Chapter 20: Children's Army

René's mother died.

It was just ten days ago, but Rene didn't feel anything at all, because the motherly love that belonged to him was long gone.

The whip marks all over his body and the ear with a missing corner were proof of this.

Splashing the cold morning water on his face, René picked out the eye boogers from the corners of his eyes and wiped his face with a handkerchief.

Carrying the wooden barrel, he raised his head and looked at the sky covered with gray clouds.

A few thrushes were flying low over the gray-green mountains, making sharp whistle-like sounds.

Almost five days had passed since the potato root purification method was invented.

The heavy rain was getting lighter day by day, and it didn't rain at all yesterday.

However, René heard from the old farmers in the village that this was only a temporary situation and that a heavy rain would come in one or two days at the earliest, or three to five days at the latest.

The rainstorm comes and goes quickly, and only when it is over will the long rainy season end and the clear sky of autumn come.

By the time we get down the mountain, we still have time to change the fields to plant quick-maturing barley, so that we can save some food for the winter by the end of November.

After pouring out the water in the barrel, René stood up and looked down the mountain.

As the flood gradually receded, the original Moulin Rouge village finally emerged.

Like most villages in the Val d'Acheu, Moulin Rouge Village is also located on the river and grows in the valley.

But the river that the villagers of Red Mill Village use is not the Nauan River that runs through the Thousand River Valley, but one of its tributaries, the Honey River.

In the long strip of depression, along the Honey River, the Moulin Rouge Village is also long.

The waterwheel in the flowing water was tilted and surrounded by flying mosquitoes and flies.

On a slightly higher ground near the Holy Grail Hill, behind the high white stone wall, is Barnett's country villa.

The cross on the indigo glazed tile roof was blown down by the wind and hung upside down on the eaves. It swayed with the strong wind and the accumulated water dripped down along the cross.

And below the villa, there are seven or eight small courtyards with independent entrances and exits.

The fence was made of scraps of white stone and black thorns, and the animal pen was washed down and crushed on the millstone.

Next to these courtyards are barns, carriage houses and stables.

Wood piles and saw holes can be seen everywhere along the road, and the original haystacks were swept away by the flood, leaving only a trace of a different color.

Looking further west, there are long strips of land along the banks of the Honey River, which are surrounded by fences covered with vines and hemp ropes.

There are a few old oak trees and dilapidated huts on the field roads, which are where the farmers live.

The khaki-colored rice stalks floated listlessly in the water, entangled with mud, stones and branches.

René narrowed his eyes. There were even two corpses among the objects wrapped in rice stalks.

One was a human, but the other was unclear, it looked like a cow or a horse, or it might also be a human.

The winding Honey River winds westward, and behind the high hill is the Hedge Village Church.

The church there held a day school every seven days to teach all believers literacy and arithmetic free of charge.

Of course, to learn writing and arithmetic you need paper and pen, and there is a designated paper and pen shop outside the church.

Priest Father Durdafo said that this was because the shop was close to the church, so it was imbued with a holy atmosphere and was qualified to carry holy knowledge.

It has nothing to do with the fact that the boss is his lover's nephew.

That was once the place René longed for most.

He did not yearn for the bright church; what he longed for most was the pride of the children there as they wrote their own names accompanied by their parents.

But now, he got the same treatment - his own name written by hand and a godfather who was only seven years older than him.

"René!" Standing blankly on the hillside, he even forgot the time, until Jeanne grabbed his ear and he turned his head stiffly as if waking up from a dream.

"You didn't return to the camp after the whistle blew three times. Have you been infected by Duvalon?"

"Sister Jeanne..." René tried to awaken the sisterly love between him and Jeanne.

"Call me instructor. Go and get five strokes of the ruler yourself." Jeanne's eyes widened as she growled, "Do you still need me to treat you?"

René shuddered and ran towards the camp with the empty bucket.

Pushing open the door of the hunter's hut, I saw a young man in a blue-black short robe sitting cross-legged in front of the fire in the cramped space, with a wooden bowl on his knees, combing the hair of Mika, the only orphan among his godsons. The spoon that should have been taken by René fell into the clumsy hands of the young monk Armand.

