"Athenasia's just three years younger than me! Our children are 23 and 21 respectively, so we had them quite late already—2 years after our marriage!" Reynald argued as the Reverend Mother judged his entire existence.
Her age was met with utter shock from everyone. "How does she look like that at her age?" "Why am I still alive in this world if God favors such women too much?"
Even Mother Lily was shocked, saying to him, "I can't believe she's 47 already. I can sense that you're telling the truth, but why am I still suspicious of you?"
"You're one to talk, Mother!" Reynald spat, asserting, "At 30, you looked and sounded like an 18-year-old teenager!"
Mother Lily shook her head and waved her hand before clicking her tongue and replying, "You jest. You're exaggerating things." When she looked at Reynald again, she noticed that his expression changed before he swiftly turned around in a protective stance.
"Hello, everyone. What a surprise, your gate's open." Suddenly, they heard someone talk from the outside. Upon looking back, they saw about twenty men dressed like thugs carrying bats and batons in their hands. They looked fiercely at the nuns and the Reverend Mother, like they were about to eat everyone up.
Upon casting their eyes at Reynald, everyone's eyes widened because of his height, but considering they had weapons, they didn't fear him that much.
"Who are you? What are your goals here?" Despite the adversary, Mother Lily remained as calm as ever. She talked to the thugs without her voice even shaking. "Hohoho, we have a brave old woman over here!" One of the thugs laughed arrogantly as they teased.
"Hey, old woman. Sorry about what we're going to do. You just really got into the nerves of someone, so we ought to clean this place up." The one leading the thugs, a spiked-haired man with scars and piercings on his face, sneered. Understanding the gist of what they meant, Mother Lily narrowed her eyes before stepping backward and holding Amelia's wrist, "Safeguard the children and call Lieutenant Guazon. Bring everyone to the shelter and make haste."
"What about you, Reverend Mother?" Amelia, who was already shaking in fear, asked worriedly. "Don't worry about me and go!" Mother Lily chided before stepping forward.
"I'm not someone who will fall that easily. Besides, hurting an old nun would have them rotting in jail for at least an additional 12 years." She grinned with an eerie look. Amelia, who didn't know what else to do, could only hug the old nun before running back inside. As for Reynald, upon hearing what she said, he turned around, and upon seeing that look on her face, he shook with fright. It was the face of disaster, where the gentle and kind nun reveals her innermost being. This garnered her a special title in the eyes of the orphans of his generation; Bishamon-ten.
Having assessed these people gathered here right now, seeing that they only have stats in the single numbers, Reynald could surmise that she herself could take down at least nine of these guys until she tires herself. Of course, he doesn't need to let her move herself, but when in that state, it's best not to get in her way. She needs to release the anger within her for Bishamon-ten to dissipate.
Seeing as how only the crazed Reverend Mother and himself were the only ones here, Reynald waved his hand and beckoned a long broomstick at the side, having it fly towards him before waving it down as he prepared to fight. This, of course, shook the twenty men. With gaped mouths, someone asked with a shaky voice, "D-Did that broom just fly? It did, right?"
Everyone nodded, affirming what they saw. The one in front, however, was stubborn, shouting at them, "It's just petty tricks! Don't be deceived by them! They're just trying to scare us off!"
Piack!
They didn't even have time to react before a slipper flew and hit the man in front right in the middle of his nose bridge. They also failed to notice that the man who was, just a second ago, beside the nun was already gone.
Bang!
They heard a loud noise from behind them. Before they could turn around and see, they heard the terrified shout of one of their men. When they did see what was happening, the blood in their faces drained as they saw their comrade's body lying on the ground unconsciously, with obvious thin red lashes on his crown.
"Aish." Reynald scowled as he held the end of the broom with his hand. "People here are too weak; the strength I used was already something that can be endured by a kid." He then looked at the other men before saying, "Might as well practice my strength more."
"Get him!" One of the thugs shouted as the remaining eighteen charged at him. But suddenly…
Thwack! A resounding noise came from behind them. Turning around, they saw the old nun, with straightened back, walking towards them with her cane held at her side. Whenever someone came close to her cane's proximity, they were mercilessly swatted down to the ground or to the side.
The thugs looked left, where the man armed with a broomstick also began walking towards them with an unstoppable momentum, and to the right, where an old lady was releasing her anger at every single one of them. Finding nowhere to run, the remaining ten thugs knelt down and raised their hands to the air and shouted, "We surrender! Please spare us; we were just ordered to wreak havoc here!"
"Who?" Mother Lily asked, still with a creepy look on her face. "Those in the other building! The man there told us to pressure you all into selling this land!" One of the thugs revealed, which calmed the nun and returned her to her amicable state.
"You should tell that to the police." Mother Lily said to them with a soft voice. "We don't want to go to jail! Just let us go!" Another pleaded.
Piack! Everyone was startled when they heard a slapping sound beside them. Looking at the source, they saw that the man who talked just now was already unconscious. "You're dumb enough to pressure nuns in an orphanage, and now you have the audacity to ask us to let you go?" Reynald spat as he raised his hand, threatening to slap someone with his backhand again.
"Reynald, you shouldn't hit them. That's not appropriate." Mother Lily scolded. "Yes, yes." Despite the irony of her words, Reynald knew not to poke the bee's hive, so he responded only in agreement before he stepped back.