The two children were caught red-handed. The girl trembled, clearly intimidated by the strangers, but the boy, whose curiosity seemed to outweigh his fear, was busy studying Simon and Lethe.
"Hello," Lethe said softly, bending down to their eye level. "My name is Leah, and this is Teacher Sean. We’re your new teachers."
Simon shot her a glare from the side, but she ignored him and continued, "You’ll be studying with us starting tomorrow, but did you miss us already?" She cooed, stroking the boy’s head. "We’re going to have a lot of fun together."
"Teacher?" The girl’s pupils flickered at the word, a detail Simon didn’t miss. The more outgoing boy simply giggled, enjoying the attention.
"Well, it’s getting late, so that’s enough playing for today. Time to go home, okay?"
"Yes, teacher!" the boy answered brightly, taking the girl’s hand. The girl kept glancing back at them, but when her eyes met Simon’s, she quickly ducked her head and scurried away as if fleeing.
As they unpacked and settled in, darkness fell quickly.
"Hmm." Simon was still thinking about the little girl’s reaction. "Something strange is definitely happening in this village."
"You scared?" Lethe’s tone had reverted from the gentle one she used with the children back to her usual sharp self.
"Saintess Israphel said she felt a great evil here. It’s only natural to be on guard."
"I’m a saintess, too. No need to be scared," she said with a yawn. "We had a rough climb today, so we won’t do any searching tonight."
"Right. Let’s just focus on tomorrow’s observed class."
"That, and—" As she spoke, Lethe’s pupils momentarily dilated like a cat’s.
At the same instant, Simon saw it too. Outside the darkened window, a woman was glaring at them, shedding crimson tears of blood.
’The Snow Woman?!’
A cold dread seized him, freezing him in place.
Lethe’s arm was a blur. A holy arrow materialized and shot forward, shattering the windowpane as it flew into the night. The apparition vanished.
"Sh-Should we chase her?" Simon stammered.
"That was warning enough. These villagers sure love to eavesdrop." Of course, Lethe had cast a soundproofing spell the moment they entered the cabin. That was why Simon had felt comfortable mentioning Israphel’s name. "Let’s just prepare for tomorrow’s class." She yawned again, and with a flick of her fingers, the broken shards of glass floated back into place, sealing the window as if it had never been broken. "It seems we’re under a lot of suspicion."
"Yeah." His body was exhausted from the climb, but he had a feeling sleep wouldn’t come easily tonight. In this village, they could only rely on each other.
The next morning, the observed class began. The bizarre weather, the specter of the Snow Woman, the tense relationship between Kula and Eskyl—all of it, compounded by his fatigue, left Simon’s mind in a tangled mess.
"Alright, everyone! Greet the teachers!" Petria chirped.
"Hellooo!"
The moment he saw the children Petria led into the house, all his worries seemed to melt away. They were as cherubic as angels.
’Kids are so cute,’ he thought. Chubby cheeks, wide, curious eyes, and boundless energy. Simon smiled as Petria introduced them: two boys, four-year-old Matthew and five-year-old Ali, and three girls, four-year-old Sophie, and five-year-olds Anda and Sea. Matthew and Sophie were the two he’d caught playing hide-and-seek the night before. The three five-year-olds—Ali, Anda, and Sea—all had gray hair, marking them as children of the ‘Mizenasi’, the village’s ruling class. Even their clothes were of fine quality.
"Hello, everyone," Lethe greeted them warmly. "My name is Teacher Leah. And this is Teacher Sean." She folded her hands over her stomach. "Shall we learn how to greet each other? Follow me! "
When dealing with children, Lethe’s entire demeanor changed. As she waited with her hands poised, the children hesitatedly copied her.
"When I say ‘Hello,’ you all say ‘Hello, Teacher!’ together. Got it?"
"Yes!"
"Let’s try from the beginning!"
Little hands slapped against little bellies.
"Hello!"
"Hellooo, Teacher!"
Simon let out an impressed laugh as he watched her. ’‘Why is she so good at this?’’ From her clear, engaging voice to her dance-like movements and exaggerated expressions, it was clear this wasn’t her first time handling children. The village elders watching from a distance were also nodding in quiet approval.
"Now, Teacher Leah has brought something for you from the city. Ta-da!" She pulled a seven-color paint set and a notebook from her backpack. The children’s eyes went wide.
