Ohhh, John Nassen! Heroes of the Empire!
Ohhh, John Nassen! Heroes of the Empire!
“As you all already know, tomorrow is the midterm exam you’ve all been waiting for.”
“Uuuugh!!”
Waiting for it, my ass! Get lost, you devil of a professor!! — the unspoken words hovered on every student’s lips.
Noble or commoner, freshman or graduating senior, nobody liked exams.
With the exception of a truly microscopic few.
A mid-point check on all the effort so far.
Arms full of books, Tisha clenched her fist tight.
She had entered the Academy on a margrave’s letter of recommendation, but that alone was never going to be enough.
She had to prove herself from the inside. And exams were the best way to do it.
On top of that, barely a quarter of her first year had passed and she had already spent a great deal of the money she had saved.
If she wanted a scholarship, she absolutely had to place high.
Only then could she stand tall in front of the nobles despite being a commoner.
And only then could she change the way people looked at shamanism — her true dream.
Someday she would make every last person in the Empire admit that there were good things out there besides magic!
“Heading to the library again, Tisha? You’re working so hard.”
“You’ll ruin your health like that. It’s good to take a little break now and then.”
“Thank you for your concern. I’ll try.”
The ones speaking to Tisha were not fellow commoners.
They were noble students — children of rather well-known houses, no less.
Until recently these same people had called her a weird commoner obsessed with shamanism, or simply “the witch.” The reason for their sudden change of heart was simple.
Tisha now had a connection to the Litorio Grand Duchy.
Thanks to that, the “witch” nickname had vanished and a little more interest in shamanism had even begun to appear.
A few students had even joined her in founding a shamanism club.
Of course, so far the members were still all commoners. The nobles were still watching the situation carefully.
No one wanted to become the subject of other nobles’ gossip; that was only natural.
“How are your exam preparations coming along?”
Today Tisha was once again having tea with Elga.
Ever since she had happened to protect the other girl during the Academy attack not long ago, a fixed time spent with Elga like this had simply appeared in her schedule.
“Yes. They’re going well.”
“You’re such a talented person to begin with, Tisha. Shamanism aside, you’ve always had an excellent head on your shoulders.”
“Thank you for the compliment. But there are plenty of people smarter than me. I simply keep trying and trying again.”
She was close to Kyle, and she herself was an outstanding individual.
Even if not right now, she would be useful later — of that Elga was certain.
A hardworking genius is always right, Elga thought as she took a sip of tea.
Then she slowly began to reveal the real reason she had called Tisha out today.
“Aren’t you curious?”
“Pardon?”
“I received news yesterday. About the situation on the western front.”
In that instant, fire blazed up in Tisha’s eyes.
Kyle, who had vanished without warning, had been gone for nearly a month.
The only information anyone had was that he had moved to the western front lines.
At first it had sounded completely absurd.
Kyle was neither a soldier nor a knight; he was a noble scion.
She had heard of commoners being conscripted, but never of a noble being drafted.
“From what I hear, Kyle’s older brother and sister took him with them.”
“My guess is some sort of deal was struck between the John Nassen family and the Imperial family.”
Tisha still remembered how kindly Elga had summoned her and handed over information.
The sudden show of goodwill had been a little confusing, but in the end it had been welcome.
She had learned of Kyle’s whereabouts and confirmed that there would be no trouble with his attendance.
“W-what did they say happened?!”
“They won.”
“R-really!? The Empire won?!”
“Yes. The Coalition surrendered, and the Empire accepted that surrender. The important part is that it was the John Nassen siblings who forced that surrender.”
What Elga said next was one astonishment after another.
Without any proper battle to speak of, Kyle and the other two John Nassens had simply cleaned up the entire situation.
They had subdued the Three Heroes — said to be equal to the Imperial 10 Strongest — completely crushing the Coalition’s will to resist, until the Coalition finally acknowledged defeat and surrendered.
“That’s… incredible, isn’t it?”
“Incredible doesn’t even begin to cover it. This is unprecedented. Even back when the Empire was fighting its great wars, nothing like this ever happened. Both sides would usually be evenly matched, so they would fight a bit, give a little ground, and then let their armies clash to decide the winner. Occasionally, if the army’s condition was poor, the strong would duel and decide that day’s victory, but that was the exception.”
So Kyle really is ridiculously strong. Tisha toyed with her teacup as the thought settled in.
Now she understood why Ian had practically been living in the indoor training hall lately.
Whenever they ran into each other, the first thing out of his mouth was always, “When’s Kyle coming back?”
She had overheard professors saying that Ian was the strongest among the freshmen.
In swordsmanship he could even hold his own against fourth-year seniors.
And that same Ian was currently training like a man possessed, desperate to earn Kyle’s recognition somehow.
“And the most important part: they’re preparing a commendation ceremony right now.”
“A commendation ceremony… that’s when the Imperial family bestows medals on those who have rendered great service, isn’t it?”
“Yes. And a high-ranking member of the Imperial family will personally present the medals. The recipients are, of course, the John Nassens. It’s an honor that in the past only Grand Ducal houses who had achieved enormous merit ever received.”
Even though Grand Duke Schrelitz was the commander, the biggest prizes traditionally went to those of high status.
Yet even he would acknowledge this. In fact, he would know that receiving it himself would look bad.
