Namgung Se-ga, the warrior, was reincarnated in Romance

Ivan and I diligently searched for materials.

If it were Jenny or Marianne, they would have immediately identified and named what we found from a distance, but Ivan had trouble comparing the knowledge he had memorized in a dictionary with the actual plants growing in front of him.

Still, he was more skilled than I was, and his calmness and patience made him capable of climbing high rocks and crossing shallow streams with just a little guidance, so he wasn’t a bad companion.

After just under two hours, we managed to find the moss and branches. We packed them into the box, feeling a sense of accomplishment.

Determined to return to the children before nightfall and show them what we had gathered, we began heading back. But then, far in the distance, I saw a burst of flames streaking across the sky with a sharp, whistling sound.

For a moment, Ivan and I stared at each other in surprise.

Piiing, piiing. Two more flames shot up. There was no time to hesitate. I immediately hoisted Ivan onto my shoulder and ran.

With my left hand firmly gripping his thigh and my right hand cutting through the branches blocking our path with my sword, I moved quickly.

In my rush, the sword hummed with energy, and I heard the sound of trees crashing as they fell, entangled with others, but I didn’t look back.

The sharp, barking of dogs echoed in my ears.

It had taken longer to leave the area because I had been carefully scanning for any threats, but with every obstacle cut down in my path, I was moving quickly now. The sound of emergency fires crackled in the distance, gnawing at my nerves.

I shouldn’t have left the children behind.

I understood the reason why each group had been assigned a warrior, but my decision to leave the children behind for my own comfort left me uneasy, and my chest tightened with worry.

I was scared.

Only after running non-stop for a moment did I find a flat area to rest.

There were dozens of animals, possibly wild dogs or wolves, surrounding us.

Without putting Ivan down, I swung my sword upward from below, cutting through half of a large beast’s body.

It had been a long time since I had seen blood, but there was no time to reflect on it.

I quickly scanned the area. Two wolves with frozen muzzles were scratching at their faces with their front paws.

But there were still far too many of them.

Marianne, holding her left hand in the air, continued to cast spells without looking our way, while Damien stood in front of her, swinging a fiery torch.

Jenny, who had left the supplies behind, was sitting trembling, unable to speak, her face drenched in tears, her mouth opening silently, mouthing “Mikael.”

I still hadn’t put Ivan down. I feared that if I left him alone, he would be hurt.

I raised my sword high and struck down, decapitating one of the wolves.

In my haste, my strike lacked proper strength, and I heard the sound of the sword scraping against the beast’s neck bones. I pulled the sword out and swung it sideways, cutting through the muzzle of another beast, causing it to retreat, blood dripping from its mouth.

The largest wolf let out a long, mournful howl.

Auuu, the long cry echoed, and the wolves began to slowly retreat.

I could have killed all of them, but saving the children was my priority. I didn’t chase after them, but instead, I glared at the retreating pack, exuding a murderous intent.

But just then, one of the wolves lunged at Damien, biting his leg.

I watched as the child was dragged away, unable to even scream.

Fury surged through me. I dashed forward, cutting off the wolf’s head in one swift motion. The blood splattered, drenching the child in its warmth.

Though it wasn’t cold, the steam rising from the blood was intensely hot.

Auuu, the long howl rang out again. I stood with my back to the children. Only then did I feel Ivan, still on my shoulder, retch and gag into my ear.

My heart raced with anxiety. I glared at the retreating wolves.

Would they be okay?

It was only after the wolves had retreated that Damien collapsed.

I looked down at the trembling boy, his body shaking as if it were a quaking aspen. I fought to suppress my own feelings of helplessness and frustration as I grabbed the decapitated wolf’s muzzle with both hands, pulling it apart.

The blood, whether from the child or the wolf, was indistinguishable.

“Huh… huck… ugh…” Damien sobbed, his body wracked with pain.

Marianne, swallowing her sobs, drew symbols in the air, repeatedly attempting to cast healing spells, but the light flickered and dissipated. She had reached the limit of her circle, unable to produce any more magic.

Jenny brought over water and poured it over Damien’s leg.

I couldn’t bring myself to ask if he was alright.

Piiing. The sound of an emergency fire cutting through the sky rang out again.

I had to treat his wounds. I had been told that if such injuries were treated within four hours, there would be no major aftereffects. But Damien’s face had already turned pale from blood loss, and I couldn’t shake the feeling of dread.

“…We need to go down.”

