Chapter 54: Shining Knight (12)

At the sharp sound of clashing of metal, Judy and Smith simultaneously looked at the alley in which Cayden had gone to.

“Ah.. no.. no..!”

Smith began to struggle to untie the rope.

“Please..! please let me go! I’m not lying..! You can also hear the fighting over there!”

"…"

In the end, even Judy drew her sword.

Smith groaned and screamed. But then-

Swish

-the rope that bound Smith was cut neatly by Judy’s sword.

She, too, was concerned about Cayden and didn't want to waste her time on Smith.

Freed in an instant, Smith looked at Judy, then turned without saying a word and began to run away.

Shortly after Smith turned his back and ran, Judy also ran - in the opposite direction Smith went; in the direction where the sound of battle was coming from.

“Cayden…!”

Judy entered the room where the sound of men’s groans, the sound of things breaking and falling, and the horrifying screams of iron rang out.

The pungent smell of iron mixed with blood filled the room. But Judy stood still. Because she couldn't see anything.

There was only one candle illuminating the room, so apart from the dark, moving silhouette, there were not many things she could discern.

At that moment, she heard someone running towards her, wearing leathery boots that sounded quite different from Cayden's.

Judy raised her sword and took a defensive stance.

Soon, as the sound reached the range of the sword strike, Judy swung her sword.

Wasn't it excessive on her part to attack someone without knowing what their intentions were?

If Cayden weren't fighting inside, she would definitely have hesitated. But now, there was no time to waste.

“Okay!”

It felt like the sword was cutting something, and the running figure fell at Judy’s feet.

The person who had fallen was a man. He was moaning and holding his chest, trying to stop the blood from coming out of the fresh cut.

After kicking away the dagger in his hand, Judy shouted loudly.

“Cayden! I can’t help you because I can’t see anything!”

Instead of an answer, only the confused screams and shouts of numerous men returned.

Judy felt scared.

Was Cayden really fighting alone in this place?

Judy's eyes hadn’t gotten used to the darkness yet, but even if they did, Judy wasn't sure if she'd be able to see much in this darkness.

Was he fighting in this situation? That too alone... against so many people?

No matter how good she thought Cayden was, she had never imagined him to be this good.

Of course… again, she didn’t know. He might just be losing in this fight.

But Judy didn't want to believe it. No, such a possibility didn't even exist in her heart.

Judy blinked continuously to adjust her eyes to the darkness.

In the meantime, the sound of battle moved to the left and then to the right.

Gradually, around the time she started to get a clue as to how the figures were moving, someone else ran toward her.

Just as before, judging by the sound, Judy swung her sword at the opponent who came within range of the sword, and just like that, another man fell in front of her.

This time, Judy kicked the man on the head.

Both men she fought were stunned and were no longer a threat.

“..huh…huh…”

She blinked her wide eyes and took one step inside.

In this chaotic situation, she was blaming herself for her inability to help Cayden.

'If you can't do anything, why did you come here?'

If she couldn’t help Cayden, there was no reason to come here.

With such negative thoughts, she took another step inside.

This deep in the room, surrounded by darkness, only the unpleasant smell of blood remained.

Perhaps the enemies inside also recognized Judy - who had entered the depths - as someone screamed and rushed to her.

She blocked his glimmering sword and let it flow. Immediately after, she hit his body strongly, breaking his balance, and then swung her sword and cut the opponent.

“Whew!”

When she tried to instinctively find the next person with sharpened nerves, the sound faded.

– Clink!

After the sound of a sword falling to the floor echoed, finally, only a sudden silence remained.

Judy looked inside the room in this sudden silence with bewilderment. And then, she cautiously moved toward the wall to protect her back.

Who won? Was it Cayden or... this unknown gang?

No, that was impossible. Cayden must have won.

Still, not being able to find where Cayden was, Judy had no choice but to gamble.

“…Cayden?”

She asked in a trembling voice.

“…..yeah.”

A familiar voice answered back. And a standing figure waved its arm.

"Haah..."

All the pressure waying down Judy's heart was lifted in an instant. After seeing the dark silhouette, she felt great relief when she realized that she and Cayden were the only ones standing currently.

Judy then approached the only waving human figure.

“Cayden…! Why did you do such a reckless thing..! You were supposed to solve the problem through conversation..!”

