Chapter 238: Kajsa Ophand (4)
Cordelia frowned as soon as he opened the door. Because the damp and stale smell from inside came out at once.
It was called a special room, but it was still a prison in the end.
It was also located underground and virtually enclosed without a window.
The door had been opened but they could not properly see the inside of the room because of the darkness.
“Kajsa?”
Cordelia raised her voice without realizing it, but she did not hear any answer from inside.
Jude opened the door a little wider and glanced at Cordelia who then cast a magic light into the prison to drive out the darkness.
“Urk.”
When the light spread, Cordelia felt like vomiting again. Because her sensitive nose figured out the things causing the smell before she even saw it.
It was the nauseating smell peculiar to vomit and the strong smell of blood that irritated one’s nose. The mixture of these smells in the prison made it hard to breathe because there was no proper ventilation.
“”
Cordelia hurriedly used magic in order to ventilate the place, and widely opened her eyes in surprise afterwards.
Because the scene inside the prison finally caught her eyes.
“Ka-Kajsa?”
A half-naked woman with black hair was sitting inside the stone prison.
Both of her arms were bound by heavy chains that were connected to the ceiling, and both of her legs also had large shackles around her ankles to limit her movement.
Her long black hair flowed down like a waterfall, covering her head and upper body, so they could not see her face. But they were sure that she was Kajsa.
“I-is she dead?”
Because she was not just motionless and lifeless.
It was because of the huge silver sword that penetrated Kajsa’s stomach and back like a skewer.
“No, she’s alive. Because she’s Kajsa.”
An ordinary person would have immediately died from such an injury, but as Jude had said, she was Kajsa.
Having inherited the blood of the divine creature, Fenrir, such an injury would not kill her.
“It seems like it’s an object to prevent her regenerative ability in the first place.”
The sword piercing Kajsa’s stomach.
It was clearly not an ordinary sword, given that the light shined on its surface. The blade seemed to have made from silver, or at least plated with silver.
“You’re right.”
Upon looking closely, they could see smoke rising from her abdomen where the sword was piercing as if something were burning.
The silver sword seemed to be suppressing Kajsa’s regenerative ability.
‘That’s right. It’s because she’s Kajsa.’
Cordelia nodded with a convinced face.
In the game, Kajsa’s regenerative ability did not just heal wounds as it could also regenerate severed limbs.
So it was impossible for her to die from such an injury as Jude had said.
‘It still hurts a lot though.’
Just because she had a regenerative ability did not mean that she did not sense pain.
“Anyway, let’s hurry.”
“Okay!”
But now was not the time to leisurely look at Kajsa’s wounds.
Jude and Cordelia hurriedly approached Kajsa, and Cordelia felt nauseous once again.
“Urk.”
The smell was really bad.
It seemed like Kajsa was the source of all the smells in the prison.
She had only been detained for a day, but the smells of blood, urine, vomit and so on filled the unventilated room.
Cordelia was tempted to do something with Kajsa’s leather pants which was covered in urine and vomit, but they had to prioritize saving her for now.
“What should we do? Should we lay her down first?”
“Let’s pull out the sword first.”
Because of the sword piercing Kajsa like a skewer, it was impossible to lay her down even if they broke the chains.
Cordelia nodded and stepped back, while Jude grabbed the handle of the silver sword piercing Kajsa’s abdomen.
“Kajsa, I’m pulling it out.”
He could not get her consent in the first place because she was unconscious, but Jude still informed her before pulling out the sword at once.
Ssshwak-!
The blood and flesh stuck to the blade because of Kajsa’s regenerative ability also came out together with the sword.
At the same time, Kajsa’s body shook. Her back arched like a bow, and her drooping head leaned back as she groaned in pain.
And right after that.
Kwashik-!
Kajsa moved her arms.
Using her immense strength, she instantly pulled out the chains that were connected to the ceiling, and swung them without even properly opening her eyes.
“Kya?!”
Cordelia reflexively screamed when the chains suddenly attacked them, but she calmly responded to that.
