Children of God (6): The First Dream
A few days later.
"That's not it! Come on, let's try again!"
In a shabby building located right next to the Iron Shield guild, hasty attempts to clear away spiderwebs and wipe off grime were still evident. An unexpected lesson for the children was underway.
The one teaching them directly was Sophia. As a half-elf, she had absorbed a wide range of general knowledge and specialized expertise long before ever stepping onto a battlefield. Of course, she was far from a perfect instructor, but she was more than capable of teaching the children the basics.
Among the kids sitting on the worn-out chairs were some familiar faces.
"Why the hell do I have to be here?"
They were the children Isaac had rescued from the Tears of Moonlight just days earlier. Diego pouted and muttered under his breath. Heres, who had been focusing intently on the lesson, smiled and replied.
"Why? It's a good thing, isn't it? Knowledge is worth stacking up."
"......"
"I'm not saying I hate it. Just... you know."
Sasha, seated right beside him, gazed at Diego with watery eyes. He flinched and quickly started making excuses. That only made him Sophia's immediate target.
"Hey, you. Boldly chatting away in the middle of class?"
"No, that's not—"
"Then why don't you come up here and solve this problem?"
"Pfft! Give it your all, Diego!!"
"You. I'll deal with you later."
After shooting a glare at Heres—who was clearly teasing him on purpose—Diego had no choice but to stand and walk to the front. To him, the green surface was a blackboard and the white stick was merely chalk. In the end, he had to endure Sophia's scolding.
Zeek, watching the scene, let out a quiet sigh. Even being with Master isn't enough, so what am I even doing here?
"Sister, are you feeling sick?"
"Jini, what did I tell you to call me when we're outside?"
"To call you brother, sister."
"............Right. Good that you remember."
Deciding that saying anything more would be strange, Zeek smiled and gently stroked Jini's hair. Sophia had been personally educating Jini from the start—guild ledger management, request processing, and everything in between.
I plan to educate her from the start and use her as a guild employee!
Only if she wants to.
Isn't that too harsh on Jini?
No, this is also Jini's own wish.
To Zeek's concerns, Sophia had answered firmly. Jini wanted to be helpful to her older sister. Because her sister had already sacrificed so much, she wanted to help in whatever way she could.
"Sister, isn't it okay to stop pretending to be a man now?"
"......"
"There's no one forcing you to be a man anymore."
Like anyone in this era, Zeek's parents had desperately wanted a son. But only a daughter had been born. With no other choice, they raised her as a boy.
"No. I can't do that."
"Sister......"
"Class is starting. Let's focus."
Zeek forced a smile and stroked Jini's head again. She still couldn't reveal that she was a woman. Master still thought of her as a man. And if he ever found out?
No. Anything but that...!!
That was why Zeek hid the truth. From childhood, everyone around her had wanted her to be a boy. That memory had become her trauma.
Sophia's lessons always started in the morning and ended at lunch. The children who attended received a free meal. There were currently about seven kids in total. Aside from Jini and Zeek, they were all Children of God.
Naturally, Zeek had plenty of complaints. Is it really okay to treat the bastards who attacked our guild this well? Won't they just look down on us?
"......Hey, keep staring like that and you'll burn a hole through his face."
"I wish I would."
"Can't be helped. Our first impression wasn't exactly great."
"Even with ten mouths, I wouldn't have anything to say about that part."
Despite Zeek's continued glaring, Diego tried to respond, but one word from Heres made him shut his mouth. It was true—they didn't exactly deserve this kind of treatment.
"Unexpected."
"What is?"
"I thought you'd throw a tantrum about how adults can't be trusted."
"Hey! That's—!!"
"Pfft! That was so you, Diego!"
Heres burst into loud laughter. Diego, suddenly struck by the truth from Zeek, was too flustered to reply at first. After clearing his throat, he finally spoke.
"I can't suspect someone who's saved us twice."
