Wake Up

After making their decision, several hours had passed, and dawn was breaking.

The two worked together to place Annie, whose clothes were in disarray, onto the small cart that Douglas normally used. Enoch cast an illusion, and they transported Annie toward the South District.

Along the way, Horn noticed signs that Annie was about to wake up, so he asked Enoch to cast another illusion on Annie to keep her asleep.

This was Horn's first time seeing where Enoch had previously lived. The cabin was very secluded. Although it was in the South District of Lien City, there were hardly any nearby homes, making it look desolate but an excellent place to hide.

Enoch opened the door and welcomed Horn and Annie, who was in Horn's arms, into the room. Horn placed Annie on Enoch's bed. A quick glance around Enoch's house revealed a considerable mess, possibly due to a long period of disuse.

Annie's recovery period turned out to be longer than Horn expected, further extended by Enoch's illusion, making her sleep even longer.

Several more hours passed, and Enoch had already returned to the carpentry shop, leaving only Horn to watch over her. It wasn't feasible for both of them to stay there indefinitely.

Douglas would throw a fit if no one helped him with work during the day. As the de facto leader, Horn assigned Enoch to work while he stayed to watch over the beautiful girl.

Annie was somewhat awake but didn't want to open her eyes. The comfort of the bed felt just as wonderful as it did every morning, and the blanket was as warm as ever. She really didn't want to get up...

Wait a minute,

Why doesn't the blanket smell of lavender? Instead, there seemed to be a slight stench, and it wasn't as soft as before...

She sniffed the blanket in her confusion and immediately felt dizzy.

The smell was choking!

Sweat, stinky feet, and the accumulation of long-unwashed dust!

Annie, somewhat sobered by Enoch's smelly blanket, recalled the nightmarish events from the previous evening, causing cold sweat to cover her body!

Upon opening her eyes, she saw the smelly, tattered blanket, the hard bed board, and the dusty room. This was definitely not her home!

She remembered everything from yesterday. Wasn't she discovered by Deacon Joseph?

So, was she in the church's prison now?

Probably, considering no place other than a prison would have such a stinky blanket.

Annie, being a rich young lady, didn't realize that if she were indeed in a prison, such a smelly blanket would be considered a treasure, and many prisoners would fight over it!

Moreover, the church's prisons don't provide blankets...

Annie curiously surveyed her surroundings. The room was dilapidated and dusty. However, prisons are supposed to have iron bars. Where were the bars in this prison?

She looked around, noting the greasy table, the three-legged stool, the broken cabinet, the cluttered stove, and the man in a black robe sitting by the door...

A man?

Why would there be a man in a prison?

Annie curled up, covering herself with the blanket, only leaving her eyes exposed, stealthily observing the black-robed man.

"Who are you?" she asked timidly, her heart filled with caution against all men after her experiences the previous day.

"You're awake," Horn said in a deep voice, unable to change his voice with magic, only slightly altering his tone.

"Who are you?" Annie remained wary of Horn.

"I'm a wild witch. I can't tell you my name yet, but you should be familiar with the nickname the church has given me."

Horn concealed himself within the black robe, not allowing Annie to see any part of his skin.

"What's your nickname?" Annie asked softly. Anyone with a nickname given by the church was likely a villain capable of murder and arson, and certainly powerful enough to evade easy capture by the church. After all, it would be a waste of brainpower to give nicknames to every minor character they could easily apprehend, right?

"I am the Evil-face One!"

Horn was somewhat reluctant to use this nickname, but since he couldn't reveal his real name to her, the nickname Evil-face One carried a certain deterrent effect, helpful for Horn's plan to assess Annie.

"Ah!" Annie's scream was muffled by her own hand. She was now with the infamous Evil-face One. What if her scream attracted attention and angered him enough to kill her?

Upon hearing this nickname, Annie immediately turned her head away, daring not to look directly at Horn.

In the church's legends, the Evil-face One's face was said to carry vicious cursed artifacts, and even a single glance could curse one, leading to total disfigurement!

Annie, young and beautiful, did not wish to be cursed into an ugly old witch, similar to the unfortunate Reeves.

The association between Reeves's disfigurement and the Evil-face One's cursed artifacts arose because Reeves was injured during an encounter with the Evil-face One, leading the citizens of Lien City to naturally link Reeves's injuries to the legendary curses.

"Did you save me?" Annie remembered seeing someone in a black robe saving her last night, and his attire resembled Horn's.

"I was there to kill that black-robed deacon. Saving you was just a byproduct since you are a wild witch and seem quite talented."

Horn and Enoch had agreed not to tell Annie they specifically went to rescue her, to prevent her from overestimating her importance and possibly causing unexpected situations.

"I... am a wild witch?" Annie covered her mouth with her hands.

"Yes, you are a wild witch," Horn confirmed.

"Oh," Annie said softly, somewhat disappointed. She had speculated about her identity, but being a useless wild witch still left her disheartened.

Wild witches are considered worthless across Ceylon, a fact many of them don't deny.

"What's with the monsters you summoned?" Horn began questioning Annie, now that she was awake. How could a newly awakened wild witch with no knowledge from Douglas command those monsters?

Although the monsters were weak, it was definitely not something a wild witch who had just awakened and hadn't learned from Douglas could accomplish.

"I don't know. I just knew a spell, and sometimes I recite it involuntarily. I didn't mean to do it," Annie explained, feeling gloomy. She would have to live with those monsters from now on, and even if the church didn't discover and burn her, what good would it be?