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

Friday.

The hardest part of the Magical Creatures exam was writing down the names of thirty magical creatures.

However, I was less worried because I seemed to have gotten most of the questions about the creatures’ physical traits, their abilities, and basic knowledge of magical creatures correct.

Edwin, who was reviewing his answers beside me, scolded me for getting an easy question wrong, but I pretended not to care, thinking that I had done fairly well overall.

Alan Lager, after briefly glancing over the answers the kids had submitted, nodded with a smile.

“Everyone did well. Just from a quick look, I expect good scores. Now, please attach name tags to the necks of the Ranunculus plants you’ve grown this semester and place them in this cage.”

A work-study student walked around distributing ribbons with papers for writing names.

Michael Ernheart. The Ranunculus with my name tag fluttered its blue feathers as its dark eyes sparkled. It must have known that we were parting soon.

I gently scratched the feathers beneath its neck and fed it mana one last time.

“Thank you.”

“Thank you! Thank you!”

“Yes, you were a good one.”

I cupped the plant gently and placed it in the cage.

It was a creature I hadn’t named, as I feared getting too attached since we were about to part. I just called it “bird, bird” in a gentle tone. Some of the children made noises, reluctant to part with their beloved Ranunculus plants.

Alan Lager, after making sure all the Ranunculus were settled in the cage, spoke kindly.

“These little ones will be taken to the First Mage Tower, where they’ll eat plenty of mana, grow stronger, and eventually wander the world spreading news. One day, if you’re lucky, you might meet a Ranunculus that remembers you.”

His words were touching. I stared at the bright blue Ranunculus. It was too busy interacting with the other Ranunculus, choosing feathers for each other, to look my way.

“Thank you all for your hard work this semester. I look forward to seeing you again. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday.”

Alan Lager easily lifted the cage with his large hands. The birds fluttered, enjoying each other’s company, and danced around in the spacious cage.

“Yes, thank you!”

While the children were all bowing their heads in unison, I also offered my thanks.

It had been a valuable experience.

The fact that I could stay in contact with Ernheart even after leaving home was a great advantage.

Edwin, once again boasting that I should thank him, made sure I expressed my gratitude, so I filled his ears with thanks and kind words.

***

On the weekend after the exams, it was typical to catch a carriage and head home.

However, this week was different. I had decided to spend the winter break in the capital.

Autumn is the harvest season, and winter is for storage. My father was busy and planned to head to the Valentia townhouse in December, so I had one more week to stay at the academy dorm.

I didn’t need to think much about what to do over the weekend. Early Saturday morning, I went to the training ground as usual and met Marianne.

“Hey, aren’t you going home?”

“Yes. I heard my family won’t arrive at the townhouse until next week. What about you?”

“Students without a townhouse in the capital can stay in the dorms. It’s not far from the palace. I’ll probably spend this break here as well.”

“Hmm.”

“Why do you ask?”

“Well, then you can come to the training ground during the break.”

“Oh! Wait, are you going to watch me train during the break?”

“Not every day.”

I briefly looked around the training ground.

Now, Marianne could easily run five laps around the track without slowing down.

I had seen her run five laps, then cast recovery spells, running and casting recovery spells, practicing both physical endurance and magic formulas together many times.

“I’ll set a quota for you.”

“A quota?”

“Yes. Starting today, you will run seven laps around this training ground every day for a week, and do the five exercises I’m about to teach you, a hundred times each with perfect form.”

“Wait, wait, hold on, Michael.”

“Then, I’ll come by next week to check on your progress and give you the next assignment. However, I think I’ll be busy over the weekend, so it might be better to set a specific day. How about Tuesday?”

“Wait, hold on. Are you serious? You know my legs are shaking after running just five laps.”

“Would you say that on the Yuil Mountain Range too?”

“…Well, no, I wouldn’t… Ah, fine. I’ll do it.”

“Good. We’ll start today.”

I turned toward the familiar starting line I usually used in front of the ornamental tree. Marianne, following behind me, gently tugged at my sleeve. When I looked back, the child smiled shyly.

“Thank you, Michael.”

“…It’s nothing.”

I felt genuinely pleased.

I taught Marianne push-ups, holding a horse-riding stance for a long time, and the proper posture for the Three Sword Forms, making sure she practiced them carefully.

Even if her form faltered, I could check again in a week, so there was no need to worry.

After finishing the training, I washed up and, just in case, went to the library, where I met Ruber.

