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The next day.

I was summoned by Headmaster Heinkel and made my way to the meeting room.

I wasn’t the only one gathered in the meeting room. All the instructors responsible for the first-year students were present without exception.

As I entered the room, I noticed Instructor Rilya giving me a subtle wave from afar. It seemed to be a signal for me to sit next to her.

There was no real reason to decline, so I took a seat beside Instructor Rilya.

A quick glance around revealed that Headmaster Heinkel had not yet arrived. There seemed to be plenty of time before the meeting began, so I quietly spoke to Instructor Rilya in a low voice.

“Good morning, Instructor Rilya.”

“Good morning, Instructor Graham.”

“It’s rare to have a full meeting this early in the morning.”

Despite his position and reputation, Headmaster Heinkel was not an authoritarian type and usually didn’t interfere with the instructors unless it was something special.

Throughout the semester, the only time I’d been called by him was on the day I fainted a student.

As for matters regarding Titania, I had gone to him first, and the situation with Osnia was unavoidable due to the destruction of the forest, so it might be reasonable to consider those as exceptions.

Instructor Rilya smiled brightly and said.

“Not necessarily. Full meetings like this happen every year around this time.”

“Is that so?”

It seemed that Instructor Rilya had already guessed the purpose of today’s meeting.

Looking around, it appeared that the other instructors, aside from me, also had a sense of what the meeting was about, wearing expressions of understanding.

“Actually, you see—”

Instructor Rilya was about to address my curiosity, but before she could say more, the meeting room door opened, and in walked Headmaster Heinkel, his long beard cascading down as usual.

As the headmaster entered, all the instructors, myself included, stood up, and the most senior instructor, Reichardt from the Diamond White Class, greeted him on behalf of everyone.

“Good day, Headmaster Heinkel.”

“Ho ho, it’s nice to see you all. I hope I’m not too late?”

Headmaster Heinkel said with a slight smile.

“The truth is, when I was about to leave my room this morning, I found I was wearing mismatched socks. I had to rush to change, which took a bit of time.”

“Ha ha ha!”

“Ho ho, you’re quite something, Headmaster!”

A gentle laughter spread through the teacher’s office, and a soft atmosphere filled the room. I was the only one who glanced over at Headmaster Heinkel’s socks without smiling.

“…”

Honestly, I thought, with my robe covering my feet, what did the color of the socks even matter?

“Now then, let’s not do this and everyone take a seat.”

As Headmaster Heinkel encouraged everyone to sit down, we all took our places and waited for his remarks.

After a moment, Headmaster Heinkel began the meeting in a calm voice.

“First-year instructors, as you all know, the Victory Day festival is just around the corner. Especially for first-year students, this is the festival they’ll experience as academy students for the first time, so we must pay extra special attention.”

Victory Day.

That was precisely why Headmaster Heinkel had called this full meeting.

This year marked the fifth anniversary of Victory Day.

Of course, I had never been particularly interested in it. Celebrating was never suited to my character, and it felt odd to join a gathering composed of soldiers. I had always operated solo as part of a special task force anyway.

The Kalstein Marquis had suggested I attend the Victory Day ball a few times, but I had declined each time. Naturally, this was also my first time experiencing the Victory Day festival held in the Capital.

I had no clue what would be happening and was equally disinterested; what did this have to do with my role as an instructor?

Headmaster Heinkel seemed to answer my doubts as he continued.

“As you all are aware, but just in case someone doesn’t know, let me explain.”

His gaze was fixed on no one other than me, clearly intending to explain it directly to me.

Here’s what Headmaster Heinkel said.

Students of Philion Academy must work hard during their time in school to develop into the Empire’s exceptional talents and consistently prove their abilities.

The civil support work was part of this effort.

During the Victory Day period, tourists flock to the Capital from across the Empire and even the entire continent, making it too crowded for the existing Capital City Gendarmerie to handle alone.

To address this, academy students would assist the gendarmerie in maintaining order throughout the Capital.

Naturally, students would lack time to enjoy the festival while performing their civil support duties during this period, leading to fatigue.

Thus, the first day of the five-day festival would be the responsibility of the first-year students, while the fifth day, when the crowd would be largest, would be handled by the fifth-year students.

