104 – Decision to leave
A lot happened in a short period of time.
He saved Elisabeth while the airship was going down, and the black magic almost ran out of control at the ballroom in the imperial palace.
She also met Charlotte, and just before that she had received the incredible news that Ella might still be alive.
All of this happened within 24 hours.
I rode the tram to the academy. The scenery of the islands flows through the window of the tram.
My body swayed constantly along the rattling tram.
“… ….”
It’s complicated in my head.
The words of Llewell Lynn kept ringing in her head.
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In the first place, what did I want to do after finding Ella?
Do you want to erase her helplessness from her childhood?
Do you really want to hear the reason why she left me?
Do you want to apologize to her because of her guilt for not protecting Ella?
I don’t know yet.
If she met Ella in person, then she seems to be able to draw conclusions.
Llewellyn says she’ll be fine for the next few months, but she believes in it and she can’t be relieved.
Llewellyn’s skill is certain, but her skill as the commander of the immortal corps never falls behind that level. Isn’t the battlefield the first place where things that are supposed to be plans or guarantees go wrong in the first place?
Having been there for more than ten years, I can tell you that people’s assertions are usually not trustworthy. His advice will be taken into account, but it is only a reference to the end.
Compared to the Galatea Empire, the Ionian Kingdom is only about a quarter of the country’s size. Even so, it is by no means large enough for a person to walk around alone.
First of all, I plan to find the Ionian palace in Caria, the capital city, but if Ella isn’t there, she might have to wander all over the country.
Moreover, the land of Ionia is now the lair of the undead. Even if it takes a year to look around peacefully, how much time will it take to find traces of Ella while struggling against the undead that are endlessly pouring in?
With that alone, the months Llewellyn said might pass in an instant.
That was the reason I decided to go to the academy. If I leave without saying anything to find Ella, it will cause trouble to President Heinkel, so I have to visit the academy anyway to explain her situation and get a leave of absence.
Once you leave, there’s no word on when you’ll be able to return, so maybe you’ll have to quit your job as an instructor altogether.
So when you leave, even if you leave, you should at least say goodbye to instructor Lilya and the students.
Maybe it was because I was too absorbed in my thoughts. When I came to my senses, the tram had already arrived at the academy stop.
It’s only been a day, but it feels like it’s been a while since I’ve been in the dormitory building.
When I opened the front door and entered the dormitory, I immediately saw a batar.
“Hmm? You must be Instructor Ion.”
I don’t know why, but I don’t know why. At the same time, hot heat radiated from his entire body.
I was at a loss for words for a moment, then I opened my mouth shyly.
“… Why are you doing that there?”
“Hmm? That’s because it was running just before. The training ground here is just like the meadow in my hometown.”
Thanks to the overwhelming visuals, the judgment was delayed for a while, but Batar’s body was definitely wet with sweat, like someone who had just exercised.
I asked with a puzzled expression.
“I’ve been wanting to ask this for a long time, but why do you always take off your clothes when you exercise?”
“hahahaha! Isn’t it natural? The warriors of the steppe do not wear armor when fighting. And training should always be done like a real fight.”
Well, I wouldn’t normally say a shirt is armor….
Still, as an instructor, you should take good care of your training even on holidays… Are you doing
“… Yeah, I struggled anyway. Did you run alone? What about the other students?”
“Hmm, let’s see. The dwarf and the little boy went to town to buy things, the bastard is in the common room, and the snake’s eyes have been confined to their room ever since they came back last night. I don’t know about the rest. I don’t think he’s back yet.”
“… ….”
My eyes were dizzy for a moment at the racist remarks that came out of Batar’s mouth nonstop.
Ghosts and little boys are the names for Titania and Oznia, and bastards and snake eyes are Saladin and Elizabeth?
I let out a short sigh.
“… I won’t interfere with how students call me, but if it’s okay, how about calling them by their first names? And you’re a bastard The skin color between you and Saladin shouldn’t be too different.”
Saladin, a desert people, had skin closer to dark brown than black. Batar, a steppe people, was similar.
Baatar snorted.
“I only remember the names of worthy warriors. Otherwise, it’s just a kid and a dwarf with snake eyes. And while bastards are born that color, I’m healthy tanned in the sun under the sky of the Holy Mother. It’s different, but very different.”
