MCQN 42

Chapter 42

As soon as the writing room, which bore my name, encountered difficulties, Noh Il seemed very troubled.

“Is it simply because the children don’t come because they dislike studying?”

Like Damian, who skipped lessons because he preferred swordsmanship over studying.

When I asked Noh Il for more details, he started recounting the story from the day he first visited the academy.

“Though the children were wary of the sudden appearance of an outsider, they seemed curious and peeked in. When I taught them how to write their names, they liked it.”

“So, they weren’t uninterested from the start?”

“No. When the children showed interest, I brought bread and shared it with them. Though fewer came than the first day, they returned again.”

The bakery was something Noh Il had planned to establish after the academy settled in. The academy had to be up and running properly before the bakery could operate.

So, in the beginning, he intended to bring pre-made bread and distribute it.

I nodded, as I was already familiar with this part of the story.

“What happened when you went the third time?”

“No one came…”

Why?

“Could it be that giving out bread seemed strange?”

It might make them suspicious, like a temple offering where they might wonder about the ulterior motive behind suddenly teaching and offering bread.

But apparently, that wasn’t the case. Noh Il shook his head and added one more thing.

“When I was heading back, I met a few children. They didn’t say why they hadn’t come, but they did take the bread.”

[Bread Shuttle..?]

[Hahahahahahahahaha]

[First time seeing a teacher as a bread shuttle.]

So now, Noh Il had become the third bread shuttle, following Edin and Jeff.

‘But we’re not just trying to do charity work…’

At this rate, the purpose of the writing room felt pointless.

“I’ll go with you next time.”

“Will Lady Rose go too?”

“Yes. The children might be more comfortable talking with their friends.”

“…I see. I’ll be counting on you.”

A week later, Noh Il reluctantly asked for my help with a face full of worry.

[They don’t want to go to the academy because the teacher seems too noble?]

[Is the teacher really not a noble? She seems like one, though…]

Once we left the neatly arranged roads in the city center, the carriage started bumping along.

‘Come to think of it, Duke Valent used to always try to send me back to the orphanage by carriage.’

Fortunately, today’s destination was not the orphanage, but Noh Il’s academy.

The academy was located in a poor village. The ground was rocky and barren, but the low rent made it an ideal place for people to settle, forming a small community.

I had already gathered information that the adults in the village often left to work in other towns, leaving the children unattended.

As Noh Il and I talked about the lessons, the carriage arrived in front of the academy.

“I’ll talk to the children first and be right back!”

“Please take care of it, Lady Rose.”

Since the village wasn’t large, I easily found my target after a short walk.

There were about ten children, ranging in age from my peers to those around twelve or thirteen, gathered in an open space, playing while their parents were out working.

I approached them, feeling like bait to catch them.

“Hey, who are you?”

“You’re pretty!”

[Pretty? Male lead candidate?]

[Haha, so it’s not bait, but beauty tactics?]

No, the “pretty” comment was likely about the dress Hessina had bought for me, and the child who said it was a girl.

The boy standing next to her actually distanced himself from me when he saw my outfit.

“Are you a noble? The adults told us not to go near nobles.”

“No, I came from Zelton Orphanage. Nobles don’t have short hair like this.”

“Really?”

As I explained by mentioning my background and pointing to my bobbed hair, the children quickly relaxed their guard.

[The teacher might look like a noble, which is why the kids didn’t come to the academy?]

To be honest, I usually speak in a humble manner, and my clothes are simple, so I don’t feel noble at all.

[Why are you dissing the tutor? Hahahahahahaha]

[Actually, it’s good, isn’t it?]

“I came with the teacher today. Do you all know about the academy over there in that building?”

“Academy? Oh, you mean the place with the adult wearing glasses?”

[Was the tutor a glasses character?]

[We need an illustration here!]

The comments shifted their attention to Noh Il, who was at the academy, but I stayed focused on the children.

“Yeah. Don’t you want to go? They teach you how to write letters and give you bread.”