Or rather, it was her instincts that reflexively responded to it.
She instinctively knew the trajectory of the chain. So in an instant, her body reacted and she moved her feet towards a safer area.
She completely dodged the chains that came falling down on her with just a single step.
But Jude did not avoid it.
He could evade it, but the chains bound to Kajsa’s left arm would then reach Cordelia who was next to him.
So Jude jumped from his spot and moved his hand, grabbing the chain and throwing it to the side.
When the chain hit the floor, he heard a high-pitched sound before he looked back at Kajsa.
Shiiiik-!
Smoke rapidly soared from the wound where the sword used to be. Not even a single scar remained on the smooth brown skin, as if the sword penetrating her body earlier was an illusion.
And Kajsa exhaled her breath.
She rose from her spot, and her blue eyes shined like that of a beast.
‘A kick?!’
Cordelia’s intuition told her that a kick was coming despite Kajsa’s ankles being bound by the thick chains and fixed to the ground.
And as always, Cordelia’s intuition was correct.
Kajsa kicked with her right foot.
The thick chain tightened at once and tried to restrain her leg, but it was useless. The bolt attached to the chain was pulled out, and Kajsa’s foot headed to Jude’s side.
Bang!
A loud noise sounded that one would not think that it came from a person kicking another person.
But Jude was not pushed back to the wall. His side was struck, but his bones were not broken.
Jude’s left arm blocked Kajsa’s kick. He instantly shifted his center of gravity and prevented himself from being pushed back by the force at the same time.
Kajsa hurriedly pulled back her right foot, but Jude did not allow it. His hand moved like a snake, grabbing Kajsa’s ankle and slamming it to the ground.
“Aaaack!”
Kajsa fell as she screamed from the pain that felt like her leg had been torn. Unlike her right foot, her left foot was still bound by the chains, so she fell at a strange angle.
A thudding sound was heard.
Normally, an ordinary person would be unable to move for a while because of the pain, but his opponent was Kajsa.
Jude did not stop as he slammed the fallen Kajsa’s back with his palm.
Boom!
The shock wave shook the ground, and the force of the recoil was so strong that Kajsa’s body roughly bounced back.
But not yet.
He did not feel that it was over.
It seemed like his attack was carried out properly because his hands felt it, but given the circumstances, he could not deal much damage to Kajsa.
In the first place, their goal was to save Kajsa and not to defeat her, but it was necessary to subdue Kajsa for the time being.
Jude moved again and stretched out his hand to the exhausted Kajsa who was on the floor. He moved his hand and did not give her a chance to raise her body. Turning her body over, he struck her in the stomach once again as she laid on her back.
“Gaah!”
Her body did not rebound this time. Because Jude pressed on Kajsa’s abdomen with his stretched out hand.
Bright red blood gushed out from Kajsa’s mouth like a fountain.
Cordelia suppressed her own scream by covering her mouth with her hand, and Jude poured the energy of the Black Dragon into his palm which was in contact with Kajsa’s abdomen to give her an extra hit.
“Gaaak-!”
Kajsa was covered in the blood she threw up, and her body drooped and stopped moving after she let out a gasp.
“J-Jude, you killed Kajsa!”
Cordelia said with a pale face.
She had said that because of the horrendous sight of Kajsa’s face and hair as well as her entire upper body that were covered in blood.
But Jude shook his head.
He had noticed it the moment he put his hand on Kajsa’s abdomen.
Kajsa’s steel-like abdominal muscles under her soft skin.
No, it was not just her abdominal muscles. He could feel her immense life force underneath.
“Haa… haa…”
Jude let out his breath roughly before slowly taking deep breaths.
And he understood why the unknown iron-masked swordsman stuck a silver sword on Kajsa’s abdomen.
‘Is she a real monster?’
Just by looking at her strength and regenerative ability, she seemed to have exceeded Jude himself.
Something must have happened to Kajsa in the past year or so, and that had made her stronger than the Kajsa in the game at this time.
‘How many times has she been on the verge of death?’
She was like those Saiyans in Dragon Ball that became stronger every time they had a brush with death.
