Chapter 74

"And if we do find him hiding in our farmlands, don't try to catch him right away. Call for reinforcements first. You never know what a cornered human just might do..."

- Snake

Escaped Slave (逃亡奴隷, Tōbō Dorei) is the 74th chapter of the Vinland Saga series.

Overview
At the nearby Carrock farm, an escaped slave kills Carrock and his sons. He sets their house on fire, leaving only a woman and child alive behind him. At Sverkel's, Arnheid arrives and tells Sverkel that she will be staying to look after him at Ketil's wife's orders. Sverkel instructs her to cook a meal big enough to share with Thorfinn, Einar and Snake. He is embarrassed and refuses to eat when Arnheid attempts to hand-feed him. Snake tells her to persist and teases Sverkel, causing Thorfinn to have a laughing fit. While washing the dishes, Arnheid admits to Einar that she hasn't enjoyed a meal while laughing like that since she was free. Fox arrives and tells Snake of the escaped slave. Snake instructs the guests to be on guard and keep up their regular patrols, but to call for reinforcements instead of immediately apprehending the slave if they find him, as cornered humans are unpredictable.

Summary
In a home, at night, a woman hugs a crying child in a corner. Amidst upturned tableware and food are a man's decapitated head, as well as other dead men. A disheveled blond man sporting broken cuffs approaches a screaming man and calmly follows him as he scrambles outside. The scrambling man turns to the blond one and apologizes for everything he's done to him, begging him for mercy. He swears upon Odin that he will grant him his freedom and give him as much money as he wants. The blond man tells him that will not be enough to wash away the humiliation and disgrace he's suferred, and that he could never understand unless he was to suffer through life as a slave as well. The begging man tells him he'll become a slave and follow his orders if that's the case, then prostrates himself and kisses the blond man's shoe, calling him master and begging him to spare his life. The blond man tells him that as his slave, his life is his to do what he pleases. He stabs him through with his sword. The blond man walks away, talking to himself about how it's time to go meet a specific person after so long. The woman clutching her child watches him walk away into the night as the house burns down. In Sverkel's house, a bedridden Sverkel attempts to drink out of a cup, but his hand shakes so badly that he drops it to the ground. He thinks to himself that he is to die on that bed rather than out on the fields. There is a knock at his door and he tells the person to come in. Arnheid pokes her head in and tells Sverkel that Ketil's wife has ordered her to come. A bit later, Thorfinn, Einar and Snake are surprised to see the impressive meal Arnheid has put together. She tells them that Sverkel told her to cook enough for all of them, and they enthusiastically dig in. Arnheid tells Sverkel he should eat as well, and to tell her if he needs anything since she'll be there to look after him from that day forward. When Sverkel asks, Arnheid confirms that it means she'll be lodging at Sverkel's as well. Arnheid tries to feed Sverkel, but he declines the food and tells her he's not hungry now and will eat later. Arnheid backs off, but Snake tells her not to mind Sverkel and to just shove the spoonful of food into his mouth. He tells her Sverkel is just embarrassed he has to be fed like a baby, but teases Sverkel that he has to get over it and open wide if he wants to get better. Thorfinn lets out a small chuckle, which he denies when Sverkel asks him if he just laughed. Sverkel starts to reiterate that he is not hungry, but he is interrupted by his stomach grumbling, causing everyone to start laughing. Sverkel tells them to finish their meal and go home. Helping Arnheid wash dishes by the well, Einar thanks Arnheid for the delicious dinner. Arnheid tells him to leave the dishwashing to her and tells him she's to see Sverkel is livelier and less scary than she'd been led to believe. Einar tells her he's a nice person at heart despite appearances; Sverkel hears his comment through his bedroom window. Arnheid tells Thorfinn that it'd been a long time since she was able to laugh and enjoy a meal like that, and likens it to a time when she was still free. Suddenly realizing she's speaking too candidly, she asks Einar not to pay attention to what she just said. Fox arrives on horseback and asks the slaves if they've seen Snake, then goes inside to tell him of an escaped slave. He relays that the slave escaped from the Carrock farm three days back. Snake comments that it's not surprising, since Carrock always treated his slaves badly. Fox tells him it's not quite that simple, as the slave is dangerous and violent: he killed Carrock and his sons and burned down his home before running away. He tells Snake that Carrock's uncle promised three horses to anyone who catches the slave, and asks him what they should do. Snake replies that they should be on their guard and keep up with their usual patrols in groups of three. He adds that if they find him, they should call for reinforcements instead of trying to catch him right away, since they can never know what a cornered human might do.

Characters in Order of Appearance

 * Carrock
 * Gardar
 * Kjallakr
 * Sverkell
 * Arnheid
 * Thorfinn
 * Einar
 * Snake
 * Fox