Wreath of Lilies, Cauldron of Poison

Chapter 70

The Red Tiger's swift end

Though the foreigner managed to deflect Akula’s thrust, her monstrous strength caused him to fall back a few steps.

Kasheem’s arms felt numb and noticed a chip on his curved blade with a glance, a testament to the Centaur’s prowess. “To be able to damage my Khiljid so easily. You are very strong.”

As a veteran of many battles, he could see that despite her strength the veiled Centaur could not engage him with her full strength due to the limitation of space. He charged forward with his sword held upside down.

Akula swung her pole to strike his chest, but the curved sword’s quillon managed to catch the pole. The man dragged his curved sword across the pole with a ferocious yell and produced a small straight dagger from his belt. Noticing the glint of the weapon aiming at her leg, the Centaur raised her front legs and kicked forward.

Kasheem made a split-second decision to let go of his sword rather than kicked in the stomach by two horse legs. He rolled aside while keeping his body curled.

“Using a hidden dagger? I will not fall for such tricks!”

The exchange happened under a minute, but those who understood what just happened knew that they were experienced warriors.

Connie and Klein stood back in order not to disturb the two warriors’ concentration.

“I see that you are not a run-of-the-mill Tonsulde,” Kasheem said as he held his dagger in a crouched position. “But I will not be hindered from fulfilling my duty! Fierce Thr - !”

“Stop! Please stop!”

A high-pitched cry coming from the second floor drew the attention of the everyone in the dining area below. Kim Sooyoung stood there with both hands holding on to the wooden railings for dear life. Distress clearly showing on her pale face as he endured their stares.

Kasheem, who was about to launch a skill stumbled to the wooden floor when he heard the cry.

“Maziri Sooyoung!” Kasheem called out with relief, not even minding how he rolled on the dirty ground because of a fumbled attack just now. “Are you okay?!”

Seemingly forgetting about the fight earlier, the dark-skinned man ran over to her with a joyful smile.

“I’m fine, Haynim Kasheem, I – Akula, behind you!”

“HAAHA!”

The cowardly thug from earlier had hidden himself under one of his compatriot’s body and jumped out from his hiding place with a maddened cry. He slashed his sword at the unsuspecting Centaur.

“Zalkhin!” Martell shouted.

With their attention distracted by Kim’s call, no one paid attention to the surrounding and by the time Akula realized it, the sword had already almost reached her midsection. She did not have enough time to move away.

No! How can I die like this?!

However, her death did not come. Connie who had been standing to the side dashed forward and infused her Yin Energy into the only item in her hand and swung it upward.

The half-eaten sausage met with the iron sword.

CLANG!

Something long and white flew into the air and fell unceremoniously onto the floor with a dull sound.

Everyone in the room who saw what happened could not believe what their eyes. Even after they digested the whole situation a few weeks later, they would often question themselves if they were not hallucinating.

Their eyes were drawn to the lowlife thug looking foolishly at his broken sword and the girl who just broke said sword with cold meat encased in pig guts.

Connie looked unfocusedly at the deli meat in her hand and squeezed it experimentally. “Now that’s quality.”

She threw the sausage over her shoulder and slapped his face with the back of her hand so hard his jaw dislocated. He spun a full turn mid-air before falling to the floor like a rag doll.

“What…”

“What the hell?!”

“Did I just see that right?” One of the rugged foreigners that came in with Kasheem shouted in bewilderment. “A piece of sausage broke a sword? That’s impossible!”

“Eh, it’s a sword made from pig iron,” Connie said, eyes slightly drooping. “Anyone could break something so shoddy.”

“No, they can’t…Mistress. Not with a sausage,” Martell said helpfully.

“Connie, you…” Akula was weak kneed from the close brush with death and was having a hard time articulating. She stomped down with her right hind leg to keep herself from falling to her knees. She would not be caught dead disgracing herself like that. “I…thank you for saving me.”

“Don’t mind that. We’re friends, aren’t we?!” Connie said boisterously. “We’ve shared stories over ale and meat. And to me, that’s already reason enough.”

While this was happening, the black-haired woman hurried down the stairs with a panicked look. She fumbled her steps and fell onto Kasheem’s strong, manly arms.

“Maziri Sooyoung,” the man said with a gentle voice. “Please be careful. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

“Y-yes. Thank you, Haynim Kasheem,” the girl said with a mighty blush when she felt his strong chest against her cheek. She quickly drew herself back when she realized how close they were. “P-please. Haynim Kasheem. That female Centaur is a friend of mine. As are Lady Connie and the beastfolk boy beside him.”

“…I see,” the man slowly let go, his hands still lingered even as she ran towards the female Centaur.

“I’m glad that you are okay, Miss Akula,” she said as she gasped for breath.

“Thanks to Connie. How is your condition?” Akula asked as she stored her pole back into her Item Ring.

“I’m okay now. Lady Connie was thorough with her treatment.”

“Just basic treatment. Anyone can do it. Sadly, I do not yet know how to cure wind illness completely.”

“No one does,” the girl said with a weak smile. “It’s just something I have to live with. Ah, yes. Let me apologize for the misunderstanding,” the young woman said while Kasheem was walking towards them. “These men are my guards.”

“Please, Maziri Sooyoung. If there is someone who should apologize. It is me.”

Kasheem put his left hand on top of his heart and his right in an open palm gesture and bowed slightly, head tilted slightly forward.

“I beg your forgiveness, Tonsulde,” Kasheem replied with a soft, apologetic voice. Far different from the fierceness of a warrior he showed when he was fighting Akula. “I thank you for saving Maziri Sooyoung.”

