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

It didn’t make sense to skip swordsmanship classes just because I had seen the two men kiss. I entered the large training grounds in time for the advanced swordsmanship lesson.

But every time I saw Walter’s face, I couldn’t help but want to run away. It was something I couldn’t fully explain.

Whenever I faced Walter Orgen, the things I had said about being fine and not caring seemed completely futile.

I must have been unconsciously following his gaze, because just like always, Walter’s warm smile met mine. He immediately asked:

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I have a question.”

“What is it?”

“Why do you braid your hair every day… What does that have to do with how Jung In likes long hair?”

“Huh?”

Walter’s expression twisted. His cheeks puffed out, his cheekbones twitched, and then, unable to hold back, he burst out laughing loudly with a deep, almost painful laugh. Watching him, I wondered if I had said something funny.

Walter’s belly laughter attracted the attention of those nearby. Some people came closer to see what was happening, but Walter paid them no mind, wiping away the tears from his eyes with the back of his hand while explaining:

“If you just tie your hair back, it shakes and moves around.”

“…Right.”

“Then sand and dust get stuck and it becomes messy.”

“Uh…”

Was that so? Come to think of it, Lucilla always wore her hair tied up high, swaying like a tail. I looked at her hair once, then turned my gaze back to Walter.

Still trying to suppress his laughter, Walter continued in a voice that was holding back his giggles.

“Every morning, I carefully wash it, dry it thoroughly, and apply rose oil, regardless of the season, and comb it well so it shines like this. Do you think this is easy?”

“…Huh.”

So he had been doing something that resembled a peacock’s preening?

I hesitated for a moment before asking again.

“Then why do you untie your hair as soon as class ends?”

“If your hair is curly, it gets tangled between your fingers when you try to touch it. Straight hair is better.”

“…”

It seemed that Professor Calypso often patted Walter’s head.

It was a sight I found hard to imagine. I felt like I had asked something unnecessary, so I closed my mouth. However, the most important question still remained.

I lowered my voice. I knew that others would still hear, but since there was no clear subject and Walter seemed so confident, it felt okay.

“Is it really that great?”

Walter didn’t answer right away.

As the sun set and the night filled with stars, I imagined his expression in that moment. I couldn’t take my eyes off his face as his smile slowly faded.

The boy looked at me for a moment, then briefly glanced at the sky before rubbing his cheek with the palm of his broad hand.

I understood what Shayden meant. I couldn’t help but support this boy.

Anyone who had seen the affection in Walter’s eyes, glowing like the moon, would have shared the same sentiment as me.

Instead of answering, Walter grinned again, reached out, and messed up my hair.

Today, Matt Nico had a sparring match with a senior and won. The boy’s round nose, tinged red with excitement, looked like a rabbit’s, and it was adorable.

When I told Louver about it, the child asked me:

“So, is Matt also cute and lovely?”

“Pardon?”

I couldn’t understand what they were talking about right away, so I made a confused sound. The child quickly waved their hand, blushing.

Seeing that, I realized they were recalling something I had said before, back when we talked in my sitting room about how everyone I met at the academy seemed cute and lovely.

As I gently petted Louver’s soft hair, I whispered in their ear:

“The senior is cuter.”

“…”

Suddenly, I wondered if Louver also applied rose oil every morning to get their smooth and beautiful hair. But I didn’t feel like asking, so I just buried the thought in my mind.

In the afternoon, we continued learning about the Unique Mountain Range in World Geography class.

I didn’t know much about mines or minerals. For me, mountains were places to climb for a view, not places to dig for trees or stones.

The only time I thought about digging in a mountain was when I wondered if there might be some elixir lying around on the ground. I had never actually found anything useful, so it was just a joke.

However, Professor Casablanca explained that the Unique Mountain Range was the source that allowed the Sieron Empire to act as a strong nation.

Thanks to the continuous efforts of the Sieron Empire’s knights in hunting monsters, the Withro and Grimmsbane dukes were able to bring wizards and laborers to the edges of the Unique Mountain Range.

“All the gems of the Sieron Empire are mined by Grimmsbane. Rubies, sapphires, and gold ore, which require high pressure and long periods of time, are especially true.”

Having never held gold or treasure before, I tried my best to match the colors and shapes of the gems I had received as birthday presents while listening to the explanation.

“There has been a consistent theory that the original form of gems is related to monster cores or corpses. In fact, there is research being conducted to create artificial gems by applying pressure to magic stones.”

