Abandoned by my Childhood Friend, I Became a War Hero chapter 30

30 – The Future of the Empire

It’s only been a week since I became an instructor, but I already have a few things to do besides classes.

Night patrol with Osnia.

Evening sparring with Gwynn.

Lastly, there was the task of advising the student council.

Students at Fillion Academy take classes during the week and spend most of their free time on the weekends.

Students sometimes use the weekend to go home and conduct self-study that is necessary for themselves, but most of them enjoy club activities in the academy.

Today is the first weekend since the semester begins.

It should have been the start of a day full of leisure, with birds chirping and flowers blooming, but unfortunately my morning wasn’t so relaxing.

It was because Marianne came to visit me unexpectedly.

“Instructor Ion. I have something to say.”

Seeing that she had boldly barged into my room early in the morning, in fact, it seemed that she lacked more leisure than I did.

I asked in my usual blunt tone.

“What happened?”

“There is a very minor problem with the student council.”

“A little problem?”

“You know today is the first day of student council activities, right? Everything has to start from scratch, and it’s only me and Elizabeth who can do it. And both of us are overworked.”

Marian gave a haggard smile.

“Do you know how many documents are needed to create a new student council? Do you know how many times I have been to and from the administrative districts in the past few days and how many reports I have to write in a day? Whooping… It’s to the point where even two bodies aren’t enough.”

I don’t think it’s a trivial problem at all.

“Um….”

I knew that Marian was very busy lately.

The student council is not a regular club, but an organization with its own rules and authority. It requires clear procedures and administrative processing.

I was well aware of this fact as I attended the faculty meeting for the student council agenda of the Opal Black class.

The problem is that I can’t help at all with this. I’m not good at paperwork, and I don’t know the details of the procedure for creating a student council.

If you’re an Instructor Lilya, you might be able to understand, but it’s a bit far fetched to ask for help.

Fortunately, Marian and Elizabeth were good at paperwork, befitting high-ranking nobles and members of the royal family, and Marianne showed confidence that she could handle this kind of work alone.

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Thanks to that, I was able to trust and entrust him, but it seems that the limit has finally come.

Although it is an advisory position that was half-forced, torture is torture. Even if you know that the student in charge is having a hard time, you can’t pretend you didn’t see it as an instructor.

I nodded and said.

“What can I help you with?”

“Yes? Are you really helping me!?”

“Looks like you need help. Is not it?”

Marianne opened her eyes wide, and then she opened her mouth with a desperate expression.

“Right. Instructor’s help is desperately needed. Can you take Oz and Tanya and buy some things they need in District 8? I’m too anxious to send them alone. That will save me a lot of time.”

Are you riding with Oz? Who is it?

Are you referring to Oznia and Titania?

As for the nuance of that word, no one but the two could come to mind. I heard that the female students formed a student council, so have they already become close enough to call each other by their nicknames?

Or maybe Marian is particularly sociable.

“What about Gwynn?”

“I just went home, but I couldn’t get up.”

Marian spoke in a slightly cautious tone, as if looking at me.

“Maybe it was because I trained too hard yesterday. I’m going to let you rest today.”

“Ah. Right.”

Marian doesn’t know that I talked to Gwynne yesterday. She probably knows that after class she was exhausted from swinging her sword by herself.

Without bothering to explain it, I nodded lightly.

“Okay. Come back.”

Marian’s expression brightened as if she had met a savior.

“Really? Thank you! Instructor Ion!”

I could feel Marianne’s sincere appreciation for her.

When we first met, I don’t know why, but he was cold towards me, but now he seemed to be in such a hurry that he forgot about that.

I felt that her appearance was quite unexpected.

“You work hard.”

“It’s something I’ve decided to do, and of course I have to work hard. Doing it halfway will only save me face.”

“Yes. Doing well.”

“… Yes?”

Marian widened her eyes in amazement at her nonsensical remark.

After that, I left to pick up Osnia and Titania. Marian’s bewildered voice came belatedly from behind.

“What? Instructor… Have you ever complimented me? Honor Student Operation Plan B works? Uh? Really… ?”

I had no idea what that meant.

***

I took the two remaining people from the dormitory and headed to District 8, Free Market Street.

