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

Once Ruber suddenly ran off, my confusion started to settle, and only then could I calmly reflect on what had happened.

I realized that the kid couldn’t hide his awkward feelings and was embarrassed as he sat there. He was throwing a little tantrum because he had planned to spend time with me but saw Bill being called instead. Thinking that, I was reminded again of Ruber’s age. Despite trying to act like an adult, he was still young.

Seeing that Ruber was hesitating and not speaking, I tried to comfort him by gently wrapping my arm around his shoulder.

“I didn’t mean that I was going to go off and have fun without you. Bill may lack awareness, but he has never been rude to you, so I thought it would be fine if we all hung out together.”

“…Yeah.”

“It’s not right to exclude someone or favor another in a group of friends.”

“…I know. But…”

“Yeah, you know?”

“…I guess I just wanted to hang out with you, just the two of us. I’ve been waiting so long for the exams to end…”

It was a silly thing to say. Even though it felt strange that such a little tantrum seemed cute, I couldn’t help but stifle a laugh. I leaned my forehead on his shoulder and chuckled briefly.

Whether it was from embarrassment or surprise, a pleasant scent emanated from his stiffened shoulder.

Ruber stayed silent for a moment, then spoke again, his voice strained.

“I’m sorry. I know I’m acting like a spoiled brat towards Ernhardt… I don’t even know why I’m doing this…”

“It’s okay.”

“…”

I knew that this kind of behavior was too much to do toward a friend. But at the same time, I knew that I had my own issues as well. I had made it clear to Ruber that I cared deeply about him, and it was obvious to others as well.

Kids can always sense who cares for them, right?

I continued to quietly comfort him. As he relaxed and leaned against me, I opened my arms and embraced him tightly.

His soft black hair, like ink carefully ground into powder, tickled my cheek.

When I patted his shoulders and back, he squirmed as though it tickled, so I let him go.

Instead, he begged me to hold his hand, and I gave it to him.

Suddenly, I felt a tickling sensation in my stomach.

I remembered the old saying in this land—that even men share romantic feelings. As soon as the thought crossed my mind, I felt as if cold water had been splashed on me, and my thoughts cleared immediately.

It was an absurd thought. What was I thinking, harboring such improper feelings for someone so young and innocent?

I quickly shook off the thought.

“…We should be heading to the exam, shouldn’t we?”

“Yeah… Sorry. I haven’t even eaten because of me…”

“It’s just a little delay, maybe an hour or so. After the exam, we’ll go right away…”

The hesitation was brief. With Ruber so upset, I had no intention of taking other kids along. I glanced at the hand Ruber was still holding tightly.

“We can grab some snacks at the night market, just the two of us.”

Without answering, Ruber nodded quietly. His cheeks, dyed bright red, looked more beautiful than I could describe.

I suppressed my awkward feelings and asked a few things that might appear on the exam, and Ruber quickly provided explanations, adding his own insights.

What he had explained appeared directly on the exam, and I solved the problems easily.

Maybe because I hadn’t gone hungry since I was born, I was feeling unusually empty inside.

Worried about Ruber, I dragged him out of the exam hall as soon as it was over and made him get into the carriage in his school uniform.

On nights when the night market was open, many kids would go out to play, and there were usually a lot of coaches waiting outside the academy. It was nice not to have to wait.

When I asked what he wanted to eat, Ruber immediately listed several restaurants he knew, excitedly suggesting this place and that, and I couldn’t help but smile at how cute he looked.

It seemed that whatever had been bothering him earlier was now resolved. It was a relief.

“…Why are you laughing?”

“No, nothing. Don’t you think you should choose just one place?”

“Where do you want to go, Ernhardt?”

“I’m not picky about food… but I would like to try something new.”

“Then let’s go to Owen’s place. They say they have lots of vegetables and it feels healthy.”

“That sounds good.”

The carriage stopped at a familiar street.

I got out of the carriage and reached my hand toward Ruber. I had gotten used to helping Michael and Asdel out of the carriage, so it felt natural to do the same for Ruber.

The others from our camping class were already out of the carriage, so they didn’t think anything strange about it. But none of them ever insisted on holding hands once they had already grabbed them.

I was a bit surprised and looked up at Ruber’s face. He hesitated for a moment, then spoke quietly, explaining his reason.

“There are so many people… If I lost you by mistake, it would be a big problem.”

“…Me? You think I’d lose you?”

“Yeah. Since we’re finally out, let’s just get to the restaurant like this.”

It was a strange thing to say. Ruber and I were both first-rate warriors. Even if I were to lose track of him in a crowd, I would be able to find him easily. Ruber, too, would be the same. There was no reason to be worried about losing each other.

Unable to refuse the child’s request, I held his hand and walked alongside him.

