Marvin briefly explained, "There are many children here about your age. Nine years ago, this land suffered a severe famine. Many people died, and the number of orphans suddenly increased. So, some kind-hearted nobility funded the construction of an orphanage specifically to care for those children who had no home."
"This orphanage was personally funded by the lord of New Ross City, Arthur Windsor, who is also the Fourth Prince of the Kingdom of Windsor."
"Is he a good man?"
"Compared to the children in the poorhouse who don't get enough food or warm clothes, the children living in the orphanage indeed think the Fourth Prince is a good man."
"Oh...." Yuniya nodded, seemingly understanding.
Click.
As they spoke, the door opened, and a matron holding an infant, her face etched with fatigue, appeared before Marvin, followed by a group of children wearing ill-fitting coats.
"Good morning, Priest..." the matron forced a smile.
"Good morning, Mrs. Tyson."
Marvin doffed his hat and said, "You seem to have not rested well."
"One of the children had a fever and cried until three or four in the morning. Plus, there was that sudden shaking last night...." Mother Tyson sighed, "I only slept an hour... Huh?"
Mother Tyson, noticing Yuniya standing next to Marvin, expressed her surprise, "She is...?"
"Her name is Nia." Marvin answered before Yuniya could, "We just met last night... Is it convenient to go in now?"
"Of course! Look at me, chatting with the Priest and forgetting my manners...."
Holding the infant, Mother Tyson hurriedly made way for them. After Marvin and the others entered the orphanage, she closed the door, locked it, and then turned around to call out, "Gulihana! Gulihana! Damn it, where has this little girl run off to now!"
Meanwhile, Marvin was already being swarmed by a group of children.
"Priest! Priest! What story are you going to tell us today?"
"Priest, Priest, I want honey candy!"
"Behave yourselves! How many times do I have to say it, Kurz, stop pulling on the Priest's clothes! And Mckinney, why are you climbing on him? He's not a tree! Get down right now!"
Under Mother Tyson's loud scolding, the chaotic scene finally calmed down, and Marvin calmly smoothed the wrinkles in his clothes, always maintaining a serene smile. He endured similar 'trials' every Friday when he came to the orphanage to preach and tell stories.
By now, he had developed a calm demeanor, unfazed even if Mount Tai were to crumble before him.
After all, he saw these mischievous children as potential future faithful devotees of the Church of Truth...
He believed that day would not be far off.
Yuniya, who was visiting the orphanage for the first time, was terrified. Jostled by the children, she felt like a bowling pin. As soon as the room quieted down, she immediately returned to Marvin's side, clutching his clothes for dear life.
"Have Maiti and the others gone off to work?"
Surrounded by a group of children, Marvin walked into the activity room and asked.
"They just left a while ago, what bad timing." Mother Tyson replied, "But they'll be back for lunch. You're sure to see them... Priest, please, have a seat here. I'll go make some tea for you and find Gulihana. I can't handle so many children by myself!"
The orphanage had 53 children, 6 matrons, and 1 headmaster. It wouldn't usually be so busy, but since an earthquake had occurred the night before, Marvin guessed the others had gone to check the facilities. Therefore, only 17-year-old Gulihana and Mother Tyson were left.
"Today, let's continue the story of the Goddess of Truth Yuniya and the evil dragon."
Marvin sat on a stool, put his hat aside, took out the Book of Truth, flipped to a page in the middle, and cleared his throat.
Upon hearing the Priest was going to tell a story, the children immediately sat down where they were, their eyes wide open and listening attentively.
"Er... where did we get up to last time?"
"You got to the part where Goddess Yuniya pulled out the Sword in the Stone and charged alone towards the castle where the Dragon had imprisoned the Princess!" shouted Mckinney, who loved climbing trees, from the front row.
"That's right, that's right." Marvin flipped a page backward and read in a harmonious tone: "To prevent thieves from invading the castle while it slept, the evil Dragon planted a large amount of Blood Thorns around the castle. These thorns were full of barbs that loved to suck blood; any creature tangled up in them would painfully dry up into jerky. Faced with this, Goddess Yuniya came up with a brilliant plan..."
Sitting beside Marvin, Yuniya listened to the story in a daze. Although she was the protagonist of the story, she had no recollection of pulling out the Sword in the Stone or facing off against the evil Dragon. Fortunately, this did not hinder her enjoyment of her father's storytelling.
In Marvin's vivid narration, the atmosphere was perfectly set, and everyone was mesmerized by the tale.
How to interject the Church of Truth's beliefs into the storytelling and subtly change the audience's perceptions along the way, that was what mattered most.
Marvin had ample experience, and such a trivial matter obviously wasn't going to trouble him.
"During the battle, Goddess Yuniya was gravely wounded. She approached a mountain spring and washed her saintly body with its water. As her blood flowed into the spring, a miraculous scene occurred... Well, it's getting late, we'll have to stop here for today. If you want to know what happens next, you'll have to wait until the next time." Marvin slowly closed the Book of Truth, ending that day's 'sermon' amidst a sea of stunned expressions.
The children nearly exploded with frustration right then and there.
The group led by Maiti rushed back but only caught the tail end of the story, feeling as tortured as if cats were scratching their hearts, yet they were powerless to do anything about it.
Among those who shared in the regret was Gulihana, who was caught and brought back by Mother Tyson—she had been hiding and listening for quite some time.
"Miss Gulihana, long time no see." Marvin stepped forward and greeted her.
"Long time no see, Priest."
Gulihana lifted her skirt with both hands and lightly tapped the ground with the tip of her left foot, smiling as she said, "You tell such good stories."
"Only a good listener can appreciate a good story." Marvin smiled slightly and glanced behind her: "Is Mother Tyson not with you?"
"She's gone to prepare lunch. Do you need her for something?"
"There is something I'd like to ask of you."
Marvin glanced back at Yuniya and spoke in a lower voice, "Actually, it's like this..."
"Mhm, mhm, mhmmm..."
Gulihana nodded as she listened, occasionally glancing at Yuniya. After hearing everything, she said, "I see, no problem, this is what our institution is for. Priest, you shouldn't feel pressured; just leave it to us."
"I'm counting on you then."
Marvin nodded his head in a bow, then turned to Yuniya and said, "Yuniya, I have to go out for a while. Will you stay here and play games with Sister Gulihana? Is that okay?"
"Daddy, will you come back to pick me up?" Yuniya asked with her head bowed down.
Marvin's heart lurched; he had not expected that Yuniya understood what he was about to do.
He opened his mouth as if he had lost his voice, unable to say a word. In the end, it was Gulihana who stepped forward, took Yuniya's small hand, and said, "Priest, go ahead, leave this to me."
"Ah... okay."
Marvin stood, slowly put on his hat, and tried his best to pull the brim low, hiding his eyes until he could no longer see Yuniya's gaze. Then he turned and walked away.