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

After lunch, we headed to the 4th training ground.

As I was setting the schedule, I had the servant do it as I had promised in advance.

During the afternoons when I spent time with Maelo Sanson, I usually used the Daeyeonmujang. Sanson, as a person of the Hwagyeong clan, has a very wide field of vision, so while watching me sharpen my swordsmanship, he would also take care of the children going to and from the training ground. It was natural for him to take care of several students at once.

However, the 4th training ground was a place overlooking a wide open space in the distance, with few trees and far from any buildings, so it was a place with few people. It was clear that they wanted to focus solely on me and teach me.

I was a bit nervous about what he was going to teach me when he gave me his afternoons this semester.

As soon as I finished eating, I arrived thirty minutes before the appointed time and waited for my teacher.

My heart raced with anticipation as soon as I saw the head of Maelo Sanson climbing the hill along the straight path. I stood there in a respectful and polite manner, waiting for him.

As I entered the training ground, Sanson saw me like that and smiled pleasantly and waved to me, pretending to recognize me.

“You don’t have to be so polite every time you see me, Michael.”

“I appreciate your special attention, and it is only natural that I should be polite. I feel sorry that this is all I can give you, Professor.”

“Oh, oh… Is there anything to feel sorry about? You’re really well-groomed today, Michael….”

“yes?”

“Yeah, nice to meet you too.”

“yes.”

I followed Maelo Sanson, who was walking briskly, saying that we should sit down and talk for a while.

And then I found out the second reason why I chose the 4-Yeonmujang as the training location.

There were a couple of benches placed in a direction looking down from the training ground. There were no objects that could easily fly away at the entrance to the main training ground. This was to prevent students from getting hurt while playing among themselves during class.

However, it was not possible to sit on the bare floor and listen to Sanson’s lectures every time there was a class. Sanson and I sat at the ends of one bench. Sanson’s gaze was directed to the distant sky, and I half-twisted my body to look straight at Sanson’s angular side face. I focused my gaze with the determination that I would not let a single word he said slip away.

Sanson still didn’t look back at me and opened his mouth in a calm and composed tone.

“I thought about what I could teach you.”

“⋯.”

“You already have a swordsmanship that is at a perfect level. Of course, it would be better if you could erase more of the killing spirit, but the killing spirit itself is quite an attractive material if used well. If you have a good grasp of the true meaning of the Imperial Swordsmanship and Siren Swordsmanship, there is no problem in learning them on your own.”

“⋯That’s not true.”

“I’m not telling you to be humble, it’s just right. But I think there’s still something about you that I need.”

Sanson rubbed the back of my neck with his large hand and smiled sadly. It was a youthful and fresh smile, so much so that I could only guess his age from the occasional glimpse of his gray hair.

“You said you were going to make a new sword before. I’ll help you fix it.”

“⋯Ah.”

“Professor Mustang said he would take care of what’s inside your stomach, so I’ll have to refine the form and shape of the sword.”

I was nervous, not knowing what he would say, so I clenched my fists and fought to keep from screaming with joy.

Inspection.

It was a dream that he had nurtured and nurtured. Now that he had only mastered the seventeenth form of swordsmanship, there were still many unstable aspects. It was clear that it would be of great help if Maelo Sanson, who had a keen and meticulous eye, could look into it.

I was always hungry to learn. Sanson, who was so happy that he couldn’t even say thank you and was just absent-minded, chuckled and tapped me on the shoulder.

“Then let’s take a look at how much you’ve made so far. Spread it out properly.”

“yes!”

I got up from my seat right away.

Immediately after entering the academy, I learned and mastered various sword techniques of the Cerberus with the help of Sanson and Benjamin, and among them, I collected the ones that suited me the most and did not go against Namgung’s wishes.

Since I couldn’t just patch it up and paste it, I drew out the moments that gave me enlightenment in my mind dozens and hundreds of times and picked the one that best suited me. That was seventeen.

I drew my sword in order. The moment I came down to this land, I thought of the large, clear lake and the poor things I wanted to protect. It was a sword style that was heavier than the sword of Changcheon and more affectionate than the sword of Namgung.

After a while of playing around in the air, he stopped and looked at his lips nervously. Maelo Sanson rubbed his lower body, thought for a moment, and then clicked his tongue briefly.

“Compared to before, there are a lot less movements that put a strain on the body. It looks good that the sword is focused on defense rather than offense⋯.”

“⋯.”

“As it goes on, it seems like it’s designed for multiplayer battles, and it seems like they’re trying to keep the quarantine in front and not put the attack behind it… Yeah, it’s not bad as a single sword technique….”

“⋯.”

“Sup, I think you’ll be able to jump up a notch if you just get a little more experience.”

“⋯Experience, ⋯What do you mean?”

I considered my only strength to be my experience of having crossed countless death lines in my past life. But Sanson spoke firmly and cut me off.

“Yeah. Maybe it’s because I haven’t seen any monsters yet, but that’s a bit disappointing.”

