He Opened A Matchmaking Agency In 18Th Century London [EN]: Chapter 206

206. Time on the Island Village

Tae-oh’s eyes snapped open at the sound of murmuring voices.

‘……’

A small, dark, but warm room.

A wooden bed and table were the only furnishings, and a flickering candle barely illuminated the dim room.

Tae-oh looked around.

Uneven, rough walls and roughly made wooden objects.

A sturdy-looking wooden wardrobe was attached to the wall, and through a small wooden-covered window next to the wardrobe, the sound of waves crashing could be heard regularly.

A vase on the table was full of unknown flowers, and the fresh scent of the flowers filled the room, as if they had not been placed there long ago.

“Ugh….”

Instantly, his head throbbed as if it would break. When he touched his head, it was heavily bandaged with something.

Come to think of it, not only his head but his whole body was covered in wounds and in a terrible state.

He didn’t even have the strength to sit up properly.

‘Did I… get seriously injured? While rescuing someone who fell into the Thames? No. I lost consciousness for a moment, but it seemed like I was quickly pulled out. Why are there so many wounds all over my body? Besides, this doesn’t look like a hospital…?’

Tae-oh opened his eyes wide and looked around again carefully.

It certainly wasn’t a hospital. No matter how much he looked around, it was a desolate room without a single item that would be found in a hospital.

But it didn’t seem like an ordinary home either. There was no way a house of this poor standard could exist in 21st century London.

Tae-oh’s heart pounded.

‘Could it be… have I returned again? To the 19th century?’

Crackle – Pop –

Tae-oh stared blankly at the dry firewood burning black and calmly tried to sort out the situation.

‘I was definitely rescuing a bride who fell into the Thames when suddenly my body wouldn’t listen and I was sucked into the water. And then I drank water and lost consciousness for a moment. Then someone pulled me out of the water, and I think my consciousness briefly returned… But where is this? It doesn’t seem like 21st century London?’

The shapes of the surrounding objects were not the kind that could be seen in 19th century England either.

‘It’s definitely not England. Then, where is this? What time have I returned to?’

Even if he had returned to the past he had so desired, it would be a greater disaster if he came to the wrong time and place.

Clunk –

At that moment, a young woman opened the door and came in to change the flowers in the vase.

Tae-oh opened his mouth in a small voice.

“Excuse me…”

Then,

“Ahhh!”

The woman screamed and ran out.

Soon, several men who were outside rushed into the room.

Among them, an old man with white hair and a deeply tanned face approached Tae-oh.

“Are you the one who saved me?”

When Tae-oh asked, the old man conveyed something to a short young man next to him.

The short man nodded at the old man’s words and spoke to Tae-oh.

“So, you were English. I am ‘Manuel.’ I worked on an English merchant ship for about two years, so I speak a little English. This is Costa, a fisherman here. Mr. Costa pulled you out of the sea. He barely managed to pull you out of a shipwrecked ship that drifted near here.”

Manuel’s English was a bit clumsy, but there was no problem communicating.

Tae-oh hurriedly asked Manuel.

“Mr. Manuel? Then, where is this and what… what year and day is it now?”

Then Manuel conveyed Tae-oh’s words to the old man and the surrounding men, exchanged a few words, and then gave an answer.

“This is São Miguel Island in Portugal. This year is 1797, and it is June 10th. You have been unconscious for over ten days.”

“1797… June 10th, you say?”

Tae-oh was greatly relieved after confirming the date.

‘Yes… I came to the exact point in time when I was aboard the Kingdom of Naples merchant ship carrying treasures and fell into the sea near São Miguel Island in Portugal due to a storm. Ah – that’s a relief. Really a relief. I’ve returned to the right time and place!’

The fisherman’s family and Manuel looked at each other with puzzled faces at Tae-oh’s appearance of being so happy after hearing the date.

*******

The Costa family was a poor fisherman’s family who made a living by operating a small wooden boat.

