<Chapter 2>

A suffocating sense of foreboding tightened around my chest.

“Ugh…”

“Where is this?”

Fortunately, the others were slowly regaining consciousness. A wave of relief washed over me at the thought that I could blend in and avoid attention.

“Don’t let me yield to temptation…”

“Holysh-! There’s a dragon right in front of me!”

“Damn it! My phone’s not working. I’m dead meat when my manager finds out.”

Chaos erupted in an instant.

‘Yeah, right. Blending in, my ass.’

It didn’t take long to realize—I might be the only one capable of handling this mess.

“Excuse me, everyone! Please, calm down and listen to me.”

“Where’s my honey? Honey?!”

“T-this happened outside the bus, so it’s not my fault…”

No one seemed to hear me.

Some clutched their crucifixes, chanting prayers, while others ran around in a frenzy, hair disheveled. A few had even collapsed, unconscious.

As everyone screamed over each other, the expressions of the non-human beings watching us grew darker.

“Who is responsible for this summoning?”

“This is a hassle. Just kill them and redo the ritual.”

They summoned us here without consent, and now they want to k-kill us? This is their mistake!

‘I-I’ve got to do something.’

That black dragon wouldn’t have spoken to me for no reason. If I play my role right, I might survive. Maybe, just maybe, they’d even send us back.

“Everyone, attention!”

Clap, clap, clap, clap.

I clapped my hands in a steady rhythm. People turned to look at me—not out of excitement, but out of sheer disbelief. Whatever. That wasn’t important.

“These people are in the middle of a war. They summoned a holy relic to negotiate a peace treaty, but instead, we appeared.”

“Honey, go talk to them. Tell them to send us home, okay?”

The woman who interrupted me was the only familiar face here—the obnoxious girlfriend from earlier, the one who forced me to give up my seat.

Ignoring her whiny voice, I continued, “If we don’t want to die, we have to prove that we’re useful… or so it seems.”

I calmly laid out the situation.

“I-I don’t want to die!”

“Damn it. What a shitty dream. Hurry up and wake up already.”

“C-can’t you just let us go? We won’t tell anyone, I swear! We’ll keep it a secret forever, okay?”

The reactions varied. Not that I blamed them—who could’ve predicted this?

“Come on, people! This is obviously staged. There’s probably a hidden camera somewhere. Hey! If you’re gonna do this, at least pay us first! Do you have any idea how busy I—”

Just then, an arrow whizzed past, grazing the man’s ear.

A crimson trickle dripped down his skin.

“A-a-an arrow?!”

“They’re really going to kill us!”

Screams rang out.

The man gingerly touched his bleeding ear. The sight of his own blood made him pale as he scrambled behind the others.

“That was a warning. If you continue to interfere, you will become the target of an elven archer, known to never miss.”

“Why not just hand them over to me? Humans aren’t part of the peace negotiations, so there’s no harm in a vampire savoring their blood, is there?”

Their casual, murderous words froze everyone in place.

“You said we need to prove our usefulness, right?”

“H-honey, don’t do anything rash, okay?”

“Just trust me and stay put. I’ll handle this.”

To my surprise, the same man who had argued with me on the bus stepped forward. Tilting his chin arrogantly, he spoke up: “I guarantee that I’m a valuable asset. If you lose me, you’ll regret it. I’m a world-renowned architect. I’ve designed skyscrapers in the U.S.—”

“Rejected.”

He didn’t even get to finish.

“You lack magical power, and you claim to be an architect?”

“It would take you months just to construct a single building.”

It seemed architecture here was a field governed by magic.

The man’s jaw dropped.

“W-wait! I graduated from an Ivy League university—”

“Next.”

One by one, the humans fell silent under the harsh scrutiny. When no one volunteered, the vampire with red eyes began picking at random.

“You, the woman with glasses.”

“Well, I’m fluent in three languages at a native level—”

“Rejected.”

Yeah, I saw that coming. What use was being fluent if none of those languages applied here?

“I passed the bar exam as the second-highest scorer—”

“Rejected.”

“I’m a full-stack developer. I’ve mastered every programming language and—”

“Rejected.”

At this point, it was more surprising that so many high-achievers had been on the same bus.

“You, the one with brown hair.”

As the line of rejected candidates grew, my turn arrived.

‘It’s obvious I’ll be rejected too.’

I hesitated.

Should I lie and pretend to be someone impressive?

“I’m… a teacher.”

But the moment I spoke, my voice was firm.

I wasn’t some high-profile professional, but this was my dream. My calling.

“Accepted.”

Huh?

Wait, did I mishear?

As confusion settled in, I realized I hadn’t. The expressions of the non-human beings shifted. Curiosity now mingled with their hostility.

“A teacher, you say. It seems the Supreme God intended this.”

“What do you mean?”

“If we have a teacher, we have a reason to gather the children in one place. That will prevent any reckless actions.”

The black dragon’s words made the others murmur in agreement, nodding their heads.

The tense atmosphere settled in an instant.

‘Huh?’

I was still struggling to catch up.

While I remained dazed, the black dragon turned toward me and declared, “We shall build a temple in this land. There, you will teach the children of various races. That is the role you shall fulfill as the summoned holy relic.”

