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

When I went to bed that night, my body, warmed by the excitement, relaxed and I fell asleep feeling as if I were lying on clouds. But when I woke up, it was a different story. My body felt sore, as if I had overexerted myself.

I must have underestimated my still-developing body. Some of my muscles, pushed beyond their limits, had swelled up and I could feel them throbbing. I lay back on the bed and let out a wry laugh.

Thinking back on it, I was embarrassed. I had acted like a silly, excited fourteen-year-old, running around all afternoon grinning over a single victory. I really didn’t want to leave the warmth of my bed after that.

I slowly climbed down from my high bed and sat cross-legged on the carpet, trying to settle my thoughts.

Despite everything, it was moments like these that reminded me again that I was indeed a martial artist.

All my life, I had strived to surpass others and reach a higher place. I had thought that all my ambition was gone, that I had shed it in a past life, but the truth was that I had been deceiving myself. I hadn’t fought to win; I fought to protect what I had.

Every warrior wielding a sword would eventually face this truth. Did I lack the same pride Edwin had shown in his eyes?

When I let go of the burdens I thought were on my shoulders, the urge to fight again welled up within me. I realized I had been blaming others for my frustrations, which now seemed both foolish and embarrassing.

After finishing my morning routine, I headed downstairs for breakfast, where familiar faces from my studies were following behind me, eager to join.

Though we should have been focused on studying, I could already predict that we’d end up talking instead, so I led the group to the small meeting room in the library where we had gathered on Friday during the camping class.

Shayden, Benjamin, Marianne, and Jenny followed me in, each carrying their own study materials.

The five of us sat down, each of us spreading out our notes.

However, with three of us more interested in gossip than studying, there was little chance of getting any real work done. Marianne, pretending to write notes, suddenly asked:

“So, did you make up with Edwin Kiadris?”

“Hmm.”

“No, seriously, tell me. Did you make up or not?”

“I wouldn’t say ‘made up’ is the right word. I told him I wouldn’t stop him from talking to other students from the magic department as a reward for winning the duel, but he never apologized for the wrongs he did to me.”

“Uh, well… that’s true.”

“If you have allies and enemies, there are also people who are neither. I guess we’ve reached a point where we don’t interfere with each other anymore. He doesn’t seem to want to hurt me, so that’s enough.”

The same could be said of the central plains.

Excluding the demonic sects, not all martial factions, who claimed to be just, followed the strictest codes. Many mid-sized and small sects were caught between the righteous and the rebellious, just trying to survive.

The Wulin League was distant, and if you couldn’t overcome the rogue warriors in your own town, you would lower your head, even if it went against your beliefs. A good example of this was the Hao Sect.

The Hao Sect was an information network formed by lower-class workers like courtesans and inn cleaners, who gathered scraps of information spilled by drunken patrons and sold them as a patchwork of gossip.

Sometimes these bits of information ended up in the hands of the Wulin League or the Black Sect, becoming weapons or shields.

Those who trafficked in laughter and alcohol were inevitably close to the violent types. Many of those who sought pleasure and drink were far more likely to be from the rebellious factions than the righteous ones.

By using threats and money, they could be controlled, and even the most upright of people could be swayed. The Wulin League, when necessary, allied with them, and when they were no longer needed, they discarded them first.

That’s how Nangong dealt with the Hao Sect.

I knew the Hao Sect often criticized the hypocrisy of the righteous factions.

But when their incompetence led them to poison someone with a drug that scattered internal energy, they became more cautious about being near them.

You never knew when one of their clumsy hands might drag someone into their hell.

That was how I defined my relationship with Edwin Kiadris.

He wasn’t someone who needed to be close to me, whether a friend or an enemy. We only met when something was needed, to ask or offer something.

The inferiority I felt about my older brother or the difficulties of my family didn’t seem so significant when compared to the sorrows of the central plains. I didn’t feel sorry for myself over them.

“So, why were you looking at him like that?”

Jenny, who had been quietly listening to the conversation beside us, smiled and reached out her hand to Marianne. Marianne, with a pout on her face, handed over 2 silver coins to Jenny’s hand.

I couldn’t help but laugh at the thought that they might have made some sort of bet about me, but since I too had placed a wager when I dueled, it wasn’t something to be too embarrassed about. So I decided not to mind it.

However, when Shayden, still in the realm between second-rate and third-rate, seriously spoke about wanting to extend his training schedule, I praised him for making a good decision and commended his dedication to cultivating the mind and spirit.

—

The exams were over.

During the exam period, it felt like I wasn’t really living. Even as I ate, I mumbled unfamiliar characters under my breath, and before bed, I read the notes on guaranteed victory methods that Damian and Jenny had recommended.

At least I didn’t forget to practice my breathing exercises every morning to refine my body, and I spent my afternoons attending both basic and advanced swordsmanship classes. So, I looked fine on the surface, which was a relief.

When I practiced swordsmanship alone, I often found myself lost in thought and unable to focus, but when I discussed the sword with the martial artists of Huakyung or the noble art of the sword, all my worldly worries disappeared, and it was a good way to center myself.

My exam results weren’t that bad. In fact, they were pretty decent.

In the basics of magic and formula principles class, I barely managed to score over 70%, which was enough to pass.

In the world history elective, I got a slightly above-average grade, having successfully filled in the blanks, but I missed two out of five essay questions.

As usual, I made a couple of mistakes in the imperial family genealogy, but I managed to submit the alternative assignment for the hunting and camping class just in time, the night before.

With Marianne and Shayden’s help, I managed to memorize and write out basic answers for the mana and aura class, which earned me a decent score.

The thought of repeating this process a few more times made me dizzy, but for now, I was so excited that I felt like I could do anything. So when Damian’s schedule was finished by Friday morning and he invited us to go out, I didn’t refuse.

And on Friday morning, I received a letter with a red seal.

I was surprised to open it, but thankfully it wasn’t bad news.

The letter was from Michael, who had been studying hard for two months but had still not been accepted into the academy. He was upset and had cried about it.

The letter also mentioned that over the weekend, the Ernhardt family of the Count’s house would be visiting the capital, and my father invited me to meet them briefly. The news made me smile.

Although the letter had been sent a few days ago, they must have already left, so I asked my friends, who I had plans with, for understanding and decided to meet my family instead.

Through Shayden, I learned about a system where students were monitored at night to avoid any mishaps, which was why I had to submit a request for an overnight leave from the academy for the first time.

According to the letter, I should have already arrived at the academy by Friday morning, but since I hadn’t received any updates, I started to worry. I decided to head to the main gate early to check.

I intentionally wore my school uniform instead of plain clothes.

I was curious to see how Michael, who had never seen me in my school uniform, would react, and my heart raced with anticipation. I didn’t know what to do, so I tried to compose my expression several times.

Then, when I saw the familiar family crest on the carriage approaching, I couldn’t wait for the door to open and rushed forward.

I swung the door open with a bang, and a little child with wide eyes immediately stretched out his arms, as if knowing I would hug him. Without catching my breath, I pulled Michael’s warm, small body into a tight embrace.

My lower abdomen felt tight, filled with a sense of overflowing emotion.