Free Market Street is a commercial area where merchants from all over the continent, including the empire, sell their goods. From huge shopping malls to small street vendors, various products from all over the continent were concentrated, and naturally, it was also the area where the headquarters of the Merchant Guild was located.

It is commonly said that if something cannot be found here, it does not exist in the system.

As she left the academy’s main gate and boarded the tram, Oznia maintained her usual calm demeanor. But Titania couldn’t hide her excitement with an excited expression like a child.

“Wow, look at those shops over there!”

Titania exclaimed in amazement, her eyes widening as she entered the bustling market street of District 8.

“Oz! See it over there? I’ve never seen so many shops in one place!”

“It’s just a market.”

“Market? Is this the market? Oh my god! I have come to the human market!”

“Haa….”

Oznia shut her mouth as if she didn’t have the energy to reply.

Titania was from the Linian Great Forest, and she had never left the forest, so it seemed that all these trivial things seemed strange to her.

Oznia, on the other hand, already had a tired expression, probably uncomfortable being in a place with so many people.

I calmly asked Titania, who was looking around the market energetically like a child.

“Is this your first time in a place like this?”

“Oh! Instructor Ion! Boo, that’s embarrassing….”

Titania smiled shyly, twisting the ends of her leafy green hair.

“When I first came to Jedo, the clan elders were so strict that I couldn’t go around alone. That’s why everything I see is amazing. I’ve always wanted to see a human city… Uh, but since I’m not here to watch today, you’d better refrain from it, right?”

She seemed ashamed of being the only one excited about Oznia and I.

I thought for a moment and then shook my head.

“As long as you look around lightly, it won’t matter. However, don’t get too far from me.”

“Wow! Thank you!”

I often saw Titania taking care of Oznia and other students in her classroom like her older sister, but when she came out like this, she showed an innocent look befitting her age.

About that age?

Wait. How old is Titania now?

Of course, elves are a long-lived species that can live several dozen times longer than humans.

Although she entered as a freshman, she must have been 18 like the other students, but I’m not sure if this refers to her actual age or if it’s an elf age replaced by a human.

“… ….”

I don’t know. Still, it wouldn’t be right to judge elves by human standards.

While I was immersed in other thoughts for a while, Titania seemed to have already forgotten the words not to leave my side, and at some point she was walking in front of me.

Titania said excitedly, pointing to the colorful trinkets displayed in her stall.

“Oz! This is so cute! Can I take it as a gift for the other kids?”

“As you like….”

Oznia didn’t even look at her ornaments, as if she wasn’t interested at all, and she answered appropriately. She just seemed desperate to get back to her room as soon as possible.

Titania, seeing Oznia’s sullen reaction, picked up a frilly floral dress from the store next to her and turned her body gently.

“Then how about this one? Do you think it will suit you?”

“Um….”

I swallowed silently.

The outfit Titania chose for her was not very good even for me, who didn’t know much about her clothes. Her cheap fabric had too much floral print on it, and it looked pretty old-fashioned, and even with her empty words, she didn’t suit her at all.

Oznia said with a straight face instead of me.

“No. At all. Absolutely strange.”

“Really? Strange? It looked pretty in my eyes.”

Titania put down her floral dress with a regretful expression.

Anyway, it seemed that Titania’s aesthetic sense was quite different from that of humans.

While the two were looking around the market, I purchased the items Marian requested. From office supplies such as writing instruments and notebooks to magical items with unknown uses.

Of course, I didn’t spend my own money. It was the cost of student council activities that Marian took care of.

I thought I’d need Marianne, and I put my last purchase into the backpack she had prepared for me and went looking for the two of them.

The two of them were in the middle of ordering what they wanted to eat in front of an ice cream store.

“What would you like to taste in Oz?”

“I like strawberry flavor.”

“Then I like mint chocolate.”

“… ….”

If this was the case, I think I could have come alone.

As I let out a short sigh and was about to walk towards them, my keen hearing heard a raucous voice in the distance.

It wasn’t just the hustle and bustle of the market, it was a voice with a more sinister and dangerous air.

“Immigrants go away!”

“Execute non-humans!”

“The Empire belongs to the Imperials!”

The sound of numerous footsteps as if they were marching down the market street.

Thousands of people were shouting the same slogan with voices filled with anger and resentment.

They were slowly getting closer to Titania.