.

Floki, the typical example of a hectic person who enjoyed dark stories and depressing rumors, nodded and accepted, even adding, while laughing,

"I knew it! I had always heard unpleasant things about the earl, and I used to think it was just people exaggerating, but there isn't any fire without smoke! How could there be??"

"Rollo, I must give you this one, again... When did you start using your head this well?"

Rollo glared.

Hyena-like, Floki laughed louder for a good moment and then turned serious, his face becoming somber and looking into the emptiness,

"I guess I will be more cautious in Kattegat... The last thing I want is to be the cause of Ragnar's divinely appointed mission to visit the gods' new lands, sinking to the water."

Rollo commented on his words, 

"Don't think too much and just keep your mouth shut about things that don't need to be discussed, Floki. Not just in the Kattegat. If you're concerned about anything sinking, make sure your ships are built with care... Don't rush just because you're excited."

Floki agreed, then kept asking Rollo where he'd gotten the plate he'd given him and who was the woman he was walking with, but Rollo said nothing.

There was no woman, and he was worried that Floki would go to that location and build his new house in the woods there, mistaking it to be a sacred holy site of the gods.

Floki only needed to focus on building a boat for the time being.

Forget the gods.

It was all stolen money arranged, underground, around a human skull and bones.

After more discussion and mutually agreed upon terms, Rollo left Floki's house; he didn't want to stay too long because he felt like he was turning into Scar.

But he had no Simba to trick and lure into traps, and no Mufasa to plot against, betray and regicide.

There was no point.

Everyone was getting along, and Rollo had no intention of changing that.

He wanted to rest and come back here with a fresh sense of perspective tomorrow, one that would allow him to befriend Floki further, in a way that would not make him think of him as a Hyena.

Rollo was not a horrible person, but despite loving his brother and wanting the best for him, he still had plans to take his wife for himself.

Right now, especially tonight, he was horny, and he thought the clock was ticking a little slowly.

As the horniness reached levels that were not very rational, Rollo even felt like maybe he should head to Jarl Borg's territory to meet the witch and fuck her.

He didn't particularly like her over the other better women in this world, but why did his brother have to have everything?

Just because his sons needed to be born?

If it was his destiny to have them, like the seer was saying, Rollo was tempted to challenge fate…

And Lagertha's arrow.

It would take time to build and finish a boat, and he could teleport back here, so Rollo finally took a decision, a plunge that was hard to resist.

He didn't even wait until the morning before leaving.