Chapter 223: This Is All Real, but Not For Me
“Die!”
Witnessing the violent scene about to unfold, Charlotte, Iris, and Fiona instinctively closed their eyes in terror.
After all, they were only three-year-old girls who had never seen violence before.
One minute…
Two minutes…
After three minutes, the girls, still with their eyes closed, began to feel a sense of surprise, as there were no sounds of pain from the middle-aged man being beaten by the three burly men.
Curiously, they opened their eyes but carefully averted their gaze from the violence. Instead, they looked at Stella, who sat across from them with an expression of astonishment and horror, covering her small mouth with both palms.
Seeing this, Charlotte, Iris, and Fiona swallowed nervously, but none of them dared to turn around and look at the middle-aged man.
With a scared yet curious expression, Charlotte couldn’t help but ask in a nervous tone, “Sister Stella, what happened to the middle-aged man? Is he getting injured?”
Although Fiona and Iris remained silent, the same curiosity was evident in their adorable faces.
Upon hearing the question, Stella, still looking astonished and horrified, quickly came to her senses. She turned her gaze toward Charlotte and shook her small head.
“That middle-aged man is fine,” Stella said in a bewildered and uncertain tone, startling Charlotte, Iris, and Fiona.
“Fine? What do you mean, Sister?” Iris asked hesitantly.
Earlier, it was clear that the middle-aged man was surrounded by the three burly men and about to be beaten up. How could he still be okay?
Stella shook her head again, gesturing toward the front. “I don’t know how to explain it. It’s better if you see for yourselves.”
Stella’s words made the three little girls exchange hesitant and confused glances. Yet, driven by their immense curiosity, they nodded in unison, as if to reassure each other.
In slow motion, the three of them turned their gazes toward the direction Stella was pointing, their eyes widening in astonishment.
“This is… What’s going on?” Charlotte rubbed her eyes, struggling to believe the scene before her.
In their view, the white-haired middle-aged man, whom they had expected to be injured, was completely unharmed. He stood calmly with a faint smile on his lips, while the three burly men lay unconscious on the wooden floor, foam pooling at their mouths.
Charlotte, Iris, and Fiona exchanged amazed glances before finally turning their eyes toward Stella.
“Sister Stella, can you explain what happened?” Fiona, her fear replaced by curiosity, asked with eager anticipation.
In response to the question, Stella pursed her lips and slightly furrowed her brow before answering hesitantly, “I don’t understand what happened, Fiona. Just moments ago, when the three burly men tried to attack the middle-aged man, they suddenly froze, as if turned to stone. Then, out of nowhere, they ended up lying unconscious on the floor.”
Despite her vast experience, Stella had never encountered such a strange and inexplicable situation before.
It was clear that the middle-aged man had done nothing, yet the three burly men, who had previously been so dominant, had suddenly collapsed and were now lying on the floor. This left Stella both astonished and perplexed.
“Could it be magic?” she wondered briefly before dismissing the thought.
Previously, she had encountered a mage at the edge of the capital and learned a bit about magic. Therefore, she was certain this wasn’t magic, as she hadn’t seen any spellcasting or similar actions from the middle-aged man.
Meanwhile, the middle-aged man smiled at the three burly men sprawled on the floor before shifting his gaze to Charlotte, Iris, Fiona, and Stella and walking towards them.
As the middle-aged man approached, Charlotte, Iris, Fiona, and Stella felt a brief moment of panic. However, realizing that he had just saved them, their fear quickly faded.
“Little girls, are you alright?” the middle-aged man asked gently as he stopped in front of their table.
Upon hearing this, Charlotte quickly got off her seat and approached him, replying with a polite smile, “We’re fine, uncle. Thank you for your help. If it weren’t for you, we might have been kidnapped by those bad guys.”
Although she didn’t know the middle-aged man, his kindness had indeed saved them.
Seeing Charlotte’s gratitude, Iris, Fiona, and Stella also got off their seats and joined her.
“Thank you, uncle!” Iris said it in an indifferent tone, though a small smile formed on her lips.
“Thank you, uncle!” Stella echoed politely, bowing her head slightly.
“Um! Um! Thank you, white-haired uncle!” Fiona’s round, golden eyes sparkled with happiness as she looked at the middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man’s smile widened even more, especially at Fiona’s enthusiastic thanks, which made him chuckle slightly.
“You don’t need to thank me, little girls. Helping you is something I must do,” he replied in a gentle and calm tone.
Iris, Fiona, and Stella nodded happily at his words, but Charlotte felt a bit puzzled.
