There were all sorts of people among the refugees that relocated into the .
First was the demonkin group which was originally a community of fellow folks.
These individuals originally had no place in human society and were either living a reclusive life in a village hidden from other people's sight or traveling in caravans from one place to another in search of a safe place.
As of now, these people have settled in the , making their villages alongside other demonkin who had similar lifestyles and leading their lives.
Aside from them, some people didn't have any group that they could take shelter in nor did they have any place to go back to.
Then came the children. Those who were coming of age were taken in for menial tasks.
And at last, there were those deemed unfit for labor; orphans without anyone to look after them, halflings who were targets of discrimination, and slaves who were abandoned by their masters when everyone was busy fleeing for their lives.
Hence, I built several buildings using to provide these kids a place to get treated and a facility where they could take education.
"------ Boarding House!"
I created a boarding house near the research tower, which was originally a space-time flotsam that drifted here and was later refurbished, after clearing the land which became a home for the children.
The dormitory contained a dining hall and plenty of four-person rooms, allowing almost 300 children to live together.
"If this huge building will be the place for the children to live in, then what is that huge building over there for, Majou-sama?"
Facing the boarding house, I also created a school building with spacious classrooms using .
The current school included many orphans, halflings, and former underaged slaves. Taking on the role of teachers were the educated adults among the residents, former slaves, or the elderly with a variety of skills.
This building was something I made with so it didn't have anything at all. The necessary materials and facilities were being prepared by Baretta and the others.
"What are you going to teach here, Majou-sama?"
"It would basically be reading, writing, and arithmetic. Additionally, I am also planning to have them learn about blacksmithing, woodworking, and potion making depending on the children's aspirations and aptitude."
However, regarding specific skills instruction, we were currently in the process of deciding in consultation with the teachers.
Currently, some of the members of the maid group who had free time on their hands were gradually teaching the children the fundamentals of reading, writing, and arithmetic, starting with picture books. There were also the familiars of Teto, who were the Earthnoids and the Golems, assisting them and playing with the children on their breaks with the playground equipment prepared beforehand.
"Woah, it's Majou-sama! Hey!" "Hello, Majou-sama, Teto onee-chan!" "Thank you for the delicious food and warm bed!" "Teto onee-chan! Let's play together again!"
When we arrived at the school building, children approached us one by one to say their greetings and thanks.
There were also small size mythical beasts, like Cu-Sith and Cat-Sith, mixed in with the children, apparently playing together with them.
Of course, they weren't simply playing along with the kids. They were also keeping an eye on them and showing them the ropes about many things too. It seemed like they were absorbing a tiny amount of mana released by the kids, but for the most part, they were acting as playmates to them.
Then, one of the kids asked me something.
"Majou-sama! Teach me magic!"
"Ah, unfair! I also want to learn magic!" "I also want to become a magician like Majou-sama!" "I want to manipulate the soil like Teto onee-chan!"
Once one kid said his request, the others also followed suit and excitedly raised their voices.
Their sudden request put me in an awkward situation.
Magic wasn't something that could be taught without any consideration, but after being exposed to their gazes filled with pure respect, I just couldn't find it in myself to turn down their request.
"Ugh......O, Okay. Let me think about the game involving magic."
"Teto will also play together!"
In the end, I decided to teach the kids and within the context of a game.
"Let's first begin with sensing mana. Everyone, hold hands and form a circle."
Teto and I also joined in and held hands with the kids, with both of us standing on opposite sides.
"Alright guys, I will now slowly let my mana flow into all of you, so focus your senses on your hands."
I said that and then circulated my mana among the kids.
Feeling the warm sensation from the mana that flowed through their palms at once, the children let out surprised yelps at first. Meanwhile, Teto, standing on the opposite side of me, took in the mana herself.
Over time, the children seemed to get used to sensing the mana flow through their bodies.
"Did it surprise you? Now, we will play a rhythm with the mana."
------Tap, Tap, Tap. Tap, Tap, Tap.
Just circulating the mana would be boring, so I did it while playing a rhythm, like a nursery rhyme for kids. The children, matching my rhythm, raise their voices in harmony.
" " "------Tap, Tap, Ta-Ta-Ta-Tap!" " "
"Just like that. Now, we will make it a bit more challenging."
------Thunk, thunk, Th-Th-Th-Thunk!
After a while of continuing the game through various rhythms, the children gradually got the hang of sensing mana and they next learned to manipulate their own mana to some extent.
But since the mana capacity of the children was still weak, they linked hands in pairs, synchronized their magic rhythms, and started trying themselves.
