✩ Chapter 3 ✩
“Swan… Knight Academy?”
The Duke and Duchess looked at each other, trying to remember if they had ever heard of such a school.
Of course they haven’t.
I just made up the name.
After a moment, the Duke stopped thinking about it and fixed Rachel with a sharp stare.
“Wait. Rachel Swan… aren’t you Baron Swan’s only daughter? Why are you with my son?”
The Duchess gasped and covered her mouth.
“Don’t tell me… you kidnapped our Yerdin to have your family’s debt forgiven…!”
“Absolutely not.”
Rachel calmly shook her head.
“I happened to meet your son outside.”
The misunderstanding disappeared, and the couple looked slightly relieved.
“I read the letter you sent requesting this visit,” the Duke said. “But today isn’t a good time. Please leave.”
“No.”
Rachel stood her ground.
“I have something important to say about Yerdin.”
The Duke’s expression became cold again.
“Do you know how your son’s allowance is being spent?”
“Hmph.”
The Duke snorted.
“What could a child possibly spend money on besides playing around?”
Yerdin lowered his head as if he had expected that answer.
Just from that reaction alone,
Rachel realized his parents had probably never truly listened to him.
She gently patted Yerdin’s shoulder and smiled reassuringly before facing the Duke again.
“Your son has been using his allowance to make a small change in the world. He’s been taking care of stray cats.”
“What?!”
The Duke’s eyes widened.
“Stray cats?”
Just as Rachel expected,
the Duke, the Duchess, and even the servants all looked displeased.
“So that’s where he’s been wandering off to? Taking care of useless cats?”
“Duke Kellyu.”
Rachel spoke firmly.
“Stray cats are not useless.”
The Duke frowned at her interruption.
“You call those unlucky creatures useful? They bring bad luck and steal fish bones from the streets.”
“Duke Kellyu, if there were no stray cats, the Empire’s capital would be filled with disease.”
“What?”
The Duke looked at her as if she had gone mad.
“I’ve listened to enough nonsense already. Now you’re saying something completely ridiculous.”
Rachel remained calm.
“If all the stray cats disappeared…”
“What do you think would happen to the rats?”
This world was very similar to medieval Europe.
There were no proper sewers.
No organized garbage disposal.
No sanitation.
How many diseases had rats spread during those times?
The worst of them all…
The plague.
The plague had changed the course of medieval European history.
This world would probably be no different.
Someone like the Duke,
who lived comfortably inside a luxurious mansion,
would never have given rats much thought.
“Right now, stray cats are catching rats and preventing countless diseases.”
“They shouldn’t be wiped out because people think they’re evil.”
“Their population should simply be managed.”
“Yerdin hasn’t done anything wrong.”
Rachel raised her voice.
She wanted them to understand.
Their son was doing something good.
“Proof.”
“…Pardon?”
“Do you have proof that rats spread disease?”
Rachel froze.
This wasn’t twenty-first-century Korea.
There was no internet.
No history books about medieval Europe.
She had to convince him with words alone.
Even if I explain it…
He won’t believe me.
Honestly,
if she were in his position,
she probably wouldn’t believe a stranger either.
Just as Rachel couldn’t find an answer—
“Father.”
Yerdin suddenly spoke.
Rachel quickly turned toward him.
“You already know the proof.”
The Duke frowned.
“What are you talking about?”
“Think about the epidemic that spread across the continent three years ago.”
“The only country that remained safe…”
“…was the Principality of Karent.”
“They were also the only country that respected stray cats.”
“So?”
The Duke remained unconvinced.
“You think that’s proof?”
“It doesn’t matter if you think it is.”
Yerdin looked straight at his father.
“Because I’m going to change my own attitude.”
The Duke frowned,
unable to understand what his son meant.
The Duchess, however,
looked deeply moved.
Her eyes slowly became red.
“Father… Mother…”
“If you support what I’m doing…”
“I’ll change too.”
The Duke blinked.
“What do you mean?”
“I made a promise with my teacher.”
“I’m going to study.”
The moment he said teacher,
both parents looked completely shocked.
Every private tutor they had hired had been driven away by Yerdin.
Yet now…
He was willingly calling this young lady his teacher.
Rachel knew this was the perfect opportunity.
“That’s right.”
“Swan Knight Academy specializes in educating children who dislike studying, just like Yerdin.”
“As you’ve just seen, he made that promise himself.”
“I’m confident in my ability to guide children.”
Without showing the slightest nervousness,
Rachel explained the academy’s educational system,
curriculum,
and facilities.
“So…”
The Duke slowly crossed his arms.
“You intend to teach children swordsmanship, manners, and proper education…”
“And use that income to repay your family’s debt?”
“Yes.”
