"A friend of Bonnie's? But I've never seen you before"" the middle-aged woman said" her tone full of suspicion.

"Heh..." Glen flashed a disarming smile. "My name is Glen" ma'am. You can ask Bonnie. She should know me."

"Wait a moment" please." The middle-aged woman said politely and then closed the door.

Glen waited patiently for a short while. The door opened again" and this time" it was the gluttonous little girl" Bonnie" who opened it.

"Mr. Glen?"

The little girl had clearly lost a lot of weight compared to the last time. The lively and cheerful aura she once had was gone" as if she had been through a serious illness.

"I heard about what happened to you and Lila. I'm very worried about you two" so I came to pay a visit..." Glen paused slightly. "May I come in and talk?"

"Um... please come in." Bonnie seemed to come to her senses and immediately stepped aside.

Stepping into this house" which was slightly better than the other civilian houses" Glen" in order not to appear impolite" merely took a cursory glance around and then averted his eyes.

He placed the cloth bag he had been holding in his hand on the table. At this moment" he also noticed the food on the table.

This is the staple food commonly seen in commoner families... The thought flashed through Glen's mind.

"You two talk. I'm going to wash the clothes." Bonnie's mother knew to give the young people some space to talk" so she took the initiative to excuse herself.

Although she knew it was inappropriate to leave her daughter alone with a young man of a similar age" she hoped that this so-called friend could help improve her daughter's mood.

"All right" ma'am"" Glen said with a smile.

After Bonnie's mother left" Bonnie suddenly felt at a loss. After all" she had just met Glen" and he was a man. The awkwardness of being alone in a room with him was palpable.

"You must have been terribly frightened that day" right?" Glen spoke first" which made Bonnie" whose face was getting redder" feel a little more at ease.

She remained silent" not knowing how to respond.

However" Glen continued" "I've more or less learned about what happened that day. I'm truly sorry about what took place. I know I bear some responsibility for it."

"Please don't say that" Mr. Glen. No one could have predicted what would happen next"" Bonnie said" quickly waving her hands upon hearing the self-reproach in Glen's tone.

Glen smiled noncommittally. He knew full well that he was indeed at fault. Others might not be aware of it" but he was.

"You don't look very well" and that's an undeniable fact. You haven't been eating properly" have you?" Glen pointed at the little girl's face.

Bonnie blushed and lowered her head.

"You're making your mother very worried" you know? I understand that it's not unusual to be traumatized after facing such a situation for the first time. But please don't give up on yourself. Closing yourself off won't make things any better."

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

Glen's voice was gentle" like that of an elder guiding a child.

"I know" but..." Bonnie pursed her lips and interlaced her fingers.

"Don't be afraid" Bonnie. In fact" there is always a guardian protecting you."

Glen suddenly said something rather cryptic" which made Bonnie freeze for a moment.

She looked up in confusion. "A guardian?"

"Yes" a guardian." Glen locked eyes with Bonnie" his tone calm yet firm. "Don't you remember what saved you and Lila that day?"

Guided by Glen's words" Bonnie recalled the scene that she had been reluctant to think about.

Several rough men had dragged her away. She had struggled desperately" but to no avail. Just when she was feeling more and more frightened and desperate" the men suddenly let out cries of alarm and released them. She couldn't remember exactly what the men had exclaimed" but it must have been something that terrified them greatly.

If Glen's words were to be believed" those men had been scared away by this so-called guardian!

"Mr. Glen" do you mean..."

"Shh..." Just as Bonnie was about to exclaim" Glen silenced her with a hush and winked at her mysteriously.

"Oh" my goodness!" Bonnie covered her mouth in surprise" and a strange sense of excitement welled up inside her.

Glen was particularly pleased to see the little girl shake off her previous dejection.

Young boys and girls of this age have an extraordinary curiosity about the unknown and mysterious" which also makes them bolder than adults.

If Glen had said this to someone in their thirties" they would probably have been scared out of their wits.

Moreover" since magic and other unnatural phenomena were known to exist in this world" it was quite normal for people to accept the made-up story that Glen had concocted.

"Then... then" Mr. Glen" what exactly is this guardian?" Bonnie clenched her small fists in front of her chest and asked Glen" as if they were secret agents meeting.

Glen deliberately looked around and then leaned in close to the little girl" whispering" "Actually" the guardian is an extremely huge dog..."

At that moment" the extremely huge dog" which had been dozing off" twitched its nose and suddenly let out a loud sneeze...

"An extremely huge dog?" Bonnie's eyes widened.

"Yes" a huge dog as big as a horse" a dog of punishment that specifically punishes evildoers. It was the one that had been protecting you on the road that day. When it saw those bad guys bullying you" it revealed itself. Those villains were so frightened at the sight of it that they fled in panic."

"This... this is really..." Bonnie's breathing quickened" and she couldn't find the right words to describe her current feelings for a moment.

"This is really cool" isn't it?" Glen supplied a novel word for her.

"Cool?"

"Yes" cool." Glen affirmed.

"Yes! It's cool. This is really extremely cool!" Bonnie's face flushed with excitement.

Perhaps because the voice was too loud" Bonnie's mother suddenly pushed the door open. "Bonnie" what's the matter with you..."

Halfway through her words" she suddenly saw the bright smile on her daughter's face.

"Bonnie! You're finally smiling! Oh" I thought I'd never see you smile like this again."

As a mother" Bonnie's mother was undoubtedly qualified. The tears of relief on her face at this moment were enough to prove everything.

"I'm all right" Mom." Bonnie stepped forward to wipe the tears from her mother's face.

"I know" I know..." Bonnie's mother pushed her daughter gently. "You two continue chatting. I still haven't finished washing the clothes."

With that" she closed the door" leaving Bonnie and Glen alone in the room once again.

"My mother cares about me so much that she..."

"That's why she was moved to tears. It's truly enviable. You're so lucky to have a mother who loves you so deeply"" Glen exclaimed sincerely.

Bonnie didn't know how to respond to these words. She couldn't help but wonder: Did Mr. Glen say this because he doesn't have a mother who cares about him? That must be it. Otherwise" he wouldn't be living in such a remote place all alone. His relatives must have all passed away.

Noticing that the girl's gaze towards him suddenly became much gentler" as if knowing what was going on in the little girl's mind" Glen said" "Don't think too much. I just said it out of the moment's feelings."

Bonnie nodded noncommittally and shifted the conversation to the so-called guardian.

"Can I see it? That guardian" I mean" I want to thank it in person."

"Of course. It's near my home. As long as you get close to that area" it will protect you from the shadows. I can make it show itself."

"That's great." Bonnie jumped up and down gently on the spot" excited.

Gurgle gurgle~

A strange sound suddenly filled the room. The excited Bonnie froze in her tracks" and her face turned even redder" as did her ears.