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

On Sunday, as planned, I went to the library with Shaiden. When he tried to say more about yesterday’s events, I told him we had a lot to study today and suggested we talk about it another time.

The more I thought about it, the more my face flushed with embarrassment.

I couldn’t just decide to follow Sierun’s customs from now on overnight, and I didn’t have the courage to do so.

It was something I couldn’t accept, so I decided to forget about it. It wasn’t a big enough issue to postpone my immediate tasks.

As usual, I studied for the Imperial genealogy quiz. While I quietly worked with my pencil, Shaiden also started studying, memorizing the required material.

In the middle of this, I briefly ran into Prince Ruber and greeted him, but I was too disturbed to have a long conversation with him.

Not feeling like talking much, I nodded in response to his casual remarks and said we’d catch up another time before sending him off.

Monday arrived.

For the next two days, I tried not to think about it whenever my mind wandered back to the topic.

Thanks to staying physically active, I wasn’t buried in strange thoughts anymore.

During the intermediate swordsmanship class, it seemed like we were training at a higher intensity than usual. Maelo Sanson advised me to be careful not to strain my joints.

I agreed with his advice and relaxed my limbs, focusing on regaining my composure.

Afterward, I finished my meal and was heading to the magic class. By the time I was walking toward the west side of the Sierun Academy, I had somewhat organized my thoughts.

Yes, no matter how I felt, it was someone else’s issue. It would be better to not get too involved and just let it go.

The martial world was vast, and there were always many things to do. Some of them were too far removed to judge what was right or wrong, and I had left many such matters untouched.

This time, too, I chose to let it go, thinking it wasn’t related to me.

“Hello, Mikael! I heard you went to see the play on Friday?”

“Well, actually…”

“Huh?”

“…Never mind. Did you also see Marianne? The Countess Daisy.”

“Did you see *The Countess Daisy*? Of course, I saw it! Did you hear about how Miss Bennett, who made her debut in this performance, used to work at a café on 21st Street in the capital before? How did she hide such beauty for so long? I should have gone to that café before she became famous! It’s such a waste!”

…Yeah, it wasn’t related to me.

The magic formula I learned today was a 1st Circle ice spell.

I had seen Marianne use it before when she wanted to solidify melted chocolate, so it wasn’t unfamiliar.

It used a small amount of mana, and with only six connection points between cooling and overcooling, the structure was simple. The magic formula itself looked like a flower, making it visually pleasing.

By now, I had a feeling that I wouldn’t be learning offensive magic formulas from Angela Sting until this class ended, but I wasn’t disappointed since I had already had enough experience through Edwin.

As other students demonstrated magic formulas to Professor Angela, I practiced drawing mana to my middle dantian on my own. Was this really practice? To me, it felt somewhat pointless.

The internal martial art I had trained in for my whole life, *Changong Daeyon Sin Gong* (a technique for controlling internal energy), was focused on purifying the energy outside of the body, storing it in the lower dantian, and releasing it when needed to enhance physical strength or attacks.

However, the mana manipulation I was learning now was quite different, where I was pulling mana from outside the body, circulating it through my middle dantian, near my heart, and then expelling it.

I still didn’t understand why I was doing this, especially since it didn’t involve accumulating energy in the body.

It was like adding cups of water to a river that was already flowing, just watching it passively.

But as I repeated the process over time, I became more comfortable with it, and now I could pull mana, circulate it, and expel it without much effort.

The ice spell seemed simpler than the purification technique I had learned, and I briefly considered whether I should challenge myself by refining my internal energy to try it out.

Just then, Professor Angela Sting stood in front of me. When I looked up at her in surprise, her gentle voice reached me.

“Today, I think it would be good for you to try the ice spell as well, Ernhardt. With the amount of mana you can handle now, you should be able to activate the ice spell… You’ve been blessed with mana, so it’s a good idea to memorize at least one basic spell.”

“…! Yes! Thank you.”

