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

I was at a loss for words. I quietly listened. Marianne, with a face as if she wanted to scream, squeezed out her words.

“I’m so stunned and angry. My hand almost went up, but I stopped myself. After all, he’s the Count’s son.”

“…Huh.”

“Instead, I yelled. Cursed him out. Told him to fall out of love with me, and threw the desk like a madwoman. I saw him running away, but after that, I don’t know what happened. I wanted to cry, but I didn’t, because I thought it would make me look weak.”

Her tear-streaked face was pitiful.

I suppressed a sigh and handed her a handkerchief. Marianne took it, wiped her face, sniffled, and continued.

“I’m so, so, so angry, but there’s nothing I can do. So, I’m going to the Yuil Mountains.”

“…What? No, why has it come to that…?”

“Because I’m the daughter of Baron Philodendor, I can do something like this. I’m going to get stronger and take Glothin away from that bastard Oliver Combine. Before he marries another woman, with my own strength, with my own hands.”

“…Huh.”

“And there’s only one person who can help me. You, Mikael.”

“Excuse me?”

Marianne’s red, swollen eyes shone clearly. I was mesmerized by her voice, which had gained strength. She grabbed my hand, and I didn’t push her away.

“I know it’s shameless. But we’re close, right? Anyway, I’m going to the Yuil Mountains, so you can come with me. I can pull my own weight.”

“…It’s just a year and three months left.”

“It’s okay.”

After a moment of hesitation, I told her that I had been running the practice grounds every morning. Marianne, who had been crying so much, suddenly laughed as though nothing had happened and eagerly agreed to come along.

I was relieved that, if it could help her, at least it was something. I was happy that I could do something to help.

But just before leaving, something suddenly occurred to me, and as I shook out the clothes I had laid on the ground, I asked:

“By the way… Can you really trust Glothin Tenner’s words?”

“No.”

“…Then how…?”

“I just want to believe. Because I love him.”

I fell silent. Love. It was a topic that became more complicated the more I understood it.

In truth, students in the swordsmanship club, like me, who were at the top level, Sword Expert or above, would naturally consider climbing the Yuil Mountains as a matter of course.

However, among the students from the Magic Department, very few aimed for the Yuil Mountains.

While magic stones were readily available, and the ability to use magic in extreme situations close to the limit of the Circle was excellent for skill improvement, the problem was stamina.

Didn’t Edwin Kiadris gasp for breath after walking a bit faster from the dorm to the Magic Department?

The Yuil Mountains were a tall, uncharted peak where no one had ever reached the summit. It was not a place you could simply decide to go to without great determination.

For that reason, among the Magic Department students, those who aimed for the Yuil Mountains were already training their stamina or collecting artifacts in preparation.

Every day was precious and irreplaceable.

The very next day, Friday morning, Marianne, with swollen eyes, ran the practice grounds with me.

Normally, when I ran alone, I would run at my own pace, out of breath, but today, with Marianne beside me, I kept a steady pace, calling out commands as we ran side by side.

I couldn’t teach her the art of energy circulation, but the breathing method I showed her was the one I learned from Wilton Roberts. It was about taking deep breaths, calming the mind, and pushing the body to its limits.

It wasn’t easy, but Marianne gritted her teeth and did it well.

After sending Marianne back and quickly washing up, I headed to the intermediate swordsmanship class.

From a distance, Luver, looking concerned, approached, his eyes wide in surprise.

“Uh… you look… better?”

“…Hmm, yes. A little.”

Luver, who seemed to be anxiously wondering if he hadn’t heard the news, looked cute, and I couldn’t help but smile briefly.

“I heard about Marianne. But, she said she was going to turn her hardship into a big dream.”

“A big dream?”

“Yes. She said she would go to the Yuil Mountains with me, and this morning, she ran five laps around the practice grounds before coming in.”

“…Philodendor’s daughter, going to the Yuil Mountains?”

***

It seemed like he was greatly surprised. Ruber mumbled under his breath several times, “The Filodendor young lady is coming too?” He didn’t answer the second question and refused to answer the third.

I wondered if he was feeling upset about being left out of the conversation. Before I could say something to comfort him, Ruber spoke a bit faster.

“…By any chance, is Kiadris Yeongsik…”

“That senior said he’s going directly to the magic tower. He’s the type of person who’s very particular, so he has no intention of climbing the Unique Mountain Range,” I explained.

“Ah, …I see.”

Ruber let out a long sigh. I didn’t want to see his gloomy face any longer, so I raised my hand and gently pressed on his furrowed brow, speaking in a kind voice.

“I need to get stronger quickly so I can protect my seniors. After all, you’re meant to be the emperor.”

