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

My maternal family, the House of Valentia, was located farther south than the House of Count Ernhardt.

If you traveled by carriage southeast from the capital for about a week, you would reach Count Ernhardt’s domain. From there, it would take another ten days to finally arrive at the House of Valentia.

The reason I rushed without even having time to greet the children was because of this. Nearly a month of the two-month holiday had to be spent traveling, so I was feeling anxious.

However, once I boarded the carriage, my worried thoughts slowly faded away, much like a campfire being extinguished by the early morning dew.

After being settled into the carriage, I spent the next two days sleeping and waking repeatedly.

Since I didn’t show my face outside the carriage, the knights were quite worried. They said it was probably just the strain of sleepless nights during the exam period that had taken a toll on my body, and reassured me that it was nothing serious.

Looking back now, I realized that it wasn’t just Luber that I hadn’t finished before leaving.

Last semester, I visited Professor Douglas’s office every Tuesday, where I conducted various experiments with Mage Boulder.

The tests were supposedly to upgrade the Sky Archery Spell, but in reality, the work mostly focused on interpreting the spell in a way that resembled Siren’s style, rather than making any real progress.

By the end of November, we had decided to leave the Golem in a state of energy cultivation for now, and I didn’t have to worry about it too much. I didn’t meet with Douglas or Boulder last week or this week, using exam preparations as an excuse.

Up until two weeks ago, the Golem hadn’t developed any energy centers, so I didn’t expect any major changes now, but I still needed to help test a few things with a new Golem once I returned.

I had forgotten about all the things I had intended to check after the exams. I regretted not having greeted Douglas, rather than Boulder’s postponed experiments.

Now, it felt difficult and uncertain to return. Once the holidays were over, I decided I would go back to the academy and apologize to Douglas, possibly bringing him a gift.

Maybe because of the transition from Luber to Douglas, I also found myself wondering about the other children.

Damian, whom I often ran into during exams, had said he still had frequent nightmares, so I was curious about how his grades had turned out.

Sheiden had said he would stay in the capital again for social activities, and though I knew he would take good care of himself, I still felt worried.

I also wondered if my introduction of second-year student Layla Serbel to Jenny had been helpful for her studies. I had just asked them to talk, but I hoped that since both Jenny and Layla were good-natured, they could become good friends.

Well, all of them were capable enough to take care of themselves.

Bored with sitting in the carriage, lost in these thoughts, I decided to step outside and request a horse. It was the fourth day since leaving the academy.

Some of the knights with playful expressions jeered at me, while others were excited.

Confused, I stared at them, and a young knight brought his horse alongside mine, jokingly speaking to me.

“Why didn’t you just hold out for one more day?”

“Why?”

“We made a bet among ourselves. Some said the young master would rest for five days before coming out, and others said he would come out right away.”

“How ridiculous.”

Finally understanding, I burst into laughter.

I received a small peanut bag as a token for the knight who won the bet.

Chewing on the snack, I guided the horse. The sound of the empty carriage clattering behind us was quite loud.

I looked out at the fields where harvest had ended. The mountains and hills had donned their autumn colors, and I crossed a large river and bypassed a stream without a bridge.

I snacked on peanuts and chocolate. At night, I always searched for a warm inn to rest in, but I left early in the morning and rode until late at night.

None of the knights, knowing my reason for rushing, stopped me.

I also learned that there were knights who took turns standing guard at night to protect me. During the day, those who had guarded the night were instructed to rest in the carriage.

At first, they had declined, but when I boldly told them I had grown into a knight as capable as any of them, they laughed and agreed.

The journey was far from boring, as the knights often chatted with me.

They told me all sorts of things, like how cute Michael had been in my absence, what games Asdel had discovered, and how the children couldn’t decide whether to get a cat or a dog as a pet.

I shared stories from the academy, like how I had made great progress in swordsmanship, learned the “acceptance spell,” and could now perform some magic, including a bit of illusion magic.

One particularly amusing story was about the new illusion spell I had learned that semester, which I had always wanted to learn. I told them how, for the final exam, I had thrown a dagger at the professor, and they all laughed.

“From just hearing about it, it sounds so fun…”

“Throwing a dagger while moving… You really learn the strangest things.”

It seemed that the knights of Count Ernhardt, who wielded longswords and shields, were not accustomed to such things.

They asked to see how I did it, so during a break for the horses, I showed them how to throw daggers. Everyone enjoyed trying it, some even showing unexpected skill, while others were less proficient than me.