At this point, I realized that learning about the Unique Mountain Range in Professor Briana Casablanca’s World Geography class was not what I had hoped for.

Still, it was a small accomplishment that I had learned a little about the rough distribution of ore veins and the seasonal movements of the imperial knights.

After World Geography class, we immediately had a Basic First Aid class. I sighed as I tightly wrapped a bandage around a log. Marianne proudly showed off her neatly tied knot, giggling.

“This is fun once you get the hang of it.”

“As long as there’s some fun in it, that’s fine.”

“Isn’t it fun for you, Mikael?”

It wasn’t fun at all.

Ray Gibson’s first aid methods weren’t much different from those of the Central Plains.

If someone broke a leg, you’d apply a splint and wrap it with bandages. If body temperature dropped, you’d rub sticks together to make fire. If bitten by poisonous creatures, you would suck out the poison and spit it out, then rinse your mouth with clean water.

I had forgotten that Sieron was inhabited by humans. I had become so used to seeing magical and alchemical solutions that I felt awkward dealing with things without them.

I wondered if this should have been taught in Exploration and Survival classes, not in Basic First Aid.

When I mentioned that, Marianne burst into laughter and told me that Ray Gibson was actually famous as a survival expert in Sieron.

She said he had once survived by covering himself in dirt and evading a bear, and it was very well-known. I was speechless. It seemed unbelievable. How could a bear avoid that man? Shouldn’t it have been the other way around?

I muttered to myself as I finished tying the knot.

Still, compared to last year when I struggled to make traps in alchemy class, I had become proficient after a few tries, and my work now looked neat and presentable.

“Good, good! Everyone tied the bandages properly. This tightness is necessary for proper hemostatic effect. However, depending on the wound’s severity, you should regularly check the skin color to make sure it doesn’t necrotize.”

“Yes.”

“What is the first thing you need to be aware of in an emergency?”

“Maintaining body temperature!”

“Exactly! Just three things. Checking breathing, disinfecting and stopping the bleeding, and maintaining body temperature. If you pay attention to these three, you can survive any situation!”

Ray Gibson, with his booming voice, slammed the chalkboard suddenly. The chalkboard, merely offering itself for writing, now looked pitiful, dented from the impact.

When I mentioned this, Marianne suppressed her laughter so much that tears came to her eyes.

We had heard several times about maintaining body temperature—lighting a small fire, pressing your skin against someone else’s, or layering dry clothes to stay warm.

Even though it was a given, I made sure to take detailed notes for the exam. I thought I should gather some artifacts or items that would help maintain body temperature in case of an emergency.

Throughout the afternoon classes, I kept thinking about Louver’s warm ears.

Louver, the little rascal, gets warm so easily with just a few words that he probably wouldn’t need a fire. I laughed to myself at the thought, and when Marianne laughed too, I pretended not to notice.

***

Wednesday. I had gotten used to Bill Brown’s persistent attention.

Before the intermediate swordsmanship class started, the child would sometimes hug me tightly or drape an arm over my shoulder or back, following me closely. While heavy, it wasn’t to the point of being bothersome.

In fact, seeing Louver stretch out his arms asking for a hug whenever he saw this, I simply left it alone.

In the mornings, I would give Bill a quick hug, pat him, then enjoy the sight of Louver curling up in my arms, whining and snuggling as I gently patted his back.

After these conversations, I still didn’t know how to treat physical contact between boys as taboo. While I couldn’t grab a girl’s shoulder, it seemed natural to me to pull a boy along by his shoulder.

After soothing and cuddling the kids to my satisfaction, I would finish my greetings and start learning the imperial sword style with Maelo Sanson.

I was starting to really enjoy intermediate swordsmanship, and mornings became fun again, much like they had been before. I now looked forward to waking up every day.

But by Wednesday afternoon, I began to feel uneasy.

It was the day for the imperial genealogy class. Today, there were no marks on Calyps Agrigent’s neck. The marks from last week had faded, and there were no new ones.

However, it was harder than expected to approach the professor to ask for a private conversation.

Professor Calyps always came to class on schedule every week, so I could have asked for a one-on-one meeting if I wanted. But I was the problem.

While others took seven courses per semester, I alone was taking nine courses, including one with Douglas, leaving me with no spare time.

And, of course, it would be inappropriate to ask, in the middle of class, if there were any problems with your lover. I was inwardly anxious.