"On the south side of the mountain, next to the river, there’s an orphanage..."
"They are smart and devout, they are devout and smart, little elves flow inside them..."
"Oh blue orphans, you need to be careful..."
A mature female voice sang a very childish nursery rhy.
The singing seed to co from a great distance, yet also felt very close, but it couldn’t be heard clearly.
Horn’s eyelids twitched, and he opened his eyes blankly, as brilliant sunlight accompanied by the scent of flowers drifted in from outside the window.
The weather cleared up?
Horn sat up, leaning his back against one corner of the four-poster bed. It was then that he suddenly realized that the pain in his sinuses had almost disappeared, and the once dry and itchy throat was producing a lot of phlegm.
Touching his forehead, sure enough, the fever had broken.
Raising his eyes, he saw a human-sized grape wine distiller in one corner of the room, and a thick sll of garlic was coming from its brass spout.
It seems the allicin did have an effect.
Though still weak, at least the fever was gone. He finally got through this illness.
Looking around, for so reason, Horn felt his vision and hearing had improved significantly, even able to see the dust in the sunlight and hear the distant sound of flowing water.
"In the green forest hides a hunter and a demon, everyone quickly run for your lives!"
Following the voice, Horn instantly saw the witch nad Jia Li.
With white hair and marble-like pale thighs, Jia Li wore a white floral nightgown, sitting sideways on the windowsill, clapping and earnestly humming the tune.
She frowned slightly, appearing to be pondering sothing, with an expression on her baby-face that was serious for the first ti.
Like a little kitten trying hard to poop.
"Jia Li?" Horn called softly.
"Ah!" The expression on Jia Li’s face dissolved instantly, her eyes returning to their previous innocent stupidity.
Seeing Horn getting up, her eyes lit up, and she jumped straight down from the windowsill.
Then deftly landed with a thud.
The loud noise made Horn wince just watching.
Climbing up from the ground, Jia Li first dumbly looked at her knees, then touched the bump swelling on her forehead.
After a full three seconds, two curtains of watery mist welled up in her eyes, and she pouted, looking pitifully at Horn.
You fell yourself, why look at ?
Horn was utterly baffled.
But considering her identity as a witch, perhaps she had combat strength similar to Sister Jeanne, but only a child’s intelligence, easier to manage than Sister Jeanne, Horn decided to extend an olive branch of friendship.
After all, these days, he had been either sleeping or being crowned, knowing nothing of other things.
From others’ words, at least Horn knew that Jia Li was once part of the Secret Faction, though she had lost her mory, maybe he could coax out so important intelligence.
Determined, he put on a gray wool cloak, walked to Jia Li’s side, stood on tiptoe, and struggled to pat Jia Li’s head: "Oh oh, alright, alright, it doesn’t hurt anymore, doesn’t hurt... Look, your hair is as ssy as a bird’s nest, co, let comb it for you."
How to deal with sisters not yet in their teens, Five-Star Big Brother Horn Gallar had ample experience, both in the past life and this one.
Kids of this age are usually easily distracted, comforting too much just makes them focus on the pain instead, better to directly shift their attention.
"It’s not ssy at all!"
"It is ssy, see for yourself, co, I’ll braid it into two pretty braids for you."
Jia Li sat at the edge of the bed; Horn sat cross-legged behind her, picked up a horn comb, and began combing her hair.
"Jia Li, what do you usually call ?"
"I call Sister Jeanne, sister, and I call you, brother?"
"Oh... did you know us before?"
"Nope, I didn’t."
"Then why do you call us brother and sister?"
"I can feel it, you and Sister Jeanne are good people. Sister Jeanne often speaks well of you, but you like to scold Sister Jeanne, you’re an."
Horn’s hand paused mid-comb, when had he ever said bad things about Jeanne, he wondered, maybe in his sleep talking?
But it doesn’t matter, Horn doesn’t really care. He continues to smooth Jia Li’s hair: "And your own family? Where are you from?"
