Hrod cocked his head in Freida's direction as he spoke, and as soon as she heard his response, she felt a shiver run down her spine.
"Unfortunately, Yajel and Trauss were drawn to play each other in the first round after both advanced to the quarterfinals. They couldn't just give up without a fight because they knew that if they did, death would surely be waiting for them. So both of them fought with everything they had. And the conclusion was not a call to victory because Yajel was able to kill Trauss with his own hands."
In a state of shock, Freida moved her hands so that she could cover her mouth with them. She wasn't there to see it happen, but she could imagine how difficult it must have been for everyone to just accept the outcome.
"I can't imagine how difficult it was for the two of them, especially if you take into account the fact that they had spent their entire lives together. The loss of her brother must have left Winona with a sense of profound grief." Following that, she offered her remark.
"The one who was most shaken up by what happened was Yajel. I couldn't just stand there and defend him in front of my wife, but Yajel is not entirely to blame for what happened. He considers Trauss more of a brother than a friend. But he was in a bind and could not have done otherwise at the time. The tournament was too important for him to let it end without a victory, even if his life was on the line."
"What did he have to gain by being so desperate to win this tournament that he let them use him and kill his friend?"
For the time being, Hrod maintained his composure and did not speak. When he could no longer refrain from speaking to her, he finally opened his mouth and told her, "I am not aware of what could be his deeper reason for joining the tournament back then. Winona was always very quiet about it. What I do know is that Yajel left the competition following Trauss' death. After that, he frequently moves around from one location to another aboard this ship, disguising himself with a variety of aliases from time to time."
It was at precisely that time that Freida gained a full comprehension of the circumstances surrounding Winona and Yajel's relationship. What continued to bother her was Yajel's eagerness to participate in the tournament. If he was able to flee the competition after Trauss's death, then why hadn't he done so earlier, before he was pitted against Trauss??
The way Hrod has been explaining things, it seems like Freida won't be able to learn anything about it from him either.
Freida suddenly wished there was something she could do to help Yajel and Winona patch things up, but all she could muster was a heavy sigh. Instinctively realizing that she was completely stuck for a solution. Especially considering that Hrod was powerless to do anything about it either, what else was there for her to do?
However, while Freida was in the midst of her reflections, she suddenly became aware of something she needed to inquire about from Hrod. "Hold on just a second. You mentioned to me earlier that Winona and Yajel were supposed to be the ones to compete in the Paladin tournament, is that correct? How did it come to pass that Tauss was the one who participated in the tournament instead?"
Hrod observed the eagerness that could be seen in Freida's eyes. At first, he was reluctant, but eventually, he came to the conclusion that he needed to tell her about it anyway. Because only male fighters are eligible to participate in the tournament. No matter what race you may be from, only men are allowed to enter the said prestigious tournament."
"A biased competition, I see..." Freida whispered to herself.
Unfortunately, it was audible enough for Hrod to hear. Instantaneously, he responded, "I believe that it's for the better. Women were never intended to take part in a gory competition like the Paladin tournament. Because women are so delicate and feeble that they will inevitably suffer some sort of harm, if not die, in the end."
Hrod's viewpoint seemed to strike a nerve with Freida. She believed that Hrod possessed the bravery to respond in such a manner, despite the fact that he was subservient to his wife, Winona. Hrod, when it came down to it, was helpless in the presence of his wife. In spite of the fact that his physical body may appear to be tough, he would ultimately turn out to be a fragile individual who would wait at the corner to be protected by Winona using her bantao incantacion.
"I don't see any problem with women trying to compete at the same level as men. Never judge an individual's capabilities based solely on their outward appearance, no matter how frail or feeble they might appear. Keep in mind that appearances aren't always what they seem." A chuckle came from Freida as she gave her response.
"And your point?"
"That women are just as qualified to compete in the tournament as men. You might think that all women are weak and frail, but that's not true. Just take a look at your wife. Is she not strong enough to stand up and defend herself?"
"Shield herself, perhaps. But if she has to defend herself, that's a whole other ballgame. If she had such ability, her brother wouldn't have joined the tournament instead."
"Why?"
Hrod found himself, all of a sudden, so engrossed in the tale that he was unable to control his tendency to blabber on and on. "Before I met Winona, she was supposed to get married to an elderly man to whom her father owed a significant amount of money. The only way she could get out of it was if she won the tournament and earned a large sum of gold to pay off their debt. Otherwise, there was no other way for her to avoid it. Until I came across her one time and took her away on an adventure away from their hometown to escape the unwanted marriage."
"But you said, women can't compete in the tournament, right?"
"Yes, and that's where Tauss decided to join in for her sister's sake."
"I think I'm getting the picture now." Freida replied. Despite the fact that she was deeply absorbed in her own thoughts, she couldn't help but wonder why Yajel had chosen to participate in the tournament as well.
Since Yajel had to have known from the very beginning that he would eventually have to engage in combat with Trauss and that it would likely end up being a fight to the death between the two of them, he had to have had a particularly compelling motivation for taking part in the tournament. He wouldn't have bothered entering such a competition if the only reason he was doing it was to assist Winona's family and prevent her from getting betrothed to the elderly man to whom their father had been indebted.
"Freida, Hrod! There you two are! I've been looking for the two of you." And then, from somewhere behind them, they heard Winona's voice. Upon hearing her voice, the two turned around to face her.
Before Winona arrived, Freida was going to ask Hrod one more question, but it appeared as though she would have to save that inquiry for another time. She could not simply show Winona that she had been getting pumped up to learn more about their history by capitalizing on Hrod's talkativeness as a conversation starter.
"I turned around for just a second to talk to that moron, and the two of you were already out of my sight." Even though Winona was being extremely sarcastic in her statement, she managed to make it sound so calm that no one would dare feel ill will toward her.
However, this was not the case for Yajel, who was already trailing behind Winona. "And who exactly do you think you're insulting by calling them a moron? Don't try to act like you haven't noticed, I've been right behind you this whole time."
Winona's gaze swung back to Yajel briefly. When they looked at each other again, it was as if an electric line had passed through both of their eyes and met in the middle. An aura of terror manifested from each of them that forced Freida to take a few steps back.
The tension between them remained until Hrod finally defused it, just in time to prevent it from becoming even more severe.
"Enough! We have more pressing matters than your insignificant cat fight." He interjected a reprimanding tone between his words.
Winona and Yajel both shifted their attention to Hrod and waited for him to continue speaking while he had their full attention. The manner in which they seemed to be staring at him gave the impression that they had been anticipating being given a valid explanation for why they had been diverted from their conversation at such an abrupt moment.
Hrod's head eventually cocked to the side, as if he were pointing in Fredia's direction. And it was at that point that Winona finally recalled the primary reason that they had been obligated to visit Yajel in the first place. After that, she shifted her feet so that she was standing behind Hrod and she closed her mouth for the subsequent brief moment.
It caused some consternation for Yajel, but Hrod was able to decipher the message that his wife's abrupt change in behavior was trying to convey. Because of this, he quickly followed up by saying, "Well, Yajel, the reason we came here is because Freida required assistance in order to return to the realm of the mortals."
When Yajel heard Hrod, his jaw merely dipped a little bit, and then he asked, "What?! You have been keeping a human girl with you all this time?"