In the jousting match, Cayden had won against many knights one-on-one, but right now, he fought against many people at once. She couldn't even measure the difference in difficulty.

As Judy got close enough to standing Cayden, the dark figure suddenly hugged her.

“..uh..!”

The warmth felt immediately afterward.

"Uh... Cayden?"

She never thought the place was cold, but she could still feel the warmth from his body.

“……?”

But there was something strange about that warmth. It flowed only downwards... as if warm water.

Feeling strange the whole time, Judy touched the warm area with her hand.

Then, she moved her palm closer to her face.

Judy’s hands were stained with red blood.

“..C...Cayden?”

“….Do not panic. It’s not my blood.”

Cayden said so, but the weight of Cayden leaning on her was only getting heavier. Judy wanted to say, ‘It’s your blood,’ but she couldn’t utter those words.

“Okay, let’s go back quickly. It will be fine.”

Judy quickly set priorities. Caydon needed treatment.

But he stopped her.

“…Judy. We have something more urgent than that. This criminal organization…it seems to have touched children as well. I'll go back first with Storm. But can you see that door over there?”

Judy looked at the old door right next to the candle.

She nodded, still holding Cayden in her arms.

“I heard the voices of children in there… Could you please check it out?”

“…children?”

Judy was taken aback by the word ‘children’.

“…so did you start fighting because of children?”

“Somewhat like that... Will you check the door?”

“Okay, I’ll check it out. But, Cayden... What about you?”

“I told you… I’ll go back first.”

“…can you go back?”

“…I can... Uh...”

Cayden moaned quietly and took a step back.

As he took a step back, all the places that were feeling warm to Judy earlier, on coming into contact with the air, felt cold now.

Soon, Cayden groaned and headed out the door.

Judy just stood there, staring blankly at him. But after confirming quickly that he was alright from his stable walk, she took a sigh of relief and decided to help the children first, as he asked her to do.

Honestly, she wanted to take Cayden to a hospital, but as he said, if the children were involved too, there was no way she could just leave them as they were. Especially when Cayden didn't seem in much danger.

'But...'

No matter how much she tried to convince herself, Judy's heart hurt by the fact she would have to leave Cayden alone in such a situation, even if Cayden himself requested it.

'Ugh! Let's check first if they are okay.'

If the children were not in any immediate danger, or if it was just a misunderstanding and there were no children, then even Cayden wouldn't stop her from helping him.

Judy hurriedly ran to the door. She grabbed the doorknob and shook it, but it didn’t open, so she bumped her body several times and smashed the door.

-bang!

“Hey!!!”

Immediately after, someone tried to swing a sword at her.

The place behind the door was illuminated enough, so seeing the figure coming at her, Judy easily stretched out her sword and pierced his wrist before he could attack her.

The man screamed, let go of his weapon, and went to his knees.

Judy hurriedly kicked him away.

There was a staircase going down behind the man, so he rolled down the stairs, crashing into the floor of the basement, and finally stop moving.

Judy pulled out the torch hanging right next to the door and went down the stairs.

Then, an unnatural sight greeted her.

It was because, as Cayden had expected, many children were indeed locked behind bars.

“……crazy…”

Judy knew that they were a criminal organization, but she didn’t think that they were so evil. Because no other criminal organization touched children.

It was only after seeing children she began to understand why Cayden had no choice but to draw his sword.

'Damn it! Things are not going to be resolved quickly!'

Eventually, she turned and ran outside.

If she had to prioritize someone, it was Cayden.

From the immediate look, the children didn't seem to be in danger, but Cayden... her heart still felt anxious.

She decided to leave the children in the basement to the guards for now. She knew where guards patrolled near the academy, so it seemed a plausible choice.

'Because I got rid of all the people who could harm the children, they should be okay for now.'

Unfortunately, it seemed they would have to wait a little longer.

She got out and ran to where she last left Goldie and Storm.

As the moonlight shined through the alley, she could see the blood spread on the road.

If it wasn’t his blood, as Cayden said, so much blood shouldn't be spread on the road... He was hurt. There was no doubt about it.

“...Huff... Huff...!”

But when she arrived at the place Goldie and Storm should have been, Cayden was not present anymore.

Only Goldie remained.

Storm had also disappeared.

✧ ✧ ✧

Late night:

-Thump Thump Thump Thump

Asena was sleeping soundly. But she suddenly woke up due to the harsh knocks that disturbed her rest.

