Ryan walked toward the tavern with Mira in one arm and a man dragged along by the other, drawing quite a crowd of onlookers.
A few soldiers stopped him too, but only questioned him, and once the reason was clear, let him pass.
Maeve led the other men who could still walk on a rope, grinning from ear to ear, looking like she was having the time of her life.
Ryan had a rough grasp of the situation.
Evelyn had been helping out in the back kitchen, and the little terror Mira had seized the gap to slip outside, only to be caught by these four ill-intentioned men, who'd stuffed her straight into a sack.
Ryan soothed Mira in his arms, saying gently, "Don't be scared. Your big sister Ellie already dealt with the bad people. Go home, apologize to your mom, have her put some medicine on you, and you'll be fine."
"Mm..."
Mira's voice was fainter than a mosquito's; she clearly hadn't recovered from the fright.
At this, Ryan launched into a lecture. "There are lots of bad people in this world, and they love snatching cute little girls like you. If I hadn't come early, you might never have seen your mom again. From now on, don't go running off after strangers."
Although Ryan found Mira adorable like this, the world was far more dangerous and chaotic than she imagined, and behaving herself couldn't hurt.
"Mm..."
The child's tears welled up again.
In Ryan's experience, Mira might well get another spanking once home, rounding out a complete childhood.
He just hoped Evelyn would go a little easy on her when the time came...
Ryan glanced back at the man being dragged along; he seemed to have passed out from the pain. "Ellie, do me a favor and wake him up."
The moment he finished, Ellie doused the man chill to the bone with water magic.
But he still didn't react at all.
Ryan shook his head. "That's too gentle. Stomp on his balls and he's sure to wake up."
Just then Maeve ran over, handed the rope to Ellie, and volunteered eagerly, "Let me, let me!"
"This is the master's order to me." Ellie pursed her lips, seeming a little displeased.
"Then one kick each!"
Ryan shook his head helplessly.
Were they stomping a cockroach? One kick each, indeed.
But seeing how happy Maeve was, Ryan didn't stop them and let them have their way.
With two kicks delivered, an inhumanly miserable wail rang through the whole street.
The gawking onlookers all began to feel phantom pain at the sight; even Ryan felt it might be a bit cruel.
Maeve put her hands on her hips, her smile especially radiant. "Men are so funny — kick them in the crotch and they squeal!"
As she spoke, her gaze suddenly fell on Ryan's little brother downstairs.
Ryan suddenly felt a chill between his legs. "If you dare try anything, you're dead."
"I'm just curious what it looks like." Maeve suddenly narrowed her eyes and said earnestly, "Let me see it when you bathe."
"Listen to yourself — is that any way to talk? Get lost, get lost."
Having shooed Maeve away, Ryan began interrogating the man he'd dragged along. "Let's hear it. Why did you kidnap this child?"
The man's face was ashen, cold sweat pouring from the pain; he couldn't even get a word out, and a few seconds later his eyes rolled back and he passed out — apparently from shock.
Seemed they'd kicked him a bit too hard.
Ryan turned to the other three who could still walk; they all bowed their heads.
With so many eyes around now, openly kicking balls in the street didn't look too good.
Ryan planned to wait until they reached the tavern before dishing out his private justice.
Back at the tavern door, seeing Evelyn still hadn't returned, Ryan thought it over and decided to have Ellie remove the lock, then brought everyone inside.
Mira clung tightly to Ryan's leg, not daring to let go for a moment.
Ryan pulled over a chair, sat down, and set the tiny Mira on his lap. "Talk. Why kidnap this child? Do you have some grudge against Evelyn?"
The three men exchanged glances; none seemed inclined to confess.
A smile spread across Ryan's face. He got up, shut the doors and windows tight, then patted Mira's shoulder. "Go hide in the kitchen for a bit. Come out when I call you."
Maeve's eyes suddenly lit up, who knew what scheme she was hatching. "Mira, come! Big sister will take you to the kitchen to find something to eat! You must be starving."
Mira shook her head, refusing. "No... I want to stay with big brother Ryan."
After the fright she'd turned especially clingy; with a familiar person giving her a sense of safety just now, it was only natural she didn't want to leave.
Ryan tugged her cheek. "Then cover your eyes and shut your ears — no peeking or eavesdropping."
Mira nodded obediently, her dainty little fox ears folding softly down against her head.
Ryan picked Mira up and paced back and forth before the three men. "Really, no one's willing to talk?"
His gaze swept over them.
After waiting a dozen-odd seconds with still no one speaking, Ryan nodded in satisfaction. "Ellie, Maeve, prepare for the sterilization procedure!"
Maeve scratched her head, a piece of black bread having appeared in her hand at some point. "What's a sterilization procedure?"
"It means kicking them in the crotch — the harder the better."
At those words, the three men shuddered and instantly caved.
One of the men even snarled at him viciously, "You vicious bastard, I curse you."
"Oho! However vicious I am, I wouldn't stoop to kidnapping a child. Ellie, Maeve, start with this one."
The moment he finished, Ellie delivered a kick — a strike like a slap-shot that let Ryan hear the sound of an eggshell cracking.
He had to admit, it was a crisp sound.
The man dropped to the floor with a thud and started convulsing.
Maeve stood by, itching to go. "Next one's mine! Ellie, no stealing my turn."
The remaining two men looked at each other, bodies trembling involuntarily.
In that moment they witnessed what true hell really was.
"I'll ask you once more — why did you kidnap this child? Whoever answers first won't get kicked..."
Before Ryan even finished, one man cracked, head bowed, answering quickly, "Erik hired us. We're just doing a job for pay."
"Who's Erik?"
The man's gaze fell on another of the men.
It was the one whose limbs Ellie had snapped; having just undergone the sterilization procedure out in the street, he still hadn't woken.
Ryan checked his breath; he seemed to still have a little life in him.
"Mmf... can I kick now?" Maeve asked through a mouthful of bread.
It was plain to see she really wanted to perform a sterilization procedure on someone.
Ryan was about to speak when he heard a loud crash.
Evelyn had slammed the tavern door open; her hair was disheveled, her dress filthy, her shoes caked with mud — it was the first time Ryan had ever seen her so flustered.
The instant she saw Mira she let out a long breath, then her gaze sharpened and swept over everyone present.
"Mom!" Mira cried out joyfully, tears welling up again.
"Get upstairs! Just wait till I deal with you later!" Evelyn said savagely, frightening Mira into a shiver.
Two demi-human maids had returned with her, and they promptly came forward and carried Mira upstairs.
Ryan pointed at the men. "These are the ones who kidnapped Mira. I caught them for you while I was at it."
As Evelyn passed by him, she lowered her voice a notch. "Thank you..."
[Evelyn's Affection is detected to be slowly increasing. Current Affection Level: 2...]