Chapter 25
Serena waved her hand until the two became small dots in the distance. When they completely disappeared from sight, she picked up her things and went inside her house.
“Alright.”
She had bought many things, so there was a lot to carry. If Marcelo hadn’t helped her, it would have been hard to get home.
“I really bought a lot.”
Serena let out a small laugh as she spread various teaching materials on the floor. Maybe it was a bit too much. Still, she had tried her best to choose only what was necessary.
“Anyway, I should replace all the classroom materials. This puzzle… Joshua will definitely like it.”
It was a difficult puzzle for a seven-year-old, but it was perfect for Joshua.
As Serena was organizing her things one by one, she found something unfamiliar.
“Huh? This handkerchief… it’s not mine.”
What is this?
When she unfolded it, she saw a familiar symbol embroidered on it—a lion, the mark of the Freya family.
“Ah, it must have gotten mixed in when Mr. Marcelo was carrying the bags.”
The handkerchief smelled clean, like soap. It was the same nice scent that Marcelo had.
‘I should return it through Solphy on Monday.’
As Serena put the handkerchief into her bag so she wouldn’t forget, she recalled what had happened at the Knight Order a few days ago.
[May I ask for a visit to the Knight Order?]
[Of course. We will gladly cooperate. I’ll escort you.]
When she said she wanted to play “knight games” with the children, Marcelo had actively helped.
[This is the training ground. We usually do running, striking practice, and sparring. After training, we sit over there and eat honey-soaked lemons.]
Maybe because he was raising a child, Marcelo explained things in a way children would understand.
[If you need it, feel free to bring the children anytime. We’ll remove anything dangerous.]
Most of the parents who visited the kindergarten were mothers. Fathers were either uninterested in their children or showed too much interest in Serena, which made her uncomfortable.
‘Mr. Marcelo is really a good father.’
She even felt a little jealous of Solphy.
“….”
Serena glanced at the handkerchief in her bag.
Should she really return it through Solphy?
‘No, I’ll return it in person. And I can thank him for today.’
Yes, that would be better.
A bright smile appeared on Serena’s face.
Recently, Solphy had a new hobby.
Bird watching.
“Solphy! How is it? Did a bird come?”
“Not yet.”
“Keep going! It will come soon!”
During free playtime at the playground, Solphy was observing birds with her “Empire Bird Guide” and binoculars.
“Oh? A bird!”
It was small and round, with a short beak. It had a black head, white cheeks, soft blue wings, and a brown body.
“It’s a marsh tit!”
Solphy followed the bird’s movements with her binoculars. Then, a feather slowly fell.
She was about to pick it up but stopped. Then she quickly checked her bird guide.
“‘Marsh tits collect soft feathers to build their nests.’ So I shouldn’t take it.”
If the bird couldn’t build its home because of her, that would be bad!
As Solphy slowly stepped back, the bird came down to the ground.
“So cute! It looks like it’s going to take the feather!”
She watched it excitedly.
She wanted to touch its soft, round body, but if she did, it would probably get scared and run away. To such a small bird, she must look like a giant.
But then—the bird ignored the feather and flew toward Solphy!
“!”
It even started pecking at her pocket with its small beak.
“Huh?”
Solphy tilted her head.
Wasn’t it here for the feather?
Then…?
She shook her pocket. There was a peanut inside that Ricoris had given her in the morning.
The bird looked at the peanut in her palm.
“Oh, you like peanuts!”
Solphy broke the peanut into small pieces. The bird pecked at it, then grabbed a piece and flew away.
“Marsh tits like peanuts…”
In “Solphy’s Bird Guide,” she added a new fact. Then she picked up the feather and glued it next to her drawing.
“Hehe.”
Her bird guide was filling up nicely again today.
“Oh? There’s another bird!”
What kind of bird is it?
Excited, Solphy adjusted her binoculars—but the bird’s movement looked strange.
“What’s wrong? Is it drunk?”
There was something like that in the guide—birds that got drunk from fermented fruit.
While she was confused, the bird suddenly fell.
“Oh no!”
Solphy dropped her binoculars and ran toward it.
The blue-feathered bird hit a branch once and then fell to the ground.
“Bird, are you okay?”
She approached carefully so it wouldn’t get scared.
“Chirp…”
The bird made a weak sound and flapped its wings. It seemed like it was trying to fly, but it couldn’t get up.
When Solphy looked closer, she was shocked.
“I-it’s bleeding!”
From far away, she couldn’t tell—but up close, the bird was badly hurt.
Solphy carefully picked it up and ran to Serena.
“Teacheeer! Serena teacheeer!”
“Hm? Solphy, don’t run—”
“The bird is hurt!”
At her shout, the other children gathered around.
“Oh no, it’s hurt.”
“Poor bird.”
“It’s so small…”
After checking the bird, Serena made a quick decision.
“Everyone, let’s go back to the classroom for today. We need to treat this bird. Let’s call the others.”
“Giraffe Class, gather!”
All the children shouted together, and soon everyone came running.
They returned to the classroom.
“Teacher! What do we do?”
“Will it die? Can we save it?”
While Serena treated the bird with a first aid kit, the children were very anxious.
“The bird will be okay. Teacher Serena healed an injured rabbit before.”
Solphy tried to stay calm.
But then a cold voice cut in—
“Weak ones don’t survive.”
Joshua said it simply and walked away.
Solphy looked at him.
‘Is that true?’
Joshua was very smart. Usually, he was right.
But…
Solphy wished for a miracle. She closed her eyes and prayed.
“Please make the bird better. I’ll visit the temple more often. I promise.”
“Please don’t let the bird hurt. I’ll go to the temple with Solphy.”
Ricoris joined her prayer. Soon, more children began praying too.
After finishing the treatment, Serena wiped the sweat from her forehead.
“Phew. Thanks to all of you worrying, the bird will be okay.”
“Really?”
“Of course. It’s not badly hurt. Just its wing and leg. Tomorrow it will rain, so it would have been dangerous outside. Solphy did a great job bringing it here.”
“That’s a relief…”
Solphy checked the bird. The blood was cleaned, and it was wrapped in bandages. It looked much better now.
“Phew…”
“You were very worried, weren’t you?”
Serena gently patted her shoulder. Only then did Solphy feel at ease.
The bird had white feathers and a long tail, with beautiful blue feathers. It looked elegant.
“Alright, everyone, gather here.”
Serena clapped her hands, and the children came together.
“You’re all worried about the bird, right? The treatment is done. But what should we do when someone is hurt?”
“They should rest!”
“That’s right. The bird needs to rest. Can you help it rest comfortably?”
“Yes!”
“Then this bird will stay in Giraffe Class for a while. Let’s give it a name. Any ideas?”
“Me! ‘Grape’ because it’s blue!”
“That’s food! I think ‘Blue Bird’ is better!”
“How about ‘Strongy’ so it becomes strong?”
Serena wrote all the names on the board and had them vote.
The chosen name was Strongy.
“Solphy, can you lend me your bird guide?”
“Yes!”
Solphy quickly brought it.
Serena flipped through the pages and stopped midway.
“Strongy is a Blue Water-Tail Feather Bird. It likes playing in water. Its feathers are blue, but they turn white in cold weather. I’ll write down its features, so you can read more later.”
“Yes!”
After that, Serena and the children made a cage together.
“We need a dish for water.”
“There’s water over there!”
“It likes water, but drinking water and playing water should be different!”
With the children’s help, the cage was soon ready.
Serena placed a handkerchief at the bottom so the bird could rest comfortably.
Then—
‘Huh? That looks like my dad’s handkerchief?’