“No harm done,” Akula received this humble gesture of Kasheem’s with a tight clasp with both her hands. “It is forgiven.”

Connie heard a harsh sound of bones grinding when she clasped his hand. The man did not complain. Although he did close and open his hand repeatedly for a few minutes after that.

“Thank you.”

At the back, Klein was poking lightly at the now cold sausage which Connie used to break the word, Half expecting it to be rigid as stone. To his surprise and mild disappointment, it was pert and bouncy. A regular sausage.

Klein stared at the girl who just performed such an impossible feat and was trying to place a name to her face.

Despite the foreign clothing, the color of her skin was that of a Calendian. Also, if it was not for the slight bump upon her chest and the clear lack of any protrusion of the nether, he would have thought her to be a beautiful man.

She was clearly not a Knight as she did not have the characteristic gait of a Knight. So, she could only be a Noble or a rich merchant’s daughter, but he had never seen either who could be so adept at fighting. Especially not one who could break a sword with a tube of meat stuffed into a pig’s intestine.

And he should know, he had fooled around with many lovestruck girls in his time.

Then he heard the name Connie.

“Connie. Connie, Connie…wait,” It took the fair-skinned man a while before she realized that the person before him was someone he knew. “C-cornelia? You are that Cornelia?”

Connie had been focusing her Energy into her liver to break down the alcohol, seeing that the fun had reached its end. She pinched the bridge of her nose and blinked a few times before letting out an unwomanly burp that smelled strongly of alcohol.

She focused at the face of the man who just called him. Now that he had removed his hood, she recognized him. “Oh, is that you, Klein? Fancy meeting you here,” she said matter-of-factly.

Connie had a bit of memory about the handsome man before her. In her terms, he would be her Senior Disciple. The two of them was taken under the tutelage of The Army Head Instructor Gregory Sieghart. Only briefly in her case.

Through the friendship between her father and the Instructor, she and Klein had the opportunity to learn from Gregory Sieghart. Though it was only for a few months, she and Klein had formed a cordial relationship as fellow students. The difference was that she had not the gift of the sword and he was blessed with the gift for both magic and the sword. An Elite born for greatness.

She was soon returned to her father while he was formally accepted as a student and went on to become one of the strongest swordsman in the Kingdom. This happened a few years ago.

After that, all Klein ever heard about her was that her engagement had been annulled and she was now seen as a worthless “Scorned Woman”. Someone so pitiful that even now the ladies of the court still spoke ill of her. Of course, some of them used this chance to curry favor from Lady Sering of the Gladstone House.

“How have you been?” She asked nonchalantly. “Heard you are now the Commander of the White Lion! Haven’t had the chance to congratulate you!”

“Thank you. And I’m sorry for your loss,” the man answered courteously. “Your father was a great man.”

“Eh, it was a nice death. I’m sure he wouldn’t have it any other way,” she answered.

“Mistress, you know the Commander of the White Lions?!” Martell said in surprise.

“We trained together for a few months,” the girl said dismissively. “He’s different from me. He is a genius at the sword and magic.”

“You’re kidding,” Martell replied with a belligerent look. Better at the sword from someone who could do what she did? No way.

“No. I’m serious. I’m garbage at the sword, you know.”

“Surely you jest. You must have a powerful master instructing you to be able to do what you did,” Klein said. Strangely enough, he felt more at ease speaking casually with her now. A far cry from the rigid and serious Cornelia he knew before. “By the way, we should really get out of here soon unless we want to explain this scene to the Regular Knights. And I tell you, they are very bad at their jobs.”

“Ah, right,” Kasheem heard this and gestured to his people. “Let’s go!”

“Are you coming with, Connie?” Akula asked when she saw her and Martell not moving an inch.

“Don’t worry about us. We are not connected with this in any way. Isn’t that right, Innkeeper?”

“That’s right,” Martell added. “We are a scared unarmed Noble’s daughter with her slave hiding from the scary thugs trying to make trouble with some foreigners.”

“H-huh?” The Innkeepeer, who had just come out of hiding looked at the devastated scene of his establishment. He only recovered after a gold coin landed on his hand.

“Isn’t that right?” Martell asked, all smiles. “…Innkeeper?”

He looked at the piece of gold and grinned. “Y-yes, of course! Nothing to do with this. Nothing at all, yep.”

“I see,” Kasheem nodded knowingly. He pulled out a few gold coins from his pouch and dropped it onto the man’s hand. “A few more for your trouble. Inkeeper. Make sure you do what the Lady said.”

Klein added. “If the Knights gave you some trouble, drop my name. That’ll shut them up.”

The man felt as if he was dreaming. The weight of gold coins equaling a few years of his earning was so surreal he thought he was dreaming. But when he looked down, they were right there, on top of his palm.

When he looked up again, Connie raised a forefinger in front of her lips before calmly walking up the stairs, followed by Martell.

“Junnaveil bless my heart,” The Innkeeper mouthed before calling for her wife.

Soon after, the Knights patrolling the territory arrived on the scene. The Innkeeper and his wife answered with such rambling nonsense that the Knights gave up.

Outside the inn, curious onlookers gathered around the inn as Knights carried out the unconscious bodies of the members of the Red Tiger. Some of them hurled insults at the thugs, laughing at their sorry fates.

Above the crowds, a dark elf looked down from atop a roof, exhaling tiredly. She did not even need to know what happened to know who had a part in it.

“Haaah…Connie…what did you do this time?”