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

Guests who had arrived to welcome the new year greeted each other and departed in droves. Afterward, it was the servants’ job to clean up.

The family members gathered to finish the unfinished portrait.

Though everyone was tired, it was a pleasure to see their faces sparkling with joy.

I called the painter and showed him the locket hanging around my neck.

It was the locket that Ruber had gifted me previously. If I were to place a portrait inside, it seemed most appropriate to use a family portrait, so I planned to get one in the right size while the opportunity arose.

The painter nodded readily, saying it was not a difficult task.

“When the large portrait is finished, I will paint a smaller one to match it.”

“Just one?”

“On the other side, I’ll put the portrait of the sage.”

I was about to ask for portraits of Michael and Asdel, but I was taken aback and ran my hand over my own face.

Was it a custom in Sieron for people to carry portraits of themselves on necklaces? I had never heard of such a thing.

“…My portrait, you say?”

“Well, the sage has no lover yet, does he? You can keep it safe until you find one, and then swap it out.”

“…Oh.”

It was an unexpected reason.

I almost said it wasn’t necessary, but I couldn’t help feeling envious of all the talk of love around me, so I quietly nodded.

It was an unlikely thought, but who could say? Perhaps I, too, might one day meet someone special.

Something stirred in my chest. Though I told myself it was foolish, I couldn’t help but caress the locket around my neck.

I couldn’t enter the Four Towers that I had been eagerly awaiting.

The wizards here were always busy and frazzled, and it was said that they rarely entertained outsiders.

Even though I brought along Eisen and Handel from the Valentia family, the situation didn’t change.

I could only visit the first floor, where artifacts were displayed for sale, but there wasn’t a single guide to be found. Every time I tried to go upstairs, I found myself inexplicably back at the entrance on the first floor, so I had no choice but to give up.

“Well, it’s nothing new. Wizards are always half-mad anyway.”

“Yeah. We don’t meet anyone unless we’re getting paid either. Maybe they’re just busy since there’s some time left before the next request. Next time, I’ll make sure we can meet them.”

“…Alright.”

The siblings, who were closest to the wizards of the Four Towers, tried to comfort me, but it felt odd to remain standing there, so I gave up.

I picked out some gifts for my academy friends and decided to buy a few things before heading back to the academy.

It was almost time to return.

—

In the last week of January, I finally set foot in the capital.

Though I had only been gone for two months during the break, it felt like I had been away for a very long time.

Much like my time at Count Ernheart’s estate, where I had stayed for the past ten years, the academy felt like my third home.

As soon as I arrived at the academy, the first place I visited was Professor Douglas Mustaine’s office.

I had felt guilty for not helping to clean up the golem before leaving at the end of the last semester, so I wanted to apologize for that.

I knocked twice on the door of the familiar professor’s office and opened it, but I was shocked when I saw inside.

“Why are you so surprised?”

“Why is that monstrosity still here?”

“Ah, the golem… I’ve gotten so used to it that I didn’t think about it. Come on in.”

How could anyone get used to that monstrosity?

I felt even more guilty toward Douglas as I looked at it, my brow instinctively furrowing at the sight of it.

Seeing my reaction, Douglas chuckled softly and explained in a gentle tone.

“I usually come to my office during the break, and Mage Boulder doesn’t leave the capital either. Before winter break started, I failed to create a proper energy core, so we decided to keep it running with energy and meditation until Count Ernheart returns.”

“So you kept it here?”

“They said it’s hard to restart it once it stops… but look, we’ve managed to create something like an energy core. The location’s a bit different, though.”

“Ah…”

I began to understand why Douglas Mustaine got along so well with the wizards.

Douglas pulled up a chair and gestured for me to sit closer to the golem. I obediently sat down and examined it with him. Indeed, the energy circulating inside the golem’s body was now five times greater than it had been initially, likely due to the continuous energy cultivation.

I carefully followed the flow with my eyes.

Not only the qi I had taught the golem initially, but also the energy that overflowed in the body’s meridians swirled and played in its own way.

Thanks to this, the hardened energy of the golem was now clearly visible, even to the eye.

“You said it’s the blood, right? The path the mana takes has become much stronger overall. This is definitely a feature you’d see in a knight’s body, not a wizard’s. While both involve using mana for physical enhancement, it’s unique and fascinating that energy can move through the body’s veins instead of through bones and muscles.”

