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Time flew by in an instant, and it was now Friday, just a day before the weekend.

Doctor Brown, hailed as the father of magical engineering for inventing all kinds of groundbreaking and convenient devices, was now the hottest topic in the Empire.

Naturally, his lecture at Philion Academy captured the interest and attention of all academy students.

Marian was one of those students.

To be honest, Marian had little interest in phrases like “the starting point of the technological revolution” or “father of engineering.”

However, since she frequently used trams and radios, she had a slight curiosity about what kind of person could create such things.

After her conversation with Instructor Ion last night, that curiosity had grown even stronger.

Anyway, for that reason, when she arrived at the large lecture hall in the Lecture Building after all classes had ended, she was taken aback.

“Ugh, what a crowd…”

The spacious large lecture hall, which could accommodate up to 500 people, was already packed with students. There were even teachers and other staff members visible among them.

This meant that many people were curious about who Doctor Brown was.

As she hesitated to step into the lecture hall, a familiar cloak caught her eye.

Amidst cloaks of white, red, blue, and various colors, a black cloak stood out.

Marian recognized her classmate and shouted loudly.

“Gwen! Schurz!”

“Huh? Marian?”

The two who recognized Marian approached her, looking surprised to see her there.

Schurz seemed shocked, as if he hadn’t expected to see Marian in such a place.

“I didn’t think I’d run into you here. Are you here for Doctor Brown’s lecture too?”

“Yeah, I’m curious about the guy who made the airship. Everyone keeps talking about this lecture, so I figured I’d check it out.”

“We’re here for the same reason. Especially Gwen, she really wanted to come.”

“Really?”

Gwen chuckled shyly.

“Yeah… heh heh. Trams and radios were super interesting, but making a flying ship is amazing! I was curious how awesome his inventions are.”

Now that she thought about it, Gwen had indeed been surprised when she first heard the news about the airship. Marian nodded in agreement.

“I’m glad to see you, but as you can see, I’m not sure if there’ll be any seats left, given the situation here.”

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about that. I’ve already secured three seats.”

You already secured them? And exactly three seats at that?

When Marian looked at Schurz with a puzzled expression, he shrugged his shoulders and explained.

“The place that funds the doctor is the administrative office, and I’m the son of the administrative office chief. I just asked for three seats to be saved. Originally, I thought I’d bring Batar and Saladin along to bond a little… but neither of them seemed interested.”

“Ah…”

While Saladin might have softened a bit lately, he still probably didn’t want to hear a lecture from an imperial engineer because of his lingering resentment towards the Empire.

On the other hand, Batar was independent in a different sense, so he probably just didn’t care enough to come.

“Having the administrative office’s son as a friend is quite a stroke of luck. Well then, I’ll reluctantly take advantage of your kindness.”

At Marian’s words, Schurz looked a bit taken aback.

“Huh? Friend…?”

“What? We’re not friends?”

Schurz scratched his chin awkwardly.

“No. I never thought I’d hear that from such a noble of high society… Life sure throws some peculiar surprises our way.”

Marian crossed her arms and chuckled lightly.

“That’s a bit odd. We attend the same classes and live in the same dormitory, and you’re calling that ‘not friends’?”

“Well, I guess that’s true.”

While listening to the conversation, Gwen tilted her head in confusion.

“Flower of high society?”

“It’s just a silly nickname. By the way, with this many people, there’s no way we can get into the lecture hall…”

“Oh, leave that to me!”

“Huh? Wah-?!”

Gwen smiled confidently and grabbed Marian and Schurz’s wrists, stepping out firmly into the crowd.

With her vigorous steps, the throngs of people began to part before Gwen, opening up a gradual pathway.

“Whoa!”

“Hey, don’t push!”

“Excuse me! Coming through!”

People shouted from all around, but Gwen casually ignored them and carefully made her way forward.

Before Gwen’s rock-solid stride, people were pushed aside defenselessly, yet, surprisingly, no one fell or lost their balance.

Marian, bewildered, asked, “What’s going on? How do you do that?”

“Huh? Ah, it’s all about balance! I learned how to read not just my own balance but that of my opponent’s while sparring with Instructor Ion!”

