Hearing an unfamiliar voice, the fatty subconsciously looked back. What greeted him was a wooden stick as thick as a man's forearm, swinging directly toward his face and smashing hard into his nose.
With a sickening crack, the stick splintered into two pieces—a testament to the force behind the blow. The fatty was instantly knocked unconscious, blood streaming from his broken nose and shattered facial bones. His body twitched sporadically.
"Are you alright, Hena?" Ed, having successfully knocked out the attacker, hurriedly threw the remaining half of the stick aside and rushed to Hena. She was the eldest daughter of his new girlfriend and was stunned by the sudden turn of events. Hearing his voice, she snapped back to her senses and, as if finding a lifeline in a stormy ocean, threw herself into his embrace, sobbing heartily and thanking him nonstop.
What could Ed do in such a situation? He couldn't just push her away. So, he let her hug him and cry as much as she needed, gently stroking her back while privately enjoying the sensation of her tight, soft form against his chest. It was a wonderful feeling. He stayed like that for several minutes until the young girl finally calmed down and realized she was naked before a boy she barely knew, except for his name, which she had been hearing frequently from her mother. This was also why she felt safe enough to hug him without worry; her mother had assured her he was a very good man.
"It seems you've calmed down. Here, let me help you with your dress," Ed didn't wait for Hena to scream in embarrassment like in the dramas and movies from his previous life. As soon as she let him go, he quickly grabbed her gown, which the fatty had thrown aside. After dusting off the soil, he helped the dazed and mortified Hena put it on.
Then, under her confused gaze, he dragged her unconscious stepfather to a tree with great difficulty. He retrieved a rope from behind the tree ( from his Inventory ) and tightly bound the man's hands and legs to the trunk, leaving no room for escape.
"He can't go anywhere now. Let's go to the village and tell everyone what happened. If we let him go today, he'll do this again. Believe me, your luck might not be good enough for me to pass by and save you next time," Ed said gently as he helped Hena walk. His words made her shiver at the thought of being kidnapped and raped by her pervert stepfather again.
...
Knock! Knock!
"Coming! You're early tod— Ed? What happened, sweetie? And is that Hena? Why is she crying... Oh, my God! Is that a handprint? Did someone slap her?"
Golden Wheat Town wasn't very large, and almost everyone knew each other one way or another. Naturally, Aunt Marcy recognized Hena at a glance, especially the vivid slap mark on her face.
"Tell me quickly, what happened?" Although Aunt Marcy asked, Hena, remembering her beastly stepfather's deeds, began crying buckets instead of speaking, clinging to her tightly. Though Ed had been coaxing her the entire way, he was still far less familiar to her than Aunt Marcy, who was known as the "female beast" of the island and a figure of admiration for all young women. Naturally, Hena felt more comfortable with her.
Seeing she would get no answer from the girl, a helpless Aunt Marcy could only look at Ed, who quickly recounted the entire story.
"That bastard! I'll skin him alive! How dare he try such a disgusting thing with his stepdaughter?" Aunt Marcy had no doubt about Ed's words. Hearing the story made her blood boil. She first comforted Hena before handing her back to Ed, who skillfully embraced her and resumed his coaxing. Then, Marcy quickly walked into her house. When she emerged, she was carrying a large, two-meter-long iron rod. She locked her door, said, "Follow me," and headed toward the village center.
Along the way, anyone who met them and received Aunt Marcy's murderous gaze silently joined the procession without a word. By the time they reached a specific house in the middle of the village, nearly thirty percent of the village's population had gathered behind them.
Such a large commotion could not stay quiet. The owner of the house, an old man in his seventies with a long white beard, a bald head, wrinkles covering his body, and bright, energetic eyes, walked out unaided.
"Marcy, what is going on? Why have you gathered so many people?" The old man asked Aunt Marcy, who looked ready to beat someone to death with her iron rod.
"Ed, tell them everything," Aunt Marcy ignored the old man, looking at Ed, who was still dutifully hugging Hena and trying to calm her. Her voice was deadly serious.