However, they were kinder and more good-natured than anyone else.

They generously treated Tae-oh, who had suffered a major head injury, with the good fish they had struggled to catch, and did their best to obtain the necessary medicinal herbs to help him recover quickly.

Thanks to that, the head wound healed quickly, and the pain also decreased a lot.

The island villagers showed curiosity and fear towards Tae-oh, but they were all gentle and simple people, so they tried their best to be hospitable to the foreigner staying in the village.

Manuel, who was the only one in the island village who could speak English, even sent a letter to England at Tae-oh’s request.

As Tae-oh’s body was not in good condition, he was simply grateful for the warm welcome from the villagers.

After his body had recovered to some extent, he toured nearby islands and helped the villagers with their work.

Mr. Costa strongly dissuaded him from working, but Tae-oh deliberately helped diligently because he needed to move his body to build muscle faster.

The villagers, who were short of hands, greatly welcomed Tae-oh’s help and worked together happily.

The peaceful time in the small island village passed by quickly like that.

◈ Two months later. August 19, 1797. Portugal, São Miguel Island.

“Father! Father! Something terrible has happened! Come out quickly! A huge warship is coming in! A small warship is attached to the side and coming together!”

Mr. Costa, who was sound asleep after finishing his dawn fishing, was startled by his youngest son’s cry and jumped out.

“Two warships? What’s going on? It’s not just a passing ship, is it?”

“The bow is pointing straight at our island and coming in!”

“Isn’t it a Portuguese warship?”

“I don’t think it’s our warship.”

Mr. and Mrs. Costa and their children, with anxious eyes, quickly ran towards the harbor, putting on their clothes.

Already, all the island villagers were gathered near the harbor.

“Something big seems to have happened? Shouldn’t we evacuate right away?”

The village chief also said, staring at the approaching warship with fearful eyes.

“First, have the village women and children hide in the hideout in the back mountain immediately, and the men should stand by. If they fire cannons and approach, we must evacuate immediately.

If they show a peaceful appearance, I will step forward as a representative and listen to what they have to say.”

At that time, Manuel, who was diligently examining the ship with binoculars, shouted.

“Wait a minute! I can see the flag on that ship! It’s the British flag! It’s a British warship!”

“Yes! England has a good relationship with our Portugal, so they will never be enemies.”

“But what reason would they have to come with two ships?”

Manuel opened his mouth as if something had just occurred to him.

“Maybe…”

“Maybe what?”

“Could it be that the warship came to pick up Mr. Sanderson?”

“What? A warship came to pick up Mr. Sanderson?”

“He asked me to send a letter to England last month. Could it be that the warship came after receiving that letter?”

“What nonsense are you talking about? Why would two warships come after receiving Mr. Sanderson’s letter?”

“I don’t understand it either. The recipient of the letter at that time was a woman’s name. It just seemed like a letter to his wife, so there’s no way a warship would come after that. Then maybe, is Mr. Sanderson a very high-ranking military officer like a general or admiral?”

“Eh- really?”

The village chief pondered and instructed Manuel.

“Go and bring Mr. Sanderson right away.”

“Yes!”

***

However, Manuel soon returned alone. Tae-oh was not in the village because he was taking a walk on the back of the island.

“He’s not here! I’ve searched all over the village, but I can’t find him!”

“No, where did he go in this situation?”

Another resident said.

“Mr. Sanderson goes around here and there. Last time I saw him, he even went to the next island. Maybe he went somewhere far away again?”

“First, hide the women and children! And be ready to escape to the next island by boat if necessary!”

“Yes! Village Chief!”

As they were anxiously waiting, two warships arrived at São Miguel Island.

Soon, hundreds of soldiers in British naval uniforms stood in formation with guns in front of the village men.

After a while, a man in a very different outfit from the other soldiers got off the largest warship.

He was wearing a very luxurious uniform, and judging from the officers escorting him, he seemed to be the highest leader of the warship he came on.

