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

Ch 116



After finishing his elaborate explanation, Boulder placed his hand on the back of the golem’s neck and began chanting a spell.

The golem slowly moved and assumed the lotus position. I fought back the urge to vomit once again.

Mage Boulder called out to me in a bright and cheerful voice.

“Now, Sir Ernhardt! Please perform the Qi circulation!”

I had absolutely no desire to touch that grotesque thing.

I took one step forward, then hesitated and stepped back half a step.

I could now understand the feelings of those Siran children who said they didn’t want to go near something that had bugs on it because it was too disgusting.

Even if it didn’t cause me harm, something that looked so repulsive and terrifying made my skin crawl the moment I got too close.

Not being able to approach it, I shot a resentful glance at Maelo Sanson, who laughed heartily.

I quickly composed myself, trying to push away the feelings of frustration.

Douglas Mustang looked at me with an expression full of concern, and I felt almost ashamed.

“…Pushing Sir Ernhardt to do something he doesn’t want to is a violation of our agreement, after all.”

“Huh? No, it’s not harmful to the body! It’s just a human model! This is outrageous! This doesn’t make sense!” Boulder argued.

“…Mmm.”

“But the kid clearly doesn’t want to do it.”

“…It’s fine. I can do it.”

I felt a chill run down my spine as I was treated like a child in front of everyone.

What was this childish act? I shouldn’t avoid Boulder’s specially crafted golem just because its appearance was bizarre. I had to push through this.

I closed my eyes tightly and stepped behind the golem. It was uncomfortable to see it in the lotus position, but I could manage.

After all, there were much worse things in the world than this. I took a few deep breaths to steady myself. As I got closer, I saw the golem’s insides shifting, and I figured it might be better to close my eyes.

I placed both my hands on the golem’s back.

The texture of it was too similar to human skin, and it sent a chill down my spine. I gasped and instinctively withdrew my hands.

I desperately tried to shake off the sensation left on my hands.

Douglas looked at me with pity, almost as if I were a small, helpless animal.

“Sir Ernhardt, if you really can’t do it, you don’t have to,” he said gently.

“…No,” I replied, trying to hold myself together.

Maelo Sanson was leaning against the wall, shaking with suppressed laughter. Seeing that, I realized how ridiculous I must have looked.

I took a deep breath and stretched my hand out again.

No matter how strange the situation, once I began regulating my breath, my mind would calm. It was the way of Namgung.

I gathered my inner energy and slowly began to circulate it, calming my restless thoughts.

I pushed the energy into the golem through my dantian. From its back, a bright blue light began to spread.

It wasn’t the faint glow from earlier; it was a clear, vivid blue, as if I were sitting in the Namgung martial arts hall.

Though I knew the golem was not a living being, a sense of unease rose in my chest.

Even the most skilled martial artists couldn’t observe a person’s body in such a way.

This was why Maelo Sanson, a martial artist of the Huajing Sect, had never been able to see or doubt the flow of my energy.

I knew that the inner energy of the Changong Daeyeon Shin Gong would circulate in blue, but seeing it with my own eyes was a mystical experience.

Boulder might have applied a spell to make the blood vessels of the golem glow blue, but the fact that I was seeing that familiar light again helped me suppress the nausea and focus.

I used a technique not typically employed in Qi circulation to rotate the energy, a method that could be used without worrying about causing harm to a living creature.

I performed the circulation two full cycles and then settled the energy. I took a deep, controlled breath.

When the Qi circulation was finished, the golem no longer glowed blue, but it no longer looked as grotesque as it had before.

“Excellent! Perfect! The record has been properly registered!” Boulder exclaimed.

…It was an illusion.

As Boulder began to remove the used magic stones from the golem’s fingers, I once again covered my face with both hands. I didn’t want to see it, nor think about it.

After replacing the stones with new ones, Boulder began chanting something to the golem.

The golem began circulating its own energy.

The energy the golem drew in was quite faint, but as I instructed, it repeated the movements, and blue light sparkled like a cluster of stars within the flowing energy. As I watched this through the gaps between its fingers, Boulder added a cheerful explanation.

Amid the chaos, I was handed a report.

“The Qi circulation golem No. 1 will continue to operate until it generates its own dantian by drawing in mana! What’s genius about it is that some of the mana it draws will be used to recharge the magic stones, meaning we won’t have to replace them! It can circulate energy infinitely, and if there’s a risk of explosion, it will sound a loud bell to alert us!”

“…A bell?”

“It will make a sound by moving its vocal cords. Since it has vocal cords, you see?”

