《I Raised the Villains Preciously》 Chapter 1.1 ¡°Teacher!¡± ¡°Yes, Masha.¡± ¡°This is! The apple is red!¡± The child who ran to Hannah with a bright smile and didn¡¯t crawl was 9-year-old Masha. Red, curly hair and shining yellow eyes. It was a girl who cried so cutely with plump cheeks. The child who ran and crawled on the hem of his skirt was like an angel just coming out of heaven. ¡°Then shall we have a big apple for today¡¯s snack?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s great!¡± ¡°Jeremy and Ian, too.¡± Masha¡¯s face frowned a little bit at the words. Jeremy and Ian were children living with Masha in a temple nursery. ¡°Why? Did you fight?¡± Did they fight without I knowing? A brief worry ran through Hannah¡¯s head. ¡°No! I was afraid that there would be fewer apples to eat!¡± Masha hurriedly added, hugged Hannah¡¯s waist, and rubbed her face. It¡¯s cute, too. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of apples. Don¡¯t worry.¡± She turned her head to two children playing with dirt in the distance, stroking his red hair. ¡°Ian! Jeremy! Come here and pick apples together!¡± Two boys ran to Hannah. ¡°I¡¯ll get the most! Can I pick the green one?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no bug, right?¡±¡± ¡°Teacher! Teacher! Are you going to make an apple pie?¡± The children surrounded by the leaves chattered. It was a loud but cute sound like sparrows. ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll do it for you. While I lift this blanket, you should pick as many apples as you can! Okay?¡± Pointing at the tree, the children ran excitedly. They were children who waited more than anyone else for the apple to ripen. Laughter came out as they said that they would win each other. ¡°How cute too.¡± Hannah took out a well-washed blanket from the laundry basket that she brought out and wiped it off. Even in the midst of washing the laundry, her gaze was always directed at the children. ¡°Look at that innocent look.¡± Who can imagine? Those kids are the villains who will destroy the empire in the future. That¡¯s right. Those innocent and cute children were the trio of [The World of Brilliant Villains] she possessed. Masha Platt, 9 years old. A mad magician who created a black magic guild and tried to end the world with black magic. Jeremy Allande, 9 years old. A villain who does not hesitate to do any dirty work for the money he goes around to become the head of the future dark house. Ian, 10 years old. A psychopath tyrant who became emperor and turned the empire into an inferno. ¡°Teacher! This apple is good to be picking right?¡± said Jeremy, waving the apple in the distance. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s great!¡± Who would imagine that you¡¯ll grow up, walk around, and cut a person¡¯s throat like an apple. Hannah thought. Still, these children seem to be growing more properly than I thought. Is this the effect of the right education? ¡°Shall we go in now?¡± Hannah emptied the laundry basket and walked towards the children. Then she noticed that Ian and Jeremy had painted on the ground earlier. Next to the branches of the tree, which used to be used like a pencil, there was a person painted in an indistinct picture. With the limbs separated. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Well¡­¡­ Children of this age often draw weird things. Hannah covered the dirt by rubbing the picture on the floor with cloudy eyes. And walked again. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The days of peace with these cute children started very absurdly a few days ago. ¡°Hello.¡± So the first meeting between Hannah and these kids was normal. Until she knows who these innocent little kids are. She knew she was in someone¡¯s body, but she didn¡¯t think this would be the world of fiction. ¡®Pink hair and golden eyes.¡¯ This was a small nursery school attached to the temple. And this body was a nursery teacher who nursed children there. The owner of this body, who grew up in a nursery school for 15 years, did not become a priest and had to be satisfied with working in the nursery school. It was possessed by this body on her first day at work, and she met these cute children. ¡°Uh¡­ right. Hello? So your name is¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m Masha!¡± ¡°Jeremy.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Ian.¡± A lively and cheerful red-haired child, Masha. Jeremy who¡¯s a naughty boy with a mole on his head. Ian, who has shiny blonde hair and has expressionless looks. Hannah, who heard the children¡¯s names, realized something was strange. She felt a sense of deja vu as if she had heard the name somewhere. ¡®Where did I hear such a name that wasn¡¯t even a Korean name?¡¯ As she wondering, a novel she had read before she entered her body was flashing on her mind. ¡®It was a novel about bad guys fighting back and forth.¡¯ The novel, which recommended by her friend to relieve stress completely was a violent story in which more than half of the people were bleeding. But anyway.. Is it a coincidence that the characters in the novel and these children have the same names? ¡®But these kids are so different from the main characters, right?¡¯ Chapter 1.2 First of all, the characters in the novel appeared only in the form of adults, so these cute and fluffy kids could not overlap with those villains. Ah, no way¡­ Suddenly, doubts arose when she remembered that children¡¯s hair color and eye color were the same as those of the villains and that the main characters in the novel were in the same place. ¡®Oh My God. Really?¡¯ Her worries were short. In the end, she had to admit that this place was a fantasy novel of . And then suddenly she felt a chill in her back. ¡°Oh, I mean, my name, ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡± Wait, this name, no way, is ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤. ¡°Teacher Hannah?¡± I¡¯m screwed. She thought she was just possessed by an ordinary person, but it wasn¡¯t. Isn¡¯t a nursery school teacher named Hannah the first person to be killed when a temple is destroyed? It was said that the body was burned to the ground so that even pieces of the body could not be found, so we could guess how much their anger was. ¡°¡­..¡± When she saw the children staring at her with cute eyes, a cold sweat struck behind her back. ¡®You are the kids to kill me?!¡¯ Her mind got complicated. Why did she read a violent novel that wasn¡¯t even romance, but blooded all the time? Among them, is it right for the character ¡®Hanna¡¯ who dies early? Looking at the novel, I said, ¡®It¡¯s all because of the childhood trauma. The writer didn¡¯t do well. Why did you raise kids like this!¡¯ Is it because I made such a big mouth? Or does this supporting actor just have the same name? Isn¡¯t it too unfair if it¡¯s because of the name Hannah that my parents gave me? ¡°What happened to my body in the reality?¡± Before she was possessed by this body, her heart was beating irregularly while she was reading the book and her head was spinning. She remembered that her eyes were black, but the next time she opened her eyes, she was possessed by a woman with pink hair. ¡®No way, Did I just die?¡¯ She was possessed by the last book she saw in her life? No matter how much she tried to think out of frustration, there was no one to answer her question. ¡°Oh, my God.¡± After all, somehow, it was the first meeting that she almost passed out. That night, Hannah immediately packed up again. At first, she was really serious about how she could get out of this body, maybe she could go back if she died like the contents of the original story, but she was too afraid to die. There is no guarantee that the original body is alive just by dying. ¡®I don¡¯t even want to bother the kids.¡¯ In the meantime, if you destroy the original and die, it is better to save this life and just leave. ¡°Oh my God, I¡¯m nursery of the villain!¡± How can I possess such a body even if I can do it? It¡¯s ridiculous to think again. ¡®But the good news is, it¡¯s still before this body abuses the children.¡¯ If she leaves this place quickly, she will never be associated with them. Hannah stepped up with a determined look. ¡°Good for me, I¡¯m not even the real Hannah anyway. Staying here will be only live in doubt¡± It was also a concern that someone noticed that her soul was changed. The answer was to leave here in many ways and start a new life. ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll go out, learn a skill, and I¡¯ll make a living out of it.¡± Fear and impatience made her mouth restless. She has packed her things, but there were few things to pack because it wasn¡¯t hers. The only thing was to put neat clothes, money, and something that looked worthwhile in a bag. ¡®Let¡¯s go quickly!¡¯ Hannah awkwardly hugged the bag and secretly left the dorm through the dark. Her room was a few steps away from the children¡¯s quarters. ¡®I¡¯m sorry. Guys. Please meet a good teacher and grow up well. If you¡¯re the king, don¡¯t be a villain, don¡¯t just kill people, don¡¯t burn the village.¡¯ She lifted her heels and sneaked down the hall. ¡®I¡¯ll bring some fire. Why is it so dark?¡¯ She stuttered and moved, touching the wall. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better to just resign and leave?¡± She thought so belatedly and then shook her head. ¡®No.What if they ask me to stay until they find someone new? Don¡¯t be attached to or hateful in the meantime. The answer is just to leave.¡¯ Anyway, there was no need for a good end to the temple, which is the pit of evil. With her heart in mind, Hannah sneakily moved forward. ¡°Teacher.¡± ¡°Ah!!¡± Hannah¡¯s heart beating so fast at the voice she heard suddenly. The bag she was holding in her hand also fell to the floor and was rolling around. ¡°¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤M-Masha?¡± Masha who holding a teddy bear through the open door was rubbing his eyes. Soon the door also opened in Masha¡¯s next room, and Jeremy looking at Hannah and said. ¡°Teacher, where are you going?¡± ¡°Uh, huh?¡± Ian also opened the door. Everyone was full of sleep in their eyes. What kind of midnight meeting is this? Why these kids don¡¯t even sleep? What did your sleeping ear do at the dawn? ¡°Uh¡­ That¡¯s¡­¡± Hanna¡¯s gaze shook anxiously. Masha and the children found her bag rolling over the floor. ¡°Teacher¡± With his hurt eyes. Masha¡¯s voice, which was fiddling with the teddy bear in his hand was a little wet. ¡°Are you abandoning us?¡± At that moment, Hannah¡¯s eyes grew slightly bigger. You, threw it away! Why are you talking like that! Chapter 2.1 Hannah¡¯s body fluttered when Masha said she was throwing them away. ¡°What¡­, what?¡± I became a shameless person who abandons her children. No, I mean, is that right? I¡¯m running away to save my life, but I¡¯m going to be a cold-hearted adult who leaves them? ¡®Ma, Masha, ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡¯ ¡®Are you really leaving?¡¯ Ian asked. Even Ian¡¯s face, who was only expressionless, had a shade. ¡°See, the new teacher said she wouldn¡¯t like us either!¡± Jeremy said, kicking the door madly. Suddenly I feel like I became a sinner. ¡®I went out of the temple like this¡­¡¯ I felt like someone who had really grown up was coming to revenge for the abandoned. In particular, Jeremy said that he remembered the days of a nursery school while sleeping one day and find himself a knife. (I¡¯m sorry I don¡¯t really understand the last part) ¡°¡­¡­Uh¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤ um¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡± It was a difficult situation. Eventually, Hannah caught Masha¡¯s eyes dripping with tears. The children¡¯s shoulders were drooping. ¡®These children¡­.¡¯ The villains Hannah thought were not like this. The small and hurt little kid was never the villains she thought. ¡°Teacher¡­¡± No matter how poor the children look at it, no matter how hurt they look! I had to leave without looking back. ¡®But, ¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡¯ Suddenly, a voice floated in my head. ¡°Older sister(Nuna)!¡± 10 years ago. Come to think of it, it was a very strange day. ¡®Nuna! Nuna! Let¡¯s go to the supermarket together!¡± Usually, it was rare to refuse my brother¡¯s request to go to the supermarket together, but that day I feel really tired. I can¡¯t go to the nearby supermarket where you can only cross the street. I¡¯m tired of my brother¡¯s crying and screaming so I sent him cold-heartedly to go home. And that day, my younger brother left. To a place where you will never return. It becomes something that can¡¯t be washed away. For a while, it was a sad past when it was so hard to be separated from the children who were about the same height as her younger siblings. ¡°Sister, can¡¯t you come with me?¡¯ That one word still remains a dagger in my heart. And so Hannah was particularly weak to the children with the same age as her younger brother. ¡°Like this, are you leaving us behind¡­?¡± When Masha spoke with his tearful eyes once again, she quickly opened her mouth. ¡°¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤No.¡± It was because of the appearance of the children overlapped with her younger brother. So it is. At that moment, I couldn¡¯t leave the children cold-heartily. ¡°Teacher isn¡¯t going anywhere. I was trying to move the room because it was uncomfortable. Don¡¯t worry. Huh? Masha, don¡¯t cry¡­¡± Hannah felt her heart shrunk when the children cried. Suddenly, Masha ran to her arms and held her. ¡°Teacher, if you abandon us, we won¡¯t¡­ No¡­¡± ¡°Yes, teacher is not going anywhere.¡± Hannah had no choice but to pat Masha¡¯s head and smile awkwardly to Jeremy and Ian. I know these kids aren¡¯t my younger brothers, or maybe it¡¯s just a fantasy of being in the type of the novel, but I can¡¯t turn blind to the crying child. Even thinking that they were poor children, I began to feel more and more concerned. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s weak or stupid, but at least now I couldn¡¯t get rid of the kids in a cruel way. ¡®I am digging my own grave.¡¯ Fortunately, she was thinking positively and saying, ¡°Let¡¯s raise the children to be nice.¡± Chapter 2.2 [Monday Observation Diary] Masha, a lively personality. Loves to eat. Will be violent when angry. Follow what you say and like skinship. He likes dresses and dolls full of frills. Jeremy, precisely through the ugly four and the seven you want to kill. A naughty boy. He likes to bully others. Often using swearing words. Ex) Je**, Idi**, craz**. Ian, blunt. Always expressionless. Extremely hating dirty things. Children¡¯s gloves are expensive. Compliant with instructions, but no great sincerity. Like an old man.] As a result of observation, the children really had a different personality. This is why I wondered why I didn¡¯t like it even though I wondered if he was losing, roasting, and fighting because the personality didn¡¯t match. It would have been much easier to turn the continent into a sea of fire if the three were united. ¡®Well, all the kids¡¯ fight¡­ But are they fight when they grew up?¡¯ Hannah was digging carrots in the vegetable garden and watching the children¡¯s free activities. Masha was on a swing, Jeremy was hitting the bag with a wooden curtain that I didn¡¯t even know where he got it, and Ian was reading a book with a towel on a bench under the shade of a tree. ¡®For some reason, don¡¯t kids of that age get together and play? How can all of them play separately?¡¯ Strangely, the children were from the same childhood. Every time Jeremy said something that didn¡¯t know where he learned it, Ian hated it and despised Jeremy. It was only Masha who was delighted to see the two of them. It was mainly to laugh at them as idiots. Tak. Tak. The hand movement of digging carrots became faster. It was because I had to dig vegetables quickly in time for dinner. ¡°Teacher, can I help you?¡± Masha said, twisting his body in front of Hannah. ¡°Ah, Masha. Can you help me?¡± Hannah took out a shovel and give it to Masha. ¡®What is today¡¯s menu?¡¯ asked Masha, digging in the dirt with brackish hands. ¡°I¡¯m thinking of beef stew. And I will put in a lot of vegetables.¡± ¡°Yeah, but you don¡¯t have to put a lot of vegetables.¡± ¡°I put in a lot because you guys are so picky.¡± Especially Jeremy¡¯s picky was the best of the three. Masha¡¯s pouting his lips at Hannah¡¯s words. ¡°Well, that¡¯s good too.¡± Masha shrugged as if he was sincere. ¡°But, teacher, why are you not taking classes inside and choose to come out every day?¡± Masha asked with a blinking eye. The answer was easy. It was because Hannah didn¡¯t deserve to teach because her knowledge of this world was poor. ¡°I have a slightly different view of education from other people.¡± It was a brazen-faced answer to myself. ¡®Education view?¡¯ ¡°Well, about how to teach you. Rather than opening a book and teaching difficult words, I want you to grow strong in harmony with nature.¡± The words were pretty good, but in fact, the reason was that I just didn¡¯t know anything at all. But it took a lot of courage to reveal to these children. Many adults don¡¯t reveal their weaknesses! ¡°Oh, I see!¡± Masha digs hard and smiles with a can of carrots. ¡®¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤Sorry. It¡¯s just because I¡¯m an idiot.¡¯ Hannah will make sure that she should study about this world before going to bed today. ¡°What are you doing?¡± said Jeremy who kicking Masha¡¯s back, who did not know when he was approaching. There was dirt all over his hands and face. When his hands touched the ground, Masha¡¯s eyes turned to Jeremy¡¯s feet. Masha, who had been silent for a while, stretched his back and smiled. ¡°Where are you kicking with your dirty feet?¡± He said with a smile, but I could see that the horse had a thorn. ¡®Uh¡­ If you do that¡­¡¯ Hannah swallowed her saliva with a shovel in her hand. This was a bad situation. ¡°What do you do with a lot of dirt?¡± Jeremy laughed by shaking his hand. As a result, Masha also raised his body by shaking his hands. ¡°Isn¡¯t it? It¡¯s dirty anyway.¡± ¡°Right, right,¡± said Jeremy, nodding his head, and Masha, grasping Jeremy¡¯s back and put him to the dirt floor. ¡°Ah!¡± Hannah was the only one surprised by this situation. ¡®You¡¯ll just have to turn your back on the dirty one very well anyway!¡¯ Masha ripped Jeremy¡¯s hair off. ¡°Ah! Hey! Won¡¯t you let go?!¡± Suddenly beaten, Jeremy struggling with his arms and legs underneath Hannah surprised and get up to separate these two. ¡°You¡¯re such an idiot, aren¡¯t you?!¡± Masha¡¯s vocabulary is considerable. Especially when he was angry. Hannah grabbed Masha¡¯s arm, but she didn¡¯t budge from the strength as if she was good enough. ¡°Oh, Masha. Stop it! Friends shouldn¡¯t hit each other!¡± ¡°Yes, friends don¡¯t hit each other.¡± Hannah tried to be relieved that her words were through. ¡°But it¡¯s also loser who doesn¡¯t know up and down!¡± However, Hannah¡¯s face turned pale at the words that followed afterward. Masha tried to hit Jeremy once again, but the tide turned in an instant, changing the positions of Jeremy and Masha. Now Masha is rolling back to the dirt floor. ¡°This, where do you hit me with that power?¡± ¡°Jeremy!¡± Oh, God. Hannah was crying for a God she didn¡¯t believe in. ¡°Come on, wait a minute! Guys!¡± Because it was useless to stop them, Ian quietly came to the next to Hannah. ¡°Oh, Ian, are you here to help?¡± Hannah thought Ian was here to help her. But it was a naive idea, by the way. Ian was just looking down at the two of them without expression and at Hannah¡¯s desperate request. Rather, he looked like a man in the back who came to see someone else¡¯s house. When Masha and Jemery were struggling and the dirt splashed on themselves, Ian blocked the dirt with the book he was reading. It was a very good reaction though. Then he looked at the book with a slightly distorted expression. There were some dirt particles on the cover of the book. The amount was small enough for the average person to shake it off. Dug. But Ian threw the book at the two who rolling back. ¡°Ouch!¡± I don¡¯t know who the book hit, but a short scream burst out. And Ian took off the white gloves from his hand. It was also thrown at the children, he threw it away as if it were a trash can, and he moved to the building, shaking his hand. ¡°¡­¡­¡± As she looked at it, Hannah touched her forehead. ¡°Yes. What am I expecting?¡± Somehow I just wanted to go over today. Every day was like a war. With a deep sigh, she turned to the children again. ¡°Stop fighting!¡± Even today, dinner seems likely to be late. Chapter 1 ¡°Teacher!¡± ¡°Yes, Masha.¡± ¡°This is! The apple is red!¡± The child who ran to Hannah with a bright smile and didn¡¯t crawl was 9-year-old Masha. Red, curly hair and shining yellow eyes. It was a girl who cried so cutely with plump cheeks. The child who ran and crawled on the hem of his skirt was like an angel just coming out of heaven. ¡°Then shall we have a big apple for today¡¯s snack?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s great!¡± ¡°Jeremy and Ian, too.¡± Masha¡¯s face frowned a little bit at the words. Jeremy and Ian were children living with Masha in a temple nursery. ¡°Why? Did you fight?¡± Did they fight without I knowing? A brief worry ran through Hannah¡¯s head. ¡°No! I was afraid that there would be fewer apples to eat!¡± Masha hurriedly added, hugged Hannah¡¯s waist, and rubbed her face. It¡¯s cute, too. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of apples. Don¡¯t worry.¡± She turned her head to two children playing with dirt in the distance, stroking his red hair. ¡°Ian! Jeremy! Come here and pick apples together!¡± Two boys ran to Hannah. ¡°I¡¯ll get the most! Can I pick the green one?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no bug, right?¡±¡± ¡°Teacher! Teacher! Are you going to make an apple pie?¡± The children surrounded by the leaves chattered. It was a loud but cute sound like sparrows. ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll do it for you. While I lift this blanket, you should pick as many apples as you can! Okay?¡± Pointing at the tree, the children ran excitedly. They were children who waited more than anyone else for the apple to ripen. Laughter came out as they said that they would win each other. ¡°How cute too.¡± Hannah took out a well-washed blanket from the laundry basket that she brought out and wiped it off. Even in the midst of washing the laundry, her gaze was always directed at the children. ¡°Look at that innocent look.¡± Who can imagine? Those kids are the villains who will destroy the empire in the future. That¡¯s right. Those innocent and cute children were the trio of [The World of Brilliant Villains] she possessed. Masha Platt, 9 years old. A mad magician who created a black magic guild and tried to end the world with black magic. Jeremy Allande, 9 years old. A villain who does not hesitate to do any dirty work for the money he goes around to become the head of the future dark house. Ian, 10 years old. A psychopath tyrant who became emperor and turned the empire into an inferno. ¡°Teacher! This apple is good to be picking right?¡± said Jeremy, waving the apple in the distance. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s great!¡± Who would imagine that you¡¯ll grow up, walk around, and cut a person¡¯s throat like an apple. Hannah thought. Still, these children seem to be growing more properly than I thought. Is this the effect of the right education? ¡°Shall we go in now?¡± Hannah emptied the laundry basket and walked towards the children. Then she noticed that Ian and Jeremy had painted on the ground earlier. Next to the branches of the tree, which used to be used like a pencil, there was a person painted in an indistinct picture. With the limbs separated. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Well¡­¡­ Children of this age often draw weird things. Hannah covered the dirt by rubbing the picture on the floor with cloudy eyes. And walked again. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The days of peace with these cute children started very absurdly a few days ago. ¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°Hello.¡± So the first meeting between Hannah and these kids was normal. Until she knows who these innocent little kids are. She knew she was in someone¡¯s body, but she didn¡¯t think this would be the world of fiction. ¡®Pink hair and golden eyes.¡¯ This was a small nursery school attached to the temple. And this body was a nursery teacher who nursed children there. The owner of this body, who grew up in a nursery school for 15 years, did not become a priest and had to be satisfied with working in the nursery school. It was possessed by this body on her first day at work, and she met these cute children. ¡°Uh¡­ right. Hello? So your name is¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m Masha!¡± ¡°Jeremy.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Ian.¡± A lively and cheerful red-haired child, Masha. Jeremy who¡¯s a naughty boy with a mole on his head. Ian, who has shiny blonde hair and has expressionless looks. Hannah, who heard the children¡¯s names, realized something was strange. She felt a sense of deja vu as if she had heard the name somewhere. ¡®Where did I hear such a name that wasn¡¯t even a Korean name?¡¯ As she wondering, a novel she had read before she entered her body was flashing on her mind. ¡®It was a novel about bad guys fighting back and forth.¡¯ The novel, which recommended by her friend to relieve stress completely was a violent story in which more than half of the people were bleeding. But anyway.. Is it a coincidence that the characters in the novel and these children have the same names? ¡®But these kids are so different from the main characters, right?¡¯ First of all, the characters in the novel appeared only in the form of adults, so these cute and fluffy kids could not overlap with those villains. Ah, no way¡­ Suddenly, doubts arose when she remembered that children¡¯s hair color and eye color were the same as those of the villains and that the main characters in the novel were in the same place. ¡®Oh My God. Really?¡¯ Her worries were short. In the end, she had to admit that this place was a fantasy novel of . And then suddenly she felt a chill in her back. ¡°Oh, I mean, my name, ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡± Wait, this name, no way, is ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤. ¡°Teacher Hannah?¡± I¡¯m screwed. She thought she was just possessed by an ordinary person, but it wasn¡¯t. Isn¡¯t a nursery school teacher named Hannah the first person to be killed when a temple is destroyed? It was said that the body was burned to the ground so that even pieces of the body could not be found, so we could guess how much their anger was. ¡°¡­..¡± When she saw the children staring at her with cute eyes, a cold sweat struck behind her back. ¡®You are the kids to kill me?!¡¯ Her mind got complicated. Why did she read a violent novel that wasn¡¯t even romance, but blooded all the time? Among them, is it right for the character ¡®Hanna¡¯ who dies early? Looking at the novel, I said, ¡®It¡¯s all because of the childhood trauma. The writer didn¡¯t do well. Why did you raise kids like this!¡¯ Is it because I made such a big mouth? Or does this supporting actor just have the same name? Isn¡¯t it too unfair if it¡¯s because of the name Hannah that my parents gave me? ¡°What happened to my body in the reality?¡± Before she was possessed by this body, her heart was beating irregularly while she was reading the book and her head was spinning. She remembered that her eyes were black, but the next time she opened her eyes, she was possessed by a woman with pink hair. ¡®No way, Did I just die?¡¯ She was possessed by the last book she saw in her life? No matter how much she tried to think out of frustration, there was no one to answer her question. ¡°Oh, my God.¡± After all, somehow, it was the first meeting that she almost passed out. * * That night, Hannah immediately packed up again. At first, she was really serious about how she could get out of this body, maybe she could go back if she died like the contents of the original story, but she was too afraid to die. There is no guarantee that the original body is alive just by dying. ¡®I don¡¯t even want to bother the kids.¡¯ In the meantime, if you destroy the original and die, it is better to save this life and just leave. ¡°Oh my God, I¡¯m nursery of the villain!¡± How can I possess such a body even if I can do it? It¡¯s ridiculous to think again. ¡®But the good news is, it¡¯s still before this body abuses the children.¡¯ If she leaves this place quickly, she will never be associated with them. Hannah stepped up with a determined look. ¡°Good for me, I¡¯m not even the real Hannah anyway. Staying here will be only live in doubt¡± It was also a concern that someone noticed that her soul was changed. The answer was to leave here in many ways and start a new life. ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll go out, learn a skill, and I¡¯ll make a living out of it.¡± Fear and impatience made her mouth restless. She has packed her things, but there were few things to pack because it wasn¡¯t hers. The only thing was to put neat clothes, money, and something that looked worthwhile in a bag. ¡®Let¡¯s go quickly!¡¯ Hannah awkwardly hugged the bag and secretly left the dorm through the dark. Her room was a few steps away from the children¡¯s quarters. ¡®I¡¯m sorry. Guys. Please meet a good teacher and grow up well. If you¡¯re the king, don¡¯t be a villain, don¡¯t just kill people, don¡¯t burn the village.¡¯ She lifted her heels and sneaked down the hall. ¡®I¡¯ll bring some fire. Why is it so dark?¡¯ She stuttered and moved, touching the wall. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better to just resign and leave?¡± She thought so belatedly and then shook her head. ¡®No.What if they ask me to stay until they find someone new? Don¡¯t be attached to or hateful in the meantime. The answer is just to leave.¡¯ Anyway, there was no need for a good end to the temple, which is the pit of evil. With her heart in mind, Hannah sneakily moved forward. ¡°Teacher.¡± ¡°Ah!!¡± Hannah¡¯s heart beating so fast at the voice she heard suddenly. The bag she was holding in her hand also fell to the floor and was rolling around. ¡°¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤M-Masha?¡± Masha who holding a teddy bear through the open door was rubbing his eyes. Soon the door also opened in Masha¡¯s next room, and Jeremy looking at Hannah and said. ¡°Teacher, where are you going?¡± ¡°Uh, huh?¡± Ian also opened the door. Everyone was full of sleep in their eyes. What kind of midnight meeting is this? Why these kids don¡¯t even sleep? What did your sleeping ear do at the dawn? ¡°Uh¡­ That¡¯s¡­¡± Hanna¡¯s gaze shook anxiously. Masha and the children found her bag rolling over the floor. ¡°Teacher¡± With his hurt eyes. Masha¡¯s voice, which was fiddling with the teddy bear in his hand was a little wet. ¡°Are you abandoning us?¡± At that moment, Hannah¡¯s eyes grew slightly bigger. You, threw it away! Why are you talking like that! Chapter 2 Hannah¡¯s body fluttered when Masha said she was throwing them away. ¡°What¡­, what?¡± I became a shameless person who abandons her children. No, I mean, is that right? I¡¯m running away to save my life, but I¡¯m going to be a cold-hearted adult who leaves them? ¡®Ma, Masha, ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡¯ ¡®Are you really leaving?¡¯ Ian asked. Even Ian¡¯s face, who was only expressionless, had a shade. ¡°See, the new teacher said she wouldn¡¯t like us either!¡± Jeremy said, kicking the door madly. Suddenly I feel like I became a sinner. ¡®I went out of the temple like this¡­¡¯ I felt like someone who had really grown up was coming to revenge for the abandoned. In particular, Jeremy said that he remembered the days of a nursery school while sleeping one day and find himself a knife. (I¡¯m sorry I don¡¯t really understand the last part) ¡°¡­¡­Uh¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤ um¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡± It was a difficult situation. Eventually, Hannah caught Masha¡¯s eyes dripping with tears. The children¡¯s shoulders were drooping. ¡®These children¡­.¡¯ The villains Hannah thought were not like this. The small and hurt little kid was never the villains she thought. ¡°Teacher¡­¡± No matter how poor the children look at it, no matter how hurt they look! I had to leave without looking back. ¡®But, ¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡¯ Suddenly, a voice floated in my head. ¡°Older sister(Nuna)!¡± 10 years ago. Come to think of it, it was a very strange day. ¡®Nuna! Nuna! Let¡¯s go to the supermarket together!¡± Usually, it was rare to refuse my brother¡¯s request to go to the supermarket together, but that day I feel really tired. I can¡¯t go to the nearby supermarket where you can only cross the street. I¡¯m tired of my brother¡¯s crying and screaming so I sent him cold-heartedly to go home. And that day, my younger brother left. To a place where you will never return. It becomes something that can¡¯t be washed away. For a while, it was a sad past when it was so hard to be separated from the children who were about the same height as her younger siblings. ¡°Sister, can¡¯t you come with me?¡¯ That one word still remains a dagger in my heart. And so Hannah was particularly weak to the children with the same age as her younger brother. ¡°Like this, are you leaving us behind¡­?¡± When Masha spoke with his tearful eyes once again, she quickly opened her mouth. ¡°¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤No.¡± It was because of the appearance of the children overlapped with her younger brother. So it is. At that moment, I couldn¡¯t leave the children cold-heartily. ¡°Teacher isn¡¯t going anywhere. I was trying to move the room because it was uncomfortable. Don¡¯t worry. Huh? Masha, don¡¯t cry¡­¡± Hannah felt her heart shrunk when the children cried. Suddenly, Masha ran to her arms and held her. ¡°Teacher, if you abandon us, we won¡¯t¡­ No¡­¡± ¡°Yes, teacher is not going anywhere.¡± Hannah had no choice but to pat Masha¡¯s head and smile awkwardly to Jeremy and Ian. I know these kids aren¡¯t my younger brothers, or maybe it¡¯s just a fantasy of being in the type of the novel, but I can¡¯t turn blind to the crying child. Even thinking that they were poor children, I began to feel more and more concerned. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s weak or stupid, but at least now I couldn¡¯t get rid of the kids in a cruel way. ¡®I am digging my own grave.¡¯ Fortunately, she was thinking positively and saying, ¡°Let¡¯s raise the children to be nice.¡± [Monday Observation Diary] Masha, a lively personality. Loves to eat. Will be violent when angry. Follow what you say and like skinship. He likes dresses and dolls full of frills. Jeremy, precisely through the ugly four and the seven you want to kill. A naughty boy. He likes to bully others. Often using swearing words. Ex) Je**, Idi**, craz**. Ian, blunt. Always expressionless. Extremely hating dirty things. Children¡¯s gloves are expensive. Compliant with instructions, but no great sincerity. Like an old man.] As a result of observation, the children really had a different personality. This is why I wondered why I didn¡¯t like it even though I wondered if he was losing, roasting, and fighting because the personality didn¡¯t match. It would have been much easier to turn the continent into a sea of fire if the three were united. ¡®Well, all the kids¡¯ fight¡­ But are they fight when they grew up?¡¯ Hannah was digging carrots in the vegetable garden and watching the children¡¯s free activities. Masha was on a swing, Jeremy was hitting the bag with a wooden curtain that I didn¡¯t even know where he got it, and Ian was reading a book with a towel on a bench under the shade of a tree. ¡®For some reason, don¡¯t kids of that age get together and play? How can all of them play separately?¡¯ Strangely, the children were from the same childhood. Every time Jeremy said something that didn¡¯t know where he learned it, Ian hated it and despised Jeremy. It was only Masha who was delighted to see the two of them. It was mainly to laugh at them as idiots. Tak. Tak. The hand movement of digging carrots became faster. It was because I had to dig vegetables quickly in time for dinner. ¡°Teacher, can I help you?¡± Masha said, twisting his body in front of Hannah. ¡°Ah, Masha. Can you help me?¡± Hannah took out a shovel and give it to Masha. ¡®What is today¡¯s menu?