The village chief and the village men looked at him approaching with fearful faces.

He gestured, and soon an officer came forward and began to translate into Portuguese.

“I am Admiral Nelson, who has come under the orders of His Majesty George, the great King of England.

We are here to inform you that His Majesty the King has personally sent us after hearing the news that our noble English aristocrat, Earl Theo Sanderson, is staying here.”

The village men were greatly agitated after hearing the words of the translating officer.

– Earl Theo Sanderson? Are you talking about the Englishman who is staying at Mr. Costa’s house right now?

– No, was that person an English Earl?

– My goodness, why would such an Earl come to a place like this?

– Even the King of England sent a warship… He must be no ordinary person?

At that time, Manuel, who had been in charge of Tae-oh’s interpretation, shouted at the villagers with a pale face.

“Earl Theo… Sanderson? Oh my! Mr. Sanderson was that Earl Theo Sanderson!”

The villagers were puzzled by Manuel’s pale expression.

Mr. Costa asked Manuel.

“What’s wrong? Who is Earl Sanderson?”

Then, waving his hands greatly, Manuel hurriedly continued.

“Why didn’t I tell you a long time ago? About the English Earl who suppressed tens of thousands of rebels who revolted against the King of England and has a huge amount of wealth!”

Only then did the villagers remember and began to buzz.

– Ah… so, that Theo was that… that famous Earl Sanderson?

– Oh my~ What is all this?

It was a great confusion that the quiet island village was experiencing for the first time.

Above all, seeing hundreds of British Navy soldiers with guns and swords in front of them, whom they would never see in their lifetime, they were worried about whether they had made any mistakes to Earl Sanderson.

– Could it be that we made the Earl do work for no reason? Nobles shouldn’t work, right?

– That’s because the Earl wanted to do it!

The village men were trembling with fear in an atmosphere where something big seemed to happen right away.

For these people who had been living a peaceful life just catching fish, the sense of intimidation from the British army standing with huge warships and guns and swords was beyond imagination.

It was then.

“Ah! Admiral Nelson!”

Tae-oh was walking out from behind the village men.

The village men were startled by his appearance and made way for him.

Admiral Nelson, letting out a big sigh at the sight of Tae-oh, hurriedly ran over.

“Ah – Your Excellency! It really is Your Excellency!”

Then the naval officers and soldiers around him rushed to Tae-oh and lined up in a formal posture.

Holding Tae-oh’s hand tightly, Admiral Nelson continued in a trembling voice.

“Your Excellency! Everyone was so saddened by the news that the warship sank in the Mediterranean and Your Excellency went missing. His Majesty the King stopped eating for days, and countless citizens gathered in the cathedral every day to pray for Your Excellency.

But to think that you are alive and well like this… What greater grace could there be?”

Tae-oh patted the back of Admiral Nelson’s hand, who was rejoicing with teary eyes.

“I am also very moved to meet Admiral Nelson again after surviving like this. All of this must be God’s grace.”

Admiral Nelson listened to the situation and repeatedly reassured himself of Tae-oh’s safety.

“My goodness. So, you survived alone in that storm?”

“Yes, that’s right. And, really, if it hadn’t been for the people of this village who are here now, I would probably already be dead.”

When Tae-oh gestured towards the villagers, Admiral Nelson and the soldiers all turned their gaze towards them.

The island village men were frightened, not knowing why the British Navy was looking at them.

– Why are the British soldiers looking at us like that?

– Manuel, Manuel! What are they saying now? Didn’t Earl Sanderson tell us to do something?

– It’s too far away, so I can’t hear well either.

– Surely they’re not trying to catch us, are they? I’m so scared.

– Everyone, please be quiet! Don’t make a fuss! What reason would they have to catch us? If there is any misunderstanding, we can try to resolve it with good words. Earl Sanderson wasn’t such a harsh person who wouldn’t listen, was he?