? The First Letter (12) ?

The afternoon at the academy passed by calmly.

Birds chirping through the trees, and buildings boasting years of history and tradition reflected the white sunlight. It had already become a familiar landscape now.

The Academy’s history was close to 1,000 years. It existed even before the Empire was founded.

The continent at that time was chaotic. The Great Empire that unified the world collapsed, and countless countries were rushing to take its place. Soon, the world became a battlefield.

And as the war continued, the lands became barren, as always.

The enormous cost of supplies because of the war, the looting by the enemy, and the birth of monsters inevitably missed due to the concentration of troops on the front line.

The decades-long war turned a rich continent into a groaning corpse. It was around that time that leaders of each country felt a sense of crisis.

No matter how big the land they had under their rule, it was meaningless without the people living on it. The war, which lasted too long, caused the continent’s population to plummet.

In addition, mankind had a common enemy. Monsters called ‘Demonic Beasts’, which were both aggressive and tough.

After years of meetings and talks, the war ended, and the Academy was built in a neutral zone as evidence of this peace agreement.

It symbolized the ending of the era of conflicts and the dawn of an era of harmony and coexistence.

It was during the reign of the Empire’s ‘Conquering Sovereign’ that the Academy, which had remained neutral for about 500 years, became a “Protectorate Academy.”

It is said that even he, who conquered half of the continent while riding his horse, did not bring his army into the site in respect of the Academy. However, after that day, there was a title called “Protectorate” in front of the academy.

From that day, the academy became a symbol that proclaimed that the Empire was the center of the world. Talents from all over the world who decided to enter the academy must face the flag of the Empire hanging throughout the academy.

That alone seemed to make the Empire think that the astronomical cost of running the academy was worth it. Still it was a matter that the higher ups had to worry about, it wasn’t something that a second son of a countryside Viscountcy such as myself should care about.

I was simply admiring how, despite having such a long history, the campus of the Academy was so well preserved.

It meant that the Empire was doing its best to run the academy. It was something I ought to be thankful for as a student.

Unlike me, who was watching the campus of the academy with such a calm mood, Leto was staring at me with his eyes wide open, as if he had heard something unbelievable.

The drink I bought at the coffee shop for him seemed to be about to spill out. When I looked at him with a slightly concerned eye, Leto soon shook his head violently to regain consciousness.

And asked in a dazed voice. Looking as if he had just misheard me.

“....What?”

“How do you seduce a woman?”

Leto’s mouth opened wide. He seemed genuinely confused. He asked with his brows furrowed, after a moment of silence.

“Are you actually Ian? Did someone put a weird curse on you again?”

“Wait, it shouldn’t be something that surprising.”

I was embarrassed by Leto’s intense reaction and had no choice but to ask back. Then Leto looked at me with dumbfounded eyes.

“I mean, it’s just that you never seemed to be interested in that sort of thing, that’s why I’m reacting like this! To think that the impassive guy.....”

In the meantime, Leto grabbed the drink and sucked in all of its content with a straw. He seemed to be thirsty. Now that I think about it, it truly was a little out of the blue.

I would have felt the same If I was in his shoes, for example, if yesterday my friend Leto suddenly dashed towards the dormitory after spouting nonsense, and as soon as we met again a day later, if he asked me a question regarding something that he had never shown an interest throughout his life, I would have been baffled by Leto as well.

Thus I shook my head, having now grasped his feelings.

“It’s natural, you know? I’m a man as well, and of course, I would be interested in women. But since I don’t know how to deal with women of my age, I just thought I should know in advance.”

However, even after hearing my lame explanation, none of Leto’s doubts got cleared.

He glanced at me for a moment, then leaned over his seat as if he just gave up.

He then threw a causal assumption.

“Is that, by any chance, something like that? In fact, you always harbored feelings for Emma, and now you want to fill the void she left with another woman.....”

“That’s not true, so don’t talk nonsense. It’s rude to Emma.”

“I thought so.”