¡¯ asked Masha, digging in the dirt with brackish hands. ¡°I¡¯m thinking of beef stew. And I will put in a lot of vegetables.¡± ¡°Yeah, but you don¡¯t have to put a lot of vegetables.¡± ¡°I put in a lot because you guys are so picky.¡± Especially Jeremy¡¯s picky was the best of the three. Masha¡¯s pouting his lips at Hannah¡¯s words. ¡°Well, that¡¯s good too.¡± Masha shrugged as if he was sincere. ¡°But, teacher, why are you not taking classes inside and choose to come out every day?¡± Masha asked with a blinking eye. The answer was easy. It was because Hannah didn¡¯t deserve to teach because her knowledge of this world was poor. ¡°I have a slightly different view of education from other people.¡± It was a brazen-faced answer to myself. ¡®Education view?¡¯ ¡°Well, about how to teach you. Rather than opening a book and teaching difficult words, I want you to grow strong in harmony with nature.¡± The words were pretty good, but in fact, the reason was that I just didn¡¯t know anything at all. But it took a lot of courage to reveal to these children. Many adults don¡¯t reveal their weaknesses! ¡°Oh, I see!¡± Masha digs hard and smiles with a can of carrots. ¡®¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤Sorry. It¡¯s just because I¡¯m an idiot.¡¯ Hannah will make sure that she should study about this world before going to bed today. ¡°What are you doing?¡± said Jeremy who kicking Masha¡¯s back, who did not know when he was approaching. There was dirt all over his hands and face. When his hands touched the ground, Masha¡¯s eyes turned to Jeremy¡¯s feet. Masha, who had been silent for a while, stretched his back and smiled. ¡°Where are you kicking with your dirty feet?¡± He said with a smile, but I could see that the horse had a thorn. ¡®Uh¡­ If you do that¡­¡¯ Hannah swallowed her saliva with a shovel in her hand. This was a bad situation. ¡°What do you do with a lot of dirt?¡± Jeremy laughed by shaking his hand. As a result, Masha also raised his body by shaking his hands. ¡°Isn¡¯t it? It¡¯s dirty anyway.¡± ¡°Right, right,¡± said Jeremy, nodding his head, and Masha, grasping Jeremy¡¯s back and put him to the dirt floor. ¡°Ah!¡± Hannah was the only one surprised by this situation. ¡®You¡¯ll just have to turn your back on the dirty one very well anyway!¡¯ Masha ripped Jeremy¡¯s hair off. ¡°Ah! Hey! Won¡¯t you let go?!¡± Suddenly beaten, Jeremy struggling with his arms and legs underneath Hannah surprised and get up to separate these two. ¡°You¡¯re such an idiot, aren¡¯t you?!¡± Masha¡¯s vocabulary is considerable. Especially when he was angry. Hannah grabbed Masha¡¯s arm, but she didn¡¯t budge from the strength as if she was good enough. ¡°Oh, Masha. Stop it! Friends shouldn¡¯t hit each other!¡± ¡°Yes, friends don¡¯t hit each other.¡± Hannah tried to be relieved that her words were through. ¡°But it¡¯s also loser who doesn¡¯t know up and down!¡± However, Hannah¡¯s face turned pale at the words that followed afterward. Masha tried to hit Jeremy once again, but the tide turned in an instant, changing the positions of Jeremy and Masha. Now Masha is rolling back to the dirt floor. ¡°This, where do you hit me with that power?¡± ¡°Jeremy!¡± Oh, God. Hannah was crying for a God she didn¡¯t believe in. ¡°Come on, wait a minute! Guys!¡± Because it was useless to stop them, Ian quietly came to the next to Hannah. ¡°Oh, Ian, are you here to help?¡± Hannah thought Ian was here to help her. But it was a naive idea, by the way. Ian was just looking down at the two of them without expression and at Hannah¡¯s desperate request. Rather, he looked like a man in the back who came to see someone else¡¯s house. When Masha and Jemery were struggling and the dirt splashed on themselves, Ian blocked the dirt with the book he was reading. It was a very good reaction though. Then he looked at the book with a slightly distorted expression. There were some dirt particles on the cover of the book. The amount was small enough for the average person to shake it off. Dug. But Ian threw the book at the two who rolling back. ¡°Ouch!¡± I don¡¯t know who the book hit, but a short scream burst out. And Ian took off the white gloves from his hand. It was also thrown at the children, he threw it away as if it were a trash can, and he moved to the building, shaking his hand. ¡°¡­¡­¡± As she looked at it, Hannah touched her forehead. ¡°Yes. What am I expecting?¡± Somehow I just wanted to go over today. Every day was like a war. With a deep sigh, she turned to the children again. ¡°Stop fighting!¡± Even today, dinner seems likely to be late. Chapter 3.1 It was not difficult to adapt to temple life because of the broken memories left in her body. The temple and the information inside the nursery were also quite useful, perhaps because she grew up in the nursery. If it weren¡¯t for this memory, I wouldn¡¯t have known where to find the High Priest¡¯s room. ¡°So what about the nursery?¡± ¡°The children are doing well.¡± ¡°Well, they need to get rid of these brats and nursery quickly.¡± The fact is this small temple in the countryside was not very well funded. ¡°What do you mean get rid of it?¡± ¡°I kept it because of the funding, but it¡¯s been adjusted since this year. It¡¯s not enough money to take care of three children.¡± How funny. It¡¯s wasn¡¯t the money to raise three children, but he didn¡¯t have enough money to take care of the three children with the least amount of money. Listening to High Priest, Hannah laughed at him for being deceived. ¡°I¡¯d love to get rid of it right away, but if the central temple comes, I can¡¯t get rid of it right away because I¡¯m already throwing up my money.¡± He was a man who never said anything about the divine mercy. He¡¯s only a trash who thinking about money. No I mean, isn¡¯t that the body responsible for childcare is also cut off? He¡¯s really talking about this with the people in front of him. The high priest is really such a tactless person. Or maybe it means you don¡¯t have to worry about whether you are hurt or not. ¡°Where will those children need to go for all of sudden. Once the nursery school disappears, they can¡¯t go anywhere else.¡± If you look at the contents of the novel, the nursery school in the temple did not disappear quickly. The High Priest and Hannah, who did not like it will begin to abuse the children, and eventually, the nursery disappeared and the children were driven to the streets. After that, each of them will grow up as a villain. Masha, who has a talent for magic, is found by a black magician and becomes a lunatic, but he grows up well as a black wizard. Ian was an abandoned royal family, so he was entrusted to a nobleman who kept a secret eye on him. Jeremy was the poorest of them. He comes across a lot of rough path in the back alley. When he was beaten, barely scoured through the trash cans, lost the food he found, and was ill and starved to death, he stepped into the dark side of the back alley as an errand. Fortunately, he survived on the dark side because he had a great talent for swordsmanship. No, since he couldn¡¯t survive and became the head of himself, there would be no need to explain how well he adapted and survived. ¡®But if it goes as it is the original¡­¡¯ From Hannah¡¯s point of view, it was sure that the situation would lead to tears again. It is confirmed that they will go to the High Priest¡¯s neck. They will burn the temple, kill the Priest and me. ¡°Should I care about that? If you¡¯d taken care of him, they will grow up.¡± At the words of the high priest, Hannah thought. ¡®How did 9-year-olds take care of everything under Ian, who is only 10 years old?¡¯ I had a lot of things to say but it just feels like I can¡¯t spit it out. ¡°Anyway, save money as much as possible. Reduce the cost of food. Didn¡¯t you eat meat? I wouldn¡¯t put you in the nursery because of that.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± He should give me the right ingredients! The standards of the ingredients provided by the temple were only as poor as death. Even what he called ¡®meat side dishes¡¯ was what she bought with her prepaid salary. Why do you even think about buying something on someone else¡¯s salary? ¡°Do you want to listen to me when I hear the rod like a child?¡± (I don¡¯t really get this part, I¡¯m sorry) With the High Priest cold eyes, Hannah¡¯s body is hardened. Come to think of it, Hannah also grew up with childhood abuse. No matter how I have been through possession, my body reacts instinctively. Trembling, her hands were shaking slightly. ¡°This is, this is not my memory.. Don¡¯t get nervous.. Don¡¯t trembling¡­¡± However, unlike her mind, her heart didn¡¯t want to calm down. After getting tired of Hannah¡¯s appearance, the High Priest turned his head with a disgusted expression. ¡°I¡¯m saving money somehow until the announcement of the closure of nursery school. I¡¯m looking for a place to send the children through Chason, so I will keep them safe until then.¡± Hannah was turn gray by the news of the High Priest that they will be transferring at least to another nursery school. At the end of the conversation, the expression ¡°they¡± seemed to be not referring to people was a little annoying, but somehow she felt fortunate that the children won¡¯t be driven to the streets. ¡®Yes, it would be better if the kids went to a normal nursery school¡­.¡¯ The children may not grow up to be villains. It would be a far better job than taking care of herself which lacking a lot. ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°Go.¡± The high priest shook his hand and let Hannah out. Chapter 3.2 Chapter 3 Part 2 When Hannah returned to the nursery, the children were gathered in the living room. ¡°I want to eat corn soup.¡± ¡°I want bread! Sweet bread!¡± ¡°You will gain weight if you keep eating such sweet things.¡± ¡°Where is the fat? This is all muscle!¡± Jeremy rolled up his skinny arm. Masha¡¯s expression was distorted by his action. And Ian didn¡¯t seem interested in them in the first place. The children seemed to be concerned over lunch. But their cute faces made Hannah smile. ¡°Teacher likes me more, so you¡¯re going to make what I want, right?¡± ¡°What nonsense?¡± The children¡¯s footsteps approached Hannah as if they were dancing, and the situation became noisy. ¡°Teacher likes me more!¡± Jeremy, who was rolling back on the sofa, jumped up. ¡°Hmph. Stupid! Can¡¯t you tell? Teacher likes me the best!¡± ¡°That¡¯s funny! Shall we bet what she will cook for us today?¡± said Jeremy, pounding on the couch¡¯s cushion. ¡°Here comes the dust.¡± ( Dust came off the cushion when Jeremy pounded on it). Ian¡¯s hard voice flew at Jeremy. ¡°Gross, here we go again!¡± Ian replied to Jeremy¡¯s voice. ¡°Jeremy, at least not you.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Teacher Hannah¡¯s favorite.¡± ¡°What? So you think it¡¯s ¡®Masha¡¯ too?¡± Jeremy raised his voice. His face was full of anguish. ¡°Not Masha.¡± said Ian, who was reading a book slowly turned to Jeremy and Masha. ¡°Why would she like a bunch of troublemakers like you?¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± ¡°So, you mean the teacher likes you more?¡± Ian shrugged with a confident look at Masha¡¯s question. ¡°He¡¯s out of his mind.¡± Said Masha as she clicked her tongue. ¡°Where did she even learn that?¡± Hannah suddenly stepped back, wondering if it was a mistake to enter the living room. ¡°Hey! You should bet too!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Let¡¯s find out what she will cook!¡± ¡°I want fish.¡± Oh my God, Ian¡¯s taste really is like an old man¡¯s. ¡°Let¡¯s decide today whom she likes more!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°How childish.¡± Even when Ian criticized them for being childish, he didn¡¯t say he wouldn¡¯t join. ¡®Let¡¯s pretend I didn¡¯t hear anything¡­¡¯, Hannah thought to herself. However, her plan had gone into vain. ¡°Teacher!¡± ¡°Hm?¡± She had an awkward smile while the children were looking at her with their shining eyes. ¡°Bread! I want some sweet bread! Please make bread for me.¡± ¡°Teacher, corn soup! Soup!¡± ¡°Fish stew¡± This was a problem. She was put to the test again and who would be offended today by her decision of what she would make for lunch. The villains who grew up in the future would remind her of her mistakes today as Hannah played the scenario in her head. ¡°You didn¡¯t make the soup back then, you will get consumed by the flames.¡± She thought it must be really painful to burn to death, so she decided to make the soup, but then another scenario popped in her head. ¡®¡¯You didn¡¯t make my bread that day ten years ago!¡¯¡¯ The voice of the future Jeremy who would eagerly torture her with a sharp poisoned dagger to her throat. Now Hannah needed to make the bread. However, the tyrannical emperor Ian¡¯s voice rang loudly in her ears,¡¯ I can¡¯t believe you didn¡¯t make my fish stew until I did become emperor. I will cut off your neck and hang it on the wall.¡¯ As seeing the guillotine vividly in front of her eyes, Hannah thought she should run to the river to catch fish. Hannah¡¯s face looks like she was going to cry, ¡°Why are you doing this to me?¡± She wanted to cry louder than anyone else right now. ¡°Teacher? Please make me lunch!¡± ¡°What are we going to have for lunch today?¡± At the nonstop asking, Hannah raised her voice and asked the children to take a seat at the table. After everyone sat down in their place, Hannah put a fork in the children¡¯s hands. And the asking continued. ¡°Teacher. How about bread?¡± Jeremy¡¯s sullen eyelids were half-covering his eyes. At first glance, he was like a heartbroken puppy. ¡°Teacher, where is the soup?¡± As expected, Masha, who was looking at the table with her arms crossed with a disappointed look on her face. ¡°No fish?¡± Then, Ian frowned his forehead, showing a bitter expression. An unpleasant air spread across the room. Then Hannah gently sat down in front of them. ¡°Children, you will eat what I want you to eat.¡± On the table was the vegetable salad which she grew in the garden and the meat which she bought yesterday, were prepared. There was no bread, no soup, and no fish. Even though the children¡¯s burning gaze was on Hannah, she held her fork firmly. ¡°Don¡¯t be picky and eat, ok?¡± The children began to eat without making a sound. Hannah began to eat as well, ignoring the children¡¯s stinging gaze, wishing the children would not hold the grudge against her in the future. ¡ª- But that afternoon, Hannah had no choice but to go to the market. It wasn¡¯t until the day passed by half and she was worried the children were hurt. And she was afraid of being unable to give them what they wanted because of their poor finances. ¡°I have to get rid of the danger as much as I can,¡± Hannah mumbled to herself. And wasn¡¯t it better to be sure that the children would not hate her if they really grow up to be villains? Hannah didn¡¯t know if it would happen but what was certain was that the trio of villains in the novel was going to be really vicious. They were just people who would kill other people because they were displeased with them, and the kind of thing that they wanted to do was never, never, ever good. ¡°How much is this fish?¡± Hannah¡¯s shopping basket contained bread, corn, and vegetables. ¡°Give me one silver and you can have it.¡± ¡°Why do you give me such a low price?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you the nursery girl? It¡¯s for the kids, so I¡¯ll give you a good deal.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Hannah concluded that she couldn¡¯t feed the children properly with the ingredients provided by the temple. So from that day on, she started to buy food for the children with her own salary. When the villagers found out about her sad story, they began to give Hannah this and that. ¡°Take this too. It¡¯s delicious if you grill it lightly. There are not many thorns, so it¡¯s good for kids to eat.¡± ¡°Oh, well, I¡¯ll pay for that, too.¡± ¡°No. Just take this. When I saw the kids a few days ago, they were just skin and bones.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Hannah brought the children out a few times because she was afraid they would be frustrated to stay indoors all the time, but the owner of the store, who saw the skinny children, said, ¡°The fish cannot be sold after today anyway,¡± and added a well-packaged fish into Hannah¡¯s shopping basket. However, it was a fresh fish that didn¡¯t show any signs of going bad soon even after washing its eyes. ¡°Children should eat well when they are young.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll take care of it.¡± When Hannah smiled, the fish owner smiled as well. There have been a lot of bad rumors at the nursery school, but because of Hannah, the new nursery was good. ¡°Good luck, then.¡± Bowing after her greetings, Hannah went through the market to buy other ingredients. She has been doing the footwork for many hours, however, the walk back with a lot of ingredients to make delicious food for the children was lighter than hard work. ¡°Hmph, let¡¯s go and make a delicious dinner¡­. huh?¡± As Hannah was on her way back to the nursery, she found a familiar face. ¡°Jason?¡± Chapter 4 Part 1 - I Raised The Villains Preciously Chapter 4 Part 1 : I Raised The Villains Preciously Next to a dark alley where there¡¯s no store sign, Jason is hanging around in front of the building with a suspicious atmosphere. He was one of the juniors in the temple. Jason was usually responsible for some troublesome work. ¡®What kind of errand are you on today?¡¯, wondered Hannah. In fact, it was a temple with so many shabby sides that it was not surprising to see what he was doing. Hannah patted on the reliable shopping basket with her hands to turn off the nerves from Jason. ¡®This should be a luxurious table tonight, right?¡¯ Though her wallet was empty, her heart was generous. ¡®How about a prepaid salary? Hannah¡¯s face darkened because she was worried about next month. ¡°If you sell it as an experiment, the price will double. But the standard is strict. It¡¯s a little difficult even if they¡¯re too young.¡± ¡°How much can you get?¡± ¡°I can take 500 gold per two.¡± ¡°Can you give me a little more for three?¡± As Hannah passed the street, she heard something strange about their conversation. ¡®Experiment?¡¯ Hannah glanced at where Jason was. The person who flipped the black lobster in front of him, ¡®Oh, the bad guy.¡¯ Hannah¡¯s pace slowed down and fell right behind a tree along the road. And then she raised her ear to listen. ¡°Not right now, but I¡¯ll call you when the audit is over.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have a sick spot. Keep in mind.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°Are those nursery children?¡± Her heart sank when she heard the word ¡°nursery¡±. My hands were so weak that I barely managed to hold on to something and almost fell to the floor. ¡°No way..¡± Suddenly, the High Priest¡¯s words came to her mind. ¡®I¡¯m looking for a place to send those kids through Jason¡­¡± ¡®Crazy. Crazy. Crazy!¡¯ The place where he told me to send the children was not another nursery. You were making a vicious plan to sell the children as experiments! Her heart pounded. No matter how garbage the temple is, this is too much trash! She couldn¡¯t stay like this. Sweeping her trembling shoulders, Hannah ran straight to the nursery. ¡ª¡ª- ¡°Oh, it¡¯s corn soup!¡± ¡°It¡¯s bread?¡± ¡°Fish.¡± The children were happy to find the menu they wanted at the generously prepared table. ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t have had to eat bread and fish, but teacher is really..¡± Masha¡¯s cute dimples were shown on his face. It was clear that he was in a good mood when he said so. Masha walked and hugged Hannah¡¯s waist and she rubbed his head. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you for sure, but teacher doesn¡¯t favor anyone more.¡± ¡°Yes, but my bread still tastes the best.¡± Jeremy said, eating the bread with apple jam. Fortunately, the children did not bring up such things as who they love more anymore. In fact, Hannah was trying to smile at the children, but her insides were burning black. It was because the words she heard during the day kept coming in her mind. ¡°Test subjects¡­ Sell them away¡­¡± Her face crumpled by such a terrible thought. She tried to hide it in front of the children, but she couldn¡¯t stop all the long sighs. ¡ª- ¡®I can¡¯t stay like this.¡¯ Wearing pajamas and lying in her bed at the nursery, Hannah could not sleep at all. Daytime work was more nerve-racking than bedtime. ¡°Huh¡­ I¡¯m only getting paid a little bit¡­ I think I am going to get fired soon, and I don¡¯t have any special abilities¡­¡± No matter how much I thought about how to get the children out of danger, I couldn¡¯t find an answer. ¡°Should I go out and live with them¡­¡± It was impossible to take responsibility for the three children, who had no money in hand and had just left their nursery school. Furthermore, she knew and even understood about this world. The nursery should be maintained as long as possible until the children reach adulthood. That was the only answer. She calmly recalled the contents of the novel. The children¡¯s past stories were short stories, but I remembered them shortly after I read it. ¡®The embezzlement of the temple is not a day or two.¡¯ The temple¡¯s funds included donations from believers, subsidies from the country, and additional subsidies for the elderly if there were additional compensation or facilities for the elderly. Can I really remember all those various money streams without a book? It was a natural virtue for villains to the ledger to be discovered. If the children were left alone, they would have been dragged to a bad place. The human conscience does not allow her to see it alone, aside from blaming and killing it later. However, it was clear that she and the children would starve to death if she ran away with them. There¡¯s only one answer. ¡®Find, the ledger books. And threaten, the High Priest.¡¯ She wanted to go search the High Priest¡¯s office under the cover of darkness right now, but taking care of three children during the day was exhausting. ¡°First, let¡¯s go to bed.¡± Hannah couldn¡¯t beat her blinking eyelids and drifted off to sleep. Chapter 4 part 2 - I Raised the Villains Preciously Chapter 4 part 2 : I Raised the Villains Preciously Translated by Tam Edited by Kio ¡°So, let¡¯s think about it again.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°About what?¡± said Masha and Jeremy with a big smile. ¡°What should we bring on a rainy day?¡± ¡°Umbrella?¡± ¡°Umbrella!¡± The answers were very good from the children. ¡°Why do you think you need to use it?¡± ¡°Because you can¡¯t get rained on!¡± ¡°Is that right?¡± Hannah smiled, stroking the wet hairs of Masha and Jeremy. ¡°But why are these friends so wet when they have umbrellas and rain?¡± ¡°You know, it¡¯s fun to step on the muddy water on a rainy day!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! I hear a splash!¡± ¡°Uhm¡­¡± Hannah looked at Masha, whose pink dress turned completely brown due to splashing the muddy water, and Jeremy, who was wearing a mudpack and looking to see where he left his topcoat. ¡®Let¡¯s say that¡¯s the dirty dress. But where did you leave your morning clothes? Hm?¡¯ ¡°If you catch a cold, it hurts a lot. If you guys are sick, do you know how much your teacher¡¯s heart hurts?¡± The children¡¯s excited expressions subsided a little when she spoke with sad faces. ¡°If I¡¯m sick¡­. That¡¯s no good.¡± Masha replied darkly. As if their ears were folded, the children were instantly depressed, and Hannah, who had been acting sad was a little embarrassed. No but it doesn¡¯t have to be this gloomy! ¡°Hm, hm.¡± Hannah hurriedly straightened her neck and stroked the arms of Jeremy and Masha. ¡°Next time, we¡¯ll decide not to get rained on a rainy day like today, all right? Let¡¯s hurry up and go wash up in the warm water.¡± Masha and Jeremy nodded. ¡°Ian, let¡¯s go wash up together.¡± Ian looked at Masha and Jeremy who were dirty, and expressed his disapproval with a crumpled look. However, Hannah urged Ian and said ,¡¯Quickly.¡¯ Cleanliness is good, but overdoing it will make you uncomfortable! I hoped Ian¡¯s mysophobia would be fixed soon. ¡°Come on. Jeremy and Ian, over there, go to the men¡¯s bath, and Masha, come here.¡± When I delivered the soap and towel to Jeremy and Ian, the children blinked. Masha was also staring at Hannah. ¡®Huh? What¡¯s wrong?¡¯ Anything else you need? Hannah scoured the bath basket. ¡°¡­¡­That, teacher¡ª¡± ¡°You should take a bath, even if you don¡¯t like it. Especially Masha and Jeremy who are covered with germs. Come on.¡± Hannah pulled Masha¡¯s hands. ¡°Jeremy! You must wash thoroughly! If you don¡¯t wash it properly, teacher will wash it!¡± ¡°Teacher, that¡ª!¡± ¡°Hurry up and get in! You¡¯re going to catch a cold!¡± Hanna took Masha and went into the bath in an instant, wondering if the children didn¡¯t want to wash. Jeremy stared blankly at the front of the bath, where Hannah and Masha had disappeared. Not only Jeremy, but Ian¡¯s expression was also dumbfounded. ¡°¡­Masha.¡± ¡°¡­That again.¡± Jeremy and Ian went into the men¡¯s bathroom, shaking their heads with a sigh. ¡ª- Behind the temple was a stream of hot spring water. ¡®What a luxury in the world to have such a hot spring bath?¡¯ Hannah laughed and lined up her bath products. ¡°Masha let¡¯s take our clothes.¡± Masha stood up, and hesitated. Hannah approached Masha and began to untie the string of the dress. ¡®By the way, neither Masha nor Jeremy is like a cat that doesn¡¯t want to wash up.¡¯ And come to think of it, it was her first time washing the children. It was because everyone was used to doing it on their own and never asked for help. Hannah smiled and stripped Masha of their clothes. No, I took it off and put it up again. ¡®¡­what did I just see?¡¯ Hannah rubs her eyes with one hand. She put down Masha¡¯s clothes again. And then put it up again. ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°¡­..¡± Masha and Hannah¡¯s eyes met in the air. ¡°¡­Masha..¡± Hannah¡¯s butt flopped down on the floor. ¡®Why, why does Masha have it?!¡¯ The pupil vibrated violently under the wide open eyelid. ¡®What did I just see? That little cute high¡­ No, what is that elephant!¡¯ ¡°You¡­ You¡­¡± ¡°Yes teacher¡­¡± Masha twisted and scratched under his ear. His face changed a little. ¡°¡­You¡¯re a boy?!¡± Hannah¡¯s loud voice echoed in the bath. Probably over to the next guy¡¯s bath. ¡°Haha¡­¡± In the meantime, Hannah was in shock, with her mouth wide open, looking at Masha who was smiling brightly. Masha who likes pink dresses. And Masha with cute pigtails. If it¡¯s a cute doll, it¡¯s Masha. Every day, he played the role of Mom in the game. ¡®What do you mean, Masha was a boy? Excuse me Writer, Masha is a boy?¡¯ ¡°L-lets go.¡± Hannah, who found out about Masha¡¯s secret she didn¡¯t know, couldn¡¯t keep her sanity even when she tried to move him to the men¡¯s bath. Hannah¡¯s feelings were very complicated as she looked at the back of Masha entering the ¡°man¡± bath with his long hair tingling. ¡®Why are you dressing up as a girl?¡ª¡¯ Hannah had to sit in a hot spring and think about Masha so that her body became red. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s because he¡¯s still young¡­. He hasn¡¯t established his sexuality, no! But he¡¯s been described as a woman at the age of 30!¡± As she jumped to her feet, the hot spring water gurgled and flooded. ¡°This lunatic black magician with fatal beauty!¡± Hannah was caught in a sense of betrayal. It was a cute girl. A girl¡­ Suddenly, an elephant flashed across my mind. ¡®Huh.., I completely fell for it¡¯ This world, it was a place with more secrets than it looked. (tn : I¡¯ve fixed Masha with the female pronouns in the previous chapter (before Hannah knew if he¡¯s a boy) to avoid the misunderstanding, thank you!) Chapter 5.1 Chapter 5 Part 1 : I Raised the Villains Preciously Translated by Tam Edited by Kio That night, Hannah, who barely managed to get out of the confusion, was wondering if she should straighten Masha like a normal boy. ¡°Masha, do you have any thoughts of wearing comfortable pants?¡± As she touched Masha¡¯s bedside and asked, Masha looked down at the doll and opened his mouth. ¡°Uhm.. But the pants aren¡¯t pretty.¡± ¡°Dress, aren¡¯t you uncomfortable with that?¡± ¡°I like frills like this. The laces are good!¡± Hugging the pink teddy bear tightly, Masha smiled. ¡°I-is that so¡­¡± What should we do¡­ He said he likes it.. Hannah felt like crying while avoiding Masha¡¯s gaze. Let¡¯s try to stay positive. There are many people with various different preferences around the world. Masha¡¯s taste might be a little unique, but it¡¯s not wrong. She shouldn¡¯t instill any prejudice in raising children. Hm. Hannah took a note out of her dress. [Children¡¯s Gender, Moral Values, Parenting. Is it all good?] She was planning on picking out these books from the bookstore. ¡°Teacher?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Masha called Hannah carefully. ¡°You don¡¯t like me because I look like this?¡± Martha¡¯s eyes were moist as she looked up at Hannah. It was like a water balloon that would explode if she touched it. ¡®It can¡¯t be¡­¡¯ Is Masha, who was only bright, looking at her like this? She was worried that she was making a grievous expression to Masha without even knowing. And then she started to slowly stroke Masha¡¯s red hair. ¡°Masha, I don¡¯t like you because you¡¯re a girl.¡± ¡°But¡ª Don¡¯t I look gross?¡± His voice was full of anxiety. It wasn¡¯t like the usual Masha. ¡°People who love you, don¡¯t care what you look like. It¡¯s not because you¡¯re a girl or a boy, but because they just like you.¡± ¡°Teacher¡ª¡± She tried not to touch the tearful pouch as much as she could, but Masha hugged him with tears. ¡®The villains are just unstable kids when they¡¯re young.¡¯ Hannah patted Masha on the back. She listened patiently to Masha talking about his favorite frill dress for over 30 minutes. ¡°I like the imperial dress, but I also like the national-neat falling dress!¡± (tn: I¡¯m sorry masha I don¡¯t know what you are saying. En: same tam, same.) ¡°Ah, is that so?¡± She felt closer to Masha as she listened to what he liked, what he disliked, and such stories. She thought she knew the children pretty well, but she didn¡¯t even know about Masha¡¯s gender. (Editor note: Hannah is talking about when she thought Masha was a girl.) It was something that she couldn¡¯t laugh about. As the reader, she knew nothing about the future. And now the childrens are not the villains. They were just little kids who had to be protected and cared for. So Hannah patted Masha¡¯s back until she heard the sound of his breathing even. And then had a thought. ¡®Then should the underwear be for girls or boys?¡¯ It was a serious problem that she couldn¡¯t ask herself. Hannah is one step away from the fireball ending today Chapter 5.2 - I Raised The Villains P Chapter 5 pt 2 : I Raised The Villains Preciously Translated by Tam Edited by Kio There is no one in the world who likes to say things that are unfortunate. Especially Hannah who was desperately shouting out to the vicious High Priest. ¡°Another prepaid salary again?¡± It was also the second time that she had to split her prepaid salary. ¡°¡­.Yes.¡± Even in the midst of the awkward situation, she looked around the office to avoid the High Priest¡¯s gaze. He looked no different from his usual self. He was always well-kept. Where would the ledger be hidden? ¡°Can¡¯t you manage your money? Where do you waste your salary while eating and sleeping in the temple? Do you drink alcohol on the street and spend it in crap?¡± The High Priest clicked his tongue. ¡®That seems too prejudiced¡­¡¯ Is that the nature and personality of the body¡¯s owner? Hannah was unhappy at the gaze of the High Priest who looked at her as if she was pathetic. However, it was to make up for the lack of food, clothing, and shelter of the children, and there was no good excuse, so she just kept silent. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it, so go wait over there.¡± ¡°Yes, thank you.¡± He split the money three times. ¡°Are the children doing well?¡± ¡°They¡¯re doing well.¡± Her fists were trembling because she knew that this trash-like High Priest¡¯s question wasn¡¯t a concern that came from a good heart. A shameless old man, he¡¯ll fall into hell. ¡°Okay, you can go then.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± While leaving the door, Hannah looked carefully at the frame and bookcase on the wall. Tak. As the door closed and she stepped out into the hallway, a familiar face stood at the door. ¡°Hello, Priest Jason.¡± ¡°Hello Miss Hannah. How¡¯s the nursery school?¡± His question is obvious that he¡¯s making sure the nursery is doing well so he can sell the kids. Hannah released a sigh. Is there no normal adult here? The name of the book wasn¡¯t ¡®The World of Villains¡¯ for no reason. It¡¯s full of bad guys everywhere. ¡°Well, everything is going well.¡± ¡°Are any of the children sick at all?¡± Look at this. It¡¯s so obvious. If she didn¡¯t know anything, wouldn¡¯t she believe he was worried about the kids? ¡°The kids don¡¯t have any appetite because of the rain¡­. They should eat well to be healthy, but the ingredients distributed at the temple are terrible. Well, you already know that, don¡¯t you?¡± Hannah looked up at Jason with a sad look on purpose. ¡°If even one person catches a cold, they¡¯ll all catch it soon. Phew, these days, colds don¡¯t go away easily, and children¡¯s bodies are so weak that they might get sick¡­ Uhm¡­¡± Jason¡¯s face frowned as she pretended to be very serious. ¡°Do you need medicine?¡± He must have been quite worried about having the kids healthy to sell at a high price. ¡°I think I need healthy food rather than medicine. I hope they can enjoy fruit full of vitamins.¡± ¡°Please write down what you need.¡± ¡°Oh my, really?¡± Of course, I knew it. Jason is more aggressive about the health of the children as if he¡¯s the thirsty man who¡¯s digging a well. Of course, the inside was an ugly human. ¡°Then I¡¯ll deliver it by evening.¡± ¡°Alright then, I will meet the High Priest.¡± ¡°Yes, have a good day.¡± I turned around with a nod. Beep, tak. As the office door closed, she slipped back on the path she had walked. Then, she looked out for anyone in the hallway and put her ear close to the office. ¡®Did you recognize it?¡¯ ¡®The head.. Then¡­¡¯ ¡®When¡­¡¯ ¡®Thank you¡­ The Summer¡­¡¯ ¡®Contact from the Central Temple¡­.¡¯ Their voices were unclear, but there was no difficulty in grasping the context with roughly the words before and after. The plan was to sell off the children after the final inspection of the National Guard from the Central Temple. And that they must take action under any circumstance before the Summer is over. Unfortunately, there was no mention of the ledger. Hannah quickly rose to her feet. That was all the information she needed. ¡ô¡ó¡ô¡ó¡ô¡ó¡ô¡ó¡ô¡ó The next day, a large cart arrived at the Nursery. Hannah racked her brain for what the Nursery needed most; and asked for the ingredients needed for a nutritional diet, new bedding, and new clothes. Fortunately, Jason was willing to give this much support because he had a grand dream of selling the children at a high price. ¡®Hm, the stupid brat.¡¯ She¡¯s not going to let their plans work, but isn¡¯t it a good idea to use what¡¯s available? ¡°Teacher, what is all this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a gift from God because you¡¯re kind, strong and well grown.¡± She didn¡¯t want to say anything like God or other nonsense but she couldn¡¯t tell the children the truth. ¡°Wow! There¡¯s a dress!¡± ¡°I think that would look good on you?¡± ¡°Teacher, can I eat this?¡± Jeremy was holding up a sweet snack. ¡°Of course. You can enjoy your snack without worry today.¡± She was restricting the children because they ate too many sweets, but today she was in a good mood and allowed them to eat as much as they wanted. ¡°Please wash and spread this blanket.¡± Ian said, pointing to the extraordinarily white and fluffy blanket. ¡°Do you like it?¡± Ian nodded his head with a bright face. Oh my, you like blankets more than snacks and new clothes. It¡¯s unique, but it¡¯s so cute! ¡°All right. All right. Then let¡¯s move it together now!