<Chapter 20>

“Okay. I’ll give you back later.”

“That’s a promise.”

“Yeah. Promise.”

I wanted to tease him a little more, but Valentin looked so serious I let it go.

‘Right… Ardishu must be feeling her mother’s absence deeply.’

It was such a natural void for me, I didn’t even notice it.

[“Um, I want to have dinner and sleep with you tonight, Teacher! And I want you to read me a bedtime story!”]

[“I’d love that too. It’d be so nice to have a little sister like you.”]

[Really?]

I remembered the conversation I had with Ardishu. Had she started planning all this from that day on?

‘Ardishu must’ve been lonely.’

If her mother were to return, everything could be resolved… but that was beyond anything I could do.

So, as her teacher, the best prescription I could offer was…

After some thought, I approached Ardishu.

“Ardishu. Do you want to come over to my house this weekend?”

“Yes! I want to! I’m definitely going!”

She jumped up and down with excitement at my suggestion.

“I’m free this weekend too.”

“I’m curious about Teacher’s house.”

Paul and Valentin chimed in eagerly.

“Mr. Eldic, would it be alright if I looked after Ardishu for the weekend?”

“Please do.”

Eldic agreed without hesitation.

I’d expected a lecture, but it seemed that short time in the Thinking Chair gave him plenty to ponder.

After a short pause, I spoke up again.

“Where I’m from, there’s a saying: it takes a village to raise a child.”

“A village?”

Eldic tilted his head slightly.

“Yes. It means a child needs the help of more than just their family to grow up feeling fully loved.”

It was an old African proverb a professor once shared with me, and it had always stuck.

“No one can truly replace her mother… but I’ll do everything I can to fill in the other parts, so Ardishu won’t feel alone.”

I could never be a perfect teacher, but I was confident I could be one who truly loved and cherished her students.

‘That’s more than enough.’

My students weren’t even human to begin with.

Could I teach them magic, how to build a lair, or how to drink blood?

Of course not.

Each one of them would live far longer than I would, achieve great things, and leave their marks on history. And along the way, they’d surely face tough times. I just hoped that, when that happened, they’d remember the time we spent together and feel comforted by it.

Even a single warm childhood memory can give someone strength for a lifetime.

“…So that’s why Ardishu likes you.”

Eldic muttered softly, barely audible, before giving a respectful nod.

“It’s hard for me to fully trust a human, but… I’m counting on you to continue taking care of Ardishu, Yoon Sora.”

The way he used my name made me blink in surprise.

Wait a sec. Did he just call me by name? Not “human”?

Does that mean… I’ve finally been acknowledged?

“Yes! I’ll do my best, Father!”

I shouted, grabbing Eldic’s hand, my chest swelling with pride at finally being recognized.

“W-what are you doing?!”

Eldic jerked away and turned around abruptly, clearly flustered. I caught a glimpse of his pointed ears through his shimmering silver hair, and they were tinged red.

“A-and I’m not your father.”

The sight of him all flustered made me laugh out loud.

‘Elves might be a bit more innocent than I thought.’

With a face so similar to Ardishu’s, Eldic looked kind of… cute.

‘Well, I guess that settles it. We’re doing this.’

If I had to name this little retreat, it would be… “Cultural Immersion Camp: Human Edition!”

* * *

To get permission, I first told my roommates, Youngja-unnie and Jiho.

“A retreat?”

“Yes. Calling it that makes it sound grand, but I’m really just inviting the kids over for the weekend.”

“I’ll drive the bus for them. But I have plans this weekend, so I won’t be able to help with anything else. Is that okay?”

“That’s more than enough. Thank you so much.”

Hearing she had plans made it really hit me. This place was starting to feel like a real community.

Now that Youngja-unnie, the town’s social butterfly, knew, it wouldn’t take long for the whole Human Special Autonomous District to catch wind of it.

“I’m also thinking this would be a great opportunity to introduce them to our district.”

“Hmm, in that case, I’ll open up my snack shop. I can probably manage tteokbokki and slushies.”