There was no need to go around in circles. I directly asked why they weren’t attending, and the children’s response was as simple as expected.

“My dad told me not to go.”

“Why?”

“He said we shouldn’t learn things like that.”

“…But if you learn to write, you can read books anytime, and that’s good, right?”

“Books? I don’t know. Do we really need to read them?”

I looked around the empty field where the children were playing.

There wasn’t much to play with. They were simply picking up sticks and stones to play with.

There’s a huge difference between choosing to stay away from writing and not even having the option to learn.

‘And there’s no doubt that learning letters would be good for them.’

I wasn’t sure why their parents didn’t want to send them to the academy, but…

“I’ll read you a picture book.”

“Uh, uh?”

The most effective way to break their guard was with a warm, gentle gesture.

I reached out and grabbed the hands of two children who were standing nearby.

The girl grabbed my hand, and the boy hesitated for a moment but didn’t pull away.

[It’s really beauty tactics, right?!]

[Isn’t this more like a romance novel?]

Romance or not, I think they were just surprised that I suddenly held their hands!

[Here we go again with the single-person mentality]

When two out of ten children drifted away, it became noticeable.

In the end, the children followed me in a group.

“I’ll read you the story of the willow tree that hid the baby deer under its leaves… and then the hunter appeared…”

The children, focused on the story, urged me to continue as I stretched out the tale.

“What happened when the hunter appeared?”

“When the hunter appeared… well, you’ll find out next time!”

“Ahh!”

[The cliffhanger technique! Hahahahaha]

[One way to anger people is to stop talking halfway, the second way is…]

The children begged me to finish the story, but cutting it off in the middle would make them more curious and eager to read it themselves.

Meanwhile, the children who weren’t interested in picture books were sitting at desks inside the academy, learning how to write from Noh Il.

‘Clearly, the kids don’t have any problems.’

So, it must be the adults who are the issue…

After giving the children some bread and sending them off, Noh Il and I sat down to come up with a plan.

“I asked the children earlier, and they said their parents told them not to go.”

“Then we should talk to the guardians. Let’s wait until the adults come back.”

Just as he said, while we were talking about the lessons, the village adults came to us first.

“I’m the village chief!”

It was early evening, the time when the adults usually came back home.

I opened the door to find a thin, older man standing there with an unpleasant expression.

“Who’s been fixing this building? Was it you? What are you trying to do by luring the children away?”

“Ah, I’m just teaching them to write…”

“Who will watch over the houses if you take the children away? What if thieves come?”

[What… the children aren’t CCTV cameras]

[If he’s the village chief, shouldn’t he be protecting the village himself?]

So, children are supposed to stay locked in all day and guard the houses?

Noh Il, visibly intimidated by the village chief’s attitude, was sweating profusely, so I quickly stepped in.

“I haven’t heard any reports of thieves in this village, though?”

“What?! Who’s this little girl… You look young, but do you have children already?”

“No, these aren’t my children…”

The village chief seemed startled when he heard a voice from below and squinted his eyes, examining me.

Then, noticing my expensive-looking clothes, he started making unreasonable claims.

“Just today, I came home and found the pouch of gold coins in my drawer was gone. This must be because you took the children away and left the village empty! I want compensation.”

“Why are you bringing that up with the teacher? You should talk to the security team about it.”

“You little brat! Don’t interrupt the adults. Bring your parents here!”

[Poor Rose has no parents]

[Honestly, I didn’t like the Duke at first, but after seeing this, my father looks like a godsend.]

[Hahahaha, I realize it again when I see an adult who acts like this…]

“This is a business, not charity… If you want me to take responsibility, you can even have the building’s shares.”

“Education, not business…”

“It’s the same thing! I’m sure you understand.”

The village chief acted as if he were the king of this place and left with a smug expression.

‘What’s with the territorial attitude? Does he think this is his land?’

If he’s going to be this uncooperative, we could move the academy to another place, but…

I had already spent money fixing the building, so leaving now felt like a waste.