¡± At last, Hannah thought that there was a way to stop from getting a split of her paycheck. Why is it so fun to rob bad guys? ¡°Hm~ hm~¡± Hannah hummed happily. ¡ô¡ó¡ô¡ó¡ô¡ó¡ô¡ó¡ô¡ó It was a dark night. It was the best condition for sneaking around. Hannah picked up a candlestick and headed for the temple. The guard wasn¡¯t working hard at the temple as there was nothing to steal. It was rather fortunate for Hannah. She secretly headed to the office of the High Priest. Kiiiiik. ¡®The guys who embezzle a lot of money will always live with some sort of security to protect them.¡¯ The squeaky noise of the door made her frown. ¡®That portrait, that drawer, behind that bookcase.¡¯ She scattered and searched the usual suspicious places first. The portrait was always crooked, even though he would never touch it, and the drawer was always locked with a key. In fact, the most suspicious thing was the bookshelf, which was because the High Priest¡¯s left the difficult books in the bookshelf one after another while giving off an ignorant appearance. There was no doubt about anything. Let¡¯s start with the bookshelf. Hannah relied on the candlestick for light. She picked up and took out the books to make sure there was no secret space. It didn¡¯t seem to be touched very often as she saw dust on the books. ¡°Cough.¡± She guessed that there was one place left. It was where she saw the Priest cleaning. She soon gave up on the bookshelf and headed towards the drawer. As expected, it was locked. So she opened the other unlocked drawers. Why do you have ink, a pen, note paper, and walnuts? If she had known this, she would have learned how to open a lock with a safety pin. Studying for exams in her previous life was useless for her now. ¡®Huh?¡¯ A key was attached to the ceiling of the small drawer. ¡®Why would you put something like this here? It¡¯s not like gum, is it?¡¯ She was happy to find it, but she was a little bit uncomfortable by the key that hung from something squishy. And there was a little anxiety. ¡®He¡¯s a suspicious person when things go easy¡ª¡¯ Click. The drawer opened when the key turned. Inside a drawer with a very deep¡ª ¡°Perverted bastard.¡± It was full of an erotic picture book. ¡®Oh! I knew this would happen! I thought things were going well!¡¯ In case it might be a fake, she checked out each picture book. ¡®Fake shit. Where the hell did you get this?¡¯ She searched through the drawer and put it back. ¡®I can¡¯t believe this money-mad High Priest is a pervert. I must be careful.¡¯ She locked the drawer again and put the key in place. ¡°As expected..¡± The vault is best hidden when it¡¯s behind the painting. The High Priest must know something. Hannah headed to the last location of her suspicions. Then she sneaked up to the painting. ¡°Huh?¡± In conclusion, there was no vault behind the painting. There was just a wall, and something strange was drawn instead. ¡®The patterns of the temple¡ª? No, it¡¯s not.¡¯ The red pattern was the first to be seen. The circle seemed to be overlaid with several numbers. ¡®2? 5? 8?¡¯ It was messy, so she couldn¡¯t figure out what it was exactly. Hannah once again hung the portrait properly. She left the office carefully after checking to see if there were any traces of her. Although she figured it would be a waste of time, Hannah decided to double check her tracks. Afterwards she walked back to her quarters in the dark hallway of the Nursery. ¡®But what was the pattern on the wall for?¡¯ Chapter 6 - I Raised the Villains Preciously Chapter 6 : I Raised the Villains Preciously The next day. The kids have been noisy since morning. Hannah, who ran to the dormitory without washing her hair because it was still early in the morning, was surprised that it wasn¡¯t Masha and Jeremy who were having a quarrel outside. ¡°Ah! Do it properly!¡± ¡°You¡¯re spitting. Shut your mouth!¡± Jeremy was running wild on the road, and Ian was sitting at an angle, crumpling his face. ¡°What, what¡¯s going on¡­?¡± She gently approached and asked Masha, who was touching the doll in the corner. ¡°Ian keeps arguing about what Jeremy does.¡± ¡°For what reason?¡± ¡°He said that toys are messy, he¡¯s dirty because he doesn¡¯t wash up in the morning, or he keeps spitting when he talks.¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± The children can¡¯t be as clean as adults¡­ No, it would be difficult even for adults to meet the strict standards of Ian. Ian hated being touched by anyone, and he couldn¡¯t stand the dirty environment. He always carries gloves and handkerchiefs. Is he that kind of person born with that kind of personality? ¡°Since when has Ian been so neat?¡± ¡°He has always been like that.¡± ¡°Is he never dirty?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯s been this conscious of dirt before, but¡­I think it¡¯s getting worse each day.¡± Said Masha, while brushing his doll¡¯s hair. He didn¡¯t seem particularly interested in the situation. ¡°Yeah.¡± It¡¯s nice to have a neat personality, but if you get too obsessed, you¡¯ll be tired of living your life. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll have to wait and see.¡± She must break down Ian¡¯s mysophobia! ***** ¡°Ian, shall we go play with sand?¡± That afternoon, Hannah approached Ian with a shovel and a small basket. ¡°Sand¡­ Play?¡± His creased eyebrows were expressing repulsion. ¡°I want to read a book.¡± Ian held up the book he was reading. It was a clear rejection. ¡°Well, can you help me then?¡± She¡¯ll change the direction. Ian refused to play, but he was not the type to refuse a request for help. ¡°¡­what is it?¡± ¡°I have to dig potatoes out of the vegetable garden. Phew, my arm hurts so much that I can¡¯t shovel it.¡± Said Hannah while tapping her arms. The pupils of Ian¡¯s eyes were shaking. ¡°Potato¡­ dirt¡­¡± Ian¡¯s voice was shaking slightly. ¡°Can you¡­ Help me please?¡± Hannah used the sparkling-eyes attack she learned from her children as a decisive hit. Ian was troubled for a short while. Soon, he closed the book he was reading and got up with a sigh. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Oh! As expected, she knew this would work. Hannah took Ian to the garden. If he touches the dirt little by little, he¡¯ll be less sensitive to cleanliness. She took out a shovel and sat in front of the potato plantation. She was across from Ian and she squatted down. ¡°Hmm. The shovel is here, the basket is here¡­ Huh? What are you doing Ian?¡± When she looked up and saw Ian, Ian was wearing a pair of gloves. One, two, three, four¡­ five. How many layers of gloves do you wear? Ian¡¯s hands were too chubby to bend. ¡°Can you pick up potatoes in that way?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°When your hands are chubbier than the potatoes?¡± Ian wiggled his hands around his gloves with an expressionless face. ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡± She thought he wouldn¡¯t do it, but she decided to watch until he realized it himself. Ian tried to pick up the shovel next to him, but the shovel kept falling out of his hand. Several times, Hannah, who became frustrated, picked up a shovel and placed it between Ian¡¯s thumb and index finger. ¡°What do you think? Can you move?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ian began digging in an uncomfortable position. He struggled to dig with the shovel. Nevertheless, she could see that Ian¡¯s personality is really stubborn. Evident in his persistence to dig the ground until the potatoes come out. ¡®Is that one-of-a-kind personality contributing to becoming a tyrant?¡¯ A small suspicion arose, but she shook her head vigorously. Nursery School without prejudice! She had to have an open-mind. ¡°Oh. The potatoes are here.¡± Then, a white potato covered in dirt appeared. ¡°You have to take it out while gently brushing it off so you don¡¯t get hurt.¡± His chubby hands grabbed the roots of potatoes and shook the soil. Because of how funny his appearance was, Hannah tried to keep in her laughter and swallowed it down. ¡°Look at this. There are delicious potatoes coming out of the soil. It¡¯s not dirty, is it? ¡°¡­.We wash and eat it.¡± ¡°Ah, I actually just shake it very roughly. Because all of this is going into your mouth.¡± One by one, the potatoes Ian had shaken were moved to the basket by Hannah. ¡°Why¡­ Don¡¯t you wash it clean?¡± ¡°No?¡± Ian¡¯s voice was somewhat strange, and Hannah looked up, Ian stared at her as if he was betrayed. Oh, wait a minute. Why do you look so hurt? ¡°I-Ian?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ll go in first.¡± Ian got up and made a mad dash towards the Nursery. ¡°Wait¡­ Ian? Aren¡¯t you running too fast to the building? ¡°Ian¡ª¡± Looking at Ian moving away, Hannah was dumbfounded. Why would he feel so betrayed just because she didn¡¯t wash the potatoes? Is it really such a sin not to wash potatoes in this world? Hannah holding the basket of potatoes, stood there for a while with a blank expression. ****** ¡°Hey Ian, let¡¯s try this.¡± Hannah put out a salad made of canned potatoes in front of him. Once Ian returned to the Nursery, he immediately took a bath and changed his clothes. There were still white gloves on his hands, and the tightly buttoned seemed more suffocating than usual. ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Said Ian without looking at Hannah. He must be really upset. ¡°Oh, okay. Eat it when you want. Guys, this is Ian¡¯s canned potato. Taste it.¡± When she recommended the children the potato salad, Masha moved his fork into the potato salad and looked at Ian sitting with a sulky expression. ¡°Teacher, I want to dig the potatoes too.¡± ¡°Okay, next time let¡¯s do it together with Masha and Jeremy.¡± ¡°Oh, it would be nice if cookies were grown from trees.¡± Jeremy said in wonderment, with his mouth full of meat sauce. ¡°Pigs like you would eat it all.¡± ¡°But how did Ian touch the dirt? He¡¯s not the kind of guy to do that.¡± Right. She shouldn¡¯t have asked him to do that. ¡°That¡¯s because teacher wishes for us to be close to nature¡­ Like experiential learning?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯re dirty, right? Anyway, it¡¯s because you¡¯re so sensitive that you¡¯re not manly,¡± Jeremy jabbed. ¡°Would you please stop talking about manliness in front of me?¡± Masha wrinkled his brow as if he was displeased. Jeremy shook his head when he saw Masha. ¡°Anyway, everyone here is weird except for me.¡± Jeremy hit the table in objection. Oh, my. She doesn¡¯t know if the rice goes into her mouth or her nose today. (Editor note: like snorting rice up her nose) ¡°You can¡¯t say that, Jeremy.¡± Hannah smiled awkwardly and spoke to Jeremy, and Jeremy said with a straight face, ¡°Don¡¯t mind him, teacher. Just go play with me instead.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll play with you a lot, so don¡¯t say that. You¡¯re going to be kind to Ian, right?¡± Please, Jeremy, you too! You¡¯ve got to be sensible! ¡°I¡¯m the only one who says nice things.¡± It wasn¡¯t long before Jeremy became upset. And it was a total mess. ***** ¡°Well, shall we play with some paints?¡± Hannah pulled out the paper and paint and spread it out in front of the children. ¡°Painting! I like it! Let¡¯s stamp our hands!¡± Jeremy clapped and stamped his feet. ¡°Oh! That¡¯s a good idea. Shall we stamp our hands together?¡± ¡°Please red for me!¡± Masha said, pointing to the red paint. Hannah spread the paper wide on the floor, and Masha and Jeremy sat next to each other. She opened the red bucket and put it in front of Masha. ¡°What color would you like Jeremy?¡± ¡°Green!¡± ¡°Oh, green is pretty, too!¡± When she applied the green paint on Jeremy¡¯s hand with a brush, Jeremy¡¯s hand felt tickled by the brush. ¡°Teacher! Look at my hands!¡± Masha giggled at his red hand stamp on the paper. The handprints on the paper were so small. Hannah laughed at their cute handprints. Jeremy also began to press his hand painted green on paper. ¡°There, Jeremy.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you stamp all five fingers?¡± If he only puts his middle finger on that¡­ It makes the viewer feel very strange. ¡°I want to stamp everything!¡± ¡°T-that¡¯s right¡­ Let¡¯s do it!¡± Hannah stared at Ian sitting in a chair in the corner of the room, stroking Jeremy¡¯s hair. ¡°Ian, do you want to join me?¡± When Hannah spoke to Ian, who had distanced himself away with a heavy heart, he looked at the paper and paints and turned his head. ¡®Hmm.¡¯ Hannah didn¡¯t give up because she knew Ian enjoyed painting. ¡°Ian, let¡¯s stamp our hands together~¡± She approached Ian with pretty yellow paint. ¡®I¡¯m taking off those gloves today!¡¯ Hannah who was full of determination, encouraged Ian, ¡°Hm? But this is really fun~¡± Ian leaned away when he noticed Hannah approaching with yellow paint. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Ian? Let¡¯s have fun. Without Ian¡¯s hand stamp, it¡¯s going to be sad.¡± Hannah smiles at Ian evilly. Ian looked up at her doubtfully. ¡°Should we take off your gloves first?¡± Hannah¡¯s hand went to Ian¡¯s glove, and Ian jumped. ¡°Oh, my. Ian! I¡¯ll help you!¡± When Hannah touched the gloves, Ian pulled them back desperately to protect them. ¡°Teacher!¡± An exasperating voice called out. Of course, it would have stopped with the usual Hannah, but now Hannah was fueled with determination. Those gloves! I¡¯ll take them off! After a number of futile attempts, Hannah finally snatched Ian¡¯s gloves. And yanked as hard as she could. Chapter 7.1 Chapter 7 part 1 : I Raised a Villains Preciously ¡°Success!¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Hannah transferred the paint from her hand to Ian¡¯s hands. ¡°¡­..¡± Ian stared blankly at his yellow palms. ¡®Hoo, hoo, hoo.¡¯ Hannah¡¯s hand on her waist was like a male villain in a manhwa. ¡°Wow~ Look at the Teacher¡¯s vicious expression.¡± ¡°Yeah. What should we do, Ian?¡± Hannah finally came to her senses when she heard the children whispering behind her back. ¡®Was it too much?¡¯ Ian, still looking down at his hands, was silent. ¡°Um¡­ Ian?¡± She called out to Ian with a nervous feeling. ¡°¡­Uh.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± She couldn¡¯t understand what he meant with his small voice. ¡°¡­I really hate you.¡± ¡°Huh!¡± Hannah was shocked by Ian¡¯s words. ¡°I¡­ Ian?¡± Ian struck Hannah¡¯s arm as she put her hand on Ian¡¯s shoulder, which was like stone. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me.¡± There was a pool of tears in his eyes when Ian raised his head. Ian rose from his chair with an angry face and stormed out of the room. Meanwhile, Hannah remained shocked. ¡°¡­what have I done?¡± It daunted on her that what she had done was wrong. ¡°Oh, no. He¡¯s completely angry.¡± ¡°Yeah. I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll come for dinner? I should eat it.¡± ¡°Teacher, are you crying?¡± The children whispered as they watched Hannah squatting on the floor and putting her face on her knees. Hannah felt like crying when she saw the yellow and small handprints on her arm. The hurt look in Ian¡¯s eyes could not be erased. **** Knock knock. She knocked on Ian¡¯s door. ¡°Ian¡­ I left warm milk and snacks at the door. I¡¯m sorry about earlier. Please forgive me. I thought I was being playful, but I went too far. If you don¡¯t want to do something, you don¡¯t need to do it. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Hannah, who put the tray down at the door, turned around. She was at the edge of the hall and looked back again. She was wondering if the door would open. However, the door did not open at the end. ¡°The milk should be taken before it cools down¡­.¡± Her steps were heavy. Hannah breathed a sigh as she vented out her frustration. The front yard of the Nursery school was also a large hill because the Temple was on a low mountain. As she looked at the mountain, her emotions finally started to calm. ¡°Raising kids, it¡¯s difficult.¡± Is there anything else in the world that¡¯s so hard? In fact, in her previous life, Hannah had lived far from parenting except for a brief visit to her nephew. So she didn¡¯t know the proper way to parent children. As an adult, she thought it was right to correct bad habits, but is it really right to fit children to the standards of adults? ¡°Phew, I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t know!¡± On second thought, she only had a headache. Eventually, Hannah ran like a madman in front of the Nursery with tears in her eyes. After running around for a long time, she shouted with her arms open to the sky. ¡°Father, give me the answer!¡± Munch! Munch! Before going to sleep, Jeremy, who was looking out the window while chewing on the hidden, clicked his tongue as he looked at Hannah. ¡°Everyone must be out of their minds here.¡± Jeremy, who was watching Hannah for a long time, blew out the candles and walked away. And today he was sure that he was the most normal human being here. Hannah, who had run around like a crazy person for a long time, also returned to her room. Hannah, sitting in front of her room desk, reflected on the day calmly. ¡°Well, then let¡¯s write something else today before we write a diary.¡± Hannah took her diary out of the drawer and picked up white paper. Then she dipped her pen in ink and wrote on the piece of paper, ¡®Last¡­. Will.¡¯ What she was writing was a will. ¡°If I disappear in the execution, I¡¯ll leave my will in advance.¡± Hannah recalled only two of the three death routes. ****** Of course the tray in front of Ian¡¯s door remained untouched. Her heart was miserable when she threw it away with her own hands. ¡®Phew¡­¡¯ ¡°Teacher, how many times did you sigh today?¡± Maybe every time she breathed? ¡°Just let it go. He¡¯s stupid to be that upset.¡± Finally, Ian said he would skip breakfast. The breakfast she prepared by vigorously scrubbing and washing the vegetables was not able to get into Ian¡¯s mouth. ¡°Why don¡¯t we have an outdoor class today?¡± ¡°Is it raining?¡± ¡°We have to go through rainy days to see that life is always sunny.¡± ¡°I like it. I like the sticky snail.¡± However despite the situation Jeremy is always bright. ¡°That¡¯s right¡­ I like rain¡­ Rain¡­ Rain?!¡± Hannah suddenly jumped up from the table. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Teacher?¡± ¡°Ian¡¯s blanket! Chapter 7.2 - I Raised The Villains Preciously Chapter 7 Part 2 : I Raised The Villains Preciously ¡°Ian¡¯s blanket! I finally remembered that Ian¡¯s new blanket was placed on the highest sunny spot on the hill. ¡°I¡¯m going crazy!¡± Forgetting that she was in front of the children, Hannah sped out in a hurry. Masha and Jeremy met their eyes as they watched Hannah disappear. ¡°Wow. If Ian finds out¡­¡± ¡°Your eyes will be turned inside out and my mouth will be bubbly?¡± (Note: Basically poisoned. Like imagine cauldron bubble toil and trouble posion) ¡°Oh no, I feel sorry for the teacher.¡± Masha cut down on the crumbly bread and looked at the window clouded by the pouring rain. It was as dark as Hannah¡¯s future. And it¡¯s wet. The sound of water soaking shoes and rain hitting the ground made her ears hurt. ¡°Argh!¡± Hannah was already soaked in water and cried as she saw the new drooping blanket. It wasn¡¯t noticeable because of the pouring rain. ¡°Uh¡­ I¡¯ve got a guillotine now.¡± Hannah, who removed the blanket, staggered by the heavier weight because of the rain. The blanket was full of cotton, so it was plump. She walked with the drenched fuzzy blanket, but the blanket obscured her view and the way. And at that moment¡­ ¡°Ohh!¡± Hannah¡¯s body slipped into the slippery muddy water. ¡°Ah!¡± A terrible pain came up from her tailbone. The blanket was already rolling in the mud. ¡°¡­It¡¯s ruined¡­ Everything is ruined.¡± Hannah lay down on the ground as she was. She wondered how she came here and became like this, and she laughed in vain. ¡°Haha.¡± ¡®I¡¯m so sad and feel like dying!¡¯ She couldn¡¯t open her eyes because of the rain. ¡®I¡¯m a mess.¡¯ She just closed her eyes and hoped she would disappear into the dirt. At that time, the rain that hit her forehead and cheek stopped suddenly. ¡®What? Did it stop raining all of a sudden?¡¯ Hannah slowly opened her eyes. Her vision was all yellow. ¡°¡­Ian?¡± There, Ian looked down at her and held an umbrella. ¡°Why¡­ Are you here¡­¡± Ian hates rain. As long as Ian¡¯s gaze swept away from the muddy water, he touched me once, and touched his muddy blanket. Ian¡¯s gaze was looking at me, and then looked at the blanket covered in dirt. Each time Hannah¡¯s body shrank from tension. After checking the circumstances, Ian sighed and opened his mouth. ¡°You¡¯ll catch a cold.¡± Hannah¡¯s heart ached at the expressionless words he threw. Ian reached out to her with his hand that didn¡¯t hold an umbrella. His hands were strangely bare. ¡°¡­I¡¯m dirty.¡± Hannah looked down at herself. Her clothes, hair, and hands were covered in mud. ¡°I know.¡± Hannah stared blankly at his white little hand that stretched out to her. For a long time, she couldn¡¯t tell whether it was a dream or not. Carefully, she reached towards his pale hand with her dirty hand. At the moment Ian¡¯s hand flinched, but he didn¡¯t take it out. And the warmth spread through the hands. At that moment, the sorrow that had plagued Hannah was shattered. ¡°¡­Ian.¡± Hot tears mixed in the cold rain water and flowed dowon her cheeks. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Ian tried to hand over his umbrella to Hannah, but the umbrella fell to the ground. Hannah hugged Ian tightly. ¡°Ian. Uh-Hu¡­ How much do I have, uh-huh.¡± Hannah cried like a child. Ian hardened his face to the muddy water that has stained his body. But he didn¡¯t push her away. It was just a pat on Hannah¡¯s back. And the rain stopped. There was a fresh scent of life on the ground. ******* Munch. Munch. Jeremy and Masha, who were watching Ian and Hannah¡¯s drama by the window, bit the snack. ¡°Did you tell him?¡± ¡°What are you talking about? He must have been worried about his blanket outside in the rain.¡± Masha was secretly amazed. He had no idea why he loved his teacher so much until he asked Ian why he was doing this to his teacher. ¡°That¡¯s a big deal.¡± Ian, who has always been like an ice cube, goes to comfort hers while letting his own body to get dirty. ¡°Ah, teacher should only be my teacher.¡± Masha envied them as he looked out of the window with his chin on his fist. Munch, Munch. Jeremy who was looking outside was silent and didn¡¯t say anything. ****** ¡°Cough, cough.¡± Eventually, Hannah caught a cold. She rolled on the floor in the raincoat, and it was more strange that he was fine. ¡°Cough, Ian, teacher is okay. You¡¯ll catch a cold if you stay close to me. You can go.¡± The next day, it was Ian. Of course, the only way to warm up is the porridge made for Hannah. He put a tray of porridge on the table next to Hannah¡¯s bed. It was still steaming, and it still looked hot. It was a good temperature for the teacher who had a large appetite. Ian pulled a chair in front of Hannah¡¯s bed and sat down. Ian¡¯s hands were covered with gloves again today. But Hannah decided not to worry about it anymore. ¡°You will get germs.¡± ¡°Teacher.¡± Leaving Hannah¡¯s worries behind, Ian opened his mouth. His eyes were staring at somewhere in the floral pattern of Hannah¡¯s blanket. It was a meaningless look. ¡°I don¡¯t like being dirty.¡± Hannah was nervous at the sudden confession. Again, is he trying to blame the incident? ¡°People said I was dirty.¡± The story from Ian¡¯s lips was not resentment. It was a story about his wounded trauma Chapter 8.1 - part 1: I Raised the Villains Preciously Chapter 8 part 1: I Raised the Villains Preciously Previously in Chapter 7¡­ ¡°I don¡¯t like being dirty.¡± Hannah was nervous at the sudden confession. Again, is he trying to blame the incident? ¡°People said I was dirty.¡± The story from Ian¡¯s lips was not resentment. It was a story about his wounded trauma. ¡°The impurity that stuck between the clean things. I hated dirty things since I didn¡¯t even know what that truly meant.¡± (Editor note: If you have a better idea to fix this fellow readers please comment and help me.) Hannah listened carefully to Ian¡¯s story with silent vigor. ¡°I wanted to be clean. I repeatedly washed my body or wiped my hands because I didn¡¯t want to be dirty. But I found out that the dirt they were talking about wasn¡¯t my hands, feet, or my face.¡± Ian was an abandoned child of the Imperial Family. Born from the belly of a lowly Courtesan, he was a disgrace to the imperial family. A ghost from the Imperial Palace that clearly exists, but wasn¡¯t acknowledged. That was Ian. ¡°I thought if I¡¯d drain all my blood, then I would finally be clean.¡± ¡°Ian¡ª¡± ¡°I know, it doesn¡¯t work. But even after learning that, this obsession doesn¡¯t go away.¡± Ian was entrusting Hannah with a story that he had never disclosed with anyone. Hannah raised her hand to comfort Ian, then paused. Can he be comforted by her own touch? ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t hate Teacher.¡± ¡°¡ªI know.¡± ¡°I hope you don¡¯t hate me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t hate you.¡± ¡°Teacher, even though I¡¯m dirty¡ª I hope you don¡¯t hate me.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not dirty, Ian.¡± Hannah¡¯s hand touched Ian¡¯s white gloves. ¡°You¡¯re never dirty or ugly.¡± As Hannah gazed into Ian¡¯s eyes, they shone with honesty. ¡°You¡¯re the most precious person in the world.¡± It is cruel that no one can love themselves. ¡°Teacher will make sure you feel that.¡± More precious than anyone else. Ian bowed his head and glistening tears fell down his face. Hannah had to hold back her tears by biting her lip with her teeth. How can such a tender and hurt soul become a villain? ¡°We all love you.¡± Ian couldn¡¯t raise his head until the porridge he brought cooled off. Even when Hannah¡¯s hand touched Ian¡¯s trembling shoulders, Ian no longer became tense or pulled away. ******* Having been sick for a few days now, Hannah was once again, lying in bed. ¡°Hm hm~¡± As she was reading a world-class parenting book, she put sliced cucumbers on her face one by one. After suffering from a fever, her face became noticeably dry. Cucumber, which grew well in the nursery, has a lot of moisture and is well-adhesive. Hannah turned over and focused on the contents of the book. ¡°Well, maybe it¡¯s because he wants attention that he¡¯s doing something bad on purpose.¡± She was studying diligently by underlining helpful materials and notes. Knock knock. When she heard the knock, Hannah hurriedly put the book under the blanket and lied down in a straight posture. She pulled the blanket up to her chest and opened her mouth. ¡°Come in.¡± Hannah purposely relaxed her voice and said. That¡¯s because the children couldn¡¯t have knocked like that. If it was them, first they will open the door, jump in, and then say, ¡°Teacher! We¡¯re here!¡± and then create a mess of the room. ¡°I heard you have a cold.¡± ¡°Priest Jason?¡± It was Jason. His face showed signs of, ¡®I¡¯ve supported the children so they won¡¯t get sick at all, but how are you the one who is suffering from a cold?¡¯ ¡°Well, it¡¯s just a light cold. I¡¯m just getting better.¡± ¡°¡­..That¡¯s good.¡± Hannah noticed a package of medicine in Jason¡¯s hand and asked, ¡°Is that medicine?¡± ¡°Yes, if you heat it up, you¡¯ll have a speedy recovery.¡± Jason put the package of medicine on the table, and Hannah glanced at the package suspiciously. ¡°By the way, what is that on your face?¡± Oops. Only then did Hannah think of the cucumber slices that she had forgotten because it stuck to her skin. ¡°Ah¡­. This is¡­ Homemade medicine to relieve the fever on the face..¡± A doubtful expression crossed Jason¡¯s face. ¡®It removes the heat from your face and provides moisture to the skin, while you can eat the remaining cucumbers. It¡¯s killing two birds with one stone¡¯, thought Hannah. ¡°I¡¯ll give you some if you need it. I¡¯ve cut a lot.¡± Thanks to having a smaller face than she originally thought, there were many leftover cucumbers. Hannah held out the bowl of cucumbers, and Jason took a step back. In fact, even after entering Hannah¡¯s room, he was still not approaching anywhere past the table next to the door. His worries were needless, she wasn¡¯t contagious. Although, Hannah admired his cautiousness. ¡°That¡¯s alright.¡± Hannah pouted at Jason¡¯s firm refusal. She didn¡¯t even want to give it to him anyway. ¡°It is said that next week the Central Temple will be visiting.¡± ¡°Visiting?¡± ¡°They¡¯re coming to give an assessment of the premises, and provide guidance on things that are lacking.¡± In other words, it meant that the Nursery should be groomed so that they could see it well and that the children were on their best behaviour. ¡°Yes. I understand.¡± Anyway, it was not difficult for children to shine if they were wearing clean clothes. These days, the children were growing well while eating nutritious food, which made them shine. ¡°Then get well soon.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Jason left the room with the answer of the soulless Hannah. She took out a cucumber in a big bowl and chewed it. ¡°Who cares about the Priests visiting from the Central Temple? They¡¯re just a bunch of rotten people.¡± As a matter of fact, she was not looking forward to the Temple visit. It¡¯s not like they were anything special. ¡°Hmm. It¡¯s time for lunch to end.¡± Hannah jumped off the bed with a more relaxed body. She wanted to give snacks to the children who were eating with the Temple¡¯s diet due to her absence. Chapter 8.2 Chapter 8 part 2 : I Raised the Villains Preciously As expected, the children were returning to the Nursery after finishing their meals. As she waved from the window of her room, Masha was the first to notice Hannah and ran. ¡°Teacher, are you all better?¡± Masha, who felt happy after seeing Hannah, was looking for another chance to embrace Hannah again. ¡°Well, I¡¯m almost better, but don¡¯t come too close because I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s any germs left.¡± When Hannah stopped Masha, he pouted. ¡°But what are you throwing away?¡± Hannah, remembering the package, quickly dismantled the medicine package and threw it in the trash. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s just¡ª It¡¯s gone bad.¡± The medicine Jason brought to her went into the trash can instead of Hannah¡¯s mouth. Who knows what the shady Priest gave it to her. And where¡¯s the medicine for a cold? Hannah greeted Ian and Jeremy with a wave, popping the remaining cucumbers in her mouth. ¡°I think in a few days your cutie faces have become thinner.¡± Of course it was never like that before. ¡°Did you get bored without me?¡± In fact, the children frequently visited Hannah¡¯s room. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think we should stay inside here. Shall we go outside?¡± ¡°Outside?¡± ¡°Yes! Let¡¯s go to the market. We went together a few times.¡± In fact, Hannah was frustrated because she had been on constant bed rest for awhile. She needed to lift her spirits by spending time with the children. ¡°I like it!¡± ¡°Yay!¡± Masha was delighted and jumped up and down. ¡°Are you going to buy me a delicious snack? The honey bread at the market is delicious.¡± ¡°Oh, of course I will.¡± ¡°I need to buy new gloves.¡± ¡°There are a lot of gloves in the warehouse¡ª¡± ¡°Oh Teacher! I want a new doll then!¡± Suddenly, Hannah had to think about how much money she had saved because of all the children¡¯s requests. ¡°Okay! Let¡¯s buy it all today to celebrate my cold being cured!¡± The children laughed and she smiled, a warm feeling blooming in her chest. ****** ¡°I¡¯d like eight honey breads, please.¡± ¡°Why did you buy eight?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a shame to eat one at a time.¡± As soon as they arrived at the market, Hannah and the children headed to a stall selling honey bread. The smell of freshly baked honey bread stimulated their noses. ¡°Wow! It¡¯s big!¡± The size of honey bread was not small. It was similar to hotteok, the size of a child¡¯s face. ¡°It¡¯s hot, so you have to eat carefully. Ah hot!¡± Scared to tell the children to be careful, she screamed because of the hot honey popping in her mouth. ¡°Hoo.¡± ¡°Hoo.¡± ¡°Hooo.¡± Looking at Hannah, the children cooled down the honey bread with both hands. How valuable is it to be able to protect the children by sacrificing this one body. She wiped away some tears. ¡°Then where should we go first?¡± ¡°Doll! Doll!¡± Masha chanted, eyes sparkling. ¡°Well, shall we go then?¡± With the bread in their mouths, they headed to the doll store. Hannah, who was enjoying the sweet honey bread and walking excitedly, made eye contact with a man looking at her in a darkened alley where there was no light. ¡®What? Why are they looking at us?¡¯ She quickly shifted down her eyes. ¡°Teacher.¡± Jeremy chewed the bread and called Hannah. ¡°Jeremy, eyes down. Can you see the floor?¡± Hannah, who noticed that Jeremy was just looking at the person she had made eye contact with, stroked Jeremy¡¯s head and urged him to look down. ¡°Hey, is that Uncle calling you?¡± As she was about to pass through the alley, a voice called out to Hannah and the children. Disappointed she couldn¡¯t walk past them without any trouble, Hannah looked up from the ground towards the man in the shady alley. ¡°M-me?¡± ¡°Yeah. You there.¡± If she was alone, she would have jumped. There were two men in the alley who looked in rough shape, one of whom was wiping a knife with a towel. ¡®Oh, my God, my God!¡¯ However, it was impossible to stand her ground with the children present. ¡°¡­¡­wait here, children.¡± Out of all times, there were no guards or security guards around. There were not many people passing by either. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Munch. Munch.¡± ¡°Teacher?¡± Masha and Jeremy seemed to have no thoughts, and Ian called Hannah. But Hannah steeled her nerves and tried to speak with a calm expression, ¡°I¡¯m going to have an adult conversation. If.. if Teacher screams, do you see that red roof?¡± ¡°The meat restaurant?¡± ¡°Yes. Run to him. He¡¯s the strongest one here.¡± ¡°¡­..¡± Ian looked baffled at Hannah¡¯s words. ¡°Then¡­.¡± Hiding her nervousness, she headed towards the shady alley. Then, she thought about how much she had in her pocket. She had only bought honey bread! Chapter 9 part 1 Chapter 9 part 1 : I Raised the Villains Preciously Translated by Tam Edited by KBJ ¡°Wh- why did you call me?¡±, Hannah asked Gangster 1 as she entered the alley, while attempting to look as harmless as possible. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡°Hey! You idiot!¡± At that time, Gangster 2 entered the alley and hit the back of the head of Gangster 1. ¡°Are you stupid!? There¡¯s nothing to rob, she¡¯s the nursery teacher! Didn¡¯t you see the kids over there?¡± ¡®What¡¯s wrong with them?¡¯ Hannah was embarrassed and felt ridiculous when looking at them. Gangster 2 seemed to know her. He was pointing at the children and scolding Gangster 1. ¡°Oh! That¡¯s not it! I was just trying to ask her where she got that honey bread! It looked so delicious when they were eating it!¡± ¡°Then don¡¯t call her over in that tone! ¡° ¡°¡­¡± Is this Dumb & Dumber? A comedy duo? What are those gangsters 1 and 2 doing now? Hannah, who was caught between the two, was quite uncomfortable with this situation. ¡°¡­Uhm, I bought this at the stall at the entrance to the market¡ª¡± Hannah carefully took the bread out of her arms. ¡°Do you want some?¡± Hannah took out the bread, and the gangsters became quiet for a while. ****** ¡°But isn¡¯t Teacher in danger?¡± Masha said to Ian. ¡°Are you worried?¡± ¡°Uhm, I actually thought Teacher would say ¡®Let¡¯s run¡¯, but she went with a determined expression. I wonder if she has any hidden martial arts skills.¡± ¡°Shall we go to the butcher¡¯s?¡± Masha scratched his head as Hannah had been talking to the Gangster for quite a long time. Jeremy, who was listening next to him, put some leftover bread in one bite. chewed, gulped it down and opened his mouth. ¡°There¡¯s no need to call him! I¡¯ll go there!¡± He put his hands on his waist and shouted proudly. ¡°It¡¯s my specialty to save people from a bad guy!¡± ¡°Hey, Jeremy¡ª¡± Ian tried to tell Jeremy to stay still, but Jeremy was already jumping into the alley. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°That fast?¡± Masha stumbled and turned to the butcher¡¯s shop. As long as Jeremy went, something was definitely going to happen. ¡°Teacher!¡± Jeremy jumped in vigorously and called Hannah. ¡°Oh, huh? At that moment, Hannah looked back, and the Gangsters 1 and 2 also followed Hannah and moved their eyes to Jeremy. ¡°¡­What are you doing?¡± Jeremy expected Hannah to be being ripped off, but Hannah was giving out honey bread in peace. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Hannah scratched her back awkwardly. ¡°Wow. Your sword is awesome, Mister!