The room was still messy. And her body didn't seem to have any energy... it looked like all the power was drained out of her body.

-Thump Thump Thump Thump

But someone was knocking on the dorm's door without a break.

Despite the door of Asena's room being closed, even she could feel the urgency in those knocks.

'Who is it?'

Her eyes opened. Her heart hoped it was Cayden...

'But most probably, it's not Oppa.'

Cayden wouldn't disturb her sleep even if he wanted to reconcile urgently... which he didn't. It was a fact she knew better than anyone else. So, with her nerves sharpened, she became curious about the face of the other person.

Who dared to knock on their door like that without fear?

Even then, it seemed impossible to instill the will to rise in a powerless body. Without the warmth of Cayden’s body, no strength could be found.

'Oppa...'

It had never happened before, but now it was clear that Cayden wasn’t coming. Even when he noticed her actions, he didn’t waver.

-Knock.

This time, someone gently knocked on her own door.

‘Unnie…? I think someone is looking for us…’

It was Keirsey.

In the end, Asena couldn’t help but get up.

– Sigh

Powerlessly, she opened the door and walked out, passing Keirsey without a word.

If it wasn't urgent, the opponent should be prepared.

With such thought, Asena finally opened the door.

But as soon as she opened it, a thick bloody smell came out.

“…?”

A girl in a white robe smeared with red blood looked at them with trembling eyes.

“Uh... D-Duchess Pryster and... and Keirsey-sama.”

Asena frowned.

The girl was so nervous, she didn't seem able to speak words clearly.

After a brief greeting, the girl spoke without even breathing.

“Cayden Pryster is injured.”

Asena, whose whole body froze upon hearing those words, immediately checked the blood on the girl’s clothes, and her legs gave up.

✧ ✧ ✧

As she ran to where Cayden was, Asena had to experience her legs giving up several times.

Seeing Asena falling over and over again, no one would have thought she was the cold, dignified, and proud Duchess of House Pryster.

Asena felt as if her intestines were melting at the sudden burst. A hot sensation flowed down from her rapidly beating chest. It seemed it would explode at any moment. And her expression was also distorted.

Whether it was an illness, an accident, or whatever reason, the experience of losing a family wasn’t something Asena wanted to go through again. And Asena had always thought this would never happen again.

Tragedy could come to people once... but twice was rare.

But could it be that God was not satisfied with the loss of her parents?

She couldn’t accept the situation. But the girl had made it clear; Cayden was seriously injured.

'No, it can't be.'

Yeah, they hadn’t reconciled yet. She hadn't revealed her true intentions either, and the last conversations were only the sharp ones. So, it couldn't be the last time…

But according to the girl, his condition was serious. In fact, even if Asena didn't believe her words, the girl's blood-soaked clothes clearly showed them the seriousness of the situation. Because, according to the girl, this blood was of Cayden’s, not anyone else's.

Keirsey opened her mouth with tears dripping from her eyes.

“Hic. Hic. Uh…how hurt is Oppa? He is okay... Right?”

“…..”

The girl gave no reply. It didn't seem like she was ignoring them, instead, it felt as if she was afraid to answer them.

“Answer quickly!”

Keirsey shouted. But, not getting any response again, she began to cry ever more loudly.

Asena didn’t want to believe anything until she saw it with her own eyes. So, she was still better... at least, on the surface, she looked better.

'Oppa... please.'

Cayden, who always looked so strong, could not have been hurt. He was so healthy, so what could happen for him to shed so much blood? No, there was no way her support would have been broken so easily.

This was something she could never believe.

'Right.'

Asena had no doubts that he would greet them with a smile again. No, it was even okay if he didn't smile.

Even if he was still angry, Asena was determined to apologize.

'I was wrong all this time. I’m sorry... Yeah, just like that.'

As long as he was still there, nothing else mattered.

'Yes, Oppa must be fine.'

Because this couldn’t be the last. Because... apologizing to him shouldn’t be the last thing she did...

In the distance, finally, the destination began to appear.

-"Aaaah..!"

At the same time, an unfamiliar, painful cry rang out from afar. But the voice... the male voice was quite familiar.

Hearing that sound, Asena’s legs loosened again.

-Thud!

As she was still running, she fell to the ground with a loud thud, but not minding that one bit, she got up again.