Ah. That experience. Of course, I had never had the experience of cutting down a monster, let alone a person.

The swordsmanship of the Sheeran here is for dealing with monsters. Naturally, he keeps a longer distance than when dealing with people, and spends a longer time quietly observing his opponent.

My sword was not like that. The power of a sword imbued with impatience has clear limits.

Thinking back, it was obvious. It was surprising that I didn’t find it with my own eyes right away.

He stood there in a humble manner. Maelo Sanson pointed out a few things that needed to be fixed and directions for improvement, and demonstrated them with his own body to correct the posture.

The stage above the highest is the state of enlightenment. But that enlightenment suddenly burst forth one day from the fluttering wings of a butterfly, from the long tail of a cloud, from the raindrops pounding on the ground.

Maelo Sanson taught me how to create a vessel that could receive that realization. I accepted everything he taught me, step by step, with great care, with every gesture and every step.

As the sun began to set far beyond the walls of the academy, Maelo Sanson checked the time and patted my sweaty back with laughter.

“Yes, the swordsmanship and swordsmanship itself are good. It doesn’t seem like something that can be done in a day or two, so let’s take it a little slower.”

I’ve heard that before. I laughed out loud.

“Yes, Professor. I will look at it slowly and from a distance.”

All this time, I’ve been steadily honing my skills and making my way up. I’ve had enough free time to take side classes.

The reason I suddenly became impatient was obvious. The murderous intent that Wesley Kiadris had briefly shown me at the debutante lingered in my mind and made me anxious.

This is not something that can be done in a hurry. I have made up my mind.

* * *

Tuesday morning. The first day of advanced swordsmanship class.

As soon as I arrived at the training ground, a cold empty space appeared in my heart. It was because I realized that the child who had been looking for me with his eyes every hour for the past two years was gone.

It wasn’t just Ruber who was missing. Walter Organ, who had been giggling all semester, and Lucilla Anti-Sierran, who had been swaying the kids with her laughter, were also gone.

Last year, many children who had held out and not graduated now found out that they graduated right after Ruber graduated.

The total number of students taking this year’s advanced swordsmanship class was thirty-two. Even though the number of students increased due to students moving up from lower grades filling the vacant spots, the training hall still felt empty.

As I was standing there for a while, Shayden tapped me on the back.

“Wake up, Mika.”

“⋯Ah. Okay.”

“Where does it hurt? Are you a little tired?”

“No, no. I just need to… think about something.”

“Hmm.”

Shayden was finally able to enter the advanced swordsmanship class the year he graduated. He said he was trying to catch up with me, and it was amazing to see him gradually improving his skills.

I heard Shaden’s declaration again that he would not be able to climb the mountain to fulfill his role as the successor to the Count’s family, but that he would not fall behind in his classes.

Benjamin also remained silently in this place. Having two comrades by his side made him feel less lonely.

⋯Lonely. I was surprised that such a thought occurred to me, but two more guys suddenly followed me.

Bill Brown was a guy who caught my eye, and it wasn’t awkward to be with him, but the other one was quite unexpected.

“⋯Nico-senpai? Didn’t you graduate?”

“Ah. I was thinking of going for another year or two. I don’t have anything to do right after graduation.”

Matt Nico was a rascally boy who hung out with Lucilla. He was a year older than me, and the son of a mother born in the Duchy of Grimsbane and Viscount Nico. He had been busy for the past two years and often missed our gatherings.

However, in advanced swordsmanship classes, he always hung out with me, Benjamin, Ruber, and Lucilla, so it wasn’t awkward for him to stand next to me.

“About a year or two.”

“This is a really really secret… I’m telling only you guys. I have a child to look after.”

What kind of secret are you talking about, just like naming the dog next door?

I couldn’t tell if he was joking or being serious. After thinking about it for a moment, I decided not to pay attention because Maelo Sanson was about to enter the training grounds.

I pushed down the head of Bill, who was sticking his head into mine for no reason.

Instead of Walter Organ, who always came first, we had a duel between a senior I remember seeing last year and Matt Nico.

Even though the sound of swords clashing was clear, I was still bothered by the lack of gazes on my cheek.

I’ve developed a bad habit.

It wasn’t that Louver was dead, nor had he gone on a long journey. It was natural and proper for a child to find his own way as he grew up.

What’s the use of ruminating and missing this for so long?

However, when the tips of the swords of the children practicing pointed towards the floor slabs that Ruber had been watching for a long time, my shoulders jerked involuntarily.

“what’s the matter?”

“⋯No, it’s nothing.”

As we live in this world, are the changes only the traces left on the stone tablets?

Don’t act like a child, I told myself for a long time. I struggled to calm my restless mind.

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to spend the entire afternoon with Maelo Sanson. I was more focused and engaged in the class than usual, not wanting to be caught slacking off.

Perhaps because of that, when I went to bed, I was completely exhausted and slept peacefully without any bad dreams. I was thankful that I had a way to clear my mind.