¡± No, Jeremy, is this the time to appreciate that? And what the hell is cool? Hannah was sweating at Jeremy¡¯s sudden behavior. Jeremy¡¯s eyes were shining as if he were excited. Hannah thought it would not work because it was like this, so she slowly moved her feet. ¡°¡­.Then we¡¯ll be on our way.¡± ¡°Take the money.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine.¡± The Gangster 1 tried to give money to Hannah, but she refused and quickly stepped back. On the way back, she snatched Jeremy, and put it on her side. Jeremy couldn¡¯t take his eyes off the sword while he was walking out to Hannah. ¡°The sword! Mhm hmhm¡ª¡± When Jeremy tried to praise his weapon again, Hannah gently covered Jeremy¡¯s mouth with her hands. Come on, get the hang of it! Although they¡¯re like a gag duo, they¡¯re bad people! ¡°Well then, good luck.¡± What do you want me to do? In the end, Hannah left the place at a speed comparable to when she entered. ¡°Jeremy! Why did you follow me!¡± As soon as she left the alley, Hannah blamed Jeremy for chasing her in dangerously. ¡°But why did you give them honey bread, Teacher?¡± ¡°Honey bread?¡± Ian looked up at Jeremy¡¯s words. ¡°Teacher giving the bad guys some honey bread.¡± You don¡¯t understand but it¡¯s better to give them honey bread than money! Hannah opened her mouth by rationalizing her actions. ¡°They¡¯re poor people, so Teacher helped them a little.¡± ¡°Those misters?¡± ¡°Yeah. They looked hungry. When you see poor people, make sure to help them.¡± Ian and Jeremy looked distrustful at Hannah¡¯s brazen words. ¡°But what about Masha?¡± ¡°He went to the butcher¡¯s.¡± She looked at the butcher¡¯s shop after Ian¡¯s words and saw the butcher running out with Masha and a big knife. ¡°Ah! Masha!¡± Hannah was surprised to see an uncle chasing her with a knife as big as a bear and ran to them. ¡°I¡¯m fine! Everything¡¯s fine! Don¡¯t come!¡± She shook her hand hard and informed him of the safety. ¡°U-ugh¡­ Masha you¡¯re so fast.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t Teacher in danger?¡± ¡°Nursery Teacher, are you okay?¡± The butcher and her became close to each other whenever she bought meat, and he had a strong sense of justice. ¡°It¡¯s alright. It¡¯s really alright!¡± Hannah rolled around and showed her condition, and quickly hugged Masha. Masha opened his mouth with his eyes round looking at Hannah. ¡°Teacher, did you defeat the bad guys?¡± ¡°No, they weren¡¯t bad people. They were just good people with a lot of questions.¡± ¡°Good people?¡± Hannah couldn¡¯t answer any more. Yeah, they don¡¯t look like good people. ¡°Thank you for coming out to help me.¡± ¡°How can I stay still!¡± Next time, don¡¯t bring such a bloody knife with you¡ª. It¡¯s so scary. But she couldn¡¯t say it out loud. ¡°Be careful on your way! This neighborhood has a lot of junk these days, too!¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll be careful. Your beard looks nice today.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Hannah¡¯s compliment made the uncle go back to the butcher¡¯s shop, fiddling with his beard. ¡°Phew, let¡¯s go buy some dolls.¡± Anyway, it¡¯s good because she kept the money to go to the children¡¯s market, so that¡¯s enough. ¡°Ian, Jeremy! Come here. Let¡¯s go!¡± The children walked up to Hannah. Masha was still hanging his legs in Hannah¡¯s arms. Hannah asked Masha. ¡°What kind of doll are you going to buy today?¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know. I need to make a teddy bear mate, but I want a princess, too.¡± ¡°Think carefully and choose one.¡± Masha is in serious trouble. ¡°Is there anything else Ian wants besides gloves?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Hey, come on, think of it carefully.¡± As an adult, she had a lot of things she wanted to buy when she came to the market, but how can a child doesn¡¯t want anything? ¡°Teacher!Teacher! Buy me that sword from before!¡± Jeremy has a lot of things he wants to eat and have. Jeremy said, pulling Hannah¡¯s skirt. ¡°No, it¡¯s dangerous.¡± ¡°Ah! A warrior should have such a sword!¡± ¡ªYou¡¯re not a warrior. So it¡¯s no use having a sword like that. ¡°No way, Ian, is there any book you want to read? There¡¯s a bookstore next to the doll store over there.¡± Hannah looked at the sign at the bookstore and told Ian, but Ian¡¯s eyes shifted to see if he was interested in the book. ¡°¡­Then I¡¯ll just buy one.¡± Hannah¡¯s lips went up with his shy answer. ¡°Dolls first!¡± ¡°Okay, but Masha, don¡¯t you want to walk anymore?¡± Hannah told Masha as he felt heavier and heavier, hugged like a cicada on her side. ¡°Hng, but this is comfortable.¡± Then can you at least not hang your legs? Eventually, Masha clung to her side and arrived at the doll store. ¡°Wow!¡± Masha ran excitedly to the store and stopped. ¡°Huh? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Stop in front of the doll store! Masha! That can¡¯t be true. Masha¡¯s eyes were on the next store. Chapter 9 part 2 Chapter 9 part 2 : I Raised the Villains Preciously Translated by Tam Edited by KBJ Masha ran excitedly to the store and stopped. ¡°Huh? Whats wrong?¡± Stop in front of the doll store! Masha! That can¡¯t be true. Masha¡¯s eyes were on the next store. There was a new store. Masha¡¯s steps turned to the store as if he possessed. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Hannah was also curious, so she moved to Masha¡¯s side and looked at the store. ¡°Woah¡ª¡± ¡°What is this?¡± There was a lot of strange things inside the shop that looked like a show window. Dried frogs, insects, blood-like feathers, skeletons, bones, and human hair. ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°Amazing.¡± Masha shone his eyes as if he had never had such a shock in his nine-year-old life. ¡°Really¡­. Really¡­¡± It¡¯s weird. ¡°That¡¯s cool!¡± ¡°Kkk.¡± Hannah could hear something in Masha¡¯s words. ¡°Cool? That?¡± ¡°Ack, what is that?¡± Jeremy, who came to Hannah¡¯s side, helped with a frown. ¡°What¡¯s that gorgeous doll?¡± It looks like a curse doll. ¡°Wow! The skull is glowing!¡± You know that¡¯s a skeleton. Masha had already jumped into the store. ¡°¡ªI don¡¯t want to go in there.¡± Naturally, Hannah didn¡¯t want to step into a hideous store. It seems like a witch who has a mantis shop in the hawk¡¯s nose will sell things. ¡°Goodbye.¡± Before she knew it, Ian and Jeremy took a few steps away and waved their hands. What a betrayal. Hannah had no choice but to enter the store alone. ¡°Teacher, look at this! This is mouse blood! ¡ªWhy do you sell such things? ¡°Uh.. is that so?¡± However, Masha loved it so much that she couldn¡¯t show her dislike. ¡°Wow! What¡¯s this?¡± Masha asked the clerk. Hannah was surprised by the presence of a clerk who didn¡¯t even know he was next to her. No, if there is, pretend to be exist at least! He was not a witch at this shop, but he was a clerk with a gloomy atmosphere. His presence was blurry, so she could have believed that he was a ghost. The clerk answered Masha¡¯s question. ¡°¡­cannibalized fish.¡± ¡°Wow! It look gross!¡± Hannah could confirm that Masha¡¯s aesthetic was not much different from ordinary people. ¡°But you still think it¡¯s gross.¡± ¡°I want it!¡± You said it¡¯s gross. It¡¯s gross, but why do you want it? Is this an old-fashioned sentiment that can¡¯t keep up with the stream of consciousness in kids these days? Hannah couldn¡¯t understand Masha¡¯s mind. Then Masha spent a long time circling the store. Everything he picked up was disgusting, but Hannah had to smile. ¡°Teacher!¡± ¡°Hm?¡± She was fiddling with ostrich feathers because she was bored waiting, and Marsha called it significantly. ¡°I want this!¡± ¡°Uhm¡­¡± What Masha had in his hand was an imitation skeleton. Is that fake? It was a bit look like high quality. Hannah was seriously worried. Should she buy him that? Can they bring that to the temple? But Masha¡¯s taste is different¡ª. No way¡ª? For a moment, Masha¡¯s incomprehensible taste was associated with her future career, which gave her goose bumps. Once again, Masha¡¯s future was a lunatic black wizard. ¡°Are you no longer interested with bear doll?¡± She asked with the last hope without letting go of the string. ¡°Skull!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Eventually, Hannah opened her wallet without energy. ¡°How much is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s five silver.¡± The clerk, who was standing there with a grim mouth, smiled and said the price. ¡®What is it¡­? No way. Was that the concept of the dark side of his face? It¡¯s a great job.¡¯ She was a little surprised, but she paid with admiration of the professional spirit. Along with sounds, Hannah exchanged precious money with skulls. Masha left the store with a bright face. ¡°You paid for that?¡± Jeremy said with a disgusting look at Masha, who came out hugging the skull. ¡°It¡¯s better to dig it somewhere¡ª¡± ¡°Jeremy.¡± Hannah shook her head firmly from side to side after calling Jeremy. It meant not to say such things recklessly. She¡¯s afraid he will really dig up the grave. Chapter 10.1 ¡°Now, shall we go into the bookstore?¡± Hannah looked around her to go to the bookstore with Ian, but he was already inside the bookstore. Jeremy replied instead. ¡°I think we¡¯ve already picked everything out.¡± Ian was already waiting in front of the cashier for the book he wanted, while Marsha picked the skull. ¡°That¡¯s a good thing.¡± Hannah admired his quick action. He said he didn¡¯t need anything. Hannah laughed at how his words and actions were different. Then, she quickly went to the bookstore and calculated the book in there. ¡°What kind of book is that, Ian?¡± Looking at the book in Ian¡¯s arms, I asked. ¡°It¡¯s a book about the war four hundred years ago.¡± ¡°Well, ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡± Doesn¡¯t kids like fairy tales? Oh, is that like Greek and Roman mythology? Well, since there¡¯s no astronaut beating x-bot, is war similar? Hannah was trying to understand the children. ¡°Teacher! That black sword! Sword!¡± Jeremy thought it was finally his turn. ¡°You know, we can pick toy knives.¡± ¡°I really want it!¡± He seemed to want the sword of the thugs from the previous incident. Why did you have to see that in there? ¡°But Jeremy, that¡¯s too dangerous. Let¡¯s play with it when you grow up a little more.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t buy anything else!¡± Jeremy¡¯s mouth pouted. ¡°Jeremy.¡± Hannah called, but Jeremy turned his head away from her. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous. I¡¯ll buy you toys. Huh?¡± ¡°No!¡± ¡°Listen carefully. Jeremy, pirates are more likely to drown in the sea, and wizards die by magic. What¡¯s killing a prosecutor? You¡¯re going to be stabbed to death! It would be painful!¡± Hannah said with a scared look on her face, but it didn¡¯t work for Jeremy. ¡°What about you, then?¡± ¡°Huh? Huh?¡± ¡°How would you die?¡± The villains¡¯ nursery teacher is gonna die at the hands of the villains. No! What am I even saying? ¡°It¡¯s a safe job. Safe¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡± I felt unfair all of a sudden. I¡¯m not a pirate, not a wizard, not a prosecutor, but I¡¯m risking my life. ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t care! I won¡¯t pick anything unless it¡¯s a real sword!¡± Jeremy thought that Hannah, who was weak at heart, would eventually buy him a sword if he threw a tantrum like this. However, Hannah returned to the nursery without buying anything. * * * ¡°It¡¯s a pie made of raw cherries we bought at the market earlier. Guys!¡± The number of children sitting around the table waiting for the pie was one short. ¡°What about Jeremy?¡± ¡°He must be upset. He¡¯s not coming out of his room.¡± The main character who was absent was Jeremy. Hannah had a rough idea of the situation. ¡°Did you wash your hands?¡± ¡°Yes, yes!¡± ¡°Then eat first. I¡¯ll get Jeremy.¡± Hannah headed to Jeremy¡¯s room with his share of the pie. *knock, knock* ¡°Jeremy, it¡¯s me.¡± But there was no answer. ¡°Jeremy, I¡¯m coming in okay?¡± Hannah opened the door thinking Jeremy wasn¡¯t sulking. ¡°¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡± ¡°¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡± Jeremy hurriedly hid the cookies he was eating secretly under the bed when Hannah¡¯s and his eyes met. ¡°¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤ Sorry.¡± Let¡¯s wait a little while and talk after he has hidden everything.¡­. Jeremy, who was caught sneaking a cookie, was also awkward when he got caught. It was a moment when I was in vain that I was worried that I might be shedding tears and neither rice nor snacks. Jeremy plopped down on the bed with cookies neatly underneath. The protruding mouth was full of confectionery powder. ¡°Jeremy, are you upset about today?¡± ¡°No.¡± He was advertising ¡®I¡¯m sulky¡¯ in a stiff tone. Hannah approached Jeremy and sat on the bed. Then she tilted her head and made eye contact with Jeremy. ¡°Jeremy, I said it¡¯s still dangerous for you.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Next time, if you have a teacher who can teach you the sword properly, I¡¯ll buy it for you.¡± ¡°¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤ really?¡± Jeremy wriggled his fingers and asked. He is usually naughty and fierce, but at times like this, he was a cute little kid. ¡°Yes! I¡¯ll buy you your first sword!¡± In fact, Hannah and Jeremy knew how hard it was to get a sword teacher in a nursery. ¡°¡­¡­promise it.¡± ¡°Come on. Promise.¡± Hannah unfolded her pinky finger and put it in Jeremy¡¯s hand. Jeremy put his pinky on hers. ¡°You have to buy it for me.¡± ¡°Okay, okay. I¡¯ll buy you a sword when you have a sword art teacher. Shall we go eat some pie now?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jeremy jumped out of bed. After that, he ran out of the room faster than Hannah. It was obvious how much Jeremy, who was crazy about pie, wanted to eat pie. ¡°Cute.¡± It was cute, but Hannah was very concerned about Jeremy¡¯s interest in the sword. ¡°Come to think of it, didn¡¯t you say you were cool when you saw the gangsters earlier, did you?¡± It was a very worrying Jeremy. I hope you haven¡¯t noticed that the back alley fits your aptitude. Hannah headed back to the restaurant along the corridor where Jeremy ran. ¡°Wow!¡± As soon as Jeremy sat at the table, his eyes grew round with surprise. ¡°Huh, if you didn¡¯t come, I¡¯ll have eaten it all.¡± Masha said coyly. Jeremy, who held his pie plate with both hands, was looking at the pie for a long time. Normally, the pie would have already been in his mouth and half of it gone. ¡°The teacher must have been very concerned about you.¡± Masha was also looking at Jeremy¡¯s pie. ¡°¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡± Jeremy¡¯s pie was decorated with dull, black cherries. ¡°¡­¡­annoying.¡± It was a blunt remark, but somehow Jeremy¡¯s mouth was twitching. Jeremy couldn¡¯t take a bite for a long time, looking at the crooked sword-decorated pie. It was because it was a waste to eat quickly. Chapter 10.2 ¡°Oh, it¡¯s a nice day.¡± Hannah lay on her bed like a garden in the warm midday sun, with Masha¡¯s teddy bear. Masha¡¯s affection for the bear is a little¡­ No, was it possible because it was so broken? ¡°Masha, you can¡¯t take a rat with you!¡± Far away, Masha who¡¯s digging on the ground caught her eye. In a matter of days, Masha¡¯s hobby turned into observing creatures. The mother class, who loved playing with dolls, has been everywhere and has kept catching insects and mice. Hannah was exhausted by desperately trying to stop Masha from catching something strange. ¡°Jeremy, it¡¯s dangerous to climb a tree!¡± Jeremy was full of energy again today. Maybe it was fun to climb trees, but he kept climbing trees. He climbed trees, climbed walls of other people¡¯s houses, opened a safe, and more. Jeremy¡¯s developmental tree-climbing imagination was spreading endlessly. Hannah shook her head and shook off her thoughts. ¡°Ian, get some sunlight!¡± And shouted at Ian, who hadn¡¯t stepped out of the nursery building, to go out. ¡°¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤ Oh, I¡¯m losing my energy. I¡¯m losing my energy.¡± Hannah wriggled like a caterpillar. It was because she was exhausted just by watching the children. ¡°I think I should take some nutritional supplements.¡± She thought about selling vitamins in this world for a while. ¡°Teacher!¡± Meanwhile, Masha came running from afar smiling brightly. ¡°Teacher, come here!¡± ¡°Why? What¡¯s going on?¡± Masha grabbed Hannah¡¯s hand and dragged her, telling her to hurry. Hannah was nervous for a second because she wondered what else he was going to do. ¡°Look, there¡¯s something strange!¡± ¡°Something strange?¡± Masha pointed to the grass, and Hannah headed to Masha¡¯s lead, nervous as if there was another rat¡¯s body. ¡°What the hell is there, ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡± There was something in the grass that Masha pointed to. ¡°Do you know this?¡± There was a round egg. It was an egg a little larger than an ordinary egg. A very round egg, not elongated enough to be called an egg. ¡°Is a chicken gonna come out of it?¡± ¡°Uh, ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤ Mm¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡± When Hannah looked closely, there was also a pattern on the surface of the egg. It never seemed like Masha¡¯s cute talking about a chicken. ¡°No chicken is coming out of here! Let¡¯s just grill it!¡± Jeremy approached and said, shining his eyes like a beast who found his prey. ¡°Because I found it, it¡¯s my chicken!¡± ¡°You have to keep it warm so it will be born.¡± ¡°Give me a hug and I¡¯ll be born!¡± ¡°Are you stupid?¡± ¡°Hey!¡± The grumbling Masha and Jeremy suddenly looked at Hannah, and Hannah blinked. Hannah had no idea. I¡¯m just sleepy because the sun is nice. Hannah quickly came to her senses when she felt the children¡¯s eyes asking for answers. ¡°Er, ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤ So the egg is¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡± What is it? What is it? Can a human be born with it? I think it was possible and it wasn¡¯t, and it was quite disturbing. ¡°Hey, once she found it, as she said, ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll hug it and sleep with it from today!¡± Masha leaped with a smile. ¡°Don¡¯t cry just because something did not come out of it later!¡± Jeremy snorted. But Hannah was nervous. ¡®What if something weird comes out from that?¡¯ An unidentified egg was poured on the daily life of the nursery school where there was no wind for a day. * * * That night. ¡°Masha, won¡¯t it break if you sleep next to me like that?¡± Hannah said with a troubled face as she closed the curtains in Masha¡¯s room. It was because Masha was putting the egg next to him and covering it with a blanket. ¡°You just have to be careful when you sleep!¡± ¡°I¡¯m saying this because you don¡¯t sleep in one place.¡± Even if he fell asleep straight, the egg could never survive next to Masha, whose head and foot positions were upside down. ¡°Why are you covering it with a blanket?¡± Masha had a skull next to the egg and a blanket on it. ¡°Even the skeleton shouldn¡¯t be cold!¡± Dogs don¡¯t feel cold anyway. I don¡¯t have anything to say anymore. ¡°¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤ I see.¡± Hannah wanted to live a life of words and deeds, but there were many things the children couldn¡¯t say. ¡°Just in case, why don¡¯t you put a blanket on it?¡± It was a desperate struggle to prevent unexpected blanket washing. ¡°Hmm.¡± Masha began to think seriously. ¡°It would be so sad if Kkokko went to the sky without seeing the sunlight.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not going to work.¡± ¡°Remember that half of my body woke up out of bed today, Masha.¡± ¡°Well, ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡± Masha¡¯s forehead wriggled. I guess I remembered what happened in the morning. Masha had risen almost to her upper body in bed. I don¡¯t know who¡¯s living in a temple. I¡¯m not sure who¡¯s sleeping in reverence. ¡°Great!¡± With the quick change of Masha¡¯s decision, Hannah quickly pulled out a blanket and spread it out by her bed. She tried to make the blanket look as fluffy as possible just in case he changed his words. ¡°Well, here. How¡¯s it?¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t I step on it?¡± The horse immediately moved its location a little further away. ¡°Where are you?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t see it well. What if you come out when I can¡¯t see you?¡± I moved a little to the side again. ¡°Well, this is the perfect place, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Good.¡± I heard you sleep with it on your side, but it was so picky. Hannah carefully took the eggs with both hands and placed them on a blanket. ¡°Is this the right position?¡± ¡°Please put a blanket over the eggs.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± You¡¯re acting like a horse. But once again, Hannah smiled brightly, thinking about the blanket laundry. ¡°Now, Masha and Kkokko will have a good night¡¯s sleep.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Masha pulled the quilt up to his neck. The skeleton was still sitting next to Masha. Until Hannah turned off the candlelight, Masha looked anxiously at the egg wrapped in a blanket. Bump It was an uneasy night for Masha and Hannah. Chapter 11 ¡°You¡¯ve prepared well, haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± It was a serious atmosphere that people would think they were going to smuggle goods. But this was just a morning meeting. At the news of the inspection of the Central Temple, the Temple of Russia was on alert. ¡°It¡¯s not normal to be strict in the central temple, so check the nursery well. Take care of your kids.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t give me a piece of crap to pick on.¡± To be honest, there are a lot of nitpicks just by looking at them roughly, how can they not be nitpicked? Daishin stressed and stressed that the next quarter¡¯s funding will be decided for the audit and that it should be seen well. ¡°I heard there will be other people coming this time. I used to get lonely points if I took care of the old believers a little bit.¡± The minister¡¯s feistiness reached its peak, thinking that it might not be a comfortable audit that can be solved with back money. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go get the kids.¡± Tired of hearing things that didn¡¯t even sound like a meeting, Hannah looked busy. ¡°They said they¡¯d be there in the afternoon, so get ready for bed!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± All right, all right, all right. How many times do I have to tell you? Without looking back, Hannah left the office of the deputy minister and headed for the nursery. ¡°If I had gathered the evidence, I would have told you all about it when the people of the Central Temple came.¡± I said this, but it was a headache if the temple disappeared from Hannah¡¯s point of view. Children may have to be scattered, so the most ideal thing was to keep the temple alive and not to do nonsense to the nursery. ¡°It¡¯s complicated anyway. It¡¯s complicated.¡± There was a sigh. As Daishin said, soft people should come and move on quietly. ***** ¡°Guys!¡± After breakfast, the children gathered in the living room. ¡°Shall we clean up?¡± ¡°Cleaning?¡± All three of them were not bright at Hannah¡¯s sudden recommendation to clean up. ¡°Yes!¡± She spoke brightly as if she were trying to play fun, but the children¡¯s faces clearly shows they¡¯re annoyed. In fact, Hannah and the children sweated yesterday to clean up their rooms. Especially, she had to work on Marsha¡¯s room. Marsha¡¯s hobby these days was remodeling dolls. The pretty dolls were curiously converted into exciting water, and skulls were also collected. Hannah had a hard time cleaning Marsha¡¯s treasure chest out of sight. It was then. Hannah found Ian trying to sneak out of his seat. ¡°Stop, Ian. If you leave me like this, I¡¯ll roll in a dusty living room.¡± ¡°¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤ Ah.¡± Inevitably, Ian picked up the broom Hannah handed him. ¡°Come on, Jeremy, Marsha.¡± Jeremy and Marsha also accepted a wet mop one by one. ¡°Why are you cleaning up all of a sudden?¡± ¡°High-ranking people are coming from the central temple today.¡± ¡°High-ranking people?¡± The children glowed because they were curious. ¡°Like, a high-ranking officer?¡± No. Not that waste guy in our temple. ¡°No, Marsha. These guys are even more amazing.¡± Isn¡¯t the name greater than God capitalism? For the time being, they were as good as the budget for the next quarter. ¡°You¡¯re supposed to clean up and welcome guests, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Are you just making this fuss because there are guests?¡± Jeremy said, swirling the mop. ¡°There¡¯s still a world you don¡¯t have to know.¡± Jeremy¡¯s mouth twisted up as if he understood Hannah¡¯s words. Then Hannah rolled up her arms in a hurry. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get moving! Let¡¯s cheer up until lunchtime!¡± ¡°Wow¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡± Despite the children¡¯s lackluster response, Hannah started cleaning up hard. The budget for the next quarter is also a budget, but I was nervous when I thought of a coffin that would be criticized and roasted. Tap, tap. Hannah concentrated on cleaning without saying a word and barely straightened her back and looked around. It was to see if the children were cleaning well. ¡°Jeremy, don¡¯t dust the place you¡¯ve already cleaned.¡± Jeremy was banging on the dust-duster, perhaps because he was going to do nothing but clean-up vision. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Marsha, you¡¯re gonna wake up. Why don¡¯t you put it down for a while?¡± Marsha was carrying an egg while cleaning, and Hannah was dying of frustration. ¡°But if it runs out of warmth, it might die.¡± ¡°Ian, it¡¯s not disposable! I¡¯m gonna sack it, don¡¯t throw it away!¡± Ian was throwing everything that bothered him into the trash. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Now that I see it, I think I might have felt comfortable cleaning alone. It was very, very chaotic. ¡®This is also education. It¡¯s education. You have to put up with its education.¡¯ Hannah decided to involve the children somehow because she thought cleaning their own space as part of her education. Because of Hannah¡¯s nagging, the cleaning began to progress as normal. How long has it been since then? The distant cleaning was almost over. ¡°Phew, it¡¯s still quite shiny. Isn¡¯t it?¡± Looking at the clean inside, Hannah said. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s clean.¡± The children also nodded, wiping off beads of sweat, as if they were satisfied with the results. ¡°You need to change.¡± Hannah looked down at herself in a hurry at Jeremy¡¯s words. Her clothes were dirty enough to say that she wiped the floor with clothes. ¡°Jeremy, it¡¯s because you keep wiping your hands on my clothes.¡± Hannah quickly checked the time. Lunchtime was close. ¡°Let¡¯s go wash up. What a mess they all are.¡± He was himself, but the children were also nasty. If we face the people of the central temple as it is, we will not be able to avoid the disruption of the Daishin Pavilion. ¡°What do you have for lunch?¡± Maybe because of the hard work, Marsha seemed to be very hungry at the bar. ¡°How¡¯s the temple restaurant today?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t taste good there.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine with me. I¡¯m so hungry.¡± Jeremy said, gently rubbing his rumbling stomach. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s wash up and go eat.¡± Imagining a pleasant lunch with the children, Hannah headed to the bath. ¡°Laugh!¡± As expected, the hot springs in the temple were the best. ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± ¡°Oh, my God! Welcome! Thank you for coming a long way!¡± After a clean wash and change of clothes, Hannah and the children headed to the temple¡¯s restaurant. There had already been a group of people from the central temple. ¡®No, already?¡¯ I won¡¯t be there until the afternoon. It was much earlier than Dunny expected. ¡°You must have missed your meal, are you hungry?¡± The Daishin greeted them with a kindness that had never been seen before. Marsha, who was looking at the scene, opened her mouth. ¡°Are they the guests, sir?¡± ¡°Yes, I think so.¡± ¡°They¡¯re very young people. I thought there would be old grandfathers like you.¡± ¡°Poom.¡± The vicar was bald, but not as old as his grandfather, but burst into laughter at Marsha¡¯s words. ¡°What about that?¡± A group of people at the Central Temple, who were talking to the Daishin Pavilion, found Hannah and the children and asked the Daishin Pavilion. ¡°Oh! It¡¯s the nursery teacher and the children of our temple. They are very nice and cute kids.¡± Good and cute kids. Hannah thought, ¡°Would Daeshin know the names of the children?¡± ¡°It turned out that there was a nursery facility here.¡± Hannah bowed a little, and the children bowed along with her. ¡°Nice to meet you. My name is Curtis from the Central Temple.¡± There were three members of the central temple in front of them, two of whom were the retainers and one was the Holy Knight. Among them, a brown-haired man greeted me. ¡°Yes, hello. I¡¯m a nursery teacher. These are Marsha, Jeremy, and Ian.¡± ¡°Yes, nice to meet you.¡± The man named Curtis was a neat impression. The straight glasses were impressive, but even by looking at them, they looked like they were doing a great job. ¡°Oh, this is Officer Cesar, who is in charge of this audit.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Hannah smiled her head. Naturally, I thought the brunette man was in charge of the audit party, but there was a real boss. ¡°Instead of the House?¡± Daishin used to imagine an old bar man, but the man who was called ¡°Cut¡± was quite young. I think I¡¯m just 20 years old. It was impressive to see a languid-looking face under the shiny silver-haired hair. He even introduced himself, and raising his hand a little was all about greeting. Perhaps with honey in his mouth, the silver-haired man remained silent. ¡°¡­unusual captain.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a little peculiar.¡± Curtis, who heard Hannah talking to herself, replied, and Hannah was surprised. I didn¡¯t expect you to hear me! ¡°This is Moisei. As you can see, it¡¯s a holy knight.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Jeremy glowed at the sword caught in the knight¡¯s waist. ¡°My child is very interested in swords. It¡¯s like that for all children at this time of year.¡± Hannah was worried that Jeremy¡¯s slightly shady taste would come to light. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. Watch as much as you want while the driver is around.¡± A man named Curtis seemed to be good at dealing with people. Naturally stroking Jeremy¡¯s head, he returned to the viceroy. ¡°Wow, that¡¯s awesome!¡± ¡°I think he¡¯s a little handsome.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Jeremy was all over the Holy Knight, and Hannah totally agreed that Marsha¡¯s credo seemed to be handsome. ¡°Intelligent glasses are the best.¡± ¡°No, no, no! Mr. Silver Hair!¡± ¡°Huh? The one with the loose eyes?¡± Didn¡¯t you mean Curtis? What do you mean silver-haired man? The eyes of Daishingwan, which had fallen ennui, could only be seen as eyes that had been dazed by Hannah. ¡°I like your expressionless face.¡± ¡°Marsha has a unique taste.¡± What¡¯s cool about a person who looks lethargic with a bloodless white face? Well, your face is pretty, so your hair is shiny and pretty. ¡°Let¡¯s eat.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Whether the temple people were handsome or not was in fact a meaningless assessment to them. So Hannah decided to grab a bite to eat. ¡°Jeremy, it¡¯s not you! Come here!¡± Hannah, who grabbed Jeremy who was trying to chase the saint and sat him down at the table, went to get food for the children. ¡°Jeremy, sit down!¡± It was another hectic meal time to catch Jeremy, who kept escaping, as if he had a magnet that attracted Jeremy to the sword of the Holy Knight. ***** ¡°Wow, there¡¯s a lot of laundries today.¡± Hannah has been shuffling the laundry since this morning. The people of the central temple came. However, the nursery has yet to see whether it is focusing on the inspection inside Shin. ¡°What should I eat today?¡± Maybe that¡¯s why now Hannah was more worried about the lunch menu than they were. Shake it off. I hung the laundry that was well-drained on a long line of laundry in the garden. The children¡¯s small clothes fluttered in the wind one by one. ¡°Cute.¡± Clothes that were much smaller than themselves were cute. Marsha¡¯s dress is frill-stretched, so she didn¡¯t forget to wear it. A few days ago, Hannah worked hard to correct her direction when she remembered Marsha complaining that the upside-down frill didn¡¯t come down right away. ¡°Well, that should be enough.¡± I was satisfied with the well-spread laundry and the pouring sun. As expected, there was no place as big as a garden in front of a nursery school to hang laundry. ¡°Let¡¯s take a break.¡± After hanging out the laundry, sitting under a garden tree, and having a break was Hannah¡¯s little happiness. ¡°Hmm~¡± There was a strange object in her eyes, joyfully sticking a basket on her side and heading under an old tree. ¡°¡­..¡± The day is ripe for a silver-haired man lying on his head with a white cape rolled up. ¡°¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤, Inspector?¡± He was a rather strange atmosphere of the chief inspector of the temple. Chapter 12 Why on earth is the captain here enjoying sewage, who has to be busy inspecting the temple? Cesar¡¯s eyes slowly opened when he felt Hannah approaching him late. C¨¦sar looked extremely tired, whether it was just waking up or having those dazed, drowsy eyes. ¡°Hello.¡± When Hannah greeted awkwardly, Cesar raised his hand again and received a greeting. ¡®Strangely cheeky.¡¯ At the moment she seriously thought whether all four of the officers could be lacking. By the way, should we just go back because there are passengers who occupy their seats like this? When Hannah dilly-dallied, Cesar, who raised her body, opened her mouth. ¡°Sit down.¡± Hannah was surprised by the voice she heard for a moment. It was because his voice was lower and thicker than she thought. To add to the exaggeration, it was even as sweet as the song of soil echoing deep in the ground. Oh, I just said this because it¡¯s so cheesy. Anyway, his voice was very good. ¡°Ah¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤ Yes.¡± Strangely, his words seemed powerful. I even sat next to him when he was asked to sit down. Cesar¡¯s bored eyes crossed over Hannah. It was such a short time that I didn¡¯t even notice. ¡°Have you worked in a nursery for a long time?¡± ¡°Oh, no. It hasn¡¯t been long.¡± ¡°For that, the children followed well.¡± His voice was curiously lackluster, but there was something that kept people, focused. ¡°When did you see it?¡± He doesn¡¯t seem interested in the world. When did he observe himself and his children? ¡°I¡¯ve been lying here since morning.¡± He looked where he was lying, and Hannah¡¯s gaze followed. The grass in the seat where I lay down was very damaged. It was obvious that the grass had been overworked for a very long time. ¡°¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤I guess you weren¡¯t so busy.¡± I purged very properly the question of whether I was sleeping here in peace. ¡°I¡¯m busy.¡± Oh, my. ¡°Yes, even during busy work, you need to rest.¡± They greeted each other quickly. No matter how much he seems to give his subordinates all the work, the person in charge will be in charge, so he won¡¯t be offended. ¡°It¡¯s supposed to come from a place where you don¡¯t care about the leak.¡± ¡°What?¡± As if he knew what Hannah was thinking, Cesar put his arm on his knee and put his chin on it, and said; ¡®What, unlike of how you look, you¡¯re very tactful, aren¡¯t you?¡¯ Cesar¡¯s cold wall was directed at Hannah. I didn¡¯t know because it was half closed, but his eyes were shining like clear seawater. It was blue that didn¡¯t match the cheeky tone. ¡°I thought it was a rotten temple, but I¡¯m not sure about that.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s well built.