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

Saturday morning began with good energy early on.

Since I planned to spend the entire day in duels and reflect on them, putting off my incomplete studies for the next day, I spent the morning doing some light physical training and extended my time on energy control exercises.

Shayden had wanted to observe the duel, but since his martial arts skills weren’t quite up to par, I told him to focus on his exam studies instead.

Though he puffed up his cheeks in frustration, he thankfully didn’t throw a tantrum.

We finished breakfast early and arrived at the first lecture hall an hour before the scheduled time.

I had expected the place to be full of wizards brought by Professor Douglas Mustaine, along with senior students from the advanced swordsmanship class, but instead, there was a crowd of young and youthful wizards clad in dark robes, bustling about.

Judging by their outfits, they seemed to be academy students.

There were at least fifty people, probably more. As I scanned the crowd, every face was unfamiliar.

For a moment, I was taken aback, but then I spotted a familiar purple bob haircut and approached. Without exchanging greetings, I immediately asked.

“Marianne, what’s all this?”

“Uh… Professor Sting said this might be the last opportunity, so we collected a list of students from the Magic Department above the 3rd circle who wanted to watch the duel… and here we are. Is that… alright with you?”

“It’s fine, it’s just that… I invited quite a few too.”

“Huh? You invited people?”

“Well… about forty more, I think.”

“Uh… I… I’m really sorry for grabbing you by the collar before, Michael. I underestimated the impact of magic versus swordsmanship…”

“I’ve already forgiven you for that, no need to apologize again. By the way, Marianne, you’re a 3rd circle mage?”

“I’m actually a 1st circle Master, just entered the 2nd circle, but my sister’s a 4th circle, so I begged the professor to let me come with her.”

A nearby mage nodded at me, so I nodded back. The woman, who looked a lot like Marianne except for her slightly longer hair, didn’t say anything.

The other students from the Magic Department, possibly worried about being reprimanded by Kiadris, kept their distance from me, so I decided to leave the conversation for later.

As the time for the duel drew closer, about thirty minutes before it was set to begin, all the expected people started to arrive.

Professor Maelo Sanson came with a group of swordsmanship students, while Professor Douglas Mustaine arrived with eight older mages in tow.

Angela Sting appeared, followed closely by Edwin Kiadris.

Edwin, upon seeing the large crowd of mages and swordsmen gathering for the duel, looked somewhat overwhelmed. However, as soon as our eyes met, his expression turned sour.

I tried to suppress a smile and approached him, extending my hand for a handshake. He didn’t accept it. I found it amusing.

“Weren’t you going to burn me from head to toe?”

“…Shut up.”

“It must be hard with so many people watching.”

“I said, shut up.”

“I’ll make sure I don’t get hurt.”

“…”

At least it was worth provoking him, as I could see a vein popping on his pale forehead.

I felt a sense of satisfaction at how well the use of appropriate emotional provocation (*strategies to manipulate the opponent’s emotions to lead them in a desired direction) worked, believing it would drive a more practical duel.

Some of the swordsmanship club members who had heightened their senses and were listening to our conversation were clearly biting their lips to hold back their laughter.

Professor Angela Sting placed her hand on the thick door to the Magic Department’s first lecture hall and inscribed a magical sigil.

It appeared that multiple layers of security and defensive spells were cast, though my skills were insufficient to fully recognize the complexity of them. When the door opened, everyone, including myself, entered together.

The space seemed far too large for practicing attack magic.

The ceiling was about three stories high, and the width was comparable to a training hall capable of hosting a hundred or so people.

Around the perimeter was a raised platform, and on one of these platforms, Professor Sting gathered all the spectators. She then infused mana into the magic circles at each corner to establish a defensive spell.

Professor Douglas Mustaine arranged the spectators—mages who had come to observe the duel—between the swordsmanship and magic students inside the protective magic circle and made sure everyone promised not to cause any disturbances.

Once the magic circles were properly set, Professors Angela Sting and Maelo Sanson led Edwin Kiadris and me to the center of the arena.

The smoothness of the entire process was so impressive that I couldn’t believe it was my first time experiencing such efficiency. My respect for the academy’s professors grew even more.

To calm my racing heart, I took a couple of deep breaths.

“The judges will be both of us to ensure fairness. No objections, right? The basic framework will follow the pattern of the swordfighters’ duels. You will attack each other with everything you have, but if we see that one of you might sustain a serious injury, we will intervene and defend. We’ll have three rounds to determine the winner, and it will be a best-of-three format. The first to win twice will be declared the victor.”

“Since this duel is initiated by the students, not part of the academy’s regular duels… there won’t be any official prize. However, if you two have made any bets beforehand, it would be best to settle them now before we begin. I, Angela Sting, will officiate the wager if needed.”

Perhaps anticipating such a conversation, Edwin Kiadris spoke up immediately.

“I hope Ernhardt Young Master never treats the magic department’s classes as something trivial again.”