“Whoa, slushies? The kids are gonna love that!”

Even I was getting excited by Jiho’s idea.

“I’ll be your assistant teacher. You never know, we’re talking about royalty here.”

“They’re not really royalty, though…”

Wait. Are they?

I was about to disagree, but trailed off instead.

Ardishu was the elf leader’s sister, and Valentin was the vampire king’s son.

And while Paul wasn’t related to the Dragon Lord by blood, dragons were so rare that he was practically adored by all of them.

“Even with the peace treaty, there might be villains who see this as a chance.”

Jiho spoke with a serious face.

“If there were villains like that, wouldn’t they have shown up by now?”

“Let me finish. No one would dare make a move during regular school hours. You know the other races call the daycare a temple, right? But once they come to the Human District for this camp?”

“The security would be more relaxed. Especially since it’s the weekend…”

At first, I thought he was being paranoid. But the more he talked, the more it started to make sense.

“Also, Yoojun-hyung said rumors are going around. People don’t really believe humans were summoned to represent peace.”

Yoojun, the vet who was chosen to care for the cursed dragon, made regular visits to the dragon lairs.

He was the only one who brought outside news into the Human Special Autonomous District.

“But we really were summoned.”

“Some say a fight broke out during the summoning, which caused humans to appear. Others think someone deliberately tampered with the ritual to summon humans.”

That’s… a bit far-fetched.

Anyway, Jiho officially joined the retreat as “Security.”

While I was busy with prep work, just as I expected, Youngja-unnie had already spread the news, and people began showing up.

“Sora-unnie! I’m good at drawing caricatures. Kids love this kind of stuff, right? Can I join?”

Kim Ari, a high school student who dreamed of getting into art school.

“What about a tea class? I used to run a tea shop.”

Oh Jung-Ah, who now grew herbs and veggies on the farming team.

“Would fireworks be good for a welcome event? I’ve got some leftover black powder from monster-repelling flares.”

Choi Haejin, who put her chemical engineering degree to full use on the hunting team.

For everyone else, the kids’ visit was a special event too.

As the weekend approached, the plaza was decorated beautifully and everyone was bustling with excitement.

‘Feels just like a festival.’

With the cheerful mood in the air, I felt even more energized.

No mishaps. No slip-ups. I’d make this the best camp ever, for the kids and for everyone helping out.

* * *

Jiho, like many others, thought being summoned to another world would be a life-changing opportunity.

You know, awaken a hidden power, become a hero, or share modern knowledge and be worshipped.

And sure, coming here had flipped his life upside down.

‘Can’t believe I ended up as the daycare cook.’

He got the job thanks to a bit of luck and a month of part-time kitchen experience. He’d expected to be exposed quickly…

[“This is delicious!”]

But surprisingly, it worked. Every day, Jiho found himself thinking, “Huh. I guess this really works.” Bit by bit, he was adjusting to life in this world.

Thankfully, various races supported them with supplies. Not an abundance, but enough.

The thirty dimensional travelers naturally grouped by aptitude.

The Daycare Team centered around Sora, the Livestock Team led by vet Yoojun, the Hunting Team led by ex-soldier Ina, the Farming Team led by Myung-guk, and the Production Team, which operated individually.

With these roles set, the Human District quickly developed. The village was coming together nicely.

“Mr. Myung-guk!”

“Hm? Jiho, you’re here?”

“Yeah. I brought some noodles as a snack. Can you call everyone over?”

“Hey! Take a break and eat!”

At Myung-guk’s call, the workers all gathered. Jiho glanced around at the developers, translators, and even someone who had passed the bar exam. They were all high-spec professionals, one after another.

‘The farming team sure is stacked.’

If Jiho had joined this team, he might’ve felt totally outclassed.

‘It’s kind of sad, though. These highly skilled people are stuck farming because they have nothing else to do here.’

He was glad all over again to have joined the daycare team.

“Looks great. My oldest son’s name was Jiho too…”

“Our Jiho. I hope he’s doing alright.”

