<Chapter 24>

“Aaah! You can’t just eat a flashy-looking mushroom like that!”

“Goodness, young man!”

“H-hey, wait!”

The three humans shouted in shock, one after another.

“There are no harmful components. Not particularly tasty, though.”

While the rest of us panicked, Lian stayed completely calm. I let out a shaky breath and shot him a glare.

“You scared me!”

“What if it had been poisonous?”

“I have enough immunity to handle it.”

…What now? Don’t tell me he built up resistance by deliberately ingesting all kinds of poisons in case of assassination attempts?

I muttered with a sigh as that wild thought crossed my mind.

“Still, don’t do stuff like that. I was really startled.”

“Understood.”

“Whew… Anyway, so it’s not poisonous. Then what if we collect these glowing mushrooms with the kids and eat them together?”

I turned to Jiho.

“Sure. I can sauté them in butter and glaze them in a kid-friendly sauce. They’re plump too, so scoring them should be easy.”

I jotted down in my notebook.

<Field Activity 1: Mushroom Gathering>

I mean, what kid wouldn’t want to eat something they picked themselves?

As we continued walking, a giant squirrel suddenly leapt out in front of me.

“Gah!”

Startled, I tripped and nearly fell.

“You okay?”

“Y-yeah. Thank you.”

Luckily, Lian caught me just in time. If not for him, I’d have ended up rolling across the ground.

<Uneven terrain. Watch your step!>

I scribbled another note in my notebook.

Even though I was no longer in his arms, I couldn’t stop noticing that subtle scent of wood lingering around him.

“Thanks again.”

I closed the notebook and thanked him once more.

“Thanks again.”

“Thanks again.”

My own words echoed back at me.

“…What was that?”

“…What was that?”

“…What?”

Again.

The voice was beautiful, like an instrument… but also eerie, just a bit too inhuman.

“That’s the sacred creature of this area. A Noriuchi bird.”

“So, like a parrot?”

Interesting. I took a breath and began singing.

“Twinkle, twinkle, little star!”

Twinkle, twinkle, little star

“How I wonder what you are!”

How I wonder what you are

The Noriuchi mimicked me again. Its voice was more enchanting than expected, maybe because it sang rather than spoke.

“We can sing along with it!”

Just as I started jotting down Field Activity 2, I noticed everyone staring at me.

‘Oh no.’

I mean, objectively speaking, I’m not exactly a good singer. Closer to tone-deaf, really.

But hey, it’s a children’s song. As long as you sing it with energy, you can pull it off, right?

Feeling a bit embarrassed, I looked away. Just then, Lian whistled.

Flap, flap.

The Noriuchi fluttered over to him. It was a beautiful white bird with a magnificent plume of tail feathers.

“Go on. Finish the song.”

“Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky…”

I continued, and the Noriuchi harmonized with me.

The wave of emotion hit me unexpectedly. If even I felt this moved, how would the kids react?

As the song ended, Jiho spoke up.

“We should get moving. It’s gonna get dark soon.”

“Mhm.”

He was right. The sun was setting fast, and we still hadn’t reached the lake.

“Sorry. Let’s hurry.”

I picked up the pace, and soon we broke through the dense forest.

And there it was…

Lake Pommel.

“Wow…”

The lake stretched out endlessly before us, completely filling our view.

Surrounded by a wall of trees, the atmosphere felt cozy and serene.

“Perfect. We’ll lay out a mat here and eat gimbap. Let’s have our inari sushi too.”

We sat down and ate our sushi together.

“……”

Well, not together exactly. It was more… awkward.

No one spoke. Only the soft sounds of chewing echoed through the silence.

‘Ugh. This is painful. I’m gonna choke at this rate.’

When it gets like this, a neutral, professional topic is best.

“Field Activity 3. Draw the lake on a sketchpad… Lian, is the lake deep?”

“Are we going into it?”

“No, just asking… just in case.”

Lian stepped toward the water and placed his palm on the surface. A strange ripple spread across the lake.

“It’s deep. Well over 500 meters.”

“The Almighty God must have cried a lot.”

“What?”

“You know. They said this lake was formed from the Almighty God’s tears.”

I remembered the story written in the document.

“But… why did She cry?”

The Almighty God who created this world and its races… what kind of sorrow could make such a being weep?

“Love.”

“Love… huh.”

Hearing Lian’s calm reply, I found myself nodding. As cliché as it was, even divine beings seemed helpless when it came to love.

“Serenity loved this world. She wished her children would all get along. But peace was just a dream.”

Lian’s violet eyes were fixed on the lake.

“Peace was never meant to be.”

“But didn’t the summoning ritual forge peace treaties? Isn’t that what always happens?”

“That’s exactly it. They’ve had to sign treaties again and again because war kept breaking out. Even with an absolute deity watching over them, everyone’s too different. We can never truly become one.”

A heavy silence settled over us.

“She’s got a point. Think about it. How much of history was ever actually peaceful? Even our country is just in a ceasefire.”

“Unnie, you’re right.”

I dipped my hand into the lake. It was so cold, it sent a shiver up my arm.

“So maybe… maybe that’s why the Almighty summoned us. Because she was sad humans went extinct?”

“That’s not it.”

“Huh?”

“This inspection’s over.”

His reply came oddly fast. By the time I turned to him, Lian was already gone.

What?! Again?!

“He always disappears like that.”

I mumbled to myself.

