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

Princess Lucilla was about three times more talkative than Shaiden or Marianne.

Because of that, although the number of people increased by just one, it became quite late. By the time they left the magic practice grounds, it was darker than the previous Friday.

Without even washing up, they went straight to the dormitory cafeteria to have dinner.

The time when they could quietly practice just by throwing magic spells felt more peaceful and enjoyable.

However, it was uncomfortable to reject Lucilla, who wanted to join in, as it would be hard to push away a child who wanted to join. So, they agreed to have her join in next time and saw her off after saying goodbye.

On the way back to the dormitory, walking shoulder to shoulder with Benjamin, they yawned quietly due to tiredness. As before, a hand patted their shoulder.

Surprised, they looked up to see Benjamin’s face.

As usual, he had a quiet expression.

“Why?”

“Nothing, just… you looked tired today.”

“It’s nothing special. It’s just that I’m struggling because there’s no way to go forward even if I want to.”

“That’s how martial arts are. Whether it’s a longsword or a dagger, there’s always one thing that doesn’t listen to you.”

“What was difficult about the Cloudian style?”

“Well, for me… riding a horse was the hardest.”

“Horses?”

“Yes. Animals don’t follow me well. Maybe it’s because I’m heavy.”

Hearing that, they looked at Benjamin Cloudian again.

He was a tall and manly boy, more like a young man than someone their age, and although he looked older than their peers, he didn’t seem particularly intimidating.

Perhaps because of his unrestrained energy, they had become absorbed in thought together.

It occurred to them that every animal they met on this land, whether it was a rabbit, cat, dog, or horse, always listened well to them.

Any animal, big or small, would roll on its back or follow them around, rubbing its face against theirs.

Though they didn’t know much about dealing with wild beasts, they were confident in handling domesticated animals, both in their past and present life, so they decided to speak up.

“By the way, does the academy offer horseback riding classes?”

“Yes.”

“Then, it might be nice to take that class with Cloudian next semester. I’m good with animals, so I can help you.”

“Ernhardt, you?”

“Yes, I’ve received a lot of help, so it’s my turn.”

Instead of replying immediately, Benjamin Cloudian gave a small smile.

Later, when they parted ways at the dormitory hallway intersection, he simply thanked them with a short “thank you.”

Once inside their room, they took out the somewhat worn academy notebook and flipped through it.

There was so much they wanted to learn. There were many classes they couldn’t miss next semester.

They spent quite a bit of time counting the subjects and making separate notes.

* * *

On the weekend, since Shaiden was going out with his close friends, they decided to join them.

They had secretly felt that it wasn’t fair that Shaiden always hung around with them, so they thought it might be nice to spend time with his friends as well.

Every time Shaiden followed them around, trying to help, they would tell him it wasn’t necessary, but he always insisted that it was fine and tried to take care of them.

So, they thought it wouldn’t hurt to try hanging out with his friends, just like Shaiden did.

However, when they finally met the friends they were supposed to go out with, they felt embarrassed for having overthought things.

In front of the academy’s main gate, a familiar face was waving at them.

The boy with neatly combed dark gray hair and warm brown eyes was Damien Christopher, the boy who was the leader of the camping class and always helped them.

Upon reflection, they remembered that when they first joined the camping class, Shaiden and Damien had greeted each other warmly. They had forgotten that the two were quite familiar with each other.

They had assumed Shaiden was just being considerate, hanging out with people who weren’t his close friends, but they realized they had been too self-centered.

It felt a bit embarrassing that, despite being older, they hadn’t realized that they didn’t have any close friends who cared for them in such a way.

While they regretted their thoughts, Damien and Shaiden were chatting amiably.

“Why are you out so early, Damien?”

“I just arrived. Danbi and Arno went ahead to wait.”

“What about Gregory?”

“He went back to grab something, but… oh, there he is.”

“Hello!”

A small boy was running toward them, gripping the straps of his bag with both hands.

When he met their eyes, he gave a slight bow. It didn’t seem like he was greeting Damien or Shaiden, so they nodded in return.

They felt like they had seen his face before, but weren’t sure.

As they stared at his face, the boy suddenly spoke.

“I’m Gregory, a first-year from the Magic Department, Ernhardt Young Master! We met in class.”

“Oh.”

“Marianne introduced me, and I recently became friends with her. He’s a nice guy.”

“Ah, haha, sorry.”

Gregory, speaking very clearly, extended his hand, and they shook it.

They didn’t quite remember his face, but the name sounded unfamiliar. It was the first time hearing that Shaiden had become friends with Marianne and introduced her friends to him.

Unlike their own group, Shaiden’s circle of friends seemed to speak casually with nicknames, and they felt like an outsider in this group, which made them awkward.

