Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: School
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Originally, I had deployed 1,400 adults to West River,
and assigned 600 women and children to the existing East River farmlands.
But.
The women had no spare time to tend the fields while caring for the children.
As a result, I gradually relocated them to East River, and before I knew it, their numbers had swelled to 200.
The problem was that the requests for more personnel kept coming even after that.
I decided to investigate the situation myself.
The results were just as I expected.
The issue was that childcare required far more labor than anticipated.
East River.
The slave quarters.
A massive building was under construction there.
Not just one.
Three in total.
"Grandfather, how much longer will it take?"
"The basic framework is done. The rest won't take long. More importantly, have you decided on a name?"
Naming it wasn't easy.
Not because nothing came to mind, but because too many ideas flooded in.
Daycare, kindergarten, nursery, academy, and so on.
"I've decided. Let's call it 'school'."
The primary reason for building the school was to conserve labor.
Raising children by individual households required far more manpower than group care at a school.
But my thinking went one step further.
Should we just gather and raise the children?
Or educate them as well?
In a time when talent was desperately needed, this was an opportunity I couldn't pass up.
. . .
The school was completed,
and the children began attending.
It was nothing like a typical school in Korea.
Children aged 1-5 attended the beginner school.
Ages 6-10 went to the intermediate school.
And ages 11-15 studied at the advanced school.
The beginner school was essentially a daycare.
Here, nurturing took priority over education.
That's why no dedicated teachers were assigned.
I left its management to slave women with ample childcare experience.
Education began in earnest at the intermediate school.
There, slave women handled the nurturing, while teachers focused on instruction.
No specialized training happened at this stage, however.
We planned to teach only the basics in subjects like farming, hunting, swordsmanship, and magic.
Specialized education took place solely at the advanced school.
Talents identified in the intermediate school received tailored training there.
On the first day of school,
the children arrived.
Everything was chaos.
I was the only one who understood the school system.
From the women raising the children to the teachers, it was all new to everyone.
It took a full week for the school to take shape.
Only after that week did the children find their classes and grasp concepts like lesson times and breaks.
I slowly toured the grounds.
The beginner school was a whirlwind of activity as they tended to the babies.
"We'll need to assign more teachers here."
Next, I headed to the intermediate school.
Class time there was divided into two main blocks.
Lessons taught by subject instructors, and free playtime for the kids.
The slave women oversaw playtime, while only those with specialized knowledge handled classes.
Finding farming teachers was straightforward.
I just selected experienced slaves.
They taught less through words and more by demonstration in the vegetable gardens near the school.
Hunting teachers were equally easy to find.
This was Monster Island, after all, and most knew how to fight monsters.
On Grandfather's recommendation, I recruited from the River Village folk.
With generous pay, no one complained.
"Now we just need swordsmanship and magic teachers..."
"Heir, the teachers sent by Lady Alensia have arrived."
"They're finally here."
I met the teachers right away.
Five swordsmanship instructors and two magic teachers.
"Welcome, everyone."
"Thank you for the warm reception, Elwin."
I introduced them to the school facilities, including the dormitories where they'd stay.
I also explained the school system.
Fortunately, with prior teaching experience, they grasped it more easily than ordinary folk.
"The most urgent task is selecting talented children."
The advanced school offered specialized training, which required dividing classes by aptitude.
We weren't even at that point yet.
"First, please identify children with talent in swordsmanship and magic."
Swordsmanship and magic talents were top priority. They came first.
Next was hunting.
I planned to train hunters to actively hunt monsters.
The rest would learn farming.
During peak labor seasons, they'd help on the farmlands; in downtime, they'd get farming lessons at school.
Once the explanation wrapped up, one of the magic teachers raised a hand.
"I'm not sure what level of mage you're aiming for, but we can only teach the very basics."
"Focus solely on screening the children for you magic teachers. Actual training... we'll leave to the Gray Mage Tower."
If any showed magic talent, I intended to sponsor their tower fees as their patron.