And just like that, the Pommel Lake inspection came to an end. We retraced our steps and got back on the bus.

“Wait, Lian… he knows magic too?”

“Seems like it.”

Unnie kept glancing back, still trying to process his disappearance.

Beside her, Jiho narrowed his eyes and looked at me.

“He was looking at you weird.”

“Don’t tease me.”

“I’m serious.”

I let out a sigh.

“Come on. What are we, kids? Are you a fifth grader or something?”

I turned away and started organizing my notes. Starting tomorrow, I had to run lessons connected to the field trip.

‘To get the kids curious about Pommel Lake…’

Maybe it was the fairy dust-fueled bus being so comfy. Before I knew it, my eyes started drooping.

I tried to snap out of it, but my body swayed… and eventually, the pen slipped from my fingers.

“Sora?”

Someone called my name, but I didn’t even realize I’d fallen asleep.

* * *

“Oh dear. Teacher Sora’s knocked out. Must’ve been really tired.”

Youngja, climbing out of the driver’s seat, spotted Sora asleep by the window and lowered her voice.

It was already late by the time they returned to the Human Special Autonomous District, so the exhaustion made sense.

“Jiho, help her out.”

“Yeah, help me carry her.”

Jiho carefully lifted Sora onto his back and climbed the stairs.

Though they lived under the same roof, this was his first time stepping into her room. He opened the door, a mix of nerves and anticipation stirring in his chest.

It was cozy… but a little messy, like she’d rushed out earlier that morning.

“She calls me a kid? What kind of teacher leaves her bed like this?”

He clicked his tongue but gently laid her down.

Sora mumbled in her sleep and curled in on herself.

She’s so sharp with the kids, but then she’s totally defenseless like this, he thought.

He lingered for a moment, then pulled the blanket over her.

“Good night.”

As Jiho stepped out into the hall, Youngja greeted him with a teasing grin.

“Hmmm?”

“What now, Noona?”

“The way you look at her is very suspicious.”

Jiho cleared his throat and turned away, like he’d just been caught red-handed.

“Something’s been bothering me, though.”

Trying to shift the subject, Jiho spoke quickly. If Youngja got the wrong idea, the whole town would know by tomorrow.

“What is it?”

“Selena, the Fairy Queen, said there weren’t any surviving humans, remember?”

His thoughts drifted to Lian. That otherworldly aura… there was no way that guy was human.

“Then why pretend to be one?”

“Maybe he’s just into Sora and trying to win her over.”

“Noona, I’m serious.”

“So am I.”

After a bit more bickering, both of them yawned and shuffled off to their rooms.

And just like that, the lights dimmed across every home in the Human Special Autonomous District.

* * *

The emergency came without warning.

In the midst of wrapping up the retreat and preparing for the picnic… we’d completely forgotten.

The fourth student.

“H-hi there.”

As the fourth student suddenly appeared, I instantly tensed up.

Because this one… was a mermaid.

‘How do you even handle a mermaid?’

The other kids were still within the realm of “humanoid.” But mermaids? Totally different.

This little girl had bluish skin and fiery red hair. Her upper body resembled a human, but her lower half was a glittering tail.

She swam gracefully in the water… flick flick.

‘Should I call that a custom tub? Or… a tank?’

The thing she sat in was carved from crystal, shaped to fit her tail. Its transparency showed off her vibrant scales beautifully.

It was decorated with pink shells and strings of pearls that made it look like a literal art piece.

And it wasn’t just for show. It had wheels like a wheelchair and handy handles for pushing.

“My name’s Yoon Sora. You can call me Teacher Sora.”

The girl gave me a haughty glance.

Let’s see… her name was Brix, right?

“Zero points.”

“Huh?”

“Your first impression. I can’t give you anything higher.”

Brix lifted her chin and spoke in an icy tone.

I was honestly a bit taken aback, but I just smiled.

“Well, everything starts from zero, doesn’t it?”

Brix blinked. Her emerald eyes, framed by long lashes, gleamed sharply.

* * *

Brix adjusted surprisingly well to the daycare.

Actually… it might be more accurate to say the other kids adjusted to her.

“Elf. Bring me that sparkly paper over there.”

“H-huh? O-okay.”

When Brix commanded, Ardishu hesitated but still obeyed.

“I like how quick you are. Good. I hereby appoint you as my maid.”

“I… I don’t want to be a maid.”

“Rejecting such an honorable title? How foolish.”

Brix clicked her tongue, and Ardishu’s shoulders sagged in defeat.

How should I describe Brix? She was like one of those princesses from a fantasy romance novel, completely self-absorbed.

Her every movement exuded elegance and pride. Put nicely, she was refined. Put not-so-nicely? Arrogant.

“Brix, Ardishu isn’t your maid. She’s your friend.”

“Friends are equals. I am of noble blood. A mermaid of royal lineage.”

Brix Fil Taransianne was the heir to the Taransianne tribe, which had unified all merfolk clans. She probably had lessons in royal etiquette too.

“Exactly. You’re an amazing mermaid, so you can get along well with other races, right? But if you act like you’re better than them, the others won’t want to be your friend.”

“It’s a fact that merfolk are superior.”

Her brow furrowed. Clearly, she had pride not just in herself but in her entire race.

“To think a lowly human would dare lecture a mermaid…”

Can someone please draft an anti-human-discrimination bill already?
 

<To be continued>

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