“‘Helping you is something I have to do?’ What exactly does he mean?” She muttered, repeating the middle-aged man’s statement in confusion.
For some reason, his words felt strange to her. However, despite her pondering, she couldn’t pinpoint what was odd about them and quickly dismissed her confusion.
“White-haired uncle! What happened to those three evil men?” Fiona asked curiously, pointing at the burly men lying on the floor.
The middle-aged man smiled, crossing his arms behind his back, and replied lightly, “They all fainted. Perhaps in a few hours, they will wake up again, Fiona.”
Fiona gave a small nod as if she understood, but then shock quickly spread across her round, chubby face.
“Huh? Uncle, how did you know my name?” Fiona inquired doubtfully, instantly making the middle-aged man’s smile freeze.
“Ahem! I accidentally heard your name from your previous conversation,” he replied in a calm and nonchalant tone.
Fiona’s lips formed an “O” as she gave a small nod, appearing to understand.
Only Charlotte, Iris, and Stella found the middle-aged man’s words a bit strange, though they couldn’t pinpoint why.
“By the way, uncle, the three of them are evil demons known for serious crimes like kidnapping and slave trading. If they’re released, they might commit even more troubling offenses in the future.” As if recalling something, Stella said it with a worried tone, glancing at the burly men.
Although they were currently safe, these three evil men would likely seek other targets in the future, which was something she wanted to prevent.
The middle-aged man shook his head with a light smile. “I understand your concern, but you don’t need to worry. I can guarantee they will not commit any crimes in the future.”
Stella let out a sigh of relief and nodded slightly, saying nothing more. Though she didn’t fully understand how the middle-aged man could be so confident, she had witnessed how he had subdued the three burly men without moving, which made her naturally trust his words.
Besides Stella, Charlotte and Iris also sighed in relief after hearing the middle-aged man’s reassurances.
Although they didn’t fully understand the implications of terms like slave trading, they sensed that it was something very bad.
Charlotte then reached into her pocket, retrieved a few gold coins, and offered them to the middle-aged man.
“Uncle, since you saved us, please accept this as a gift,” Charlotte said with a smile.
The middle-aged man was initially taken aback but soon let out a small chuckle.
“As I mentioned earlier, helping you was something I felt compelled to do. So, you don’t need to give me gold coins,” he said, shaking his head.
Charlotte pursed her lips and said, “But uncle, our mommy always taught us to return a favor to those who help us.”
“Right, uncle! Please accept it!” Iris looked up at him, nodding firmly.
“Um! Um! Please accept it!” Fiona chimed in, nodding enthusiastically in support of Charlotte.
Stella remained silent but nodded in agreement with Charlotte’s words.
The middle-aged man smiled, still shaking his head. “I appreciate your kindness and admire your mommy for teaching you such excellent manners. However, as I mentioned, I’m helping you because it’s something I must do, so there’s no need to thank me.”
This caused Charlotte, Iris, and Fiona to immediately frown.
Sensing their disappointment, the middle-aged man sighed softly and added, “However, if you still wish to show your gratitude, how about we change the terms?”
“Change the terms?” Charlotte asked, clearly confused.
The middle-aged man nodded with a slight smile. “I won’t accept your gold coins. Instead, I’d like something else: just a chance to pat your heads. How does that sound?”
Upon hearing his words, the four cast each other puzzled glances.
“Pat our heads? Uncle, what do you mean?” Iris asked, her voice tinged with skepticism and hesitation.
Sensing that his words might be unclear or easily misunderstood, the middle-aged man cleared his throat and said with a wistful expression, “Actually, the reason I’m helping you is tied to some past memories. I once had adorable daughters like you, but I lost them due to unforeseen circumstances. To ease my longing for them, I’d like to pat your heads.”
Charlotte, Iris, Fiona, and Stella were taken aback, exchanging sympathetic glances.
Turning back to the middle-aged man, Charlotte quickly nodded and said, “If that’s the case, we don’t mind at all, uncle.”
Iris, Fiona, and Stella nodded in unison, making a smile spread across the middle-aged man’s face.
“In that case, I’m truly grateful to you,” he said with a calm and gentle tone.
The middle-aged man then approached Charlotte, Iris, and Stella, gently stroking their heads one by one. As he did, each of them closed their eyes and smiled.
For some reason, his touch brought them a sense of comfort and familiarity.
After finishing with the others, the middle-aged man walked over to Fiona and paused before her.
Gazing at her curious and endearing face, he seemed momentarily dazed.
Reaching out to gently pat her head, he smiled softly and whispered with a trembling voice, “This is all real, but not for me…”
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