I Became a Kindergarten Teacher for Monster Babies!

The chaos only grew wilder.

Kelpie, who had been quietly crouched by the river's edge, decided it was the perfect moment for playing. With a glint in his eyes, he let a wave of water sneak across the stones and wrap around Luna's ankle. She gasped as the current tugged her feet right out from under her, and with a startled shriek, she splashed back into the river.

"Drakeee!" Luna roared, convinced it was his doing. She flailed her arms furiously, hair plastered over her eyes. "I'll bite you alive!"

Drake, who had been puffing his chest with pride, froze instantly. His amber eyes widened like saucers, and he squeaked, "Weeeeeee!!! It wasn't me!!!"

But Boo wasn't about to waste the opportunity. He floated dramatically above the water, arms spread wide, and shouted, "There's a water monster!! It lives here!! It drags babies inside and eats their toes!!!" His voice echoed across the meadow like some ghostly announcement.

Rocky, who had just tiptoed closer to see what was going on, turned pale as a pebble. "M-M-Monster??" he stammered. Before he could run, Kelpie's sneaky wave curled around his legs, and splash! he was yanked into the shallow water. His scream cracked like thunder, but it was quickly drowned out by Luna's growls and Boo's dramatic wailing.

Meanwhile, poor Drake was shaking so hard his wings twitched uncontrollably. His survival instincts kicked in, and he leapt straight into Vlad Jr.'s lap, hugging him as if his life depended on it. "Save me, Vlad Jr.! I don't wanna lose my toes!!!" he sobbed.

Vlad Jr., elegant as always, sighed deeply, though his jaw twitched as he patted Drake stiffly on the head. "Calm yourself. There is no such thing as a water monster," he muttered coolly but his eyes flicked suspiciously toward the rippling water, betraying that even he wasn't entirely convinced.

Not far away, Alina stood at a distance with Dante, completely unaware of the chaos unraveling by the river. She was nodding attentively as Dante explained more about elemental stability, while behind her, the babies were being "attacked" by a very sneaky water trickster and an overdramatic ghost storyteller.

Sable, full of courage, ran straight to the edge of the river, his little fists clenched. "Don't worry, I'll save Luna and Rocky!!" he shouted bravely. But the moment his toes touched the water, Kelpie's current curled like a mischievous hand and—splash!—Sable vanished right into the stream with them.

"Waaaaahhh!" he cried as the water soaked him, his shadows flaring around him in a panic.

Now there were three children flailing in the water, Luna growling like an angry wolf pup, Rocky squealing in terror, and Sable sobbing as he tried to swim. Boo floated above the scene, clutching his belly from laughing so hard. "The monster is getting stronger! It already ate three babies!" he howled dramatically.

Drake's eyes nearly popped out of his head. His little wings flapped furiously, his whole body trembling. "It's real!!! The monster is real!!!" he wailed, hiding his face in Vlad Jr.'s cape. "We're next!!"

Felix and Lucien, who had been quietly sitting on the rocks with fruit in their hands, froze mid-bite. Their mouths hung open as they watched the chaos unfold. But unlike the others, they weren't fooled. Lucien's crimson eyes narrowed as he followed the trail of water curving unnaturally around the children, and Felix tilted his head with a sly fox-like grin.

"It's Kelpie," Lucien said flatly, his voice calm despite the madness.

Felix licked juice off his fingers, his lips twitching with amusement. "Of course it is. Who else would turn playtime into a flood?"

Finally, Alina and Dante, who had been in the middle of a serious discussion about elemental flow, turned at the sound of all the screaming.

"Teacher! Save us! The monster is eating Lunaaa!!" Rocky's voice rang out in pure despair.

Alina's eyes widened in horror as she saw three babies splashing wildly in the shallow water. She gasped and started rushing toward them.

Dante's expression, on the other hand, turned cold and sharp. His crimson gaze flickered once to Kelpie, whose guilty little face peeked above the waves, before he slowly straightened to his full height. Shadows rippled at his feet, the air around him suddenly heavy with his aura.

"Kelpie!" Dante's voice snapped so sharply and dangerously that even Alina's heart skipped. The babies froze at once, their splashing falling into sudden silence.

Startled, Alina hurriedly waded forward, pulling the soaked little ones from the water one by one. Rocky clung to her arm with trembling fingers, Sable sniffled as his shadows curled around his wet clothes, and Luna growled softly, dripping from head to toe but clearly more angry than afraid. Last, she reached down for Kelpie, who hung his head low, guilt written all over his flushed cheeks.

"Kelpie," Alina said quickly before Dante could unleash his wrath, her tone firm but gentle. She crouched down so she could look into his eyes. "You shouldn't scare your classmates like that. Look at Luna, Rocky and Sable—they're still shaking. And Drake… just look at him, he's about to faint from how scared he was."

"I… I just wanted to play," Kelpie mumbled, his voice small, his pale cheeks glowing red. Drops of water still dripped from his hair as he avoided her gaze.

Dante's lips pressed into a thin line, his crimson eyes burning with quiet authority. With a flick of his fingers, he summoned one of his shadow demons. At once, a dark mist swirled around the children, drying their clothes and warming their skin until not a drop of water remained. The babies gasped, amazed, their fear momentarily forgotten.

"I wasn't scared, teacher," Luna muttered stubbornly, crossing her arms as if daring anyone to say otherwise.

"Yes, yes!" Drake added, puffing up his chest with false bravado. "I was just… acting! Really good acting!" He grinned, though his wings twitched nervously, betraying the memory of his earlier terror.

Vlad Jr. rolled his crimson eyes so hard it almost hurt. Is this the same dragon who was clutching my cape, begging me to save him from an imaginary monster? he thought. Still, as he looked at Drake's silly grin, he sighed inwardly. No matter how ridiculous, this dragon was his friend.

"Don't do that again." Dante's voice was cold, commanding, leaving no room for argument.

Kelpie swallowed hard and nodded quickly, relief softening his features when he realized he wouldn't be punished further.