In front of him, children. A lot of children. They surrounded him in an uneven circle, their small faces tilted up at him, eyes wide with curiosity like a small army.

  “W… what?” Arnold muttered.

  The boy at the front stepped forward boldly.

  “Mister, what iz your relationship with sister?”

  The leading child was a brown-haired boy, twelve or thirteen years old, much shorter than Arnold but carrying himself with the confidence of someone who believed he owned half the village.

  His hair was trimmed neatly, unlike most children whose bangs fell everywhere. His clothes were also different. He wore a village-style white tunic, but his was thicker without the mud stains and frayed hems the others had. A small bronze pin sat on the collar, polished as if someone kept it shining daily.

  And most importantly, on his feet were black boots. Boots.

  Boot?

  They were proper boots, well-fitted to his feet, reaching halfway to his calves. The leather was worn, but well cared for, brushed clean and oiled.

  ‘Who is this kid again…’ Arnold wondered. Would this be another Mary? Probably not, right?

  He had never seen a village child wearing boots around here. Even adults only wore crude wooden sandals or went barefoot.

  “Just a client,” Arnold answered the kid’s question. He did not bother to think too deeply about it.

  “Client?” The boy tilted his head with curiosity.

  “It means customer. Someone who pays people for their service.”

  “I see! A man of means!” The boy brightened instantly, his smile spreading innocently across his young face.

  He then puffed out his chest and bowed with the confidence of a miniature noble.

  “Right then. Might I make myself known? I am Bennet.”

  ‘Oh. It’s this little guy.’

  Mary’s dream husband. The son of the shepherd who owned the farmland. The village’s golden child. The boy that half the girls probably wanted to marry because his family owned land and sheep.

  He remembered Mary’s ambitious chatter about living a life of luxury. So that’s why. Arnold noticed his arms were slightly tan and had actual muscle from working fields, unlike most children who were thin and frail.

  “Here is your slate, sir! Mary bade me fetch it for you!” Bennet said proudly.

  From behind his back, he pulled out a small rectangular writing board, with a smooth black slate in the center. A piece of chalk, tied with a string, dangled from the corner. He held it up as if presenting a royal gift.

  ‘Hmm?’ Arnold blinked. Mary… that girl… she was actually quite thoughtful?

  Bennet looked at him with a bright, innocent smile.

  “Pleased to make your acquaintance, sir!” Bennet declared with a wide grin.

  Then he spun on his heel and shouted loudly to the crowd of dirty-faced children.

  “He’s a proper gent, lads!”

  Suddenly, the children surrounding them all lit up, their eyes shining with intense excitement. They seemed to sense fresh entertainment, as the first row shuffled closer.

  ‘Don’t tell me… this guy!’ Arnold finally understood Bennet’s true intention.

  “Well, best of luck, Mister Client!” Bennet called cheerfully as he ran toward the church steps.

  At the same time, the children surged forward like a tidal wave, leaving Arnold with a cacophony of questions.

  “Mister! Where do you hail from? Is it the big city?”

  “Woa! Is that real silk, mister?”

  “Mister! Why do you have a bandage? Did you fall off a horse?”

  “Mister! What’s your face look like!”

  “Mister! Have you got any sweets?”

  “Mister! Mister! Mister!”

  Dozens of tiny voices all bombarded him at once, their hands pulling at his coat, tapping his arm, grabbing his sleeves, circling him like wolves around a rabbit.

  Arnold couldn’t help but cast a furious gaze at Bennet’s retreating back.

  ‘This shitty brat!’

  His fury intensified when he saw Bennet at the church entrance. The boy was not only unbothered, he was already locked arm-in-arm with a girl.

  A long-haired girl with silky chestnut hair and a refined face. She smiled sweetly at Bennet, tilting her head, leaning close to him.

  ‘Look at him!’ Arnold mentally screamed. ‘He even has spare time to flirt with another girl!’

  Her name… Vine, was it? The one Mary called her “competitor.”

  The long-haired girl smiled brightly at Bennet, batting her eyelashes and chatting tenderly, acting overly feminine for her age.

  This guy just dumped the responsibility of watching these children onto him so he could go play the little lover boy!

  ‘How envious…I mean, devious! He must be a devil incarnate!’ Izzy glared with angry eyes from the vessel.

  ‘Izzy…He is twelve…’

  Izzy ignored her comments.

  ‘You deal with them! I’m going offline!’ Izzy declared, mentally retreated back.

  ‘…’ The mature mind retreated into the other vessel like a cat crawling back into its bed. Isa couldn’t help but sighed.

  Isa controlled Arnold and looked down at the eager, dirty faces surrounding her.

