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

Monday.

The intermediate swordsmanship class, which didn’t have a written exam, also had no cancellations.

As expected, I encountered familiar faces as soon as I stepped into the training hall. I patted Bill on the broad back a couple of times as he smiled and waved his arms at me, and greeted Benjamin with a nod.

Watching Shayden chat with his friends after we had breakfast together, I turned my attention to the approaching Ruber.

I tried to greet him casually. I nodded, and Ruber looked at me, briefly lowered his head with a slight bow.

…He wanted me to pat his head. If it had been just the other day, I would have smoothly brushed the smooth hair of the child and coaxed him. But now, my fingers stiffened, and I didn’t know what to do.

Ruber waited silently. Not even a breath could be heard. I carefully placed my hand on the top of the child’s head.

Then, the child suddenly hugged my waist tightly, pressing into me.

The breath on my nape was hot.

“…Don’t avoid me, I won’t do it again.”

Ah.

The voice that reached my ear was dry. I had no idea what the child had been thinking all weekend. It felt as though my heart had frozen. I couldn’t even move a finger.

As I stood there in confusion, Ruber loosened his arms and stood up straight, smiling gently.

The smile was so beautiful, so beautiful, so beautiful…

I couldn’t say anything in return.

The intermediate swordsmanship class started. I was scolded several times for not focusing.

It was the first time I couldn’t concentrate on my studies. I was always happy to learn and acquire new things, cherishing every day of my fulfilling life.

But today, my heart was unsettled.

In the intermediate alchemy classroom, as I listened to feedback on my report submitted last week, Ruber’s voice from the child kept ringing in my ears.

“Not going to do it?” What does that mean? I knew that the child’s heart was hurt, but I had no idea what kind of decision the child had made because of that.

Marianne teased me with her usual bright smile, wondering if I was troubled by the fact that I was still so popular. I just answered casually that it wasn’t the case. I didn’t want to gossip about Ruber.

I realized again how much I cared for the child.

Tuesday.

It was the advanced swordsmanship class. Ruber greeted me with a calm expression and watched the sparring as if nothing was wrong.

However, I was so used to the gaze that always landed on my cheek that I didn’t know what to do now that it was gone. I had grown accustomed to the child always looking at me. It was absurd.

The geography and basic first aid classes in the afternoon had no lessons because of last week’s exams.

The entire afternoon was free, and I hesitated for a long time whether I should ask Ruber to go out and play with me.

It had been the child who asked me if I would play with him just once. Since Ruber knew his own schedule, and he hadn’t said anything first, I couldn’t bring up the idea of going out together.

So, I spent the whole afternoon practicing my sword in the training hall. It was a busy training hall where many children came and went.

As the sun began to set and the sunset bathed the training hall in red light, I realized I had been waiting for Ruber.

I must have thought that the child would come find me first if I stayed here.

For some reason, my heart felt empty.

Wednesday.

Ruber, who used to expect me to pat his head every morning, no longer approached.

Unable to bear the restless feeling in my fingertips, I patted Bill’s head, who came to greet me with a silly face.

His hair, rough and spiky like a chestnut, was distinctly different from Ruber’s and wasn’t satisfying.

In a daze, I saw Bill, who looked bewildered as his hair stood on end, smile brightly and make some nonsense about how I must be in a good mood today. I ended up pinching his cheek.

I held back a sigh that rose from looking at Ruber’s gaze directed in my direction.

I thought I was used to introspection. I always had confidence in my thoughts and the path I was walking in life.

But this time, it was different. It wasn’t the same. Without realizing it, I found myself staring blankly at Calypso Agrigent throughout the Empire’s lineage lesson.

Shayden shook my shoulder and advised me to look over the handout, but that was only for a moment.

As soon as the class ended, I jumped up and followed Calypso.

I could tell from the look in Calypso’s eyes that he felt uncomfortable as he glanced at me. But he was the only one I could ask. He was a professor, after all, and never hesitated to give advice when needed.

I quietly asked, “Professor, may I ask you something?”

“Go ahead.”

“When you found out that Senior Orgen had feelings for you, how did you feel?”

“What?”

Calypso looked at me with a surprised expression and quickly scanned the surroundings before asking again.

“Why are you asking about Ernhardt Youngsik?”

“I’m asking about myself.”

“…”

“…”

“About me, and?”

“…It seems like someone much younger than you likes me…”

“Excuse me?”

Calypso took a deep breath, looking up at the ceiling. I quietly waited, hoping he would give me an answer, but the voice that reached me was filled with irritation.