He had saved Sasha first, then Diego himself. How could he dare doubt him? That was why Diego was obediently attending school.
"Tsk. Useless bastard."
"Wait, what the hell?!"
"You have to throw the tantrum so I can comfort Master."
"That person doesn't seem like someone who needs comforting..."
Heres pointed it out with an awkward smile, but Zeek simply ignored him. She tore off a piece of bread and fed it to Jini herself.
The lunch—soup and bread—was the most basic meal imaginable, but to the Children of God who had survived by scavenging food waste, it was a veritable feast. Sophia watched the children devour their food, then sighed and turned away.
"I bought an unused house and turned it into a school for now. Is this really okay?"
"What's the problem?"
"The school itself. The Hades Guild strictly forbade it."
In the past, the Children of God had received far more help than this. Many people had pitied their circumstances and offered assistance. But once the Hades Guild seized control of Gideon, everything changed. Survival of the fittest. The law of the jungle. The Hades Guild banned free schools, wanting only the strong to survive.
Of course, paid education was still legal. The prohibition only applied to giving the Children of God free lessons or food.
Isaac had simply snorted at that.
"There's no problem whatsoever."
"Are you insane? You're talking about Hades—the strongest guild in Gideon."
"The strongest one is me."
"Aargh, please!!"
"......Um......"
Isaac turned his head. Only then did Sophia notice the children approaching. Her mind had been too chaotic to register them immediately.
"What is it?"
"Can we talk for a moment?"
"Go ahead."
"......Thank you."
Diego bowed his head and expressed his gratitude in a way that was very unlike him. The other children's eyes widened—they knew what this meant—but Diego ignored their stares. The group stepped outside.
At the back of the school, Diego fidgeted awkwardly as he organized his thoughts. Isaac waited patiently with his arms crossed, not rushing the boy.
"How should I say this... You don't have to go this far for us."
"Is there a problem?"
"No! There's no problem. I'm actually incredibly grateful. But we already know everything we need to know."
There had once been an old couple who helped the children. Thanks to them, the kids had warm bread for an entire week. But there was no "after." The couple had been captured and executed.
"It's not too late. Just helping us this much is already more than enough. Like I said before, just..."
"It doesn't matter."
"......Huh?"
"The Hades Guild? What about them?"
Diego had come with firm resolve. He didn't want to lose another benefactor. Just knowing that someone was willing to help them had been enough for him to believe he could endure the rest of his life.
"Do what you want. Don't despair. Have dreams."
It was the first time. Among all the people who had told them to do nothing and just die quietly, he was the first to say they should live and have dreams.
Isaac placed a hand on Diego's shoulder.
"You boys are allowed to."
The strongest one—me—permits it.
Fate. A destiny decided by the gods, or by an absolute being that could not be defied. According to that fate, Diego was supposed to lose all his precious friends and become a monster.
But the cruel wheel of fate had broken. Perhaps that was why Diego was still breathing as a human. And not just him—his friends were with him too.
Diego stared at the grave before him. It belonged to the old couple who had been the first to show them warmth. He and his friends had gathered their abandoned bodies and barely managed to build this tomb.
"How long has it been since breathing didn't feel painful?"
"Yeah. We really met good people."
"......"
"Tell them quickly. So they can rest easy in the afterlife."
Behind Diego stood Heres and Sasha. He had told the others as well, but only these two had agreed with him. He couldn't force the rest. Still, his heart was pounding so hard it almost hurt.
Diego took a deep breath to steady himself. The pleasant nervousness remained.
Finally, he spoke.
"For the first time, I have something I want to do."
Dreams had been a luxury. His life had only allowed him to think about surviving each day. He had nearly lost even his only friends. But then he met someone who told them to live.
"A hero."
Yes. Like that man. Someone who could stride forward with confidence anywhere and protect what was precious. He wanted to become that kind of hero.
The boy who would have lost his friends, cursed the world, and turned into a monster.
"I want to walk the same path as him."
That boy's fate has now changed.