After a long time of throwing daggers, I felt excited, but when I expressed reluctance to leave, one of the knights asked:

“Sir, can you throw a dagger while riding a horse?”

“…Hmm?”

Once I heard it, I became curious and said I would practice while on the way. The knights, however, insisted that I should stay at the front to avoid getting hit by flying daggers.

Thinking they were right, I rode at the front and threw daggers in different directions. About a third of them fell to the ground.

Despite thinking that I had improved a lot over the semester, it was still a rather silly sight.

Throughout the journey to the House of Valentia, I practiced throwing daggers from horseback. The knights, riding behind me, picked up the daggers that had fallen or got stuck in nearby trees and handed them back to me.

I noticed the knight who had originally asked if I could throw daggers from horseback was now getting teasing scolding from the other knights, saying that his curiosity had caused unnecessary trouble. I didn’t intervene.

* * *

During the journey, there were bets among the knights about who could ride faster, and when I felt tired, I let them take the reins of my horse while I ran alongside them at a similar pace.

Even though I was a sword expert, the young knights seemed to feel a little embarrassed riding while I ran on foot, so two of them joined me in running alongside the horses.

After running all day, the knights who had raced with me collapsed into the carriage, sore from exhaustion. I had to stifle my laughter at the sight.

It was laughable to compare me, who used Qi Gong, with knights running with only their physical strength and Aura.

I wouldn’t be able to pass on my Sky Archery skill to the knights, but when Boulder’s research was completed, I might be able to develop a martial art suitable for knights, combining lightness and speed, such as an internal method (a martial art to enhance mobility and agility).

Even if I didn’t cultivate energy centers within their bodies, there were endless ways they could use their internal power.

I had also discovered that the acupoint techniques I learned from Siren’s people could work effectively, so if I could teach them acupuncture methods and light-footed techniques, it would be a great benefit.

I decided that next semester, I should be kinder to Boulder.

In any case, thanks to my haste, I arrived at the House of Valentia’s mansion four days earlier than planned, right in the middle of the day.

From a distance, I could see the knights cheering as we approached the main gate. It looked quite amusing.

“I’ll go ahead and announce your arrival, sir.”

“Well, is that really necessary?”

“You must be eager to see your family, right?”

“…Hmm. Fine.”

With a hearty laugh, the knight took off at full speed, just like an arrow shot from a bow. Watching him, I couldn’t help but laugh as well. I stopped hurrying and calmly guided my horse.

I could see the large main gate opening from afar.

The sound of the hooves striking the ground matched the pleasant rhythm that resonated from my chest.

As we entered the main gate, the butler greeted me and led me to the garden with a fountain.

The garden at the House of Valentia was not much different from the House of Ernhardt. Even though it wasn’t the season for flowers to bloom, familiar pink flowers were neatly arranged in vases here and there.

“Mika!”

My family, all with bright smiles, were gathered around a round table. They stood up and welcomed me.

I lifted up Michael, who ran into my arms, and greeted the adults first.

In addition to the family from Ernhardt, my maternal grandfather, grandmother, uncle, and cousins were all present.

These were people I didn’t often see unless it was my birthday, but I felt closer to them, perhaps because of the blood connection, unlike with Logan Serbel.

The members of the House of Valentia, except for my mother, all had dark purple hair.

My grandmother had once had golden hair when she was younger, but now she had beautifully styled her hair, which had turned white over the years.

After setting Michael down for the greeting, he grabbed my thigh and clung to me.

I received warm embraces from my grandparents and shook hands with each of my cousins, who were also happy to see me. Even my mother’s greeting, where she bumped her cheek against mine before pulling away, made me feel happy.

“You must be exhausted from the long journey, dear.”

“It wasn’t hard at all since I was on my way to see my grandparents.”

“I didn’t expect you to get here so quickly from the capital. The exams must have ended early.”

When they marveled at how quickly I arrived, I didn’t feel the need to boast or make a big deal out of it. I just smiled and moved past it.

Later, when the knights reported, everyone would know why I had rushed, but I didn’t find it necessary to mention to my family that I had hurried because I missed them.

As I sat down and looked around, I saw my youngest cousin, Asdel, who had just started etiquette lessons, sitting with a pouty expression, waiting for my greeting. I gave that small body a tight hug. His hands, as delicate as autumn leaves, gently wrapped around my shoulder.

As I watched my family fussing, urging me to sit and have a warm cup of tea while they asked about what had happened, a feeling of contentment naturally filled my heart.