Abandoned by my Childhood Friend, I Became a War Hero chapter 73

73 – Victory Celebration

Bicycles were much faster and more convenient than horses or trams, but they were too conspicuous.

No matter how fast you try, it is difficult to speed up on a crowded central road. I rode my bike on the roads where horses, carriages and trams used to ride, so of course it attracted a lot of people’s attention.

It was nice to have a bike, but it seemed like it would only be possible to ride it unnoticed and freely on the island only after it was more commercialized.

As soon as I arrived at the front gate, I was greeted by the pale-faced captain of the guard, Hermann.

“Lee, Lee, Instructor Ion! What the hell have you been doing!?”

“What happened? What does that mean?”

“No, it’s a mess now anyway! I’ll show you through the back door, so go in this way instead of the front door today!”

It was natural to understand why they wanted to go back through the back door.

I could feel a lot of people on the other side of the main gate, and at least hundreds of students were staying in the same place, not moving anywhere excitedly.

“That was really cool! Two-wheel drive automatic mana carriage!”

“You call it a bike, you idiot.”

“Oh, yes. Anyway, if we wait here, we can see the real thing, right? Awesome!”

From a group of male students talking about bikes.

“Is that person really an academy instructor?”

“Sure. This is reliable information confirmed by seniors. The instructor in charge of the Opal Black class?”

“That fledgling class? Wow, the kids there are really envious… Can I transfer to Opal Black even now?”

“I mean! As usual, our person in charge is a middle-aged man with butter on his face, so I’m going to die of annoyance!”

… Even the voices of the female students seemed to be talking about me.

I didn’t know why it happened, but I had an instinctive feeling that if I went through the front door now, there would be trouble.

I secretly took a detour through the back door that Captain Hermann guided us through.

But even if you passed through the main gate, you couldn’t use the tram with a big, heavy bike. In the end, I had to move on a bike, and that also drew a lot of attention.

“Hey, is that….”

“Uh. Do you think that’s right? That demonstration….”

“… ….”

How many people have seen it, so it became a hot topic among so many students?

I hoped it would calm down in time, so I ran along the tram tracks to get to the dormitory so as not to be seen.

I parked my bike at the entrance and went into the dormitory. Then, I heard the students talking in the break room.

It was exactly four people. Marian, Schurz, and Gwynn. However, the remaining one was a voice he had never heard before.

“Hmm?”

Did the students bring other students to the dormitory?

There’s no rule saying you shouldn’t bring a student from another class, but if you’re close enough to bring a student to the dormitory, you need to be aware of it as the instructor in charge.

When I entered the break room with that thought in mind, what unfolded before my eyes was an unexpected sight.

“Ugh… ! I-I’m trash…. It’s nothing less than maggots, cockroaches, and parasites… !”

“Ji, calm down! It wasn’t even that far!”

“That, yes… Humans can make mistakes too. How about calming down for a bit?”

“Oooh! No! By making a mistake in front of that many people, causing a nuisance to the doctor and everyone… ! I am food waste that cannot be recycled… !!”

“Ouch! Don’t cry! Have a cup of tea and cheer up!”

“… ….”

Three people comforting a woman crouching in the corner of a room.

From noble mtl dot com

The moment she saw it, as soon as she returned, she felt a sudden rush of tiredness.

***

“Wait, there were a lot of rude people….”

She bows her head as if she has calmed down somewhat thanks to the tea Marian brewed for her.

A curly-haired woman in her lab coat and large horn-rimmed glasses that obscured half of her face, introduced herself in a voice that lacked confidence.

“My name is Marie von Kirch. Feel free to call me Marie… It’s lacking, but it resembles Dr. Brown’s assistant… She’s doing something around that… Thank you, Instructor Ion.”

Marie bowed her head once again, uncomfortably.

“… ….”

In the end, I couldn’t tell if the tide was right or not.

Marian said, setting the tea in front of me.

“I heard it before, but your name is similar to mine.”

“Ugh! Sorry! I was confused because they had similar names… !!”

“Oh no! Didn’t you mean that!?”

Marie burst into tears as she covered her face again, without much relief from what she had been able to do, and Marianne soothed her with her bewildered look.

Certainly, when Mari and Marian are together, the names will be a bit confusing, but that’s not what’s important now.

I tapped my finger on the table to draw attention. And asked in a calm voice.

“So, what brought you here?”

“Ah, that… Actually, Dr. Brown asked for it. To check the condition of the prototype used for the demonstration… He told me to get it properly repaired if something is broken.”

