The Youngest Son of the John Nassen Family
Academy Admission Recommendation Letter
His hands trembled violently. At last—at long last—it had come into his grasp.
The golden key that would take him to Eldorado was finally here! Finally!
“All of you are to depart by tomorrow. If you wish to arrive before enrollment begins, you will need to make haste.”
“Understood, Your Excellency the Margrave.”
“I would accompany you myself, but affairs keep me busy. I trust you understand.”
With a final wish that they become precious talents of the Empire, the Margrave left the room.
Those remaining were Kyle, Ian, and one young woman.
Ian got in almost by accident. As for Tisha…
To prove the usefulness of shamanism to the world, was that it?
Swordsmanship and magic shared one trait: once a certain level was reached, both drew upon mana. The methods differed, yet their roots were the same. Swordsmen and mages endlessly bickered over which was greater, but if one insisted on the point, they sprang from identical foundations.
Shamanism, by contrast, did not use mana at all. Instead it drew its power from people’s belief. Even the most trivial thing, if believed in with fierce intensity, could become a tremendous force—while even the mightiest power became worthless if no one believed in it. Unlike sword or magic, which allowed one to do nearly anything once mana was mastered, belief was far less certain than mana’s clear flow. Consequently, the Empire still placed little value on shamanism.
In that climate she wants to enter the Academy and show everyone how formidable shamanism can be. That was the goal, right?
Naturally, early reactions to shamanism had been lukewarm at best. That was how she earned the nickname “witch.” What became of her later he did not know; unfortunately his knowledge stopped right there.
Kyle cast a sidelong glance at Tisha. She was exactly as the novel had described: strikingly beautiful, with purple hair that lent her a subtle, enigmatic air, and those trademark pale-violet eyes.
“A pleasure to meet you both.”
Unlike Kyle, who was still taking the measure of the room, or Ian, who looked thoroughly uninterested, she spoke first in a crisp, clear voice.
“I’m Tisha. I handle a little shamanism, though I’m far from accomplished. It seems I’ll be traveling to the Academy with the two of you, so I hope we’ll get along.”
People with a clear goal really are different.
She was the complete opposite of the gray-haired wandering swordsman beside him. Ian possessed neither ambition nor urgency. Tisha, on the other hand, was determined to prove shamanism’s worth no matter what. That these two utterly mismatched people would become the first couple… The righteous urge to smash the pairing flared up, but he forced it down.
“Kyle John Nassen, second son of Baron John Nassen. It appears I’ll be entering the Academy with the two of you as well, so the pleasure is entirely mine, Miss Tisha.”
He carefully took the hand she offered.
Whoa. How long has it been since I touched a woman’s hand that wasn’t Mother’s or my sisters’? Day in and day out it’s barbells, dumbbells, and pull-up bars—and now an actual girl’s hand.
He felt tears of pure emotion about to spill, so he promptly released her.
“And you? What’s your name?”
Tisha’s attention shifted straight to Ian.
“…Ian. I handle a sword a bit.”
“I can tell. The blade at your hip, the calluses on your hands.”
She had taken all that in at a glance. Ian flicked a look at her and opened his mouth.
“You use shamanism.”
“Yes. A little.”
“I heard shamanism is a kind of evil art.”
“…Excuse me?”
What? Did I mishear that? This bastard—why the hell is he opening with a wide-area provocation on first meeting?
“What did you just say? Evil art?”
“Exactly what I said.”
Kyle frantically rewound his memories. Had Ian and Tisha’s first meeting gone like this in the original story as well?
…Ah. This bastard really did pull this.
“Ian? Do you perhaps not know what ‘evil art’ means?”
“I know. Sinister techniques.”
“Then why say it if you know?”
“I’m only repeating what I heard.”
Ian’s character had always been a little off-kilter. He never spoke in circles and never considered anyone’s feelings. The moment he opened his mouth, a fight was practically guaranteed. He never meant any real harm, yet he possessed an uncanny talent for making people want to explode. The fact that he still ended up with a woman later only proved that the protagonist buff was a universal law.
“Are you finished?”
She looked ready to slap him across the face on the spot. And given Ian’s personality, he would never take a hit lying down. They could not start trading sword strikes and shamanic barrages before they even reached the Academy.
Still, in the original he would apologize soon and the atmosphere would more or less settle. A rocky start was half the fun, after all. If Kyle had popcorn he would have sat down and polished off an entire bag.
“…What do you think?”
Instead of the apology he ought to give, Ian suddenly turned the question on Kyle. Kyle let out a startled “Huh?” while Tisha’s anger only climbed higher.
