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

Saturday.

Today was the second time I was entering Ruever’s room. I had memorized the route when I came here last time to learn the dance, so I had told him there was no need for him to come out and meet me.

The door was half open, as if inviting me in. I entered, making a point of making some noise.

At the beginning of the month, Ruever had pushed all the furniture—the table and sofa—against the wall. This time, although the sofa and table were shifted away from their original positions, it wasn’t to the extent that it would be uncomfortable to sit down.

I wondered if he realized that he had gone too far last time or if this time he planned to spend his time doing something else aside from dancing, which he had already mastered.

Ruever, who was pouring cold tea into a cup, greeted me with a bright face.

“Oh, you’re here? Would you like something to drink?”

“Yes.”

As I sat down across from Ruever and tilted my tea cup, a strange thought kept crossing my mind.

It could have been because Ruever was dressed so nicely today, or because he was eagerly chatting away in a lively tone, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.

However, I couldn’t ask him if he had called me over just to practice dancing. If he asked why I thought that, I wouldn’t know how to answer.

Wasn’t I the problem for just following whatever he said?

Ruever, whose eyes never left me as he gave me permission to look around, made my cheeks tingle.

I sat there, holding my tea cup with both hands, and started talking about exams.

The monster and philosophy class that I took with Ruever often focused on monsters that were considered weak.

Before the midterm, we studied low-level monsters, including slimes, and this month we had learned about goblins and orcs—low-intelligence creatures capable of communication.

Today’s topic was about treasure goblins.

Goblins were small creatures among the lower-level monsters. They typically had tough skin in shades of green or blue, and their adult size rarely exceeded 130cm. Due to their small stature, they sometimes became prey for other monsters, but they were capable of learning human language to some extent.

A monster that speaks human language. It would certainly be a pitiful sight for someone with a soft heart.

Humans were easily moved by things like the whining of a sword when imbued with energy. Many warriors treated their swords as if they were their children, taking care of them with great attention. I wondered if it would be any different when dealing with a living beast.

Goblins liked shiny objects and had a tendency to gather them greedily. The ones among them that were stronger or held higher positions, carrying various treasures, were called treasure goblins.

That was about all we learned in class.

“I read in a book recently that most treasure goblins are found in the Shaton Desert. Especially near an oasis west of Owen, there are a lot of them.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. They say that treasure goblins bring back the belongings of wanderers who got lost and died in the Shaton Desert, and offer them for trade with living humans. Usually, they trade for food or other shinier objects. Just like there are goblins who speak human language, there are also people who speak the language of goblins.”

Ruever’s eyes sparkled with interest. A sudden thought crossed my mind.

“By the way, didn’t you say you wanted to become a historian?”

“…Hmm. I used to want that, yes.”

My father was still a baron. He hadn’t inherited the count title because my grandfather was still alive.

Even though he was an adult with three children, this boy might be the same. He could do whatever he wanted before inheriting the imperial throne.

“Maybe later.”

But I couldn’t finish my sentence and closed my mouth.

The thought of wanting to travel with this boy seemed like a ridiculous idea.

Hadn’t I already experienced that during the Ernhardt family’s picnic? Those of high rank, like I once was in my past life, couldn’t just go out freely without a retinue. I had no desire to ask for a leisurely trip accompanied by attendants and knights.

Besides, the issue wasn’t just that this boy was a prince. I saw Ruever leaning closer to me, his eyes full of curiosity.

How long would this boy continue to feel so close to me?

“By the way, what?”

“Nothing, nothing.”

“…Why? What were you going to say?”

“Well…”

Ruever nervously bit his lower lip. I reached out and stopped him from biting it. It wasn’t something he needed to do, but I understood why he might feel the urge.

“I was thinking that if you ever want to travel to another country, I’d be happy to offer my protection.”

“…Hmm. But…?”

“I don’t think it will be necessary.”

“Huh? Why wouldn’t it be necessary?”

“Well, there must be others who could protect you…”

“No, it’s necessary.”

“….”

Was it that he needed protection, or was it that he needed me?

I couldn’t bring myself to ask, and in silence, I gulped down my tea. When I set the empty cup down, I accidentally made a clinking sound. I stood up and looked down at him.

“Shall we do what we planned today? Practice and…”

“Mmm.”

“It’s better to have a meal outside.”

“Okay, let’s do that.”

As I quietly watched Ruever smile, I felt an inexplicable sense of fear, even though I wasn’t sure what I was afraid of. I slipped my fingers around his waist and moved my feet to the rhythm of a beautiful tune.

The boy’s hand, lightly resting on top of mine, was warm and soft.

It felt like I was doing something terribly wrong. A very, very wrong thing.

