Page 33 of Lonely Orcish Girl

Jolene nodded and quickly joined Matzie. Reed wondered if Katuri even knew who she had just been talking to, buteverything was happening so fast it was difficult to keep track. He followed Katuri into Marga's house and asked if he could help too, but the orcish girl declined with a smile. Then he offered to bring her some food, but she told him she didn't have time for that. She was fully focused on her task.

For a moment, he just watched her diligently chopping and mincing the plants. He heard her talking to Marga, telling her that they were going to make a potion and also compresses to speed up the detoxification process. However, he couldn't understand Marga's answer.

Reed noted that Zachary, Petyr, Zed, and many others were also watching Katuri in action.That's right! Don’t miss a thing, you fools, he thought with a mixture of anger and satisfaction.

The waiting continued as Katuri brewed the antidote with the help of the girls. By the time she finished, it was already dawn. She then began to give Marga the infusion to drink while Matzie and Jolene, following Katuri's instructions, applied compresses soaked in herbs to the old woman's legs, arms, and liver.

After about two hours, Katuri came out and said that Marga wanted to talk to Zachary. The councilor went in, followed by Reed, Petyr, old Zed, and a few others. Jolene and Matzie were already inside.

Marga was still weak, but she looked much better; the antidote in such a large dose was working quickly—her pallor had faded, and her cheeks now had a touch of color. The biggest change was in her eyes. She had regained her sharp, piercing gaze, just like she always used to have. It was clear that she had hope for a full recovery.

"Zachary, come here, my boy," Marga said softly. Zachary was over forty years old, but if anyone could call him a boy, it was Marga. She was the oldest person in the entire village.

The man stepped closer to the bed and bent respectfully over her.

"Listen carefully because it's important that you understand this as the head of Stagmoor. Thanks to Katuri, I'll pull through and live a little longer. But I don't have much time left on this earth. I'm getting too old for this; someone will have to replace me." She paused, then continued, "Matzie is a smart child, but she's still too inexperienced and needs guidance. As you all know, she’s only been my apprentice since last year. I may not be around long enough to teach her everything…"

Everyone looked at Matzie, and she blinked rapidly, as she always did when she was the center of attention. But the girl held her head high, and Reed felt that she had every right to do so. He smiled warmly at her, and Matzie gave him a shy smile in return.

It was all true—Matzie had been Marga's apprentice for just a year, having replaced Yuna, the previous one, who had tragically drowned in the river. The old woman knew she might die without leaving a successor and that the village would be vulnerable without an experienced healer.

"I understand, just tell us—" Zachary began, but Marga interrupted him, as she often did with everyone.

"But there is someone who already knows almost as much as I do." Marga pointed her bony finger at Katuri. Everyone in the room turned to look at the orcish girl, and Reed noticed that her cheeks were darkening. He knew that meant she was blushing. But otherwise, Katuri remained calm, her face showing no emotion.

Marga continued, "Katuri is young but smart, and she already has a vast amount of knowledge. Her mother was also a healer. She can teach Matzie. She can also take on the healer's duties in the future."

The old woman paused again, then fixed her piercing gaze on the village leader, speaking adamantly, "But only if you dothe right thing, Zachary. Jolene told me how terribly some people treated that poor girl in Stagmoor just because she looks different from us."

This time everyone's eyes were on Jolene. The girl stared at Marga's bed with a forced expression on her face. She quickly glanced at Reed, as if she wanted to prove something to him.

Reed looked to the others to gauge their reactions.

Katuri blinked and stared at Jolene, and as Reed suspected, only then did she realize that Jolene was… that Jolene! But then a soft smirk appeared on her face that Reed didn't know how to interpret.

Even more interesting was Petyr's reaction; he gasped out loud, then lowered his gaze to the floor as if he couldn’t believe that Jolene was already playing her game, leaving him behind. She was clearly more cunning than him, trying to stay on friendly—or at least civil—terms with a new potential healer.

"Is this really how we want to live as a community, Zachary? Rejecting valuable people because of some backward and ignorant prejudices?" Marga asked him directly.

"Not on my watch." Zachary’s answer was firm, and Reed sensed it was sincere.

"Good. Soon enough, you'll see Katuri and Reed raising their children here. They're young and need peace. Do the right thing, my boy."

Katuri and Reed exchanged amused and embarrassed glances, but Reed knew that Marga was very straightforward and didn’t hold back. The old woman just didn't care about politeness when she felt she had to say something.

"I'll do it." Zachary's face was serious, and he nodded slowly. "We'll let you rest now, Marga."

The old woman also nodded and closed her eyes. Everyone quietly left her house and joined the rest of the villagers outside. Reed was waiting for Katuri, and without saying a word, heinitiated a hug. He held her for quite a while, sensing that she needed it. Then they made their way to the campfire.

That's when Arrik appeared in front of them, holding two mugs of beer and a bowl of food. He was grinning broadly and was evidently drunk. He gave Katuri the food, then disappeared into the crowd. She glanced at Reed, a little surprised, but smiled. They sat down near the fire, slightly behind the others. Katuri ate, and Reed watched her. She looked tired but no longer stressed, almost peaceful. That was the most important thing to him.

He also noticed that the surrounding atmosphere had shifted, as if the air itself had softened. Then Zachary suddenly stood up, and the conversations in the crowd fell silent.

The man cleared his throat and said loudly, "Listen up, people! I have a few announcements to make!"

The eyes of all the villagers were on their leader. Reed had to admit that Zachary could command attention when he needed to, and he was curious to see what the man would say.

"Today has been a long and tiring day, but we should also recognize that we've made this day very difficult for one person in particular. For someone who has already shown how helpful they can be by saving both Reed and Marga. We were doubtful, but she proved us wrong, and we should welcome her as the newest member of our village!"

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