The Homeroom Teacher's Private Lesson
After finishing what felt like an endlessly long yet fleeting journey filled with ceaseless pleasure, Marei returned home safely. Labella, who should have returned straight to Valter after a banquet with the Duke and a brief inspection, had stayed four extra days in the duchy to comfort Marei and help him accept a new slave. The moment they arrived in Valter, she gave him an intensely deep kiss and took two loads of his seed into her rear before heading straight to the Audit Bureau. The trip, which had begun on a weekend and ended before the next one, felt both short and long. Marei lay down on his bed, savoring the pleasant memories of pleasure.
Idrien, the elder of the twin elves who had plotted to turn her own younger sister into a sex slave, had remained in the duchy's capital. She called Marei just minutes ago, proudly describing how she was still taming Ilien with sticky, snail-like mating and asking for his praise. The lingering sensations from the trip kept sleep at bay. The noon bell rang softly in his ears. The room still felt unfamiliar. Just as he was beginning to adjust to the new house, the days of travel had left him with an indescribable sense of alienation in the now-empty room.
The ceiling light, carved from glass crystal, cast a perfect glow that was neither too dim nor too bright, illuminating every corner. It was something he had never seen in the rural villages near the border walls. Geometric patterns inside the crystal sparkled and slowly rotated in place. It reminded him of the magic book Ilien had given him, yet its form felt strangely alien. The novelty lasted only a few minutes before boredom set in. Sunlight streaming through the window seemed to carry a pleasant scent. Though the room was furnished, he had rarely used most of it. It had been so long since he spent time alone that he felt it keenly. Wishing someone were beside him, the thought looped endlessly until Marei rose and left the house.
Valter was always bustling. The crowds could not compare to the festival-packed duchy, but compared to the rural villages near the border walls, it was dizzying. Absently walking while imprinting the now-unfamiliar streets on his mind, Marei realized he was heading toward the school and stopped. Regretting that he had not decided what to do before leaving, he stood blankly staring at the school whose doors stood invitingly open, then turned toward the plaza nearby.
Pleasant music echoed softly. People who had come out for lunch applauded the street performers. Drawn by the intriguing sounds, Marei watched intently until his gaze naturally settled on a woman wearing a winter coat that looked far too warm. As if she alone had forgotten the season, the woman wore the coat even as summer began and sweat would surely gather on her back. On closer inspection, it resembled a military uniform he had seen on broadcasts: a pure white coat covered in medals and decorations. In the middle of the peaceful plaza, she exuded a dangerous aura that felt as though it could cut anyone who approached. Marei quickly realized she was someone very familiar and welcome.
Her sharp, blade-like features. Wavy brown hair reaching her shoulders. And the beautiful one-eyed woman with blue eyes reminiscent of a deep morning lake, wearing glasses, swept her sweat-dampened bangs upward. Julia Pahu. His homeroom teacher. He felt guilty; urgent business had taken him away on a trip, and he had been too busy educating the twin teachers during the journey to remember her. He recalled hearing she was a hero of the Northern Front. Was the white coat her military uniform, then? Sitting on the fountain, her blue eyes staring blankly at the sky looked empty. Wanting to see her again and witness her usually icy face show surprise, Marei carefully approached and sat beside her.
At the unfamiliar presence, Julia slowly turned her head, saw Marei, and looked back at the sky. Then she whipped her head around again, eyes wide. The cold face that never melted even in season softened slightly, and a small smile formed.
“I was just thinking about you.”
Julia, whom he had not seen in days, spoke abruptly. The words felt more like everyday conversation than a warm greeting.
“Are you settling in well at school?”
“Huh? Ah… yes. Ren has been helping a lot…”
“You’re already using nicknames with Ilien.”
Julia sighed softly and kicked a stone at her feet.
“You and Ilien are still… that kind of relationship, aren’t you?”
Wiping her monocle with a cloth, Julia asked carefully. Without meeting his eyes, she stared at the ground, lips tightly pursed. She fussed with her shoes, then her collar, desperately trying to delay the expected answer. It was a fragile affection that did not match her epithet, the Witch of the Northern Front. She had rushed to Valter expecting to see Marei, yet all she gained were more sighs. Her excited heart refused to move, leaving only her longing to burn.
“Um… well… that is…”
Seeing the young boy unable to answer, Julia clung to a sliver of hope. She knew it was impossible. She knew it was irrational. Yet her thoughts moved on their own.
“A little more… I suppose…”
Unable to meet Julia’s burning gaze, Marei looked away and mumbled.
“More?”
Julia’s voice gained strength. The weight of the crowd’s stares grew heavier. The two remained silent until the strange attention thinned.
“Can you explain what you mean by that?”
Once the peaceful afternoon plaza returned, Julia slid closer to Marei. A strong floral scent lingered, but it was not unpleasant. Instead of creating distance, Marei stared blankly at her swaying brown hair. He opened his mouth several times to speak but closed it again, unable to form proper words. How could he explain his relationship with Ilien? A fifteen-year-old boy lacked the vocabulary to describe such an erotic lifestyle. Yet if he told the truth about Ilien, it was not merely a partner for pleasure—she had become a dedicated pet for his sexual desires. Even said as a joke, it was vulgar and obscene. How could he say such things to someone else? Though Julia was not just anyone, Marei could not bring himself to speak them. The public plaza made it even harder.
“When you say ‘more,’ it makes me curious what kind of relationship that is. Honestly… haa. No, right now we’re alone, so… I want to talk about you. Hmm? Why are you like this?”
“Julia teacher’s way of speaking… is too stiff.”
