After breakfast, Ivan had intended to go back to the construction site with Ken, but a burst of commotion outside caught his attention.
"Classes at the school opened by the lord are about to begin! Anyone who wants to attend can register today!"
Ivan went outside to ask around, then returned and called his children over.
"The school is accepting registrations today. Let's go take a look together."
Seeing that the two of them wanted to say something, Ivan waved them off. "We're only going to ask around first. Who knows what this free school even teaches, or whether it'll last. We'll decide after we understand more."
Ken and Gaia exchanged a glance, then finally nodded.
The three hurriedly got ready. Gaia put on her best dress, one her mother had made for her. It was a little small now, but at least it had no patches.
Ken and Ivan went to the riverside to wash up. They were both honest fishermen who knew little about schools. They only knew that attending school meant learning to read, but that did nothing to lessen the reverence they felt toward it.
Every time the tax collector casually made a few marks with his charcoal pencil, he could tell them exactly how much tax they owed. Ken had envied that skill for a long time. When selling a fish, he had to count on his fingers for ages.
He just didn't know whether the school would teach bookkeeping.
Probably not. Old Ivan had asked before. Teachers who taught bookkeeping charged fifty Leo per lesson, and they were unwilling to teach mud-footed peasants like them. The only people who could afford to hire such teachers were wealthy merchants.
The three changed into their most presentable clothes and carefully combed their hair before heading to