Abandoned by my Childhood Friend, I Became a War Hero

27 – It’s not because of the alcohol

“You mean I’m in trouble because I’m a soldier?”

Leaving aside the fact that it was hard to agree with the statement that he was a great soldier, I couldn’t understand that he had a problem just because he was a soldier.

Instructor Lilya clicked his tongue and waved his fingers.

“No. Not just a soldier, but a very great soldier. For example, if a monster breaks into this room right away, Instructor Graham won’t be surprised at all and will beat the monster right?”

I nodded lightly.

I wouldn’t be surprised at all. It would be close to impossible for an out of control monster to appear inside the academy.

But apart from that thought, my body will react instantly to the invasion of monsters. As it has been for the past 20 years.

“Why is that?”

“Why? Yeah….”

“Because you are still vigilant of your surroundings at this moment?”

It was a hit.

It’s not because I’m wary of Instructor Lilya. It’s been like this since before I entered this room, even before I entered Garnet Red’s dormitory.

Because this is like my occupational disease.

“At first, I thought I was nervous when I entered the women’s room. Instructor Graham is also a man, so I thought it was natural for him to be conscious. But no matter how I look at it, I don’t think that’s the case. So I thought of another reason.”

Instructor Lilya spoke more comfortably than usual, probably because of the alcohol.

“You turned your back on the wall because you were attacked a lot from behind. Keeping the entrance and the window in sight at the same time is to secure an escape route at any time. Looking around the room as soon as you enter is to see if there are any dangerous objects… Right?”

“You are quite detailed.”

“I’m a tactical science and history instructor? That’s how much I know about the war. How people who have gone through war change… Even if I didn’t want to know, I found out naturally.”

Instructor Lilya said as she sipped her wine glass.

“Is the reason why you push students so hard in class because you actually saw so many dead on the battlefield?”

She nodded her head slowly in response to her question.

Is it because I saw it?

I was that person.

At only 14, he was given weapons that didn’t even look like weapons and armor that didn’t even look like armor, and was thrown into the battlefield after receiving only a few weeks of basic training, which was absurdly insufficient to survive.

A strong body that no one could match in the village didn’t help much on the battlefield. No one told me how to become strong and survive.

Everyone is busy taking care of their lives on the front line against monsters. No one wants to take care of a child who is about to die in a situation where it is difficult to take care of oneself.

If it wasn’t for Charlotte, even if I died there, I would have died several times.

There was no significant difference even after becoming stronger. As I became stronger, the enemies I had to deal with also became stronger. I had to learn how to survive in a fierce battlefield where my life could be taken away by a small mistake or a small carelessness.

Instructor Lirya calmly asked in a calmer voice.

“Have you ever lost a loved one during the war?”

I put my empty wine glass down on the table.

“Please stop.”

The room was stained with silence.

I feel like the blood in my whole body is cold.

Charlotte’s face was the first thing that passed through her mind, but it wasn’t the only one I came up with.

I once had someone I could call a colleague. People they trusted and depended on. There were countless people who wanted to save but couldn’t.

Instructor Lilya leaned forward and gently placed his hand on the back of my hand.

It was so small and soft compared to my hands, which were stained with calluses and scars.

She looked at me with sad eyes.

“I’m sorry. It reminded me of bad memories.”

I shook my head lightly to mean that it was okay.

From noble mtl dot com

The past is just the past. Didn’t you make up your mind a long time ago so that you don’t get buried too much in the past?

I wanted to stop looking back. People had to look ahead to live.

I’m still figuring out how to do that.

“I don’t know the details of Instructor Graham’s experience, but it certainly wasn’t a good one. I understand that that experience made efficiency and survival the most important thing. I have no intention of denying that. Because if anyone had an experience like Instructor Graham’s, it probably would.”

Instructor Lirya hesitated a little before continuing.

“But not everyone has been through war. It’s something you shouldn’t have to go through.”

“There is nothing wrong with just in case.”

“Students will not even realize the necessity. Even if you know in your head, your heart will be different. Because I haven’t experienced it.”

“I thought it was my job to let people know that. Isn’t it?”