For now, I simply nodded. Survival came first.

“Y-yes! Leave it to me.”

It was finally over. I exhaled in relief.

‘Wait. Hold on.’

As the weight of fear lifted, rationality returned.

This isn’t something to celebrate.

“So… this place… it’s a different world from the one we lived in, right?”

“Correct.”

“And when exactly will we be able to return? If I teach the children well… you’ll send us back, right?”

“……”

The vampire, who had been responding so readily, fell silent. A bad sign. He glanced around as if seeking confirmation, but no one spoke up.

“So you’re saying…”

“…there is no way back.”

A collective groan of despair echoed through the crowd.

‘Life…’

If we hadn’t been transported to another dimension, that tunnel would’ve been our grave. But this situation was just as tricky in its own way.

There’s no way back. I have to survive here.

I clenched my fist tightly.

“Um, Mr. Vampire.”

“Enough with that talk. Only a god can interfere with the gates of the world—”

“No, that’s not it. How much is my salary?”

“What?”

A piece of advice from my old mentor suddenly came to mind.

[“Sora, make sure to go over the conditions carefully before accepting a job. And never take a position at a place that criticizes you for asking about pay—it means they won’t treat you well as a teacher.”]

Right. Conditions.

I’m past the point of worrying about whether I’d die here. If I’m going to survive in this place, I have to keep my head straight and secure what I need.

“Surely, the great and mighty Vampire Lord wouldn’t make me work for free…?”

I sneaked a glance at him. His sleek blond hair was neatly swept back, and he wore a refined tailcoat.

‘He gives off an aristocratic vibe.’

His ears weren’t as long as an elf’s, but the slightly pointed tips stood out.

“And how many children will I be looking after? The teacher-to-student ratio is crucial, so I need to know in advance. What are their ages? Who handles their drop-off and pick-up? What time do classes end? Is there a cook here?”

“W-wait a moment, human. One question at a time.”

“Alright. Then, let’s start with how many children there are.”

For the first time, the fearsome vampire looked flustered.

“The great Vladimir is flustered…”

“She’s quite the bold human.”

The onlookers murmured in admiration.

“It hasn’t been determined yet.”

“Let me know as soon as it is. It’s the most important factor in setting up a class.”

At that moment, a doll-like fairy scoffed, “How arrogant.”

It reminded me of that guy from the bus who had picked a fight with me.

The words didn’t match her adorable appearance, but I wasn’t about to back down. I widened my eyes, meeting her gaze with equal determination.

It was all or nothing. If I lost this battle of wills now, I’d be done for.

“You wouldn’t want to entrust your children to a teacher who grovels, would you?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“A teacher has to be able to discipline their students. That’s what education is about.”

A teacher and a student aren’t equals.

There’s an undeniable power dynamic between adults and children, simply due to age.

If a teacher lets students walk all over them, the balance collapses. To be a good teacher, you must maintain control at all times.

“A teacher who only says flattering things won’t do. For the children’s sake.”

“I like this one,” a voice came from above—not from the vampire, but from a black dragon.

His amethyst eyes shone like jewels as he looked down at me.

‘Whoa…’

I let out a breath in pure admiration. The sheer majesty of the enormous yet elegant dragon was more than just beautiful—it was almost sacred.

“As Dragon Lord, I grant this human the responsibility of educating the young dragon.”

The gathered crowd broke into hushed murmurs. Among the various races, this one seemed to hold the greatest authority.

“A noble dragon learning from a mere human?” a silver-haired elf asked in shock.

“The Almighty sent a human to us, so as His creations, we must obey.”

“……”

The elf had no words to counter that.

Watching him struggle for a response, the vampire smirked and stepped forward deliberately.

“It seems you’ll be the only one left out. As the Vampire King, Vladimir, I command you—take charge of my heir, Valentin’s education, human.”

“If it’s for the peace treaty, there’s no choice. I agree as well. As chieftain of the merfolk, I, Dilithshu, entrust young Brix to the human.”

At this point, the elf could no longer refuse. He let out a deep sigh before speaking: “I, Eldic, leader of the elves, will send Ardishu. Human, consider this a warning—there must be no problems.”

Wait. Hold on.

“But I specialize in teaching human children…”

“Are you backing out?”

The black dragon tilted his head.

“Gasp. N-no, I accept!”

And just like that—before I even had time to process it—I became a teacher.

Not in my home country. Not even overseas.

But in another world.

For elves, dragons, vampires, and merfolk.

Will I… really be able to handle this?

*  *  *

It took exactly one week to complete the temple—I mean, the daycare center for this otherworldly realm’s children.

Considering that buildings here could be constructed in a day, a week was considered an unusually long time.

The reason? I kept requesting modifications.

[“The stairs are too high. Lower them to fit the children’s height.”]

[“Take down this wall. It blocks the kids’ view.”]

[“Add an emergency exit on the second floor, just in case. Make it like a slide so they can go down quickly.”]

I recalled my early childhood education training as I pointed out every little issue.

With each request, the elf architects grumbled, calling me a “nitpicky human.”

‘But this is non-negotiable.’

Building my dream classroom with someone else’s money? Amazing.

I mean—for the sake of the children, of course. Ahem.
 

<To be continued>

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