He’s supposed to apologize right about now!
Apology? Not a chance. He was asking for Kyle’s opinion. Tisha was practically seething.
He briefly considered letting the scene play out, but the realization that they were still inside the Margrave’s castle sent him straight into action.
“Now, now! Why all this? Like it or not, we have to travel to the Academy together.”
“That man started with the nonsense first!”
“….”
Fortunately Ian seemed to recognize his own fault, at least a little. He quietly turned and stepped back. In his mind he was acknowledging the mistake and removing himself from the situation. To the victim, however, it looked exactly like picking a fight and then fleeing.
“That man—! Hey! What did you just say? Evil art?! Just because there’s a hole in your face doesn’t mean you can say whatever you want!”
If the Margrave saw this, would he laugh and call it entertaining? Not a chance. He would snatch the recommendation letters back and still consider it too light a punishment. The situation had to be stopped before it grew any worse.
“Miss Tisha. Miss Tisha? Please calm down—calm down!”
He had zero intention of inserting himself between this couple. Even without Tisha, even without the other heroines, there were plenty of options. Why shatter the original flow?
With a sigh, Kyle began damage control.
“Ian almost certainly did not mean to disparage shamanism.”
“That was disparaging! What else would you call it?”
“Isn’t it possible he simply meant, ‘I heard that shamanism is considered a kind of evil art’?”
“Or maybe he truly believes shamanism is evil arts.”
Unlike magic, which had fully established itself as a proper academic discipline, shamanism still carried a poor reputation. Shamans certainly existed across the continent, yet their treatment was generally mediocre. He vaguely recalled that one of Tisha’s own relatives had been a shaman as well.
“…Kyle. What about you?”
“Yes?”
“Do you also think shamanism is evil arts?”
Why is the gun suddenly pointed at me?
Kyle bit his lip and spun his thoughts at top speed. The damned man who had started this mess had already fled with impressive survival instincts. Left behind were an uninvolved bystander and a woman who held shamanism dear. One wrong answer here and he would catch the scolding meant for Ian as well. Being cursed at for something he did not do was absolutely off the table, so he made his decision on the spot.
“I’ve heard that the power of shamanism springs from people’s belief.”
“You know it well.”
“Although it cannot be proven as directly as the flow of mana, carelessly judging another person’s belief is hardly a pleasant thing.”
Calming Tisha’s anger came first. A woman with pride in herself and in her craft required careful handling. Only once her temper cooled would she be willing to speak with Ian again.
“Ian probably feels the same way. It’s simply that, as someone who has wandered from place to place, rough words slipped out without him realizing. I doubt he meant them sincerely.”
Why am I stuck playing messenger bird for this couple?
Irritation welled up, yet there was no other choice. If these two reached the Academy together, the minimal original plotline could still be followed. Deep down he wanted nothing more than to sit back and watch them thrash each other. He wanted to put into practice the maxim that couples must be eliminated. But he himself was heading to the Academy precisely to escape eternal singledom, was he not?
That thought decided him. Kyle closed his eyes and accepted the role of go-between.
“Is there some rule that says wandering around gives you the right to speak carelessly?”
“His personality can be a bit like that. Please try to understand, Miss Tisha.”
“Understanding is for people who know basic manners. What am I supposed to do with someone who lacks even that?”
Her anger clearly had not yet subsided. Pressing for further understanding now would only get him cursed alongside Ian. A change of subject was unavoidable.
“When I was younger and often ill, a shaman once helped me.”
“A shaman?”
“Yes. Compared to the rest of my family I caught every little cold and fever that came along. After receiving that shaman’s treatment, the minor illnesses never returned.”
The frequent illnesses had been real, and so had the shaman’s involvement. What had truly banished the sickness, however, was the family’s sudden, overwhelming “love.” They refused to leave him even a moment in which his body might grow weak, insisting that perfect health solved every problem—and thus began training more hellish than Hell itself.
There was no need to mention any of that. Simply saying he had received help from shamanism was enough.
“So that’s why you reacted the way you did.”
“Those who have benefited know the power of belief.”
Tisha’s pride in shamanism ran deep. Agree with that pride in moderation and friendship bloomed almost instantly. Attack shamanism and you made an enemy on the spot. Ian, by contrast, was the type who squabbled first and somehow became close later—possible only because of the protagonist buff.
“It’s been a long time since I met someone positive about shamanism.”
“I’m glad to meet a shaman again after so long as well.”
Smiling politely, he offered his hand once more. The smile Tisha wore as she clasped it made him just a little uneasy, yet deep down Kyle believed she would eventually find her proper partner on her own.