Chapter 102

Chapter 102: Teaching

During the day in the southeast of Igewent, at the Orphanage of Mercy.

The Orphanage of Mercy in Igewent is an orphanage located in the southeastern suburbs of the city, one of the few welfare institutions in this city. Apart from it, there are several other relief centers, but the Orphanage of Mercy is the only orphanage. Although its existence seems inadequate to address the severe problem of homeless children in Igewent, it still plays a certain role.

Like many educational institutions elsewhere, the Orphanage of Mercy was originally founded by the Radiant Church, imbued with strong Radiant Church characteristics, aimed at selecting the most loyal and fervent servants for the Radiant Three Saints.

In today’s world where national and capital forces are rising, the Radiant Church has made concessions and retreated in many areas, allowing administrative power and social capital to partially enter their original domains, such as St. Amanda School. Although it bears the name Saint, the actual control is in the hands of a board with ties to the White Masons’ Guild. Similarly, the Orphanage of Mercy has also become a cooperative venture between public and private sectors.

The main part of the Orphanage of Mercy is situated within a small forest. One can reach the forest by taking a side road off Grace Road and walking about forty or fifty meters along the tree-lined path until they come upon high stone walls and iron gates. The stone walls enclose a large green area, within which stand two or three spacious old low-rise buildings. Children, not much older than eight or nine, run around on the bent grass, playing and chasing each other, some even kicking footballs.

On the upper floor of the largest low-rise building in the center of the green area, in a small classroom equipped with a blackboard, Dorothy, dressed simply, sits at a desk by the window, marking several poorly written assignments. Around her, a circle of children, dressed in old clothes, watch her intently. They are roughly eight or nine years old, their eyes wide with expectation.

Finally, after marking all ten or so assignments, Dorothy lets out a long sigh. Then, she scans the room, seeing countless bright-eyed gazes, and musters up the energy to smile and speak.

“Alright~ I’m done.”

“Done already? Teacher Meshos! Who got an A?”

“Yes, yes! Teacher Meshos! Who gets the prize this time?”

“Come on, teacher, tell us!”

…

The children surrounding Dorothy chatter excitedly, while Dorothy takes out a few items from her pocket and says with a smile.

“This time… it’s Pick, Wood, and Anna. These little red flowers and candies are rewards for you.”

As she speaks, Dorothy stands up, pasting the little red flowers she cut out next to the children’s names on the wall, then placing candies in front of them. The children cheer and jump for joy.

“Teacher! This isn’t fair, Anna already has five little red flowers today!”

At this moment, a slightly tall boy expresses dissatisfaction to Dorothy, who smiles in response.

“That’s fair, Daniel. Regardless of how many, the little red flowers are what Anna earned herself. If you want more, work harder next time. I believe you can earn more little red flowers too!”

“Mmm… I understand.”

“Good, understand and work hard next time. Alright, everyone take your homework back. I’ve written down the solutions for the mistakes. Go over them carefully.”

“Okay~”

…

“Huh…”

Sitting by the window, Dorothy watches the children disperse, letting out a long sigh. At the same time, she feels a momentary sense of relief.

This is Dorothy’s second week participating in the practical course. For the past two weekends, she has used the school’s recommendation letter to come here and serve as a teaching assistant, accumulating points for the practical course.

She can take leave from other classes as long as she passes the exams later, but this troublesome practical course she has to attend herself. To avoid having her final grade questioned by Gregor, Dorothy is determined to complete it.

Having previously been a tutor, Dorothy chose to be a volunteer teacher at the orphanage. She had expected to face a bunch of mischievous children and prepared herself mentally, but these children turned out to be unexpectedly well-behaved and obedient, unlike the unruly children she had seen before. Thus, her teaching went relatively smoothly.

After much thought, Dorothy concluded that the environment played a significant role. People in her era lived better than those in this world’s time.

With abundant material resources, spoiled children were common. But the children in this era were less fortunate; child labor and street children were widespread, and children faced society’s harsh realities early on. Even the children in the orphanage often worked collectively under the institution’s organization to earn subsidies for the orphanage. No one coddled them, and knowing their circumstances, they couldn’t afford to be naughty.

Knowing their situation, Dorothy bought candy every time she taught and gave out little red flowers based on their performance, which made these children who rarely got treats very happy.

Sitting on a chair, Dorothy watched the children, a few years younger than her, diligently working at their desks. Suddenly, a voice beside her interrupted her thoughts.

“Excuse me, Teacher Meshos…”

Hearing the voice, Dorothy turned her head and saw a girl around eight or nine years old. She wore a faded dress and had two braids tied up, her round face with big blue eyes looking at Dorothy.

“It’s Anna, is there something wrong?” Dorothy asked, and the girl continued.

“Teacher, I just got another little red flower, but you forgot to give me candy.”

Anna said to Dorothy, who smiled and replied.

“Oh, Anna, you did so well today that you got too many little red flowers and too much candy. It’s not good for your teeth, so I didn’t give you any.”

“Hmm… So eating too much candy is bad for your teeth?”

Anna’s expression showed disappointment and confusion. Dorothy, smiling, opened her bag beside her.

“Yes, so remember not to eat too much candy even if you can have it freely. It’s not only bad for your teeth but might also make you sick. But although you didn’t get candy this time, I have something else for you.”

As she spoke, Dorothy took out a fairy tale book from her bag and handed it to Anna.

“You’re the best student I’ve taught in these few days, so I’ll give you this book. There are many stories inside.”

“Really? Thank you so much, teacher!”

Seeing the fairy tale book Dorothy handed her, Anna’s eyes lit up as she hugged the book tightly. Living in an orphanage, receiving gifts was rare.

Holding the gift happily, Anna touched the cover of the book and then looked up at Dorothy with a thought.

“Teacher Meshos, although you’ve only been here for a few days, you’ve been so kind to us. We all want to thank you, so we suggested to Sister Dideli that you come to our charity event in two days. We will perform there!”

“Charity event?”

Dorothy was surprised when she heard this term, and Anna continued to explain.

“Oh, I almost forgot. Teacher, since you’re not from Igewent, you wouldn’t know. Let me tell you about it.”

As she spoke, Anna tapped her forehead, organizing her thoughts, and continued.

“The charity event is an annual banquet hosted by the renowned philanthropist, Viscount Field, every year in Igewent. He invites wealthy people from all walks of life in Igewent to participate. At that time, Viscount Field leads the call for donations, helping the poor in Igewent.

“So far, it has been held six times. Each time, Viscount Field leads other wealthy individuals to donate substantial amounts of money, which is used to improve the lives of people like us. Many people have been saved because of this.

“And according to Viscount Field’s wishes, we orphans are a key focus of help, so every year during this time, the orphanage organizes us to perform, to gain more attention. And Viscount Field will adopt one of us at the end! Everyone cherishes this opportunity!”