Instructor Lilya shook her head slowly.

“I cannot judge whether Instructor Graham’s teaching policy is right or wrong. Because there is no right answer in education. But….”

“But?”

“Students may feel that the instructor does not value their experience.”

I was at a loss for words.

Marquis Karlstein told me to teach his students how to survive. Until now, he thought he had followed his word.

There is nothing more important than life. There is nothing better to die than sticking to a weapon that doesn’t suit you. To survive, useless greed is just a luxury. That was the value that was deeply ingrained in my head until now.

I didn’t understand Gwynn’s behavior.

But it must have been the same for Gwynn. Because she’s never experienced what I’ve experienced.

Have I been focusing only on my experience and failing to consider what students value?

No, I considered it, but maybe I didn’t think it was more important than survival.

Instructor Lilya smiled softly and said.

“Have you tried to find out why Student Gwynn values the Stone Sword so much? I think there must be an answer there.”

“… She will have a talk with Gwynn.”

“That’s all I ever wanted.”

Instructor Lilya seems to have thought that a sincere conversation was necessary between Gwynn and me from the beginning.

But since talking to Gwyn in the situation at the time would only lead to parallel lines again, I wonder if she wanted to tell me that she needed to understand her thoughts from the student’s point of view?

I still don’t know what to say. But I will try to understand.

I said in a self-deprecating tone.

“I still lack a lot.”

“Instructor Graham is still a great instructor. It will definitely get better in the future.”

Instructor Lilya said in a slightly hazy voice, perhaps she was drunk.

“I like people who are aware of their shortcomings and try to improve.”

I looked at Instructor Lilya with a bit of a surprise at those words.

Instructor Lilya stared blankly at her with slightly open eyes, and then, belatedly, as if she realized what she had said, her face turned bright red.

“Oh no! So this, this… ! Because liking doesn’t mean that!? Uh, it means that you feel good as a person to person, not as a relationship between a man and a woman… !”

“Okay, calm down.”

When the atmosphere gets awkward, alcohol is the best.

I poured wine into Instructor Lyria’s empty glass with the meaning of calming down, and she emptied it at once. I didn’t mean to one-shot.

As if that wasn’t enough, Instructor Lilya snatched the wine bottle from my hand and started pouring wine into my glass as well as her portion.

“Eight! Instructor Graham drinks more! You haven’t taken a bite since before!”

“No, I am now-“

“I refuse to refuse!”

It’s a big deal. I didn’t drink because I didn’t want to relax when I was drunk.

I can’t help but have just one more drink.

“Come on, Cheers!”

Instructor Lilya forcibly attempted a toast, as if trying to gloss over her mood a little while ago, and I bumped into her wine glass while feeling her flinch.

She wasn’t one-shot like before, but she emptied half of her glass in one go and let out a pleasant breath. Curiously, the face of Marquis Karlstein overlapped with that figure.

This must be a rude idea….

“Ah, that’s a big deal anyway. I felt sorry for our students because I helped my competitor without even realizing it.”

“Competitors?”

“I mean the class competition. Oh, I don’t think Instructor Graham knows yet. In Fillion, traditionally, each class competes against each other at the end of the semester. Instructor Graham will be ready after the midterm exam.”

I thought as I lightly drank from my wine glass.

“Is that a match? It differs from the number of people.”

“When all teams collide, of course, diamond white or garnet red wins by a landslide. So, we select about 20 outstanding talents selected from the class as representatives.”

“Still, 20 people.”

“Ah, opal black is attracting attention not only from garnet red, but also from other classes? Because each and every one of them is an extraordinary student.”

Instructor Lilya grinned at her mischievous eyes.

“And I know that the instructor is also an unusual person.”

“This is an overestimation.”

“Is it really so? Fufu, you’ll know when the time comes.”

After talking with Instructor Lilya for a while, she looked at her watch and realized that curfew would soon come. She had to go back to her dormitory before it was too late.

The moment she was about to tell Instructor Lilya that she had to get up now, she suddenly opened her mouth first.

“Come on, Instructor Graham.”

