After entering the fortress, Cain and his team were brought to the infirmary to check if they had any injuries. Like that, a day passed as the group rested and recovered from their strength.
The infirmary was a simple clinic with beds in a white room. El was the only one lying down; the others except Cain were on stools. Apart from the blonde swordsman, the other three had varying degrees of broken bones, concussions, and mild scratches.
El was in the worse condition; she frowned as she shook her head in a vain attempt to clear her migraine. Cain was looking at her sternly, keeping silent, causing the mage to lower her head and twiddle her fingers, trying to look cute as she knelt in a dogeza. Cain eventually lost his patience as he said in a cold voice.
"Elaine Légère, you know why I am angry, right?"
The black-haired beauty nodded and was about to speak but frowned and stayed silent. She woke up just a few moments ago and saw Cain standing near without any injuries; however, as she leaped to embrace him, he evaded and placed her back on the bed, then started looking at her broodingly.
It excited her, stroking her masochistic tendencies like a bad pet waiting to be spanked by its owner. After waiting a few moments, Cain finally said
"You used a skill that allowed concurrent chanting; that would have been fine; however, tell me, why did you go way over your limit? Your normal limit is two, your headache limit four, your concussion limit eight, you're your coma limit is sixteen, and finally, your death limit thirty-two. Do you know how many spells you cast in that thirty seconds?"
Cain looked at El with a stern gaze as he said each word, turning angrier as he went on. Jin and Abel, who were also in the room, kept silent as they let the lovers duke it out. Jin had shattered his entire right arm, while Abel had three cracked ribs and several severe bruises on his chest and back.
Earthlings were not allowed to access Asgardian healthcare, so they could only wait for El to get better before getting themselves fixed up. Having difficulty keeping himself from exploding, Cain finally explained.
"Eight hundred ninety-one…three hundred seventy-four were cast on me. I thank you for the healing spells like [Greater heal] and [Refresh mind], but [Veil of Water]? [Love of the saint]? [2nd life]? And why did you cast [Increased Vitality] over forty-two times? Do you understand how hard it was to control myself afterward?"
As if waiting for this news to be shared, Jin and Abel began laughing at the top of their voices in a fit of belly, bursting laughter, slamming their arms and fists on the tables and walls or whatever was within their reach, tears in their eyes as they laughed out loud.
"BWAHAHAHAHAHHA, holy crap, I couldn't hold myself back from smiling when I heard that!"
Abel boisterously declared.
"HAHA, I almost died when I heard 'I was about to get my p*ssy shafted' imagine screaming that for all the world to hear! BWAHAHAHAHA! My little princess is all grown up! Hahaha!"
Said Jin in between bouts of maniacal laughter. As she heard this, El's snow-colored face, neck to her shoulders, turned scarlet. Rising pillars of steam seemingly came out of her ears as he tried her best to endure the shame. She was trying to bury herself into the infirmary bed she was kneeling on.
El already knew the entire Black Hammer fortress heard her thousand wails while she was torturing Bruno. But hearing it from someone else caused her face to turn into a tomato from shame. The mage wanted nothing more than for the ground to swallow her up. Maybe she could ask Rai for a favor?
Seeing El's adorable demeanor, Cain finally couldn't help but lighten up a bit as he softly chuckled.
"Hehe, I'm glad to see you safe, Elaine. You don't know how scared I was when I saw the number of spells you cast. I thought I lost you; promise me never to do that again."
Blood red force abruptly erupted from Cain as he said the last sentence silencing the entire room in an instant as he did so. Noticing that Cain offered no other recourse but acceptance. El could only meekly nod. He then added.
"El, you have to answer me truthfully. Why did you aim the spear at Rai Seventh? Today should be the 1st time you saw him. Why did it seem he aggrieved you so? Who was your husband? Why did you keep saying I was hurt?"
El closed her eyes as she thought; her countenance showed the strain as she dug up the answers in the recesses of her mind. Finally, she opened them with a defeated expression after a few seconds. She then suddenly lunged at Cain as she hugged him tightly, tears streaming from her eyes.
"I don't know, Arthur, it was like a dream, the ones you forget about when you wake up. I felt the emotion from the memories, but the things I saw were from someone else. I don't know how to explain it."
Cain and Abel, who were listening, both concluded the same thing. El saw something they experienced as well, visions of the past, of another reality. And it scared them when they thought of the implications for it. Then, as if to lighten the mood, Jin added in.
"What are you guys talking about? El got married to someone other than Arthur? are you guys high? This girl would sooner murder all other men on the planet if it meant she couldn't have him."
Looking like she stepped on shit, El had fire coming from her eyes as she glared at the heavy swordsman. Abel and Cain, on the other hand, had the same thought.
'Jin didn't hear the things about being married? Why? How? They were even louder than the voices that chanted the spells. Are we the only ones that heard it?'
Cain and Abel caught each other staring and knew they had reached the same conclusion. But before either could have a chance to act on it.
"And here I thought you would be sad or even remorseful about the mess you all made. But, on the contrary, I'm glad you are all fine; your dispositions truly match mine; support Skill [Greater Heal]!"
A child-like voice resounded; simultaneously, two green lights fell on Abel and Jin as their injuries healed rapidly, and the sounds of bones cracking and being reformed echoed in the room.
The two large men gritted their teeth as the pain of bones reconnecting was heard. Unfortunately, reconnecting bones hurts just as severely as breaking them, leaving the two large men in a bout of suffering for their own benefit.
The Asgardian enforcer entered the room together with a petite teen that had blue hair in messy twin tails. The teen wore a lab coat and glasses, completing the researcher's look as she smiled smugly.
Everyone in the room looked at the new arrivals as the girl glanced slowly at everyone present; she then arrogantly added as she faced the enforcer.
"Hmm, barely acceptable; Rai, these Earthlings are barely acceptable. Only the mage is above my standards. HOOO? Two of you have seen the records of Atlas! Interesting. Very interesting."
She paused, as if for dramatic effect, before adding.
"I am Ateleíoto Narotíso codename Lorelei; call me Atele. You four belong to me from this point onwards and will be part of my bodyguards. Our first mission is to seize a ruin in Alfheim. So resist, and I will have your entire families taken for my research. Any questions?"
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Proofread By: Pearl_Wang, ThePotatoKing
Edited By: WorthyAdversary