Horn and the others did not wait for René, but strictly followed the schedule and divided the potato root rice among themselves.

"I thought I was the only one who was late, but I didn't expect that you, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, would be late too!" As soon as he saw René, the blond Du Valon immediately laughed with glee, and he didn't even feel the pain on the red and swollen palms.

After tying up Migha's messy hair with a hemp rope, Horn glanced at René with some surprise.

He remembered that among all the children, René was the smartest and most punctual, but he was late today, which was rare.

"Why are you late today?"

"The water receded, and I lost my focus and confused the call of the thrush with the whistle."

"It's good news that the water has receded." Horn laughed and patted René's forehead. "Remember this next time and don't be distracted again."

Horn pulled out the ruler, thought for a moment, and put it aside: "Let's eat first. If we fight now, the food will get cold."

"You always protect them." Jeanne, who had just entered the room, hung her cloak on the hook and pouted angrily, "Do you want to turn René into the second Doiron?"

"What's wrong with me? I wasn't late yesterday." Du Valon immediately complained.

After slapping Duvalon on the back of his head, Jeanne squeezed next to Horn and pressed against his shoulder.

Sitting next to the kang, René picked up the wooden bowl. In the bowl, dark yellow potato root paste was wrapped together with dark green wild vegetable leaves. As for the green stuff floating on the surface of the thick porridge, it was sorrel sauce.

This was not the first time René had eaten potato root rice, and the novelty of it had long since worn off.

He picked up the wooden spoon and quickly shoveled the potato root paste into his mouth. He would ask Sister Na to lead them in practicing gun skills and breathing techniques later, and after the practice, they would have a snack of about half an ounce of magic rabbit meat.

After practice, they will lead the villagers in stepping prayers and singing hymns before lunch.

The stepping noon prayer is Horn's new invention. It is actually to step on the spot in an orderly manner while praying loudly in a rhythmic manner. The purpose is to forge a sense of collectivism and discipline.

In the afternoons, Horn taught literacy, arithmetic, and hymns, and in the evenings he practiced hymns with children from other villages.

From morning to night, there is almost no rest time except after lunch and dinner.

Sometimes, they even have to take on the tasks of assisting in maintaining public security, mediating conflicts and patrolling.

"By the way." Wiping the residue from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve, Horn instructed several orphan guards, "It hasn't rained much in the past few days. I have told Kosei that I will baptize you tomorrow and make you my true godsons."

In the teachings of Messiahism, the godfather is the religious guide of the children.

If the child's parents die, the godfather will also have guardianship of the godson.

The ceremony that sealed this sacred covenant was baptism, performed by the godfather himself.

But this ritual is mostly practiced among free people.

People like Gong Bu Nong did not have such power and rituals, but now, they were all chosen by the Holy Sun and naturally had freedom.

Rene raised his head. The eyes of the orphans around him were filled with surprise and expectation, but his expression did not change. He just lowered his head to look at the potato root paste in the bowl.

In addition to anticipation, there was also an unspeakable fear in his heart.

Jeanne, who often played the role of a strict mother to the orphans, rarely smiled. She gently straightened René's back and said, "Sit up straight. From now on, no matter who bullies you, they are bullying all of us. We will help you fight back together."

"……Um."

After receiving Horn's punishment, René rubbed his red and swollen hands and cleaned up wooden bowls and other miscellaneous items in the hut with other orphans.

As for Horn and Jeanne, they went to inspect the camp.

"Hey guys." Du Valon chatted loudly while cleaning, "We will soon be the godsons and guards of the Saint's grandson. We have the same status as the invincible Apostolic Guard. We can't have no name at all, right?"

"Then what did you call it?"

"How about calling them Orphan Guards?"

"Or the Knight of the Feathered Forest."

"Why not just call it the Godchild Group?"

"Actually..." After René's voice sounded, everyone stopped arguing and looked at him. "Actually, the villagers of Moulin Rouge gave us a nickname, the Army of Kids, which is -"

René paused.

"Kids' Army."

(End of this chapter)