Even though it was the first day, it was still a festival. Even on a day with relatively fewer people, the role of the instructors in ensuring that students could perform their support duties smoothly was crucial.

One by one, the instructors from each class began to speak.

The first to speak was Instructor Acheron.

“Diamond White will take care of areas from Zone 2 to Zone 6. Those are places often visited by nobles or high-ranking individuals.”

“I’ll handle the Central Avenue and the Capital’s Gate, where lots of people gather. It’d be better for Garnet Red to manage Market Street in Zone 7 too.”

“Then, the area around the Temple and its surroundings will be the responsibility of Sapphire Blue, since many Goddess cultists will be visiting.”

“Emerald Green will patrol the outer areas.”

Instructor Rilya pondered for a moment and asked.

“What will we do about the areas with poor public order?”

“The gendarmerie will handle those areas, Instructor Rilya. If necessary, the academy’s security team will also be deployed.”

“If the Headmaster says so, then we needn’t worry. It sounds like students can focus on maintaining order in the areas where tourists congregate.”

Thus, the first-year instructors began laying out the overall plan and discussing details to determine the areas each class would be responsible for.

Which class would be in charge of which part of which zone… Unlike Opal Black, which has only eight members, the Diamond White and Garnet Red classes are composed of multiple groups even within the first year. Therefore, there were more details to discuss.

“…”

I silently listened to their discussions.

To be honest, I didn’t even know what I was supposed to be doing.

I was not familiar with the city of Sangria, and unlike Opal Black, which had a common identity, religion, and hometown, my class was diverse. I had no clue where we should be stationed.

The only thing I could consider was that there were three high-ranking nobles.

Zone 1, the Emperor’s Palace Emperatos might be suitable.

But if a princess were guiding guests there, the visitors might be so taken aback that they wouldn’t know how to react.

Perhaps sensing my troubled expression, Instructor Rilya, who was sitting beside me, raised her hand enthusiastically to help.

“Um, Headmaster! Since this will be Instructor Graham’s first festival, would it be alright for him to accompany our class?”

“Hmmm, that’s a good idea. As Opal Black is a newly established class, both the students and instructors will need experience. Having Instructor Rilya alongside would be a great support.”

“Thank you, Headmaster!”

As she said this, Instructor Rilya winked at me while flashing a smile.

I expressed my gratitude with a nod.

Honestly, I was at a loss as to where to go. Once again, it was clear that only Instructor Rilya would come to my aid in a difficult time.

I felt a bit guilty for thinking it was because of her small stature that she needed to raise her hand so high to catch anyone’s eye.

As the meeting began to wrap up, Headmaster Heinkel suddenly spoke up.

“Although it hasn’t been officially announced yet, a very special guest will soon come to the academy to give a lecture.”

“A special guest?”

“Ho ho, that’s right. Don’t be surprised when I say this. It will be none other than Doctor Georg von Brown, the one who developed the Capital City Tram and Airship.”

At those words, my shoulders tensed, and astonishment flickered across the faces of all the instructors gathered in the teacher’s office.

The name Georg von Brown was indeed surprising.

The news about the airship demonstration from last night had already spread widely across the Capital, courtesy of the morning newspapers, gracing the front pages of every publication.

That meant the attention of the entire Empire was focused on the soon-to-debut airship.

Instructor Helga, responsible for Emerald Green, adjusted her glasses, unable to hide her astonishment as she spoke.

“Are you referring to the notoriously finicky genius, Doctor Georg von Brown? The one who supposedly never participates in external activities, and he’s coming to our academy to give a lecture? This is amazing news indeed! How on earth did you invite him, Headmaster?”

“Ho ho, it’s a bit more complex than saying we invited him. In fact, Doctor Brown himself expressed a desire to come to the academy.”

“Doctor Brown himself!?”

Amidst Instructor Helga’s shocked voice, Headmaster Heinkel quietly turned his gaze toward me.

“Doctor Brown specifically requested Instructor Ion to assist with his lecture preparations. Instructor Ion, would that be alright with you?”

“…Excuse me?”

At that moment, all the instructors in the meeting room turned their attention toward me.

There were mixed feelings of surprise, curiosity, and suspicion at the thought that I might know such a notable figure.

However, all I felt in my heart was an ominous premonition.

 

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