  “Oke! Who’s up for a game?!” Arnold’s face broke into a bright, genuine smile.

  He raised his hand, clapped twice, and the children immediately cheered, forming an eager circle around him as he began to play with them.

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  “Hurrah!”

  —

  ‘That was surprising. You really have talent in this,’ Izzy commented in their shared mind.

  ‘I know, right!’ Isa answered brightly, practically radiating pride.

  After finishing the Moonday school session, which ended in the afternoon, Izzy learned something surprisingly useful.

  The information each of them learned could be shared freely between their minds. As long as one mind was willing to pass it on, the other could instantly acquire the same knowledge. It was like two separate brains plugged into the same memory library.

  For example, the language lesson they had this morning. The teacher had written the letters of what they called the "Alan language" on the board.

  ‘Alan again…’ Izzy grumbled. At this point, she wondered if everything in this world had "Alan" slapped onto it. Alan coins, Alan city, Alan language. Maybe she would find an Alan mountain, Alan soup, or Alan toilet paper later on.

  The good thing was, Izzy could immediately absorb whatever Isa had already learned. As long as Isa remembered a character, Izzy would gain that memory too.

  This opened up many possibilities. With two minds working simultaneously, she could potentially learn twice as fast as a normal human.

  And her young mind was truly talented. She could pick up new things with natural ease. She was not at the level of instantly mastering the entire language upon seeing it, but she learned and remembered quickly, especially simple characters and their meanings.

  Unlike modern schools, lessons here were done slowly. The teacher wrote one big character on the board in thick chalk strokes. The children in the back rows would then copy it carefully onto their slate boards and recite the meaning aloud in chorus.

  Izzy and Isa had developed a system. With Izzy’s mature reasoning, they broke down each character into segments, analyzing them like pieces of a puzzle. Meanwhile, Isa focused on memorizing the shape and sound. Together, they matched patterns to the logic of her old world’s languages, comparing their structure and grammar flow.

  Luckily, Izzy had a resource at home: her bookshelf filled with books Benjamin collected over the years. Mostly religious texts, agricultural manuals and strange storybooks.

  And there was also Erin. That girl, although uneducated, Erin did learn a bit of character. She could read simple terms like “bread,” “water,” “price,” “blessing,” and “warning.” She could also identify common names. It was not much, but enough to act as a tutor whenever Izzy needed confirmation.

  ‘Really a genius!’ Izzy praised.

  ‘Hehe, of course I am!’ Isa bragged without hesitation, lifting her chin proudly in their shared mindscape.

  Izzy smiled inwardly. Learning was a hard and stressful process, so she did not dismiss her young mind’s hard work. That’s why she kept showering Isa with compliments.

  Besides, if Isa kept learning, then Izzy didn't need to learn it herself! Having a genius mind was actually incredibly convenient!

  ‘That’s your real intent, right?’ Isa narrowed her eyes suspiciously and poked Izzy’s cheek with her finger.

  ‘It’s not,’ Izzy denied, turning her head and avoiding Isa's gaze, hiding her thoughts under a calm mask. Isa was annoyingly sharp for her age. Well, she was a genius after all.

  ‘...’ Isa pouted, clearly unconvinced.

  They had also completed today's objective, which was to find a map of this region.

  It had been surprisingly easy. Izzy simply used Arnold’s body, approached Victor, and casually asked for a map. And of course, slipped a few coins into the priest’s hand. The man happily provided a folded parchment map of the surrounding territory without any question.

  Izzy grimaced. That church guy. It seemed every religion in every world operated the same way. Money spoke louder than devotion.

  Well… part of her did understand. With so many poor villagers relying on the church for aid, shelter, and basic education, the cost of maintaining everything must be heavy. They likely needed money from anywhere they could get it.

  And so, she did not complain further.

  For now, with the map and a chalk slate in hand, Isa controlled Arnold while he walked and waved his hand at the children he had just played with.

  “Farewell, brother!”

  “Goodbye, Alex.”

  The little one waving at him looked around ten years old. His short yellow hair stuck out in clumps, and bandages wrapped unevenly around his arms and legs, clearly from falling too many times during games. His grin was missing two small teeth, giving him a goofy but energetic look.

  “Brother! Safe travels, see ye soon!”

  “Goodbye, Buster.”

  This one was Buster. Brown-haired, sturdy, and built like a small ox. Even though he looked twelve by size, he was actually only nine. His clothes were patched everywhere but still somehow neat, and he always carried an air of confidence like he was destined to be a troublemaker.

  “Brother, let’s meet again!”

  “Sure, Finley.”

