After finally calming the kids down, I ask in a gentle voice. "Were you eavesdropping on us?" Despite being their temporality guardian I had to teach them basic manners and eavesdropping is obviously bad.
Rushian lifts the dirty bed sheet and speaks. "No! We would never eavesdrop. We came here to ask about the bedsheet." "Yes!" "We would never!"
I smile awkwardly as I remember them spying on me and Melsier, this time I decide to let them go with a warning. "Good. You all are smart kids. Eavesdropping is bad. Remember that okay?"
"Okay!!!" All of them answer energetically.
"Good work. Now go and wash this sheet at the well." Alexia directs them. "And wash it thoroughly. Do not miss a single spot!!" She yells at the running kids.
"I wonder who taught them such things." I whisper loud enough to be heard by Alexia.
She immediately gets my words and snaps. "Hey! I didn't teach them anything! They followed me on their own!"
I gesture to keep quiet as Kela is still sleeping in her arms. Alexia quickly lowers her voice. "I didn't teach them…."
"Sure." I lie down against the grass. Alexia stares at me for few seconds before asking calmly.
"Will you teach them?"
"Depends."
"Sword techniques or Magic incantations? Do you even know how to use magic? Brother Melsier told me that you were good with sword."
I stare at the dark sky filled with clouds, there no stars today. "I used to."
"What?"
I quickly regret my own words. My mind races to find an excuse. "Uh… I saw Helen doing some magic. I… was able to conjecture the same magic circle for few moments."
"That's… incrediable. You can become a priest or a bishop. I heard that they hold much power within the church."
I awkwardly laugh at Alexia's words. "Haha. I don't know…. Anyway, I wasn't going to teach them about magic."
"Then?" She asks in much curiosity.
"I was thinking to teach them how to live. Or life in general."
Alexia bursts out laughing. "W-What? Hahahaha." She disturbed Kela's sleep but surprisingly the baby didn't cry. Instead, Alexia put Kela aside on the grass and began laughing even more loudly. "Life in general? What are you? An unpaid philosopher? Hahaha."
I ignore her and stare quietly at the sky.
After gaining her posture back, she asks me the same question. "No. No. But seriously, what will a dungeon dweller like yourself can even teach?"
I just smile at her and continue staring at the sky.
Alexia's makes a questionable face while looking at me. "Really? Life?"
"Not just them. I teach you too."
I stand up and stretch my back. "I am going to be an explorer."
Alexia stared at me with disbelief as if my past few sentences didn't matter at all. "Explorer?"
"Yes."
"What's that?" She also stands up and we make our way to the house.
"I don't know." I answer.
Alexia immediately slips on the next step and yells at me. "What do you mean? You should at least know what you talking about!" Seeing me laugh at her words frustrates her. "And here I thought you were some kind of genius. Spewing about life and how to live and stuff. You are an idiot!"
I look around the house as the kids are cleaning it. "Well, it was offered to me, it's not like I had a choice. The only thing I know is that I am supposed to go to the dungeon city."
"The dungeon city? That's like 2 days from the town."
I turn around as I heard Alexia's excited voice. "Oh? Do you know about the dungeon city?"
With a confident smile, she puffed up her chest and began explaining. "Of course! I even went to the dungeon city with Grandpa Ryhard once."
"Wow. That's great." I purposely praise her small achievements to get maximum information. 'It's the oldest trick in the deception training.'
"I know. The city is filled with many shops and tall buildings. Build around the gigantic hole. Also! There is this big rope train going from side of the hole to another! Grandpa took me to ride on that! It was so much fun."
I silently watch Alexia's action with a warm heart. It is the first time, I have seen her acting her age. Most of the time, she has this tough persona over her just because she is the oldest.
Seeing me looking at her, grabs her own hair to hide her face. "W-What are you looking at?"
"You."
"I-I know that idiot. Why are looking at me in that way?" She asks in an embarrassed voice.
I laugh in my mind and decide to tease her a little. "Because you are cute."
"W-What? D-Don't j-joke about t-that!" Alexia's face was all red.
As I was teasing her, a kid pulls my sleeves. I turn to him. "Hmm?"
"We are done here!" The kid points at the clean and spotless floor.
I pat his head and praise him. "That was good work." The others quickly swarm me to get pats as well. "Me! Me!" "I did work too!"
In the end, I had to pat every single of the kid. "They all love getting praised." I hear Alexia's voice from the back.
"We are back!" Rushian along with 3 other kids step inside the house with a wet blanket over their head.
"Stop!" Alexia quickly stop them on the spot. "Go out and spread the sheet on the fence."
"Ehh!!!" Rushian complains with others. They look at me for assistance.
'Sorry kids.' I raise my hands in defeat.
Alexia went outside with them to see if they spread the sheets correctly. Meanwhile, I sit with kids hearing their stories. Suddenly, one of them yawns loudly. "Haah. When will we go to eat food? I am sleepy."
Hearing the kid, a thought pops in my mind. "Everyone, come here."
All of the kids gather around me. "Alright. How many of you ate sweet in the church?"
Everyone raised their hand. "Okay… How many of you took the vows for food?"
Again, everyone raised their hands. 'Fuck.'
I clap my hands together and ask the main question. "How many of you give sacrif- I mean give blood to Father Patrick?"
My face turned grim as everyone raised their hands. "How… How do you give blood?"
Few of the kids shows me their hands. "Father takes it from here."
I gently grab one of the kids hand and observe it. 'No deep cuts on the hand. No injuries. How does he-' My though process was halted as my eyes spotted something on the fingertips. 'A small insertion on the finger. Hmm. Small enough to discard as dirt.' I grab a different kid's hand and look closely. 'Oh? It's on different fingertip. So it's different for everyone.'
I release the hand and cough to gain everyone's attention. "Okay, tell me. Does it hurt when you 'give' blood?"
The kids shake their heads.
"Interesting. Why didn't you tell this to Alexia or Melsier?"
The kids look at eachother before answering. "Ru-Rushian told us not to. He told us, if tell this to anyone. We won't get food anymore."
I smile at the kids and hold their hands once more. "Listen closely. You cannot give blood to Father Patrick anymore."
The kids immediately panic and start asking questions. "But what about food?" "How are we going to eat?"
I rub their hands to assure them. "Don't worry. I will bring all the delicious food from tomorrow."
"Really?" One of the kid mumbles.
"Yes. Today is the last day. You are never going to the church again."
The kids look at me as I turn back to Alexia along with Rushian and others standing at the door. 'So, you did teach them.'
"And how are going to do that?" Alexia asks as she steps inside.
I stand up and grab Melsier's sword from the corner. "I am going to the dungeon city. Now."