“Are you messing with me right now?”

It wasn’t a joke. I didn’t have an answer for that, especially since I was still only fourteen. I should have waited until I was twenty to ask questions like that.

My mind remained a whirlwind, and without a way to find answers, I felt utterly drained.

As a result, I couldn’t focus in the practical magic lesson, and after class, I was too exhausted to keep up with the personal training session with Wilton.

I kept telling myself not to let it affect me, not to let it affect me, but calming my mind wasn’t easy. Wilton, naturally, noticed my mood and stopped giving advice on footwork. Instead, he studied my expression.

“Is something wrong today?”

“…Do I seem that strange?”

“Very.”

“Well, that…”

“…”

“…I guess it’s because I’m still young.”

“…?”

I politely apologized to Wilton and decided to end the session early. Wilton patted my shoulder and, in a calm voice, offered a piece of advice.

“I don’t know what’s going on, but most things are solved with time. Stay calm, wait quietly, and when the answer appears, don’t miss it.”

“…Yes. Thank you.”

His advice didn’t resonate deeply with me, and I weakly nodded my head in response.

Thursday.

During the entire advanced swordsmanship class, I never once made eye contact with Ruber. I stared at his face, which bore a cool expression, for a long time.

Just last week, when the child had smiled brightly and looked back at me, it felt like a dream. The frustration was indescribable.

Douglas vomited blood again in the afternoon. Although he had steadily trained and his vital energy had thickened and become strong, that was all it amounted to. His inner energy flowed along his vital energy, but the mana scraped and spilled from it.

Even amidst my own distress, I couldn’t help but worry. I advised him once more not to create the dantian on his own, and Douglas nodded with a bitter smile.

“Mm, I did think this might be my last attempt. But I’ve somewhat grasped the principle, so I’m going to try to apply what I know about mana manipulation and find other ways to apply it to the human body.”

“In that case.”

“Yes, now I plan to experiment with golems again for a while.”

Boulder, who had been quietly observing from the side, quickly interjected.

“I’ve made three more golems in the meantime. One will use Professor Mustang’s method, one will use my method, and the last one will follow Ernhardt Youngsik’s blood path and operate based on the circulation method he devised.”

“…Is this one also transparent?”

“Yes? Of course.”

I exhaled deeply, the weight of my sigh felt as heavy as a mountain.

Friday.

I spent all night pouring my mental energy into 고민 (worry), and while I came to a conclusion, I wasn’t sure if it was the right one. But at that moment, I didn’t have the strength to endure another week feeling this way.

I found many chances during advanced swordsmanship class, but I couldn’t bring myself to speak to Ruber.

Perhaps he noticed that I was glancing at him, for as soon as class ended, Shayden, leading Benjamin, Bill, and the other children, made sure to leave, allowing me to catch Ruber.

In the morning, Ruber had only greeted me with a glance and then focused on the Empire’s sword techniques, drenched in sweat. When I grabbed his wrist to prevent him from running away, he slowly blinked and turned to look at me.

“…Ernhardt Youngsik?”

“We agreed to hang out, didn’t we?”

I didn’t know it would be so difficult to speak. I looked directly at Ruber’s face.

“Didn’t we agree to hang out?”

“…Huh?”

Ruber blinked twice. His eyes widened in surprise, and his pupils expanded greatly.

I finally realized that there was something deeper in those dark eyes. It was undoubtedly joy. My heart fluttered.

As Ruber remained silent, I quietly held onto his wrist and waited.

Slowly, the pale, cold face began to flush with a subtle red. The redness spreading on his face was something I knew well.

After hesitating for a moment, I carefully reached out and brushed his hair back. When my hand lightly grazed his round ear, he was startled, and I froze as well.

But I didn’t regret or apologize. I held my breath. Ruber squeezed his eyes shut and then opened them again. The smile on his face was now familiar.

“…Yeah. We did.”

“This afternoon’s class is canceled, and… the weekend is fine, too. Until this week, at least.”

“Right, because the exams are over…”

“Yes.”

I still had no interest in keeping someone so close to me. I didn’t think it was right.

But seeing Ruber, standing with a gloomy face every morning, trying to hide it and standing there absentmindedly, was so painful that I couldn’t bear it.

I just thought it might be okay to be friendly.

I decided to let this child’s feelings naturally fade, and until then, I would accept it.

On Friday afternoon, I took a long walk with Ruber, and on Saturday, we went to the botanical garden once more. On Sunday, we studied together.

During all this, we never held hands again. However, seeing Ruber smile brightly again gave me some peace of mind.