Rachel nodded.
“That’s correct.”
“A boarding school…”
The Duke quietly thought for a while.
“To be honest…”
“It sounds rather unrealistic.”
After a long silence,
he finally spoke.
“I’ll give you my answer tomorrow morning.”
Six Months Later
That conversation had taken place six months ago.
Rachel would have been grateful even if the Duke had simply delayed collecting the debt.
Instead,
the Duke and Duchess had been deeply touched by Yerdin’s change.
Not only did the Duchess entrust Yerdin to Rachel,
she also spread word about Swan Knight Academy throughout noble society.
Thanks to that,
the old Swan mansion—
now known as Swan Knight Academy—
had become lively with children.
The only problem was…
Instead of attracting children who simply disliked studying,
it had become a gathering place for troublemakers.
Carrying several textbooks,
Rachel walked down the hallway.
Two students suddenly crashed into each other.
“Hey! You cra—”
Before the argument could begin,
Rachel stepped between them.
“Roka.”
“When you bump into a friend, what are you supposed to say?”
“I’ll sue you.”
“…Not that.”
Rachel sighed.
“You’re supposed to say, ‘Are you okay?'”
Roka,
the son of the Duke who had founded the Empire and also the son of the Minister of Law,
constantly talked about lawsuits and legal threats.
Meanwhile,
the other student,
Eckard,
had an incredible talent for annoying people.
“Awre yoo okaaay~?”
He stuck out his tongue and mocked Roka.
“You want to see me in court?!”
“Yooo waannt toooo seeee meee in cooouuurt?!”
“Both of you, stop!”
Rachel quickly separated them.
“The bell already rang. Get inside the classroom.”
She tucked her books under one arm and pushed both boys through the classroom door.
If only class could begin peacefully after that.
Unfortunately…
Another problem caught her eye.
One student was hanging halfway out of a window,
throwing silver coins outside.
It was Mare,
the son of a wealthy maritime trading family.
“Mare.”
“Break time is over.”
“And what did I tell you about hanging out the window?”
“Why do I even have to learn manners?”
“My dad doesn’t know any manners, and he still makes lots of money.”
Rachel grabbed his arm and pulled him down.
“Because everyone should have good manners.”
“I’ve probably said that thirty thousand times already.”
“…Teacher.”
“Did you just insult my dad?”
“What?”
“I’ll pay you.”
“Just let me skip class.”
Mare casually took out a gold coin.
He was trying to solve everything with money again.
Rachel held her aching forehead.
At least…
He had improved.
During his very first lesson,
he had thrown gold coins at the teacher for fun.
“Students!”
“What are you doing?!”
Without anyone hearing his footsteps,
Colo suddenly appeared and scolded the children.
His strict personality and sharp voice always intimidated them,
at least for a little while.
As he pushed Mare toward the classroom,
he quietly whispered to Rachel.
“Miss.”
“I’ll handle things here.”
“Could you please find Chase?”
“Why?”
“He left another note…”
“…and disappeared again.”
“…Sigh.”
Chase,
the son of a famous knight family,
treated escaping school as a daily routine.
For some reason,
after reading a certain book,
his dream had become becoming the leader of a group of bandits.
According to him,
a bandit leader had to be good at climbing mountains.
So whenever he had the chance,
he escaped from school.
“I’ll go look for him with Henry.”
“Henry has already gone to find Kana.”
Kana…
If you spoke kindly,
she was an inventor.
If you spoke honestly,
she was an arsonist.
She was always building strange inventions.
The problem was that every failed invention exploded or caught fire.
Just last month,
she had tried to create an “oven without a stove.”
Somehow,
she got her hands on several magic stones.
The dormitory kitchen became so hot that it felt like a hot spring.
The students had been forced to eat nothing but porridge for several days.
Was this really the right choice?
No matter how positively Rachel tried to think,
she couldn’t help questioning herself.
It truly felt as if she was earning money by sacrificing her own life.
No.
Don’t think like that.
She had already started this path.
And little by little,
she was paying off the debt.
Besides,
three students—
including Yerdin—
had already graduated after becoming respectable people.
Even if she hadn’t intended it,
the academy was making the world a little better.
Every month,
when the students returned home,
their parents sent Rachel long letters.
Almost every letter said the same thing.
Their children had changed.
Whenever she saw those changes,
she felt incredibly rewarded.
That was probably why…
Even in this new world,
she had chosen to remain a teacher.
Rachel shook her head and went to change her clothes.
A dress was useless for climbing mountains.
So she had specially designed a pair of training clothes that looked like comfortable work pants.
She smiled to herself.
“If you can’t avoid it… enjoy it.”
After all,
those who could enjoy the challenge were always the strongest.
