I Possessed the Heroine’s Teacher

Every war eventually comes to an end, every long night finds its dawn, and every disaster reaches its conclusion.

Missing children: 402
Surviving children: 220
Confirmed deceased children: 101
Still missing children: 81 (estimated, possibly including unreported cases)

Parents clutched their children tightly, crying in relief. Some children, with no one waiting for them, were led by knights to orphanages. Others sat down in despair, hearing news that their children were still missing. How much worry must they feel? How much anger must they harbor toward themselves, for failing to protect their children, or for being home while their child disappeared? I couldn’t possibly understand. I’ve had friends who said that this is what family is like, but… words like parents and siblings have always felt distant to me.

And there were those clutching the lifeless bodies of their children, wailing in anguish. Some screamed at the knights nearby, accusing them of doing nothing while their children were taken. Their calloused, scarred hands struck at the knights in fury, demanding answers. They could not even stamp their feet in grief, for the ground they stood on would soon hold their children’s graves.

“Bring my son back to life! You take our taxes to protect us, and this is what we get? Bring my son back to life!”

“Where is the culprit? Tell us where they are! At least give us that much!”

“If my child had to die, you should die too! If my daughter had to suffer, then you deserve to as well!”

“Oh, my daughter… If only I had known, I would’ve bought her that pretty dress she wanted… Oh, my poor girl… I’m so sorry…”

I wondered, my friend, did your parents grieve like this when you died? And if all these children had parents, could their deaths also be washed away with such tears? I didn’t know. After all, “what if” scenarios are meaningless. All I can do is hope that nonexistent tears could somehow wash away the tragedy of their deaths.

“Please step back. The royal palace will confirm the identities of the deceased, and the state will take appropriate measures. Compensation and official announcements will follow.”

“Compensation? I don’t need money! Bring my son back to life!”

A furious woman struck a knight’s chest.

The knights silently endured the parents’ anger. Their rigorous training ensured that such powerless blows wouldn’t hurt them physically. But emotionally, it had to sting. They were scolded, slapped, and cursed at, yet they showed no sign of irritation.

They were suffering too. Guilt weighed heavily on their hearts—they had failed to fulfill their duties, and so many children had died. As individuals with families of their own, they understood the parents’ anger as natural and justified.

But there was nothing they could do. As Ricardo had said, knights couldn’t bring the dead back to life. All they could do now was stoically bear the people’s fury.

“Please step back. The royal palace will confirm the identities of the deceased, and the state will take appropriate measures.”

“This behavior is unacceptable. Please return to your homes and await further updates.”

The knights repeated their instructions, mechanically delivering the messages passed down from their superiors. They knew these words wouldn’t ease the parents’ sorrow or rage, yet they continued to absorb their grievances without protest.

Who were the most pitiable people today? The parents who received the news that their children were missing? Or those who found the battered corpses of their children? They were undoubtedly tragic and pitiable…

“Excuse me, let me through.”

“Ah, Sir Werner. These bodies belong to the children who had no relatives…”

“I know. Step aside.”

But the most pitiable of all were the children who had no one to grieve for them. The children whose deaths were met with silence, with no family to mourn them, and no one to file a missing persons report.

As I uncovered one of the bodies, I recognized the face of the boy who had once tried to steal my wallet. His face was bruised, his body frail, and scarred from what seemed like years of neglect. He had died so young.

I placed a knife in the boy’s right hand—the knife he had carried with him.

“I’m sorry, kid. I promised to kill them all, but I couldn’t. I said I’d avenge you, but I failed.”

In the assassin world, failure meant disgrace. Reporting a failed mission to the client always made my skin crawl. But now, it wasn’t my skin but my hands that were trembling. The boy reminded me of someone.

In his left hand, I placed a purse filled with silver coins.

“Don’t go stealing wallets with just a few copper coins in them next time. In your next life, take these silver coins and live a life where you can read fairy tales instead.”

I held the boy’s hand, knowing that an unmourned death was the saddest thing of all. At least I could cry for them.

“Werner, are you all right?” Camellia asked, forcing herself to stand despite her exhaustion.