  Finley, a small, timid boy with yellow hair, like a rabbit among wolves. He always stood slightly behind the others, clutching his slate board as if it were a shield. He never played but only watched, yet his eyes sparkled as if living vicariously through the group.

  “Brother... p-please, accept this!”

  “Oh, what exquisite needlework. You will become a lovely lady in the future for sure, Miss Lera.”

  “Th-thank you kindly, sir!”

  This was Lera. A tiny blonde-haired girl whose braids bounced as she moved. She had been one of the few brave ones to approach him during class, asking him about the characters on the board.

  Perhaps she admired his writing, or maybe his unusual precision fascinated her. Now she shyly offered him a small embroidered round patch with a crude but earnest flower. Isa happily accepted it through Arnold’s hands.

  ‘...’

  Izzy gazed at them in their shared mindscape with a complex expression. Her young mind was frighteningly good at talking. And flirting. With children. Somehow.

  Before he could exit the churchyard, someone tugged at his cuff.

  It was Mary. She looked up at him, her eyes wide with genuine surprise.

  “Wow, sir, you really are the popular one, ain't you? How’d you manage to charm the lot of them on your first day? Even Bennet can’t wrangle them like that!”

  ‘Yeah, I wonder about that too,’ Izzy nodded in agreement.

  ‘This is nothing. Just a couple of plays and talk.” Arnold smiled, trying his best to remain calm under Izzy’s order.

  ‘That is not nothing!’ Izzy protested loudly.

  “That is not nothing at all, sir! Why, you’ve a gift with the little ones, sir, a proper natural!” Mary’s eyes shone as if witnessing a prodigy.

  “Ha! Of course I am,” Arnold widened his grin.

  However, suspicion welled up within Izzy. Why was this girl suddenly showering Arnold with so many compliments?

  Izzy seized control of Arnold. As expected, his demeanor shifted instantly from friendly to cautious. The cheerful curve of his lips flattened, and his posture stiffened.

  This change happened so abruptly Mary took a startled step back.

  “And why are you here? You want something?” Arnold narrowed his eyes.

  “Aha, can’t pull the wool over your eyes, can I, sir?” Mary smiled sheepishly.

  She scratched her head, fiddled with her bangs nevously, then swayed on her feet like someone preparing to make a request.

  “Well, seeing as you are my client…” she trailed off.

  Arnold raised his brow. A wave of deja vu washed over him.

  ‘I see. That boy told her.’

  He remembered telling Bennet about their "client" relationship that morning. That must have spread immediately. This girl probably ran here the moment she heard it.

  Therefore, the only logical reason she came was…

  “You want more coins? Then lead me to The Lost Shepherd Pub.”

  “You are so understanding, sir! Right this way!” Mary beamed, her smile brighter than fresh snow under sunlight.

  Leaving aside the map, he had another reason for coming back to the village.

  Yesterday, after catching the four thugs, they promised to show up at the Lost Shepherd Pub if he wanted information. Since the hour had been late, he told them to meet today. They had proposed this pub.

  Of course, he didn’t truly expect them to show up. Instead, he simply wished to loiter and observe, as the day was still young.

  After some time walking through dusty paths and passing by familiar shabby houses, they finally arrived in front of the pub.

  “Here we are, sir!”

  Arnold took out a shilling and pressed it into her hand. The girl’s eyes widened as if she had just received a royal treasure.

  Noticing she was preparing to refuse out of propriety, he quickly added:

  “Consider this as an advance payment. I will rely on you again in the future.”

  “Ohh! Is this what they call a contract? A proper business arrangement! I’d be obliged, sir! Happy to serve!”

  The girl happily received the coin and hopped off like an excited rabbit.

  “If you need anything, seek me in the inner village! I am usually there peddling my blooms when the Rite draws near! Good day to you, sir!”

  Arnold turned on his heel and looked at the pub’s weathered entrance.

  Happy Christmas, everyone!

  To be honest, I don't know why Christmas is special. I'm not religious. No one gives gifts to anyone here in my country (or maybe they just don't give any to me, lol). People are still working on this day. No one is really saying 'Happy Christmas!' here.

  Maybe couples go out to enjoy a little date, then the man has to pull out his wallet and waste money on the girl, without even realizing he might just be feeding someone else's future wife.

  Well, it's suddenly taken a dark turn huh. Anyway!

  The scariest chapter: children!

  Pull the wool over your eyes: to deceive someone in order to prevent them from discovering something.

  I love reading the reader's comments, btw. Feel free to drop them! (yes I did read the previous chappy’s comments, my mood is kinda low lately, and your comments brightened my mood! Sometimes I forget to comment back, tho. Sorry!

  (I probably shouldn't be self-questioning too much, then answer all of it when no one even asked for it. silly me.)