“Of course he is. He’s our son, after all.”

The Myung-guk couple wiped their eyes with their sleeves.

“Aw, please don’t cry.”

Jiho comforted them while setting the table.

“By the way, where’s Pilhyuk-hyung? Haven’t seen him today either.”

“Him? Hmph. Said he’d never touch dirt and just locked himself away. After we went out of our way to take him in.”

Pilhyuk was the guy who picked a fight with Sora on the bus. He’d always looked down on others, bragged a lot, and never adjusted to this world.

‘Guys like that are a ticking time bomb.’

Jiho glanced toward Pilhyuk’s hut. As usual, the windows were firmly shut.

* * *

The weekend arrived.

It was Saturday afternoon, a time when the kids would normally be home. Instead, they were on the bus heading toward the Human Special Autonomous District.

“Wow! So this is where Teacher lives! It’s made of bricks, so even if we huff and puff, it won’t blow away!”

Ardishu placed her hands on the wall. Clearly the result of hearing The Three Little Pigs earlier that week.

“Why are all the houses so close together?”

“Humans are residing together.”

I mean… just using polite phrasing doesn’t make the sentence actually work.

‘I’ve been trying to help Valentin’s language development, but there’s really no progress…’

He’d make a bit of improvement, only to regress after the weekend.

That could wait. Right now, the camp needed my full attention.

“And during the camp, Chef Jiho will be our Assistant Teacher.”

“A cooking teacher!”

As I clapped and introduced Jiho, Ardishu and Valentin gave polite belly bows.

“If he’s the Assistant Teacher, does that mean he has less power than you?”

“Huh? Power?”

Jiho blinked, caught off guard by Paul’s serious and bold question.

I chuckled and nodded.

“Yup. I’m the leader, and Chef Jiho’s like my second-in-command.”

“I’ve been an Assistant Teacher too!”

Paul gave Jiho a light jab with his elbow.

Wait… is he… sizing Jiho up?

“M-me too! I’ve been an Assistant Teacher!”

“Exactly. And you two did a fantastic job. So now, let’s all help Chef Jiho with his first time being Assistant Teacher, okay?”

“Okay!”

The kids responded enthusiastically.

Camp began with dinner prep. The menu was curry, something simple the kids could help with.

“Teacher! I cut the carrots really nicely!”

Ardishu showed me the neatly chopped pieces.

“Wow, how did you cut them so perfectly? That bread knife isn’t easy to use. You’re amazing, Ardishu!”

“Ehehe. It was easier since it’s a blessed carrot.”

Her cheeks flushed from the praise.

WHACK!

“Paul, did you just cut through the cutting board?”

“It’s too weak! Not my fault!”

Paul, in charge of the potatoes, had shown off his strength. Even the bread knife had given in to his might.

“Teacher…”

“Gasp! Valentin, what’s wrong?”

I rushed over. He was crying.

“I found something even more dangerous than garlic. I wish to warn other vampires to beware of onions.”

“Wait, onions were supposed to be Chef Jiho’s job?”

I’d assigned onions to Jiho because of the eye sting. So why was Valentin the one slicing them?

I quickly wiped his tears and washed his face and hands.

“Begone, spicy sting!”

“I… I survived.”

With the emergency handled, it was time to confront the villain.

I marched over to Jiho, brimming with rage.

“Chef Jiho, care to explain what happened?”

He backed away awkwardly, chuckling nervously.

“It… seemed funny at the time…”

“You! You irresponsible adult!”

I almost smacked him, but held back. The kids were watching.

‘You just wait. When they’re asleep, I’ll get you.’

As I glared, Valentin cautiously peeked around me and spoke.

“When you do something bad, you get a spank on the butt. That’s what Father said.”

“Exactly. If you do wrong, you need to be punished. Defendant Jiho, for tormenting Valentin with onions, I sentence you to two butt-smacks.”

I gave the verdict, and Valentin carried out the sentence.
 

<To be continued>

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