This method later spread among the other children who weren't there at that time and with more practice, it began to develop their ability to sense and control magic during their playtime.
I taught them one more thing------
"Everyone is doing great, so let's play a little game. Watch carefully------ ."
I visualized and produced a tiny lump of mana on my index finger. With a light flick, it flew in a parabolic trajectory. One of the Cu Sith who saw it leaped up like a spring and chomped it down.
"Do you see? This tiny mana lump is the snack of mythical beasts. So you can also do it like this--- catch!"
I reproduced another mana ball and flicked it. This time, a Cat Sith dashed for it and bit it down.
"Woahh, amazing!" "Ohh, Doggie and Kitty ate it!" "It looks fun! We also want to try it!"
After seeing that, the children raised voices laced with enthusiasm as they also concentrated and tried to copy me.
This spell that made a non-offensive magical ball was originally the Church's which emitted a shockwave of pure magical energy but was later improvised by me. For the mythical creatures who absorb magic from external sources, these magical balls serve as treats.
Correction, it wasn’t just mythical beasts who treat them as treats, there was one more person---
"Majou-sama...... Teto also wants to try eating it."
"Fine. ------."
"Ummm~ Majou-sama's mana is really tasty."
I usually used to supplement Teto with mana, but this different way of ingesting mana seemed to have provided another kind of sensation as she squinted her eyes in delight, savoring the taste.
Like that, I continue to teach children magic skills through games and soon, it was evening. The demonkin who had volunteered to take care of the kids took them back to the boarding house.
The kids already lived together with the demonkin in the refugee camp, so there was no issue about leaving the caretaking to them.
"Today was fun, Majou-sama!"
"I feel the same. Looking at their bright faces further motivates me to make sure they grow up to be strong and independent.”
"Teto is sure they will, Majou-sama! Everyone is eating properly, sleeping well, and full of energy!"
Their once frightened and hollowed expressions in the refugee camp were now replaced with innocent smiling faces as they chased after the mythical beasts. I couldn’t be any happier about my decision.
Time passed like this and three months later, the school started its operations.
But since we had children of varying ages, we settled on the promotion system based on the proficiency level of their chosen subject and then set up the classes by age.
At the very least, reading, writing, and arithmetic were made mandatory, and we also offered elective courses such as agriculture, woodworking, potion making, and combat, providing choices for their future.
One day after that, Baretta came to me with a petition document from all the other settlements.
<master, we="" seem="" to="" have="" a="" request="" from="" the="" other="" demonkin="" villages.=""></master,>
"Requests? What kind?"
With the school now being functional, the words about the value of the school's lessons and their usefulness spread among the others and so, such requests started coming from demonkin villages.
Though there was a misconception in that report.
"I do want to accommodate their request personally, but I don't remember our school teaching magic."
</apparently,>
Ah, that was indeed magic training in disguise.
"I only taught the kids a game that uses mana, so do convey that there are no classes for magic in the school, but we will positively consider those who wish to attend it. Aside from that, are there any issues in integrating these children into the school?"
"You have a point. But the burden on the current teachers would increase if we set up a classroom just for the children of demonkin."
After that, I discussed this topic with Baretta and the other instructors in detail.
Personally speaking, the school was a temporary place until the children could become self-reliant. However, word about it continued to circulate and more demonkin wishing for their children to attend the school began to appear.
"At this rate, we need to change the system so that it can facilitate progressive education......"
As a result of our discussion, I built some small-scale cram school-like facilities in each village for demonkin children with the same curriculum as the other schools, mainly focusing on reading, writing, and arithmetic.
As for the elective classes, the main focus was on teaching children about their respective race's specialty while also providing opportunities for the children interested in other lessons.
Then, just like with the other children from the main school, I visited each cram school and taught the demonkin children there about the game using mana.
Like this, the cram schools for the demonic race were established, and several years later, the children of the main school graduated.
Some of the kids became artisans and skilled workers and managed to stand up on their own two feet.
Some kids embarked on the path of becoming adventurers.
Some took a liking to the trading the angelkin and dragon-demonkin were doing and stepped up to manage the store that was the foundation of the .
Some fell in love with the demonkin of the opposite gender whom they had met in school and chose to stay in the , instead of venturing outside.
And finally, some of those who stayed became teachers of the cram schools in the human settlements.
With the graduation of the children, the school, originally built on the idea of making the children independent, had finally served its purpose.
It was something of an excerpt from the future------ the remaining boarding house and the other buildings continued to attract children irrespective of race who wished to study and with it being repurposed later down the line, it eventually became one of the world's most prominent universities several hundred years later.
