Four Split Personalities

"It’s so awesome!"

Qiu’s little face was flushed with excitement as she clapped her hands gleefully, "Brother Hei Fan and the others are so cool! Even though they’re just cheap toys that pop out on their own without doing anything, it’s still amazing that they can take down so many in one go!"

Thud!

A not-so-heavy push came from behind, but by the time it reached the girl, it had already quietly turned into nothing.

"Ouch!"

But Qiu still staggered forward a few steps, then looked back at the human girl half-kneeling on the ground with her head tilted, asking with concern, "Uh, are you okay, Kasha?"

The thin girl dressed in simple linen clothes, wearing a shoe on only one foot, shook her head timidly, "No, no, I’m fine, little Qiu. Sorry, I wasn’t standing very steady just now and accidentally bumped into you."

This girl named Kasha was a typical poor family’s daughter, dressed plainly, with rough skin, much smaller in stature than her peers, and appearing somewhat older in features, though she seemed healthy enough, that was just about it.

"Don’t worry, I’m okay~"

Qiu shook her head vigorously, then looked at the other girl with a worried expression, "But Kasha, why is your face so red? Are you sick?"

Just then, several other children who had been running around wildly came over, crowding around the two and started to shout...

"Why did you guys stop?"

"Eh, why is Kasha’s face so red?"

"Wow, it’s really red, did she eat poisonous mushrooms yesterday?"

"That’s impossible, we gave the mushrooms we picked to the nun to check, she said they were edible!"

"Could it be sickness?"

"My dad says this place is blessed by the Goddess of Dawn, nobody gets sick here."

"But Kasha’s face is really red!"

"Little Qiu’s face is a bit red too!"

"I’m fine, I just thought of something happy, that’s all."

Qiu smiled and shook her head, then tugged at Kasha’s sleeve and asked, "Um, do you feel uncomfortable anywhere? Shall we go find the nun?"

Kasha hesitated for a moment, then whispered with pursed lips, "No need, I... I’m fine. I just feel a little weak, maybe I’ll feel better after sleeping at home."

"Are you sure? Kasha."

A blonde girl in a little pink skirt frowned and bit her finger, saying, "What if you really are poisoned or sick, and then there’s... um... no... "

"Plague!"

A chubby Dwarf boy gasped, instinctively taking a half step back, "What if it’s the plague?"

Kasha’s slender frame noticeably shook.

The blonde girl glared fiercely at the Dwarf boy and snapped angrily, "Stop talking nonsense! The nun and the Priest have both said we won’t have the plague here anymore! If you don’t stop, I’ll tell your dad to spank you when we get back!"

The latter trembled more violently than the startled Kasha and shook his head frantically, "Please don’t, we only have one broom left at home, and it’s better to keep it..."

"Let’s do this. You guys stay here and play; I’ll take Kasha home and stay with her for a while."

Qiu held Kasha’s hand and smiled at the blonde girl, "If there’s a problem, I’ll immediately come back to find the nun. If not, Iliana, you can take turns keeping Kasha company tonight."

The young but mature Iliana nodded immediately, "Okay!"

The other children had no objections, or rather, no opinions of their own, so Qiu left, half dragging and half supporting Kasha, who was even smaller than herself.

...

Five minutes later

Hover City South Main Street

"Um, little Qiu..."

Kasha staggered to a stop, crouched down wearily on the spot, and whispered, "I need to rest for a bit, okay? It’ll just be a moment."

Qiu stuck out her tongue, helped her sit down against the wall in the corner, and apologized, "Sorry, I forgot you’re weak right now. Take your time, rest as long as you need."

"Mmm..."

Kasha’s face was so red it seemed as if it might bleed at any moment, and even her consciousness was becoming blurry as she murmured softly, "Maybe I really am... sick..."

Qiu squeezed her hand, which was starting to become hot, and reassured her, "Don’t worry, even if you are sick, it’s okay. I’ll ask the brothers, sisters, uncles, and aunts in the church to take good care of you. Don’t forget, I have a good relationship with sister Wang Yu, and I heard Brother Hei Fan is doing quite well now too~"

Kasha nodded vaguely, "I... don’t really understand what you mean, but still... thank you, little Qiu..."

Before she could finish, the girl, whose fever had already reached nearly 40 degrees, completely lost consciousness and slumped into Qiu’s arms.

"She’s fainted."

Qiu blinked, then raised her hand to touch Kasha’s forehead, giggled softly, and murmured, "Just as expected, even on this land blessed by the Goddess of Dawn, it still takes effect. But this mixed plague that could instantly kill those uncles before has been suppressed for three days before it started to show signs. Hmm, the power of deities is truly fascinating! If there were gods outside of the game, that’d be nice, unhappy!"