To be exact, it was because the blood of the divine creature that flowed in her body would awaken every time she nearly died, boosting her already amazing physical abilities.
“Is she alive?”
“Yes, she’s alive.”
She had only lost consciousness because of the accumulated fatigue.
Moreover, Kajsa’s regenerative ability did not stop working even in the midst of this.
Her rough breathing eventually stabilized after a while, and the twitching in her hands and feet stopped.
“She was stabbed just a while ago, right?”
“Yes, and with a silver sword too.”
Even though she had been stabbed by a sword made of silver, which was said to be a weakness of lycanthropes, for at least a day, her body had already recovered to this extent.
“I guess that this is too much though. Her stamina has completely run out. Her regenerative ability seems to have also slowed down.”
“Should I… treat her?”
Cordelia would have normally used recovery magic without asking. However, she could not help but ask this time.
Jude thought for a moment before nodding his head.
“She wasn’t in her right mind earlier. You could say it was her defensive reflexes acting up… Once she recovers, she’ll be able to talk normally.”
After all, they had just pulled out the sword.
But Cordelia said with in disagreement.
“Are you sure that she’ll be fine?”
“She’ll be fine. She will be able to communicate well with us later. We have a beast here too, right?”
Cordelia tilted her head at Jude’s words, not understanding what he meant, but soon understood it.
So she said with a grimace on her face.
“I’ll seriously bite you later.”
“I’ll look forward to it.”
“You’re really mean.”
Jude slyly smiled while Cordelia snarled at him before she use her recovery magic.
But right after that.
“Wow.”
“Why?”
“Well, it’s just… She’s absorbing my recovery magic like a sponge that absorbs water.”
She had never experienced this before.
It was as if she was being deprived of her mana.
“Is she really human?”
When Jude unknowingly said that, Cordelia made water with the spell and then wet the handkerchief to wipe Kajsa’s face.
“Big.”
“Huh?”
“I mean, she’s big.”
Unlike Cordelia who was a little over 160 cm and had a slender physique, Kajsa had a large build.
According to the character profile in the game, she was around 170 cm tall, but she seemed to be over 180 cm now.
Her shoulders were wide, her chest was big, and her hands and feet were also big.
‘She’s like an athlete.’
No, she’s more like she’s a fitness model.
Should I say that she’s a beauty with a wild look?
If Cordelia was a cat, Kajsa was really like a black panther.
In any case, they couldn’t just wait for her to naturally wake up.
“I don’t know what may happen, so just in case, stay behind me once you use your magic.”
“Okay.”
Cordelia immediately replied and as soon as she cast an awakening magic, she ran behind Jude.
‘She’s like a hamster.’
At the moment Jude unconsciously thought of that.
“Uuugh.”
The awakening magic seemed to work as Kajsa groaned and opened her eyes. And as Jude had predicted, she woke up like a human being instead of running wild like an animal.
“Have you regained her senses?”
Instead of replying to Jude’s question right away, Kajsa groaned again and frowned before slowly sitting up.
“Ugh… my head hurts.”
‘Your stomach does not hurt?’
Jude wanted to ask that without realizing it, but he tried to endure it and observed Kajsa’s reaction.
“Ugh… the smell.”
Kajsa sniffed once and frowned as she looked nauseous, but she couldn’t do much about it. Because the source of the smell was Kajsa herself.
“Kajsa?”
“Haa… ugh… Who are you?”
“Jude August Bayer. This is my fiancée, Cordelia August Chase. We came here to save you.”
“Uh… hello?”
When Cordelia greeted her as she stuck her head from behind Jude’s back, Kajsa’s eyes widened in surprise and she said.
“Wow, aren’t you pretty?”
“Eh?”
“You’re pretty. I want to bite you.”
And she chuckled like an old man.
‘Jude, she’s weird.’
‘Kajsa has always been weird. Don’t you remember?’
‘Ah, now that I think of it, you’re right.’
That’s right, Kajsa has always been a natural weirdo.
