Chapter 29: Class Time

"Good afternoon, children."

Loren never expected he would actually stand before a classroom one day, and he felt somewhat emotional.

The students in the classroom were clearly divided into two groups. One group wore exquisitely crafted school uniforms, while the other group's uniforms were permeated with a sense of cheapness. Moreover, the group with the fine uniforms made up the majority.

The academy's official uniforms were very expensive, so these commoner children generally chose to sew their own. Even with superb craftsmanship, it couldn't mask the poor quality of the materials.

These two groups of students weren't sitting together. An invisible barrier already existed between them, and Loren couldn't do much about it.

"Good afternoon, Master Mentor!"

Upon seeing Loren, both commoners and nobles felt excitement. Loren was renowned far and wide, and his works appealed to both refined and popular tastes. He had symphonies that required an orchestra to perform in a theater, as well as nursery rhymes children could hum casually. But the songs weren't the main point; his title of "Mentor" was the real focus.

Of course, there was another reason: Loren's appearance wasn't bad, and he also possessed a curse that increased favorability.

Seeing the children's high spirits, Loren simply tossed the textbook aside.

A blonde girl sitting in the front row raised her hand first. Loren had some impression of her; she was the Princess of the Gedlan Kingdom, the old King's daughter. He had to admit, that old geezer had some skills—the Princess was only about sixteen, while the King was already over a hundred.

As for her fate, Loren wasn't sure. In any case, once the war started, all the royalty and nobility fled. Players' only interaction with her was stopping her carriage to rob her on her escape route and incidentally killing her.

Loren smiled and gestured for her to stand up. As she rose, the Princess flipped her golden hair, exuding a sense of pride.

"My name is Sylvia Freheim. Thank you for choosing me."

Upon standing, Sylvia first introduced herself to Loren instead of immediately stating her question.

"Freheim, the royal family's surname. What do you want to ask, Sylvia?"

Loren understood her intention. She wanted Loren to know she was the Princess. The old King probably had some arrangement, or perhaps she herself wanted to gain more of Loren's attention.

"I want to know more about the Vampires. Where do they exist?"

Girls of this age were indeed interested in such things. Compared to those monsters, mysterious races like vampires were more fascinating.

"Vampires hide in various places. There might even be vampires in this very city. Like human nobility, vampires also have titles, but their titles are only related to the purity of their bloodline."

"Since vampires fear the sun, most vampires exist within the domain of the God of Night and Thunder. Many vampires are His followers."

"Vampires with sufficiently pure bloodlines aren't very afraid of the sun. Moreover, they have long lifespans, and their magical talent far surpasses that of humans."

"Then why is it humans who rule the world now?"

Someone in the crowd posed a new question. Most of the classmates cast curious glances. Loren continued his explanation.

"It's a simple principle. There are many humans. Even if it takes a hundred human mages to defeat one vampire, that's still more than enough. Furthermore, humans also have divine protection. Even within the domain of the God of Night and Thunder, vampires cannot harm humans arbitrarily."

Loren didn't mention the things everyone already knew, only sharing the lesser-known information. The students listened and began to marvel. Loren quite enjoyed this simple feeling.

"Alright, who has a question now?"

In a short time, Loren had used his knowledge to impress these children, and the atmosphere was energized. When Loren asked this question, more than half the class raised their hands, and the vast majority of that half were nobles.

Especially a girl in the back row. Her hand had just extended halfway before she noticed someone looking at her and put it down again.

In the end, Loren pointed to a commoner child. When she realized Loren had actually chosen her, she seemed overwhelmed by the unexpected favor, as if even she herself thought Loren wouldn't pick her.

Due to excitement, her face flushed a little as she stood up.

"Master Mentor, I want to know about the Merfolk! Do they really exist in this world?"

Loren nodded. The girl immediately became excited. Not just her, everyone in the class quieted down, waiting for Loren's answer.

"Of course they exist. It's not a secret. Merfolk exist in the deep sea of the Endless Ocean. They aren't much different from humans; there isn't even reproductive isolation."

"However, they don't have much goodwill towards humans. Beautiful mermaids can lure sailors to jump into the sea, but ugly sea witches will save creatures who have fallen into the water."

"All merfolk are subjects of the Dawn Princess. After the Dawn Princess died, they chose to enter the deep sea to avoid the gods."

After Loren finished speaking, the class began to buzz with discussion.

"Is the Dawn Princess the one who committed blasphemy back then, which led to her kingdom's destruction?"

"Yes, it's her. I never imagined the merfolk were her subjects..."

"So the merfolk are suffering like this because of her sin..."

There were many discussions like this. No one questioned Loren's words. To question Loren was to question the Church and the King.

Listening to them, Loren felt a bit uncomfortable. There were some things he couldn't say. For example, the Dawn Princess was the strongest human of her time. She died at the hands of the Orthodox Gods to stop them from enslaving humanity. In the end, she transformed her subjects into merfolk to avoid being completely slaughtered by the Orthodox Gods.

If he said this, although Loren wouldn't pay with his life like others, he wouldn't have an easy time either.

In the end, Loren could only signal for everyone to quiet down. One day, he would be able to reveal the whole truth.

"Now, who else has something they want to ask?"

This time, whether commoner or noble, most raised their hands. Loren noticed the girl in the back row had once again lowered her hand, looking preoccupied, as if struggling with whether her question should be asked.

"You, the girl with the deep blue hair in the back row. Do you have something you want to ask?"

Loren bypassed the others and directly called on the girl. She pointed at herself, somewhat dazed, until a classmate next to her tugged her, and she abruptly stood up.

"Luna, do you want to ask the Master Mentor if there's a Weaving Fairy who can save your pathetic clothes? Hahaha..."

As the girl stood up, Sylvia suddenly began to mock her, and the other classmates in the room joined in with laughter.

Loren felt displeased. He hadn't expected bullying to occur right under his nose. In his heart, his evaluation of Sylvia instantly dropped to its lowest point. Loren detested people who bullied the weak.

So, Loren slammed the table heavily, his tone carrying a hint of anger.

"Quiet!"

As soon as the words fell, the classroom quieted down again. Sylvia was directly frightened. Then, Loren's tone became gentle once more.

"Luna, pay no mind to what others say. You are lovely. What do you want to ask?"

Luna had been keeping her head down, clearly accustomed to everyone's mockery. But upon hearing Loren's encouragement, she raised her head again, a faint light gleaming in her eyes.

"Master Mentor, what is your view on Witches?"