Why Are You So Small?
“Jed, you’re a teacher?”
Rune’s question made the tiny dwarf figure on the desk wink.
“You’re surprised? I prepared it secretly just to surprise you!”
Where he got it from, or rather…
Perhaps it was a small pair of glasses he had crafted himself in his forge that he proudly lifted with his shoulders.
“This Jed has been summoned as the subject for the course ‘Understanding Human Society and Culture’!”
“……”
An ego weapon and a dwarf, Jed, was teaching young dragon hatchlings.
Wide-eyed amazement made their gazes meet.
“That guy… got hired after all.”
The thing Rune had expected had finally happened.
Rune recalled the evening it had started.
Rune was enjoying a rich dinner.
Heungmi and Baekya, and recently Jed had joined them to eat.
Especially Jed, who always looked forward to the time of devouring big steaks and bread with his tiny body.
“Wow! This is it!”
As soon as the huge whole pig appeared, Jed waved his hands as if dizzy and chattered.
“This is truly the joy of chewing, biting, and tasting! It’s so delicious!”
After the pork was lightly seared and grilled, Jed tore into the whole pig while constantly sighing in admiration.
He looked nothing like the one complaining about his body.
Rune quietly packed his share and pushed a particularly large hole cake toward Jed.
“You like this one, right? Eat it.”
“Kwaa! Rune-nim, I’ll serve you faithfully for life! You know, right?!”
Steadily flattering, Jed rubbed his hands together with a shak-shak sound.
“Hi-yap! I’ll eat a hole cake by poking a hole in the middle!”
Eyes sparkling, Jed shouted a weird skill name and jumped in place.
Then he really made a hole in the center of the cake.
Puuk!
Like a decoration doll, he shot in, hands full of cake, and ate it with a loud Waaang!, truly delicious.
Rune gave a subtle hint.
“Eat slowly. Like last time, don’t look for digestive aid.”
“Ugglek!”
…He did some rather pointless things, but he seemed to be enjoying it more than expected.
Then.
“Rune-nim!”
“?”
Rune, who had been spearing a cabbage roll with a fork, looked at Heungmi with puffed cheeks.
At that, Heungmi said with a delicious butter roll topped with strawberry jam.
“Christina-nim said she would tell us what kind of lesson we would receive today.”
“That’s right.”
While chewing the roll in his mouth appropriately, Heungmi smiled with an expectant expression.
“I wish the lesson with Rune-nim was the same for Heungmi. And with Amelia-unni and Perdikion-nim too!”
“If possible, that would be fine too.”
The answer was like that, but Rune had expected the chance of Heungmi and the others taking the same lessons was low.
Not all lessons were like that, but Christina, who had made Rune possess Transmission Knowledge, was the one who knew it.
If she knew that, she would definitely make a distinction between the lessons they could learn together.
“Well, there’s no need to tell him right now.”
Heungmi, unaware of Rune’s thoughts, happily opened her mouth.
“If we study together, we can look at books too. We can do homework together, right?”
The fox tail wagged playfully.
Rune thought her appearance was like a puppy wanting to go for a walk together.
At that moment, Jed, who had been diligently spreading cream, poked his head over the cake.
“Whoa! It’s a lesson from Gold Dragon Elder Christina-nim! This Jed is curious too.”
Then Heungmi’s eyes sparkled.
“Heh. It would be fun to study with Uncle Jed too!”
Then, Perdikion sneered.
“Such nonsense.”
He had been listening to the fire lair for a while, but today, the day before the lesson, Perdikion was eating dinner with Rune.
He continued with conviction.
“Although we are the same clan, Jed is a guy who has lived in the human world for nearly a hundred years. The level is not suitable for studying lessons with you.”
“Hing!”
That was correct.
Rune quietly picked up his fork, inwardly agreeing.
Moreover, the Water Dragon boy added more flavor.
“If it’s Rune, maybe not, but if you met a cunning human who was not cautious, words might spill out that he cannot say. It’s better to learn other things before knowledge.”
“Hi, hiing… I don’t do that….”
With Perdikion’s words, Heungmi drooped her tail with a wronged look.
And she looked up at Rune with eyes wishing to deny it.
Meeting Heungmi’s swirling pink eyes, Rune swallowed a sigh inside.
“Perdikion, even if he says the same thing, does he have to do it that way.”
Thankfully Amelia was absent due to circumstances.
If she had been there, Amelia might have trembled while saying something.
Rune calmly interpreted his inner meaning.
“Brother means that first, we need the ability to distinguish who we should trust and who not, rather than knowledge.”
“Hmm, people we shouldn’t trust?”
“Yeah. It’s not just that there are clearly bad guys like Demons.”
Rune rolled up pasta with his fork and continued.
“There are people who look endlessly kind, but actually there are villains who are hard to imagine, and people who unintentionally harm others too.”
Hmm, Heungmi perked up her ears.
“Like ‘stalker psychopath’?”
At that, Rune almost bit his tongue while chewing shrimp.
“Jed. Why is he using that kind of word.”
Rune quietly composed his expression and said.
“That’s right. Among those whose inner selves are wounded and injured, there are quite a few who attack others’ or their own hearts.”
