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

Thanks to our enthusiastic exploration of the stalls, everyone in our group was now carrying strange items in their hands.

While waiting for lunch at a restaurant, we spread everything out on the table and started looking at the various things we had bought. Among the many oddities, there was a music box that played a random tune, a frog-shaped clip that could cling to anything, a ball that rolled away endlessly if left alone, jerky that tasted like wine, and a lamp that glowed brightly in the light of day…

“Why on earth did you buy this lamp, Ivan?” I asked.

“…I didn’t buy it for myself.”

“Then?”

“I bought it for my twin brother.”

“Ah, well, that makes sense.”

Everyone burst into laughter at the playful exchange.

“Still, this is surprisingly tasty. It’s like eating jerky and drinking wine together.”

“Just wait for the food to come out. You should eat that instead,” Damien teased.

“No need to act like it’s the worst thing in the world. Come on, what’s with that face?”

Jenny proudly showed off what she had bought, and Damien immediately rebutted. Meanwhile, Marianne was playing with the ball that kept rolling across the table, picking it up and putting it back, even though the table was flat and stable. It seemed pointless but somehow fascinating.

Shayden, ever playful, pinned the frog clip to Marianne’s hair like a hairpin, and Marianne smiled and posed prettily. Just then, the waiter came in with trays full of food, and the awkwardness of the moment made us all laugh.

I couldn’t help but think that the chick doll I bought was probably the most useful thing among all these odd items. At least it wasn’t as pointless as the others… I had always known how to wield a sword, but I had never owned something as soft and suspiciously squishy as this doll. I found myself unwilling to let go of it.

“You need to put away your toy when we eat, Mikael.”

“Mm.”

“Come on, you were just playing around…”

“I was playing, too.”

“…”

Shayden, pretending to be my nanny, grumbled and cut up a large piece of meat from the platter, dividing it onto everyone’s plates with a sour expression.

I set the doll down beside me and picked up my utensils. I wasn’t sure what kind of coating was on the outside, but it was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, perfectly cooked and fitting my taste. If it were just a bit more tender, it could’ve been considered a kind of braised pork.

For a moment, a sense of nostalgia made me feel a little wistful, but I quickly forgot that feeling when I saw the children’s faces filled with laughter.

After we all finished eating, we decided to buy the items we actually needed for our camping lessons.

Marianne, determined to find a good store that sold proper supplies, led us confidently. Thanks to a wizard she knew, we were able to get some great items at a good price.

We bought things like insect repellent, reusable firewood, and blankets enchanted with heat-retaining spells.

Shayden, who insisted that he really needed the insect repellent, managed to convince the group to buy the remaining stock—three for us and two for him. Seeing how much he feared bugs, I figured that the insects in Cieran must be even more poisonous and dangerous than those in the central lands.

Altogether, we ended up with a hefty load of useful and useless items.

I carried the heavier things, like the firewood, since I had good strength, and the lighter ones were divided among the others. The two boys, who had grown taller but lacked much strength, insisted on carrying some of the bags, but I wouldn’t allow it.

We considered eating dinner outside, but after snacking on so much street food, we were all too full to continue, so we gave up on that idea.

As we decided to head back to the dorms, suddenly, Marianne grabbed my sleeve.

Marianne, not gripping my wrist but barely holding onto the loose end of my sleeve with a confused expression, looked up at me. When I asked her what was going on, she glanced around at the others with a serious expression, as if gathering her resolve, before she finally spoke up.

“…Mikael, I need to talk to you about something.”

“Something you need to say? What is it?”

“…It’s about the Magic Department.”

I had no idea what this was about.

Shayden, who had been watching Marianne’s behavior more keenly than I had, seemed to flinch at the mention of the Magic Department, muttering “Uh…” in confusion. I quickly moved to block him before he could step in.

“Let’s just hear what she has to say first.”

“Is it a long story, Marianne?”

“…I’m not sure. It’s something I can’t talk about inside the academy.”

“I said I’ll listen.”

Normally, Marianne was bold and outspoken, never hesitating to speak her mind when we were together. While it wasn’t uncommon for Shayden to treat her like a caretaker, I felt she needed to speak for herself in this situation, and I stood firm.

The others, startled by the sudden tension, hesitated for a moment, but then, with a nervous smile, they gave in and said, “Well, okay then.”

“Please, just listen to this,” Marianne said, still somewhat uneasy.

“Once you’re done, let’s have tea together, Shayden.”

I handed the burden I was carrying over to Shayden. Even though he looked delicate like a fox, he was part of the Sword Expert division. A warrior like him shouldn’t be struggling with such a load.

He briefly looked disappointed, furrowing his brow, but then he accepted it with a sigh and relaxed his shoulders. If I were older, I would have offered him a drink, but tea would have to do for now.

