Alisa sighed deeply and placed her hands on her hips.

“You little rascals, can’t you stop for just a minute?”

The children, however, paid no attention and laughed as they gathered around me. Among them were Theo and Rose, whom I had met the previous day.

“It’s the princess!”

“What’s your name?”

“Can you really heal sick people?”

“Can I touch your hair?”

“I got a scratch here!”

Having never spent time with such young children, I awkwardly searched for something to say. Meanwhile, Alisa put on a somewhat stern expression and issued a warning.

“If you don’t all return to the study room immediately, there will be no snacks today. Should I go and tell Mrs. Helena that we don’t need the chocolates she prepared?”

To my surprise, the children, looking as if something dreadful had happened, hurried back with shocked expressions.

“The power of snacks is amazing…”

I mumbled absent-mindedly, and Alisa laughed.

“Usually, it doesn’t work, but it’s chocolate. They only get it once a month. Coincidentally, today’s the day.”

“I see. It’s really fortunate that today is the day…”

At their age, I was wandering the streets, so chocolate was out of the question. Even a piece of hard bread would have made me listen to anything. In that context, it was quite understandable.

Following the children, we hurried to the study room.

“Mrs. Helena! What brings you outside?”

Helena stood in front of the house where Alisa stopped, looking bewildered as she paced back and forth.

“I was so surprised when the children suddenly ran out as if they were up to something. What on earth is going on?”

“Oh, someone must have seen the healer coming. It’s nothing to worry about. Healer, this is the study room! We’ve converted Mrs. Helena’s annex for this purpose.”

“I see. I was wondering where Alisa was headed. Hello, Helena.”

I greeted her while glancing at Helena’s house. Although it had a similar appearance to Alisa’s house, the windows were decorated with flowers, making it look more vibrant. However, that was all. I had imagined a neat building, even if not a grand facility like an academy, but now I understood why it was simply called a study ‘room.’

“Hello, Miss Hazel… I’m worried the children startled you again…”

“Not at all! And please, you don’t need to use formal titles.”

I pointed it out deliberately, but with a smile to ensure it didn’t sound rude. Once the initial barrier was broken, everyone in the village would follow suit if just one person treated me comfortably.

“Oh my, look at me. Ahem, ahem… Hazel.”

“Yes, Helena.”

I gave her a bright smile as a sign of praise and gratitude. Alisa chimed in with a satisfied look.

“If it weren’t for Mrs. Helena, we wouldn’t have been able to set up the study room. Plus, she prepares snacks for us every day.”

Helena lowered her head shyly as I looked at her with admiring eyes.

“Oh, it’s nothing difficult. Well then, Alisa, I’ve left the snacks in the kitchen, so please distribute them at the right time.”

“Yes, thank you, Mrs. Helena!”

After a brief conversation, we headed to the annex.

The moment Alisa opened the door, the room, which had been briefly quiet, became lively again. Eleven children in total sat around a large round table. They were either giggling at each other, quietly writing on paper, or fiddling with writing tools, each passing the time in their own way.

“Everyone! Pay attention!”

Even though a softer voice might have sufficed, Alisa shouted with all her might. Perhaps thanks to that, the children immediately stopped what they were doing and looked back and forth between Alisa and me. It felt as if I could hear the sound of their eyes rolling in concentration.

“As you all know, the healer is here.”

Like baby birds craning their necks, the children eagerly nodded.

“Now, we’re going to listen to the healer’s story. Listen carefully, and if you have questions, promise to raise your hand politely and ask later. Understood?”

“Yes!”

I hadn’t expected to speak in front of the children, but their chorus-like response was so endearing that I found myself speaking almost involuntarily.

“Nice to meet you all. I’m Hazel. I come from the northeastern part, quite a distance from here. My job is to heal sick people. Feel free to ask me anything you’re curious about.”

For two hours straight, we engaged in a question and answer session with the children. Their questions were endless, ranging from why my hair was silver to how I healed patients, how cold the north was, whether the emperor was really scary, and if it was true that giants roamed the capital.

The children were so energetic that they never tired of asking questions, and eventually, Alisa had to declare a forced break.

Thinking I might quench my thirst, I followed her to the kitchen connected to the annex. Alisa apologized for the unexpected length of the session, but she seemed quite delighted herself.