Ruber was sitting alone at the large table where we usually studied. He raised his dark eyes to look at me. He hadn’t brought anything to study.

I hadn’t either. My hands felt empty, so I hid my clenched fists behind my back.

I simply nodded as a greeting and asked, “The exams should be over now, so why are you here?”

“And what about you, Ernheart?”

“….”

Now that I think about it, why had I come here?

Seeing that I didn’t respond, Ruber let out a faint smile. As always, it was a sad yet beautiful smile.

Every time I saw the blush on his pale cheeks, it felt like swallowing a dandelion seed, tickling my insides.

“I just thought you might come… I wanted to give you this.”

“…What is it?”

“A tea party invitation.”

He handed me an invitation, which I took and examined. It was on fine paper with the emblem of the Sierran Empire in elegant ink, and underneath, there was the seal of the second prince.

Ruber Anti-Sierran. After checking the elegant signature, I looked up at him.

Before I could ask, Ruber spoke in a soft voice, knowing that an explanation was needed.

“A debutante ball is usually held from the last day of the year through the first fortnight of the new year. But tea parties are often held before and after that. While you may meet new people, tea parties can also be simple gatherings with close friends to chat.”

“Hmm.”

“This invitation is for the Second Prince’s Palace. If you let me know three days in advance, I’ll arrange it for when it’s convenient for you. Come visit once you have this invitation.”

It felt surreal.

It truly hit me that Ruber was about to graduate. I gently ran my fingertips along the edge of the invitation before finally speaking.

“Are you planning to teach me to dance again?”

Even with such a trivial joke, Ruber smiled brightly. He sparkled. He looked so beautiful, glowing with radiance.

“Maybe. Who knows?”

“I’ll make time to come. In December.”

“Okay, I’ll wait for you.”

He stood up, and I was left standing silently, unsure of what to do.

Once again, Ruber led the way. With a smiling face and a gentle voice, he continued as if whispering sweetly.

“And today, how about we take a walk together? Since I’m graduating now… I want to revisit the places I liked at the academy. I’d love for you to join me, Ernheart.”

“…Yes. Let’s do that.”

Ruber gazed down at the study table where we had spent so much time studying together. The large table was thick and heavy, looking like it would stay in place for hundreds of years.

Ruber ran his hand over the smooth surface before turning and walking away.

I followed him.

I arrived at the 11th training ground for the advanced swordsmanship class.

The advanced swordsmanship class consisted of sparring, sparring, and more sparring. The 11th training ground was divided into about five sections to prevent people from simply running away and avoiding contact during sparring. There were no fences, but the colors of the floor tiles were different in certain areas.

Ruber stood at a point to the south, looking towards the sparring ground. I stood beside him. For the past two years, we had always stood like this.

As usual during class, I could feel someone’s gaze sticking to my cheek.

I couldn’t bring myself to speak. Ruber smiled gently and began walking slowly. I couldn’t take my eyes off the back of his head as he carefully examined the floor, where his faint and uneven aura had scratched the surface of the stone tiles. After inspecting, he called out to me, “Let’s go.”

We moved on.

The next place we arrived at made me swallow hard in silence.

It was the pond where Ruber and I had often talked. The small pond was surrounded by fallen leaves, frozen like thin ice. Because it had gotten much colder, no fish had appeared above the water.

Ruber stood on the bridge that crossed over the pond and gestured for me to come closer.

“Why aren’t you coming?”

“…”

I felt a lump in my throat.

I walked silently and stood beside him, looking down at the dark puddle of water. It was different from the time when I had looked down at it with a heavy heart for another reason. Now, my throat felt tight, making it hard to exhale.

Ruber, who had been quietly observing me, softly spoke.

“I think this place was the best part of my time at the academy. Just standing here…”

“…”

“Even though it’s just a low bridge, it felt like I was standing on a very high place.”

“…Is that so?”

“Yeah. I also liked waiting here.”

I didn’t ask what he had been waiting for.

Ruber no longer tried to hold my hand. I had made sure of that. Ruber walked again, and I followed him once more.

He sat down on the bench where I had once gone to comfort him when he had run off in a huff. I didn’t sit down. Our gazes tangled. Ruber smiled, his dark eyes sparkling.

I still couldn’t bring myself to smile.

“Why?”

“…It’s nothing.”

I was always the one asking. Today, it was Ruber’s turn. I couldn’t answer, even though I knew the answer.