“Uh…”

How do you even do that?

And how on earth did Instructor Ion teach you that?

Marian was struck by the realization that the pretty boyish girl in front of her was a genuine genius. After all, that would explain why she was called the descendant of a sword master, receiving daily instruction from The Faceless Hero.

“Gwen! Not that way!”

“Huh? Oh, I got confused.”

The only problem was that Gwen seemed to have no sense of direction, often drifting off the path, so they had to correct her several times.

In any case, thanks to Gwen, they easily pushed through the throng and reached the front row.

That spot was occupied by Heinkel Headmaster and several high-ranking faculty members of the academy, and just as Schurz said, there were exactly three seats available.

Marian politely greeted the familiar staff members, including Heinkel Headmaster. Schurz and Gwen did the same.

“Good day, Headmaster Heinkel.”

As they received the students’ greetings, Headmaster Heinkel stroked his beard and chuckled.

“Hmm? You’re from the Opal Black Class, aren’t you? Good to see you.”

“Did you also have an interest in the lecture, Headmaster?”

“Of course. Opportunities like this are rare, and I think today’s lecture will be particularly intriguing.”

“Intriguing…?”

Marian could discern a faint glimmer of expectation and joy from Headmaster Heinkel’s wrinkled eyes.

She exchanged greetings with many acquaintances she had met outside of the academy, and after a light conversation with some of them, she finally managed to take her seat.

Marian suddenly felt a wave of fatigue wash over her.

“Ugh, I’m already tired…”

“Good job.”

Schurz laughed, having handled greetings and small talk with quite a few people, similar to Marian.

Although Gwen was a disciple of the sword master, not many people knew her, so she had already sat down comfortably.

She looked at the two, a bit amazed by how casually they exchanged greetings with so many people.

“Impressive. You both are pretty famous.”

With so many people around, Marian lowered her voice slightly.

“Well, it’s not that impressive… Being famous isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. It gets tough when so many people recognize you everywhere.”

Thinking about it, if being somewhat well-known like Marian was already this exhausting, just how overwhelming could the popularity of the Legendary Seven Heroes be?

Is that why Instructor Ion walks around with his face covered in armor?

Given his personality, he probably wouldn’t enjoy fame anyway, so she could understand why he might choose to do that.

Suddenly, Schurz opened his mouth.

“Speaking of famous people, did you hear that the Hero Party is coming to the Capital City?”

“The Hero Party?”

When Gwen asked with curiosity, Schurz, who was interested in such topics, adjusted his glasses and replied.

“Yeah, the Hero Party. They plan to hold a parade to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the end of the war. They say the saint, who hasn’t returned to the continent until now because of purification work in the Black Continent, is coming back this time, and the news is already buzzing among the church and the Goddess Church folks.”

“Uh-huh, I know about the hero and the saint. But is the Hero Party different from the Legendary Seven Heroes?”

“…You don’t know about the Hero Party? Do I need to explain from there…? Oh boy, here we go—”

As Marian was listening to their conversation, she suddenly remembered.

The Hero Party.

Five companions, formed around the “Hero of Light,” Wilhelm von Galatea, to defeat the Demon King.

“Saint of the Battlefield,” Charlotte Orsia.

“Iron-Blooded Knight,” Frida von Sternlicht.

“Ashen Witch,” Greta von Lunhardt.

“Shadow Blade,” Silvia Rosenfeld.

Among them, the “Iron-Blooded Knight” and “Ashen Witch” were part of the Royal Guard and the Court Wizard Corps, respectively, so excluding the “Shadow Blade,” who was declared dead due to mysterious circumstances during the war, the only one making a return to the Capital City after so long was the saint, who had been on the Black Continent all this time.

There were many doubts raised about their strength and actual accomplishments in the press, and as the granddaughter of the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Army, Marian knew that some of those rumors were indeed true.

But such matters weren’t something to discuss openly in a public place like this.

So while Schurz eagerly explained the Hero Party to Gwen, Marian casually let time pass as she ignored their conversation.

At last, the center of attention, Doctor Brown, made his appearance on the platform.

 

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