Chapter 92

The pillar of the Prussian Empire, General Helmut von Moldke, who led the victories in the Franco-Prussian War and the Battle of Sudang, said the following.

“Germany’s victory is not due to my efforts or those of the soldiers. It is thanks to the elementary school teachers. I dedicate all this glory to them.”

Though he said that, in reality, Prussia’s army was significantly ahead in both quality and quantity.

However, it was the elementary school teachers who created that quality, and Prussia’s army demonstrated indomitable spirit and high morale by utilizing their high educational standards and social adaptability.

From that time onward, mandatory education spread throughout the world, not just Europe, and personally, I believe that the qualitative difference between the commoners of the East and those of Europe was maximized from this period.

Therefore, I moved to inspect the school I chose as a means to develop my territory and justify my war against the Maxburg squatters.

**

First, to experience the vibrant atmosphere of the school, I dressed in a slightly shabby outfit suitable for a low-ranking noble and decided to attend class for just one day as a teacher’s assistant.

To facilitate a natural flow in the lessons, I gave the principal and vice-principal a day off since they already knew me.

As I entered the classroom with the teacher, there were walls made of bricks and a floor, and at the innermost part of the wall stood a huge blackboard with chalk placed on it, while in front were chairs and desks for the students.

About 40 children began to whisper to each other, their eyes sparkling with curiosity at the new teacher.

“Wow, the new teacher is really tall.”

“Something about the way he walks is cool.”

“The teacher must be a priest too, right?”

Dressed in a brown priest’s robe, the teacher brought me to the front of the blackboard and, raising a ruler, struck the blackboard decisively with a commanding voice that carried authority.

“This teacher here is Mr. Siel, who will work as a student teacher. Please introduce yourself, Mr. Siel.”

“I’m Siel, from Windheim. For the next month, I will teach you together with Mr. Veldo. Nice to meet you.”

Once I finished speaking, the children, seemingly intrigued by the new teacher, began looking at me with sparkling eyes.

However, the children, thoroughly trained by their teacher, raised their hands quietly without asking a single question.

Even though I had given the instruction, the orderly behavior exhibited by children who would be only in the first or second grade in Korea was truly astonishing.

If they can be controlled like this from a young age, they will adapt much faster when subjected to military training as adults.

Even if they do not become soldiers, they will naturally obey society.

A little later, Veldo, who was beside me, clapped his hands and said.

“Okay, Ger. You can start with a question.”

“Yes, teacher. What subject will Mr. Siel be teaching?”

“Mr. Siel is a history teacher. And today, um… Mr. Veldo?”

“Alright. I will take care of it today, but starting tomorrow, Mr. Siel will be teaching.”

I had already agreed with the principal and vice-principal, so today was just a temporary role as a student teacher and priest…

I came to experience a natural classroom environment, so I should participate.

“I will observe closely and learn, Mr. Veldo.”

“Then please go to that empty desk over there with the paper and quill.”

After that, I sat down at an empty desk a bit away from the students and prepared to start taking notes.

Checking that I was seated, Veldo began writing in large letters on the blackboard elements required to explain the Battle of Stuttgart, such as the Wicked Count Schwabin, the Benevolent Croilet Count, Lady Ela, and His Majesty the Emperor.

It was impressive to see that he had also created enough space for the students to take notes.

“Alright, last class we talked about Count Croilet, who was troubled by his lord, the wicked Count Schwabin, before the Battle of Stuttgart. Does anyone remember that?”

As soon as he finished speaking, a child quickly raised a hand.

“Alright, Gally. Yes, what did Count Schwabin do?”

The child named Gally answered with a confident voice.

“Yeah! Teacher, the bad nobleman named Count Santoburg troubled Count Croilet all by himself and then Count Schwabin asked Count Croilet for money. He’s a bad person.”

Once he finished speaking, the teacher clapped, and the children began to join in with applause.

Then, the teacher continued with her explanation.

“Good job! That’s right, the bad man Count Santoburg attacked Count Croilet for no reason. Originally, Count Schwabin was supposed to help, but he didn’t because he is a bad person. However, Count Croilet armed the poor and created an army to defeat the bad count. However, now Count Croilet has lost all the compensation he received from the count. What does Gai think about this?”

“It’s bad; it’s just bad. I also get pocket money from my mom or dad, wouldn’t I feel bad if the bad brothers took it away? I can’t imagine how bad Count Croilet must have felt.”

At that time, I honestly didn’t feel that bad about Schwabin’s actions, but Balt and Frost looked at it with disbelief.

Frost was clutching his neck at the time and had fallen to the ground.

“But Count Croilet didn’t give up on Schwabin and gave him one last chance. But then, a major problem arose in Elysium. At His Majesty the Emperor’s funeral, Count Croilet’s beloved Lady Ela was molested by Schwabin! He held Lady Ela, saying that instead of the weak Croilet, why not take her for himself. Does anyone have something to say about this?”

The children all expressed genuine anger in their faces and said.

“That’s too much!! I heard that Lady Ela and the Count get along better than our dad, but it’s bad to bully such a good couple!”

“I don’t like Schwabin, who not only takes away money earned through hard work but also tries to do bad deeds to Lady Ela! He’s like a pig!”

Though I purposely structured this education to glorify myself and reinforce loyalty towards me… this wasn’t quite right.

Next time, I should definitely not observe a school class; being here makes me feel like some sort of delusional, middle school misfit…

However, to gain the consensus of the entire territory that we must attack Maxburg, I must continue this kind of education…

If children who know nothing can be this way, then serfs who struggled to eat one meal a day can now at least eat three meals…

They won’t forget that grace, so how strong will their loyalty be…

Meanwhile, Veldo, in front of me, seemed excited just imagining the battle, cheerfully exclaimed.

