<Chapter 3>

I tried my best to adapt to this place.

The difficulty level was… about average.

‘Well, at least it’s not an apocalypse.’

Since I had recently been reading apocalypse-themed romance fantasy novels, I was secretly worried that this world might be one of those.

Fortunately, magic was highly developed here, and most conveniences were available. Thanks to the ‘gates’ installed everywhere, people could travel long distances in an instant. There were also magical appliances with functions similar to refrigerators and air conditioners.

And to explain all of this, none other than Queen Selena of the fairies made a personal appearance.

The fairy, with her cherry blossom-colored hair, was small and adorable.

When I opened my palm, she fit entirely within it.

‘Though her personality is a bit scary.’

Still, there was no denying that she looked just like a doll.

Every time Selena fluttered her translucent, pale green wings, glittering dust scattered around her, as if finely ground gemstones were floating in the air.

‘The fairies haven’t made a decision yet.’

So far, only four races had officially agreed to enroll their children in the daycare: elves, dragons, vampires, and merfolk.

The fairies, however, were still on the fence, cautiously observing humans. It seemed that Selena’s visit was part of that observation.

‘I should take this chance to learn more about this world.’

I focused on what she was saying.

“You all have a duty to understand the honorable history of the Elwindor continent. In the beginning, the Almighty God Serenity…”

Ah. This is just as mind-numbingly boring as those ‘early childhood language education’ lectures.

Before long, people started nodding off, overwhelmed by the endless explanations.

“Tsk. Humans!”

“Eeekk!”

Clicking her tongue, Selena flapped her wings, sending a shower of sparkling dust over the dozing humans—lifting them into the air.

I need to stay sharp. No way am I going to end up like them.

To summarize the lesson: this continent had multiple races, each strictly guarding its own territory.

‘Basically, each race has its own country.’

But they weren’t completely isolated. Despite their differences, they shared a common language and a unified faith in the Almighty God Serenity.

Apparently, since we were beings sent as holy relics, they couldn’t treat us recklessly—even if we were ‘just humans.’

‘Not long ago, they wanted to kill us, though.’

Still, the atmosphere had become much safer for humans, which was a relief.

‘If I had arrived alone, would I have been stuck in the role of the black-haired saintess?’

A few old romance fantasy novels flashed through my mind.

“The Almighty Serenity would never have sent humans. There must be some mistake! Surely, someone dissatisfied with the peace treaty has meddled…”

As the lecture dragged on in a sleep-inducing voice, the sound of snoring could be heard.

The culprit was the self-proclaimed famous architect. He was promptly punished with the ‘upside-down lecture’ penalty.

“That’s it for today. See you next time.”

As soon as class ended, people scattered.

Everyone looked dejected. Even the fact that they would have died in that bus crash if they hadn’t been transported here wasn’t much comfort.

[“My sly husband and my rabbit-like kids are waiting for me…”]

I recalled how Youngja-unnie, the friend I had grown close to here, had sniffled as she spoke.

Someday… Would we ever be able to return to our world?

If a way appeared, I would go back—but, honestly, I wasn’t that desperate.

Even if I could never return… I wouldn’t be devastated.

‘There’s no one waiting for me, anyway.’

Maybe that indifference was the reason I adapted so quickly.

In any case, we ended up living near the daycare. Officially, it was called the ‘Human Special Autonomous District.’

But my biggest problem at the moment was…

“I miss my phone…”

Back in my world, whenever I was bored, I would read romance fantasy novels on Chocolate Page or watch cute animal videos on NeoTube.

But here, entertainment was practically nonexistent.

The ‘auto-translation’ magic solved the language barrier, but the books here were dull. In fact, books didn’t seem to serve as entertainment at all.

“Sigh…”

Pausing from drafting the lesson plans, I sprawled out in the plaza.

Above me, the clouds drifted lazily across the sky.

Then, I heard footsteps approaching. I expected them to walk past me, but instead, they stopped right in front of me.

“Humans seem to enjoy lying down. They do it all day. Especially you.”

“Because lying down makes me happy.”

I sat up. The speaker was none other than Eldic, the leader of the elves.

His silvery hair shimmered like moonlight, his long ears twitched slightly, and he wore a flowing robe with elegant lines, much like a hanbok.

“You find happiness in doing nothing?”

“Yes. It makes my body and mind feel at ease.”

“That is nothing but a meaningless waste of time.”

Eldic occasionally came by to observe humans.

‘Well, since he entrusted his precious daughter to me, it makes sense that he’d keep an eye on me.’

I had already received a portrait of Ardishu. She was a cute little girl who looked just like a miniature version of Eldic.

At first glance, Eldic seemed like he was in his mid-twenties, but being an elf, he was probably much older.

“Living for such a long time without rest… Don’t you get exhausted?”

“I am concerned that your laziness will rub off on Ardishu.”

“Humans call this ‘leisure.’”

At my words, his slender eyebrows twitched.

“Leisure?”

“It’s when you have extra time and a relaxed mind, allowing you to fully enjoy the moment. Sometimes, you need that, don’t you?”

Eldic didn’t respond. After a brief pause, he finally spoke again, “…Begin lessons in three days.”

“Wow! I’m looking forward to it.”

I clapped my hands excitedly.

“Hmph. In any case, I made this while I was at it.”

“What is it?”

