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

Edwin wouldn’t be seen until Monday, and because my conversation with Marianne had lasted longer than expected, Sheiden, who had been waiting impatiently, was now the more troublesome one. It’s easy to ignore someone you don’t like, but I couldn’t figure out how to comfort a close friend.

As soon as I pulled him into his sitting room and sat down across from him, he asked what I had been talking about, and when I said it was something related to the magic department that wasn’t for outsiders, he sulked, clearly upset.

A sigh, close to a groan, escaped me involuntarily.

Although Sieron was a much more peaceful and comfortable place to live than Zhongyuan, and I was gradually becoming more like its gentle people, in my past life, I had spent my time traveling as a warrior, punishing wicked criminals with a strict resolve. Like most wandering swordsmen, I had friends I never heard from and assumed were doing well—until something happened, and I lost track of them, only to later mourn their loss when I found their head but not their body.

It felt strange and unnatural that, after spending just a few hours with another friend, talking about things that Sheiden didn’t know, he was pouting and acting hurt.

The sitting room had sofas arranged in front of each other with a table in the center, and Sheiden, sitting with his arms crossed, was staring at the table without touching his tea. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking, and the frustration was building.

Finally, I couldn’t stand it anymore and called him in a stern voice.

“Sheidan.”

“…To the training grounds?”

“No, I meant I want you to talk.”

“Talk about what?”

“You’re holding back something, aren’t you?”

When he didn’t answer, I tapped the table with my finger to catch his attention. Only then did our eyes meet. His pale green eyes were filled with frustration, looking almost as if he were on the verge of tears. I almost felt like scolding him, but seeing his eyes, I reconsidered.

“I know you’ve looked out for me a lot, but I didn’t come here to be protected by anyone. There may be parts of me that look awkward in your eyes, but there are times when you seem just as awkward to me. That’s what being friends is about—doing your own thing and helping each other when needed. We can do that, can’t we?”

I said what I thought was right, and he didn’t argue but just bit his lip hard. When he lowered his gaze, I didn’t want to let him avoid me, so I tapped the table again.

“Hey? That’s not it. Don’t be like Michael, acting all soft. I’m just trying to be kind,” I said gently, and finally, he opened his mouth after a long silence.

“I… I thought you didn’t see me as a friend.”

“Why?”

“You don’t talk about yourself. I only know things about you, but not what you really think.”

“You know I’m not really the kind of person I appear to be, right?”

“…”

He closed his mouth again, but this time, it wasn’t because he was hiding his displeasure; it felt like he was listening to my words and thinking about them. I decided not to rush him and waited.

While waiting, I thought about other things. Seven-year-old Michael. Thirteen years ago, when I was Nam Gung Jeongyeon, and I hadn’t even lent a hand in raising that child, I would have run away in a heartbeat if I faced something like this. But now, after the war ended, and as time passed, I found myself studying to broaden my heart.

After a long pause, his answer finally came.

“…Yeah.”

“Right, I’m really that kind of person. I can’t remember people’s names, I can’t recognize faces, and I don’t really like socializing or talking. In fact, even now, I can’t be sure if I’m saying the right things. I find it easier to face a sword than a person. I was just born this way in this life.”

“…”

“I don’t talk to my father, and I don’t talk to my mother. Does that mean William isn’t my father, and Seiren isn’t my mother?”

“That’s not the case…”

“It’s the same for me. I’m still young and there’s so much I need to learn. In the meantime, if you keep helping me, what do you think will happen?”

“…Are you saying I’m a hindrance?”

“No, I’m saying it might feel like I’m being a hindrance. You’ve been a great help to me, a good friend, and I want to keep being around you like this. What about you?”

“…”

“Is that okay with you?”

“…Yeah.”

“Right, since you know me so well, you probably know this too: I’m not the kind of person to talk about myself at length. So, do I seem like I’m pushing you away or treating you badly? Huh?”

He shook his head with a soft “Umm.”

After a deep sigh, I stretched out my arm. I reached across the table and gently ran my fingers through his messy red hair a couple of times before pulling my hand back. “Mika,” I called softly. He responded with a simple “Huh?”

I was relieved that, even though he’d been sulking, he still called me by my name and not just ‘you’ again.

“…Do you talk to your grandfather about me?”

“Eh?”

“Even if you don’t talk to your father, mother, or friends about me, do you talk to your grandfather?”

“I don’t. Why would you think that?”

“Earlier, the way you said it… I didn’t mean it like that! It just seemed odd!”

I tried to reassure him, explaining that I must have slipped into using more familiar words because I was nervous too, and it was probably just an awkward moment for both of us.

Sheidan’s expression lightened as he wiped his eyes with his sleeve, then nudged me to get moving, urging me to go to the training grounds. We promised to study together for the exams over the weekend before finally getting up.

* * *

After spending the whole day comforting and soothing the children, I felt mentally exhausted, but I wasn’t in a bad mood.

The thoughts I had about Edwin and moving from the palace to the Mongyong Gong clan likely made me remember the friends I had in my past life. Though these people here weren’t as cute as the ones who whined and played like children, none of them ever refused when I challenged them to a sparring match.