“…Yeah.”

Ruber replied softly and worked even harder at his training that day.

I felt really pleased.

***

For the entire semester, I spent most weekends with Ruber.

Thinking that there wouldn’t be many chances to hang out with him in the future made me cherish every moment. After we returned from the Unique Mountain Range, we might have to address each other formally. I found myself worrying whenever that thought crossed my mind.

I had lived through many years. It wasn’t unusual for someone who had been close to drift apart over time. Even companions who seemed like they’d be together forever would grow distant once they got older and settled down with families.

Even though I understood this, I still couldn’t help but feel a sense of loss, so I kept looking after the boy.

As a result, as soon as the exams were over, I set a date to go out with Ruber. He seemed puzzled when he heard where I was planning to go but didn’t pull away.

We arrived at a medicine shop with a neat eaves and carefully arranged medicinal herbs hanging down like a curtain. It was a place we visited regularly since last semester after receiving a great bundle of medicinal herbs during the intermediate alchemy class.

Thanks to having made some requests before the exam period, the prepared bundles were ready for pickup.

A familiar, warm-hearted woman with a kind face smiled broadly.

“Well, where did you learn to cook it this way? I did as you said, boiled the raw herbs for a long time, but even though it’s good for your body, this… Ugh, I’ve never smelled anything like this in my forty years!”

“May I try a taste?”

“Of course, of course. This bag here contains one serving each.”

I opened one of the bags and tried a taste. The flavor wasn’t much different from the decoction that Gegeol had with every meal. It was sweet and bitter, with a strong energy, so it seemed like it would be good for the body. I slowly savored it, nodding with satisfaction.

“How is it? Is it alright?”

“Yes. Just as I asked for. Thank you very much.”

I called Ruber, who had been standing there, and handed him another bag. After smelling it, Ruber asked with a surprised expression.

“…I have to eat this…?”

“Yes. I specifically ordered it for you. Please taste it.”

“…What’s in this…?”

“I added some herbs to the turtle.”

“To the turtle…?”

“Yes.”

While the boy hesitated, I held the dish filled with several bags. Ruber hesitated for quite a while without eating, so I urged him. Then, Ruber closed his eyes tightly and swallowed it in one go.

I was concerned he might choke from eating so quickly, so I carefully watched his expression. After he finished the bag, Ruber swallowed it without opening his eyes or mouth.

It was so cute and funny that I quickly put a piece of candy in his mouth.

It was always the same when a child took bitter medicine—no matter what, they acted the same way. I praised him generously, saying he was good and kind, and comforted him.

“Well done.”

“…Huk. Cough, sniff.”

Ruber coughed a few times softly. The herbalist, who had been watching, couldn’t hold back her laughter.

To me, Ruber looked so adorable that I could understand why she thought the same. As she offered to throw away the empty bags, I took them from Ruber’s hand and handed them to the woman.

“Thank you for your help. We’ll be going now.”

“Alright, so, this medicine… is it for this young man here?”

“Yes.”

“What?”

Seeing Ruber jump in surprise, I handed him the dish. After receiving it, Ruber alternated between looking at the dish and me, so I kindly explained.

“Your senior has been looking a bit worn out lately and seems tired, so I took some care in getting this. Take one packet after each meal.”

“…”

Ruber opened his mouth, then closed it again. He seemed to want to say something but stopped. I led the now quiet boy out of the herbalist’s shop.

As Ruber rolled the candy around in his mouth, he asked in a tired voice.

“…In the Ernhardt household… do you eat things like this?”

“No.”

“…Then why…?”

“I just thought it would be good if you got a little healthier.”

There was no exaggeration or lie in my words; it was my honest feeling. After hearing my answer, Ruber paused for a moment, then carefully shifted the dish into his other hand. I felt deeply proud and pleased.

Ruber squeezed out a pitiful voice.

“…You’re giving this to me because you’re thinking about me, right?”

“Yes.”

“…Hmm. Thank you…”

As we walked, Ruber suddenly muttered in a somewhat resentful voice, saying that he wasn’t so frail. His whining was as cute and endearing as the sound of a bird chirping, so I just let it slide.

Since it was a shame to just stop by the herbalist’s and go home, I decided to cheer up the boy, and we went to see a play together.

I had once heard Ruber complain a few times about not liking a play about a countess. He had already decided on the play he wanted to see, so I agreed to follow along.

It was a play where three gods fought, cried, and clung to one human. I had heard a lot about the tale of the nine gods, but seeing it in person made it feel like something new.

The scene where the ninth god, who had killed two fellow gods, embraced the corpse of love and screamed in anguish was particularly moving.

From a distance, six gods sang in secret voices.