CHAPTER 14: ANIKA

The woman’s sobs lasted for a while. During it, Leonard just stood there, frozen in place. His arms awkwardly hovered in the air as if he were debating whether to pat her back or shove her off.

Eventually, he settled for the first one. After all, it seemed like the woman needed comfort. And honestly... he was liking the soft thing pressed against his chest.

Finally, after some time, the woman loosened her grip on him. She pulled back just enough to look at him. Her tear-stained face glanced up. Her eyes shimmered even against the dirt and bruises on her face.

"T-thank you..." Her soft voice cracked, but her tone was filled with sincerity.

"I-If you hadn’t come... I don’t even want to think what would have happened..." the woman cried silently again. Her brows frowned, and fear flickered in her eyes as if the possibilities she was talking, appeared in her mind.

Leonard scratched the back of his head. His one hand was still on her back to support her.

"No problem. It’s not a big deal at all." Leonard smiled confidently.

’Not big deal, my ass...’ On the inside, he couldn’t help but secretly shake his head. Without the system, he for sure would be buried now.

"Still... you saved me." Her lips trembled before curling into the faintest smile.

"Y-yeah, well. It happens." Leonard looked away. His cheeks heated up for some reason when he saw her smile.

The woman straightened a little, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. She had calmed down a little by now.

"I-I’m Anika, by the way."

"Leonard," he replied quickly, introducing his own name too.

Anika laughed a little for some reason. She found the way Leonard spoke quite adorable. He sounded confident and bubbly, as if he wasn’t in a fight 10 minutes ago.

"Leonard, thank you again."

He nodded, then tilted his head.

"So... uh, what’s your story? I mean, not to pry, but, why were you out here? Alone, tied up, and all?" The curiosity in Leonard’s voice was evident.

Anika’s smile wavered for a little. She let out a shaky breath, her hands clenching against her torn dress.

She hesitated at his question. Her lips parted, but no words came out at first. She glanced down, clutching her hands together.

"I-I don’t really talk about it," she murmured, her voice was small.

Leonard’s eyes widened a little.

"Ah, hey, if it’s too much, you don’t have to—" He was suddenly worried he was being out of line.

"No, not really, I just feel embarrassed," she cut him off softly, shaking her head. "I-I want to tell you. I don’t know why, but... I feel like I can."

"Huh?" Leonard blinked.

She smiled faintly, though it carried exhaustion.

"You saved me. And you don’t look like someone who’d laugh or brush it off."

"Well, I mean, yeah. Of course I wouldn’t." Leonard rubbed the back of his neck, flustered at the suddenness of it.

Anika exhaled shakily, gathering her courage before speaking again.

"The thing is, I... I ran away from home. My father... he’s a merchant in town. Our business was failing, so he promised me to some old man." Anika pressed her lips together, her cheeks turning red out of embarrassment.

"I haven’t met the man before, but my dad was persistent. It was a marriage I never wanted! Tonight was supposed to be the ceremony, so I... I ran away 2 days ago."

Leonard’s expression darkened, his fists tightening before he forced himself to calm. Just thinking about the woman’s situation made his stomach churn.

"Arranged marriage with an old man?" He forgot that things like that were normalized during these times.

Anika nodded faintly, her gaze falling to the ground.

"I escaped, but those men caught me on the road. They said they’d ’bring me back,’ but... I don’t think that was really their intention." Her voice trembled. She hugged herself tightly, as if the memory alone chilled her.

Leonard let out a slow breath through his nose. His jaw clenched, and he had to bite his tongue to stop himself from cursing out loud.

"Bastards," he muttered under his breath.

Anika glanced up at him, startled a his reaction. Then, for the first time, she smiled without sadness in it.

"You’re angry for me?"

Leonard blinked, caught off guard.

"Well, obviously. Anyone would be angry." He scratched his cheek, awkwardly turning his head away. "You didn’t deserve any of that."

"You’re... kinder than you look." Her eyes softened.

"Eh?" Leonard gave her a baffled look. "What’s that supposed to mean?"

He wasn’t sure if that was a compliment or what.

Anika giggled, covering her mouth with her hand. The sound of her laughter was delicate, but it carried a surprise warmth that pushed away the heavy air between them.

"Anyway, what do you plan now? You can’t just wander around alone again. Those guys might come back for you, or you might meet more weirdos on the street."

Anika’s smile faltered at that question. She looked down again, fiddling with the torn edges of her dress.

"I... I don’t know. I don’t have anywhere else to go."

Leonard frowned. He wanted to say something reassuring, but before he could...

[Ding!]

[Warning: Temporary Buff has ended.]

[All pain and fatigue on the Host’s body will return.]

[Body condition will come back to its original state.]

[Basic Combat Knowledge has disappeared.]

Leonard froze on the spot.

"Uh oh."

The next second, every ounce of energy drained from his body like someone had sucked him off. His legs wobbled, his vision spun, and then he collapsed onto the ground with a heavy thud.

"Leonard?!" Anika’s eyes widened in shock. She gasped out loud and rushed toward him.

"Haha, it’s fine," Leonard forced a smile, though his body screamed otherwise. "Totally... f-fine..."

But his eyes were already spinning.

Anika knelt beside him, her hands hovering anxiously over his shoulders.

"Leonard, you don’t look fine at all! You can barely sit straight. Are you sure you’re okay?" Her voice trembled, panic slipping into her tone.

Leonard waved a shaky hand, trying to brush off her concern.

"Y-yeah, I’m fi—"

Before he could finish, Leonard’s head suddenly dropped forward, his eyes closing shut.