“I see.”

I was a little worried about the condition, having tested the bike to the limit.

I got it, but it might be broken somewhere, and if it needs to be repaired later, only Dr. Brown will be able to fix it.

Fortunately, Dr. Brown seems to have intended not only to give a prototype, but also to properly repair it.

“Are you doing the repair yourself?”

“Ugh! I’m sorry… ! Also, I’m not very trustworthy, am I? Compared to Dr. Brown, I’m less than an ant… It’s below the caterpillar oh… !!”

“… I was just asking without meaning. Calm down.”

Her conversation with her, who doesn’t know where she might burst into tears, is like talking to her ticking time bomb. Or maybe it’s like walking through a minefield full of magic mines.

Actually, she’s Dr. Brown’s assistant, so it’s surprising that she’s so knowledgeable in magical engineering, even though she’s such a young woman.

Of course, she doesn’t doubt her skills, she just thinks it’s amazing, but she didn’t say anything in the end because she thought she’d burst into tears if she even took this out of her mouth.

“Then there’s no need to waste time. I want to ask you right away.”

“Ah, yes… !”

Marie stopped her crying at the mention of work and rose from her seat. She then said that Schurz, who was listening, spoke to her.

“Instructor. Would it be possible for me to take a look?”

“A bike repair?”

“I am personally interested. It would be a good experience to take a look at it.”

I thought it didn’t matter, but I wasn’t sure if it was okay to see the repairs, so I turned my attention to Marie.

Marie gave a small nod of her head as if she was okay, and she said that if she agreed, she would be fine, and she said I nodded her head too.

“It doesn’t matter. What about the others?”

“Oh, then can I take a look?”

“If it’s okay, I’d like to take a look at it too. It’s a spectacle that money can’t afford.”

Gwynn and Marianne agreed, and eventually we all left the common room and went out of the dorm.

“Well, then… I will begin.”

Marie sat down in front of the bike parked at the entrance and took out tools from her bag. Even on a dirt floor, she never hesitated to get her clothes dirty.

“Umm, first of all, the most important engine… There are signs of overheating, but no major problems. I was most worried about the engine, but I don’t think there is a need to scrap it at this level.”

Her expression had gone from the gloom and insecurity she had previously seen, and she was examining the bike closely with a very serious expression.

“The wheel has come loose. If this is repaired here, no problem… Oops, the coolant leaked a little. I think it’s probably because I was shocked. I’ll fill this up with fuel too.”

Marie took her tools out of her bag and started fixing her impromptu bike.

Seeing that even though it was a small bag, various and heavy tools were constantly coming out, it must have been a bag enchanted with space expansion.

Contrary to her concerns about her low self-esteem, she was quick and unstoppable in repairing the bike.

“Ohh….”

“Great.”

The three students in the Opal Black class were also impressed by her professional skills.

As expected, he deserved to be called Dr. Brown’s assistant. Although she referred to herself as an assistant, not an assistant.

“Whoa… Turn off, it’s over. At this rate, she will probably ride for several months without difficulty. Unless you drive as hard as you do today.”

“I see. A lot of work was done to fix it.”

“hehehe… Rice, say something. If there is anything that needs maintenance, please let me know anytime. As long as it’s just checking in the dormitory like now, it’s always possible.”

“Isn’t that a bit difficult? You are not even a student.”

Today, I was invited to the academy because of Dr. Brown’s demonstration, but it is very unusual for an outsider to enter the dormitory like today.

At that, Marie answered, tilting her head with her puzzled expression.

“Yes? Are you a student too?”

“… What?”

“Didn’t I tell you? I guess I forgot again. Here….”

She took her badge out of her pocket and showed it.

The white badge reminiscent of a diamond had the number Ⅲ written on it. It meant the third year of the Diamond White class.

Looking closely, I didn’t notice that she was wearing an experimental bag, not a cape, but she was wearing a familiar school uniform shirt and skirt under her bag. She meant that she was a student at Fillion Academy in both name and reality.

Marian confirmed that and said in a stunned voice.

“No, he was a senior!? Hmm… Seo, were you a senior?”

“Ugh, sorry! I’m sorry that I’m such a senior that you can’t even think of… !!”

“I didn’t mean it that way, please calm down!”

Marie collapsed on the floor and cried for a long time, and the three students tried to calm her down.

“Ha….”

I looked at it and sighed deeply.

I should be glad to know a talented engineer.

Why are all engineers so unsophisticated….

***

Just like that, the weekend has passed.

Monday morning. The first day of Victory Day was bright.