“Yes, yes… huff, I’m going… I’m going…”

Whether it was Jenny or Marianne answering, I couldn’t tell. Both of them were crying, and their voices sounded different than usual. Ivan, trying his best to sound calm, spoke up.

We didn’t gather our supplies. I carefully lifted Damien in my arms. I was scared that carrying him with his injured leg might cause more harm.

I felt anxious, worried, angry, and anguished.

If only I hadn’t left the children behind, this wouldn’t have happened.

Though my heart was racing, I couldn’t use my martial arts techniques to move faster because I was descending the mountain with the exhausted children. As we retraced our steps, Ivan caught Jenny a few times as she slipped.

After some effort, we finally found the hiking trail and made our way down the mountain.

I could hear crying from all around. One group that had arrived before us had started a fire and was wiping their faces. They carefully laid Damien, who was shivering from the cold, near the campfire and looked for Cedric, but she was nowhere to be found.

The children saw us and hurried over, looking surprised. From what they said, it seemed that it was their group that had fired the first flare.

They told us that Cedric had rescued the children, left them here, and gone back into the forest, so I quickly prepared myself to follow.

“Mikael! Where are you going?”

“Cedric has only one body, and there are still many groups that haven’t returned.”

“But the signal flares must be all used up, what if we lose the path?”

“I can take care of myself.”

The children, who were trying to stop me, glanced back and forth between Damien and me. They all understood that if any of the other children had been injured like Damien, it would have been right to save them first.

I was overwhelmed with worry for Shaiden, unable to think about anything else.

As I took three steps into the forest path, I suddenly heard a murmur and stopped.

Cedric was leading the children down the path. When I saw a familiar face among them, I felt my shoulders relax.

“Mika! Are you alright?”

“I am…”

When Shaiden saw me, he immediately pulled out a handkerchief. That’s when I noticed that my hands were stained with blood. I pushed him aside and went to find Cedric to inform her of Damien’s injuries.

Cedric, with a pale face, lined up the injured children and took out a healing artifact.

The other children said that they had managed to hold on until Cedric arrived, with the cooperation of the warrior and the mage.

Shaiden, in particular, mentioned that they had encountered the wolf pack while arguing with another group about how much moss to take and had found it easy to work together.

Among them, Damien’s injuries were the worst.

I watched as new flesh began to form on the boy’s leg.

Cedric treated Damien and used magic I didn’t understand to ensure that the healing was complete, checking several times.

Only then did I notice the claw marks on Damien’s hand. It was clear how much the child had endured during the descent.

Cedric treated every small wound with the artifact and then gave Damien some instructions.

“…Your calf bone was completely shattered, so even after using the artifact, you’ll feel pain for a while. The bones and muscles are properly healed, and the torn flesh has reattached, but… magic can’t erase the time you suffered.”

“…Yes.”

“The phantom pain will last up to three months, so during that time, avoid putting any strain on your leg. You’ve endured well. Good job.”

Damien gave a bitter smile. Cedric stood up to tend to the other children, some with sprained ankles and others with various small injuries.

After treating even the tiniest cuts with the artifact, Cedric used a communication artifact to call back the carriages that were supposed to arrive the next day.

While waiting for the carriages, we all sat in a circle and listened to Cedric’s explanation.

She spoke in a calm voice, trying her best to stay composed.

“…There were no wolves on Eldos Mountain originally. I’ll report this to the Mage Tower and the Imperial Knights for investigation, and I’ll inform you all next time. It was my mistake for not eliminating the potential risks beforehand.”

“….”

Small sobs were still heard here and there. No one made fun of the children for crying, as their tension had finally broken.

Cedric glanced at the crying child for a moment before continuing.

“When the carriages arrive, we’ll board by groups and head out. Next month’s camping schedule is canceled, and we’ll substitute it with other lessons, so please understand… If any of you experience lingering effects or are still unsettled, visit the infirmary as soon as we reach the academy. I’ll inform them beforehand.”

“Yes…”

Quiet responses echoed from all around.

We boarded the carriage. I made a cushion from sleeping bags in front of Damien so that he could sit with his leg stretched out.

The journey out had been filled with noise, but the return trip was quiet. Everyone was exhausted, their eyes barely blinking.

“…I’m sorry, Damien.”

Unable to endure the heavy atmosphere any longer, I spoke first. No matter how I thought about it, I felt like Damien’s injury was my fault. Damien looked at me.