“But Alisa, have you been teaching and taking care of the children alone every day until now? Even with your frail health? That’s unbelievable. Are there no educational institutions nearby?”

I shook my head in disbelief, and she smiled wryly.

“In a village not even part of an administrative district, there’s no way such facilities would exist. Anyway, the study room was beneficial for both the children and me, who had nothing to do at home due to my health. Besides, I had a lot of knowledge stored in my head. My sister sent me lots of books—books that even the duke himself read.”

There he was again… appearing out of nowhere.

As long as I remained in the empire, I would keep encountering him unexpectedly. So, I had to learn to handle it with composure.

Ignoring the sudden flutter in my chest, I asked casually.

“Have you read Leopold’s books?”

“Yes, most of them were so old they were going to be thrown away. But my sister asked for them if they were going to be discarded. Of course, even those books were quite excellent.”

I could vividly picture his library: the large fireplace that was always lit except in midsummer, the heavy desk, and the towering bookshelves that seemed to reach the sky.

To regain my composure, I gulped down some cold water and joked.

“So, you self-studied. Alisa, are you actually a genius?”

Alisa laughed heartily, seemingly pleased with the compliment disguised as a joke.

“Anyway, when we first started this discussion, the big issue was where to set up the study room. No matter how you look at it, the annex is a private space, and turning it into a study room meant it had to be somewhat open. That’s why Mrs. Helena was truly amaz—”

She abruptly stopped speaking, then ducked her head under the table with wide eyes.

“Eek.”

With a gasp, three children scrambled noisily from under the table. The smallest one darted out first, making a beeline for the annex.

“Theo! Get back here right now!”

Despite the stern call, the child didn’t show himself. Unfortunately, chaos ensued right after.

The girl known as Rose, unable to flee with the others, fell to her knees on the floor, while another boy beside her huffed angrily.

“Ben. Explain what happened.”

Alisa knelt beside the children, meeting their eyes as she spoke sternly. The dark-haired boy named Ben gritted his teeth, trying to hold back his anger.

“I really told them not to. But Theo was joking about eating all the chocolate by himself, and stupid Rose followed him saying they’d share, so I came along to stop them.”

“Ben, you shouldn’t use the word ‘stupid.’ How many times have I told you? Rose, is that true?”

Rose, her face scrunched up in distress, was blowing on her reddened, scratched knee. Though I thought I should treat it soon, I felt it wasn’t my place to intervene just yet, so I watched silently.

“Hey. The teacher’s asking you.”

Ben spoke gruffly, helping Rose to her feet. His chivalry, despite his annoyance, was so endearing that I couldn’t help but smile.

Tears welled up in Rose’s bright blue eyes as she nodded.

“I’m sorry, teacher…”

Alisa pressed her forehead as if she had a headache.

At this rate, it seemed like they were all going to get a serious scolding. Wanting to lighten her mood a bit, I knelt in front of the children to meet their eye level.

“Rose. Can I see your knee for a moment?”

The child obediently extended one leg. However, there wasn’t even the smallest scratch on her pristine white knee. Was it the other leg?

“Can you show me your left leg too?”

But it was the same. Both legs were spotless, as if they had never been injured. I was sure I had seen a red scratch on her knee.

Puzzled, I asked to confirm.

“Didn’t it hurt when you fell just now?”

“It did. But when you blow on it, it gets all better.”

The child replied with a bashful smile, as if she hadn’t been crying just moments ago.

***

“To my mentor.

Dear mentor, this is Hazel. I hope you are well. I am doing fine. I should have contacted you sooner, but many things have happened. I feel it’s not a conversation to be had through letters, so I’ll tell you in detail when the opportunity arises.

The reason I’m writing today is that I’ve met a child here who seems to possess the healer’s ability.

There are no visible external traits, but the child definitely seems to be using magic. Perhaps because they are still young, they don’t seem aware of it at all. They think anyone can heal wounds just by blowing on them. It’s so adorable.

Anyway, this is the first time I’ve encountered such a situation, so I’m a bit excited. Please tell me specifically how I can verify the child’s power. Also, include the criteria and procedures for admission to the academy. If the ability is confirmed, proper education will be necessary!

I plan to stay here for the time being, so please send your reply to this address. Lastly, although I’m sure you’ll manage on your own, please always take care of your health.

With love and respect, Hazel.”