"If that's the case, the two of us can handle it."
With the magic teacher's question settled, a swordsmanship instructor raised his hand.
"If you're seeking mid-level Sword Expert or higher, Elwin, we alone won't suffice."
Swordsmanship ranks fell into three broad tiers.
Sword User – Sword Expert – Sword Master.
To become a knight, one needed at least Sword Expert level.
Of course, that was the bare minimum.
In reality, the imperial knights required advanced Sword Expert.
Major lords' knight orders demanded mid-level or above.
Low-level could only serve barons or viscounts.
"Train them to that standard for now. I'll consider further measures."
With all questions answered, the teachers rose to leave.
"Um... may I ask one more thing?"
The departing teachers paused.
"Of course, Elwin."
"How long would it take for the school children to become knights or mages?"
The swordsmanship teacher spoke first.
"Assuming talent... at least ten years, even in the best case."
Ten years.
Far too long.
"Mages are harder to pin down. But... it would take even longer than knights."
"I see."
The teachers filed out.
I was left alone in the staff room.
'At least ten years...'
I'd expected it to take time, but not this much.
I had only two years.
Until Gibson's coming-of-age ceremony.
'No time to wait ten years. So then...'
For now, I needed to maximize every available resource.
'Strengthening the slave soldiers first...'
**
I left the school in Grandfather's hands and headed to West River.
He agreed to take on the hunting instruction himself.
In the past, he'd been one of Monster Island's top hunters, counting on one hand.
And he'd even formed a team for major exploits.
While at it, I appointed him principal as well.
Upon arriving at West River, I sought out Hans first.
"Hans, we need to strengthen the slave soldiers."
"Here as well?"
Thanks to Hans's steady training, the slave soldiers had reached a certain level.
They could form formations
and fight accordingly.
"Yes. Black Orcs are too much at their current level, right?"
For now, they only faced Black Goblins, but expanding territory meant inevitable clashes with Black Orcs.
"We could win depending on numbers. But there would be casualties."
"Exactly. We need to bolster them more."
"That's not simple. They clear farmlands by day. Training's limited to evenings after work. That's not enough..."
I sketched on the ground.
I clustered figures tightly, arming them with long spears and shields.
"What's this?"
"Phalanx."
Hans tilted his head.
"Spears four meters long. Hold them tight like a hedgehog quills."
"Orcs would struggle to approach."
"Exactly. Place the phalanx upfront—even Black Orcs couldn't break through."
Phalanx in front, crossbow unit behind.
That should handle Black Orcs without losses.
"That's feasible. But... it has clear weaknesses."
Of course, the phalanx formation had many flaws.
If it lacked them, even Rome's legions wouldn't have surpassed it.
And it would still be in use today.
Especially in this world, the flaws were amplified.
Its ultra-dense packing.
If a spell dropped in the center...
Depending on power, total annihilation.
"It's fine. Black Orcs don't use shamanism."
Monsters on this island prefixed with 'Black'.
Meaning long-term corruption by demonic energy.
Their color was indeed darker than normal monsters.
Demonic energy strengthened their bodies.
But regressed their intelligence.
Normal orcs had orc shamans.
Against them, the phalanx's density could backfire.
"Definitely effective in limited scenarios."
"You think so too? Good. I'll prepare the gear. Train them like this."
"Understood, Heir."
**
All was going smoothly.
Grandfather and the teachers ran the school well.
With childcare burdens eased, even East River farmlands grew more efficient.
West River progressed as planned.
The three simultaneous land clearings neared completion.
Dedicated training in spare time made the phalanx formation quite proficient.
And today, as always, I knelt in the fields and prayed.
More precisely, I used Earth Restoration.
'It's definitely faster now.'
Earth Restoration, my first skill.
Consistent use had raised its level significantly.
'At this rate, even larger farmlands are possible...'
Land could be seized from monsters.
West River's fields were obtained that way.
And I had margin for decontaminating such soil.
'The slaves are the issue.'