Ed didn't dare risk his life by delaying his answer for even a second. He quickly repeated the entire story: how he had been wandering near the island's cliff searching for treasure, heard Hena's cries for help, and arrived to find her stepfather tearing her clothes off, attempting an inhuman act. He explained how he found a large wooden stick and, while the fatty was distracted, struck him hard in the face, knocking him out before tying him to a tree and saving Hena.
Hearing Ed's story, the surrounding people began discussing amongst themselves in low voices. The old man, clenching his fists in anger, looked at Hena and spoke, trying his best to contain his rage.
"Hena, dear, is what Ed said true? Can you please tell us what actually happened?"
Though terrified and on the verge of tears under the gaze of so many people, Hena felt Aunt Marcy grab her hand and offer an encouraging smile. She somehow mustered the courage to narrate the real events.
It turned out that while her mother was busy with work and had asked her to buy something from the market, her stepfather found her. He claimed he had something wonderful to show her that could change their lives. The innocent Hena, thinking it would be something good, happily followed him. It wasn't until they were near the cliff and she saw his true intentions that she realized what he was really trying to show her.
After telling everything, Hena burst into tears once more, and Aunt Marcy had to hug her to calm her down. The embrace of her savior, Ed, was far from enough to comfort the traumatized girl.
"Heman, Kito, Boby, Fin—you four go and bring that bastard to me. We are going to give a monster like him a public trial. And Ymir, you go and gather every adult in town. I want everyone here within one hour," Instructed the old man, who seemed to hold considerable authority. The five bodybuilder-type men nodded, confirmed the fatty's location from Ed, and hurried off.
"Everyone, please be quiet and stay silent. We will give our poor Hena justice soon. A monster like Blisk will no longer be allowed to stay on our Holy Island. He is a pure insult to the blessing and protection of the Stone Mother. People like him should die a horrific death, worse than any world beast..."
While the old man was delivering his eye-opening speech, which captured the full attention of Ed, who had grown up in peaceful environments in both his lives—someone grabbed his ear tightly and pulled him out of the crowd.
"You little rascal! What did I tell you? Stay in the house and don't run around! And not an hour later, you bring such a 'surprise'! Does 'stay in the house' mean something different to you that I don't know about? Sometimes I feel like I'm talking to a stone wall, not a living person! Why do you never listen to me?" After pulling Ed aside, Aunt Marcy began scolding him without any mercy, regardless of his having saved an innocent life. To her, he was more important than the others.
"Sorry, Aunt Marcy. I just couldn't help myself. I was getting bored, so I went out for a walk. But who would have thought things would turn out like this..."
"Yes, otherwise I would never have known what kind of things you get up to behind my back," Aunt Marcy interrupted Ed, her tone sarcastic.
"Alright, Marcy, stop scolding Ed. If it weren't for him, the Stone Mother only knows what that beast would have done to Hena. You should praise him for his bravery, not scold him," The old man from before suddenly appeared behind Ed, patting his shoulder as he spoke.
Although the old man's sudden entry shocked Ed, he quickly regained his senses and hurriedly nodded at Aunt Marcy with a pitiful face, shrugging his other shoulder with the clear intention of asking for praise.
"Old man, this is our family matter. If you don't want to stay in bed for the rest of your life, get the hell out of here. I won't say it a second time," Aunt Marcy said unkindly, hitting the butt of her iron rod on the ground. The old man gave Ed a helpless look and hurried away.
"And you, go back home and stay there honestly. I will see you tomorrow. And remember, no more going out. You are sick, and I don't want to hear any excuses."
"But Aunt Marcy, I want to see the trial," Ed quickly protested. How could he miss such a spectacle in this backward world where entertainment was limited to gossip and chasing girls?
"I said go home, boy! No more discussion; this is an order. We will talk tomorrow." Aunt Marcy showed no mercy, issuing her final ultimatum in a cold voice that sent a shiver down Ed's spine. He now had a feeling that if he showed the slightest resistance, someone would be carrying his unconscious body home the next moment.
"Fine, you're the boss. But remember to tell me the whole story tomorrow," After making his request, to which Aunt Marcy didn't refuse, Ed glanced enviously at the surrounding crowd and walked back to his house with his head lowered. Since the sun was already setting, he had no intention of going to the cliff now and decided to go there tomorrow.