It reminded them of the time they had been introduced to a table full of people after the Long Ceremony, where they felt like a stranger among people who already knew each other well.

Explaining who they were and what they liked to do among people who already knew each other was always a difficult task for them, both now and in the past.

As usual, Shaiden’s kind explanation followed.

“One of the friends we’re meeting later is Danbi from the Management Department, and the other is Danbi’s girlfriend. I’ll introduce you to them when we get there.”

“Danbi… has a girlfriend?”

“What, it’s about time we start thinking about marriage. You’re still only thirteen, but we’ve all made our debut in society this past January,” said Damien with a smile.

“I don’t need to think about it immediately, Young Master. On average, people marry at around twenty, but the legal age for engagement is fifteen. That’s all,” replied Arno, his tone thoughtful.

In my memory, Damien, the member of the Business Department, and Danbi were like little rice cakes, soft and sweet in appearance. It was quite surprising that such a small, young boy would already be thinking about marriage.

True, by age alone, he was old enough to marry, even in the Central Lands, but his youthful appearance made him seem too young for it.

As we exited the Academy gates with the others, I saw the carriage waiting for us.

I climbed aboard when invited, but it wasn’t until I sat down that I realized what I had been thinking. I hadn’t minded the younger ones sticking together so fondly, but I wasn’t the one who should give them advice. I had no place to comment on matters of marriage when my own involvement was limited to giving a silly nickname to one of them.

The younger ones discussed the leads of the play they were about to watch, chatting excitedly about how the characters were portrayed. Since I wasn’t interested in the arts, I let their words drift in one ear and out the other.

When we arrived and I saw the others we were meeting, I froze in surprise and couldn’t find the words.

A familiar boy and a strange girl sat side by side on the long bench in front of the fountain, their hands tightly clasped, with soft kisses pressed to the back of each other’s hands.

I stared, feeling both astonished and awkward. Without thinking, I stammered, “Uh… are those… the kids?”

“Oh, you found them. Danbi! Arno!” Damien called out.

“Huh? You’re early,” Arno said, looking up from his seat.

“There’s not much traffic today, so we made it early. Everyone else will be here soon,” Danbi replied.

“When Patrick hears about this, he’ll cry,” Arno added. “Let’s go inside. Should we grab a snack before we go?”

However, it seemed I was the only one surprised. The younger ones greeted each other casually and happily.

As I stood there for a moment, feeling awkward, Damien, the law student, came over and introduced me to the girl.

The girl, who had a delicate and graceful appearance, was about half an inch taller than Danbi, and her light-colored eyes sparkled as she smiled.

“Hello, Lord Ernhardt. I’ve heard so much about you. I’m Arno Clément, a first-year student in the administration department, and I’m in a lovely relationship with Danbi.”

“Ah, yes. Nice to meet you…” I replied, still a bit stunned.

“I’ve been really curious about who came up with Danbi’s nickname. I’m so glad to meet you today.”

I couldn’t help but sigh inwardly, realizing that everyone knew I had come up with that silly nickname. I was both surprised and embarrassed.

Danbi, still smiling brightly with his ever-round face, looked up at Arno with a proud smile, clearly very fond of his partner.

Though I still found it odd to see them holding hands so openly, I couldn’t help but wonder if perhaps I was the one misunderstanding things. They seemed so confident in their affection that I didn’t know if I should say anything.

I simply nodded quietly, acknowledging the greeting.

While the younger ones debated over what snacks to buy, I tried to focus on following along behind them, though my thoughts kept drifting back to Danbi and Arno holding hands. I couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable.

But still, how could it be so normal for an unmarried couple to be walking around holding hands in public?

I realized that I had lived too long in the Ernhardt household, isolated from these more liberal customs.

I had heard some rumors from Marianne about things like “using beauty to win over others,” and now I was starting to wonder if those were said seriously, which only added to my confusion.

In the Central Lands, things like this were unthinkable.

The daughters of noble families, and even women who walked the martial path, had to wear veils that covered their arms if their family was even slightly strict, just to go outside.

If rumors spread about a woman’s beauty, it would be a cause for concern, and both men and women were judged harshly for living without proper restraint.

Those who followed the righteous path, knowing that daily practice and body training were important, never wasted time on romantic affairs.

Though a nobleman might take concubines, it was only for practical reasons, to have more heirs, and even then, they would maintain appearances to avoid criticism.

I had always believed that this was the right way to live.

Lost in these thoughts, I followed them, carried the items they handed me, and sat wherever they told me to.

When we reached the theater, I was still in a daze, and I wasn’t able to fully process what was happening until the play started. The thick curtain was drawn up onto the stage, and the two characters locked in a tight embrace, kissing each other passionately.