Republic Reborn: Against the Stars and Stripes-Chapter 78: News

Pedro was not happy when I told him he would be staying in Santa Cruz for a while. Unlike Capitan Roque in Mogpog, he didn’t have any welcoming relatives in the town, making the distant place feel even more distant from home.

But he eventually agreed when I told him that I had sent men to protect his property and family in Buliasnin—and that he would only need to stay until the new recruits finished their two-week basic training in drills and marksmanship.

In truth, I felt guilty for forcing him into something that wasn’t pre-agreed. But I really had no choice. The soldiers in the town needed an officer present for morale—and, not to mention, someone prominent and related to me had to be around for martial law to be respected.

As a desperate attempt to console him, I left him five of my Mauser-equipped escorts to bolster his force. I suspected that part of his hesitation stemmed from feeling insecure, intimidated by the idea of being in charge of such a large and faraway town.

He was smiling when I left him the following morning.

The fog was still thick when we set out from the port in Buyabod.

I had proudly sat on the central platform at the start of the voyage, only to retreat shortly after from the chill down to the bodega below. A soldier offered me a pillow and blanket, and, slightly hungover, I took the opportunity to get some more sleep.

To my shame, what I intended to be a half-hour nap stretched into three hours.

When I woke up, we had already passed Kasily, and Sargento Guzman and his men had already been picked up. I had intended to make a brief stopover in the barrio to check how it was recovering—and, in the meantime, visit the gobernadorcillo’s father to personally thank him for his gift.

But it was entirely my fault. I hadn’t mentioned anything to Eduardo.

I contented myself with asking the sergeant about what had happened in the village. If his appearance was any indication of their stay, then Kasily must have treated them well.

"The people of Kasily want to extend their gratitude to you, Señor Gobernador," he opened with a wide grin. "They were still in shock when you left, Heneral, so you weren’t able to see how thankful they really were." ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com

"They gave us a large hut all to ourselves for the duration of our stay. And they fattened us like pigs for the slaughter, with everyone giving us a portion of each meal they cooked. In return, we helped rebuild the village and kept watch over the sea. I’d say our men have completely recovered from the incident."

"In truth, we were praying you wouldn’t come so soon," the NCO added with a chuckle.

I shook my head, smiling. And here I was, feeling guilty for enjoying Don Suarez’s feast, thinking I had left them in the village to starve.

"Oh... how about the gobernadorcillo’s father? Is he recovering well?" I asked.

"About that... Señor Gobernador..." he sighed, turning his gaze to the sea, "I just heard from the villagers this morning. I was planning to visit their house to confirm it myself, but... then you arrived."

My heart pounded in my chest. "What is it?"

"He died last night. The neighbors told me that the señorita left for Santa Cruz shortly after—maybe to inform her brother."

---

It took us eight hours in total to get from Santa Cruz to Boac.

We rowed directly to the docks aboard the Garay warship. It was the other Madrigal cadet posted at the port, and I saw him and his men anxiously watching the ship even from a distance. Some of them looked like they had already loaded their rifles.

But their twisted expressions quickly turned into bright smiles and enthusiastic waves once we were close enough for the sun to reveal our blue-striped uniforms and familiar faces.

As soon as we disembarked, questions were thrown at us about the warship, and the soldiers with me eagerly retold the story of the battle with the pirates. The raised eyebrows and squinting eyes of skepticism faded when the loot was brought out of the ship.

Then the recruits at the port wouldn’t stop asking for more details. Madrigal tried to congratulate me, but I ignored him. I was not in the mood for talking.

It was Dimalanta I saw first when I arrived at the Casa Real. He was in the midst of what I had tasked him with—training the new recruits. And it seemed that while I was gone, more men had joined the ranks. I counted more than a hundred, maybe even as many as a hundred and fifty.

But Dimalanta dropped what he was doing the moment he spotted me.

He was smiling as he approached, but that faded when he got a good look of my face.

"You look upset, Heneral," remarked Dimalanta as I dismounted from my horse. "Have you already heard?"

From mild annoyance at his unwarranted attention, I became curious. "What do you mean?"

"About Don Contreras’ grandson and Señor Alcantara’s daughter?" he said, visibly eager to see my reaction.

"Dios Mio, Teniente... I haven’t. Just spit it out," I snapped, raising my voice. If it turned out to be a dating rumor, I was ready to kick him in the shin.

"Oh no," he whispered to himself, before stammering out, "This just happened last night, Heneral. Something happened between them."

"Goodness gracious." I held myself back from kicking him but immediately turned for the door. "Fornication—bad, yes. But bother the priest with that."

"No, Heneral." Dimalanta quickly followed behind. "Señorita Alcantara is claiming that Abel Contreras raped her."

I immediately halted. A bitter taste rose in my mouth. At once, I forgot everything else.

"Where... where is Colonel Abad?" I blurted out.

"He’s been trying to talk with Don Contreras to get custody of Abel. But the Contreras family is refusing to hand him over."