Chapter 366 (2/2)

There was no doubt that only an orphan could have such a meaningless name.

Ever since she boarded the boat, she stayed silently in the cabin under the deck. Even when her hands were frozen and red, and her body was trembling in the cold, she didn’t make a sound. For safety reasons, Petrov still placed a God’s Locket of Retribution onto her. Although His Highness kept claiming that witches were just like normal people, he still didn’t fully believe that someone with such extraordinary powers could be like a normal person—even the slightest wrong move could end up in being hurt.

“Why aren’t you lying in the blanket?” Petrov pointed at the hammock hanging in the cabin. Cabin space was limited, so sailors usually slept in suspended hammocks, and used coarse linen blankets. Although it wasn’t the most comfortable thing, it was still warm.

“I’ll get it dirty,” she whispered.

“Sailors can’t be any cleaner than you.” He found a relatively dry spot and sat down. “This journey takes three days. Are you just going to sit like this the entire time? I’m worried that you’ll starve to death before we even reach Border Town.”

“Border Town?” Paper stared in confusion.

“Didn’t I tell you? You’re going to a place fit for witches to live in.” Petrov opened the jar. “Drink some hot soup and go lie on the hammock.”

This time, the girl did not refuse. It was obvious that she was starved as she began drinking directly from the jar without the fear of burning her tongue.

Petrov shook his head. She was as skinny as a monkey, her hair was matted with dirt, and there were holes all over her clothes, which she probably found somewhere. At a glance, she seemed no different from all the other orphans in the Stronghold.

“Who’s he, the boy protecting you?” He asked, “Your orphan friend?”

“Snaketooth. He… often brought us… food to eat,” Paper swallowed the soup, stuck out her tongue, and mumbled. “If I go with you, you won’t… arrest him, right? He’s not… a witch.”

“Of course,” Petrov said expressionlessly. “He isn’t important.” The phrase “often brought us food to eat” slightly surprised him. There were few people like that boy in the slums. Usually, a lack of food pushed people to steal from each other—people who were already struggling to survive rarely had the energy to worry about others. And the name Snaketooth… sounded a bit like a Rat.

At that thought, he couldn’t help but ask, “You said ‘us’ – were there other witches besides you?”

“No.” Paper shook her head. “All of the others were just orphans.”

This relieved Petrov a little. “So what was that old bat talking about when she said you were using your abilities to clear snow? This’s the first time I’ve heard about a witch who used her abilities in public.”

“It was Snaketooth’s idea. He said that I could help the residents clear the snow on their roofs in exchange for food, so no one would go hungry. The theater puts on stories about witches all the time, so no one is afraid of witches now. As long as I’m willing to do it, he can negotiate with the adults.”

“It is that so.” Petrov thought, the corners of his mouth curling into a smirk. “This kid is quite interesting. He knew how to make the most of his resources, but he underestimated the church’s influence.” Then, he asked, “So, did you get food in exchange?”

“Um…” Paper bowed her head. “I cleaned three roofs. One family chased me away, while the other two gave me half a loaf of bread and a pancake. However, when I got to the fourth…”

She met that hateful old woman. Petrov patted her head. “Get some rest when you’re done drinking. I’ll send someone to get you when it’s dinnertime.”

Three days later, the Lionheart arrived in the harbor of Border Town.