“Umm. They attack themselves? Why?”
It was still difficult for Heungmi.
Rune slightly opened his mouth, but the words came out a little later.
“There are various cases, but… sometimes there are types who inflict wounds on themselves to gain monetary or mental benefits.”
“Euu, it’s too difficult for Heungmi.”
Heungmi folded her fox ears and groaned.
If he went into too detailed a story, he might say something beyond a young hatchling’s words, so Rune just passed it over.
“When you see such people someday, you’ll understand. You might feel a little sad.”
“That’s right.”
Heungmi was lost in deep thought.
Rune subtly added a word he had wanted to say.
“Ah, and don’t use the word ‘stalker psychopath’.”
“Hehe! I understand!”
Heungmi answered briskly and laughed with a hi.
“Rune-nim is smart and knows a lot! If we study together, Heungmi will learn a lot too, right?”
At that time, Perdikion, wiping the corners of his mouth with a napkin, said.
“Well, even if he teaches you, whether you’ll fully acquire it or not is unknown.”
At Perdikion’s reply, Heungmi extended her mouth like a duck bill.
“Hing! No. Heungmi will study diligently and help Rune-nim!”
They would deny it, but such a thing had been going on for days and days.
Now, Rune, who had understood that such things were another way of getting closer, shook his head and opened his mouth.
“I don’t know everything either.”
“Really?”
Rune nodded his head and continued.
“Yes. So, if you’re taking a different lesson, it might be good. I’ll do it my way, and Heungmi, you do it your way. You’ll grow by taking lessons that suit each of you well. How will it turn out?”
“What do you mean?”
“If you learn something different from me, you’ll be able to help me who couldn’t learn it. It’s because we’re different from each other.”
Heungmi blinked at Rune’s words and smiled brightly.
“That’s right! Maybe Heungmi will learn something needed by Rune-nim!”
“That’s right.”
Even if Heungmi took a different lesson, she wouldn’t be gloomy.
Having achieved his purpose, Rune emptied the remaining cabbage rolls.
Perdikion was still teasing a little, but Heungmi sharpened her ears and tails while sticking out her tongue with meh.
Rune had sufficiently stirred Heungmi’s enthusiasm for lessons, so that was enough.
At that moment, Christina came over.
“Everyone! Did you eat well?”
“Piyak!”
Baekya, who had been nibbling on the flower made of sugar craft, answered first.
Then, while the others were answering, he started nibbling another sugar craft flower.
“Because she grew up in the meantime. She’s eating better and better.”
A bird that didn’t care about what to eat and ate well.
She ate so much that Rune wanted to check how her stomach was doing.
“It seems like because she’s a phoenix, food with mana is good nourishment.”
When he didn’t know this, he had talked with Heungmi about whether it was okay to feed her bird meat.
Recalling that time, Rune unconsciously lifted the corners of his mouth slightly.
“If you know, it seems like nothing, but if you don’t know, it’s surprisingly surprising.”
While thinking that, Rune organized the dishes and straightened his posture.
“Well, then I’ll briefly explain.”
Tap!
Christina snapped her fingers, and all the food and dishes on the table disappeared.
In their place, light snacks and dessert cakes, lemon madeleines, appeared in new plates.
The drinks were arranged as a set for two: milk bottles, various fruit juice bottles, and boxes of cool ice.
“I distributed the lessons according to each of your aptitudes. However, since I’m teaching alone, there are some parts that are worrisome.”
“What is it? Christina.”
At Rune’s question, she shook her golden hair and floated glowing text in the air with light mana.
-Understanding Human Society and Culture
-Continental Situation and Noble Etiquette
-Human Magic
-Racial History
-Fitness Training
-Mathematics and Music
-Theology and Ancient Languages
.
.
.
There were also various other lessons listed in a row.
“Oh. If it’s Understanding Human Society and Culture, then Jed should be sharp about it. I’m the ‘owner of the Musketeer Merchant Guild’ who rules the continent, you know? You don’t need to worry about it.”
At that moment, Rune felt Christina’s eyes suddenly shine sharply.
“Oh my, then Jed. Why don’t you consult with me a little later?”
“Ugh?”
Feeling danger, Jed stiffened his body.
Rune was sometimes scary, but he was still a hatchling, but Christina’s gaze itself had a thrilling quality.
Simple adult intimidation, but there was a weight from the density of life.
“Jed, there is no noble or commoner when it comes to giving or receiving instruction.”
Others didn’t understand the words, but Rune instinctively knew.
If she had a request to Jed, there was only one.
And now he confirmed that his assumption had come true right before his eyes.
***
Having finished his recollection, Rune sighed inwardly.
“I should have known from the moment she looked at me suspiciously with eyes like smiling the other day.”
Why did the feeling come when Christina said the basic thing “You have to use polite language to the teacher” before coming in.
At that time, Amelia hesitated and slightly raised her hand.
“Um… I, Jed… Teacher. There is something I want to ask.”
“Yes! Amelia-nim. Ask!”
To Jed, who waved his hand like an MC, the water-like girl cautiously began.
“Why… are you so small?”