I had forgotten to change my clothes and ended up walking to the training grounds as I was. It wasn’t comfortable to run as usual, so I decided to take a detour and go for a walk instead. After being surrounded by people all day, I didn’t feel like meeting anyone, so I followed the inner side of the wall.

Though I hadn’t paid much attention before, the Sieron Academy, living up to its prestigious name, had grand buildings and beautiful gardens that made it quite pleasant to look at.

Unidentified flowers gave off a stronger scent as dusk fell, swaying gently in the breeze, and the trees, standing at a distance, were pruned so that they had a long, round shape from the ground to their tops.

When I lived in the small estate of Ernhardt, I would often feel a sense of wonder as I looked at the flowers, different from those in the Central Plains, and now I had come to realize that there was an even wider world outside.

The streets of the capital that I toured today were also very dazzling and fascinating. I vaguely imagined the day I would stand on the grounds of the Imperial Palace under the banner of the Imperial Knights, but it didn’t seem like such an easy thing to envision.

Although the shapes of the trees, the scent of the flowers, and the appearance of the streets, as well as the constellations in the sky, were all very different between the Central Plains and Sieron, the sound of the insects chirping felt oddly similar to me, and I couldn’t help but listen closely. Was it already the season for insects to come out? It was indeed warm.

Suddenly, I remembered something that Maelo Sanson had once casually said.

He mentioned that whenever he saw something extraordinary or heard something interesting, he would raise his aura.

Indeed, he was right. As I recalled the many assassins I had encountered during my time playing the role of a wandering swordsman in the Central Plains, I realized that the method of preparing for sudden ambushes was quite simple. All you had to do was never let your guard down.

Energy, or aura, yes, as they said here, it could spread like an invisible mist. When you did that, you could see things that weren’t visible to the eyes and hear things that couldn’t be heard by the ears.

In those moments, even the tiniest sound of insects could feel like thunder, resonating through your whole body.

It was a charm I once found delightful.

I hadn’t yet recalled the conversation I had with Douglas Mustang due to the unexpected dark visitor last night, but now, in the quiet of this night, I brought it up again.

As he had said, in Sieron, there was already an established path to reach the pinnacle of cultivation.

One didn’t have to endure arduous training or practice inner power cultivation techniques, as most people could live their lives well without such hardship.

Much was different from the Central Plains, and yet, I now seemed to understand why I was so eager to teach the knights of my family the martial arts and inner power techniques, calling them my disciples in my mind.

I stopped walking for a moment, standing by a well-kept pond, and gazed down at the moonlight reflected in the water.

I had not yet developed the habit of longing, so the boy standing with his back to the moonlight and not showing any expression still seemed unfamiliar to me.

On the dim surface of the water, the circles created by the fish swam in and out, blooming and fading.

Perhaps, it was loneliness that lingered.

A noble family was a faction made up of clans.

What one would encounter were brothers and sisters, uncles and aunts. They all practiced the same martial arts, used the same swords, and wore the same clothes.

Nam Gung’s clothing was a blue robe resembling the sky, and it was traditional to embroider cloud patterns in white thread on the sleeves of the robe. Even the black thugs in the streets would flee at the sight of the cloud patterns on the sleeves.

On days when I was running around and happened to have my sleeve torn by an enemy, I would entrust the robe to the chambermaids to have it mended. I couldn’t go out on the street with a torn robe, as I used to care about my appearance.

The other members of the Nam Gung clan would also return with their sleeves torn, and it was an everyday occurrence, so I would frequently seek out the chambermaids to help with the repairs.

Those in a hurry would give the chambermaids a bag of candy and ask them to hurry, trying to jump ahead of their cousins who were in the same situation.

Meanwhile, in the training grounds where everyone practiced together, the blue aura lingered in the air.

Unlike the mages of the new land, who would cast circles of different colors, the energy of the *Changgong Daeyon Sin-gong* was always blue. Even when the swords clashed, blue sparks would fly, and when they exhaled, their breath would also be tinted blue.

What had been blue would only turn red when life came to an end. Perhaps that was why I held the color blue so dear.

I decided to let go of my selfishness. I pulled my gaze away from the nails I had been looking at and began walking again.

Yes, the *Changgong Daeyon Sin-gong* was not the best inner power technique in the Central Plains. Although the previous Nam Gung clan leader had reached the pinnacle of cultivation, he used the *Cheonnoe Jeongwang Sin-gong*—not the *Changgong Daeyon Sin-gong*.

It was greedy to recommend something less than the old school techniques to those I cared for, especially after such a long time had passed.

Unknowingly, I had been longing to see that blue again, succumbing to excessive desire.

When I asked Maelo Sanson for a new sword technique, I impulsively wondered if I should abandon it altogether. It was fortunate that he pointed out the bad habit I had developed. In the end, it was a mark I couldn’t part with.

Thinking back on the small, stuffy room that always smelled of sweetness, I felt a lump in my throat. The laughter of those who used to gather there, spinning thread together, echoed in my ears like the sound of insects.

Still human, I was left with a lingering affection. After walking all the way around the large academy grounds, I took a longer time than last night to wash off my fatigue with cold water.