¡± Cesar had already known before he came to the temple that the temple had embezzled funds and bribed all responsible people to silence them. Naturally, I thought that the children of the nursery school also used it to receive subsidies from the rotten temple, but his judgment was a little shaken by the appearance of the nursery, which had traces of well-run contrary to his expectations. ¡°I heard you were from a nursery here, too.¡± ¡°Oh? Oh! Yes.¡± She recalled that the real Hannah was from a nursery and snapped back. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s not completely irreversible.¡± Hannah thought she¡¯d have to make a little different assessment of this strange Daishin Pavilion. Whether he was a good person, smarter than ordinary people, or he was too lazy to just put it on, his silver hair fluttered as the wind blew. ¡°Instead, you¡¯re something ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤ Well, you¡¯re special.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say too much, Hannah, who¡¯s just being a weirdo and hitting the nail on the head, says, ¡®This guy is way too tactile.¡± I had to admit that I was going. At this point, I wondered if it was because I secretly worked hard every night to look tired and drowsy. ¡°If you have something to say about the temple, you can say it.¡± It was a secret question that if the temple does something bad, it can be told. But he already knew what he knew, and Hannah didn¡¯t speak to Votel. ¡®Oh, come to think of it, ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡¯ I was wondering if I should tell you now that I have an ulterior motive for selling children secretly. There¡¯s no physical evidence, and if this thing turns the nursery upside down and the temple disappears, the children will be scattered all over the place. ¡°What happens here if our temple falls short of the standard of the central temple?¡± ¡°It¡¯s going to disappear. ¡°Nursery, too. ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Then children ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡± ¡°and send it to another temple.¡± It was just as he expected. For now, I needed time to think. ¡°¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤ If I have anything to tell you, I will.¡± I quickly became depressed at the thought of maybe being away from the kids. ¡°Should I just live with him?¡±¡® At the moment, the wind blew hard, and Hannah¡¯s hair blew. The headband that was wrapped to fix the bangs was released and flew into the air. ¡°Oops!¡± Tabs. Cesar caught the flying turban. Hannah looked at Cesar¡¯s hand holding the headband and found something unusual. Tattoo? He was wearing white new gloves on his hands at the first meeting, but now he has no gloves. I saw something like a red tattoo on the back of my bare hands. The red thing was long arm-length along the flowing foot of the new official robe. ¡°Arrows¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤?¡± I felt strange the moment I found a red tattoo shaped like an arrow. A strange familiarity that bothers me. ¡°Hwall¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤ New Building¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤ Cesar¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡± Hannah¡¯s face hardened for a moment. My body began to fluff out. ¡®How did you forget that?¡¯ Soon her eyes were dyed with astonishment, and Cesar stared blankly at the hairband he had held out. Just go. The hairband fell on Hannah¡¯s hand, and Hannah looked at Cesar. ¡®¡­the light of judgment.¡¯ Cesar. Called the Light of Judgment, he was the enemy of the villains in the novel. A bloodied shrine that catches all the villains. It was a vicious substitute view that he would have been at the height of the villains if it had not been for the title of the Divine Hall of Judgment of Evil. Isn¡¯t there such a saying? Even if they were born with the same fate, depending on where you are, someone becomes a general who cuts livestock, and someone becomes a general who travels around the battlefield. He was at least born a god-loved body and became a believer instead of a villain. The red arrow on his arm was a weapon from God. Cesar was able to create a golden bow with just his hands held, and when the tattoo on his arm shines, the arrows pour out endlessly. They were usually used to kill villains. ¡°Oh, my God.¡± The man in front of him is the best enemy of my precious babies! How did you forget that name? No, I imagine myself. Cesar, the villain of the villains, was not this image, but an image of a murderous ghost close to the devil. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± There was no way that the image of such a fierce, bored slob and the human being could overlap. ¡°¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡± Isn¡¯t this a scam? Three young scoundrels, a vicious scoundrel hunter, are now in one place. Was Cesar here in the original? ¡°It¡¯s warm.¡± It¡¯s so incongruous to see that you¡¯re enjoying such a warm breeze, instead of turning the blood of villains and exterminating evil! ¡°Teacher! Teacher!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Jeremy came running with a heavy breath to Hannah, who collected her confused mind and entered the nursery with a laundry basket. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Ma, Masha¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤!¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Masha? Is he hurt?¡± I waited anxiously for Jeremy¡¯s backbiting. ¡°Ah, ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤ the egg!¡± Jeremy was quite excited. ¡°Where?¡± ¡°Kkokkokko! Kkokko!¡± ¡°Ah? Kkokko?¡± Watching Hannah reflecting on Jeremy¡¯s words, Jeremy banged his heart as if he were frustrated. ¡°Kkokko came out of the egg!¡± ¡°What?!¡± Hannah was startled by Jeremy¡¯s words and dropped the laundry basket. Oh my god. It really hatched? ¡°Hurry up! Hurry up!¡± Jeremy dragged Hannah¡¯s hand. ¡°Kkokko!¡± When Jeremy walked into Masha¡¯s room, there was Masha and Ian. ¡°¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤ Masha?¡± There was really something wriggling in Masha¡¯s hand. ¡°Teacher!¡± Masha greeted Hannah with a big smile. Hannah carefully went to Masha¡¯s side and squatted in front of him. Masha put the small creature in his hands before Hannah¡¯s eyes. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Hannah became deeply troubled by it. ¡°Is this the color of a normal chick?¡± In front of her was a baby bird with fluffy gray fur instead of a yellow chick. I wondered if this world¡¯s chicks are gray. The children shook their heads. ¡°Are those horns on its forehead?¡± It looked soft and lumpy, but everywhere it looked like a horn on its forehead. Again, the children shook their heads firmly. ¡°Yuck!¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t it cry weirdly?¡± ¡°No way.¡± [Note: I am not so sure with what they were saying here.] Ian answered back. The unidentified creature in Masha¡¯s hands is not a chick. However, it was also not a duckling, nor could it be a sparrow, and I doubted whether it was even a bird. A horn on its forehead. What does it mean with the horns? ¡°Teacher! The egg cracked and Kkokko came out!¡± ¡°¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤ Chu, congratulations. Kkokko.¡± First of all, the birth of life is to be celebrated. Hannah clapped soullessly. ¡°She thinks I¡¯m her mother! Look at this!¡± The honorable Kkokko hereinafter was an unidentified bird. As Masha said, the baby bird seemed to express affection to him. Isn¡¯t this weird, too? Can a bird that just hatched from an egg behave so accurately? They usually can¡¯t even open their eyes, can they? ¡°¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡± It is increasingly doubtful. ¡°How did you take care of such a pretty bird, Masha?¡± ¡°I pat him every day, and I hugged him day after day. Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s like a drink. [Note: Not so sure with this as well.] I heard that black magicians practice their evil deeds. Without even realizing it, Masha¡¯s potential magical power woke up. What am I imagining? Hannah shook her head like a log. ¡°But ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡± No matter how hard I try, the bird in Masha¡¯s hand is strange! ¡°Is its name Kkokko?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what Kkokko¡¯s been called since he knew it!¡± ¡°¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤ I see.¡± I couldn¡¯t bring myself to tell Masha that it wasn¡¯t a cute little thing. ¡°Yes, Kkokko¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡± As soon as you are born, you open your round black eyes and make eye contact. ¡°Oh, my God.¡± I think that Kkokko should be hidden well. Never let the temple know. ¡°But what does he eat?¡± In addition to the three children, the unidentified bird¡¯s food worries were added. Please don¡¯t just eat meat or something. Please I don¡¯t want to hate Masha for secretly abandoning you at night. Hannah¡¯s tears at the appearance of a strange being could not be unfolded all day. Chapter 13.1 At this point, Hannah had to seriously reflect on her nursery life. Three villains and a villain hunter priest are staying together in the orphanage, and the temple is in danger of extinction, and the orphanage may disappear overnight. In addition to that, Masha hatched an unidentified creature. The situation is frightening that Masha might be caught somewhere if he finds out about its real existence. Hannah, who had put the children to sleep and wandered around the hall, hit her head against the wall of the hall. ¡°I¡¯m screwed.¡± There¡¯s no answer. ¡°It¡¯s suffocating, there¡¯s no room to breathe!¡± Hannah hit her head against the wall and prayed that she would wake me up from this nightmare soon. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m getting hungry because I¡¯m stressed out.¡± Hannah¡¯s steps headed to the cafeteria. I felt better when I thought about the pie I had during the day. In fact, Hannah was worried but positive and easygoing. As I approached the restaurant, my steps were getting lighter. ¡®Huh?¡¯ Hannah found someone familiar on her way to the restaurant. He was a Chason priest. Where are you going in such a hurry at this time of night? Looking around, it also exudes such a suspicious atmosphere. He held something in his arms and looked around, crossing the corridor from the garden to the temple at a whim. ¡®I want to follow him!¡¯ Hannah was a curious, impulsive human being. Sneakily, after all, she was following Chason. This is a force majeure. Force majeure! [Note: Force Majeure = irresistible compulsion or greater force.] Why are you being so suspicious? He headed for where the temple¡¯s bath was. I couldn¡¯t bring myself to follow him into the men¡¯s bathroom. ¡°Did you just go to wash up at night?¡± But Hannah waited for Chason from a distance, thinking it wasn¡¯t the atmosphere to take a bath. How many minutes has it been to wait with bated breath? Chason reappeared. Unsurprisingly, it was too soft and fast to wash up. He even carried something when he went in, but why is he empty-handed when he came out? ¡®It¡¯s probably ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡¯ I have a feeling. I have a hunch. Hannah¡¯s mouth corners went up and her eyes narrowed. A dazzling smile formed. * * * Hannah was heading to the Oval Office to attend the meeting in a refreshing mood for the first time in a while. ¡°Lulu.¡± The reason for the light step was the small harvest last night. As I approached the office of Daishinwan and tried to knock on the door, I heard the sound of words inside. ¡°I know something. Money doesn¡¯t work.¡± ¡°What do we do? Should we discard the data?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s move outside once the audit team leaves, and get rid of the kids quickly.¡± ¡°If there is no evidence, I will get a reduction in subsidies.¡± I didn¡¯t know how to move because my hand that was trying to knock on the door stopped. ¡®Processing children¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤?¡¯ The situation suddenly changed. It was clear that the high priest was going to use his tactics, realizing that the central shrine priests were suspicious. ¡°If it¡¯s okay, the temple isn¡¯t the problem, but it looks like I¡¯m going to be jailed. Damn central temple guys!¡± Things seemed to have gone wrong. The high priest couldn¡¯t hide his anger because he had done something wrong and it was so unfair. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Hannah thought she should move the plan she had made last night, waiting for the situation inside to calm down. As time passed and the office became quiet, Hannah knocked carefully on the door. knock, knock ¡°It¡¯s Hannah.¡± ¡°Come in.¡± Daishin greeted Hannah in a still irritated voice. As soon as he saw her, Daishin asked questions without any time to breathe. ¡°Did they come to the nursery?¡± ¡°Oh, there¡¯s one.¡± Before I could put my butt on the chair, Hannah answered quickly. ¡°What did you ask?¡± ¡°Not much. Just how long you¡¯ve been working?¡± ¡°If this audit goes wrong, it¡¯s over.¡± The end will be yours. And by the way things are going, it seems like you don¡¯t have a chance already. ¡°I¡¯ll behave well,¡± Daishin looked as nervous as ever. When I looked past it, he was sweating after the brown-haired man¡¯s tail, and the gratitude seemed to be very strict. Knock, knock, ¡°Are you there, sir?¡± I heard a voice outside the door. ¡°Yes, yes, here!¡± The high priest stood up. Chason also stood up with a surprised look on his face and trimmed his clothes. Daishin ran out and opened the door. The first time I knew he could fly like this, I was just amazed. ¡°Good morning.¡± Curtis greeted with a gentle smile, but it was a cold smile. ¡®What are you doing here in the morning?¡¯ ¡°Oh, I¡¯m here early because I have a question and a message.¡± ¡°Sit down here!¡± Hannah didn¡¯t understand the high priest groveling too much to the brunette. According to the rank of the temple, Bihirud, a substitute official, was in a high position. ¡°Go get me a cup of tea.¡± Judging by the fact that he had given away the headstone, it seemed that the prestige of the central temple was lightly crushing the high priest of the outer temple. Chason quickly began to get out of the office. ¡°Can I go now¡± I couldn¡¯t wait to get rid of the prickly story. ¡°You¡¯d better listen together so I don¡¯t deliver it twice.¡± ¡°Oh, yes.¡± Hannah sat calmly. It was because the eyes of the officer were burning as if he should not go against Curtis¡¯ feelings. ¡°Let¡¯s all sit down.¡± Instead, the officer and Chason sat down in the opposite seat of Hannah. Chapter 13.2 In front of Curtis, steam was rising from a pretty teacup. Curtis handed over the paper and raised the glasses. I didn¡¯t do anything wrong, but I was nervous because of the gloomy atmosphere. ¡°The temple receives additional support from various facilities.¡± ¡°Yes, there is a nursery school and a senior citizen facility.¡± ¡°I understand that the elderly who come here come to do volunteer work. They come and do some temple chores.¡± ¡°Well, no way.¡± He was right. Far from caring, I used to call in people to do chores in the temple. ¡°There were six children listed in the nursery school, where did the other three go?¡± ¡°It seems that the children who left because they were old have not been sorted out yet. Haha.¡± But the numbers didn¡¯t add up. Two children were discharged at the age of fifteen, including Hannah. ¡°I received 500 gold for the renovation of the temple, but the facilities are still old.¡± ¡°The construction has not begun yet.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve made a request.¡± The 500gold coincidentally overlapped with the amount they were trying to get from their children. Is this a coincidence? ¡°Insufficient management of facilities, poor financial management, and documents do not fit ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡± ¡°If it is reported to the central temple, it would be obvious what will happen next.¡± By his words, Bihirud Daishinwan¡¯s face turned to mud. Curtis slowly stole more papers. Then his eyebrows got a little distorted and the corners of his mouth went up. ¡°Maybe it won¡¯t end up with a budget cut.¡± What is it! What is it about? Does that mean you¡¯re going to take off your coat of arms if it doesn¡¯t end that much? In the highly curious document, I held my neck out and peeped with superhuman force. ¡°I¡¯ll give you three days. I¡¯ll reconsider the treatment if what¡¯s written here is corrected in three days.¡± Tuck. A bunch of papers in his hand fell onto the table. His surprised expression was very worth seeing from Hannah¡¯s point of view, as the act of barely falling paper seemed to be a huge shock to Bihirud, the official as if the sky was collapsing. ¡°I hope a three-day grace will help.¡± It was a hope adviser who did not go along with a generous smile. How can you fix the temple in three days? ¡°Sure.¡± He seemed to see wings from the back of his light-hearted departure. Oh, the devil¡¯s wings, of course. ¡°¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡± The long sigh of Bihirud, the official of Daishin, filled the office. *** The temple of crisis. And humming. It was an unbecoming combination. However, Hannah¡¯s steps were too light when she saw Daishinwan¡¯s crying face. ¡°I¡¯m going to sue you to death.¡± I was suddenly worried as I approached the nursery school amid a good feeling. If the budget is cut, the evil Daishin Pavilion will sell the children to fill the money, and if they are excessively blamed and the entire temple disappears, the children should be scattered. What can I do to kick out the head priest instead? ¡®That¡¯s the only thing that matters.¡¯ Hannah thought there was only one key to this whole situation. We have to make a deal with the central temple side. That night, the temple is quiet. That¡¯s why Hannah, wearing a cloth, took advantage of the darkness and headed for Geumnyeo¡¯s area. ***** ¡°No one¡¯s here, right?¡± Hannah looked around as hard as Chason did. ¡®Yes, I¡¯ll be taking it off at this dawn.¡¯ Then I carefully entered the men¡¯s bath. ¡°Hiding it in a place like this, I couldn¡¯t find it even if I searched through the temple!¡± I¡¯ve been trying so hard to find a secret account, but I never imagined he¡¯d have hidden it in Geumnyeo¡¯s area. ¡°This is a sacred place to keep your body clean! Don¡¯t hide books here!¡± The inside was not much different from the women¡¯s bath. The view was dark due to the fog, but there was no difficulty in moving. The sound of hot spring water flowing through the silence. Hannah began to rummage through the grass near the bath, wrapping her well-covered face with a cloth. I thought that if there was a place that could be hidden in this place connected to the outdoors, it would be a place full of bushes. Especially somewhere in the rubble. Wiggle, wiggle. I searched for a long time in doubt. Did you dig up the ground and bury it? No matter how many times I searched, I couldn¡¯t see anything like a safe, so I wondered if I should take out the shovel I brought in my pocket. ¡°Good. Paja.¡± If you have a knife, you should cut radish. No, if you¡¯re holding a shovel, you should at least dig! Eventually, she took out a shovel. ¡°Where do we start?¡± We can¡¯t sell all the grasses out, but it¡¯s a bit suspicious ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤. ¡°There, under the cherry tree.¡± ¡°Yes. Just for this cherry tree to hide something ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤. No, but who just said that?¡± Cold sweat dripped down my spine. Hanna slowly turned her stiff, squeaky body and looked back. ¡°Argh!¡± There was a man in the bath. When I came in, I didn¡¯t know because of the steam rising from the hot spring, but there was a person in the calm hot spring water. ¡°What, what are you doing!¡± ¡°What do you think you¡¯re going to do here?¡± ¡°Oh, since when have you been here?!¡± ¡°Long before you came in?¡± It was none other than Cesar. It¡¯s been a while since I came in, but why haven¡¯t you said anything while looking through the bath? Chapter 14.1 ¡°Why¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤ Why don¡¯t you show your presence?¡± ¡°Am I not the one who should be asking that now?¡± Then Hannah remembered where she was. The men¡¯s bath. ¡°¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡± ¡°What are you doing here?¡± I was speechless. A woman snooping in a man¡¯s bath with a shovel late at dawn. ¡°¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤That¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡± Hannah¡¯s golden eyes were rolling. And then, the water in the bath rippled. ¡°Woah! Don¡¯t get up now! Argh!¡± As soon as Cesar¡¯s upper body was revealed, Hannah covered her eyes with her hands. Cesar¡¯s face, looking at Hannah like that, was still expressionless. As the sound of wet feet neared, I felt dangerous. Don¡¯t tell me, you punk? You¡¯re gonna do something stupid? Hannah forgot that she was the criminal who sneaked in and grabbed the shovel tightly. ¡°Lower your hands. At least I¡¯m wearing it.¡± As Cesar said ridiculously, Hannah slowly lowered her hand from her face. Fortunately, Cesar was wearing shorts. ¡°Phew.¡± ¡°Why is there a sigh of relief?¡± ¡°I was nervous because I thought I would see it.¡± ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not that bad.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not important right now.¡± Cesar got angry as if his pride had been scratched, and Hannah shook her head to not think about it. Only then could Hannah, who had managed to pull herself together, take a closer look at Cesar. He was wearing pretty thin clothes. If only it was brighter ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤. Hannah instinctively narrowed her eyes and enabled the fabric to be transparent. Then she shifted her gaze to his upper body, where the water was dripping. The body, wet and smooth, was solid at first glance and smooth in curves. Why would a priest need to be so fit? On the surface, he looked like a weakling to be involved in corruption, which was surprising. At Hannah¡¯s persistent gaze as she watched his body with great confidence, Cesar burst into laughter. ¡°So what are you looking for?¡± Cesar picked up a towel and wrapped it around his shoulders. Thanks to you, I¡¯m more comfortable with my eyes. ¡°Oh yes, yes?¡± Hannah responded a beat later. The time has come. All I have to do is be interrogated. ¡°No, well¡­ I was wondering if there was anything good to take because of the bad economy these days.¡± ¡°What were you trying to steal from the temple?¡± ¡°I just said it wrong.¡± He looks like he¡¯s going to wear a handcuff before a substitute. ¡°No, that¡¯s not it ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡± No matter how hard I tried, there could be no reason why I broke into the men¡¯s bath with a shovel. ¡°Phew,¡± Hannah let out a short sigh after a moment¡¯s agony. It¡¯s all over the place anyway. Let¡¯s just say it cool. ¡°I¡¯m looking for something.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Before we get to the point!¡± Hannah cleared her throat. ¡°I have one piece of information. If this information helps you do what you do, please do me a favor.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s make a deal?¡± The corners of Cesar¡¯s mouth, which had been a sour look so far, rose faintly. ¡°Let¡¯s hear it for now.¡± Cesar seemed to be the type who would not be caught up in an incident because everything was annoying, but surprisingly, he moved on easily. ¡°This temple is rotten.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± From the beginning, Cesar¡¯s interest evolved to the next level. ¡°The building is busy with budget and subsidies, and the subordinates are thinking of selling the children from the nursery.¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± Cesar waited for Hannah with his arms crossed. ¡°I definitely thought there was a ledger somewhere in the temple, and I¡¯ve searched here and there until now,¡± he motioned with his chin as if telling Hannah to continue. ¡°But no matter how gently I searched every night, I couldn¡¯t find it. By the way! Yesterday! I saw Chayson sneaking into the bath. There¡¯s something in his hand, and that¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m looking for. I can feel it.¡± ¡°Hmmm, ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡± Cesar loosened his arms and swept his chin. ¡°But why are you looking for it?¡± ¡°Because if we stay like this, our cute children will be sold. I thought that if I find the ledger and use it to threaten the Head Priest, or to use it some other way.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you just report it to the temple?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t have physical evidence, so I wanted to believe it, and I wasn¡¯t sure if the central temple was in one group, and above all,¡± Hannah¡¯s voice decreased. ¡°If the temple goes wrong, all the children will be scattered.¡± Hannah¡¯s face became sullen. ¡°Hmm.¡± Cesar has ears like an animal. He felt a strange feeling when he saw Hannah, who was exhausted as if she was folded face to face. ¡°For now,¡± said Cesar, pointing under the cherry tree. Hanna ran under the cherry tree. ¡°But why did you think it was this tree?¡± ¡°It¡¯s unnatural that the soil is different, there are no weeds, and there are no common fallen petals.¡± Looking around at his words, there were a lot of petals falling from trees on the ground next to him, but only this place was clean. Hannah was amazed. That¡¯s a good observation. ¡°I just took it with a hunch. Anyway, we agree.¡± Cesar¡¯s eyebrows wriggled at her words, but as long as I didn¡¯t have time to care about his face, I would dig hard. Puck, puck. Look. ¡°Uh, ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡± Something hit the tip of the shovel. It was a hard box. Chapter 14.2 ¡°If things go well like this, I will feel uncomfortable again.¡± I think someone said that if things go too well, we should suspect them. ¡°Take it out.¡± ¡°Oh, yes.¡± Hannah took out the box from the shovel by hand. The box was tightly closed. It was completely covered without any holes. In front of it was something like a flat red stone. ¡°Do you know how to open this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a magic lock.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± I wondered how expensive a magi safe would be. If you use such an expensive thing to hide a single ledger, you won¡¯t have enough money even if you¡¯re embezzling money! Hannah handed the box out to Cesar. But Cesar did not accept it and looked down at the box. ¡°You don¡¯t get it?¡± ¡°You know what this is.¡± ¡®No way, do I have to open it, too?¡¯¡± ¡°There, if you draw a secret pattern on the stone, it will open.¡± ¡°Oh, I see!¡± Hannah smiled wildly when she found out the use of the stone embedded in it. ¡°What?¡± When asked what the secret pattern was, Cesar wrinkled his eyebrows and looked at Hannah. ¡°¡­you don¡¯t know.¡± I don¡¯t know either. Hannah said in a crawling voice. ¡°Do you know anything? Like the Head Priest¡¯s birthday or something he uses often.¡± ¡°How do I know that?¡± I don¡¯t even know this body¡¯s birthday. ¡°Ah!¡± Then something crossed Hannah¡¯s mind. ¡°No way ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡± Then, I remembered the figures I found behind the frame. ¡°Do you remember anything?¡± ¡°Zero¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡± Hannah tried to recall the numbers she saw that day. Why is it that only a few numbers didn¡¯t come to mind all of a sudden? ¡°2 is certain, was it 5 or 6? The last one was 8.¡± ¡°528.¡± ¡°Hmm? How do you know?¡± ¡°The anniversary of the grace of the goddess Jesmo,¡± Hannah frowned at Cesar¡¯s explanation. ¡°What a date to use to embezzling subject. It¡¯s a total blasphemy,¡± Cesar nodded sympathetically. ¡°How was the number drawn?¡± ¡°In a round circle, it was overlapped.¡± ¡°Draw it as it is.¡± Cesar beckoned her to the safe, asking her to open it quickly. ¡°Well, my hands are dirty.¡± Hannah was a little scared by the magic item she had never used before. But Cesar laughed at her with his mouth stretched widely. I mean, don¡¯t play tricks on me. Hannah also recognized his intentions at once. ¡®But it doesn¡¯t matter,¡¯ eventually, Hannah put her finger on the red stone. Light fluttered inside the stone when her hand touched it. ¡°Mom!¡± Surprised Hannah dropped the box, and Cesar quickly stepped aside when he saw the box falling on his foot. ¡°¡­you¡¯re sharper than you look.¡± Cesar pointed at the box without a word again, and Hannah squatted and put her finger back on the stone. ¡°5¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤. 2.¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤8.¡± After all that, Hannah drew the numbers exactly as she how saw the pattern. Then light came out of the red stone. The box split in half with a rattle and a sound as I frowned. ¡°I¡¯ll open it.¡± I should¡¯ve opened it myself. I could¡¯ve done at least one gold. There was a sigh of regret. ¡°Why don¡¯t you get one?¡± Cesar said as if he had read Hannah¡¯s mind. ¡°That¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡± Shall I? I tried to say thank you, but I desperately endured it. That¡¯s a test for yourself! ¡°You can¡¯t do that. It¡¯s all temple money.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± Cesar bent over, shrugging his shoulders half-heartedly. And picked up a gold bar. ¡°What are you doing?¡± And Hannah grabbed his hand. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°No! Are you taking out the gold bars?!¡± ¡°¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡± In her jersey, Cesar moved the gold bar to the side and picked up the books under the gold bar. ¡°Hmm-hmm.¡± Hannah awkwardly let go of his wrist. I¡¯m sure he was trying to get a gold bar. ¡°I¡¯m afraid there¡¯s a dangerous spell on it. Hmm.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°The ledger is correct¡± Cesar¡¯s eyes quickly scanned the book. ¡°What do you think? Did you see a lot?¡± Meanwhile, Hannah was curious about it. How much did he make? Did he steal a lot? What punishment would that level of embezzlement be? My body was shaking with curiosity. ¡°Why do you ask?¡± The eyes of Cesar, who had been playing the books, passed on to Hannah. Cesar remembered the terms of the deal Hannah was talking about. ¡°Oh.¡± I forgot for a moment and was glad that I found the account. ¡°Please try to save our nursery school.¡± ¡°To do that, the temple should not disappear.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you change the priest to a proper person instead?¡± Then at least the nursery school doesn¡¯t have to disappear. ¡°Is it because of your job?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°If you get mixed up in this, you may have to quit.¡± ¡°Ah..¡± ¡°However,¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡± What if Hannah, who was the owner of this body, did something bad in accordance with the will of the head priest? No, it couldn¡¯t have been. There was no indisputable memory anywhere in my memory. ¡°I can¡¯t help it. But I hope the nursery school will remain. As long as you find a good teacher and let the children grow up well ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤. I think it¡¯ll be okay.¡± I felt a little sad when I imagined getting fired and seeing the children happily staying with other teachers. However, in a way, there was a sense that it might be better for professional people to come to this world than to be ignorant of children¡¯s education. Hannah broke the silence of the moment and spoke with determined eyes. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± It should be okay. For the future of the children. Hannah stayed in Cesar¡¯s clear blue eyes for quite a long time. ¡°I see.¡± The very late reply was still dull. Chapter 15 <15> ¡°This is a setup!¡± The temple turned upside down at dawn. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a ledger like that in my life.¡± ¡°Selling children?¡± ¡°Hey, look!¡± The High Priest, Chason, and the other priests who had been the servants of the department came out one by one. ¡°Wow. The work is done very quickly.¡± Hannah admired the cinematic sight from her distant feet. The ledger we dug up at dawn was in Curtis¡¯s hand, and Hannah did not know when so many paladins came. ¡°There is a ledger here, and the password on the ledger is beautifully written on the back of a picture frame in the office. The organization that the priest sold the children to would be in the same situation as it is here now. A test subject for black magic. The servants of the gods do that?¡± Curtis, who initially continued to speak in a plain tone, raised his voice at some point showing how angry he was. He was likely to kick the high priest if he gets the chance. ¡°Come on, please do me a favor.¡± The High Priest had already intuited that he was wrong, so he crawled on his knees and prayed at Curtis¡¯ feet. ¡°I think I did good enough for not cutting you off with the holy sword right now. Haah..¡± Behind Curtis, Cesar yawned and appeared with a sloppy face. Just looking at it, it looked like he had just woken up and pulled out his slippers. At his appearance, the Paladins stood aside and made way. ¡®The High Priest of the Central Shrine seems to be a very high person.¡¯ Despite his messy appearance, I could feel even from a distance that the paladin knights were on high alert. Maybe it¡¯s because of his special ability. But when did Cesar check all the ledgers and call the paladins to a secret organization and a temple? He looked new, who was like an incompetent fool. I wonder if he¡¯s always tired because he¡¯s the type of person who works at dawn. ¡°What¡¯s that, sir?¡± While hiding behind the pillar and enjoying the sightseeing, Marsha¡¯s voice was heard from behind. ¡°Wow, there¡¯s a bunch of knights!¡± An excited Jeremy raised his voice. ¡°Is the temple gone now, teacher?¡± Ian, who was quick-witted, seemed to have already figured out the situation. ¡°What, the temple is gone?¡± ¡°Is it because of the minister¡¯s fault that our temple disappears?¡± Ian¡¯s words showed signs of uneasiness among the children. ¡°No, it won¡¯t go away. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Hannah squatted down to make eye contact with the children. ¡°Really?¡± The children looked anxious. Even grown-ups are afraid of change, but it was not necessary to think about how anxious children would be if they thought the temple where they had their homes would disappear. ¡°But that¡¯s how he¡¯s being taken.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± The teacher recognized everything, but only the bad guys were taken. The temple remains the same. ¡°You guys will still stay here.¡± Hannah stroked Masha¡¯s red-eyed hair. ¡°What about you?¡± Jeremy asked such a Hannah. ¡°Teacher is ¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡± I couldn¡¯t bring myself to say that I might not be able to stay with them. ¡°Where are you going?¡± I was worried that the corners of my mouth that I forced myself to raise might shake. ¡°Gasp!¡± It was the cry of Kkokko that broke Hannah¡¯s feeling of sadness. Surprised by the croaking cry, Hannah wrapped her hands around the beak of Kkokko in Masha¡¯s pocket. ¡°Masha, you can¡¯t bring Kkokko to where the others are.¡± The sudden appearance of Kkokko chilled my spine. Masha¡¯s Kkokko was growing day by day by day. It was concluded that this was never an ordinary bird, as the three-day-old boy was already flapping his wings on his fluffy fur. Even the horns are getting harder! ¡°Absolutely not with others around¡¤¡¤¡¤. Especially, you know, it shouldn¡¯t be seen by the people of the temple. Do you understand?¡± ¡°Pick, pick!¡± Kkokko, who had a beak in Hannah¡¯s hand, struggled to take it out. Ha, how the hell did you manage that? If I have to leave the nursery school, should I steal Kkokko and run away? I was at a loss for words. Like this. Kkokko, who was twisting her body, eventually pulled out her beak and bit Hannah¡¯s finger. Hannah had to clench her lips not to scream. ¡®What the hell are you doing to me? Really!¡¯ ¡°Are you in a lot of pain, teacher?¡± Ian asked carefully as Hannah held her hand and bowed her head with tears in her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s all right.¡± Hannah smiled at the children until the end, though. ¡®I¡¯m going to make a soup out of Kkokko and eat it. Seriously.¡¯ * * * ¡°Goodbye. Take care.¡± In front of the main gate of the temple, Curtis said goodbye to Hannah and the children. ¡°It¡¯s a farewell without a hitch.