Her body... didn't feel any pain.

It seemed unnatural, but she didn't care. Her heart was already relieved.

Because through the voice, she realized that Cayden wasn’t unconscious... or dead. He was screaming in pain, so he was conscious and alive.

Asena didn’t need anything else as long as he was alive. Yes, it didn’t matter even if any part of his body became uncomfortable as long as he was alive.

But if he… if somehow, something went wrong.

Just by thinking about it, her heart sank.

Asena couldn’t figure out how would she handle and release this feeling of despair and rage.

-“Ahhhh…aah!!”

As they got closer, the scream of pain only grew worse. For the first time in her life, Asena was feeling so afraid that it was difficult to move her legs.

The closer she got to the source of this painful moan, the more rapidly her heart thumped. She felt it would explode at any second and she would die instantly.

But she couldn’t stop there.

The twins hurriedly entered the room where Cayden’s screams were coming from.

Cayden- who was being treated by doctors wearing white uniforms- was a mess.

For the first time in their life, the twins had to see Cayden’s face contorting in so much pain.

His whole body seemed to be covered in blood... From head to toe.

His upper body was naked, stitched here and there.

He had never been seen before in such a terrible state.

Three people were holding him down while he was being operated on. But even alone, he was too much. They put all their weight on Cayden, but their whole body shook whenever his body trembled in pain, like a fish out of water.

The doctors were shouting in a cluttered state.

The doctor stitching his wounds spoke:

-"Wait a minute…! Almost everything is sewn!"

One doctor on left asked a nurse.

-"When is the Mugwort juice coming!"

And another spoke to twins.

"I’m really sorry, but you’re not allowed in! Please wait outside!"

But they were all sounds that did not reach Asena... it was as if something was obstructing all other voices. They felt like echoes in the background - unimportant.

All she could see was Cayden, her Oppa, who was full of cuts and open wounds.

Judging from the wounds and the blood he shed, it felt like the lights in his eyes would fade away at any moment... taking away his love that supported her and taught her what happiness was.

As a doctor cleaned his wound and slipped a needle into it, Cayden lifted his upper body once more with red-bloody eyes.

“Ahhhh!!!”

Keirsey saw the scarred, red upper body, and immediately lost consciousness and collapsed with a loud noise.

-Thud!

The voice was so loud that even in the commotion, the eyes of the doctors, and even Cayden’s trembling eyes, turned to the unconscious Keirsey.

Asena and Cayden’s eyes also met for a moment.

At that time, she felt as if only the two of them were left in the world.

“….Oppa…”

Asena called out to Cayden. And when the word - which felt a little unfamiliar to her tongue - escaped her mouth, she finally realized how long it had been since she last called out to him.

Tears flowed from Asena’s eyes involuntarily.

Because for some reason, looking at him like that, it felt like Cayden was moving further away than ever before.

Cayden gasped and stopped screaming. Looking at her tear-stained face, he clenched his teeth and gave a weak smile.

“…Ah… Asena. Please take your sister out... Can you..?”

He said to Asena with eyes that seemed to be closing at any moment. But in those weak eyes, the care and love were still the same as when he consoled the twins of the past, who used to burst into tears remembering their parents.

Looking into his loving eyes, it felt, the childish fight, in a way no one wanted, had already come to an end.

[T/N:

Hey everyone. As you all know I've always been a big fan of the author 'Lee Man-doo' - the same author who wrote both 'Why Are You Becoming a Villain Again?' and 'Pretending To Have a Girlfriend?' And now his other book 'Incompatible Interspecies Wives' is topping the Novelpia monthly ranking with just 26 chapters. 

Naturally, I wanted to pick it up, but my time mostly goes into translating 'Villain Again' or helping other ReadingPia translators. So, even if I give my best while maintaining the update speed of 'Villain Again', I can only translate a single chapter a week. That would be too slow, right? 

I was sad and almost thought I wouldn't be able to pick it up. But suddenly - or should I say as always…? - Taylor came forward to help me!! 

We both decided to translate it together while maintaining the update speed of our current novels. 

Though mass release will not be possible, you guys can still look forward to it. It's an amazing read. 

Here's the link: https://www.readingpia.me/series/incompatible-interspecies-wives

Join Patreon to support the translation and to read upto 5 chapters ahead of the release: https://www.patreon.com/DylanVittori  

]

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