“So Count Croilet couldn’t stand it anymore and threw a white glove at Schwabin’s face, indicating that he wanted to fight. Then, he wonderfully knocked down Schwabin, striking his left cheek and then his right cheek, knocking him down. Many nobles who witnessed it applauded the brave Count Croilet. Bunny, what do you think?”

A child named Bunny stood up, clenching his fists tightly and stated.

“Count Croilet is super cool! If someone touches my girlfriend someday, I will fight like Count Croilet!”

“I know you’re dating Deli from the next class, but you don’t have to brag about it. But, you’re right, he’s a knight like the one who appeared in the stories you love from the fairy tale books in the school, right? Count Croilet is… well, let’s continue with the lesson.”

That was something I didn’t put in; I just wanted them to focus on the legitimacy and necessity of defeating Schwabin without glorifying myself.

I need to have a serious talk with the head priest who structured this education.

I won’t resort to torture or anything, but maybe I should reduce the church budget a little…

The lesson continued on regardless.

Even if we left out the parts about marching to the Stuttgart plains or the supply routes that would bore the kids.

They also discussed the stories of Mark and Frost from the Stuttgart battle plays they occasionally see in the square at some length.

Especially it seemed the children thought Mark, who came from humble beginnings but ended up a noble, was really cool, as they cheered when they heard about how he later became a nobleman.

Of course, the most enthusiastic response was about the tale of me dismounting to fight alongside the other soldiers, wielding my spear against the enemy knights, but when the teacher in front appeared more excited than the kids while telling this story, I suspected that he must have been a wandering missionary who struggled to get a meal before becoming a teacher-priest.

When you can’t eat and then meet someone who feeds you, loyalty can only get maxed out.

Thus, I learned about various subjects like math, comprehension, and writing alongside the children while absorbing their instructional methods.

Despite being shocked during history class, to speak candidly, considering the background of this era, I must implement this to garner the support of soldiers and citizens.

I will just have to pretend not to see or hear…

**

My small house, with wooden beams and windows and a rough but neatly laid floor, really is great.

My previous home was about this size, but at that time, I couldn’t afford to buy food, so even if the wind or rain came through the house, I didn’t care…

Since then, since Count Croilet started governing this place, I can honestly say that, with a small exaggeration, life has become abundantly rich, feeling like a paradise every single day.

Then, after a while, the door opened, and my son Bunny came in, hugging me and saying.

“Dad!! I’m back!”

“Really? My son! What did you learn today?”

“I learned about Count Croilet! The story of Count Croilet fighting in a place called Stuttgart!”

“Really? Can you tell me?”

Thus, my son began to explain for quite some time about how Count Croilet performed in Stuttgart.

Since he was young, he would surely have been taught in simple language rather than difficult terms by the priests, but seeing him articulate what he learned in school clearly and correctly is pleasing.

If he keeps studying like that, he might get recognized by the Count and become a servant like a bailiff…

I, too, am undoubtedly learning something similar to what he is being taught after finishing my work in my spare time…

After listening to him for a while, I stroked Bunny’s head and said.

“Since you studied well today, I’ll ask your mom to get us some delicious bread and meat! Let’s put a lot of meat in the soup.”

“Wow, soup!!! Really?”

“And if you keep studying well at school, I’ll buy you meat for your birthday. You like pork, right?”

Upon hearing my words, he began to drool.

“How clumsy, but… if it’s meat, I can’t help it… back in my day, I would only eat one or two pieces of meat a year… just eating two bowls of porridge a day was a dream come true.”

Bunny, hearing my words, asked with a bewildered expression.

“Really? We eat meat every two or three months… and porridge is not good, and you wanted to eat it every day for two bowls?”

Having enjoyed a life of abundance since Count Croilet’s reign began, the lad clearly couldn’t understand that.

So, I opened my mouth to explain to him as a father that I once lived through difficult times.

“When did you tell me that the porridge at school was bad and transparent? When I was your age, it was hard to eat even those every day.”

As Bunny listened, he might have recalled that I once ate that kind of cheap porridge during experiential learning, and he made a genuinely disgusted face.

“If you ate that, you must have been hungry and had a hard time…”

“I was really hungry, so hungry that… sometimes I even had to catch rats to eat.”

“Even so, not a rat, Dad. Maybe undercooked mulberries would be one thing…”

“No, really, we had so little to eat. I was so hungry that I had to eat things like that. Didn’t the priests tell you stories like that?”

Only then did Bunny seem to grasp that it was indeed true, as he spoke with a serious expression.

“I don’t like being hungry.”

“I don’t either. And your mom, dad, and you are protected by Count Croilet, so we can eat delicious foods like this every day. So let’s live with a grateful heart every day.”

Upon hearing my words, Bunny replied in a lively voice.

“Yes, Dad!”

What a remarkable kid; though he may not understand what it feels to be hungry, at least he knows that Count Croilet provides us with delicious food…

And it fills me with joy that he can live without worries, without the fear that he might starve like I did or that his sister might be sold off when times are rough.

So I…

And soon I heard my wife’s voice coming from the kitchen.

“Honey, today I put plenty of meat in the soup. Eat up! There’s more to give!”

For the happiness bestowed upon us by Count Croilet, even though I don’t have the same obligation to serve as the noble vassals do…

I want to do as much as I can to repay that.

That’s the way I can continue to be happy in the future, and an even happier path awaits.

This is what I’ve learned, and this is how it has been.

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