<Chapter 13>

“Greed…?”

“Yes, greed. Humans wanted to stand above the other races. They ignored the warnings of the Almighty God and dared to touch forbidden magic. And as a result…”

Lian paused briefly before continuing.

“When certain spells fail, the caster suffers a backlash. We call that a rebound. Humanity shared that rebound among themselves… and went extinct.”

“Oh…”

It was complete self-destruction. Even in this world, there were those who had tried to build a tower of Babel in defiance of divine authority, only for it to collapse on top of them.

His calm voice carried on.

“And that wasn’t the end. The tainted magic from the failed spell spread through the world and began to unravel its balance.”

“That’s awful…”

“You might notice it through changes in the weather. The long-standing order of nature was shattered.”

Someone once said that human greed knows no end, and that we make the same mistakes again and again.

It was the same in my world. Science had progressed, but in the process, the environment was severely damaged.

Knowing that this world’s downfall followed such a familiar pattern left a bitter taste in my mouth.

“When an entire race disappeared, the Almighty God grieved and withdrew from the world. Now, She only responds to a summoning ritual conducted by all the races together.”

“I see…”

Even though I was eating soft, warm potatoes, my throat felt tight. A heavy silence lingered for a while.

“List the supplies you need, and I’ll take care of it. I’ll also think about a field trip location.”

“Thank you. There’s just one more thing I want to ask.”

“What is it?”

“Are there any other humans alive?”

“No.”

Lian answered without hesitation. I found myself without words.

“It’s getting late. I should return now.”

“Oh, I’m sorry for keeping you so long—”

A light flared from his fingertips, and he disappeared.

“Magic… huh.”

I stood staring at the spot where Lian had just been.

His tall figure and solid build had such a strong presence that even after he vanished, the image of him lingered like an imprint in my mind.

‘Despite the intimidating first impression… he’s actually quite kind.’

I stitched together pieces of yellow felt until it matched my height.

‘A proper height chart should definitely feature a giraffe.’

With a generous amount of spots, it looked just like one.

“If we measure the kids’ height every month, we’ll be able to see how much they’ve grown.”

Smiling with satisfaction, I stuck the giraffe to the wall.

“Now I’m off too!”

I was so excited to go home that I completely forgot one simple truth. First impressions are usually right.

* * *

The next day, I brought up the sand bunny incident with Paul.

My mentor had emphasized how important it was to always hear both sides of a story, so I braced myself for a long, difficult conversation.

Paul wasn’t going to take this well—

“I was wrong.”

…Or so I thought.

“I didn’t like it. She showed it off like she was proud or something.”

Paul admitted fault surprisingly easily. Caught off guard, I hesitated a moment before responding.

“Even if you didn’t like it, that doesn’t mean you can destroy something someone else treasures. Ardishu was really upset.”

“I won’t do it again. So what, am I stuck on the Thinking Chair again today?”

“How about you make it up to her instead? Today, during sand play, let’s make a new sand bunny for Ardishu.”

“Fine.”

Paul was still gruff, but he wasn’t ignoring me or refusing to answer.

‘Maybe I’m a genius teacher?’

I suddenly felt pretty proud of myself.

“The Dragon Lord scolded me. Told me to listen to you.”

…Okay, maybe it wasn’t me. Maybe I just had a really powerful ally working behind the scenes. Feeling a bit sheepish, I scratched my cheek.

“You’re the human the Dragon Lord approved, so I’ll be watching you.”

Paul crossed his arms as he spoke. It sounded more like, I’ll play along for now, but don’t get cocky.

“Sure, sure. Come on then, let’s go play in the sand.”

I responded cheerfully and led him outside. The three of us gathered at the sand playground and got to work.

“Teacher! I made food! Here, eat this!”

Ardishu played house, shaping little dishes out of sand.

“Ugh, this is harder than I thought…”

“Press the sand really tightly. That way, it holds its shape.”

Paul and I worked together to build a bunny for Ardishu.

“Wow! The bunny you made is so cute, Teacher!”

It seemed Ardishu really liked the one I made.

But then—

“Paul. What is that?”

“What do you mean, what is it? It’s a bunny.”

“It’s ugly.”

Sometimes kids can be brutally honest. Just like Ardishu was right now.

To be fair, Paul’s bunny did look a little… off.

But that wasn’t what mattered.

“Ardishu. Do you know what this bunny is made of?”

“Sand.”

“Half of it is sand. And the other half…”

I stood between the two of them and continued.

“…is Paul’s heart. He made this because he felt bad about breaking your bunny.”

Ardishu placed her thumb and forefinger on her chin and closed her eyes, thinking.

“If he promises not to hurt my bunny again… then I’ll accept his apology.”

“Tch. I won’t touch your dumb bunny.”