"Coloring time!!"
"Give it to me!"
"Me first!"
The children rushed at her, scrambling for the prize. Lethe quickly lifted the set above her head as the kids refused to listen. One of the Mizenasi children even looked to the adults, whining for them to intervene. Cunning for a five-year-old, to already know how to use parental authority to get her way. But Lethe was unfazed.
"Everyone! Do you want the coloring set?"
"Yeees!!" The shout was deafening.
"Okay. Then what do you have to do to get what you want? You have to ask the teacher, right? How do you ask?"
’Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.’ Before he knew it, all the children were holding out their neatly clasped hands, shouting, "Teacher! Please!" Smiles bloomed on their faces as they finally received their paints.
"Since it’s our first class, we’re going to draw whatever we want! Isn’t that exciting?"
The morning was dedicated to art. Of course, growing bodies needed exercise, too. They played a game of Holy Train, their hands on each other’s shoulders.
"Train departing!" Lethe called out. "There’s a reindeer up ahead! Stop!"
With every command, peals of laughter filled the room.
’‘It’s a little embarrassing, but the kids seem to be having fun.’’ Simon clapped diligently, keeping the rhythm. It was his job to make animal noises for the Holy Train song. He was currently playing five different roles.
"Excuse me, Teacher Sean?" Lethe whispered, sneaking up to pinch his side. "Stop looking so embarrassed and do it properly."
"I-I’m doing my best!"
"Try to show some professionalism, like this is your actual job." After her grumbled critique, she turned back to the children, her expression instantly shifting to a bright smile.
’‘You’re just too good at this. Really.’’
At lunchtime, Simon hoped Lethe’s outstanding performance would convince the adults to leave them be. However...
"U-Uhm, the elders say they want to see the divinity training," Petria said hesitantly.
Lethe’s face soured. "What? Education has a proper order. Divinity training right away? It’s too soon for them."
"I-I’m sorry! I’m sorry! They’re insisting they have to see it now..."
The real reason the village had hired priest-teachers was finally clear. They wanted to raise their children as priests. These five children, despite their age, could already manifest pure elemental magic. The mana-rich region produced many prodigies, but the elders desperately hoped at least one of them could also wield divinity.
The reason was obvious: a village needed a doctor. In the Holy Federation, priests filled that role. But Eskyl was isolated. If someone fell ill, Kula, their bitter rival, would likely refuse them treatment. Traveling to another region was costly and time-consuming. A single epidemic could wipe them out. They needed their own priest, by any means necessary.
Before the afternoon class, Simon and Lethe held an emergency meeting.
"Ah, I really don’t like a single thing about these villagers," Lethe grumbled. "Forcing this on kids who know nothing? Why don’t they just go through the Nineteen Ordeals and the Sanctum to become priests themselves?"
"That would mean joining the Deva Church and becoming part of Efnel," Simon pointed out. "These people want to stay in the village."
Lethe sighed. "It’s an order from the parents, so I guess we have to do it. I’ll have to find a way to weave divinity into their playtime."
"Now, everyone. What’s this? Ta-da!"
As planned, Lethe tried to introduce divinity through play, but the moment the children saw the glowing light, their faces hardened.
"N-No!"
"It’s scary!"
Some of them recoiled violently. Lethe shot a cold glare toward the adults. A moderate amount of divinity was harmless, even beneficial—it could heal wounds, restore stamina, and boost strength. But it was still a foreign energy, and too much could overwhelm a person, especially a sensitive, growing child. Still, this level of fear was unnatural.
Lethe eventually pulled Petria aside and got the truth out of her. It seemed the elders, desperate in the face of illness, had forcefully exposed the children to divinity before. That was why they were terrified at the mere sight of it.
"It’s always a few greedy old folks who mess everything up," Lethe said irritably, rejoining Simon. "What do you think?"
"They’re reacting this way just from seeing a little divinity. This is going to be difficult."
"A small amount isn’t a problem, right?"
"That’s right. But the psychological damage is immense. Divinity is a power born from strong faith. If they have a trauma associated with it from childhood, they’ll never be able to become priests."
Overcoming their trauma was the first priority.
"Leave it to me," Simon said.
"What are you going to do?"