***

November. The month of exams had arrived.

Monster and Philosophy, Basics of Territory Management, and Growth and Understanding of Magical Creatures.

With only three theoretical exams, I had some room to breathe. Ruever had provided me with notes for the Monster and Philosophy exam, Sheiden and Damien helped me figure out the answers for the Basics of Territory Management, and Edwin took care of the Magical Creatures exam.

I must have a lot of luck with people, both in my past and present lives. I was happy about that.

After hearing the exam topics and questions during the first week, I spent the second week studying with the others. We frequented the library and read several books.

Having had midterms and finals every semester, this was already my eighth round of exams.

I gave Bill Brown, who was struggling with the exams, the notes I had used and helped him out.

Seeing me do this, Sheiden held back his laughter all day, and when evening came, he patted my shoulder and laughed heartily.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Ah, I just can’t believe it… you’ve really grown up, Mika. It’s amazing…”

“Of course. It was about time.”

I understood what Sheiden meant. He must have remembered the first time I attended Calyps’ class and how I hid in my room in shock. Now, thinking back on that day, I wasn’t embarrassed or shy anymore.

I just gently pushed Sheiden’s head down and told him to focus on his own work.

Wednesday evening.

Once I had gotten used to controlling the sensations in my fingertips, Wilton Roberts taught me how to handle threads made of special metal.

I pulled a nearly invisible, fine thread and retrieved a large blade that had been lodged in a tree stump.

I had heard of the technique using the “Celestial Silk” in the Central Plains.

The silk produced by the immortal silkworm, which was said to live for a thousand days, was called “Celestial Silk.” Martial artists trained in the technique would imbue the silk with internal energy, using its sharpness to silently sever an enemy’s limbs in one swift cut—this was the specialty of the assassins of the Silver Moon Guild.

I had been curious about the technique, so I once practiced weaving my internal energy and aura into a fishing line. Sure enough, Wilton’s mithril thread was much more suitable as a weapon than an ordinary fishing line.

I placed the mithril thread on all five of my fingers and looked at Wilton.

“…Hmm.”

Even though he didn’t offer any compliments, I understood that it was praise. Wilton wasn’t the type to show his emotions freely. When I saw his lips curl up slightly, I couldn’t help but smile too.

“Well, that’s all I’ll teach you this month.”

“That means…”

“Yes, from next week, focus on studying for the exams. I won’t be around anymore.”

I was taken aback.

Although I had learned a few tricks, such as the use of the blade technique and invisibility, I knew that I was still far from reaching the level he had attained.

I felt bad for Ruever, but there was a world of difference between the blade techniques I had learned from Ruever and those I had learned from Wilton.

Seeing me hesitate, Wilton let out a short laugh.

“Next semester, we’ll meet again at this time, on Wednesday.”

“…Yes!”

Ah, now that I think about it, it was about time Wilton finished his lessons and headed off for the break. Only then did I feel relieved and showed a smile.

Today, as always, Wilton was dressed in black from head to toe, arms crossed, leaning against a large tree. But, contrary to his usual demeanor, he spoke in a surprisingly gentle tone.

“Alright, then, for the last question of this semester.”

Throughout each class, I had asked questions like, “How about using this stance in this way?” or “Wouldn’t it be better to apply this technique like this?” and so on.

After going through this a few times, at the end of each lesson, I would ask about things that had piqued my curiosity, and Wilton would answer them.

However, today’s lesson was more about refining what I had already learned, so there wasn’t much to ask. I hesitated for a moment before asking:

“Where will you be going during the break?”

“What?”

“I was curious about which region you’ll be in during the break… If it’s an unnecessary question, you don’t have to answer.”

It was a casual question, asked because I felt somewhat close to him.

It had been a year and a half since I began taking his classes and seeing him regularly. Yet, I realized that I didn’t know anything about his personal life. I didn’t even know why he only came to the academy twice a week.

I had only vaguely assumed he would be busy with work at the Imperial Almanac Department.

“Ah, so that’s what you were curious about…”

“Yes.”

I thought he might not answer, but Wilton, with a satisfied expression, rubbed his chin. His jawline was smooth and sharp, so neatly groomed that it was as if no stubble had ever touched it, and it looked all the more fitting because of that.

“Would you like to see?”

“Yes?”

“See what I do with my life.”

It wasn’t something I had specifically wanted to ask, but it was certainly intriguing. I nodded eagerly with a bright expression. Wilton gave a small laugh and straightened up.

“Then, after the exams… take a day off. If possible… Tuesday would be best.”

“Yes, Professor. I’ll do that.”

My heart raced with a strange sense of anticipation.