And just like that, Ardishu and Paul made up. She placed both my bunny and Paul’s in her sand tray.

“I’ll give you a present too. Here’s some pasta!”

Ardishu scooped up two handfuls of sand and handed them to Paul.

“Y-you want me to eat this?”

“Yup!”

Paul looked utterly bewildered. It seemed he still didn’t fully grasp the concept of playing pretend.

So I pinched some sand and pretended to eat it.

“Mmm, delicious! Ardishu, you’re a great cook!”

“R-really? Oh!”

Finally understanding, Paul mimicked me.

“This is gross!”

“Ugh…”

Looks like Paul was getting his revenge for the ‘ugly bunny’ comment.

“Go make another one!”

“We’re getting divorced!”

I stared in stunned silence.

‘Wait… so they were married?’

Apparently, even in another world, kids played house the same way.

* * *

A few days later, it poured from early morning.

‘No outdoor play today.’

With that in mind, I asked Jiho to prepare a warm stew for morning snack.

Rainy days tend to make kids restless, so I had to prepare something calm and focused.

‘Maybe coloring would be good.’

Sipping my steaming tea, I waited for the kids to arrive.

Just then, a loud honk echoed from nearby. It was the bus.

I grabbed a large leaf to use as an umbrella and rushed outside.

“Teacher!”

Ardishu ran out into the rain and jumped into my arms.

“You’re soaked. You’ll catch a cold like this.”

“Only humans catch colds—”

She quickly clamped her hands over her mouth.

“Sorry. Elves don’t get colds…”

She glanced up at me nervously, clearly thinking she’d made a mistake. I smiled and poked her chubby cheek.

“Elves are amazing. But still, you never know. Be more careful next time, okay?”

“Okay!”

Through the bus window, I spotted a tuft of purple hair. Paul had taken the bus today instead of flying because of the rain.

I was about to wave when he glanced back over his shoulder.

“Teacher, someone else came too.”

“Really?”

A new student at last!

I peered through the window, heart pounding with excitement. But…

‘There’s no one there?’

That was odd. Surely they weren’t dropping off a two-year-old?

I didn’t mind babies, but if the age gap with Ardishu and Paul was too wide, it’d be tough.

‘Mixed-age classes are way harder to manage!’

Different developmental stages meant different lesson plans. I wasn’t sure I could handle it.

“Sora, something weird came.”

“Teacher Youngja, don’t call a child ‘weird.’”

“No, I’m serious. It’s really weird!”

What on earth…?

Half-curious, half-anxious, I boarded the bus.

And there it was. The weird thing.

A huge, ornate coffin decorated with dazzling gemstones.

I knocked on it gently. No response.

‘So… they’re probably a vampire.’

This was tricky. I couldn’t exactly carry a coffin around…

“Paul, can you help me move this?”

“Piece of cake. You can’t lift it, Teacher?”

“Nope. It’s too heavy for me. Will you be my assistant today?”

“Assistant Teacher?”

Paul’s eyes lit up with interest.

Giving a kid the role of ‘Assistant Teacher’ was a great way to build responsibility and foster a sense of belonging.

Especially for a strong-willed kid like Paul, who wasn’t naturally cooperative.

Of course, the real reason was that a dragon like Paul was probably the only one who could lift the thing.

“Sure! If I’m the Assistant Teacher, this is nothing!”

They say a title changes a person. Paul straightened his shoulders and lifted the coffin with ease.

“Teacher, get the door!”

“Wow, Paul! You’re so strong!”

I rushed to open the door, full of praise. With Paul’s help, we managed to bring the coffin inside.

Click.

It wasn’t until lunchtime that the coffin finally opened.

Blond curls, blood-red eyes, porcelain-pale skin, and prominent fangs.

Fortunately, the small vampire looked about the same age as the others, and he was stunningly beautiful.

“My apologies. The sun was too harsh for me to come earlier.”

His way of speaking sounded oddly… like it had been run through a translation app.

“That’s okay. I’ve heard vampires are sensitive to sunlight.”

“My name is Valentin Keen Fayette. May I know your name, Teacher?”

“I’m Yoon Sora. You can call me Teacher Sora.”

“Thank you for the invitation, Teacher Sora.”

Valentin was polite and respectful. After bowing, he tidied up his coffin.

“Teacher! It’s lunchtime!”

Ardishu ran over to tell me.

“Today’s lunch is ‘Otherworld-style seasoned veggies.’ Chef Jiho used all sorts of greens in a tangy dressing. Valentin, I’ll show you the way to the cafeteria.”

“Thank you. I’m curious about human food.”

Valentin followed me eagerly, with Ardishu playing the role of helpful senior.

I really thought everything would go smoothly this time…

“Cough!”

…until he collapsed from the garlic in the side dish.
 

<To be continued>

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