The war had ended without a single small-scale skirmish. The Coalition had slammed their heads into the ground and surrendered.
No one in their right mind would try to steal the glory for something this monumental.
“That’s truly amazing…”
“Isn’t it? That man Kyle is truly remarkable. I already knew he was extraordinary, but I never imagined he would erase the aversion people feel toward the name John Nassen in quite this way.”
In reality, Kyle had simply followed his siblings because he wanted to judge some roiders.
Elga, unaware of that fact, could only assume he had chosen this path in order to change public perception.
They say newly adult men are all dense and short on cunning… but Kyle is the real deal.
Perhaps even the ranking of the 10 Strongest, which had not changed in years, might shift.
Elga, unusually excited for someone of her usual temperament, kept rattling off more details.
Tisha only half-listened, staring blankly into space as her thoughts drifted.
He really is an amazing person. Kyle…
He always worked hard, always stayed diligent, and never grew arrogant.
Even with that overwhelming power he never looked down on others or showed off.
Instead he was kind to everyone and even held out his hand, saying, “Let’s work hard together.”
And that same person was treating her just a little more specially than the rest.
…I have to try harder too. Harder!
Kyle had become that incredible; she couldn’t just sit still.
She had to work harder, achieve greater things, and become someone worthy of standing at his side.
Only then would people stop saying things like “Kyle is friends with a commoner” or “He’s close to that witch obsessed with shamanism.”
I have to become someone who belongs at his side. And for that, I’m going to become the best too!
With her will to succeed burning brightly, Tisha set her sights first on taking first place in the midterms.
“…Hold on. Wait a second, Brother, Sister? What did you just say…?”
Kyle asked again in a thoroughly bewildered voice.
Standing in front of him with an utterly unconcerned expression, Lia answered.
“We will not be going to the capital. We plan to head straight home once we reach the northern road.”
“Then what about the commendation ceremony? They’re saying someone from the Imperial family is coming in person to hang the medals on you.”
“Can’t you just go receive it alone, Kyle? Whether all three of us go or just you, it shouldn’t make a difference. It’s the John Nassen family receiving it either way.”
Well, that was true, but still… this felt wrong.
The Imperial family had thoughtfully decided to express their gratitude to the John Nassens in person.
If the returning heroes suddenly turned around and went home instead, it would look extremely strange.
“Brother, Sister, please just come with me. We can go, accept the medals, say thank you for the hard work, and leave right after. It’s not that difficult, is it?”
“It is not enough. And it is extremely difficult, little brother.”
“Big Brother is right. The muscle loss is already hitting hard. I can feel my body getting stiff.”
Oh, for crying out loud — that damn muscle loss! You two just finished fighting and thrashing around and said your bodies felt loose!
Muscle loss was important, sure, but this time it really was not the priority!
Attending was clearly the most beneficial path for the John Nassen name!!
The Empire had fallen silent for nearly thirty years after finishing its wars of conquest.
Naturally, no commendation ceremony had been held in all that time either.
And now, at the first one in decades, two of the recipients simply vanished?
It would be a blow to Imperial pride, and the ceremony itself would become extremely awkward.
“Could you please reconsider just once more, Brother, Sister? Your little brother is begging you.”
Kyle pressed his hands together and practically pleaded.
But to these two, muscle loss mattered more than their youngest brother’s tearful request.
“You take it all, little brother. You more than deserve it.”
“We’re not going to be in the Empire much longer anyway, right? But you, Kyle, will be here for at least three more years. So it’ll be better if you shine alone in a place like that!”
“I don’t want to take Brother and Sister’s share as well!”
“It is your rightful share. Your sister and I merely dealt with two beasts hopped up on drugs.”
“Whereas you, Kyle, fought a true battle against a true powerhouse and won.”
To call a 10 Strongest-level fighter who had gone berserk on mana amplification a “beast”…
It was yet another reminder of just how monstrously strong his brother and sister really were.
“Then what am I supposed to tell Grand Duke Schrelitz…?”
“I already told him.”
“You did, Brother? Personally?”
“Yes.”
“And?”
“When I said we were going home, he immediately said he understood. He didn’t even ask why. He seemed to take me seriously.”
“….”
Lia’s serious expression. A serious expression, huh. Kyle briefly pictured that face.
…How could anyone say no to that?
He was truly a kind and good older brother, but his face was so fierce that people constantly misunderstood him.
Even back in the John Nassen Territory, if Lia ever scowled after getting a bit too much sun, the other residents would carefully edge past him as if something terrible might happen.
And that same Lia had spoken with a serious face and a serious voice.
The only people who could give a negative answer in that situation were either blind or insane. The Grand Duke was neither.
No… maybe this is actually for the best. If Brother or Sister ran into Princess Yulika…
If they started fighting right there at the commendation ceremony, that would be a disaster all on its own!
And the problem was that both Yulika and Lia were exactly the type of people who would do it.
Once that thought occurred to him, Kyle began to feel conflicted.
It definitely seemed like a problem, yet looking at it this way it also seemed fortunate.
There were good points and bad points, so it was hard to pin down which side was stronger.
“I’m counting on you, little brother.”
“Go do well, okay? We’ll explain everything properly to Mother and Father!”
Completely oblivious to their youngest brother’s inner turmoil, the John Nassen siblings were already bubbling with excitement at the thought of getting home and training.