He approached the children with a gentle smile. "Hello, everyone! It’s Teacher Sean."
The children eyed him warily, expecting to be forced to touch the light again. They had already shut him out.
"There are some animal friends who want to play with you right now. Shall we meet them?"
At the words ‘animal friends,’ however, their expressions changed completely. Simon opened his divine subspace and summoned his divine beasts.
—’Meeeoow!’
—’Mew! Nya!’
It was Whitey and Blackie. The children gasped in excitement.
"It’s a kitty!"
"Kitty!!"
They swarmed forward, clamoring to pet the cats. Simon sat beside them and began his lesson.
"Anda, the divine beast won’t like it if you pinch it that hard."
Anda, who was hugging Whitey, gave Simon a sullen look, as if telling him not to interfere.
Simon just smiled. "If you keep bothering her like that, Whitey might not want to play with you anymore."
At that, Anda’s eyes widened in alarm. "Th-Then what should I do?"
"Try stroking her fur gently with your palm, like this." Simon demonstrated. As he stroked the kitten, Whitey began to purr.
"Teacher! Whitey is making a rumbling sound!" Anda cried out, delighted.
"Yes. She’s happy. This is how you become true friends." He didn’t force them; he simply guided them to understand. The kittens, happy to be out of the subspace and playing with these energetic little humans, were enjoying themselves too.
The children were overjoyed, but the adults looked less than pleased.
’‘Right, right. They’re wondering when we’re going to start the divinity training.’’
Simon gathered a ball of divinity in his palm. It was an application of the basic attack spell, ‘Holy Bolt’, but with all the offensive power removed, leaving only a pure, glowing orb. He placed the white, snowball-like mass on a plate.
—’Meow! Meow!’
"Teacher! Whitey and Blackie keep crying!" a child called out.
"It’s because they’re hungry," Simon said with a smile. "Divine beasts eat pure divinity. Who wants to try feeding the cats?"
The children hesitated at the sight of the glowing orb. Whitey and Blackie slipped from their arms and began meowing pitifully in front of the table.
—’Give it to us, quick!’ They waved their short front paws, looking pleadingly from Simon to the children. Their hearts were swayed by the adorable sight.
"I-I want to give it to them," said Sophie, the timid girl from the night before, as she stepped forward.
Simon smiled and handed her the plate.
"Ah..." Her gaze fell to the divinity. When it had been forced into her body, it had stung, but holding it like this, it felt as warm and soft as fresh snow.
—’Meeeoow!’
Sensing they were about to be fed, the two kittens sat patiently in front of her. Sophie offered the divinity to Whitey first.
Whitey swallowed it in one bite.
"Woooow!" the children gasped.
Whitey’s body floated into the air, enveloped in a halo of light. Its form began to shift, as if transforming.
’‘That transformation time has definitely gotten longer lately,’’ Simon noted. Perhaps their awakening was near. Or maybe the environment in the Holy Federation was just that good for them. His mind raced with happy possibilities.
But the transformation fizzled out, and with a soft ’pop’, Whitey was a kitten again. Landing on the floor, it bounced excitedly.
—’More! More!’
Blackie rubbed against Sophie’s leg, meowing insistently.
—’Me too! Me too!’
Inspired by Whitey’s momentary transformation, the other children, their fear forgotten, rushed forward.
"Teacher Sean! I want to give some too!"
"Me too!"
They waved their arms frantically. Simon grinned and used a trick he’d learned from Lethe. "What did I say you have to do if you want to ask for something?"
The clamoring children shouted in unison, "Teacher! Please!"
Through their play with the divine beasts, the children slowly began to overcome their trauma. The only one suffering now was Simon, who had to keep churning out a steady supply of divinity.
Watching from the side with her arms crossed, Lethe let out a small, impressed laugh. ’‘...Not bad.’’
The village elders were also deeply satisfied, clapping and cheering. This was a problem no other outside teacher had been able to solve.
Lethe turned to Petria. "Petria."
"Ah, yes! Leah."
"Tell those people that if they ever forcefully inject divinity into the children again, we will stop the divinity training completely. From now on, you will leave all of it to us."
"Yes! I’ll tell them right away!"
The two of them watched with smiles as the children played with the divine beasts, and as Simon sweated bullets, churning out more and more divinity.

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