“It’s not impossible but…” Greenstone shook his head and sighed, “Just too difficult.”

“Oliver’s Great Grandfather did it!” Orna retorted angrily.

“Mister Kale was an amazing man… But do you know how he became a ‘Miner’?”

“Umm… He was really good at mining?”

“Yes. He was very good! The best! He started mining when he was five! He spent his entire childhood and adolescence in the mines! He got married in the mines! His wife gave birth in the mines! He lived every day of his life until he died in the mines! He was only twenty five years old! *Cough-cough-cough~!*”

“Grandpa! Are you okay?!” Forest shouted anxiously and the other little kids reacted a step later, when they saw the muscular old man struggling to breathe. However, he eventually sat down on the grass and started drinking some hot tea that a blonde-haired woman handed over to him.

“Thank… Thank you, Emerald.”

“Dad… You can’t keep getting so worked up like this.” The woman already had some wrinkles at the corner of her green eyes and a few white hairs on her head, but she was only in her late twenties.

“I’m sorry Grandpa…” On the other hand, Orna was still crying and feeling guilty.

“It’s not your fault. Listen, Child, Mister Kale is a great example to us all… A negative one. Although he achieved an amazing feat in his short life, he only managed to make it to the starting line.”

The old man showed the girl his forearm with the word ‘Teacher’ tattooed in black, then he pointed towards a very faint vertical line after it. He asked the kids, “Can you see this? This… Is something I haven’t taught you yet.”

“Isn’t that an ‘L’?” Forest asked while scratching his brown hair in confusion.

Barilo sneered, “It’s not an L, idiot, it’s obviously an ‘i’!” 

“I’m not an idiot!”

“Shush.” Greenstone glared at the two boys and they quickly stopped bickering, “This is a Cursed Number. This ‘I’ represents one. Getting a Cursed Word isn’t the end, Orna. It’s only the beginning. ‘V’ is the Cursed Number that represents five… When I was younger, I only made it to four. But the Cursed Number looked like this.”

[IV]

“Ivy? That’s my name! Hehehe~!” Another little girl with black hair started giggling, squinting her dark brown eyes.

“Yes, it looks like IV, but it means four. I don’t know why… I’m only a Teacher, not a Scholar, Historian or Philologist.”

“What’s a Philologist? Such a weird word…” Forest snickered after saying it.

“A Philologist is a person who studies the history of languages.” 

Orna answered before Greenstone could speak. Then he looked at the little girl in surprise, “That’s right. Maybe you really would have a chance to become a Teacher on your own in the future… I just don’t want you to waste your life or your potential.”

“I understand, Grandpa. But becoming a Teacher isn’t like being a Miner.” Orna smirked, “I can go to the Capital and go to school! I heard from Mama that there are places called Colleges where people can learn all kinds of things!”

“Cool!”

“Awesome!”

The two boys shouted at the same time. However, Emerald just sighed and shook her head, sitting down on a wooden chair, sipping her own tea. Greenstone looked at his daughter and rolled his eyes, then turned back to the excited kids.

“Yes, yes, Colleges are amazing… As long as you have money. Even if you want to get a scholarship, you still need connections. Just making it all the way to the Capital is already a nearly impossible task. That’s thousands of kilometers across mountains, rivers, lakes… There are all kinds of terrifying beasts, bandits, monsters… *Cough~!* Eh-hem… So my advice is to just inherit my Curse. Not now, but maybe in a few years. You’re already nine now. Soon you’ll be getting married and having kids of your own.”

“Dad!”

“Don’t Dad me. You’re almost thirty. It’s time for you to start having kids now too. Before it’s too late. Don’t be like me and wait until you’re in your thirties-”

“Stop. I’m not getting married. I don’t want kids. I already have to take care of enough children as it is…”

There was an awkward silence for a while between the five kids and two adults. Finally, Ivy asked, “Grandpa… Can we turn in the Homework now?”

“Ah, yes, you’re finished already?”

“Unlike Orna, the rest of us just answered the questions normally.” The little girl smirked and stuck her tongue out at her pouting friend.

“Here, let me see…” Greenstone took Ivy’s homework first. Then he took out a red marker, putting checks next to every correct answer. She didn’t actually get anything wrong, so it only took a few seconds for him to write ‘100%!’ at the top of the page. He handed it back to the child and smiled, “It looks like you’ve all been paying attention in class. You didn’t even have to discuss your answers with each other.”

“We don’t need to cheat like the other kids.” Barilo handed over his own paper as well.

“It’s just homework. Even if you just copied it from each other, I would still be satisfied. It means you’ve at least put in the effort it takes to look at the answer and copy it down.”

After grading all the homework, including Orna who was last, the old man coughed a few more times and waved the little kids away.

“Now go home or go play. Enjoy yourselves while you still can… It won’t be long before you have to start working. When Oliver was your age, he was already helping his parents in the mine. Now he’s a real Miner.”

“I don’t wanna be a miner!” Forest shouted, “I wanna be a hunter like my dad!”

“What’s wrong with mining?! I wanna be a miner like Oliver and my parents!”

“I’m gonna be a merchant like my parents and sell pretty crystals and gemstones.” The third girl spoke. She had blue eyes, red hair and dark brown skin, which stood out quite a bit against the other children.

“Verna…” Greenstone coughed again, “Whether it’s mining, hunting or being a wandering merchant, those are all very dangerous jobs. Why don’t you pick up a craft? Like glass-blowing, blacksmithing or carpentry? Even being a lumberjack is a better choice.”

“I heard that Doctor Klein is coming back to treat Forest’s dad.” Ivy spoke in a quiet voice, “Umm, I thought… Maybe I could try to be his apprentice?”

“Being a doctor is admirable and the pay is nice, but…” The old man frowned, “Ivy, you need to understand that the world is a very dangerous place. If Klein wasn’t strong and resourceful enough, even having a Cursed Word wouldn’t be enough to save himself back then… He doesn’t take on apprentices anymore.”

“Maybe he’ll change his mind now? I heard he became a Plague Doctor and is super famous now!”

“He became a Plague Doctor by surviving and treating a plague!” Greenstone retorted angrily, “Anyway, what the hell are you brats still doing here?! Go! Scram!”

After the kids left, the old man started coughing violently again. Emerald watched as her father’s white beard and pale, wrinkled hand were both stained with a bit of blood. Then she sighed and murmured, “The last time Klein came to Verde was a few years ago. When Oliver’s parents…”

“Yeah…” Greenstone smiled wryly and looked down at his bloody palm, “I hope he’s gotten stronger now… I know it’s too late for me, but I’m really tired Emerald. I’m already like this and I’m just a Teacher. I can’t imagine how that brat Klein feels.”

“I’ll try to make him feel a little better.”

The old man rolled his eyes, “Make him feel so good that he gives me a grandson!”

“Dad!”