Abandoned by my Childhood Friend, I Became a War Hero chapter 7

7 – Fillion Academy #2

‘The Scar’… His expression hardened at the name he hadn’t heard in a long time.

Because that name reminds me of a particularly painful and difficult time in the hellish war. Also, it is not known to the outside world that Ion Graham is a chest star. Excluding my superior, Marquis Karlstein, this is a fact known only to a few in the Empire.

I calmed down and calmed down. Come to think of it, President Heinkel is a member of the Empire’s only two royal families, and he is also the president of Fillion Academy, the continent’s best educational facility. Since you must have received a letter from Marquis Karlstein beforehand, it’s not strange that you know that I’m a malefactor.

I said, loosening my stiff expression.

“Please don’t call me by that name.”

“Heh heh, excuse me. The thought of seeing one of the famous 7 Heroes of the Continent in person seems to have stopped me from getting excited. We will be careful in the future.”

“… ….”

“Now, stop standing there and sit down. I’ll make you a cup of tea.”

“I am fine now.”

“I can’t make the hero of the empire stand like a man-in-the-middle. Or do you not want to drink the tea I serve you?”

“… All right.”

It was hard to refuse when he said that. There was a table and a sofa for entertaining guests in the president’s office, and President Heinkel forced me to sit down halfway and served tea.

This does not mean that you cooked it yourself. He stirred his hand lightly, and the tea brewed on its own, and the teapot flew to the table without touching it.

President Heinkel asked, holding out a teacup with a delicate scent to me.

“Yes. Ion group. How do you feel about coming to the academy?”

“It was big and spacious. Other than that, I don’t know yet.”

“Because it is still the first day. Apart from the large and spacious grounds, there are many good things about this academy. So do students and teachers. I hope Ion-kun gradually realizes that good point.”

Saying that, President Heinkel took a teacup and took a sip of black tea. For some reason, I hesitated for a while in the mood that I should also drink, then lifted the cup.

“… ….”

“Oops. Do you not like black tea?”

President Heinkel asked in a soft voice if he had read the hesitation in me.

I looked at the shimmering red tea water and slowly shook my head and took a sip of the tea. Then, with a subtle expression, she set the teacup down.

Charlotte really liked black tea.

She was terribly unsuitable for black tea on the battlefield, but she thought that it was important for Charlotte to rest her mind on a hard and arduous battlefield. Saying that magic can heal the wounds of the body but not the wounds of the heart, she healed me after fighting monsters with magic and always brewed a cup of black tea with care.

I didn’t know if Charlotte was good at making black tea. It was because the only black tea I had ever drank in my life was the tea that Charlotte served, so there was nothing to compare it to. But 15 years? After 16 years of drinking tea brewed by someone else for the first time, I realized it belatedly.

Charlotte. I didn’t have the skills to make tea.

But I didn’t know the taste, but I liked the black tea Charlotte brewed. So, the black tea that reminds her of Charlotte has not been drunk since she left. The reason I hesitated for a while was because I thought that I couldn’t be bound by the past forever.

Now, when I think of Charlotte, I don’t mind. At that time, I was able to think about it calmly. The black tea brewed by President Heinkel had a different scent, but the color was similar and the taste was much better.

“It tastes good.”

“Thank God. I was thinking of serving it as coffee if black tea doesn’t suit your taste.”

“It’s okay. I’m done with the tea, and I want to get to the main topic soon.”

I couldn’t just talk about cars forever. The reason I came here wasn’t because I wanted to have a private chat with the president. Then, President Heinkel put down the teacup and smiled gently.

“To the point… Ion-kun seems to think that this position is like an interview to evaluate himself.”

“Isn’t it?”

Instructor Lilya told me to put my mind at ease since the pass was already confirmed, but I didn’t take his words straight away. It is the Fillion Academy, which is said to be the best educational institution on the continent, not anywhere else. No matter how much paperwork is passed, it is difficult to think that he will be hired as an instructor without seeing his face even once.

I never had a proper education. When it comes to bag straps, he has learned nothing more than the students currently attending the academy. He is not a person who speaks well and is easy to talk to like Instructor Lilya to teach someone with sincerity. I am confident in my powers, but that is all. Soldiers and instructors are completely different.

To be honest, I doubt President Heinkel’s sincerity. He, of course, is an educator who has been teaching students for 30 years, so he will not be a villain. However, if he was going to do something using the value of the name of ‘Heart’, he was going to leave without any regrets.

