Shortly after that.
Sang told the children to stay in the classroom and eat their lunch, while he himself headed home for a midday nap. No sooner had he stepped out of the classroom than one of the children followed right behind him.
It was Bob.
Among all the children, whether it came to swordsmanship or intellect, he was the sharpest one—a gentler version of Adolf, in a way.
Well… Adolf was actually pretty gentle too. That guy was just pretending to be tough; after all, he carried some heavy burdens on his shoulders.
Bob had personally been through the battle at the slave warehouse in Rita. The kid had always liked to use his brain, but after that ordeal, it seemed to have sparked something in him. His thinking had reached new depths and dimensions.
“Teacher, Teacher An,” Bob asked, “does the world of equality you talk about really exist? Can we really achieve it with the benevolence you describe?”
Sang paused for a moment at the question. This child was indeed different; he was genuinely pondering the nature of the world.
When Bob saw that Sang wasn’t responding, he seemed to realize something and said solemnly, “Teacher An, don’t worry. I won’t blab about this outside… I won’t cause you any trouble…”
Heh~ this kid really was something else.
After a long moment, Sang looked up at the blazing midday sun and said, “Benevolence alone won’t cut it. You need a sword too… And sometimes, you might have to give up important things…”
There were no roads in this world to begin with. Only when enough people walked a path did it become a road.
But I still thought being a pioneer was too exhausting. I didn’t want to force these kids; I would just let them develop as they saw fit.
At Sang’s words, stars lit up in Bob’s previously listless eyes. No one knew what he was thinking, but he returned to the classroom with a satisfied look.
Halfway there, he suddenly stopped, turned around, and stared at Sang. “Teacher An, I almost forgot to say—thank you for saving me and Nancy back in Rita… I really like the perfect world you describe. I want to change the world using the benevolence you’ve taught me!”
Some things were hard to put into words.
I hoped everyone would carry a flame in their hearts, burning at all times, but also learn to temper it—to avoid burning themselves or others.
A contradiction…
Once Bob had left, before Sang could take another step, someone else darted out from behind him. A pair of small hands covered his eyes. Only Kevin and Nancy would pull a prank like that.
He said helplessly, “Little rascal, don’t cover my eyes with your unwashed bathroom hands.”
“Hee hee hee…” Kevin laughed innocently and let go, standing in front of the young man.
Sang gave him a look. “You’ve been eavesdropping on my conversation with Bob this whole time, haven’t you?”
“Uh-huh…”
“So, do you want to change the world too?” Sang teased.
Kevin grinned mischievously. “Nope! I don’t want to change the world. I just want to be a hero!”
“Sigh…”
This kid really couldn’t compare to Bob. He was too shallow.
But it was precisely that shallowness that made him so pure… Living was such a complicated thing. Know too much, and you’d end up scheming and deep. Know nothing, and while you might be kind, you’d be easily hurt.
In any case.
Sang still looked forward to the children’s futures. He hoped they could all become the people they dreamed of being. If not, at least healthy and happy.
…
After both Bob and Kevin had gone.
Sang turned to head home—and nearly collided with Aisha Hodhua, who was pulling a long face. He jumped in surprise. How long had this girl been standing there?
“Pink-Haired Little Lolita, can you stop scaring people!?”
“Watermelon, can you stop filling those human kids’ heads with your nonsense?” Aisha Hodhua huffed, cheeks puffed out.
Sang frowned. “Nonsense!?”
“Isn’t it? Who do you think you are? Have you forgotten something crucial? You’re just a fifteen-year-old kid yourself—only four or five years older than them…”
This time, Sang was truly stunned.
Oh… right, I’m only fifteen.
I’d decided to live like a salted fish, but somehow, I’d ended up shouldering responsibilities again.
After a moment, Sang flashed a lazy, carefree smile. “Thanks, Pink-Haired Little Lolita. Thanks for reminding me of something so important.”
“Ah… what the heck? Don’t call me Pink-Haired Little Lolita anymore!”
“Hee hee hee, no way…”
Aisha Hodhua knew she couldn’t change how he addressed her, so she just put up a token protest. Then, as if remembering something, she added, “Oh, right—it’s almost time to head to 【Heavenly Key】 again. Don’t forget… And there’s one more thing…”
At those words, Sang’s mind flashed to that lonely silhouette gazing down at the world from a thousand-meter-high balcony. His emotions grew complicated.
A mix of wanting to see her and not wanting to.
Regaining his composure, Sang looked at Aisha Hodhua. “What’s the other thing?”
“Remember the letter from the Northern Region three months ago?”
“What letter?”
“The one from Lady Snow! It said you should go to Knight Academy City to study noble and knight etiquette. I remember you said the True Ancestor approved it!”
“So? What are you getting at?” Sang asked, still a bit slow on the uptake.
Aisha Hodhua slapped her forehead in exasperation. “You really have zero self-awareness. I thought after that banquet at the Montgomery Family, you’d realized how awful your noble etiquette is. Hurry up and bring it up with the True Ancestor this time!”
However.
In response to Aisha Hodhua’s words, Sang fell into a brief silence. He rubbed his chin, furrowed his brows, and stared intently at her.
Aisha couldn’t take the staring and flushed, saying guiltily, “Why are you just staring at me without saying anything?”
“Hmm… I’m wondering just how much you dislike me. Why are you so eager to kick me out? You really want me to go study in Knight Academy City that badly?”
“Scram!”
After pushing Aisha Hodhua to her breaking point, Sang scampered off with a bounce in his step—finally looking a bit like a fifteen-year-old boy.
Halfway there, he glanced back at her and teased, “Oh, by the way, I just noticed—you’re not in your black-and-white maid outfit today. That pink frilly dress really suits you. You should wear it more often.”
Aisha Hodhua froze in place, her face turning even redder.
Ever since leaving 【Heavenly Key】 and settling on Dawnlight Mountain, the girl had been changing too. She no longer stuck to her black-and-white maid uniform and was trying out other clothes. She wasn’t as hostile toward humans anymore, either—at least, she wasn’t so cold when interacting with the children day-to-day.
Sang still loved life on Dawnlight Mountain. He wanted to protect this moment of peace. No matter how dark the world outside was, at least right now, he wanted to build his own ideal haven.
