Chapter 23: WILL SHE JUMP OFF THE SHIP?

After what she had just heard, Freida's eyes grew very wide as she tried to process it all. She couldn't bear the thought that a man like him would eventually come to think of letting a woman jump into the open sea.

It was a dangerous course of action to clear her name after such a vile accusation, but it was the only way to do it. She could never be a spy. She doesn't even know who they are referring to in the first place. What more to become a spy for them?

Despite this, Freida was aware that she would have a difficult time persuading Yajel to believe her with just her words alone. Especially now that the commandos' ship was already tailing behind their ship, not to mention the fact that they had already had their first assault as a result of that earlier cannonball attack at the ship's rear.

Yajel started to speak again at that precise moment. "Didn't you hear me clearly? I said I want you to jump off my ship." His statement went far beyond what any of the others were able to put up with in that situation. It was a lot for Freida as well, who at the time was still struggling with conflicting feelings within herself.

Earlier, she thought Yajel was different. Particularly in light of the fact that he was the one who came to her rescue right after the cannonball struck the ship's stern. But Yajel's treatment of her changed abruptly the moment he learned that the commandos' ships were now behind them. It was as if it happened in an instant, as swift as the sea breeze.

"I suppose your cowardice meant that you are indeed–"

However, before Yajel could even finish what he was supposed to say, Freida dashed forward and made her way towards the side of the ship. She quickly jumped out of the ship and into the water without giving it much thought before she did it.

With her eyes closed, she was already anticipating the icy cold temperature of the water that would soon kiss her skin. However, before she could even make it into the main body of water, someone was quick enough to grab the cloth that was on her back.

The moment that someone had taken the initiative to save Freida, Freida's attention was abruptly drawn to that person. And as Freida raised her head to see who it was, the sight of that savior caused her mouth to gape open in shock and surprise..

The sight shocked her senses beyond belief. She was wondering if this whole thing was real or if she was simply dreaming. For a moment there, Freida's nails dug deeply into her palm as she clenched her hand into a tight ball. She woke herself up to make sure she wasn't having a dream.

She felt the pain across her arm almost instantly, which was a clear indication that she wasn't just hallucinating the whole thing at all. That was indeed him. It was Yajel.

Freida began to wonder what could've forced him to bother saving her when, in fact, it was him who had pushed her to jump out of the ship in the first place.

As Freida waited for an answer, she could see how Yajel struggled to yank her back to the ship. Yajel's face was etched indelibly with the resolute intent to rescue her, and Freida was there to bear witness to the entire ordeal. To Freida's confusion, however, his rapid pace only added to her uncertainty about the man's motivations.

He shifted his decisions quickly and without much thought, which was surprising. He did things on his own initiative, and the majority of the time it was because of his emotions that drove him to take action.

Freida eventually came to the realization that, despite the stingy attitude he had been displaying toward everyone else, there was a caring person hidden inside of him that was hiding behind the shadow or, more accurately, a shield of that intolerable bad attitude of his.

Although at this point, Freida shouldn't be concerned about that, especially considering the fact that he was already working hard to prevent her from falling into the water completely.

"I couldn't hold it much longer. You're considerably heavier than I had imagined. Would you mind adjusting to climbing back up as quickly as possible while I was still able to support you?" Yajel grumbled to himself as he struggled to remain still while he held onto Freida's clothes.

After hearing that, Freida once again regained her composure and put out her hand to get a firm hold on Yajel's arm. She climbed back up with his assistance right away. However, Yajel had pulled her with so much force that Freida ended up being pulled toward Yajel.

The next thing she knew, she was on top of him, her face buried against Yajel's bare abdominal area. What had happened had completely eluded her. Both humiliated and hurt, Freida felt a deep sense of shame.

She was caught off guard by Yajel's sudden pull, and what hurt her the most was that she was not prepared for the impact of her face hitting his stomach. It caused her pain and left a ruddy mark on the bridge of her nose. She did not anticipate losing control of the situation.

"Why did you jump into the water? Do you have any idea how close you are to drowning if you were to fall there?" When Yajel gave Freida a dressing down, he was so enraged that he could hardly speak. But if there was something odd between the lines of what Yajel had just said, it was the fact that concern was undeniably obvious from the way he delivered it on Freida.

While Freida's eyes were glued to Yajel, she continued to show signs of being in a state of shock. It continued on like that for a short period of time before she made the decision to finally speak up and asked him, "But didn't you want me to prove myself innocent by jumping off your ship?"

Yajel had a flash of insight during which he realized that it was in fact he who was responsible for her jumping in the first place. Yajel, however, has allowed his pride to get the better of him because he does not want his ego to be trampled on by her.

"Even so! What if I told you to kill yourself? Would you do the same?"

"If it would prove my innocence, then so be it."

"Pathetic fool! Don't you even value your life?"

"How dare you ask me that when it was you who insisted I leap to my death? I can't believe you have the audacity to lecture me on the importance of appreciating my own life now. You have the nerve to label me a pathetic fool when you are the one who is being hypocritical."

"How dare you address me as a hypocrite one."

"Aren't you? You are the captain of this ship! You should not look for someone to pin the blame on and instead devise a plan to get away from your usurpers and lead your men to safety. If you continue with that kind of mentality, I bet it's what's going to sink this ship and kill everyone on board."

The shock had rendered Yajel completely mute. Even though he realized Freida was right, he refused to admit it because he didn't want his pride hurt any more than it already had. As soon as he saw Hrod and Winona, he shoved her aside and went to join them. Yajel deliberately disregarded Freida by turning his back on her and ignoring her completely.

Because of the rapid pace of his conversation with Hrod and Winona, Freida was unable to notice that Yajel was walking away from them. Everything had happened too quickly for Freida to have time to mentally process it all.

Even the way she chose to express herself to Yajel in words was careless. She was aware that the manner in which she responded to him was hurtful to him. But if no one would speak up to him, Yajel would never question whether or not he was right about anything.

There are certain circumstances in which individuals are required to acquire knowledge in a different manner. When a person learns a valuable lesson the hard way in life, they usually fare better the next time they are put in a similar situation and are able to apply what they have learned.

And as for Yajel, he was well aware that the things that Freida said to him would have an effect on him that he wouldn't be able to forget so quickly.

As Yajel's ship continued to sail, Freida's focus shifted to Winona, who had moved closer to the ship's center. There, she mustered all her strength and slowly raised her hand above her head.

"Bantao Class Y: Yalatandin Fortress!" Winona cast.

Winona again surrounded the ship with a protective barrier using the bantao encantacion at her disposal. This one, however, was big enough to engulf the whole ship. Because of this, the ship carrying the commandos wouldn't be able to use its cannons to bring Yajel's ship down.

However, it may be too soon for Freida's team to begin celebrating their victory just yet. Particularly, when the ship the commandos were on was able to fire cannonballs into Yajel's ship in a continuous stream.