President Heinkel’s wrinkled eyes drew a soft semicircle.

“Only I know that Ion-kun is a ‘horror star’. Even Instructor Lilya, who guided Ion-kun, doesn’t know. And you will never know. Unless Ion-kun directly reveals it.”

“… ….”

“Heh heh, you are a very reticent person. Are you curious about my true intentions?”

President Heinkel had already guessed my intentions.

“To be honest, yes.”

“If you know it, it’s not a big deal. There is only a difference in the point of view of the educator I think of and Ion-kun’s idea of the educator. And how much Ion-kun underestimates me.”

“Underrated… You mean?”

“First impressions. Of course it matters. However, in the experience of this old man who has met many people over the decades, first impressions do not last very long. There was a time when a person who seemed more diligent than anyone else would teach students severe punishment behind the scenes, and on the contrary, there were times when a person who seemed to be able to work easily received the most love from students. So when I judge a person, I value their past behavior.”

President Heinkel slowly emptied the remaining half of the tea water and said.

“What kind of life have you lived until now? What have you been doing Ion Graham’s past is evidenced by your achievements in the past. I have already decided that that is enough.”

“How are you sure I will teach the students well?”

“Heh heh, sure? What to say Of course Ion-kun won’t be able to teach you well.”

“… ….”

“You must be mistaken. It’s natural to make mistakes. But I believe that a true educator is one who grows with students. Instructor Lirya also couldn’t speak properly in front of the students when she was first appointed. But now, he has become a teacher who is loved by his students. It means no one is perfect from the start.”

“I heard that Fillion Academy is the best educational institution on the continent. Doesn’t it have to be the best instructors at such a place?”

“It is true that our instructors are competent in their respective fields. Some are from the Royal Guard, and some are from the highest ranking wizard in the Mage Tower. Did they really teach the students well from the beginning?”

“I have never had a systematic education like them. It could even be worse.”

“Then, teach Ion-kun what he is best at. Good educators don’t become, they are made.”

President Heinkel said with a gentle smile.

“There is no right answer in education.”

After much consideration, I finally accepted the instructor position.

***

President Heinkel continued to inform Ion of several things necessary for working at Fillion Academy. The subjects he will take on from now on are ‘basic physical training’ and ‘combat practice’. To tell Lilya not to forget the instructor’s ID and the instructor’s uniform.

And since the academy instructors are provided with a dormitory, he recommended living in the dormitory unless they have a family in the system. Ion decided to pack his things and go in by tomorrow.

At the end of the day as the sunset light came through the window, someone knocked on the door of the president’s office.

“President! This is Lilia Bennett.”

“Come in.”

The door opened and Lyria Bennet entered the office. Every time President Heinkel saw Lilya, he was amazed at the fact that her young appearance was a pure birth without any magical action. Of course, she would get angry if she revealed her openly, so she greeted her as if nothing was wrong on the outside.

“Yes. Instructor Lyria. Did Instructor Ion go in well?”

“Yes. Necessary facilities were provided once in a while. Starting tomorrow, you will move into the dormitory as an official instructor.”

“I see. What was his impression from Instructor Lyria’s point of view?”

“Impression of Instructor Graham?”

Lilya crossed her arms and tilted her head, lost in her thoughts. It seemed that she still did not know that each and every act of that girl was the cause of being loved by the students.

“Reticent, discreet… And he was very polite. Rather than being educated like an aristocrat, the person himself seemed to have a good personality. The senior officers I knew came from aristocrats, pretended to be polite in words, and everyone was arrogant, but Instructor Graham didn’t feel that way. Really! And a bit too handsome?”

“Heh heh, that’s right. I was even more surprised than I thought. The character is very tall.”

President Heinkel nodded his head, recalling his first impression of Ion. He was quite a handsome boy when he was young, and he must have had a pretty girly face.

“Anyway, I was a bit surprised.”

“Hmm?”

“Instructor Graham. You don’t usually hire instructors right away, do you? I usually look very closely. I guess you liked Instructor Graham quite a bit?”

“Ah, that’s it. Actually, I trusted my friend’s eyes.”

Lirya’s eyes widened in amazement.

“If you are a friend… Are you talking about Marshal Karlstein?”

“The fool who would be terrified of his granddaughter would have been much stricter than I would have been if he had been singled out as a prospective son-in-law. He is already a proven talent, so there was no reason to refuse.”

Heinkel laughed.