<18>

“Jeremy!”

“Teacher?”

“Where else did you hide that snack?”

Jeremy was eating snacks secretly again today.

The plump cheeks looked like a hamster’s.

“How’s your leg?”

“You’ll get better after you sleep.”

Jeremy also washed up and came into the room, and his black hair was still moist.

“You have to dry your hair well.”

“I think it’s better than a teacher with a towel on.”

“Oh, I forgot.”

Hannah laughed awkwardly, and Jeremy laughed along.

“What’s that?”

“Let’s have a foot bath. Teacher made mineral water with herbs and grass.”

“······ Hmm.”

Jeremy gave me an incredulous look.

“Is it safe?”

“……at least only harmless ones are in it.”

My conscience is screaming at me for not being sure of its safety.

“Just put your foot down there.”

Jeremy lowered his leg from the bed according to Hannah’s instructions.

“Aigoo, it’s so swollen.”

Judging from the fact that the swelling has gotten a little worse, it looks like he won’t be able to walk easily tomorrow.

Hannah drenched the basin on the floor in front of the bed and carefully placed Jeremy’s feet in cold water.

“It’s cold.”

It was water that Hannah had cooled down in advance.

“You have to take turns in cold and hot water.”

“Well.”

Jeremy wiggled his toes.

At first, he wondered what the fuss was about, but when a good scent came from the water that was brought close, Jeremy gently moved his feet in the water.

“By the way, where did you get the herbs?”

“I ripped it from the flower bed by the bathhouse.”

“……”

Jeremy shook his head as he imagined Hannah tearing off an unknown herb.

‘Let’s just do what she wants.’

“Now, warm mineral water!”

Hannah brazenly emphasized ‘pharmacism’ to the end.

“Isn’t it hot?”

“It’s perfect.”

When it cooled down moderately and dipped to his ankles in warm water, his body visibly relaxed.

And as Hannah gently touched the ankle bone, Jeremy felt like he was really being treated.

“How’s the pain? Is it less painful?”

“I think it’s good.”

‘I don’t know if it’s just me, but the pain in my ankle has really decreased.’ (Jeremy’s thoughts.)

“That’s a relief.”

Hannah was pleased that her effort was worthwhile.

Of course, Jeremy may be saying that to make it sound good, but it was still good.

Although there was a cramp on my squatting leg, Jeremy was so cute waving his legs happily that I couldn’t stop pouring water on him. (Hannah)

“But let’s go see a doctor tomorrow.”

“They’re going to give me some bitter medicine.”

“You have to have strong legs to learn swordsmanship.”

Jeremy’s eyes got bigger when I mentioned swordsmanship.

“Are you really teaching me swordsmanship?”

“Have you seen teacher lying?”

Well, sometimes I exaggerate a little bit or wrap things up vaguely, uh…

I think I did bang it sometimes.

“Wow!”

“You didn’t believe me?”

“But it costs a lot of money. You said you can’t even save money because you’re not paid enough.”

“My, did I say that?”

One day, she seemed to have rolled back in the garden and sung a song about having poor pay.

It’s just a song that repeats the same harmony in a row.

I was a little out of my mind back then.

Hannah coughed awkwardly and cleared her throat while recalling the past.

“Don’t worry, Jeremy, you can get the best teacher without having to pay.”

Jeremy’s head tilted sideways.

“Whoa. There’s a way.”

Hannah laughed meaningfully.

“Another villain’s smile.”

Jeremy had seen their teacher smile like that several times.

“I’m excited!”

And I knew everything worked out for me.

The fluttering waters of the basin danced merrily.

* * *

Step step step. Bam!

“Teacher!”

“Ugh······. Mm-hmm. ·····.”

From the morning breeze, someone opened Hannah’s room door and came in.

Hannah was still sleeping.

“Teacher!”

I can’t even hear the sound of a bird. Who’s waking me up?

“Uh ······. What are you doing?”

Hannah raised herself by wiping her saliva around her mouth and scratching her messy hair.

“Look at this!”

Next to the bed was Jeremy.

He was jumping around like crazy.

“Jeremy······. Why have you been running like crazy since this morning?”

Hannah rubbed her eyes and yawned.

“Legs! Look at my ankle!”

“Uh, huh?”

Why are you telling me to look at your legs so early in the morning?

“Jeremy, what are you doing? With your sore legs!”

Hannah, reminded of Jeremy’s sprain, woke up from bed to stop Jeremy.