¡± I didn¡¯t really talk to Curtis all his time here. No wonder, it¡¯s because he¡¯s been too busy since he got here. However, it is amazing that he always treats people with a smiling face mechanically, leaving the impression that he is a polite person. ¡°If you¡¯re in the temple, we¡¯ll be connected again.¡± ¡°Yes, take care.¡± Hannah was not fired from the nursery school. The temple rather decided to raise Hannah¡¯s salary in that she had no contact with the head priest and contributed to finding the books. It was a very big gain. ¡°Excuse me¡­¡± Jeremy, who was holding a skirt next to Hannah, shyly opened his mouth. When Jeremy stumbles so shyly, he was about to make a mistake! ¡°The sword, can I touch it once?¡± Jeremy said, pointing to the knight¡¯s sword. ¡°Oh,¡± the knight laughed and asked Jeremy to come up. Fortunately, it was not an accident. With a sigh of relief, Hannah looked at Masha. In particular, she scanned with hawk eyes what was in his pocket. ¡°Phew.¡± There was nothing wrong. Ian had nothing to worry about. Rather, he seemed to want to go in after this greeting was over quickly. ¡°Yo,¡± waved Cesar, who appeared late in the yard. He was such a great human being. How can he stay the same all the time? ¡°Kids,¡± Cesar looked at the children slowly and met eyes with them. ¡°Mister Priest.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a substitute.¡± Why do you have to pick up the difference with the children? A smirk came out of me at his childish attitude. ¡°Thanks for kicking out the bad head priest!¡± Masha said to Cesar, smiling brightly like a sunflower. ¡°Can I tell on anyone else if they¡¯re being mean?¡± Masha seemed to think of Cesar as a hero. ¡°No,¡± Hannah frowned at Cesar¡¯s determined refusal. You can just say yes and go! Why did you hurt our Masha and make a fuss? ¡°You tell this teacher.¡± ¡°Teacher?¡± ¡°This teacher works better than I do.¡± Hannah¡¯s mouth corners rose slightly at his words, and her shoulders became a little puffy. ¡°Yes! Our teacher is the best!¡± Ian nodded at Masha¡¯s words. Hannah¡¯s heart moved as she looked at them. Still, it was the fact that the efforts she¡¯s done so far were not wasted. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± said Cesar, who had shown Jeremy the sword. Jeremy showed signs of regret. ¡°Goodbye. I hope you don¡¯t get away with it.¡± I felt sorry for being attached to you only for a few days. Cesar moved away, waving his trademark dryly. A procession of paladins followed, and instead, the head priest and its companions followed along with the cart tied together. Hannah waved her hand at the head priest instead of the distant Vihrud. ¡°It was dirty to meet you, let¡¯s not see each other again.¡± We¡¯re all relieved. As long as I watched those who were leaving, I turned my back refreshingly. ¡°Now, shall we go back to the happy nursery?¡± Those who have left are those who have left, and those who remain must live another day. ¡°Yes! Are we eating snacks?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t even eaten lunch yet.¡± ¡°Snacks are meant to be eaten every time you feel good?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll start with Kkokko!¡± The children became noisy again. Jeremy bickering, Ian, and Masha, and the singing Kkokko. ¡°It¡¯s a happy time.¡± Though the children¡¯s frantic rhetoric continues to diminish their energy. But this fuss, for one, was happiness. * * * It was a smooth day. The temple without the bad guys was peaceful. ¡°Jeremy! You stepped on the laundry!¡± Hannah was hanging it out in the garden again today. Thanks to the neat Ian, I couldn¡¯t filter out the sun disinfection when the weather was good. Jeremy was stepping on such a precious quilt. ¡°Oh, teacher! Kkokko has taken my snack!¡± ¡°What the hell is wrong with you?¡± Kkokko hasn¡¯t been identified for two weeks. It was a pain in the neck that a kid as big as a fist became as big as melon in two weeks. ¡°Teacher, fly!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say terrible things.¡± How do I explain to others the grey bird flying with horns? ¡°Practice him to walk on two feet, Masha.¡± Hannah cried as she saw her running after Kkokko. ¡°Teacher.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Ian approached the frantic Hannah. Hannah looked back at Ian, dusting off the rest of the laundry. ¡°I think someone¡¯s here.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s coming?¡± I looked down the hill and saw the temple crowded. ¡°Who is it? Oh! Recruits?¡± The vacancy had not been filled for nearly two weeks since the Vihrud substitute was taken. (tl/n; I can¡¯t seem to get another translation for this ¡®vihrud¡¯.) However, it was not noticeable without them, perhaps because it was a temple that did nothing. ¡°Masha!¡± Hannah came to her senses. If new people come, I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll come to check on the nursery! ¡°Masha put her in the coop! And quickly put the skulls and ghostly dolls in the room in a treasure box!¡± Now the nursery bomb was Masha. When someone looked at Masha¡¯s strange taste and asked why she was raising her child like this, there was nothing she could say. On top of that, that friend is a new sprout of a black wizard, so it can¡¯t be said that his taste is like that. ¡°Put Kkokko in the coop first.¡± The biggest problem was Kkokko. Hannah threw out the laundry roughly. Ian frowned on her, but that¡¯s not the problem now. Hannah ran at full speed and headed for Masha¡¯s room. ¡°Argh!¡± In Marsha¡¯s room, a skeleton, a cursed doll, a teddy bear with a missing eyeball, and an ugly curtain welcomed Hannah by pouring red paint. Hannah had to tidy up her room faster than ever. Chapter 16 <16> ¡°Haah¡­¡­Haah¡­ Ian, who¡¯s here?¡± ¡°The Priests wants us to gather at the temple.¡± ¡°Whoo. Yeah. Let¡¯s go.¡± vaguely searching the documents I wiped off the sweat on my forehead. ¡°Masha, did you put Kkokko in the coop?¡± ¡°Yes, but what if Kkokko eats the chickens?¡± ¡°The chickens are stronger than they look. And Kkokko doesn¡¯t eat raw meat.¡± It was amazing, but Kkokko didn¡¯t eat bugs like other birds, nor did she eat raw meat that she threw just in case, as well as bird feed. The shock of Kkokko, who was starving, breaking into the children¡¯s tables and eating well-cooked meat and fish is¡­ ¡°What a strange fellow.¡± Now Hannah is curious about Kkokko. ¡°Oh, it must be there.¡± The priests were coming out of the conference room. ¡°Hello.¡± When Hannah greeted the new priests, the children bowed along with Hannah. ¡°Has a new priest came?¡± ¡°Yes, you can go say hello now.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± There were quite a few new priests. Maybe the temple is about to roll properly now. Hannah knocked on the door of the conference room. ¡°Come on in.¡± What? It was a familiar voice. Gagak, the door opened. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Hey.¡± Why are you here? ¡°That expression means welcome, doesn¡¯t it?¡± It was Cesar. It was two weeks ago that I said goodbye to him warmly. ¡°You! Here! Why!¡± Why the hell are you here? I was speechless and couldn¡¯t get a proper sentence. Hannah instinctively brought the children together by hand. I didn¡¯t want to get involved with a guy who¡¯d be my babies¡¯ enemy again. ¡°I understand it as asking for your kind cooperation.¡± Cesar briefly clicked his tongue as Hannah struggled. ¡°Get out.¡± Move, move. I thought I¡¯d never see that cheeky guy again. Cheeky, look. The door closed and Hannah leaned against the wall of the hallway. ¡®xx. I¡¯m screwed.¡¯ Three would-be villains and one would-be killer in this temple. ¡°Hello.¡± Curtis bowed and closed his eyes beautifully and passed by. ¡®¡­Jaedo Cesar¡¯s frontman¡­¡¯ Two killers. ¡°Wow, Holy Knight!¡± Three killers. ¡°Life.¡± It was a beautiful sky because it was sunny and dazzling before, but I was about to cry as I looked up. ¡°God, are you there?¡± Hannah put her hands together tightly. Please tell me that the original is all wrong now. I beg you. * * * Human adaptability is great. Hannah quickly adapted to this crazy situation. ¡°Good morning.¡± Now, people can say good morning with a smile while watching Cesar clapping his hands while sitting at the Daishin Pavilion. ¡°We¡¯ll deliver the nursery budget by the end of the day.¡± Take care of the knife. Clean and transparent settlement without embezzlement. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Come to think of it, there¡¯s a snack sent by the congregation, and it would be nice to send it to the nursery school.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± It¡¯s become a better job than before. To be honest, I was suspicious that Cesar, who always seemed half-hearted, would not be able to run the temple well, but surprisingly, the temple was running so well. This was because Cesar¡¯s right-hand man Curtis was dealing with work that borders on perfectionism. Why does such a capable man serve Cesar like a lord? Curtis was also the frontman for Cesar in the original book. ¡°Oh, there¡¯s a festival in town today, did you know that?¡± Although it is within the same system, I brought it up because I thought they wouldn¡¯t even know a small festival on the periphery. ¡°Festival?¡± Cesar, who was searching the documents in a vague way, looked up. Hannah made eye contact with Cesar, but turned her eyes very lightly and asked Curtis again. ¡°Did you know?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know. I¡¯d better go to the festival in town.¡± ¡°Sure, it¡¯s going to be a lot of fun, with people in the neighborhood. I¡¯m going to take my children to see the fireworks today.¡± ¡°Fireworks?¡± Once again, Cesar¡¯s voice was heard. ¡°It must be expensive because it¡¯s a magical thing, but it¡¯s a pretty expensive festival.¡± A very long word came out of Cesar¡¯s mouth. That is. ¡°I have to go.¡± It means he was curious about something. ¡°¡­yes, have fun.¡± Hannah begged inside her head. Please don¡¯t ask me to come with you. Don¡¯t say you¡¯ll join our nursery school group. Please, don¡¯t even look. ¡°Let me in on that.¡± Cesar said with a mean smile as if he had read my thoughts. My head was pounding. ¡°Mr. Curtis.¡± ¡°I¡¯m busy today.¡± It was Curtis who cut Hannah¡¯s request to get rid of that burn beforehand. ¡°¡­ha.¡± I just dug a grave. * * * ¡°Well, what did the teacher say?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t follow strangers.¡± Ian passed. ¡°Masha.¡± ¡°Kkokko in the coop. Even when I see a pretty skeleton or a doll, I should never run alone.¡± I¡¯m a little nervous, but he¡¯s through. ¡°All right, Jeremy.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t chase you for something delicious. Even when I see a nice sword, I should not bother to touch it.¡± ¡°Again.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t swear.¡± ¡°All right.¡± At the crowded festival, losing children was the most worrisome thing. When the children were distracted by something, they often disappeared without knowing whether Hannah was around. It would be easy to find a village as usual, but not today. ¡°Come on, abide by the code of conduct! Let¡¯s watch the fun fireworks!¡± But Hannah was a little excited because the festival was a festival. After a long time, I wore new clothes and tied my hair high. I felt good about the hair that was dangling every time I moved. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go to the temple entrance.¡± ¡°By the way, sir, what is that?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± There was a carriage parked at the entrance of the temple. ¡°No way.¡± Hannah didn¡¯t think so. You wouldn¡¯t have thought stupidly about going down the road in just 10 minutes and riding a carriage to watch the festival. ¡°You must be a guest.¡± The idea of ¨C was just wrong. ¡°Get in.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡± ¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Hannah and the children glanced their eyes wide open. ¡°You¡¯re riding it now?¡± ¡°My legs hurt.¡± Cesar, who reclined almost as if lying down in the carriage, was showing the end of indolence. ¡°Get off. You¡¯re walking to see the festival.¡± Hannah resolutely demanded him to get off. Hasn¡¯t he ever played before? In the cold stares of Hannah and the children, Cesar flinched and got off the carriage and eventually, they were slowly walking down. It was Hannah who broke the silence and opened her mouth first. ¡°I understand why there¡¯s such a thing as ¡®urban hillbilly¡¯.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Ian agreed, and Hannah and Ian giggled as if they had clicked. ¡°Don¡¯t laugh without me, let¡¯s laugh together!¡± Masha pulled Hannah¡¯s skirt. ¡°Oh, Masha, you¡¯re gonna rip my skirt! ¡°Masha¡¯s going to hang on to your skirt all day again. Yeah, let¡¯s leave her alone.¡± (tl/n; I¡¯m not sure who said this, but it¡¯s either Ian or Jeremy, and they probably still don¡¯t know that Masha¡¯s a boy that why they used ¡®her¡¯ to address him.) Once again, it became noisy, and Cesar followed Hannah and the children and watched them. There was no time to be bored just by looking at them. ¡°Wow!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never seen so many people in town!¡± The children said it was their first time to see a festival. Last year, when Hannah was still not here, there was no one to show up to show it to the children. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of delicious street food. Let¡¯s eat everything delicious!¡± ¡°Do you have enough salary?¡± Cesar laughed low at the nine-year-old¡¯s concern about Hannah¡¯s salary. ¡°I have a lot of money now, sir. And we have a shopper today!¡± Hannah¡¯s eyes were on Cesar, and the children were now¡­ Cesar waved his hand as if he found the reason to accompany him. ¡°You¡¯re a water lord.¡± ¡°It was water.¡± ¡°You almost got me wrong.¡± (tl/n; It seems they were talking about liquor here and how he was able to afford it, like, they see him as a person with lots of money. I don¡¯t have a better translation for this, but at least I can give you an idea of what they meant.) Cesar was a little offended by the children¡¯s reaction. ¡°Oh, there¡¯s a medicine dealer!¡± What Hannah and the children are into these days was the performance of drug dealers. ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Teacher, don¡¯t buy anything weird like last time!¡± ¡°No, it worked fine.¡± Hannah¡¯s ambiguous eye contact was telling the truth. Not long ago, Hannah fell for a medicine dealer¡¯s words and bought a lacquer pill. ¡°But your height is the same!¡± ¡°¡­¡­they said it¡¯s gonna work slowly. It was because she heard she would get taller. Hannah¡¯s body was healthy and strong, and her face was cute and her hair was pink, and her eyes are shining golden. However, the only thing that was disappointing for me was that I was a little shorter than others. Hannah, who thought she might be catching up with her height as the children grew up these days, bought medicine for herself when she heard that she would grow taller. ¡°Bad swindler. Of course, it didn¡¯t work. It just left a painful memory. ¡°Let¡¯s eat that.¡± Masha said, pointing to a stall. ¡°Yes! What are you doing, come quickly.¡± Hannah headed to a stall lined with food and beckoned Cesar to come quickly. Cesar was suddenly tired. He didn¡¯t know that what he thought of riding a comfortable carriage as he goes and watches the fireworks would turn out as crazy and noisy as the current situation. It was a moment when his mental strength seemed great as long as he struggled with the children every day. ¡°Well, let¡¯s try one. This is Masha¡¯s. Ian, take it. Jere¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡± Hannah, who was handing out sugar-coated bread one by one, suddenly stopped. ¡°¡­Jeremy?¡± Jeremy wasn¡¯t there. No matter how much I looked around, I couldn¡¯t see Jeremy. ¡°I knew this would happen!¡± If anyone was going to get in trouble at this festival, I would expect it to be Jeremy! ¡°I¡¯m eating this.¡± Hannah quickly turned the bread over to Cesar and ran along the way. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Where do you think it is this time?¡± ¡°A weapons store.¡± ¡°Huh, I¡¯ll bet the bar next door. There were a lot of gangsters there.¡± Ian and Masha were munching on bread and even betting on their own as if they were used to the situation. Cesar has never been adjusted to this atmosphere. ¡°Honey, would you pay?¡± The stallkeeper called Cesar, and he took a purse out of his arms. Chapter 17 <17> ¡°Jeremy!¡± The first place Hannah ran to was the weapon shop. But Jeremy wasn¡¯t there. ¡°Jeremy!¡± The next stop was an open-type bar with many men who looked rough. Jeremy wasn¡¯t there either. She¡¯s been trying to find Jeremy for a long time. It¡¯s hard to just run around, but it¡¯s twice as hard to get through the crowd. Hannah quickly had sweat wetting her forehead. ¡°Where the hell has he gone?¡± She tapped her calf muscles, which she was surprised by running around too much, and paused for a while to catch her breath. ¡®I hope he didn¡¯t follow a strange person.¡¯ Hannah was more worried than usual because there were many outsiders in the city. She looked around slowly, suppressing her rather exasperated feelings. Then she saw a familiar black hair in the crowd. ¡°Jeremy?¡± Hannah ran to Jeremy in a hurry. It was strange that Jeremy was staring blankly at the floor, even though people were bumping into Jeremy who was coming and going. ¡°Jeremy!¡± Hannah, who ran immediately, grabbed his arm, and Jeremy looked up blankly. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Jeremy¡¯s expression was dark. ¡°Teacher¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡± He looked helpless as if he had lost his soul. ¡°What, what¡¯s wrong? What¡¯s wrong?¡± She thought earlier than when she finds Jeremy, she was going to scold him, but when she saw his sad face, Hannah couldn¡¯t help but think about it. Jeremy¡¯s eyes, which looked blankly at Hannah, gradually turned red. Then Jeremy hugged Hannah¡¯s waist. Just like Masha usually does. ¡°Jeremy ¡¤¡¤¡¤?¡± Hannah couldn¡¯t even guess what¡¯s with Jeremy¡¯s sudden change was. What in the hell happened? ¡°¡­¡­it hurts.¡± ¡°Where were you? Are you hurt? How come?¡± Hannah held Jeremy¡¯s body with both hands and examined it. Jeremy¡¯s shoes were missing. His ankle was also swollen and red. ¡°What happened to you?¡± ¡°It hurts, teacher.¡± Tears dripped from Jeremy¡¯s eyes just like chicken droppings. Frustrated, Hannah couldn¡¯t say anything. I¡¯m sure this hurts so much! Jeremy, who should have been joking around, is crying because he¡¯s in pain. ¡°Do you want me to carry you on my back?¡± Hannah quietly stuck her back out. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Jeremy, who was hesitating at first, agreed to be carried on Hannah¡¯s back. Jeremy, who was carried on her back, was too light even though he was supposed to be heavy because he¡¯s such an energetic boy. Hannah walked without saying a word. And just waited until Jeremy opened his mouth. ¡°Teacher.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Every time Jeremy spoke, who¡¯s leaning on Hannah¡¯s back, her back rang because of his voice. ¡°I saw my dad.¡± ¡°Dad?¡± ¡°Yes, it was crowded, and I saw the father I remembered.¡± ¡°Ah¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡± Hannah was speechless. ¡°So I ran¡­ I kept looking¡­¡± I swallowed a sigh that almost came out without realizing it. ¡°It wasn¡¯t my dad.¡± I almost cried at the words. ¡°So did you run until your shoes came off?¡± Jeremy nodded his head. Jeremy¡¯s sadness was conveyed with just a layer of clothing in between them. ¡°Did it hurt a lot?¡± The word foot, or heart, was not included, but Jeremy nodded. ¡°I was chasing my dad like that, and when I turned around, there was no one there.¡± ¡°Us?¡± ¡°Yes, and it hurt me more.¡± Jeremy quietly added ¡®heart¡¯. ¡°Jeremy, don¡¯t be sad when you can¡¯t see us. We¡¯re a family. I¡¯ll always be home when you come back.¡± ¡°Family? But we do not even share the same blood.¡± ¡°Do you have to share the same blood to become family?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± It was noisy around, but Hannah and Jeremy were concentrating on each other¡¯s words as if they were in a different world. ¡°We eat together, share warmth, laugh, fight, ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤. And then the next day, we smile and eat again. That¡¯s our family.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like that family.¡± (tl/n: i¡¯m certain jeremy¡¯s referring to hannah and the other kids when he said ¡®that family¡¯.) Hannah smirked at Jeremy¡¯s stern words. And she answered. ¡°Then let¡¯s be friends.¡± What¡¯s the big deal? If you don¡¯t like your family, you can be friends, and if you don¡¯t like your friends, you can just stay with them for a while. ¡°¡­That¡¯s great.¡± Jeremy¡¯s cheeks dug deeper into Hannah¡¯s back. ¡°My dad said he would come to see me when I grow up strong.¡± Why do you make promises that you won¡¯t keep? I¡¯d rather wish you a happy life. It¡¯s not even giving hope, it¡¯s just torture. Hannah hated Jeremy¡¯s father, who didn¡¯t even know his face. And I had many thoughts. Jeremy had memories of his paternal father. Unlike Masha, who was orphaned from a very early age, Ian and Jeremy had memories of being abandoned. I thought Jeremy wouldn¡¯t have any childhood memories since he came to the nursery for a long time now. That wasn¡¯t it. ¡°So I wanted to grow strong¡­¡± Maybe that¡¯s why Jeremy is obsessed with swords and weapons? I came to a thought that the strength of the 9-year-old child¡¯s wish is not limited to physical strength. ¡°You are the strongest child in the world.¡± ¡°I guess Dad doesn¡¯t think so.¡± ¡°Do you remember jumping into the alley to save me?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The day I got the honey bread. ¡°Jeremy is the only nine-year-old who can muster up that courage.¡± ¡°Last time, you scolded me for doing that.¡± ¡°The heart is stronger than anyone else. What¡¯s dangerous is dangerous.¡± ¡°Tsk.¡± Jeremy¡¯s voice had become lighter. ¡°Jeremy.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll let you learn swordsmanship when you get back.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± It was something that stopped Jeremy from worrying about his future, but the more he couldn¡¯t do it, the more he craved and didn¡¯t know where his unsatisfactory curiosity would go. Hannah was thinking that it would be better to teach him properly and safely. After hearing Jeremy¡¯s story, I couldn¡¯t put it off any longer. ¡°Jeremy, remember this. The next time you go after someone,¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°That the house you¡¯re coming back to is over there on the hill.¡± Jeremy¡¯s gaze reached the part where the nursery was located. It was visible from far away. ¡°Never, ever to forget.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad it¡¯s easy to find.¡± When Jeremy smirked, a gentle smile rose around Hannah¡¯s mouth. * * * ¡°Hey! Jeremy!¡± When Jeremy came on Hannah¡¯s back, Masha shouted and called Jeremy. He probably got nervous because he had to wait a long time. When Jeremy came down from Hannah¡¯s back, Masha ran over. ¡°Your bread almost cooled down!¡± Instead of blaming him, Masha pushed in the bread with the most sugar on it. Receiving the bread, Jeremy stared down at the bread. Then he slowly took the bread to his mouth. Unlike Masha¡¯s words, the bread was already cold. It was bought too long ago already. But Jeremy pushed the cold bread into his mouth. His eyes became moist. ¡°Oh, my! Is it that good? Anyway, I cried because I thought it was a pig!¡± Masha turned around, holding a bag of bread and Jeremy¡¯s arms. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Ian! The ladies said that¡¯s the best place for fireworks!¡± Then, he grabbed Ian¡¯s hand and dragged him. Ian made a face because of Masha¡¯s hand touching his glove but was still dragged away. Thanks to this, no one saw Jeremy shedding tears. * * * ¡°Oh, good.¡± Hannah was warming up in the hot spring. After many twists and turns, she was exhausted when they came back from watching the fireworks. But today seems to have been easier than any other day. ¡°Well, did having Cesar help?¡± The children whined that they were sleepy on their way back from the fireworks that lightened up too late. Since Jeremy had already occupied Hannah¡¯s back, Masha had to turn on Cesar¡¯s back. Hannah smiled as if she was satisfied. Normally, I should have woken up the sleepy Masha, but isn¡¯t it comforting to have one more person? When I went to find Jeremy, he seemed to be in a bad mood because he had two children with him. ¡°I don¡¯t mind taking him again next time.¡± It had to be acknowledged that he was unexpectedly useful. So instead of looking up to the temple and the imperial people, Cesar was on the verge of becoming Hannah¡¯s good assistant teacher. ¡°By the way, Jeremy is ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡± Hannah¡¯s expression changed worriedly. Above all. Jeremy¡¯s leg is on his mind. ¡°Well.¡± Jeremy says he¡¯ll get better after a good night¡¯s sleep, but if he¡¯s swollen tomorrow, he¡¯ll have to see a doctor. ¡°Should I give him a foot massage while in the hot spring?¡± Wouldn¡¯t hot spring water be good for his leg and relieve fatigue? ¡°Good. Foot-bath.¡± Hannah put all the water in a glass to take to Jeremy. ¡°Let¡¯s add some cool herbs.¡± Coming out of the hot spring, Hannah approached the herbs she had planted at random to improve the bath scent. As I said, there were grasses and trees here and there because it was an outdoor bath connected to the back mountain. ¡°It¡¯s as cool as peppermint, oh. This smells good, so let¡¯s put it in.¡± Then, she wiped her nose and picked herbs and flowers that she liked. ¡°That¡¯s perfect.¡± The cool, chilly scent of herbs and the sweet scent of flowers combined to create a pleasant scent. ¡°Oh, let¡¯s get dressed first.¡± As long as I was concentrating on making mineral water naked, I quickly wiped the water off and got dressed. Hannah¡¯s cheeks, which came out of the steam and bath with a hot spring basin, were reddening. She had a towel on her head. ¡°It¡¯s refreshing.¡± She headed to Jeremy¡¯s room, feeling refreshed. Chapter 18 <18> ¡°Jeremy!¡± ¡°Teacher?¡± ¡°Where else did you hide that snack?¡± Jeremy was eating snacks secretly again today. The plump cheeks looked like a hamster¡¯s. ¡°How¡¯s your leg?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll get better after you sleep.¡± Jeremy also washed up and came into the room, and his black hair was still moist. ¡°You have to dry your hair well.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s better than a teacher with a towel on.¡± ¡°Oh, I forgot.¡± Hannah laughed awkwardly, and Jeremy laughed along. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s have a foot bath. Teacher made mineral water with herbs and grass.¡± ¡°¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤ Hmm.¡± Jeremy gave me an incredulous look. ¡°Is it safe?¡± ¡°¡­¡­at least only harmless ones are in it.¡± My conscience is screaming at me for not being sure of its safety. ¡°Just put your foot down there.¡± Jeremy lowered his leg from the bed according to Hannah¡¯s instructions. ¡°Aigoo, it¡¯s so swollen.¡± Judging from the fact that the swelling has gotten a little worse, it looks like he won¡¯t be able to walk easily tomorrow. Hannah drenched the basin on the floor in front of the bed and carefully placed Jeremy¡¯s feet in cold water. ¡°It¡¯s cold.¡± It was water that Hannah had cooled down in advance. ¡°You have to take turns in cold and hot water.¡± ¡°Well.¡± Jeremy wiggled his toes. At first, he wondered what the fuss was about, but when a good scent came from the water that was brought close, Jeremy gently moved his feet in the water. ¡°By the way, where did you get the herbs?¡± ¡°I ripped it from the flower bed by the bathhouse.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Jeremy shook his head as he imagined Hannah tearing off an unknown herb. ¡®Let¡¯s just do what she wants.¡¯ ¡°Now, warm mineral water!¡± Hannah brazenly emphasized ¡®pharmacism¡¯ to the end. ¡°Isn¡¯t it hot?¡± ¡°It¡¯s perfect.¡± When it cooled down moderately and dipped to his ankles in warm water, his body visibly relaxed. And as Hannah gently touched the ankle bone, Jeremy felt like he was really being treated. ¡°How¡¯s the pain? Is it less painful?¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s good.¡± ¡®I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s just me, but the pain in my ankle has really decreased.¡¯ (Jeremy¡¯s thoughts.) ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡± Hannah was pleased that her effort was worthwhile. Of course, Jeremy may be saying that to make it sound good, but it was still good. Although there was a cramp on my squatting leg, Jeremy was so cute waving his legs happily that I couldn¡¯t stop pouring water on him. (Hannah) ¡°But let¡¯s go see a doctor tomorrow.¡± ¡°They¡¯re going to give me some bitter medicine.¡± ¡°You have to have strong legs to learn swordsmanship.¡± Jeremy¡¯s eyes got bigger when I mentioned swordsmanship. ¡°Are you really teaching me swordsmanship?¡± ¡°Have you seen teacher lying?¡± Well, sometimes I exaggerate a little bit or wrap things up vaguely, uh¡­ I think I did bang it sometimes. ¡°Wow!¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t believe me?¡± ¡°But it costs a lot of money. You said you can¡¯t even save money because you¡¯re not paid enough.¡± ¡°My, did I say that?¡± One day, she seemed to have rolled back in the garden and sung a song about having poor pay. It¡¯s just a song that repeats the same harmony in a row. I was a little out of my mind back then. Hannah coughed awkwardly and cleared her throat while recalling the past. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Jeremy, you can get the best teacher without having to pay.¡± Jeremy¡¯s head tilted sideways. ¡°Whoa. There¡¯s a way.¡± Hannah laughed meaningfully. ¡°Another villain¡¯s smile.¡± Jeremy had seen their teacher smile like that several times. ¡°I¡¯m excited!¡± And I knew everything worked out for me. The fluttering waters of the basin danced merrily. * * * Step step step. Bam! ¡°Teacher!¡± ¡°Ugh¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤. Mm-hmm. ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡± From the morning breeze, someone opened Hannah¡¯s room door and came in. Hannah was still sleeping. ¡°Teacher!¡± I can¡¯t even hear the sound of a bird. Who¡¯s waking me up? ¡°Uh ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤. What are you doing?¡± Hannah raised herself by wiping her saliva around her mouth and scratching her messy hair. ¡°Look at this!¡± Next to the bed was Jeremy. He was jumping around like crazy. ¡°Jeremy¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤. Why have you been running like crazy since this morning?¡± Hannah rubbed her eyes and yawned. ¡°Legs! Look at my ankle!¡± ¡°Uh, huh?¡± Why are you telling me to look at your legs so early in the morning? ¡°Jeremy, what are you doing? With your sore legs!¡± Hannah, reminded of Jeremy¡¯s sprain, woke up from bed to stop Jeremy. ¡°I¡¯m all better!¡± ¡°What, what?¡± Her gaze shifted to Jeremy¡¯s ankle. Until last night, the swollen ankle had been intact. ¡°When I woke up, my legs got better.¡± ¡°Uh ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤. Well, I know. You look perfectly fine.¡± I couldn¡¯t understand what was going on. Was Jeremy¡¯s body extraordinarily resilient? ¡°Teacher, I think the mineral water did work!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°So my leg healed in a day!¡± ¡°¡­¡­No way.¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you, it¡¯s real! I¡¯m going to show them off!¡± Jeremy ran excitedly and opened Hannah¡¯s room door and went out. ¡°Woah! Look at my legs!¡± Hannah had to admit that Jeremy was already seen out of the window when she ran through the hallways. Jeremy, you¡¯re cured. Scratch. (This is Hannah scratching her neck.) ¡°How did it get better?¡± It was a mystery. ¡°Isn¡¯t the real hot spring water like the holy water? Or was it the perfect combination of herbs that I put in?¡± Well¡­ Jeremy¡¯s the only one who needs to get well. Hannah got up scratching her neck and left the room to wash up. She didn¡¯t know she was scratching her neck with a faint glow on her hand. * * * ¡°What are you doing?¡± Hannah, who came out to serve breakfast to the children playing in the garden, was hardened by two people in front of the chicken coop. ¡°Teacher! I¡¯m feeding Kkokko!¡± Masha said with a big smile. It was a normal routine up to here. ¡°What about you?¡± Why is that vicar sitting next to Masha and watching Kkokko this early in the morning? ¡°This chicken has a unique appetite.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Hannah was speechless at what Cesar said. Kkokko was enjoying the steamed fish that Masha threw for her. No, but that¡¯s what I planned to eat this morning. ¡°Ha, ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡± Masha, who is giggling and showing the most mysterious Kkokko to the human being, and also the priest was looking at the suspicious Kkokko, was an absurd picture ¡°Oh, is it an ostrich?¡± ¡°Eh, uncle, everywhere you look, it¡¯s a chicken!¡± ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤ What are you saying? It¡¯s not a dog or an ostrich. Having been caught trying to hide Kkokko¡¯s existence, Hannah touched her forehead. * * * ¡°Payment, please.¡± Hannah presented Cesar with a document to approve the nursery supplies. Cesar, who accepted it, flipped through the papers with a slow hand. Why are you so slow and dry when you turn a paper? Maybe that person¡¯s blood flows slowly in his veins. Cesar¡¯s body, almost as if lying on his desk, expressed that he didn¡¯t want to sit down at all. Hannah watched his silver hair shine in the sun as she waited. ¡®How can it be so shiny?¡¯ In fact, Ian¡¯s hair was blond, so it shone, but it didn¡¯t feel like white and soft silk. ¡°By the way, where did you get that ostrich?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not an ostrich.¡± I was like, ¡°Oops.¡± I looked at my hair blankly and unknowingly answered. It¡¯s easy to get there if you call it an ostrich! ¡°Yes, that chicken.¡± It¡¯s not even a chicken. Hannah was convinced that Cesar¡¯s eyes were dung eyes. ¡°I picked it up in the garden.¡± ¡°In front of the temple?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The fact that Masha hatched the egg was not to be said. ¡°I have a question, too.¡± ¡°What.¡± Cesar picked up the seal and slammed it on the document. ¡°How did you come to our temple?¡± ¡°You said you needed a new substitute.¡± As if to ask a natural question, he handed over the stamped document to Hannah. ¡°No¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤. I didn¡¯t think a high priest* like you would come to this temple on the outskirts.¡± ¡°You must have high expectations for me.¡± Although it was speculated based on the original story I already know, it was not just that, but also that Cesar was a promising retainer of the temple that is known by many priests. It was widely believed that his body is blessed by the goddess so he was favored by the pope, too. It was strange that he was acting as a substitute for the temple on the outskirts, not in the central temple. ¡°Well, I think he¡¯s a competent man.¡­¡± Without finishing her words, Hannah felt her conscience poking in. In fact, he was the type that seemed far from competent by anyone could tell. Every day he would be like ¡®I¡¯m so tired, I¡¯m gonna die¡¯.¡± He¡¯s walking around looking like that. If there is a game in this world, his usual appearance was like a game junkie who wears a headset every night and stays up all night. ¡°The sound on the mouth.¡± Was it obvious? Hannah picked up the document, scratching the back of her head. ¡°Then I¡¯ll be on my way.¡± Cesar leaned on his desk and waved his hands. It was his own way of saying goodbye. ¡®That consistent, sincerely insincere attitude.¡¯ Now that she is used to such greetings, Hannah left the room with a light step. Chapter 19 <19> That day, in the sunny garden, Hanna seriously began to examine the chickens. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Bbokbokbbokbbok. The chickens were crying loudly. And among them was Coco, like a duck among swans. As if she were the leader, she pushed the chickens away and took the center position. ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± ¡°Kreuk¡­¡± It felt strange when the little one grumbled as if she were answering with her own words. Hanna took the bread out of her pocket. ¡°Eat this.¡± ¡°Kreuk!¡± When Coco saw the bread, she waddled over. ¡°Your legs are plump, too.¡± Coco¡¯s hind legs were very strong and her toenails looked very strong, too. To explain her appearance, her gray fur was covered in a soft layer and her head and body were one-to-one ratios. Oh, let¡¯s just say it¡¯s because she¡¯s still young. The beak was pretty cute because it was yellow as well. Her completely black eyes were shiny enough to reveal Hanna¡¯s pink hair when she looked into it. Well, if you look at it like this, it wasn¡¯t a big problem. However, ¡­ ¡°Why do you have a horn?¡± That horn was the problem. Isn¡¯t the horn on the forehead too suspicious? It¡¯s not a unicorn. ¡°Share some. Ash loves bread, too.¡± Coco was pecking the floor with her beak, not planning to yield a grain of bread to the chickens at the henhouse. Coco had a big appetite. It was amazing that they ate everything the children gave even though it¡¯s a lot of food. ¡°Where the hell is all that food going into that little body?¡± Honestly, there are a lot of awkward parts, but Coco was one of the cute ones. If you get attached to it, she¡¯ll actually look pretty. ¡°You¡¯re pretty even if I haven¡¯t seen you for a long time.¡± The study, which began to find out what Coco was, concluded that she was cute in any way. ¡°Yeah, whatever it is, grow strong.¡± Since we¡¯re raising villains anyway, what else can we do with a suspicious bird? ¡°But please don¡¯t be a dragon. We won¡¯t be able to afford the food.¡± ¡°Kreuk!¡± Seeing that even the strange crying sounds cute to me, the time that I secretly wanted to throw it away has been forgotten for a long time now. ¡°Will you come out?¡± As soon as I opened the coop door, Coco jumped outside. ¡°Let¡¯s take a nap in a sunny place.¡± With her short legs, Coco followed Hanna as she moved to her napping spot under the old tree. Sitting under the tree, Coco sat next to Hanna¡¯s shoulder. Then she leaned her head on her shoulder. ¡°Your horn is poking me.¡± Hanna, who closed her eyes, said. At the words, Coco turned her head a little sideways and buried her face. Hanna thought Coco¡¯s head was quite warm on her shoulder and took a nap. * * * Hannah baked cookies with the kids today. The cookies, which were baked with lots of delicious nuts, smelled savory and tasted good. Hanna went somewhere with a pretty plate of cookies baked much more than usual. ¡°Are you there?¡± The place where Hanna arrived was the resting place of the paladins. ¡°No one¡¯s here.¡± Since the change of the head priest, several paladins have been employed in the temple. Perhaps they were following Cesar, the lion of the goddess, and not to protect this weak temple. Hanna¡¯s search for them was simple. ¡°I was going to bribe everyone and get a free swordsmanship teacher, but it seems that they caught onto it. They were gone just like ghosts.¡± If that¡¯s true, the paladins must be very sensitive more than I thought. ¡°Bribe?¡± ¡°Oh, my God!¡± I was secretly peeking in the room with my eyes, but when I suddenly heard a voice I was startled and almost dropped the plate. ¡°Ah, were you surprised?¡± ¡°Good afternoon. Sir Moisei.¡± ¡°Yes. Good afternoon, teacher Hanna.¡± I looked at Moisei as I grabbed my chest because my heart was beating in surprise. ¡°There aren¡¯t any paladins here?¡± ¡°We just had a little training, and they¡¯re all washing up.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Come to think of it, Moisei¡¯s hair was a little wet. ¡°Do you have any business with them?¡± ¡°Oh, nothing, I baked a lot of cookies and brought it for them to taste it.¡± Hanna smiled brightly and lifted the plate. ¡°Thank you.¡± Moisei had a rather stiff personality. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because he¡¯s a knight or if his personality is a little angular. ¡°Hm. That, sir.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a temple on the outskirts, so you¡¯re easily bored here than the central temple, right?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± That shouldn¡¯t be the case. Why aren¡¯t you bored in this boring countryside? I was embarrassed by Moisei¡¯s immediate and determined response, but I didn¡¯t give up and threw the bait. ¡°Hmm, do you happen to have any hobbies?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s a pity that you don¡¯t have a decent hobby in this lonely temple.¡± Of course, there was nothing to be sad about. Moisei couldn¡¯t figure out what Hanna was trying to say. ¡°So, do you have any free time? Can you spare it for me? You can think of it as a hobby.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡­?¡± As Hanna curled her body and blushed, Moisei thought, ¡®No way!¡¯ ¡®This is ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡¯ The woman who has been baking cookies, asking for time, and blushing cheeks. There was only one thing that all this pointed to. ¡®Confession?¡¯ Moisei suddenly found this situation very embarrassing and burdensome. He never thought he and the nursery teacher would get entangled in this way. A love affair at the temple where he came to work. It was absolutely out of place with his own values. Furthermore, the nursery teacher seemed to be much younger than himself. Moisei vowed to refuse unconditionally. Although the nursery school teacher is pretty, she takes care of the children like an angel, even the baked cookies smell amazing! ¡®That¡¯s not gonna happen.¡¯ Hanna carefully opened her mouth, scratching her cheek with her fingers, not knowing Moisei¡¯s inner conflict. ¡°Do¡­ Do you have any plans to raise a student?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I understand your heart, but it¡¯s a private matter where you work.¡± The two people¡¯s words intertwined almost simultaneously. ¡°What?¡± ¡°What?¡± Hanna was embarrassed by the refusal to return as soon as she finished speaking. Did you just listen to yourself? ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you raise a student?¡± ¡°Oh, no.¡± ¡°I think you said something personal.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the wrong word.¡± Moisei¡¯s face was heated up. What kind of misunderstanding did you make? His hand covered his face. ¡°What does your student mean?¡± Moisei quickly changed the subject in case his delusion was caught. ¡°What? Why are you blushing all of a sudden?¡± Hanna didn¡¯t understand Moisei¡¯s sudden stuttering attitude. ¡°No, no, you know Jeremy in our nursery? A brave child with black hair and round eyes.¡± ¡°Oh, I remember. The kid who liked my sword?¡± ¡°Yes! That¡¯s right!¡± Moisei remembered Jeremy, and somehow I felt like things were going to go well. ¡°Jeremy¡¯s dream is to be a prosecutor. But I can¡¯t leave Jeremy, who is going to be a big person, to anyone else. I think the one who can take care of Jeremy is someone as good as the greatest paladin in the temple.¡± In fact, there were three reasons why Hanna wanted to make the paladins a teacher of Jeremy. The first is that the paladin¡¯s personalities are nicer than ordinary people, so they can embrace Jeremy¡¯s eccentric personality. The second is that if he learns the sword from a paladin, he will not use it to do bad things even as a courtesy to his teacher. And the third is¡­¡­ It was because I thought free classes would be possible. In fact, the third was ahead of the previous two reasons. ¡°Disciple¡­¡­¡± Moisei was still a young knight. I thought it would be too early for such a person to have a student already. ¡°But I haven¡¯t yet¡­¡± Whenever Moisei¡¯s mouth opened, Hanna listened to him with sparkling eyes. ¡°Not yet ¡¤¡¤¡¤ This¡¤¡¤¡¤ Err¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡± As he said no, Hanna¡¯s expression was slightly frowned upon and turned into a tearful face in real-time. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I promise it won¡¯t take up too much time. Jeremy is smart, so he learns quickly. How about twice a day, an hour in the morning and evening?¡± ¡°Twice, in the morning and evening?¡± ¡°Is that too much? Then one night? Two hours?¡± ¡°Two hours is a little¡­¡± ¡°Then an hour for dinner!¡± Moisei was never meant to agree. After two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening, he was surprised to see that it was becoming a compromise for one hour in the evening. ¡°Then I¡¯ll tell Jeremy that! He¡¯ll love it. He sings a song every day, saying Moisei was cool!¡± However, he could not bear to say no to Hanna, who had already decided to accept it and smiled broadly. ¡°Then I¡¯ll have to go tell him the good news.¡± Hanna turned around with a bright face, and Moisei couldn¡¯t catch Hanna. He couldn¡¯t even say it wasn¡¯t like that because he thought it might seem like he was going back on his words. ¡°Oh, by the way!¡± Hanna, who was walking as if she were running, turned around and approached Moisei again. ¡°What, what is it?¡± Then he held Moisei¡¯s hands with both hands. ¡°I couldn¡¯t say thank you. Thank you so much. You will be blessed.¡± Hanna smiled pleasantly and waved his caught hand up and down, then ran again. *Tak, tak, tak.* Light steps moved away through the hallway. ¡± ¡­¡­¡± Moisei wondered what it was like to have his eyes opened and still cut his nose. ¡°She got you.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been completely beaten.¡± His fellow paladins, who he did not know returned already, saw him and picked up the cookies on the plate and put them in Moisei¡¯s mouth. Crispy. The savory cookie broke in his mouth. It¡¯s delicious. Fortunately, the cookies were to his taste. Chapter 20 <20> ¡°Oh my gosh, look at that skillful figure.¡± ¡°Is it even possible to swing a wooden sword as it is?¡± ¡°It¡¯s your first time, but you don¡¯t lack in spirit. Maybe you can be a good paladin.¡± Hanna, Ian, and Marsha who were sitting under a tree were watching Jeremy taking sword lessons. Moisei was a very fast-paced person, just like a knight. After their conversation¡­ No, on the night he was scammed, Moisei came to see Jeremy right away, and classes started the next day, which is today. ¡°The paladin must have the power.¡± Ian looked at Hanna with pitiful eyes, as if she didn¡¯t know such an obvious thing. ¡°Then he should just be a knight.¡± Hanna was in a good mood. I was proud to have obtained the swordsmanship class that Jeremy wanted with just a few words, and when I saw Jeremy working hard on the class, I couldn¡¯t help but be satisfied that Jeremy might become a good knight. ¡°Jeremy, you might get tired of it again soon. Right, Kkokko*(1)?¡± Marsha said, stroking Kkokko in her arms. But Hanna just laughed at Marsha¡¯s words. It was because Jeremy was confident he would never give up. ¡°Marsha, Ian. Please cheer for Jeremy. It¡¯s a blessing to have something you want to do.¡± Hanna felt that Jeremy had changed a lot in a short amount of time, although her usual image of Jeremy was mischievous and selfish. No, it would be right to say that he¡¯s grown up. ¡°Is there anything you want to do, Ian and Marsha? Like a future dream.¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Ian replied immediately. Well. Ian, you don¡¯t have to be here. You¡¯re going to be the emperor anyway. In fact, Ian was not worried at all. ¡°What about Marsha?¡± ¡°I want to be a zookeeper!¡± ¡°Because you like animals?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve raised Kkokko so I think I¡¯m cut out for it!¡± ¡­Will Marsha become an animal keeper or a beast keeper? ¡°Well¡­¡± It was a little worrying, but not a bad future. At least people said that animal lovers aren¡¯t bad people. ¡°I hope it¡¯s a good future.¡± The sun was setting slowly while they were watching Jeremy¡¯s class. ¡°I hope you all find something that makes you happy.¡± ¡°Are you happy?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Are you happy to be a teacher?¡± Marsha asked Hanna with sparkling eyes. ¡°Happiness¡­¡± The past, where I first possessed this body, adapting to the temple, and struggling to avoid a dangerous future, crossed my mind. Hanna trembled. ¡°Happiness¡­.¡± But what I can say for sure is that¡­ ¡°I couldn¡¯t be happier.¡± Even if someone asked the same question, this answer would have come out. In fact, Hanna has been spending very peaceful days since the temple was stabilized. ¡°Kreuk!¡± Just like Kkokko who is happy when she is given food like now. ¡°So you kids should do something happy like me, too.¡± Hanna hummed, and the children listened and watched Jeremy. Ian, who had been staring at Jeremy for a long time, turned his attention to the book in his hand again. * * * The next day, Hanna skipped breakfast and headed to the market early to buy supplies. She bought what they needed and had a simple lunch outside. And when she returned to the temple late in the afternoon, the atmosphere of the temple was a little strange. ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± Cesar¡¯s face, as he stood on the pillar at the entrance of the temple, didn¡¯t look good. His face was floating in vain and his eyes were hazy. Oh, his eyes are always like that. ¡°¡­¡­it hurts.¡± ¡°What? Where?¡± ¡°Tummy.¡±*(2) Come to think of it, Cesar is holding his stomach. ¡°Did you eat something wrong? Or do you need the bathroom?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Cesar frowned instead of answering. Then, isn¡¯t it just that you¡¯re really not feeling well? ¡°No, what did you eat? You look like a jellyfish washed out of the sea.¡± ¡°Cafeteria¡­, rice.¡± Cesar said in a crawling voice as if he didn¡¯t have the energy to answer. ¡°Do you want me to call a doctor?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already done¡­¡± I feel sorry for you, but what can I do? There was nothing more I could do when the doctor already came and went. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Be careful. I wish you well then.¡± Hanna completely avoided Cesar, who was almost crawling on the floor. Hanna circled Cesar very far away in case of a contagious disease. Cesar, who looked at her like that, had no energy to be angry. Hanna left the sick patient behind and headed to the nursery with a careful step. * * * ¡°Oh, my God. What¡¯s wrong with you guys?¡± ¡°Teacher¡­¡­¡± When I arrived at the nursery, the children were lying on the floor. They¡¯re like the Cesar she just saw, holding his belly. ¡°Did you guys eat at the temple?¡± Obviously, I left food for the children to eat, but it was strange. ¡°¡­Uh¡­I told you, let¡¯s eat, even if it¡¯s not good.¡±, said Jeremy, who rolled over to the side. Hanna was speechless. ¡®You guys didn¡¯t eat my food because it wasn¡¯t good. Did you eat at the temple?¡¯ The question filled my throat. ¡°I¡¯ve been liking temple rice lately¡­¡± Marsha awkwardly avoided Hanna¡¯s gaze calling for an answer. ¡°But how are you feeling all right?¡± Meanwhile, Ian was reading a book in good condition. Hanna asked Ian because she was surprised that he was fine alone when they ate together. ¡°I like your food.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah. Thank you.¡± Hanna learned a new fact from him. ¡®My rice did not taste good¡­¡¯ It was a fact that I didn¡¯t know because I ate so well. It was heartbreaking to think that the good children were forced to eat because they thought of me and couldn¡¯t say it was bad. ¡°Broccoli¡­ I don¡¯t like it¡­¡± Jeremy said in a squeezing voice. I remembered that everything I made today contained broccoli. I bought too much broccoli. Thanks to that, I put it in all the food to eat it quickly, but it seemed like they didn¡¯t like it. ¡°Oh, my God. What do I do?¡± It was heartbreaking to see children crawling on the floor with their lips turning purple. ¡°I think my butt is going to rip.¡± ¡°Jeremy¡­¡± ¡°Dirty¡­¡± Marsha did not sympathize with Jeremy to protect at least his dignity. ¡°Oh, my precious babies.¡± In Hanna¡¯s words, Ian scoffed at the word ¡°babies¡± but Hanna couldn¡¯t hear him. Her precious children were rolling in pain. * * * ¡°Phew, I really can¡¯t live.¡± Hanna sighed, organizing the items and food ingredients she had bought from the market. No, the temple can¡¯t even manage food properly, causing mass food poisoning? It was fortunate that the children took medicine when they went to the doctor¡¯s office, but they could not drink water, let alone food because they spilled it all down. ¡°I¡¯m going to make some honey water.¡± Hanna boiled the water. ¡°Honey was here somewhere.¡± She opened the cupboard and found honey. As the water bubbled up, Hanna scooped up honey. ¡°This is to make them cheer up.¡± Stir the honeyed water. ¡°Well, let¡¯s add tea leaves to make it smell good.¡± The tea leaves lined up in the open cupboard caught her eye. ¡°Yeah, they¡¯d eat it better if there was a scent.¡± She opened the lid of the bottles containing tea leaves, smelled this and that, and put them together moderately. ¡°Oh, it tastes good.¡± The finished honey tea smelled better and tasted better than she thought. ¡°Let¡¯s make some more.¡± I felt uncomfortable thinking that not only the children but also everyone who had eaten at the temple was suffering from stomach aches. Cesar¡¯s dying face that she saw at the entrance. Eventually, Hanna boiled another big pot of water. * * * ¡°Drink this and sleep with a blanket on your stomach. Okay?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Yes. Uh¡­¡± First, I gave the children honey water. After putting a thick blanket on their stomachs, Hanna came out of the children¡¯s room. Then she went back to the kitchen and headed to the temple with a large kettle. ¡°This, drink it.¡± Cesar, who was lying on the sofa in the office, saw Hanna and opened his quivering lips. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s honey water. Drink this. You probably can¡¯t even eat, right now.¡± ¡°¡­Leave it.¡± Cesar, who had no energy to answer, shook his hand. Given that the position of the hand is slightly lower than usual, it seems that he has no energy to raise his arm. Hanna can¡¯t believe even that arrogant gesture could be heartbreaking. Being sick was great. ¡°I¡¯ll leave the kettle, so feed it to the people who come.¡± Hanna took out another cup and lined it up on the table. She could see a waving hand over the sofa. That¡¯s what happens when a person who has no energy gets sick. He was drooping like a piece of laundry on the floor. After that, Hanna went to the dining room with honey water. ¡°Give it to the people who have stomach problems.¡± She handed over the honey water kettle to the new paladin on duty at the dining room. She went back to the nursery hoping that people would drink honey water and regain a little energy. She also encountered Curtis and some of the new paladins on the way and their situation didn¡¯t look good either. The seriousness of the situation was clearly expressed by the way Curtis, who had always straightened his back, dragged his legs along the hallways. ¡°What a pain.¡± It was a day when I felt the danger of mass food poisoning. ¡°I¡¯ll have to boil some more.¡± Hanna thought the aftermath would last for a few days. Chapter 21 <21> Even after Hanna left his office, Cesar was still unable to get up from the sofa. If he changed his posture a little bit, he couldn¡¯t even do it because of his aching stomach. However, as his lips were about to tear due to dryness because of dehydration, Cesar picked up the cup Hanna left on the table with his trembling hands. He couldn¡¯t even get up and slurped the water like a bird pecking at it. The honey water was terribly sweet to the point he¡¯s getting goosebumps. Perhaps because nothing went into his mouth for half a day, his taste buds reacted sensitively. *Gulp. Gulp.* Sweet honey water continued to enter Cesar¡¯s esophagus. * * * ¡°You¡¯re okay, too.¡± ¡°Yes, Cesar is okay, too.¡± Curtis handed out the documents and deliberately emphasized the word ¡®okay¡¯. *Tak. Tak.* Cesar¡¯s finger hit the desk lightly. ¡°Why are you okay?¡± ¡°Is it a problem for me to be okay?¡± Curtis thought he would be good as dead for three days, but he didn¡¯t know how fortunate this strange phenomenon was. ¡°In a day, almost all the people in the temple got better.¡± Cesar, who had been thinking for a while, suddenly remembered something. ¡°You.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Did you drink that water?¡± ¡°Water?¡± ¡°The honey water.¡± At Cesar¡¯s words, Curtis traced his memories of yesterday. He remembered drinking it by himself while crawling around when he heard that Moisei had received honey water from the dining hall. ¡°I drank the honey water they gave out at the dining hall.¡± ¡°Honey water¡­¡± Last night Cesar drank up the honey water Hanna left behind. There was no one else to share it. As the sweet thing went down his throat, his body, which seemed to be limped because of poison, cooled down and felt purified. Thanks to that, his eyes went upside down, and then drank everything. ¡°Isn¡¯t that weird? The water was made by the nursery teacher.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll find it out.¡± Curtis immediately read Cesar¡¯s meaning. He had a keen eye that could tell what¡¯s in his mind with just his eyes without Cesar having to explain it for a long time. It was strange enough that all the people in the temple were cured after sharing the honey water given by the nursery teacher. Cesar did not give detailed explanations or instructions. He waved his hand. It means to go out and work quickly. * * * ¡°What?¡± Hanna was embarrassed by this situation now. ¡°The people of the temple drank the honey water and got better.¡± ¡°That water?¡± That¡¯s just honey water. Hanna didn¡¯t understand what Curtis was saying now. ¡°What the hell is that honey water?¡± ¡°Water filled with the essence of clear Cocos Mountain and a spoonful of honey filled with love¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s all?¡± ¡°A little herbal tea¡­?¡± Curtis told Hanna that the people who drank the honey water she made yesterday had been cured, and asked about the water¡¯s identity. But Hanna had nothing to say but honeyed water. ¡°The doctor says there¡¯s no other way to cure it, and I have to be sick for three days, how did I get better like this?¡± ¡°Thanks to the spirit of the clear mountain.¡± When he asked her what she didn¡¯t know, she couldn¡¯t give him another answer. At that time, Jeremy, who was listening to their conversation, intervened and said. ¡°My injured leg was also treated with medicinal water by the teacher!¡± Curtis¡¯ eyes glistened at the words. ¡°How did you make it?¡± ¡°Spring water and medicinal herbs?¡± ¡°Are you familiar with herbal medicine?¡± Curtis wanted to know this in detail. Dealing with herbs is a difficult task, and having a talent for it would be a great help to the temple. Curtis was busy enough to say that he usually lived a day divided by minutes, and the fact that he spent so much time on Hanna was very interesting. ¡°I have no idea at all.¡± ¡°Then how did you find out about medicinal herbs?¡± ¡°I put it in because it smells good.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Curtis rubbed his chin and fell into deep thought. ¡°Have you, by any chance, done a test on your power before?¡± ¡°What? No.¡± Hanna grew up in a temple, but this corrupted temple did not purchase any equipment needed for the power test, so only rumors were heard of it having a power test. ¡°My gut tells me there¡¯s something about you.¡± That gut of his must be so reliable to have that kind of an expression. ¡°¡­Is that so.¡± But Hanna wasn¡¯t very interested in what he said. ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a test?¡± ¡°Well¡­ the next time I go to the central shrine, I¡¯ll take it.¡± ¡°We can also bring it right here.*(1) ¡°No, well, it¡¯s not necessary.¡± To be honest, Hanna had no interest in herself, even if she had divine power or not. Let¡¯s say she¡¯s lucky enough to be given a new life. In the future world where the villains would come, having good faith is a choice that calls for disaster on its own, just like serving part-time jobs at a samgyetang*(2) restaurant on holiday. ¡°I¡¯m satisfied with my life now.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Curtis couldn¡¯t let go of his expectations. ¡°I¡¯ll definitely get myself tested if I have to go to the central temple next time.¡± ¡°If your heart is like that, I can¡¯t force you more.¡± His eyes were dripping with regret. In this world today, a priest was more respected than being employed in the imperial palace. As the prestige of the temple became so great that even the imperial palace was noticing it, the priests with the power of the temple on their backs were the envy of everyone. The uniqueness of being able to become one of the only chosen people with divine power added to the value of the position. Hanna knew, however, that most of the extras in the original story died when they were priests. Therefore, I wanted to avoid voluntarily becoming a priestess after taking a test of my strength. ¡°Well, I¡¯m thinking of going out with the kids now.¡± Curtis¡¯ footsteps were not falling. ¡°A little¡­ Please move out of the way.¡± Hanna had to look away quickly so that she could not make eye contact with the glows of sadness in the other¡¯s eyes. ¡°But¡­¡± But, what do you mean, ¡°but¡±?! Hanna managed to push Curtis away and take the children out of the dormitory. ¡°Teacher, are you going to be a priestess?¡± Marsha asked, pulling Hanna¡¯s skirt. Hannah shook her head as she tied her frizzy hair. ¡°I like being you kids¡¯ teacher. And Curtis misunderstood.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s true that you made people better.¡± Jeremy was excited that his teacher was special. ¡°A stomachache is usually cured after a good night¡¯s sleep.¡± Ian didn¡¯t understand why Hanna is like that. Others want to enter the temple even if they squeeze out all their power to become a priest. ¡°You¡¯re weird.¡± Ian told Hanna. ¡°Guys, the world isn¡¯t all it seems.¡± You don¡¯t have to walk on a muddy path even if you can¡¯t go on a flowery path. Hm-hm. ¡°You¡¯re talking like a person who is well-versed in the history of the world.¡± ¡°Haha.¡± It¡¯s not that, it¡¯s a reader¡¯s buff. ¡°Today is an outdoor class!¡± Outdoor classes were like saying that Hannah would set her children free in the garden and enjoy their leisure time. ¡°I mean, strangely, I¡¯m tired.¡± I was strangely tired last night and fell asleep. ¡°Hmm.¡± Hannah sat under a tree and turned her hands around and turned over. ¡°Come on, it can¡¯t be.¡± No matter how powerful the body of a character in a novel is, does anyone have this kind of strength? She was sure Curtis had a wrong guess. * * * ¡°You¡¯re not going to be tested?¡± ¡°What kind of rumor is that?¡± During dinner time, an uninvited guest stormed in while Hanna was trying to have dinner at the nursery with the children. ¡°But why are you eating here?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t trust temple food because of yesterday.¡± Hanna, who was putting steamed meat on a plate, was speechless and stopped moving without realizing it. ¡°Well, you care terribly about your body.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a very precious body.¡± At the round table, Cesar, who sat between the children, even had a towel around his neck. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± It was a difficult situation because I couldn¡¯t get rid of him rudely when he said he was going to eat a meal. ¡°Let¡¯s eat first.¡± When the steamed meat was put on the table, the children¡¯s eyes shone. ¡°I was wondering if I should cook porridge, but I decided to cook meat to cheer you up because you were all so energetic.¡± ¡°I love meat!¡± ¡°I absolutely hate porridge! I know it¡¯s called carrot porridge during the day, but you put broccoli in it.¡± Anyway, the broccoli had to be hidden, so I ground it in so the kids wouldn¡¯t notice, but Jeremy¡¯s taste was quite sharp. ¡°Don¡¯t whine about the side dishes,¡± Cesar said to Jeremy. Don¡¯t whine about it at the dining table. Hanna took off her apron and sat down on the chair among the children. ¡°Thank you for the meal!¡± ¡°Thank you for the food.¡± ¡°Hehe, meat, meat!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll eat it well.¡± Look at that natural greeting. ¡°You¡¯re not going to eat here tomorrow, are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m thinking of using this place until the temple¡¯s dining hall disinfection and cleaning are complete.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I can barely open my mouth, so why is the annoyance exploding like this? ¡°It¡¯s not free.¡± ¡°A budget of 5 percent?¡± I was almost tempted. However, I don¡¯t like the fact that he¡¯s using money like this. It¡¯s not even his own money, it¡¯s this temple¡¯s budget! ¡°Let¡¯s cook together.¡± ¡°Cooking?¡± Cesar¡¯s lips twisted. ¡°You have to make your own food.¡± The children chewed food and concentrated on their conversation. ¡°Teacher. Isn¡¯t getting a bigger budget better?¡± Ian pointed out Hanna¡¯s wrong line. ¡°I¡¯m regretting what I¡¯m saying now, too.¡± Hanna sympathized with Ian without a change of expression. ¡°Great.¡± ¡°What?¡± No, what do you mean great? Let¡¯s negotiate more carefully, whether it¡¯s 10 percent or 7 percent. Is this happening? It¡¯s difficult, but it was more difficult to reverse because I already said something. It was funny to make a deal with just a meal. ¡°You should have just accepted the budget.¡± Ian and the other children shook their heads. ¡°¡­..¡± Why didn¡¯t you stop me earlier? That¡¯s how Hanna got a cooking assistant. ¡°Sheasher!¡±(Teacher!) Jeremy called Hanna with his mouth full of meat. ¡°Huh? Jeremy?¡± ¡°Moishi-nim is sho rushtic shoday!¡± (Moisei-nim is so rustic today!) ¡°Did Moisei praise you?¡± It was Hanna who understood the messed up pronunciation like an expert. ¡°Talk after swallowing your food.¡± Cesar, a guest, said to Jeremy, who was frying food. *Gulp.* Jeremy swallowed what was in his mouth and opened his mouth again. ¡°Like this! Like this! Pak Pak! He even stabbed me!¡± Cesar and Ian looked serious as Jeremy punched the table. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t hit the table.¡± Cesar said to Jeremy again. ¡°And tomorrow, like this! He would teach me how to slash!¡± Jeremy got down from the chair and performed the sword-slashing action. Seeing that, Cesar said again. ¡°Don¡¯t stand up while eating.¡± Jeremy said with a wrinkled face, ¡°Zip it.¡±*(3) A line formed between Cesar¡¯s eyebrows. ¡°This bean-sized guy.¡± ¡°Why are you telling us what to do at our table?¡± ¡°This and that? I¡¯m the head priest here inside the temple.¡± ¡°Are you condescending to a child your rank?¡± ¡°Ha?¡± Then Jeremy and Cesar continued to fight meaningless words. Ian quietly wiped his mouth, saying that he had lost his appetite. Marsha giggled at the sight. Hanna had a throbbing headache. .¡­Ah. I wish everyone would just eat. Chapter 22 <22> ¡°That thing you¡¯re wearing right now.¡± Hanna witnessed a very disturbing sight in the kitchen. ¡°Isn¡¯t that my frilled apron?¡± To make herself feel better, she bought a pink floral apron with frills, which is now hung neatly around Cesar¡¯s neck. ¡°No one was wearing it.¡± Don¡¯t men usually avoid things like that? ¡°Well, that¡¯s true but¡­¡± In fact, Cesar was told that the items in the kitchen should only be used for their own uses. It was a pity that he lives wearing only his uniform, a person with a tendency to be a fashion terrorist if he were an ordinary person. ¡°Let¡¯s do it quickly. Quickly.¡± Eventually, Hanna gave up her new apron, lifting an old apron and wearing it around her neck. ¡°Are you really going to cook?¡± ¡°Is that going to be hard?¡± ¡°Oh¡­ You¡¯re very confident.¡± I was looking forward to whether Cesar, who looked like he had never seen water on his hands, would be able to cook. Truthfully, I was a little excited to scold him if he made a mistake. ¡°What should I do?¡± ¡°Will you trim potatoes for the stew first?¡± ¡°How?¡± Look at this! Aren¡¯t you stuck with the basics? ¡°Wash it up, peel off the skin, and cut it into squares.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Cesar slowly began washing potatoes as Hanna explained. Hanna watched Cesar like that. It was so funny to see Cesar wearing a frilled apron and squatting in a narrow corner of the kitchen washing potatoes. ¡°Wash it thoroughly. Ian really hates not washing potatoes properly.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that potatoes don¡¯t taste good, what¡¯s wrong with not washing them like that?¡± ¡°There is such a thing. If he wants you to clean it, clean it.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Cesar listened to Hanna¡¯s words carefully, washed the potatoes carefully, and began cutting. ¡°Oh, my. What would you eat if you cut all the flesh like that?¡± ¡°This is the best.¡± The knife was not good enough to be pressed. ¡°These are all potatoes that we grew ourselves! What a waste!¡± I was bad, but Hanna watched Cesar finish until the end. Of course, she was constantly nagging like a grandmother. ¡°You know we should¡¯ve started cooking the stew at this hour¡±. In fact, it was so much fun for her to nag him like this. Cesar, who has always looked down on people, is peeling potatoes. ¡°Is this enough?¡± ¡°The amount has decreased by half.¡± Cesar held out a potato and hoped for even a small compliment. This was because he was originally used to being praised for whatever he did. Perhaps that¡¯s why Cesar became sullen by Hanna¡¯s reaction. ¡°What should I do now?¡± However, Cesar endured it and demanded the next job. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you cut the carrot this time?¡± ¡°What did you do while I was chopping potatoes?¡± ¡°Me? I was watching Cesar.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Cesar was speechless and stared at Hanna silently. Only then did Hanna feel that she wasted her time focusing too much on teasing him. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll do it, too.¡± Since then, Hanna has been trimming vegetables with Cesar¡¯s poor skills, but came next to him and pointed it all out. ¡°No! It¡¯s exactly a bite! You can¡¯t do that? How can you cut it so big when the children¡¯s mouth is small?¡± At Hanna¡¯s point of not knowing how many times, Cesar eventually ran out of patience. Tuk. The carrot fell off Cesar¡¯s hand. ¡°Let¡¯s just go with the increase of the budget.¡± Cesar, who couldn¡¯t stand it, made up his mind to pay for money. ¡°Yes? Why does the high priest say two things with one mouthful?¡± But Hanna had no intention of accepting it. This was because this moment of cursing Cesar was much more fun than she thought. She was convinced that he would never be able to buy this pleasure with money. ¡°¡­ha.¡± His cutting skills were improving day by day, receiving endless criticism and teasing from Hannah. * * * ¡°Make me herbal tea.¡± ¡°Boil it yourself.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not feeling well.¡± ¡°You¡¯re feeling normal.¡± Hanna was so lazy about this man. ¡°Why do you keep asking me to do something?¡± It was because he had to listen to the voice of Cesar to feed him food, to make him tea, and at least to float the leaves in the cold water. ¡°Just because.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not your own maid.¡± ¡°What can I do when I can¡¯t make it taste good with my hands?¡± It was an outrageous word. ¡°Breakfast, lunch, dinner! It¡¯s not enough to eat like a carnivore every day, so why do you keep asking for this and that!¡± In the meantime, since there were children, the anger that I had suppressed and endured exploded. ¡°What do you mean a carnivore? That¡¯s harsh.¡± Cesar looked hurt. ¡°So why do you keep bothering me?¡± While being so angry, voices other than the two intervened. ¡°Teacher, are you here?¡± ¡°¡­Ah! Who is it this time?¡± Hanna turned her head sharply to the kitchen entrance. ¡°Oh my. It was Moisei.¡± Hanna¡¯s expression, which was as rough as an angry fattie, quickly loosened smoothly. ¡°You had a hard time training today, right? Do you want a cup of cold tea?¡± Hanna approached Moisei lightly and smiled. ¡°Oh, if you¡¯re not bothered, then¡­ Thank you.¡± Moisei smiled showing his white teeth, and Cesar¡¯s expression as he was watching it was slightly distorted. ¡°I don¡¯t know about someone else, but there¡¯s no reason I can¡¯t give it to Moisei.¡± In fact, Cesar was not the only one who bothered Hanna. After that incident, even if he¡¯s a paladin, whenever he had a chance, he would pass in front of the orphanage and ask for a glass of water. ¡°You must be very bothered by the rumors that drinking the tea Teacher Hanna made will give them a strange energy.