“Yes.”

“People like Instructor Graham who have gone through tough things and have been hurt can usually get better with the emotional help of someone close to them. Like family or friends… Does Instructor Graham have such a person?”

I shook my head.

The entire family was wiped out in a raid during the war. So did friends. Few people could call their original friends, and none survived the war.

“That, that, that, then….”

Instructor Lilya hesitated for a long time with her head down before she opened her mouth with difficulty.

“Hey, hey, sweetheart… is there?”

“… ….”

I was worried about what to say to Instructor Lilya, who looked at me closely after I said it.

It was like a romantic relationship with Ella and Charlotte. My first experience with her was Ella and it was hers too. It was an immature time, but if we didn’t have any feelings for each other, we wouldn’t have such a relationship.

Charlotte was similar. It was such a difficult situation that we couldn’t express it clearly in words, but I had a relationship with Charlotte that I couldn’t tell anyone.

But even though I had feelings, I didn’t say anything formally or to properly establish a relationship. It was the same when the two of them left me.

I’m sure he’s still alive somewhere.

No matter how you think about it, it would be difficult to say that the two are lovers. Because I don’t see it that way.

That’s why, just as I was about to say no, I suddenly heard footsteps approaching the room.

“Someone is coming.”

“Yes? Who at this hour….”

Thump thump!

“Instructor Bennett! Are you inside?! I know you already have it! Open the door right now!”

“Oops! Instructor Harzfeld!”

“Who are you?”

“I am the supervisor of our dormitory… ! What are you doing?”

Instructor Lirya’s complexion turned white in an instant.

In the meantime, the angry voice knocking on the door grew louder.

“Instructor Bennett! You’re not going to be drinking alone in your room again, are you? You clearly said that this was the last time!”

Again? Has this already happened several times?

“Ha, Instructor Harzfeld! I just, just took a shower… ! Oh, I’ll change my clothes and open it!”

“Don’t lie! I heard a report from another room that I could hear chatter by this time! Surely there are no other people in the room!? If you are an instructor, you should set an example for your students!”

Instructor Lilya said earlier that this room is less soundproof than I thought. Maybe that’s why he got caught.

She quickly alternated between her visit and me, then she said with a panicked face.

“Instructor Graham! Dad, get out of here quickly. If I find Instructor Graham here, I’ll die!”

“Yes? No, where are you going? .”

Instructor Lilya’s gaze turned to the window.

I asked in an absurd tone.

“Are you serious?”

“I’m sorry… ! But if you know that you even brought a man because drinking in your room wasn’t enough, you might really get kicked out of the dormitory this time! And if even strange rumors spread among the students, both I and Instructor Graham would be in big trouble… !”

That was right.

From noble mtl dot com

I didn’t want to imagine how the students in Opal Black class would see me, let alone Garnet Red, if rumors spread that I had been drinking with Instructor Lilya alone in the room since the first week of the semester.

I let out a long sigh that leaked from the depths of my chest.

“Just this once.”

“I will formally apologize later. Really sorry… !”

I opened the window and jumped down at once. A small scream was heard from above, as if the person who actually told me to run was more surprised.

Jumping from the third floor was insignificant with my physical abilities. I took a fall without making a loud sound and landed quietly on the ground.

The moment I got up thinking that even if the cat fell, it wouldn’t be as quiet as this.

“Huh?”

I met eyes with Theo Bailey, who was staring blankly out the window.

“Uh… uh? Hey, Instructor Ion? What? This is Garnet Red’s dormitory… Uh huh Clearly above, huh? Wait a minute, please….”

I sincerely radiated momentum.

Theo Bailey froze like an ant in front of an elephant.

He put his index finger to his lips without saying anything. It meant not to open your mouth.

Theo Bailey gasped and nodded madly at him.

After confirming that, I quietly left Garnet Red Dormitory without being noticed by anyone.

“Ha….”

I was dizzy before my eyes.

It was clear that it wasn’t because of the alcohol.

***

Before curfew, I returned to the Opal Black dormitory.

In an empty gym, Gwynn Triss was swinging her sword alone.