Chapter 11: Education (2)

Try some education?

The girl silently tilted her head at the Guild Master’s unexpected question.

The monks were like this too, and now this mister.

Why was everyone she met so desperate to educate her?

Maybe it was trendy to indoctrinate complete strangers.

But she had no intention of learning more heretical ways.

As the girl’s expression soured, Monk Jamyeong became anxious.

That, that…! That expression!

It was exactly the same look she had when she ran away saying Buddha statues looked like perverts, or when she criticized Buddhist scriptures as indecisive for not choosing between this or that.

It was obvious she’d refuse the Guild Master’s offer without a second thought.

Monk Jamyeong raised his voice urgently, not needing to think further.

“No! Is that really true? I know you have good judgment, but our child hasn’t shown anything yet, has she? Let’s have a longer conversation first.

She’s more versed in Buddhist teachings than I am, a little Buddha in her own right! Plus, she’s already Awakened at this age and can use her abilities freely…”

Even at a glance, his words were full of affection for the girl.

Though Monk Jamyeong was known for his compassion, he had a personality that strictly kept to certain boundaries.

Which meant… this kid really must have that much talent.

The Guild Master, who had been planning to monitor the child, was inwardly flustered.

A child with an unknown past, familiar with murder.

Wasn’t she obviously suspicious?

He had only intended to lower the child’s guard and figure out their identity…

Hmm.

If the monk found out about this, it wouldn’t end with just a scolding.

So he casually replied, as if completely agreeing with the monk’s words.

“Of course, we need to verify if the child is really an Awakened, and how strong her abilities are. That’s why I’m asking.”

It was a hasty excuse.

“Ho ho, but didn’t you recognize the child’s talent?”

Thankfully, Monk Jamyeong was too absorbed in praising his protégé to notice.

“…Do I have to?”

But they were missing one thing.

“If, if you need payment for food, I’ve worked hard to bring some…!”

They hadn’t changed the girl’s mind yet.

“Payment for food! Child, who said anything to you about that!”

Monk Jamyeong started raging, seemingly having lost his reason.

In contrast, the Guild Master calmly focused on the girl’s behavior.

The child, who looked less than ten, must have had to pay for meals at home until now.

“Is that what you’re holding supposed to be payment for food?”

“Do, do you want to see…?”

He’d roughly guessed the child had lived a hard life.

There was no point in telling her that feeding, clothing, and sheltering her didn’t require ‘payment’ – she wouldn’t understand.

So in times like this, he needed to respect the child’s actions rather than be flustered.

Well, whatever a small child brought as payment would probably just be something from the nearby mountains…

“……?”

Rustle-

The Guild Master blankly rubbed his eyes after opening the black bag.

To see that stoic Guild Master openly flustered!

Monk Jamyeong, who had been angrily scolding, couldn’t hide his curiosity.

“Hm? Why are you reacting like that?”

When he looked inside the bag the Guild Master held out-

“……?”

Even Monk Jamyeong, in his eighties, had the same reaction as the Guild Master.

He blinked, unnecessarily opened and closed the bag, then checked inside again.

Still not believing it, he looked at the girl who was grinning confidently.

“…Child? What is this?”

He wasn’t asking because he truly didn’t know.

It was to confirm because it was so absurd.

But the girl had no way of understanding Monk Jamyeong’s tone.

“Mushrooms! Since the monks only eat poisonous ones, I brought some proper ones!”

“…Poisonous mushrooms?”

At the girl’s confident voice, the Guild Master’s gaze turned to Monk Jamyeong.

Though the monk was his and his guild members’ benefactor, he couldn’t hide the subtle contempt in his eyes.

“Monk, have you been eating poisonous mushrooms by any chance?”

“How could that be!”

“…Or maybe feeding them to the child.”

“Are, are you really saying this to me?!”

Of course, this was half a joke.

Though half-serious, he knew the girl’s common sense wasn’t normal.

In other words.

This child thought poisonous mushrooms were edible.

She had brought such flashy and unique ones that even the Guild Master and Monk Jamyeong, who weren’t interested in such things, recognized them as poisonous.

Click-

When he took a photo and searched, the identities of the ominous mushrooms quickly came up.

“Ah! That’s a poisonous mushroom. It’s not something you should eat, but I brought it because the monks kept insisting it wasn’t!”

The girl proudly showed off a destroying angel mushroom.

It contained a toxin called amatoxin, enough to kill a person.

Was that all?

“Ch…ild… This isn’t a mushroom…”

“Huh? Why isn’t it a mushroom when it grows on trees?”

This, which she showed with innocent eyes saying ‘I really don’t know’, was just common moss.

“What’s this colorful one?”

“Ah! It’s a mushroom that makes you feel good! You can even see Mom and Dad! Try one each!”

As if it was perfect timing, she offered a fly agaric mushroom.

It was another poisonous mushroom, the king of hallucinogenic mushrooms, perfect for ruining someone.