“A magical device to charge that ‘phone’ you humans are so attached to.”

“No way!”

Eldic tossed me a black marble slab inscribed with magic circles. Though it seemed like he had thrown it carelessly, I caught it surprisingly easily.

“Simply place your phone on top of it.”

“Thank you! Even if I can’t use the internet, at least I can listen to music.”

I pulled out my dead phone from my pocket and placed it on the black slab.

To my surprise, it really started charging—at high speed, no less!

“Humans are truly troublesome creatures. You’re such helpless beings.”

“Elves are amazing! You can create all sorts of magical devices.”

I wasn’t offended by his words at all. After all, he had just revived my phone.

At that moment, he practically glowed with a holy aura in my eyes.

‘Even if I can’t use the internet, at least I can read the novels I downloaded!’

Sure, I won’t be able to read the next chapters, but this is still a victory.

‘Ah, but the next chapter…’

I felt a slight pang of sadness.

‘The female lead is about to run away, and the male lead will regret everything and chase after her…’

I was about to witness the best part… but I wouldn’t get to see it.

“How did you make a charger for something that doesn’t even exist in this world?”

“The Dragon Lord assisted. His magic is unique.”

“That black dragon?!”

The savior of my phone wasn’t just Eldic.

“Watch your words when speaking of the Dragon Lord.”

No one had explicitly stated it, but it was clear that dragons stood above all other races.

‘Well, that makes sense. He was incredible.’

I still remembered the overwhelming presence of that massive black dragon when he stood before me.

It had sent chills down my spine.

The memory of the dragon remained vividly etched in my mind, even though we hadn’t met again since.

“Anyway, the rest of the humans will have to prove they’re useful as well.”

“They’re all doing their best—hunting, cultivating land…”

“Effort is fine, but I need to see results. That’s all.”

Eldic opened a rift in space and stepped through. It seemed like teleportation magic.

“Ms. Sora, is the elf leader gone?”

“Yes.”

From behind a tree, Youngja-unnie cautiously peeked out, slowly revealing herself.

“See? He acts all cold, but he still takes care of everything in the end. Such a tsundere.”

“Ms. Sora, how are you so fearless? Ugh, my heart starts pounding the moment they show up.”

Youngja-unnie exhaled heavily, pressing a hand to her chest.

“The people here really respect you.”

“It’s just because I say whatever I want. You know what they say—feed even the ones you hate.”

Thirty humans had been transported here in total.

Even after I passed the initial selection, the process of ‘acceptance’ and ‘elimination’ continued.

Only four of us made it through.

The first was me—Yoon Sora, a 22-year-old teacher.

The second was Kim Youngja, a former bus driver, aged 53. She was currently inspecting a bus that the fairies had repaired.

There was no gateway yet in the designated human autonomous zone, which made transportation difficult.

That meant Youngja-unnie had to drive the bus to the gate and pick up the children herself.

The third was Jiho, a 22-year-old part-timer from Kimbap Kingdom. He got in by claiming he could cook a variety of dishes.

From what I knew about Kimbap Kingdom, that seemed a little… misleading.

Jiho, however, had a silver tongue.

[“I can cook over a hundred dishes. I was basically the head chef, running the entire kitchen on my own.”]

Well… Kimbap Kingdom did have a lot on its menu.

Jiho was also a college student like me. He was majoring in philosophy, and honestly, without his part-time experience, he probably would’ve been eliminated.

In any case, their acceptance was largely thanks to me.

‘I somehow ended up helping other people get jobs too.’

Because of that, Youngja-unnie and Jiho were quite fond of me, and the three of us naturally ended up living together.

The fourth was Cha Yoojun, a 28-year-old veterinarian. He was selected to treat a dragon that had been cursed into an eternal slumber.

He often had a mini-meltdown over the absurdity of it all.

“How the hell is a vet supposed to treat a dragon?!”

Of course, he only lost his composure in front of other humans.

The four of us who had ‘passed’ were given ample supplies, while the rest were treated as unwelcome guests.

I knew my situation was far better than most, but deep down, I envied Jiho and Yoojun.

‘They’re total protagonist material.’

Jiho was like the lead in a fantasy cooking novel, conquering another world with Korean cuisine.

Yoojun, on the other hand, fit the role of a medical drama protagonist, curing a cursed dragon with his mysterious Eastern healing techniques.

‘And me…?’

If this were a romance fantasy world, I could’ve been the protagonist too.

Like if the children I was teaching were the heirs of a cold-hearted northern duke.

‘I’d end up healing the duke’s wounded heart while teaching his children, and we’d fall in love—classic.’

Or I could be the crown prince’s tutor.

‘I struggle to turn the unruly prince into a proper man, only to leave… then, five years later, he chases me down.’

But in reality, I was just a teacher for some foreign species.

‘Oh well. Watching someone else be the protagonist might be entertaining too.’

At most, I was just a background character meant to stir things up a little.

Still—

‘I’m glad I became a teacher.’

It had always been my dream.

Even if I was just a supporting role in someone else’s story, my own life would be complete just by achieving that dream.

*  *  *

Three days passed. It was finally time for my first lesson.

“Huu, huuu…”

I took a deep breath and stepped into the classroom.

Now, all I have to do is wait for the students to arrive!

But—

‘Why isn’t anyone here?’
 

<To be continued>

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