“…Ah.”

“Anyway, the Qi circulation golem No. 1 will test whether a regular mage can generate a dantian through repeated Qi circulation, just like Sir Ernhardt, by using the same method. The maximum period will be one month. It’s as if a person can do about three hours of Qi circulation per day, but this golem will do it 24 hours a day non-stop, so we can convert one month into about eight months of human effort.”

I looked at the golem sitting in the lotus position in the center of Professor Douglas’s office.

“…One month, here?”

“Yes, of course. During Qi circulation, it shouldn’t be disturbed or moved, right?”

“No.”

I couldn’t believe I would have to avoid this horrifying thing sitting in the middle of the professor’s office for a whole month. I was left speechless, my jaw hanging open. Douglas, as always, smiled kindly and nodded.

“That’s how mages usually are. I’m fine with it.”

“…”

I watched Maelo Sanson laughing while pressing his forehead against the wall. I suddenly realized how much more reasonable Edwin Kiadris had been compared to him.

Though I had forgotten, I made a mental note to keep an eye on that kid to ensure he wouldn’t turn out like Mage Boulder.

* * *

On Wednesday, during the introductory swordsmanship class, Maelo Sanson laughed every time our eyes met, drawing suspicious glances from the other students.

When Sheiden and Benjamin asked what had happened, I told them it was nothing.

Without hesitation, both of them went to Maelo and listened to the story, then burst into laughter.

Curious about the kids, I decided to ask for permission from Douglas to go and see that strange thing next time.

Deep down, I thought it was unfair that I had to go through this torturous experience alone, so I was happy to give my permission.

During the Imperial Lineage class, I kept a close eye on Professor Calypso Agrigent.

He seemed to be in better health than before, when he had been seriously ill, so I felt somewhat satisfied and attended the class.

Afterward, I headed to the horse praise class in Masa.

Since I came directly from the Imperial Lineage class, I had plenty of time, but Benjamin had arrived early and was combing the mane of a horse.

Some of the horses were still afraid of Benjamin, but the one he took special care of, Viktor, no longer shrank from him in front of Benjamin.

On the contrary, Viktor now eagerly twisted its head in all directions as if demanding more attention.

When Viktor raised its front paw and placed it on Benjamin’s hand, Benjamin gently scraped the hay off its sturdy legs without being bothered or feeling heavy.

It was so amusing that I couldn’t help but laugh.

“When did this start happening?”

“Well, I finished my lunch early, so I arrived a bit ahead of time.”

“Wow… Viktor is shining, really shining.”

Sheiden clicked his tongue in admiration.

The horse that had been brushed for over an hour looked sleek and well-kept, exuding the appearance of being well cared for.

Benjamin beamed with pride as he received the compliments, so I praised the horse’s appearance several times, saying it looked great and handsome.

Benjamin, who had once been afraid of animals when they didn’t like him, now smiled gently and said it was all thanks to me.

Half the semester had passed, and most of the students in the equestrian class, including Benjamin, had learned to handle horses well.

When it came time to saddle and bridle the horses, Professor Bivan Otip kept a watchful eye for safety, but the vast fields next to Masa were perfect for riding and enjoying the scenery.

So today, during the class, the students rode their assigned horses and went out into the field.

The autumn sky was completely clear without a cloud in sight.

The gentle, green grass on the rolling hills within the academy brushed against the horses’ ankles, making a crisp rustling sound. The reeds encircling the hills shook their heads as the fluffy flowers bloomed under the weight.

Children laughing joyfully led their horses in all directions.

The horses carrying the laughing children walked slowly, sniffed the freshly bloomed autumn flowers, or occasionally stopped to munch on the fresh grass, refusing to move forward and playfully stalling.

The horse I was riding walked leisurely while gazing at the distant sky. I, too, looked at the same place as the horse and slowly stroked its smooth mane with my hand. Hearing the horse’s laughter, I couldn’t help but smile as well.

These were the hands that had once slaughtered wild beasts. Now, it was hard to believe I was gently tending to and caring for such a peaceful and beautiful animal.

When I stopped stroking, the horse I was riding began moving forward again, and with every step, the grass flattened beneath its hooves.

From a distance, I saw Benjamin with his arms around the horse’s neck, begging for something.

I also saw Sheiden, who had mastered horsemanship, proudly showing off his skills while jumping and running around with his companions.

One child had gotten off their horse and was strolling beside it, while another was running alongside their horse, cheering with excitement.

I took the reins and steered my horse toward the children.

The cold air, sharp and biting, rushed into my chest, and my tongue became wet with saliva.


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