The Horned Girl and the Brotherhood Doctor

“Do you need firewood?”

The girl’s voice was soft, carrying an accent that flattened the word for “firewood” and drew out its final syllable unnaturally.

“How much?” Adrian pulled a few silver coins from his pouch.

He had been paying for the groceries himself these past few days, but the firewood had mostly come from Elena’s supply, so it was time to replenish it.

“I… I remember a lady living here…” The girl suddenly peered into the house.

“She’s ill.” Adrian’s brow subtly arched. “Are you looking for her?”

A flicker of emotion crossed the girl’s eyes.

“I… I was just asking.” The girl quickly lowered her head, hitching the bundle of firewood higher on her back. She spoke softly, “These are dry logs… not wet ones. Since the lady is ill, I… I can… sell them a little cheaper.”

Her words were somewhat halting, her pronunciation stiff, and some terms even came out twisted.

“I’ll give you a bit more.” Adrian nodded. “Just leave them by the back door.”

The girl clearly faltered for a moment, her fingers trembling slightly as she took the silver coins. She then quietly assented, moving towards the back of the house.

Adrian stood at the doorway, watching her figure vanish around the corner of the house.

Elena must have been an old customer of this girl’s.

Aside from anything else, Adrian had glanced at the firewood the girl carried, and its quality was quite good.

Could she be one of those “freaks” selling firewood that Thomas had mentioned earlier?

Beyond her rare black hair and black eyes, Adrian couldn’t discern anything else unusual about her.

However, perhaps because her head was covered by her hood, Adrian hadn’t gotten a full view of the girl and couldn’t properly judge.

Adrian didn’t wait long. Upon hearing the sound of the firewood being set down, he donned his robe and stepped out.

Although the role of a Brotherhood physician was challenging to maintain, the information gleaned from patients’ mouths was ceaseless and always worth hearing.

Yet, much of the villagers’ chatter was repetitive, and some of the news Adrian had already learned from his own intelligence network.

His intelligence operatives, besides using ravens to send letters, also communicated with Adrian using a device called a “Spirit Bird.”

The “Spirit Bird” didn’t resemble a bird at all; instead, it looked like an egg.

It could transmit messages remotely and in real-time, but its character and usage limits were exceptionally strict, and it could only be used at specific times of the day.

Adrian typically used it to receive and send the most urgent messages.

Adrian wasn’t entirely clear on the origin of the “Spirit Bird” name, knowing only that it was a term from the Celestial Court, which he simply adopted.

Adrian tirelessly bustled through the village, yet found immense pleasure in his work.

He relished the feeling of being a “player,” hidden in the shadows, observing others innocently exposed in the sunlight.

The sky was already nearing twilight.

Adrian had just concluded a full day of free consultations. Riding his horse through the streets, his white, gold-trimmed robe billowed in the wind, making him conspicuously visible to the farmers.

He hadn’t forgotten that the little boy from Thomas’s family on the village outskirts still required another examination.

The moment Thomas saw him, he hurried forward to greet him, his expression considerably more respectful than last time.

Adrian walked directly into the humble cottage.

The heavy, fishy stench that had permeated the air had largely dissipated, and the shriveled pig carcass had long since been cleaned away.

The little boy groggily sat up, his gaze unfocused as he stared at the white-robed man.

“Leopard-cat, this is with…”

His words were slurred and indistinct, his mind not yet fully clear, yet his hand gripped Thomas’s tightly, refusing to let go.

Adrian crouched down, gently lifting the clothing from the boy’s back.

The deep, dark marks remained, extending along his spine, as if some foreign object had grown from within him and then been violently torn away.

He took out his instruments, collected a small blood sample, but found no abnormalities.

“The child’s bodily functions are returning to normal,” Adrian stated. “However, he might experience some emotional detachment for a period, which could last a few days or even several months. I will check on him again tomorrow.”

“Alright, alright, sir, thank you.” A hint of unease flickered across Thomas’s face as he quietly asked, “This matter… you won’t tell anyone else, will you?”

Adrian offered a faint smile. “Rest assured, I know what to do.”

“And about the consultation fee…” Thomas chuckled awkwardly, rubbing his hands together.

“This is a free clinic; I don’t charge,” Adrian said, waving a hand dismissively.

“Excellent!” Thomas expressed his profound gratitude, seeing Adrian to the door.

After Adrian gave a few instructions, advising on the child’s diet, he turned and departed.

Twilight’s light spilled through the gaps in the clouds.

Adrian’s steps on the muddy ground were steady and unhurried.

Just as he rounded the street corner to retrieve his horse, a blurred figure abruptly burst into his line of sight.

“Ugh—!”

A scrawny girl collided with Adrian, tumbling to the ground before him.

She rolled clumsily into the mud, splashing a ring of murky water.

It was the girl who had sold him firewood that morning.

Yet, her current appearance rendered her almost unrecognizable.

The girl’s face was filthy, blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, her left eye was swollen like a rotten walnut, and clear finger marks marred her cheek.

Half-broken hemp ropes were wrapped around her arms, her clothes were tattered, and her feet were bare.

Adrian paused, startled. Disregarding the splashing mud, he immediately half-crouched, intending to help her up.

But the girl recoiled sharply, like a startled kitten, her eyes brimming with wariness and terror.

Yet, as she recognized Adrian’s Brotherhood uniform, a glimmer of hope suddenly sparked in her gaze.

“Doctor, you’re a doctor… a child is dying…” The girl’s lips were cracked and dry, her voice trembling. “Please, go save her… she can’t hold on much longer…”

Astonishingly, the girl wasn’t pleading for herself, but for someone else.

“Please… save her… I have money…”

By then, the girl’s hood had long since slipped off, revealing a cascade of long hair as black as ink.

More astonishingly, two small—

—antlers sprouted from her forehead.

Adrian’s heart gave a jolt.

‘Dragon.’

‘Not a drakon, but a Dragon.’

“You’re a Brotherhood doctor, aren’t you…” The girl’s already poor grasp of the local language, compounded by her urgency, made her speech somewhat unintelligible.

“Hey—don’t run, you little monster!”

Before her words even faded, several crude ruffians caught up.

The leader, his face contorted with malice, seized the girl’s hair and shoved her head to the ground. “Still trying to run?”

“…Release her.” Adrian’s voice was soft.

Only then did the ruffians notice Adrian, their eyes darting back and forth over the golden embroidery on his white robe. Their expressions immediately shifted to one of “reverence.”

“Uh, sir… she’s a dangerous thing! She attacks people, bites them; the villagers all say she’s not human… she’s an evil spirit! Such a creature… should have been handed over to demon hunters long ago!” The ruffian glared viciously at the horned girl. “There were deaths in the village recently, some of our friends… were sucked dry, turned into mummies, and she’s definitely involved!”

The girl’s face was buried in the mud, her entire body trembling.

“Doctor, sir, look, your clothes are also soiled because of her…” The ruffian adopted a fawning expression.

“You say she’s an evil spirit?” Adrian asked.

“That’s right!” The ruffian said, puffed with self-importance. “You wouldn’t know, but there are strange folk like her in the village, and we’ve driven them all into the forest…”

“Look at those antlers, and the black hair, black eyes… they’re… ahem… a bit like yours…” Another ruffian quickly nodded, yet a flicker of hesitation began to appear in his eyes.

As he spoke, everyone suddenly realized.

—They had all noticed.

This Brotherhood doctor, just like that “monster,” possessed black hair and black eyes.

Only, Adrian had no antlers.

The atmosphere began to tauten subtly.