As if he just got some confirmation after hearing my firm denial, Leto smirked. Slowly, he seemed to get quite interested when I saw the emerald color of his eyes lit up.

“Then who’s your goal?”

“....Goal?”

My head tilted at the sudden remark. But Leto continued to speak in a stern tone, as if he was preaching a very natural truth.

“Yes, man. Goal! Your approach changes depending on the woman. Everyone has different tastes, you know? Commoner or aristocrat. Older or younger.. You have to choose an approach that includes both her personality and the relationships you have. Otherwise, the probability of success is too low.”

That’s why it’s better to know someone well, Leto added. It has been a long time since I felt this confused.

I have a goal, but I don’t know who she is.

Who the hell is Sepia? It seems like a nickname inspired from a flower, but there was no woman around me who could be called “Sepia.”

All I can be sure about now is the fact that she has something to do with the hunting festival.

But this wasn’t the kind of information Leto was asking for. I drew circles with the straw while frowning at the difficult question .

When he saw my reaction, Leto looked bewildered once again. He let out a cry.

“No, you haven’t even decided who the target is yet?! You can’t mean that as long as she is a woman, anyone is fine, right?”

“No, that’s not what I meant.....”

Even so, I felt a little offended, but I decided to ignore it.

After all, it was proof that Leto was taking my request quite seriously.

That’s the way mages are. They are stubborn, and when they start to get serious, they become infinitely strict.

The same went for Leto, who was aiming to get a job as an advisory mage at a quiet estate wanting to play and relax for the rest of his life, but since he was also a mage, he had no choice but to have such a temperament.

I only thought that since it was a problem regarding women, my best advisor would be Leto.

Leto only shook his head and clicked his tongue, seemingly knowing what I was thinking.

“Tsk, tsk. Is this how you’re going to seduce a girl? Ian, listen up. It takes three things for a man to seduce a woman.”

“Three?”

“Honestly, it’s okay to just have one of these, but it’s good to have all of them.”

Then Leto opened his index finger. As if he’s going to explain one by one from now.

“First, the face. You’re pretty good looking, so this is fine.”

I see, but the thing is that I don’t think there’s ever been a woman who liked my face.

This thought crossed my mind for a second, but I decided to put it aside for the moment. The expert in this field was not me, but Leto.

If he meant it, it must be true? Still, I was happy to hear that I’m handsome.

“Second, skills. Well, to be honest, being an academy student usually is good enough, but.....”

Just as he was about to raise his middle finger after having raised his index, he stopped his speech and started stroking his chin. I knew what he wanted to say.

As an academy student, I could be recognized for my abilities anywhere. But this was a story only outside the Academy.

In the Academy, the status of being a student could not be treated as special. After all they all were students attending it.

It was a complicated matter. To meet the second requirement, I would need to have an exceptional ability even within the academy. Leto seemed to have decided to not touch on the subject for now.

His ring finger rose up. It meant the last thing.historical

“And lastly, sincerity. Actually, this is the most decisive thing compared to the first two. What’s the point of being handsome and talented, if you aren’t serious? If you want to seduce, you can try ... But I don’t feel this sincerity from you right now!”

A faint moan leaked out of my mouth.

Even if you say so, I don’t know the other person, and since it started because of a sense of duty, there was no way you could feel that sincerity from me.

Only the vague responsibility of not making any more victims was weighing on my heart.

In the end, Leto sighed and finished his drink looking as if he had half given up. A sigh came out of his mouth, a sign of surrender.

“....Well, I have no choice. I’ll only teach you the most basic things.”

“Oh, Are they going to be enough?”

I asked with delight, but as an answer I received only Leto’s ridiculous gaze. My sullen mouth closed again.

“No, are you crazy? Of course that’s not enough. But more than that, it depends on the person.. Just remember two things. Compliment and skinship.”

“Compliment and skinship?”

I didn’t know what he meant with “compliment” and “skinship”, but I decided to keep those two words in mind first.

Leto seemed to like my reaction, so he smiled cheerfully.