At the sight of Marei looking tense, Julia gave a bitter smile. The pain that had been stabbing her chest moments ago vanished like a lie. She swept her wavy brown hair behind her ear, admonishing herself to stay composed, and sighed softly.
“Ah, is that so? Sorry. I mean, I’m sorry. I just finished sorting through some old matters. I must have picked up the habit without realizing.”
Julia sighed and removed her stifling coat. Her sweat-soaked shirt clung to her body, revealing the black underwear beneath in vivid detail.
“I was thinking of making a home visit… Do you have time? I mean, is it possible? No, that’s not right either. Will you have time?”
Determined to erase her stiff tone, Julia corrected herself repeatedly. Her stern face and sharp features might have looked intimidating, but her trembling eyes betrayed how nervous she was.
“Labella noona… I mean, Mother is at work, so…”
Because he had called her “noona” so much in the carriage on the way back from the trip, the word slipped out unconsciously. Julia did not seem to find it strange and nodded lightly.
“Well, that’s a shame, but it’s fine. I mean, it’s good. Shall we talk for a bit? Something urgent came up and I couldn’t pay attention to you. Throughout the Northern Front, I kept thinking about your future, Marei. Let’s talk a little at a café. My throat is strangely dry.”
A devoted teacher to her student. A passerby who overheard Julia’s words thought this briefly before continuing on their way.
“It wasn’t even a long battle, but those stubborn old men wasted people and time.”
When the topic of the Northern Front came up, the answer came immediately.
“Castles can be rebuilt, but people don’t return. Those idiots… Sorry, that was a bit harsh. I had some free time in between, so I prepared plenty of lesson plans I thought you’d like…”
Handwritten papers piled up on the table, and Marei carefully began reading them one by one.
“You wrote all of this by hand?”
“It wasn’t as hard as I thought. Maybe because I thought of it as your timetable.”
Julia exhaled deeply. Her voice trembled faintly even to her own ears. The tension gripping her throat was something she had never felt even before hostile gazes. Fortunately for Julia, Marei simply examined the timetable she had made without comment and nodded.
“……How is it?”
Her voice continued to tremble. Julia kept swallowing the sigh that threatened to burst out. She felt pathetic for letting her emotions swing on the words of a young boy. Yet her blue eyes held only Marei.
“Actually… the timetable was made together with Mother and Ilien…”
Julia let out a small laugh. She tilted her head back and covered her face with her hand. Seeing the female teacher remain silent like that for a while, Marei spoke carefully, as if he had done something terribly wrong.
“Julia teacher, are you angry…?”
Julia shook her head. Then, as if relieved, or perhaps as if she had finally set down a heavy burden, she smiled lightly and slowly stroked Marei’s cheek while watching his expression.
“I’m not angry. Don’t worry.”
“……Really?”
Julia nodded reassuringly. She placed her hand over his and gently clasped it.
“It’s just… just being like this is enough.”
“Yes…”
Her blue eyes no longer held Marei. Instead, her slightly stiff fingertips and subtle warmth enveloped his hand.
“……It’s small.”
It was an appropriate size for a young boy’s hand, yet still smaller than hers. Suddenly, Marei felt small to her. Perhaps because she had thought of him throughout her time at the Northern Front, the boy she saw appeared several times larger in her eyes than he truly was. Marei naturally interlocked his fingers with hers, and Julia smiled faintly. Then her expression suddenly hardened.
“Julia teacher?”
“Don’t react and listen carefully… We’re being followed.”
At Julia’s unexpected words, Marei’s eyes widened and he instinctively looked back.
“They noticed. We have to move.”
Julia smiled bitterly and quickly stood. She casually tore the documents on the table. When she snapped her fingers, the bundle of papers turned to black ash without flame and scattered in the wind before vanishing. Unlike the startled Marei, Julia chatted casually while holding his hand tightly and walking slowly. They circled the fountain once, exchanged light small talk, then sat side by side on a park bench again.
“So, may I ask how the timetable was organized?”
“Um… being followed…?”
“It’s just an old fox’s owl call. Don’t worry about it.”
Old man, doing unnecessary things… Julia muttered and continued asking about Marei’s timetable. She already knew about Ilien and Julia’s classes, so he nodded lightly. When she mentioned Valentine, the swordsmanship teacher, he looked puzzled. But at the names Idrien and Lee Ha-woon that followed, his face stiffened and he sighed heavily.
“Didn’t you say Ilien teacher helped? With her twin sister Idrien and the Great Warrior Lee Ha-woon…?”
“Huh? The Great Warrior…?”
Julia ran her fingers roughly through her hair several times as if troubled.
“The Tiger of the South.”
Marei’s homeroom teacher sighed deeply and continued.
“There’s no one more skilled than her… but because of the child she treats like a daughter, she forces other students out. Ilien… why on earth…”
At the words “treats like a daughter,” Marei immediately thought of Muerangde. He remembered Lee Ha-woon teacher saying she was Muerangde’s aunt, or rather her guardian.
“Ah, Lee Ha-woon teacher seems like a good person… and there’s Muerangde too…”
“Hmm? You know that child?”
When Marei nodded, Julia nodded as well. Still, she seemed to have many complaints left. She pursed her lips several times before exhaling a sigh instead of speaking.
“Well, if you’re close to that child… then do you know about Idrien teacher?”
“Yes, well… a, a little deeply…”
At the sight of Marei stammering with a slightly flushed face, Julia’s eyes narrowed.
“You’re a troublesome student…”
“I-I’m sorry… mmph…”
Julia sighed softly, grabbed Marei’s chin, and pressed her lips to his.
“Mmm… mm…”
“Aah… mm, chuu…”
She lightly explored his mouth, pushed her tongue inside, sucked on his saliva, and slowly pulled away.