The boys and girls all said their goodbyes, expressing how much fun they had and suggesting we go out again next time, trying to ease the atmosphere. Meanwhile, all I could think about was the magic lessons I had diligently attended, which left me with an unsettling feeling that I couldn’t shake.

* * *

The path I walked with Marianne wasn’t the main road but a back alley. It was clear she trusted me enough to lead me down this way, pulling a swordsman along with her.

On this less glamorous street, I saw young men dressed in shabby clothes with flat hats, smoking cigarettes and chatting amongst themselves. It was a stark contrast to the more pristine image of the main road and its grand performances.

After turning down several winding alleys, we arrived at a small tea house. The elderly owner quietly served us tea and then retreated into the back room. Marianne, now visibly at ease, clasped her hands tightly on her lap and looked up at me.

Since she had called me here to talk, I figured she would speak when she was ready, so I remained silent and waited.

She soon mumbled in a voice that sounded like she was about to cry.

“First… I’m sorry for pretending not to know during class, Mikael.”

“Mm?”

I was completely taken off guard by her words. My eyes widened in surprise.

I couldn’t remember her pretending not to know me. I was completely confused and puzzled by her words, but she, too, seemed taken aback and stammered. Then, with a loud bang, she suddenly stood up, which was a bold move.

Finally, she seemed to be acting like herself again.

“What? You didn’t know?!”

“We did exchange glances, didn’t we?”

“That was just because I saw you! The door opened, and everyone else saw you too!”

“Are you talking about this week’s class? I don’t remember.”

“No, I mean from the first week! All the way from then!”

“Okay, okay, sit down and talk to me.”

She was about to stamp her feet in frustration, so I gestured for her to sit down, trying to relax my own tense body and lean back in the chair. The old sofa in the small tea house wasn’t the most comfortable, as the seat had sagged over time.

When I shifted slightly, Marianne let out a big sigh and plopped down heavily. She seemed to be feeling frustrated, so I handed her the chick doll I had brought along instead of giving it to Shayden. It was quite amusing to see her pressing the doll’s cheeks flat with her hands.

“I… I felt so bad every time I saw you…”

“Okay, I get it. But why did you do that?”

“…I was scared.”

“Scared of what?”

“Edwin Kiadris. Please don’t tell me you don’t know him. You can’t live so innocently like that. It’s just not possible.”

“Oh… I know the name. The one with well-groomed hair?”

“No, no, nooo…”

It seemed she was about to burst out, so I added what I knew just to be clear.

“Edwin Kiadris’s younger brother?”

“Ugh!”

Her sudden outburst startled me, and I was genuinely shocked.

I took a sip from my teacup to calm myself, remembering what my mother taught me when I was young: after sipping, I placed the cup quietly on its saucer and looked at her in silence.

Marianne, embarrassed, covered her face with both hands and mumbled, “No, no, no…” What exactly was wrong? From dragging me here to this awkward conversation, everything felt strange. I gently encouraged her to speak slowly.

She began by explaining the story of the purified crystal ball with the purification spell that had been part of our first magic lesson.

As I expected, that ball wasn’t ordinary. Marianne explained that it had been tampered with by Edwin Kiadris, and if a normal wizard had used it, not just a swordsman like me, they would’ve ended up injured or worse.

She went on to say that from the moment I received the corrupted crystal ball, the entire Magic Department had been deliberately isolating me as a swordsman. She revealed that right before I joined the class, Edwin Kiadris had sabotaged the ball, knowing it would hurt me. No one warned me about it, and she said that was a grave mistake.

Marianne, especially upset by the students who had handed me the ball, said with frustration that if it were her, she would have been too nervous to even give it to me, being afraid I would notice something was wrong.

It was a bit odd, so I asked if there were any other choice but to hand it to me, to which she answered “no”. When I asked why, she paused for a long time before responding with the same words.

“…Because I was scared.”

Her voice, barely above a whisper, made me feel sympathetic, and I couldn’t help but shake my head.

“What was so scary about it?”

“The Kiadris family. If Edwin goes to his father and says that the daughter of Baron Philodendor is rude, their family will be destroyed. Just a little word from them, and I could end up broke and unable to come to school. We see each other often enough in the Magic Department, but…”

“Ah, so it’s because of their status?”

“And he’s really rude.”

I recalled what Shayden had told me earlier. He had mentioned something about a dog with three collars, but when I actually met Edwin, he seemed much more composed than I had expected. I felt a bit awkward, thinking he was just an average guy.

The nobleman who resembled him was proud, but he had manners. How did they end up looking so similar…?

Marianne gulped down the tea in front of her and then began her long story.