Chapter 84

The Sleepless Night of the Maid — Chapter 84

She wanted to run to Cecil and embrace her tightly, but the man’s grip on her was strong and she couldn’t move. She just cried like crazy and asked for help, but no one came to rescue them. Eva sobbed in despair and called out for Cecil. At this point, she was more terrified that Cecil might have died than she was scared for herself. Suddenly, thick tears began flowing down her cheeks. 

“Stay still and come with me like a good girl. Unless you want to die here.”

The man forcibly dragged Eva away, leaving Cecil as it is.

All hope was lost. 

“What are you doing?“

A man’s deep voice came from the shadows. Instantly, the men stopped walking and turned back.

“Who are you?”

“I’m not going to answer that. What are you doing?”

The man in the shadows asked again in a firm voice as if he was not afraid in the least. Even in her state of complete frenzy, Eva could see the man who had suddenly appeared. 

He was a very tall and strong man. His hair was short, his eyes were indifferent, and his overall expression was blank. Instinctively, she realised this man was her last sliver of hope. She shouted again.

“Help me! Please, help us! These people are trying to drag us away!”

“…”

Even after hearing Eva’s request for help, the man did not move.

“M-money! I’ll give you money!”

Eva’s second attempt seemed to have succeeded. Even with four opponents in front of him, the man did not wield a single weapon in his hands. He slowly approached the crooks holding Eva.

“Leave this woman alone.”

“Don’t bother us, just leave. ‘less you wanna be found dead with ’em tomorrow morning.”

“Let her go.”

The man once again commanded the drunk who had grabbed Eva in a low voice. Although he knew the situation was against him right now, his face showed no fear or aggression. His confidence in being able to win seemed legitimate.

The thug holding Eva pushed her aside roughly as if tossing her, immediately surrounding the lone man along with his friends. They could sense that this man was not an ordinary citizen. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be this confident standing up against the four men with bare hands in Hastings, where murders were commonplace.

Eva staggered and fell, but then ran quickly towards Cecil, cradling her head in her lap. While crying, she touched her cheeks and her eyelids, wiping and kissing them, but Cecil was not waking up. After a while, when Cecil’s hand twitched, Eva breathed again in relief.

One of the thugs pulled out a sharpened sword from under his robe. Another came with a club that had been lying on the ground. All four of them were closing in, threatening the bare-handed man with varying weapons.

The goon with the sword rushed in first and swung his weapon at the stranger. But before the sword even touched him, he grabbed the crook’s wrist and twisted it until a ‘snap’ sounded, followed by a cry.

Then as another guy came with his fists up, the stranger ducked and kicked the man behind his knee, forcing the man to buckle, before hitting his nose with his fist, breaking it and knocking him out.

When another hit him with the bat, he did not dodge it. He simply turned to the man, raising his fist and hit the man straight in the face. The thug froze in astonishment as the stranger threw an uppercut, sending the man to the floor in an unconscious sprawl.

The last drunk, startled by the sight, abandoned the fight and fled into the darkness. The fight ended quickly. The strange saviour had subdued the four scoundrels in under a minute.

“Alright then.”

The man spoke with a blank expression to the two women huddled on the floor, before turning and walking away without another word.

“…. Wait!”

Eva looked at his back and called the man earnestly. Instinctively, she felt compelled to ask this man for help. She didn’t know anything about this man, but he was the only one she could ask for help. At least he had helped her without asking for anything in return.

The man looked at Eva with an indifferent face as if he was annoyed.

“Why?”

“Help.”

“…”

“I got lost. Please, please help me. I’ll give you money, so you can…”

As the man had begun walking away, Eva had unknowingly begun crying. Tears fell on Cecil’s face. Unable to speak anymore, she buried her face in Cecil’s shoulder and sobbed.

A long sigh was heard, followed by heavy returning footsteps. The man approached them and knelt down.

“Move.”

“Hm?”

“I need to pick her up, so move.”

Merry Christmas, from Mango Kitten and Scarlet