I wiped away the hot tears streaming down my cheeks and replied, “Sister, lend me some money.”

“What?”

“I need money. These children deserve proper graves, and it’ll cost a lot. My account is still frozen, and it’ll take time to access it.”

“…I’ll cover half of the cost.”

Camelia clasped her hands together quietly and offered prayers for the children’s souls.

“By the way, sister, are you all right?”

“I’m fine now. I was just startled for a moment… I’m fine now…”

“Who was it that startled you so much?”

“That person is my…”

Before Camelia could finish her sentence, a grating sound from outside caught my attention.

“Out of the way, move it!”

The voice was frivolous and lacking in decency, the kind that could kill one’s appetite just by hearing it.

When I stepped outside, I saw a man neatly dressed, sporting a mustache. He was someone I remembered from Werner’s memories. This was the guy who once mocked Werner for being an orphan, only to have his clothes set on fire and himself hung on a city wall. If I recalled correctly, he was a relative of the empress.

The man approached Ricardo, clasped his hands together, and spoke in an insincere tone.

“Oh, Sir Ricardo, you’ve been working so hard. Truly admirable.”

“Deputy Minister Loyd, I don’t recall summoning you here.”

“Well, I am responsible for this facility, so of course, I had to come.”

So this bastard was the one in charge of the sewer facility?

“As the person managing this sewer facility, it would indeed be odd if you were unaware of this incident. An investigation team will be sent, so I expect your cooperation…”

“Oh, come now, you must’ve had a tough time. How about a drink with your subordinates…”

“We do not accept bribes. Furthermore, those who follow me are all formal knights. Refrain from using derogatory terms like ‘subordinates.’”

Ricardo’s rigidity as a “metallic knight,” as Melchior had described, was on full display. His stern and formal attitude seemed to leave Loyd at a loss, causing him to scratch his head awkwardly.

“Haha… Well, at least it’s fortunate that the situation has been resolved amicably.”

“Deputy Minister Loyd, did you just describe this situation as ‘amicably resolved’? Are you aware of how many people have died?”

“Well, I heard that there were some deaths…”

“Some?”

Without thinking, I reached out toward the bastard. My actions weren’t calculated but rather driven by instinct and emotion.

“Fangs of steel, pierce this…”

Before I could finish chanting, Camelia covered my mouth.

“I understand how you feel, but calm down. If you kill him now, things will spiral out of control.”

Upon reflection, she was right. If I, newly appointed as a royal magician, were to kill a relative of the empress, it would undoubtedly cause an uproar. Yet, letting this bastard go unpunished didn’t sit well with me.

Ricardo’s voice carried a slight edge of anger.

“Nearly 200 children are dead or missing. And yet, you use words like ‘some’ and ‘amicably’?”

“Well, at least there weren’t any noble sons or daughters among the victims. If there were, the situation would’ve been even more troublesome.”

“Fortunate, you say?”

“Well, most of those kids would’ve grown up to be thugs or pickpockets anyway. Think of it as filtering waste from the sewers. You understand, don’t you? Let’s not create unnecessary trouble or burden His Majesty with worries. Isn’t that what loyal servants do?”

Even as that Loyd bastard spewed such garbage, Ricardo remained mostly composed, his voice carrying only a trace of anger. He continued to address him in a formal, matter-of-fact manner.

“Sister, let go of me. I’m killing that bastard today. If there’s fallout, I’ll go to prison. Screw it.”

“Hold it in.”

Ricardo clenched his fists tightly and resumed speaking.

“It’s impossible that someone managing the sewer facility was unaware of this. Additionally, there have been reports of you recently purchasing several villas beyond your financial means. While we’ve held off on punishment due to lack of concrete evidence…”

“Haha, Sir Ricardo, let’s calm down and…”

“Shut it. Bite your damn teeth together, you bastard.”

A dull thud echoed as Ricardo struck Loyd squarely in the face.

Camelia, in a calm voice, turned to me and said, “See? This is why I told you to hold back. There was no need for you to step in.”

Judging by that sound, Loyd probably lost all his teeth.