Goooo-

An incredible killing intent emanated from the bag the girl was holding.

This is payment for food?

Did she mean to kill everyone because she couldn’t pay for food?

At this moment, even Monk Jamyeong, who was infatuated with the girl, broke out in a cold sweat.

Come to think of it… when the child first collapsed, all her organs were damaged, right?

She must have eaten poisonous mushrooms and ended up in that state.

What should they do about this?

“Is, is it not enough for the food payment…?”

As the two men’s silence lengthened, the girl rolled her eyes, unable to hide her anxiety.

She seemed to be trying not to show it.

Anyone could see she was disheartened from her drooping mouth and eyes.

-“Do, do something!”

The Guild Master hurriedly replied to Monk Jamyeong’s telepathic message.

-“The child’s effort is admirable, so shouldn’t you accept it, Monk?”

-“At my age, if I eat poisonous mushrooms by mistake, I’ll die!”

-“Monk, it’s not like I won’t die from eating poisonous mushrooms at my age either.”

Ziiing- As the silence lengthened, the girl’s gaze grew more intense.

Finally, the Guild Master, whose head was working much better than the monk’s, took the lead in smoothing over the situation.

“We’ll accept this as your tuition.”

We just need to not throw it away in front of the child, right?

It would be easier for him to handle it than the monk.

The bag of poisonous mushrooms, enough to kill ten grown men, was handed over to the Guild Master.

Still, worried the child might bring up another strange topic, he quickly changed the subject back to education.

“You don’t have to pay for food. The same goes for education.”

“…Huh? Then what do adults eat to live?”

Was this why adults were never happy?

No wonder only older people came to the basement.

The Guild Master, unaware of the girl’s inner thoughts, continued his persuasion quietly.

“Education is necessary for your own sake. You couldn’t tell the difference between poisonous mushrooms, right? Lack of knowledge means it’s that much harder to avoid dangers.”

“…That’s true. At first, I thought my stomach hurt because the food had gone bad.”

“Think about what would happen if poisonous mushrooms were mixed in with the ones you brought. The monks who helped you could get very sick or even die because of your actions.”

“Ah…”

At this point, even the girl had to admit her mistake.

This body belonged to Mia, no matter what anyone said.

She couldn’t keep eating poisonous mushrooms stupidly and facing dangers with her body like before.

If it only hurt her, that would be one thing.

But if it could endanger Mia and the monks…

This was a sin.

To harm others while having received the almighty blessing to ask anything of God.

‘Mom, Dad.’

This was something she couldn’t excuse even if she went to hell.

How hard had she worked to avoid going to hell, to meet her parents who must be in heaven?

She couldn’t make mistakes now.

Finally, the girl nodded, clenching her small fist.

“Then, I’ll take the education…!”

Her yellow eyes shone with determination.

“Good. You’ve thought well.”

The Guild Master belatedly wondered if persuading this one child was worth getting so worked up over, but

“Ah! Then, I have a question.”

“Is it about mushrooms?”

“No! I think there was a forest fire in the mountains.”

He couldn’t respond as indifferently to the girl’s next words as he had before.

A forest fire?

Autumn forest fires were dangerous.

If it got out of hand, all of Bukhansan could burn, endangering not just this temple but the surrounding areas.

“Child, tell me more details.”

Even Monk Jamyeong, who had been standing back contentedly, stepped forward to listen.

The information was limited due to the child’s poor expression, but

The blackened earth and trees.

And the strange mushroom with tentacles growing on it.

With just these two clues, Monk Jamyeong and the Guild Master could easily guess the situation.

“To think Gate contamination has spread so close…”

It was Gate contamination.

An unexplained phenomenon that occurs right after or right before a Gate opens.

The child could have been caught up in the Gate if things had gone wrong.

“Di-did I do something wrong…?”

Seeing Monk Jamyeong’s serious expression, the girl lowered her head slightly.

If he was angry, she should tell him to hit her as much as he wanted, like in the basement.

However, Monk Jamyeong’s anger was directed at his own carelessness towards the girl.

He had gathered people saying it was for the child’s sake, but he hadn’t actually cared about her well-being.

“Don’t worry. I’ll personally go around and clean things up, and I’ll order guild members to patrol the area for a while.”

At the Guild Master’s words, Monk Jamyeong reflexively thanked him while unable to hide his complicated feelings.

Well, the only children he had raised until now were young monks.

Even then, he only knew how to treat them harshly as they cultivated Buddhism. It was his first time caring for a small, fragile, and scarred child like this girl.

“Ho ho, instead of educating the child, I should have studied first.”

Lost in thought, Monk Jamyeong recalled a book from a young woman who had come to pray for pregnancy recently.

It was a parenting book called “MZ-style Parenting the American Way!”

He should probably buy some parenting books like this when he goes down to shop for supplies.

Was there a bookstore nearby?

His contemplation was abruptly cut off by the girl’s words, which he simply couldn’t ignore.

“…You’re not going to hit me? Can you educate without hitting?”

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