“Indeed. But the position of the energy core…”

“Yes, it seems to be modeled after a wizard’s body that has formed a mana circle. You called it the middle dantian, right?”

“Yes. …However, it feels strange that the middle dantian is opening before the lower dantian.”

“I’ve never seen mana accumulate in a circle and form a crystal-like structure. If this were a real person and not a golem, it would definitely strain the heart, and we’d have to stop the experiment.”

“…Hmm.”

“I’ve told you before about the knights who tried to force mana into their bodies, right? In terms of the outcome, this isn’t very different. I think it’s the belief or will that Count Ernheart spoke about that’s playing a role here.”

“I think so too.”

“So the next step is for me and Mage Boulder to…”

“You mentioned you’d go through the golem experiment again, didn’t you?”

I didn’t want to see this kind-hearted man fall into obsession.

Having opened my middle dantian only after extreme control in my past life, I knew that opening it and letting mana flow were very different things. I had no idea what problems might arise.

Douglas, reading my uneasy expression, awkwardly smiled and shrugged.

“It feels strange to receive someone’s worry about mana management. I’m not used to it.”

I was left speechless.

I remembered the name of the course that Douglas Mustaine taught: Mana and Aura, Aura and Mana.

At least in the Sieron Empire, it was said that there were only a handful of people who were as proficient in both as Douglas.

While I might have some knowledge of energy cultivation, worrying about mana and aura seemed like something I wasn’t qualified to do, which made me feel embarrassed.

Douglas, seeing my expression, gently reached out and patted the back of my hand.

“I know what you’re worried about, Count Ernheart. But having seen that thing every day, I’ve started to get a feel for how to properly circulate the energy.”

“…I see.”

After a brief moment of contemplation, I suggested that maybe Mage Boulder should conduct the next experiment first, which made him laugh.

I wondered if I was being too selfish, but he joked that if I said that in front of Boulder, I’d see him cry, so I laughed along with him.

I apologized once more for not helping with the golem during the winter break and left the professor’s office.

After leaving Douglas’s office, I immediately set off to find Prince Ruber.

He was from a family based in the capital. Since he likely hadn’t traveled far, I figured he would be somewhere on the academy grounds around this time.

On my way to find him, I walked past budding flowers that had managed to endure the winter cold, and circled around a pond covered in thin ice.

By evening, I went to the dining hall and had a meal.

When I ran into some of my classmates, I greeted them cheerfully and asked about Ruber’s whereabouts, but none of them knew.

I went to the library and visited the café as well.

I reached the vicinity of his dormitory but was told I couldn’t enter the upperclassmen’s dormitory casually, so I turned back.

I had no way of contacting him, but since he was somewhere within the academy, I wasn’t in a hurry.

By chance, I ran into Lucilla at the sports field.

Seeing her so delighted to see me made me happy as well, and I couldn’t help but smile. We exchanged some casual greetings.

As expected, Lucilla told me that she and Ruber had been busy with the New Year’s celebrations in the capital and had spent the winter break in a rush.

“Do you know where Ruber is?”

“Uh… After lunch, he said he was going for a walk. He’s probably somewhere on the walking path.”

“Hm… I see.”

I immediately sent a letter to Ruber as soon as I arrived at the Valentia family estate, but I didn’t receive a reply.

I thought it was because the messenger would take a while due to the distance, but then I wondered if Ruber had simply been too busy to reply.

If he had so much going on, I didn’t want to bother him with my solitary thoughts.

I was about to return to my dormitory when Lucilla suddenly grabbed my sleeve.

“Aren’t you going in now?”

“I didn’t want to disturb him while he’s walking alone.”

“No, no! I think it’s better to go visit him today. You arrived today, right?”

“Yes.”

“Please try looking for him just a little longer. Okay?”

Though Lucilla was a playful girl, I could tell she had a reason for asking so urgently. I found it a bit strange, but I didn’t refuse and agreed to help.

The days were shorter, and night was quickly descending.

I retraced my steps along familiar paths. As I walked along the well-maintained path, my breath clouded in the cold air.

I wasn’t bothered by the cold, but I wondered if Ruber had dressed warmly enough. I regretted not bringing a coat for him.

Until that moment, I truly thought it wasn’t anything serious.

But I had no idea that Ruber would make that kind of expression.