Do ratmen dream of the sacred tree of spirits?

Chapter 61 The Banquet

Today is the last day of the first semester at the Death God's East District School for the Poor Children.

Fafner woke up half an hour earlier than usual.

Tomorrow is Mr. Victor's promotion banquet, and I'm already feeling quite unsettled.

He lay in bed staring at the ceiling, his mind replaying Mr. Victor's words: "My term has only six months left," and "I'm being transferred to the Eastern Regional Joint Court as Vice Chief Judge."

Half a year

That is, at the end of the next semester,

Fafnir got up, quickly washed up, and put on his priest's robes.

It wasn't fully light when I went out.

Fafner was walking on the road to the East End. There weren't many pedestrians on the road, and a few dockworkers who were up early to finish their work walked past him.

Fafnir was thinking of Mr. Victor.

It's been over two years since I moved from grammar school to this school for children from poor families.

He still remembered the first day he came to the grammar school, when Mr. Victor was sitting in a carriage, "so we were colleagues, in a way."

From being seven years old and knowing nothing, to now being ten years old, I know first-order spells and can barely manage second-order fireball spells. I am a first-level assistant priest.

Mr. Victor taught him a lot.

It's not just about techniques, but also about how to deal with other people's prejudices and how to help those who are weaker than yourself.

Fafnir stood there for a moment, lost in thought.

When Anna arrived at the school, she was already in the church, placing brand-new notebooks on the table. These notebooks had been bought with money donated by Miss Joël and Mr. Victor.

Fafnir also plans to have the church renovated during the holidays. He might build a temporary shed in the front and back courtyards, but constructing a new classroom will take longer; he'll take it slowly.

This would allow them to enroll more students, and Fafner, through a semester of teaching, had already observed that the gap in learning progress among many children had widened.

Two classes can be taught in a differentiated manner.

"Good morning, Fafnir," Anna glanced up at him. "You're here earlier than usual today."

"Hello, Ms. Anna. I woke up early today and came right away."

Fafnir put down the cloth bag he was carrying and began to help tidy up the classroom and arrange the notebooks.

The children arrived one after another.

Eileen arrived exceptionally early today; the purplish-blue bruise on her face had completely disappeared—Fafner had purchased a batch of medicine from the Church of the God of Death in Lorraine for the children.

It must be said that the quality of medicines at the Church of the God of Death's hospital is really high; I wonder if it's because some kind of spiritual material has been added.

Good morning, Professor Fafnir.

Good morning, Eileen.

Eileen sat down in her seat, took a small notebook out of her bag, and opened it.

"Professor Fafnir, why are there several new notebooks on my desk?"

"Today is your last day of class this semester. Tomorrow you will have a month-long vacation."

These notebooks are for you to practice writing Common Language at home. Study hard; they were bought with donations from kind people in the church.

When Luca came in, he was carrying a cloth bag that was bulging with contents.

"Professor Fafnir, this is what my mother asked me to bring to you," he placed the cloth bag on the podium. "It's sauerkraut that my mother pickled."

"Please thank your mother for me, and please accept these ten copper coins."

Fafnir readily accepted Luca's gift, and casually pulled a ten-yuan copper coin from his pocket.

Luca seemed unprepared for this situation and accepted the money after Fafnir's repeated urging.

The school bell—actually a hand-cranked bell Anna bought from a flea market—rang three times.

The children sat down one by one, forty-seven in total, not one missing.

Fafnir stood on the podium, looking at the faces below. Some eyes were full of expectation and joy, while others seemed lifeless.

"Class, today is the last day," Fafnir said. "We won't start any new lessons; we'll just review the vocabulary and then we'll go home."

He picked up the chalk and wrote a few words on the blackboard.

"poverty."

"difficulty."

"hope."

"Knowledge."

"Change."

……

Then he added a few more words at the bottom.

Goodbye, and happy holidays!

The children repeated after them.

When the teacher read out, "Goodbye, happy holidays!" the classroom fell silent for a moment.

Eileen raised her hand.

"Teacher, will you still be teaching us next semester?"

Fafner looked into her eyes: "Of course."

Eileen put her hand down.

Luca, sitting in the back row, raised his hand again: "Mr. Fafnir, can my sister come next semester? She's six years old."

"Of course, let her register when school starts."

Luca grinned.

Fafnir put down the chalk and had Martha and Allen distribute the candy they had exchanged at the cafeteria to each child—two pieces each.

The children took the candy; some unwrapped it and ate it on the spot, while others stuffed it into their pockets, reluctant to eat it.

Eileen held the two candies tightly in her hand.

When school was over, Fafnir stood at the church door, seeing the children off one by one.

Eileen was the last to come out. She stopped at the door, turned around, and tilted her head slightly to look at Fafner.

"Teacher, I will practice calligraphy during the holidays."

"it is good."

"I will practice every day."

"Go for it, Eileen! Best wishes and have a great holiday."

……

Fafner left his dormitory at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday.

The banquet was held at the Church of the God of Death in Lorraine, the same large auditorium where the opening ceremony was held.

When Fafnir arrived, several carriages were already parked in front of the church, including church carriages adorned with raven feathers and private carriages bearing various family crests.

He walked through the church doors, and a waiter in a white shirt came up to him, glanced at the brown feather on his chest, and bowed slightly: "Good day, priest, this way please."

Fafner was led to the entrance of the Great Hall.

The original chairs in the auditorium have been moved, and the room is now furnished very elegantly.

Several long tables were covered with white tablecloths, and set with silver candlesticks and fresh flowers. Rows of glasses gleamed in the candlelight on the dining table against the wall.

Quite a few people have already arrived.

Fafnir glanced around and saw Hans and Gregory standing by the window, chatting over glasses. When Hans saw him, he raised his glass to him.

They also saw Bishop Kingsley Demery, who was standing at the other end of the long table, talking to an elderly man whom Fafnir did not recognize, and seemed more relaxed than usual.

Sister Fanning was sitting in a chair in the corner, holding a dark drink in her hand, looking down at something, when Fafnir walked over to greet her.

"Sister Fanning, hello."

"Oh, Mouseman, you've come," she said, looking up.

His gaze swept over him: "You're dressed quite neatly."

"thank you."

"Victor is getting ready in the back, he'll be out in a bit," she gestured towards the chair next to her, "Have a seat."

Fafner sat down and placed the greeting card on the table.

More and more people,

I also saw Captain Campbell, who was wearing a military uniform, standing straight, and whispering something to someone wearing the same uniform.