BDBM | Chapter 9

Grinding his teeth, Renard stormed into the classroom and cornered the flustered teacher.

“Is it you? The barbarian who dares trample the sprout of a king sent by God.”

“Your, Your Majesty?!”

“It seems teaching isn’t quite your calling. I shall send you somewhere where you can truly apply your abilities.”

There, Renard struck like lightning.

He decreed ten years of labor in the mines and service in healing.

“No, please! I didn’t mean to!”

It was a fate worse than the life he desperately wanted to escape. Who would have thought that the Holy King would visit on the very first day? The shocked teacher, forgetting his dignity, tried to grasp at Renard’s hem but was immediately restrained by the knights.

“My daughter, this is what the man who sought to harm you says. Have you nothing to add?”

Tenev inclined her head, expressionless.

“So, wasn’t he warned?”

It was a final mocking retort.

“Aaaaah! I told you it’s not ‘na’!”

The teacher, driven to the brink, was dragged out screaming.

As his screams faded, Renard asked casually.

“My daughter, what was that teacher talking about?”

“He insisted we must end our sentences with ‘danakka’.”

“What…”

Renard was briefly at a loss for words but soon began to laugh uproariously.

“Ha, haha. Hahahaha!”

“It was a new phrase to me, so I tried.”

“Haha! Right. I bet you did. Uhhaha!”

Despite Tenev’s somewhat aggrieved look, Renard continued to laugh.

‘That fool made even a child use ‘danakka’ and got played in return?’

It seemed Renard had been causing trouble even before his arrival.

Renard chuckled as he looked down at Tenev’s head.

‘Did he also intend to fall out of the window?’

If so, Tenev might indeed be the villainous sprout sent by God.

But for that to be true, Renard would have had to know he was coming here…

That would be too much even for an adult to handle timing-wise.

‘So… it couldn’t be.’

Rationality concluded as such, but why the lingering suspicion?

Tenev found it tough to ignore his probing gaze.

‘What’s this father suspecting now?’

Renard’s presence was overwhelming for the children too, a rare occurrence in their young lives.

However, one child boldly glared back at Renard.

He had black hair and distinct purple eyes, a trait of the imperial Leva family.

‘That detestable duckling sent from the Empire. Who placed him in this class?’

No need to ask; it was Renard himself.

He thought it wouldn’t be bad for the heir to mingle with the royals for future’s sake.

With a click of his tongue, desks and chairs were brought in for Tenev.

As soon as they were set, Tenev moved away from Renard and sat up straight at her desk.

“Father, have these children already completed their oath studies?”

“Why would you think that, my daughter?”

“They all seemed familiar with it.”

She knew they were prepared thanks to her bodily memory but couldn’t say that outright.

Renard felt it enough to appreciate Tenev’s acuity.

‘Knowing they’re mismatched yet stuffing them here for future relations, only to be backstabbed by the teacher?’

He approved, considering it a part of his heir’s skill to cultivate his own allies.

“I should be building from the basics, but I think it’s unfair for the children to miss other opportunities because of me.”

“Well, there are other good opportunities that come from being here.”

‘Are we really playing tug-of-war with people in the middle?’

What a taxing role the heir had.

“Surely, the children aren’t upset because they didn’t help you?”

“Why would they help me over a fearsome teacher?”

Renard barely managed to suppress his laughter.

The children’s stonewall response was something else.

“The reasons are to be made from now on.”

Stepping forward, Renard lightly leaned on the lectern.

“As my daughter mentioned, most… no, many should have mastered the content in this basic text.”

The children tensed, anticipating a test.

But his next words far surpassed their expectations.

“Then, who among you will teach my daughter?”

Hmm. Tenev covered her mouth with her hand, her chin propped up.

With the teacher dragged away, today’s lesson was doomed anyway. Might as well gauge the other children’s levels.

Amidst the unsettled students, a girl raised her hand.

“I, I will try.”

“Come forward and introduce yourself.”

“I am Chellia from the Vallier family. I will explain the part about Creation.”

As assertive as her expression, Chellia’s explanation was clear and concise.

‘Vallier is known for raising paladins, but this child looks more like a priest.’

‘Chellia… If she wasn’t so slow and frustrating, she’d be quite manageable.’

Chellia had always disliked the past Tenev for her timid demeanor and slow learning.

Once she started, Chellia spoke fluently without hesitation.

“In the beginning, there were the Light of Sebiroth and the Darkness of Arcoth, who divided the heavens and the earth and molded fire and water…”

Tenev listened intently to the Genesis story told by Chellia.

While she knew it all from memory, hearing it from someone else felt different.

‘Her attitude isn’t so bad, is it?’

Meanwhile, Chellia’s eyes began to sparkle.

Unlike the other children, whose concentration waned on familiar content, young Tenev listened eagerly, earning her favor.

She felt like a true teacher, her spirit rising by the moment.

“Miss Chellia.”

Tenev abruptly raised her hand high above her head.

‘Did she come up with a difficult question?’

A slightly nervous Chellia responded.

“Yes, um, student Tenev?”

“When is lunchtime?”

Tenev didn’t really want to disrupt the class; she was sincere.

But her weak stomach was screaming after fasting since dawn and confronting the teacher.

“…Huh.”

The Holy King suppressed a laugh, and Chellia just managed to keep her expression neutral.

‘Her attitude is fine. Acting high and mighty because she’s the heir! To think I’d still respect her after she scolded the teacher.’

As Renard filled the small classroom, issuing warnings, and the attendant priests hurriedly searched for a replacement teacher.

However, most candidates declined.

“I can’t leave the children I’ve been guiding just to move.”

For most, the education schedule was aligned with the upcoming oath ceremony, now only a week away.

Almost at the end of their training, it was hard to break the bond they’d built.

Yet only two people, hearing the news, smiled broadly.

The next day.

Tenev was out early again, combining a walk with getting to know the paths.

Unlike yesterday, a very tense attendant priest had shown up at dawn, ensuring a hearty breakfast.

Despite a full stomach, Tenev still seemed puzzled.

‘Why did everything change from day one?’

She had prepared to face any pushback from the teacher and children.

But in Tenev’s past memories, the Holy King had never visited her education site.

Not during the pre-oath education, nor during her formal heir training.

‘What was the issue that made him come yesterday?’

Tenev clicked her tongue.

‘Am I really that pitiful?’

Renard was more likely monitoring her, not from suspicion but to admonish her for sneaking out early (?).

He also wanted to check the educational atmosphere.

Unknowingly, he had been thoroughly outplayed by Tenev, who had turned the situation on its head.

Soon, Tenev had circled the right side of the palace and moved towards the garden.

Despite being autumn, the Holy King’s private garden was vibrantly maintained, not a single leaf wilted.

“Oh…”

As she admired the bright red maple leaves, Tenev suddenly stopped.

Against the stark contrast of the maple, a girl was picking flowers under a tree.

It was not yet snowing, but her shining silver hair was so luminous it almost seemed like a blanket of snow.

‘An apprentice priestess… doesn’t seem like it.’

Maybe eight or nine years old?

The girl, not dressed in a priestess’s attire, had her eyes covered with a wide white band.

Yet, her movements were so natural, as if she could see clearly, adding a mystical air to her sacred-looking appearance.

Normally, Tenev would have noted ‘such a pretty child’ and moved on.

‘But such excessive beauty often harbors poison…’

Yet, despite her thoughts, her steps were irresistibly drawn towards the girl.