¡± ¡°Hoho. Even if I break my wrist, I can give Moisei a cup of tea.¡± Cesar, who covered his mouth with his hand and looked at Hanna with a sullen look, smiled sarcastically. It was because even if the temperature difference was large from when she treated him, it was obvious because the difference was too big. Hanna quickly made a cold tea and took it to Moisei. Cesar asked Hanna. ¡°Why are you so kind to Moisei?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Why would you give him tea even if your wrist breaks?¡± Cesar¡¯s mood was twisted as much as his twisted arms. ¡°Because it¡¯s him. Him.¡± Hanna blinked as if she were answering a natural question. ¡°He¡¯s Jeremy¡¯s teacher.¡± ¡°Jeremy?¡± Only then did Cesar think of the little boy who was talking about swordsmanship every day at in front of the table. Cesar, who remembered that the child¡¯s teacher was one of the holy knights, said to Moisei with a stern look. ¡°Are you getting a double job?¡± ¡°Can you call it a job by teaching only one child?¡± Moise replied with a face as if it was absurd. ¡°That¡¯s a violation of your contract.¡± ¡°Paladins doesn¡¯t have such a contract, but¡­¡± In fact, there was no contract clause such as the prohibition of getting double work even for knights. ¡°I guess you¡¯re free because it¡¯s a temple on the outskirts¡±. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Why are you so mean?¡± Hanna, who was watching Cesar, blocked the two with her body. ¡°Sleep!¡± Then, he offered Cesar the same cold tea as he had delivered to Moisei. Cesar looked at the glass in Hanna¡¯s hand. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to drink it?¡± As Hanna¡¯s hand was about to be removed, Cesar grabbed the glass with a wrap. Then he gulped down the cold tea. When the cold tea went down his throat, he felt strangely peaceful. He was surely annoyed until just now. By the time he gulped the last sip, doesn¡¯t she feel as kind as a goddess of benevolence? Cesar drank the tea at once and smiled brightly and coolly as if a patient with congestion had opened his stomach. Holding the empty glass as it was, he walked to the kitchen entrance. ¡°Then work hard.¡± He tapped Moisei¡¯s shoulder with a gentle smile as if he never acted like a sensitive hedgehog. Ttakttak. Then he lifted his head and headed for the hallway, brushing off any water droplets that might have been left on his tongue. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Hanna stared blankly at Cesar¡¯s back as he was walking away. What kind of person is that? Hanna, who came to her senses, looked at Moisei, and Moisei was also watching Cesar with an expression that was not much different from Hanna. ¡°You have a good boss.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°Yes.¡± There were no particular words of comfort to say. ¡°Did you really want to drink that tea?¡± It was ridiculous to think about it again. ¡°Bring back my glass, please!¡± However, it was a cry that was not heard by Cesar, who had already moved away. * * * ¡°Did you bring another glass of water?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to pour water over here.¡± ¡°Because Cesar-nim acts like this that the teacher doesn¡¯t like you here.¡± At Curtis¡¯ words, Cesar snorted. ¡°If you want to be welcomed, take any of the children and serve as a teacher.¡± ¡°What?¡± Curtis, not knowing what he was talking about, took the documents Cesar approved as if he was talking nonsense. ¡°By the way, are you really saying that you won¡¯t get a power test?¡± Curtis was convinced. She has some kind of power. He thought that any divine power with healing power should belong to the temple. ¡°I said I don¡¯t like it. What can you do?¡± ¡°But¡­ do you not report to the temple separately?¡± ¡°What. The nursery school teacher here makes honey water delicious?¡± ¡°No, ¡­ha.¡± In Cesar¡¯s response, Curtis knew he was not willing to report this to the top properly. ¡°Healing-related abilities are rare.¡± ¡°Do I look like an apprentice priest?¡± Just in case you don¡¯t know that much. ¡°It¡¯s a rule to report this kind of thing.¡± Cesar held his chin and waved as if he was tired of his nagging. It¡¯s meant for him to leave quickly. ¡°Don¡¯t be angry when it¡¯s known later.¡± ¡°I hope you don¡¯t get angry for talking more.¡± At Cesar¡¯s words, Curtis calmed down his boiling stomach. Originally, Cesar was an easy-to-handle boss for Curtis. Basically, their relationship is based on trust, and most of the words of the temple and Curtis were accepted because his personality was clear. Above all, he was the type of person who complained but handled his duties neatly. He was a genius to see him easily solve difficult tasks with a sharp insight even between loose tasks. A genius with extremely advanced intelligence to simplify troublesome tasks. This situation, which makes it difficult for him to do simple tasks that only need to be reported to the temple, could be seen as quite unfamiliar to Curtis. ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure you have an idea.¡± However, the important thing was that Curtis had greater faith and loyalty to Cesar than the temple¡¯s discipline. As Curtis left the office, Cesar, who was languidly leaning against the desk, stood up. Then he approached the window. Cesar¡¯s office window was tightly blocked with curtains. Cesar, who removed one of them by hand, squinted his eyes under the pouring light. A green garden. The children and the teacher. If the teacher has talent in the healing field, the teacher will be destined to be separated from those children. God-given power would find its owner, whether that person wants it or not. It was also an irresistible fate. As if you were like that way you did. Cesar, who looked down at the children and Hanna, remained there with a rare glare. Praying that the time of the children will fly by as God¡¯s gaze deviates from them. Chapter 23 <23> Hanna¡¯s time passed quickly. When I filled each page of my life with memories with the children, it quickly became a book of treasures. They rushed forward and reached the beginning of the fourth summer after three summers. ¡°What about the children?¡± ¡°Outside.¡± Cesar, who was cleaning the tablecloths, said as he glanced out the window. For the last three years, Cesar occasionally eats at the orphanage. As he said, he was an assistant to Hanna, and there were times when he almost starved the children while cooking alone. Hanna, who was holding the soup at his words, looked outside. ¡°He¡¯s riding the ostrich again today!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not an ostrich however you look at it. It¡¯s not even a bird.¡± I think he said the opposite in a conversation like this one before. Hanna has been calling Kkokko an ostrich these days. This was because the melon-sized Kkokko grew to the size of the children in one year. Its body covered in black shiny feathers, wings larger than the height of an adult when spread out, strong legs, pointed claws, and sharp beaks were even menacing. Especially when it was still young, its horns that were soft became hard red horns, and I see them every day, but the first time I saw them, they have an overwhelming presence that can harden anyone¡¯s body. Kkokko was running while Marsha was riding on its back. It was a scene that could make others faint, but it was the daily life in the orphanage. ¡°Then you call that big thing a chicken?¡± ¡°Just admit it. He¡¯s neither a chicken nor an ostrich.¡± Hanna walked over to the window and opened it. ¡°Kids! Let¡¯s eat before you play!¡± At Hanna¡¯s loud voice, the children entered the building hurriedly. ¡°Huh. What is he doing that it¡¯s grown that big.¡± Hanna let out a low sigh as she saw Marsha now putting Kkokko in a cage that wasn¡¯t even a chicken coop. To be honest, it would be foolish to treat Kkokko as a horse. Lizzy*(1) and Kkokko could fly whenever they want. Luckily, Kkokko didn¡¯t leave the orphanage because he sees Marsha as a parent. Cesar now sat on his chair familiarly and looked at Hanna, who was conflicted inside. ¡°I think I¡¯ve seen something like that.¡± ¡°Kkokko? Where?¡± Kkokko¡¯s has now become an object of curiosity to the people of the temple. ¡°Something like the ancient beast you saw in a book embedded in the temple?¡± It was an old book that ordinary people would not even dare to touch. ¡°You bet. You wouldn¡¯t find an ancient beast anywhere in the world these days.¡± The ancient beast was different from the ancient beast that people in this world know. The only remaining beasts were beast-level monsters, but the ancient beasts in the legend were intelligent and high-level creatures that used magic. ¡°Above all else, it¡¯s not smart.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Cesar quickly admitted. ¡°Didn¡¯t I say that Kkokko was born from an egg?¡± ¡°Moisei-nim!¡± Moisei appeared on the table. At that, Hanna naturally took another plate out of the cupboard. Moisei was accustomed to this kind of daily life because he sometimes ate at the orphanage when his training and Jeremy¡¯s class overlapped vaguely. ¡°You seem to eat here every day?¡± Cesar said to Moisei sarcastically. ¡°It seems that the high priest, who doesn¡¯t even move a single step in the office, has come all the way here.¡± Moisei replied with a smile. Cesar had nothing to say in response to that. ¡°That¡¯s right. Kkokko was found as an egg, but it hatched.¡± ¡°It is said that an enormous amount of magical power is required for the ancient beast to hatch. Since all the adults that can be hatched by pouring magic power have become extinct, it would be impossible for some archmage to hatch them from an egg, even if a few people hang on to them, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll just have it.¡± Cesar added to Moisei¡¯s words. ¡°What are you saying! No matter how you look at it, it¡¯s a beast that harms people!¡± Kkokko¡¯s too nice to be a beast. ¡°Hmm.¡± Cesar¡¯s languid gaze reached Kkokko. ¡°We¡¯ll find out later.¡± Kkokko¡¯s black eyes, as he was looking at the building where the children ran into, reached Cesar. ¡°Teacher!¡± ¡°I washed my hands!¡± ¡°You¡¯re here again.¡± The children ran into the dining room, found Moisei and Cesar, and moved their heads to say hello. Ian wrinkled his face as he looked at Cesar, who was sitting in his favorite seat. ¡°It¡¯s good to share.¡± ¡°I guess so.¡± Ian seemed to have reached puberty. In particular, Cesar had frequent frictions with the children due to his stubborn temperament. A noisy evening began. ¡°Did Jeremy improve his swordsmanship a lot these days?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± ¡°Jeremy is talented,¡± Moisei said after Jeremy¡¯s answer. ¡°Aren¡¯t you really going to become a knight like this?¡± Hanna smiled warmly as she imagined Jeremy¡¯s future. Being a knight is better than being the boss of the underworld. Hmhm. ¡°So, by the way, I¡¯d Jeremy to attend a knight school.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Knight School?¡± Hanna, Jeremy, and the children were surprised at Moisei¡¯s words. ¡°If it¡¯s a knight school¡­¡± ¡°Anyway, the age of protection at the nursery school is up to fifteen, and the age of thirteen to enter the knight¡¯s school.¡± The standard of adulthood in this world was fifteen. So Hanna also had to leave the orphanage when she was 15 and became a teacher. ¡°Well¡­¡± It wasn¡¯t that I hadn¡¯t thought about my life after the children leave the orphanage, but when I heard it from someone else¡¯s mouth, I felt disappointed. ¡°What¡¯s the knight¡¯s school like?¡± ¡°It¡¯s no different from other schools. If you¡¯re talented in swordsmanship, there¡¯s no better place than that. It takes as much as three years to graduate, and up to 10 years, but if you get good grades in the dormitory system, you will get a scholarship, so it won¡¯t be bad.¡± ¡°Can anyone enter the school?¡± ¡°They have a basic test. But if it¡¯s Jeremy, you don¡¯t have to worry.¡± Hanna listened to the explanation and looked at Jeremy. Twelve-year-old Jeremy grew up significantly different than when she first met him. ¡°Jeremy, do you want to be a knight?¡± ¡°I love it!¡± Jeremy replied energetically. Why am I a little lonely when he¡¯s saying it happily? ¡°Well, we still have a lot of time, so let¡¯s think slowly.¡± It was necessary to slowly think seriously about the children¡¯s future and separation. ¡°Let¡¯s eat deliciously first.¡± Hanna looked at the children one by one. I didn¡¯t know because I watched them change every day, but it seemed that the children had grown too much over the past four years. ¡®Hey, Ian is already a teenage boy.¡¯ Ian, who has a rough and dark background, has not spoken these days. Hanna could feel that it was due to Ian¡¯s puberty. These days, the quiet daily life of the orphanage is gradually changing. * * * Hanna went for a walk outside late at night because she couldn¡¯t sleep. ¡°Now that I think about it, there are only a few years left.¡± The day the children left the orphanage was also the day Hanna quit the nursery.*(2) The Temple of Remia decided not to operate a nursery anymore. This was because Cesar handed over the children who needed an orphanage immediately to the central temple. In fact, not only the orphanage but also this temple was slowly disappearing because there were many larger and better temples nearby. ¡°Hmm.¡± So Marsha, Jeremy, and Ian, who are now in the orphanage, were the last children of the orphanage. ¡°Both the children and I should plan for the future.¡± Hanna headed to the old tree in the garden, kicking the stone nearby her feet. ¡°Kkokko¡¯s sleeping well.¡± ¡°I went into the chicken coop earlier.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ the chicken coop must have been broken again.¡± Huh? Who just said that? ¡°Cesar!¡± Please, human, don¡¯t talk to me suddenly after being silent in the dark. Strangely, Cesar hid his presence well. No, whether it was a person or not, it was often stretched out wherever the bench, under the tree, stone walls, and just the body could lean on. ¡°Isn¡¯t it time for you to stop being so surprised?¡± ¡°How many times do I have to tell you to go to sleep and sleep in the room?¡± ¡°I¡¯m an outdoor type.¡± If you¡¯re good at sleeping outdoors, you should do something like a treasure explorer instead of being a priest. Cesar¡¯s silver hair was shining in the moonlight. Cesar¡¯s silver hair, blue eyes, and white skin all seemed to sparkle. Even the priest¡¯s uniform is white. Perhaps because of the combination of faint pigments, he was a ghostly image for Hanna. ¡°So, why are you sighing like that?¡± ¡°Just, thinking a little about the future of the children.¡± Of course, my future as well. When I get out of here, I have to think about what to eat and live on. ¡°If you don¡¯t have anything to do, just take a test.¡± ¡°It¡¯s done.¡± Hanna immediately refused. The dying extra position was rejected. ¡°If you can¡¯t sleep, come and sit down. Here.¡± When Cesar winked at the seat next to him, Hanna went to the seat next to him and sat down at a slow pace. ¡°Why don¡¯t you go back to the central temple?¡± In fact, when Cesar came here as head priest, I always wondered because I didn¡¯t think he would sit down for this long. Cesar did not respond to Hanna¡¯s words. He just looked at the hill as if I were asking something hard to answer. Hanna was thinking about her future with the children, and now she is thinking about Cesar¡¯s future. How many years can such an amazing person rot in the temple around the border? ¡°There must be a reason why God led me here and made me stay.¡± Ooh. How long has it been since I heard this word? Hanna looked at Cesar with curious eyes. ¡°God uses me very well.¡± Cesar spoke profanely with a sour face. I felt like I had to cancel the fact that it was a novelty. After that, Hanna and Cesar continued to chat. These are trivial stories that are not much to see inside a temple where nothing much is going on. The moonlight was so beautiful that night. Chapter 24 <24> ¡°High Priest!¡± The temple became noisy. The villagers were crowded in front of the temple. It was Hanna¡¯s first time seeing such a scene in the Temple of Remia(1). Hanna and the children were surprised by the noisy atmosphere and gathered at the temple. ¡°Teacher, what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know either. What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Was our temple always this popular?¡± Hanna and the children snooped around the temple¡¯s hallway to examine the situation. ¡°Excuse me, Curtis. What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°We¡¯re also trying to figure out what¡¯s going on.¡± The priests were busy talking to people. Some familiar villagers were seen. ¡°There¡¯s the fruit shop uncle and the weapon shop lady.¡± ¡°Yeah. Something¡¯s wrong with the atmosphere.¡± ¡°Everyone¡¯s expressions are bad.¡± Hanna took the children to a corner as people¡¯s voices began to get louder. At that time, I heard a familiar voice. ¡°You better take the kids with you.¡± ¡°Cesar?¡± Cesar, who appeared quietly, tapped Hanna on the shoulder and said that. Unlike his usual appearance, he is wearing his robe properly like a priest, the symbol of a high priest is also draped on his shoulders with a design of a young daemon with golden water. He used to throw it around on the sofa, table, or somewhere in the window frame of the hallway, saying it was uncomfortable. He looked different wearing a proper priest¡¯s robe. ¡°This is our job.¡± As Cesar drew the line, he looked at Hanna as if saying to go back to the nursery. ¡°Oh¡­ Yes.¡± Cesar¡¯s eyes, which had always been a little dazed, had a different seriousness in it than usual. Hanna sensed that something was not right. Cesar passed Hanna and the children and walked straight into the gaps of the confused people. With his appearance, people raised their volume even more, and Cesar quickly became invisible to the crowds. ¡°Guys, it¡¯s so confusing here, so let¡¯s go back.¡± Hanna went back the way she came from, holding the children¡¯s hands with anxiety. After that, it was not long before she heard the whole story of it. ¡°There is a plague going around.¡± It was Moisei who delivered the news. ¡°A plague?¡± ¡°A plague broke out not long ago in Sosoletti Village beyond the mountain, and it has moved to this village.¡± ¡°Oh my god¡­¡± A plague. It was a word that made my heart sink just by hearing it. What¡¯s more, isn¡¯t this place in the Middle Ages where people are vulnerable to infectious diseases? ¡°What about the villagers? Is it a very bad situation?¡± ¡°It was in the early stages, but everyone came to the temple out of anxiety after hearing the news of Sosoletti Village.¡± People of this era looked for God, not the doctors when a plague breaks out. ¡°Do I die if I get a plague?¡± ¡°It depends on the severity. However, people with weak health are at risk.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a big deal.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but worry because most of the villagers were on the old age side. ¡°Can¡¯t you send priests from the central temple?¡± ¡°Because other villages are in a more serious state than before¡­ It will take quite some time to get here.¡± ¡°Oh, my¡­¡± Listening to Moisei, Hanna looked down at the temple. Although it was late at night, the temple was brightly lit. ¡°How is the high priest doing?¡± ¡°He¡¯s reciting prayers for the residents.¡± ¡°Until this late hour?¡± Hanna was surprised to hear that Cesar, who sleeps a lot, was reciting prayers from noon to this late hour. ¡°He¡¯ll continue until the prayer room closes.¡± ¡°No, didn¡¯t the original operating hours of the temple have passed?¡± Originally, it was normal for the temple to close at 7 pm for the last prayer. ¡°When the world is in chaos, the temple never closes.¡± ¡°¡­¡­No¡­¡± Doesn¡¯t that mean he has to recite a prayer all night? ¡°He can take turns with another priest, but I don¡¯t know. If it¡¯s Cesar, I think he¡¯d do it by himself until he collapses.¡± ¡°What?¡± I never imagined that Cesar would have that side. He¡¯s always too lazy to do everything properly. At Hanna¡¯s strange gaze, Moisei smiled enthusiastically. ¡°You don¡¯t know Cesar well.¡± ¡°I thought I knew him quite well¡­?¡± ¡°At the age of nine, Cesar never neglected his prayer for seven days without sleeping or eating for his village, which was made into ruins by the mad wizard Goetus, and his power manifested.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± I¡¯ve never heard of such a story. ¡°Wasn¡¯t he born with divine power?¡± ¡°Of course, since he was blessed from birth, his power was manifested.¡± ¡°It seems God¡¯s power isn¡¯t just randomly dropped/given.¡± ¡°Usually, a person is born with a minimal level of power, but that level of power is achieved through awakening. The Pope now gained the power of life only after treating thousands of dying soldiers on the battlefield.¡± Cesar, who she only thought of as a defective priest, looked a little different. Is the process of manifesting power like a test of God? ¡°Cesar does not spare himself if there is great chaos in the world after that. He¡¯s such a person by nature.¡± ¡°¡­¡­I guess not anyone can just be a high priest.¡± She thought Cesar was just privileged to be born with a blessed body and is taking it for granted. Oh, my. If I had known, I wouldn¡¯t have said that he was a salary thief(2) who usually skipped the temple¡¯s works. ¡°I¡¯m worried. For both the villagers and the priests.¡± ¡°Teacher Hanna should also pay attention to preventing the children from contacting other people.¡± ¡°Oh, yes. Of course.¡± I think we should do proper hygiene thoroughly. ¡°Thank you for the news. You must be busy for the time being, but I think it¡¯s better to take a break from Jeremy¡¯s class.¡± ¡°Yes. Thank you for your understanding. Well then.¡± Moisei said goodbye to Hanna and headed back to the temple. Moisei was also able to predict that he wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep tonight. The temple was still brightly lit. Somehow, Hanna was able to hear Cesar¡¯s low voice reciting prayers. She was under a false impression. But she still has to sleep. The next day, Hanna prepared a large amount of cold tea in the dining room for the suffering people of the temple. As such, he said that he felt refreshed just by drinking tea he made, so he wanted to stay up all night and do this to the believers who kept the temple. They said that they felt refreshed just by drinking the tea she makes, so she stayed up all night doing this for the priests who stayed up all night watching the temple. ¡°You are well armed.¡± Curtis, who found Hanna, spoke to her. Hanna tightly tied two pieces of cloth on her to cover her nose and mouth. ¡°I have children that I have to take care of.¡± ¡°Good job. We shouldn¡¯t have more patients.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s better to cover the priests, too?¡± I wondered if people around the world were all showing their faces because they lacked knowledge of infectious diseases. ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking, but we should make sure that the people don¡¯t feel anxious as much as possible.¡± ¡°No, but it¡¯s still dangerous¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If the priests get sick, they will be transferred to the central temple for healing.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Hanna was relieved. Fortunately, the priests seemed to have a separate treatment system. ¡°Is Cesar still praying?¡± ¡°He¡¯s so stubborn.¡± ¡°Won¡¯t you stop him?¡± ¡°How dare I stop him from what he¡¯s doing.¡± Hanna was always amazed by Curtis¡¯ attitude. Curtis seemed to worship Cesar almost more than as a boss or his minister.(3) Sometimes, his words and actions were free-spirited, but he often acted as if there was a reason for every action he did. ¡°Curtis, how did you get to know the high priest?¡± I asked Curtis, offering him a cup of tea. Curtis, who had been looking at the people in the temple hallway all the time, glanced at Hanna and then looked ahead again. ¡°I met him after becoming a priest and being assigned to the Central Temple.¡± ¡°Really? Your trust relationship seems too strong for that.¡± Curtis fixed his head to Hanna at her words. Then he slowly opened his mouth. ¡°He¡¯s like a god to me.¡± ¡°You said you met each other at work.¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m one of the many lives he¡¯s saved.¡± ¡°Cesar saved you?¡± Cesar¡¯s past was so interesting that the more she digs, the more interesting it was. ¡°Most people in the Empire owe Cesar their lives.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°The power that¡¯s sealing the beasts of the Black Desert is Cesar¡¯s.¡± ¡°What?¡± Hanna¡¯s eyes opened twice as wide as usual. Because it was surprising that he would do that. To the north of the empire was the Black Desert. Originally, it was a place that glittered with golden sand, but as the magical beasts/demons began to appear there, it was all dyed black, so it was called the Black Desert. ¡°The village where I grew up was right next to the black desert. It¡¯s not enough for dead friends and family to fold all ten fingers in their hands. At that time, it was Cesar¡¯s voice/prayer that saved us and the empire. I saw that and dreamed of becoming a priest.¡± (chapter notes: Fold all ten fingers is a description of people praying with their own hands clasped/folded together.) ¡°So that¡¯s what happened.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why Cesar always can¡¯t help but sleep. His power is continuously being sucked to keep blocking the beasts there.¡± Oh. That¡¯s why he was always half asleep, it¡¯s because he was tired. It was the moment when one mystery was solved. ¡°Why didn¡¯t those stories spread throughout the empire?¡± ¡°Cesar doesn¡¯t want it.¡± ¡°Oh my god.¡± Hanna was surprised. ¡®If I were him, I would spread my greatness by hanging placards around the neighborhood! Isn¡¯t he foolish?¡¯ Curtis smiled as if he had read Hanna¡¯s mind. ¡°People like us can¡¯t dare judge him.¡± Suddenly, the absolute loyalty of Curtis and Moisei to Cesar began to be understood. Cesar was a person in a state of dehumanization. Where do such a person¡¯s trivialities come from? Chapter 25 ¡°The head priest is praying today too.¡± Hanna and the children, unable to go out to the village due to the plague, sat in the garden and watched the situation at the temple. The nursery was built a bit higher than the temple, so if you sat in the garden, you could see the temple from there. Today, Cesar was moving around and reciting prayers for the people queuing at the prayer room and at the entrance. As Moisei said, he has been showing his face so much that he feels like he should take a nap for the second day. ¡°Imitate the Head Priest and grow up to be good people too.¡± ¡°You said we¡¯ll be food worm someday.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you also say we waste away rice?¡± ¡°You also said we¡¯re just bedbugs.¡± The children who heard Hanna¡¯s words before were happy then. ¡®No. Did I say such harsh things?¡¯ Hanna was surprised that she said that. I should have been careful with what I said in front of the children. It was time to look back on one¡¯s carelessness. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t be a person who talks carelessly as a teacher. I¡¯ll reflect on myself.¡¯ Hanna quickly admitted her fault. ¡°How long will the disease last?¡± Marsha said in an uneasy voice, ¡°I heard hundreds of people died in Sosolti Village.¡± Jeremy said, shaking his feet while lying down on his stomach. Please don¡¯t roll your feet like that. Jeremy¡­? ¡°The disease will gradually get better here too.¡± Ian said in a dry voice. ¡°You have to be careful, too. Don¡¯t meet people, don¡¯t eat just anything, and make sure to wear warm clothes when you go to the temple. Okay?¡± She was paying attention to hygiene to prevent the children from getting sick by boiling the water they drank, but her anxiety continued. ¡°But the number of people in the temple is increasing.¡± ¡°Yeah. Is it because everyone is anxious?¡± As if the crowds gathered on the first day were just the beginning, the temple was getting more and more crowded. ¡°There¡¯s a rumor that you don¡¯t get sick when you come to the temple.¡± ¡°Huh? Where did you hear that?¡± ¡°It is in the sword art book Moisei gave me.¡± ¡°Do you really believe that the Goddess prevents infectious diseases?¡± If that¡¯s the case, how great would it be if She* didn¡¯t let the epidemic go in the first place? (She, as in the Goddess.) Hanna looked at the goddess statue at the entrance of the temple. ¡°However, the number of patients in our village is not increasing significantly.¡± ¡°Really?¡± It was still good news. ¡°In other villages, as soon as the epidemic broke out, believers were taken to the central temple one after another.¡± ¡°What do you mean, it¡¯s amazing that you don¡¯t get sick when you¡¯re mixed with infectious disease patients in such an environment.¡± No matter how different the world is from modern times, it was too old-fashioned. ¡°I guess that¡¯s why there¡¯s a rumor that this is the place where the Goddess grace fell. Look over there. There are people who aren¡¯t villagers.¡± ¡°Other villagers are coming?¡± ¡°They¡¯re from a port village.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°How do you know?¡± I don¡¯t memorize all the villagers, and it isn¡¯t written on their forehead that they are port villagers. Ian¡¯s guess was amazing. ¡°The material of the clothes is different. You wear boots like that in fishing villages, but you can¡¯t get them near our village.¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± Ian¡¯s eyes were amazing. I just felt that there were a lot of people, but when did he figure out all the clothes? ¡°That¡¯s weird. How the temple has been intact.¡± At Ian¡¯s words, Marsha and Jeremy looked at Hanna. ¡°Huh? Why?¡± ¡°I think I know.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I knew it. Is that it?¡± ¡°What? What?¡± Hanna tilted her head and asked, but the children were silent. Guys! Don¡¯t just keep it to yourself and tell me! ¡°It¡¯s so much fun that only you don¡¯t know.¡± Marsha giggled and laughed, and Jeremy began to smirk. ¡°¡­Ian, do you know it, too?¡± When I asked with doubt, Ian¡¯s corners of mouth went up faintly. ¡°You all¡­ Are you bullying me?¡± This is unfair. ¡°Teacher, aren¡¯t you going to give out cold tea today?¡± ¡°Oh! It¡¯s already been that long?¡± Hanna took cold tea to the temple every afternoon. I didn¡¯t even know that time was up because I was talking in a daze. ¡°I need to boil the water first. I should get going.¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± The children said goodbye to Hanna, who stood up in a hurry, and Hanna headed to the kitchen in a hurry. ¡°I guess I was too greedy.¡± Moving more tea than usual was not an easy task. Hanna was wiggling and taking a big pot. ¡°Argh!¡± At that moment, someone grabbed Hanna¡¯s shoulder, and Hanna¡¯s body faltered. Fortunately, she was barely able to balance at the hand of someone who supported her waist. ¡°What are you so surprised about?¡± It was Cesar. ¡°I was worried that I¡¯d spill the tea.¡± Hanna put the teapots she was holding with both hands on the floor and looked at Cesar. ¡°Oh, my. What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± He was breathless like boiled spinach. ¡°I feel like I¡¯m going to die.¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re already dead?¡± He has a paleness that could not be seen in a human being. Zombie. Isn¡¯t he just like a zombie? ¡°Give me some water.¡± Cesar spoke in a dying voice as if he were asking for life water. ¡°Oh¡­ Wait a minute.¡± Hanna hurriedly took a ladle and spooned some tea. Cesar took the tea to his mouth in a slow-motion, not even having the strength to lift the cup. Gulp. Gulp. His adam¡¯s apple moved greatly. Hanna was just watching how he drank it coolly and as he felt refreshed. ¡°Did you get some sleep?¡± ¡°No.¡± I could guess roughly without answering, but I sighed because I felt sorry for the immediate answer. ¡°I do it while taking turns. Then, instead, another priest will go to pray to the Goddess first.¡± ¡°You¡¯re very kind to your co-priests.¡±. Cesar looked at Hanna, who seemed absurd, and leaned against the window of the hallway. Cesar¡¯s heavy eyelids, leaning with his arms folded. ¡°Do you sleep standing up?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just closing my eyes for a while.¡± Cesar really closed his eyes after that. Hanna watched him like that. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you leaving?¡± ¡°Oh.¡± When Hanna had no signs of movement, Cesar quietly opened his mouth. As usual, Cesar was merciless when he got the tea he really wanted. Can¡¯t you say goodbye to me? Hanna¡¯s lips are pouting. ¡°By the way, Cesar.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I heard you¡¯re a great person.¡± Cesar¡¯s eyebrows wriggled a little. ¡°You can block the demons with your awakened holy powers, right?¡± Hanna¡¯s eyes lit up, as if asking for a quick talk. How fun it would be to hear a story from his own mouth! Cesar¡¯s closed eyes slowly opened. ¡°I know who talked about this.¡± ¡°Hey, don¡¯t do that and tell me. How did you feel when you gained power?¡± ¡°What are you going to do about it?¡± Cesar¡¯s expression was still sour. Don¡¯t you feel excited and want to brag about yourself? ¡°I¡¯m just curious. I¡¯m sure everyone¡¯s curious.¡± Hanna smiled as if she were asking such a natural question. ¡°Usually, the temple was more curious about how much they would give me.¡± ¡°How much do they give you?¡± Actually, I was curious about that, too. How the temple treats such a talented person! ¡°They said that if I die, I will have a good seat in heaven.¡± ¡°Is that possible?¡± Is it possible for gods and goddesses to trade places like that? Is it possible because it¡¯s in this world? ¡°Can they do that?¡± Cesar¡¯s eyes were talking. ¡®Are you a fool?¡¯ ¡°But do you have to keep living like that?¡± Cesar narrowed his eyes, asking what nonsense I was talking about. ¡°I was wondering if you had to live like a sloth all your life to maintain the power that blocks the demons.¡± ¡°I was thirteen at that time.¡± ¡°Oh! Has your power increased since that time?¡± ¡°No.¡± Then, age doesn¡¯t have anything to do with it. I tilted my head because I didn¡¯t understand. ¡°It means that I am not as stupid and soft as I was then. It should be wiped out without wasting any power.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to rip everyone off and kill them all.¡± Hanna is speechless. Cesar was evaluated as a true envoy of peace, but now Cesar was just Cesar. Come to think of it, Cesar in the novel was a priest stained with madness to neatly exterminate the villains and find peace. ¡°Hmm.¡± Hanna nodded. Like a bear, people who do not react even when stabbed go crazy once their eyes are turned over. I shouldn¡¯t stress Cesar as much as possible. ¡°Sure. Stay healthy.¡± I said with my heart more than any other greeting and picked up the pot. In fact, as I picked up the pot, I glanced at Cesar with a small expectation of only 0.1%. Usually, if it was another priest, they would have lifted or helped me with this heavy thing. Whew. Cesar flapped his hands. A cold-hearted person. But I thought there would be a miracle of 0.001%, so I put on a sad face. It was because my arms were shaking. ¡°Can¡¯t you just give me a hand?¡± ¡°What. I¡¯m weaker than you.¡± Cesar leaned his head against the window again and closed his eyes. There was nothing more to say. You¡¯re right. What do you mean to a person who¡¯s shaking and lifting a big pot? ¡°I¡¯ll get going.¡± Eventually, Hanna carried the pot with her strong arms. As Hanna moved away, Cesar¡¯s closed eyes gradually opened. His blue eyes moved along the place where Hanna passed. Soon he lifted his left arm. And when he expressed his holy power and clenched his hand, a golden light shone and is trying to achieve some kind of form. Cesar regained his power. In fact, he was really on the verge of exhaustion until he met Hanna. Far from showing holy power, he had no strength to even lift a spoon. That was certain. However, after drinking Hanna¡¯s tea, his body was recovering as if he had a good sleep and woke up. Cesar¡¯s complex head hit the window. He has a lot of thoughts. His arm was twisted again, and his mind was twisting, too. Tuk. Cesar¡¯s head knocked on the window for a long time.