I understood the hidden meaning behind his words.

If I lost this duel, I would likely have to apologize and refrain from attending the basic magic and formula principles class every Monday. I had been struggling with the midterm exam questions, so I didn’t have much to lose, but for some reason, my pride flared up.

I considered what I could wager in return, then responded quietly.

“If I win, I would like to make a friend from the Magic Department. Someone more skilled than you, Kiadris-senpai.”

“…”

This time, I wasn’t using a strategy to provoke him, but genuinely spoke from the heart. However, Edwin seemed even angrier than before, so I decided to stay silent.

While I understood swordsmanship to some degree, I knew little about the different circles of magic. The magic classes I had taken were focused on the basics of formulas, not the conceptual principles of magic.

I wondered if I had made a mistake, so I glanced sideways, and the first thing I saw was Professor Sanson’s face, biting his lip to hold back laughter. I realized my mistake and immediately apologized.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I meant, it’s fine if they’re not more skilled than you, Kiadris-senpai.”

“…Alright.”

His response was forced, as if he had to drag it up from his throat.

With Professor Angela Sting’s intervention, we stood facing each other in the duel arena. Fortunately, even if we didn’t know each other’s abilities, both professors knew our skill levels.

A distance of about 3 jangs (9 meters) was set between Edwin and me. It was the range at which I could reach him with my initial strike after I deployed my basic stance.

From a distance, I could feel mana swirling and gathering toward me.

I drew my sword but didn’t charge forward. Instead, I positioned it upright in front of me and focused on my breathing. I tried to ignore the gazes all around.

I, too, extended my senses widely.

Though I considered striking first, I refrained. My goal wasn’t to immediately sever my opponent’s neck and force him to kneel.

My goal was to catch even the slightest possibility of detecting and countering his movements.

While the air around us was filled with a fierce energy, neither Edwin nor I moved. If something came toward me, I would immediately deflect it.

I could see his lips moving from a distance, but I couldn’t hear what he was murmuring. Then, suddenly, a chill ran down my spine. I quickly dodged to the right and rolled once.

Clank, clank, clank—strange sounds echoed a moment later. Faster than the noise, dozens of ice spears pierced through the ground. I quickly stood up and struck the ground with my foot.

The boy, who had been facing me, swung his staff toward me with a combination of wide and angled strikes. His staff was nearly slipping from his grasp, caught by his thumb, but the force he was exerting was something else.

I twisted my body to dodge a fireball shot directly at me. My ear and cheek felt the warmth of it. I poured mana into my tightly gripped sword and blocked one of the attacks.

The fireball, lacking weight and substance, split in the middle and scattered into mist, vanishing into the air. He was right in front of me now. I didn’t have time to choose a sword stance. I twisted my body left and then sharply turned right, swinging my sword with force.

I expected a block, but when he disappeared before my eyes, I was taken aback. He had jumped high. As I looked down from the ceiling, I saw him below, looking up at me, having extended his staff toward my back.

I sent a wave of sword energy toward his face. My unrefined aura didn’t shoot straight like a bow, but instead scattered like mist. He evaded it and pulled back, likely using a technique to move in an instant, similar to the *moving with unseen steps (Hyeonghwanwi)*.

Even without exerting myself, he instinctively knew where to go. In my mind, the path I saw him taking was west-southwest for seven steps, then northwest for three. No, four.

My heart tightened with excitement, and I couldn’t help but laugh. Naturally, I infused my weight with internal energy using the *technique of heavy body (Cheongeuncho)* to increase the force behind my fall. With both hands on my sword, I brought it down from above.

Wuuuuuung—!

It wasn’t the sharp clash of blades, nor the booming explosion of impact. The resonance of the force pressing down on the energies created a soft but profound vibration that reverberated through the vast hall.

I had expected the sword tip and his staff to meet, but I soon realized that what had blocked my sword was not his staff, but a rounded mana shield resembling the greenhouse of a plant.

A *shield*. A defensive spell I knew well.

I had never personally encountered such a powerful one before.

We stood in silence for a moment, separated by two long weapons. The magic circle from his feet expanded and covered half the hall.

I noticed his lips moving again and immediately pulled back. I avoided a sudden attempt to grab my ankle and ran, intending to catch him from behind.

As the duel continued, I realized that he could only use magic on targets within his line of sight. His movements were swift, and the magic he used for defense was without gaps, making it difficult to attack.

I had to approach him both from a distance and up close.

I jumped high and crawled low. I made wide turns and took shallow breaths. I suppressed my presence and shot quickly. The ice spear aimed at the back of my head, the waterfall of flames pouring down from above, the vines twisting around my ankles, the sudden earthquake, and the magical energy binding my hands and feet—all of it kept me alive.

I understood the solution to the shield he had created. The moment I thrust my sword deep into the point where the spells intersected, I wiped the confident expression from my face.

The shield I had pierced collapsed, and it tightened around my neck.