"I don’t know, I only rember being in a dark cave with people always hitting , then soone tying up and running, especially that fat guy..."
"Later, later, you ca and helped drive away the fat guy. Others were all bad, you were good, so I ca to find you."
"Do you know you have amnesia?"
Jia Li timidly nodded: "I don’t rember anything... are you going to abandon too?"
"I..." Horn’s words suddenly stopped. He parted the girl’s long white hair that hung down her back.
On that smooth, snow-white back, dozens of criss-crossed whip marks were firmly etched, bright red like blood, dark as an abyss.
Horn understood the supernatural recovery abilities of witches; witches nearly froze their age and appearance at the mont of awakening.
Except for height and body shape, they hardly change, much less scar, like Jeanne; minor wounds disappear in the blink of an eye.
Calculating from the existing whip scars, beneath these dozens of scars were hundreds or even thousands of whiplash marks.
"I... I won’t, I won’t abandon you." Composing himself, Horn continued to ask, "Do you rember anything from before? And what are your extraordinary abilities?"
"I don’t rember, I only rember a song."
"What song?"
"On the south side of the mountain, next to the river..."
As Jia Li sang the song, Horn picked up a bit of the hair tie and tied one side of her long hair, then started to brush the other side.
When Jia Li finished the entire song, Horn had finished tying her hair.
The once ssy hair had now turned into two smooth white pigtails, hanging behind Jia Li.
This white hair and red eyes, she just looked like that murderous rabbit in human form.
It’s just this nearly six-foot-tall figure that’s so out of place; otherwise, she’d be a cute little sister.
The sister back ho should also be at the age to be getting married.
Shaking off these inexplicable thoughts, Horn patted Jia Li’s head: "How long was I unconscious?"
"Hmm... since the day the fat guy was killed, it’s been five days now," Jia Li said, counting on her fingers.
Five days, Horn looked out at the bright sunshine through the window. In five days, the flood should have receded by half.
Ti to get moving.
"Stay well in your room, I’m going to find your Sister Jeanne, be good and listen."
After comforting the obedient Jia Li, Horn threw on a cloak, picked up the Pope’s Staff as a crutch, and started to walk out.
But just as he reached the door, two burly figures blocked his way.
"Your Eminence? You’re awake."
The man who claid to be his Attendant Officer, Grampwen, appeared out of nowhere, feigning surprise.
"Where’s Jeanne? I want to see Jeanne."
"Knight Commander Jeanne is discussing the formation of the Holy Grail Knight Order with Grand Master Danji, she’s not here for the mont. If you want to see her, I can imdiately send soone to notify her."
"No need." Horn carefully examined this man with the sharp nose, "I’ll go find them myself."
"How can that be?" Grampwen waved his hands repeatedly, "As the esteed Pope, how can you go see anyone? They should co to see you."
Stepping back half a step, Horn looked at the three n blocking the door and squinted his eyes: "So without your consent, I can’t see anyone?"
Grampwen and the other two exchanged glances, only offering a grin that’s more of a grimace, "As Pope, your esteed hands shouldn’t get involved in mundane affairs. Let us lowly commoners handle other matters."
Horn’s eye twitched slightly, they’re trying to sideline him?
What Attendant Officer? This is clearly a watchdog!
"Audacious!" Horn raised the Staff, pointing it at the man before him, "Blocking my way, aren’t you afraid of divine punishnt?"
"Dare not, dare not."
Though they claid not to dare, their bodies didn’t budge an inch; Grampwen and the others pleaded continuously but still firmly stood at the door.
With his body still recovering from severe illness, Horn couldn’t push through. He scanned the faces of the three n again.
"Fine, fine dogs, tell your master, if they don’t want the Church’s army to obliterate them, co see by noon tomorrow. If not, well, I’ve already killed one Priest; that’s enough for ."
As Horn turned and walked away, the fake smile vanished from Grampwen’s face.
He hesitated for a mont, glanced around the empty corridor, then quickly walked in a direction.
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