“I’m all better!”

“What, what?”

Her gaze shifted to Jeremy’s ankle.

Until last night, the swollen ankle had been intact.

“When I woke up, my legs got better.”

“Uh ······. Well, I know. You look perfectly fine.”

I couldn’t understand what was going on.

Was Jeremy’s body extraordinarily resilient?

“Teacher, I think the mineral water did work!”

“Huh?”

“So my leg healed in a day!”

“……No way.”

“I’m telling you, it’s real! I’m going to show them off!”

Jeremy ran excitedly and opened Hannah’s room door and went out.

“Woah! Look at my legs!”

Hannah had to admit that Jeremy was already seen out of the window when she ran through the hallways.

Jeremy, you’re cured.

Scratch. (This is Hannah scratching her neck.)

“How did it get better?”

It was a mystery.

“Isn’t the real hot spring water like the holy water? Or was it the perfect combination of herbs that I put in?”

Well… Jeremy’s the only one who needs to get well.

Hannah got up scratching her neck and left the room to wash up.

She didn’t know she was scratching her neck with a faint glow on her hand.

* * *

“What are you doing?”

Hannah, who came out to serve breakfast to the children playing in the garden, was hardened by two people in front of the chicken coop.

“Teacher! I’m feeding Kkokko!”

Masha said with a big smile.

It was a normal routine up to here.

“What about you?”

Why is that vicar sitting next to Masha and watching Kkokko this early in the morning?

“This chicken has a unique appetite.”

“……”

Hannah was speechless at what Cesar said.

Kkokko was enjoying the steamed fish that Masha threw for her.

No, but that’s what I planned to eat this morning.

“Ha, ·····.”

Masha, who is giggling and showing the most mysterious Kkokko to the human being, and also the priest was looking at the suspicious Kkokko, was an absurd picture

“Oh, is it an ostrich?”

“Eh, uncle, everywhere you look, it’s a chicken!”

···· What are you saying?

It’s not a dog or an ostrich.

Having been caught trying to hide Kkokko’s existence, Hannah touched her forehead.

* * *

“Payment, please.”

Hannah presented Cesar with a document to approve the nursery supplies.

Cesar, who accepted it, flipped through the papers with a slow hand.

Why are you so slow and dry when you turn a paper?

Maybe that person’s blood flows slowly in his veins.

Cesar’s body, almost as if lying on his desk, expressed that he didn’t want to sit down at all.

Hannah watched his silver hair shine in the sun as she waited.

‘How can it be so shiny?’

In fact, Ian’s hair was blond, so it shone, but it didn’t feel like white and soft silk.

“By the way, where did you get that ostrich?”

“It’s not an ostrich.”

I was like, “Oops.”

I looked at my hair blankly and unknowingly answered.

It’s easy to get there if you call it an ostrich!

“Yes, that chicken.”

It’s not even a chicken.

Hannah was convinced that Cesar’s eyes were dung eyes.

“I picked it up in the garden.”

“In front of the temple?”

“Yes.”

The fact that Masha hatched the egg was not to be said.

“I have a question, too.”

“What.”

Cesar picked up the seal and slammed it on the document.

“How did you come to our temple?”

“You said you needed a new substitute.”

As if to ask a natural question, he handed over the stamped document to Hannah.

“No······. I didn’t think a high priest* like you would come to this temple on the outskirts.”

“You must have high expectations for me.”

Although it was speculated based on the original story I already know, it was not just that, but also that Cesar was a promising retainer of the temple that is known by many priests.

It was widely believed that his body is blessed by the goddess so he was favored by the pope, too.

It was strange that he was acting as a substitute for the temple on the outskirts, not in the central temple.

“Well, I think he’s a competent man.…”

Without finishing her words, Hannah felt her conscience poking in.

In fact, he was the type that seemed far from competent by anyone could tell.

Every day he would be like ‘I’m so tired, I’m gonna die’.”

He’s walking around looking like that.

If there is a game in this world, his usual appearance was like a game junkie who wears a headset every night and stays up all night.

“The sound on the mouth.”

Was it obvious?

Hannah picked up the document, scratching the back of her head.

“Then I’ll be on my way.”

Cesar leaned on his desk and waved his hands.

It was his own way of saying goodbye.

‘That consistent, sincerely insincere attitude.’

Now that she is used to such greetings, Hannah left the room with a light step.