“Yeah, once you see a girl, give her a little compliment. “You’re especially pretty today.” It’s fine to say something obvious even if you’re half assing it.”

“..What if she is ugly?”

“It’s a crime to flirt with ugly people. You may have your own tastes, but I don’t care.”

Leto said so in a casual voice and restarted sucking the drink from straw again.

When a handsome guy said that, I wanted to punch him, but I decided to endure it once since I was handsome as well.

After a long time, I felt grateful to my parents from the bottom of my heart. Come to think of it, my sister was rather lovely as well.

It was fortunate. As I breathed a sigh of relief inside, Leto’s words continued.

“And when it comes to physical contact, it’s important to measure distance. If you feel you’ve gotten close enough, increase the intensity of your skinship. As the saying goes ‘The closer your body gets, the closer your heart gets.’”

“How do you measure the distance?”

“Hey.....”

It was just before Leto’s explanatory speech continued.

I heard someone calling us both from afar. Leto and my eyes turned to its origin at the same time.

The girl with a lively impression was waving her hand while wearing a brown cape on the back.

It was Celine. Leto smiled as if it was a good thing.

“That’s great, give it a try.”

It was before I even asked what.

Celine ran towards us and stopped right in front of me. Her small body sank like a butterfly without making a sound.

She tilted her head. She must have seen my perplexed expression.

“....? What’s wrong, Ian?”

“Oh, yeah? Nothing. Nothing. It’s nothing. It’s just that...”

My eyes glanced at Leto. The strong will in his eyes was already urging me.

“Hurry up and do it.”

I sighed inwardly and stared at Celine. I was told to compliment her first.

Celine just kept looking at me. I then gave her a compliment.

“I just thought you look pretty today.”

“....Eh?!”

As soon as Celine heard me, she looked up at my face, trembling, as if she had been electrocuted. She was so surprised that she put her hands in front of her chest.

Is it working? I wasn’t sure so far. I decided to praise Celine a little more.

“And you also smell good.. Did you change your perfume?”

“Uh, yes.. hehe.. It’s not a perfume, but I changed the soap since it is a popular item for bathing among girls these days. Is it that obvious?”

Celine started twisting her body like that. Then she slipped her bangs back and revealed her slender nape that was exuding a pleasant fragrance.

The tinge of redness on her face seemed to be a sign of her happiness. I thought it was about time for ‘skinship’.

But how do I initiate physical contact?

Her exposed nape caught my sight, as I was contemplating for a while.

I approached Celine, and with the back of my hand, I removed the strand of hair that was covering her neck.

“Kya!?”

Celine stiffened up when I touched her skin and uttered a strange cry, but I didn’t care.

I moved my face near her neck and sniffed her nape. A moment that lasted for a fraction of a second.

Yet the aftermath was beyond imagination. Celine froze with a flushed face.

All she could say was a broken, ah, ah, ah. Her alluring lips were unable to speak any language.

“....Well, you are right. You indeed smell good.”

And as I steeled myself and uttered those words.

“Eh! Eh!!”

Celine trembled upon hearing such words, and soon scampered away in embarrassment.

“I, I, I have something urgent to do, so I’m leaving!”

Leaving behind a ridiculous excuse, I looked at Leto in bewilderment.

Leto was barely managing to hold back his laughter, but seeing that sight he giggled and burst into laughter. His loud laugh rang in my ears

“Why are you laughing ..”

“Hahahaha! Did you see that, Ian?Celine’s flushed face and the way she ran away? It was so simple, but well done. Good job. Pfft....”

“Did it work?”

When I asked in a still unsure voice, Leto nodded as if to wait and see.

“Of course it did! Hahahaha.. You see, once she’ll return she will order a bunch of face wash items or something. I can bet on that! You just wait and watch!

Even though I thought it was improbable, I decided to keep quiet because Leto seemed so confident. I think I should check if Leto was right later.

And the next day, Celine appeared, like Leto said, with a stronger scent.

Seria came to me once again.

“Ehm, Please. Ugh.. it’s a small gift!”

With a pouch filled with gold coins