The street was crowded, but not to the point where people were bumping into us, which made it all the more unusual. I could hear Ruber’s rapidly beating heart and see the redness spreading across his neck.

Our hands were sweaty and hot. When I loosened my grip, Ruber immediately tightened his hold on my hand.

Ruber had grown into a well-built young man.

When it was just the two of us, it wasn’t wrong to show affection, to tease or pamper him. Ruber, who enjoyed being treated like a child, didn’t seem to mind it. I thought nothing of it.

But it was different now, walking through a crowded street holding hands like this. Most people walking like this, holding hands, looked affectionate, like Danbi and his lover. I hadn’t imagined I would be walking through the streets with Ruber like this.

I followed behind, staring at the back of Ruber’s head.

Once we arrived at the restaurant, it was a relief to finally let go of his hand.

The restaurant had decorative wooden pillars, intricately carved and painted in bright colors.

I was briefly surprised by the custom of removing shoes and entering a room, which was different from the customs in Shielun. But when I saw that the floor had been dug out in a square shape so that our legs could fit underneath the table, I was impressed.

After sitting on a cushion and putting my legs into the hollowed-out floor, it felt like sitting on a hard chair. The dishes on the table were neatly arranged, each portion set for the individual diners.

There were even flower-shaped dumplings on top of delicately made rice cakes, and various types of vegetables and meats cut into the same shapes, drizzled with a tangy sauce.

Seeing over thirty different kinds of side dishes, I thought this would rival even an emperor’s banquet.

Ruber and I ate, passing food back and forth, trying different things, making sure not to waste any of it. I ate some of the spicy herbs Ruber didn’t want, not wanting to waste any of the delicious food.

Watching Ruber eat so well made me feel at ease and happy.

I couldn’t tell whether it was just a thing with Shielun people, or if Owen’s cuisine was always like this, but after the meal, we were served a sweet tea flavored with cinnamon.

As they cleared the table, we sat back and chatted.

Most of the things Ruber and I talked about were related to the academy. I asked him a few things about Wilton Roberts, and Ruber asked me about Walter.

“Ernhardt, about Orgen…”

“Yes?”

“…Uhm, do you think he’s handsome?”

“…What?”

It was a rather unexpected question. Even though I had gotten used to distinguishing the faces of Shielun people, it was still difficult for me to judge whether they were handsome or not.

I chuckled, thinking that Ruber was probably at that age where he was starting to care about appearances.

“Yes, he was handsome. He seems to like taking care of himself too.”

“Ernhardt… does he like long hair?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Well, both Kiadris and Orgen have long hair, so I thought maybe…?”

I lifted the teacup without a handle, sipping it.

In Shielun, they considered beautifully flowing, voluminous hair as a standard of beauty, but I still found long, shiny hair like a braid to be the most beautiful.

It was a bit awkward talking about such things with someone so young, but since I was already at the marriageable age by outward standards, I didn’t feel I should shy away from answering.

“If I had to choose between short and long… yes, I prefer long hair.”

“Then… should I grow it out? Do you think it would suit me?”

“…Huh? Why?”

“Just… well, I was wondering… maybe I could try?”

…Isn’t this a bit strange?

I quietly observed Ruber. When I didn’t respond right away, Ruber quickly changed the subject.

He mentioned that Matt Niko seemed to be having trouble focusing in class lately, especially during advanced swordsmanship lessons when he kept looking elsewhere.

He also talked about how Lusila seemed to have gained some new insight.

Ruber expressed concern that he seemed to be stagnating in his own skills, and I reassured him, telling him that he was doing just fine and didn’t need to worry.

He also shared something about Glothin Tenner, Marianne’s lover.

Earlier, Sheiden had told me that Oliver Combine, who had once taken a water magic class with me, was very close to Glothin Tenner.

Oliver was the eldest son of the Combine family and was expected to inherit the title and lands.

Glothin’s father held a lower noble title and had dedicated his life to assisting the Combine family, and Glothin had joined the academy with the same goal in mind.

So, under normal circumstances, it would be expected for Glothin to be deferential to Oliver, but their relationship was more equal. In fact, Oliver seemed to be the one who was cautious around Glothin, even holding back his dissatisfaction.

When I expressed curiosity about why their relationship was like this, Ruber explained.

“Glothin Tenner is quite sharp… and Oliver Combine is a bit shy. They’ve grown up together like brothers, since they were very young. The Combine family isn’t that big, so there’s not much hierarchy related to titles.”

“So, it’s not that they’re on bad terms, but rather that Oliver’s dissatisfaction with his ‘brother’ comes out sometimes?”

“It’s not exactly like that…”

Ruber hesitated, unsure of how to explain.