Having been convinced, Cordelia hid behind Jude’s back again, and Jude continued their conversation.
“Kajsa, again, I’m Jude and this is Cordelia.”
“Yes, I’ve heard of you two. That crazy… no, is it fantasy couple? They say that you guys run away from home every day. And you two always hug and kiss each other, regardless of whether people can see you or not.”
Jude suddenly felt dizzy at Kajsa’s words, but he calmly replied.
“…Those are false rumors.”
“T-that’s right. Those rumors are totally exaggerated.”
When Cordelia hurriedly added, Kajsa looked at her with an interested expression, but now was not the time for them to be chatting like this.
“Anyway, if you know us, then our conversation will be quick. As I have said, we’re here to save you. So let’s escape now.”
“Wait, how can you prove that you really are Jude and Cordelia?”
At Kajsa’s question, Cordelia tried to take out her countess emblem, but Jude said as he pointed to Cordelia.
“Is there any other girl in this kingdom who has reddish-pink hair and is pretty, cute, and lovely?”
“You’re right.”
Kajsa nodded with a convinced face, and Cordelia who was searching her pockets then blushed.
‘What nonsense are you saying!’
Of course, it would be annoying if she didn’t agree.
As Cordelia frowned, Kajsa found it cute and chuckled before saying.
“Well, it doesn’t matter if you’re real or fake. It’s true that you released me, and there’s no reason for you two to work hard in deceiving me, so I’ll believe it.”
Having said that, Kajsa lightly pulled off the shackles in her wrists and ankles.
As expected of the immense strength of Kajsa.
‘Who in the world overpowered Kajsa?’
After seeing Kajsa’s power and strength that was beyond common sense, he had no choice but to ask that.
A man wearing an iron mask.
Who was that person who overpowered Kajsa?
But now wasn’t the time to think of such things.
The pirates had been silently defeated because of the spell, but they still weren’t safe.
If a pirate who came out to pee at night suddenly found his fallen companions, he would surely sound an alarm.
“Let’s go out first.”
At Jude’s urging, Kajsa stood up but soon turned to the door and growled. What was more surprising was that Cordelia had a similar reaction.
The animal-like intuition of two beastly girls.
Jude quickly used his presence detection, and understood what they sensed.
‘The man in the iron mask.’
He was approaching at a rapid pace. It seemed like there was some magic cast on the sword that stabbed Kajsa’s stomach.
Jude instantly made calculations. He thought of hugging Cordelia and Kajsa in the waist and running away with Hyper-Fast Thunderbolt, but soon concluded that it was impossible. It would have been fine if it were just Cordelia, but if he had Kajsa, he had no choice but to run and show his back to the man in the iron mask. But that man in an iron mask was moving fast.
“Here he comes.”
Kajsa quickly picked up the chains that had fallen on the ground, while Jude saw through the wall with his ability. As he asked Kajsa, he identified the location of the man in the iron mask who was running towards their position.
“The man with an iron mask. Do you know who he is?”
At the same time, he began analyzing that man.
He compiled the data by combining the man’s height, physique, and the very fast movement speed.
It was for figuring out the man’s identity in addition to any clue Kajsa might say.
But there was no need for that.
At the moment Kajsa grasped the chains and opened her mouth.
A man with an iron mask appeared beyond the wide open door.
He was 190 cm tall and had broad shoulders.
A long sword and daggers were on both sides of his waist.
His collar exposed his dark skin.
A very fast movement speed that the word ‘fleet-footed’ was not enough to describe it.
In addition to his, he had the ability to overpower Kajsa.
That was enough. Although his face was covered by an iron mask, Jude and Cordelia who were rotten waters of Legend of Heroes were able to instantly figure out the man’s real identity.
And it was the reason why Cordelia was forced to swear.
“F*ck, is betrayal something normal for the Ten Great Swordmasters?”
From the Lord Protector, First Sword, and to the man in front of them.
A man who stood on the side of the pirates and captured Kajsa despite being a noble of the kingdom.
His name was Sebastian Leguin.
A swift swordsman who held the fastest sword in the south.