It was completely unknown to me. Was Batar such a self-paced personality?
Unlike the other students, he had no chance to converse with Batar. He hasn’t had any notable problems yet, and he’s never once asked for my help.
The grassland peoples grow rapidly. I’m not just talking about physical growth, but because they assume responsibility for themselves as warriors from a very young age, their mental growth is bound to be rapid.
Unlike empires where you are recognized as an adult at 18, steppe people are treated as warriors at 13, start a family around 15, and at 18, you’re already ready to have children….
Does Batar have children? You never know.
If you quit your job as an instructor, you won’t know anything in the future.
The meeting with the students had only lasted about a month, but the relationship between the instructor and the students would no longer continue.
There will never be a day where I get to know more about the students like today.
When I thought about that, I felt a heaviness build up in one corner of my chest.
Suddenly, Batar asked in a serious tone.
“Are you leaving this place?”
It was a sudden and sharp question.
“… Why did you think that?”
At my question, Batar suddenly started talking about something else.
“Grasslands are plentiful, but they don’t feed everyone. Not all tribe members are warriors, but old warriors are usually of no use to the tribe. They don’t know how to make food or weapons, and they just waste food every day.”
Battar’s expression darkened for a brief moment. It’s like you’re recalling a bad memory.
“… So the old warrior leaves on his own. Before being kicked out of the tribe, before being too old to carry a weapon. In search of an honorable death, they attack the strongest monster they know, and that’s how they meet the end of their lives.”
Battar spat out nonchalantly.
“The instructor has just such an expression right now. The expression of a warrior who has decided to leave.”
A voice already full of conviction. He intuitively felt that there was no point in hiding it.
I nodded heavily.
“Yes. I will be leaving soon.”
“Um, I see…” .”
Baatar licked his lips with a grunting sound.
“I felt like I was learning something. I can’t help it. Wherever you go, I hope that the instructor will be with you.”
“Fair wind?”
Vatar said with a grin.
“It is a greeting from the meadow. I just want to wash, so I go in first.”
He turned his back to me, waved his hand, and went up to his room.
I wonder if he was saying goodbye in his own way. It was the first time I had heard the expression “Favorable wind” In a farewell, but somehow I felt the freedom of those who live in the grassland.
Since I couldn’t just stand at the entrance, I went up to my room right away.
It’s a bit late to visit the president’s office. I’m thinking of visiting early tomorrow morning, but that’s why it’s ambiguous to leave the day empty.
I slowly looked around the room.
In a month, personal items have accumulated a little. Most of them are going to be thrown away because there is nothing to take with them anyway, but it would be nice to organize them in advance.
I took out a box and packed everything in the room. Most of them were textbooks for classes, and the only other items were spare instructor uniforms.
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It didn’t take long to organize because there weren’t many things. After I finished it, the empty private room felt even more desolate.
You can throw this box away on the day you leave.
At that moment, I heard someone’s footsteps outside the door.
The owner of the footsteps hesitated for a moment, then knocked on the door at a slight interval.
Smart-
“Instructor Ion. Is it okay if I come in for a while?”
It was Elizabeth’s voice.
I wasn’t too surprised because I knew it was her from the moment I heard her footsteps. But it was also true that she thought for a while about what to do.
Last night, I couldn’t contain my anger and did something I shouldn’t have done to a student.
Thinking about it now, it was an immature act. Seriously shooting a murderer was no different from doing a hand-to-hand sword. I had to admit that part.
This is the student who mustered up the courage to come to us first, even though it would be difficult to see each other. Being barred from the doorstep is something neither an instructor nor an adult should do.
“Come in.”
“Thank you, Instructor.”
Elizabeth discreetly opened the door and entered.
Unlike that night, which was marked by her bewilderment and fear, now she has regained her usual composure and her resoluteness.
However, her attitude was much more cautious than before. It was not yet known what intention it contained.
“Instructor. What happened last night-“
The moment Elizabeth was about to open her mouth in a polite manner.
Her eyes were fixed on the interior of the bleak room and the box containing the goods.
A brief silence ensued.
Elizabeth asked in a voice mixed with perplexity and doubt.
“Instructor… ? What is that burden….”
Since she decided to enter the room anyway, she had no intention of hiding it.
“I plan to leave the academy soon.”
“…… Ah?”
Elizabeth’s eyes shook slightly.