As I looked at the handout she gave me, I followed her guidance and slowly drew the mana in.

Perhaps because of the practice, it didn’t feel awkward to start the flow of energy not from the lower dantian. I was secretly impressed.

Professor Angela seemed to notice my improvement before I did, and I couldn’t help but admire her skills.

She instructed me to pull the mana from a distant place, using my energy to gather a thin layer of mana from afar instead of using the internal energy nearby.

As I drew the magic formula, she instructed me to keep my left hand still while drawing the formula with my right hand, step by step—gathering, radiating, sinking, cooling, and reducing.

Whenever I hesitated and failed to draw the formula properly, Professor Angela gently reinforced it with her own mana.

Finally, I completed the process with the Alpha formula.

Soon, I felt a chill beginning to emanate just above my palm. Though the temperature wasn’t extremely low, I could feel the cold air on my wrist, arm, and chest.

“Good… Now, slowly, let’s release the mana again. Ernhardt, spread your hand a bit wider so the little fairies on your hand can stand up. You’re doing well, just breathe out… Now, let’s pull the mana back and release it, making the circle rotate, and then send it out…”

I followed the instructions. It was fascinating and enjoyable to watch the cold energy that had gathered in my palm slowly dissolve and melt away.

After successfully completing the spell and releasing the magic, I looked up at Professor Angela with a joyful expression.

Her soft, pale blue eyes glimmered gently, much like the light of the midnight moon.

“Very well done… I thought you would succeed, considering how familiar you seem with mana… The structure is a bit rough, but seeing you manage it so well makes me really happy… I hope this spell helps you during your swordsmanship training as well… You should practice it a few more times in class, and then after that, try practicing to cast the spell quickly on your own… Do you think you can do that?”

“Yes, Professor. Thank you so much.”

“This is just my job.”

She said this, but I could tell from her face that she was quite proud.

Still amazed by how cold my fingertips were, I touched my thumb and index finger together, then ran my hand over my palm.

While Professor Angela was helping other students with their magic, I was once again tasked with drawing mana into my dantian, but this time, it wasn’t boring at all.

Calmly, I concentrated on memorizing the ice magic formula.

* * *

During advanced swordsmanship class, we stood in the sparring grounds, preparing for a duel.

My opponent for today was Prince Ruber.

To ensure that all twenty top-tier martial artists spar with each other at least once, the number of possible combinations exceeds three digits.

Since we were sparring in order, and I had only seen his skills through observation without ever experiencing them myself, I was excited before we even started.

I focused on the boy standing across from me, his broad shoulders and firm grip on his sword.

In this land of Sierran, it was rare for a family to own a single sword style. Therefore, each martial artist’s sword style was unique and often reflected their personal temperament.

Among them, Ruber primarily used a straight sword style, as if he had completely absorbed the imperial sword manual from start to finish. His sword strikes were simple but powerful, making him a formidable opponent.

He gripped his sword with both hands, while I held mine with one.

Our gazes met.

Professor Maelo Sanson didn’t announce the start of the duel with any words. Those who were top-tier martial artists could easily read the slightest movements of their opponents.

While the sword styles from Zhongyuan and Sierran differed, both traditions valued the virtue of allowing the superior fighter to strike first.

However, neither of us was willing to yield. We both knew well that neither of us could easily outdo the other.

Ruber and I stood about eight paces apart, carefully choosing our moment.

Clang!

Our swords collided with a sharp sound. I could see the intense focus in his eyes, and I knew that we had the same thought at the same time. We both jumped forward. The clash of our swords sounded fierce.

Since I knew I would lose if we fought purely with strength, I deflected his strike to the left and spun around, retreating. Even though we had only clashed once, my hand was already numb.

The way I understood the world was only complete when it was through the sword.

The serious expression on his face told me that he wasn’t someone to take lightly. I knew he wouldn’t waste his energy. As he swung his sword from the lower-left to the upper-right, aiming for my chest, I planted my legs firmly on the ground.

Bending my waist backward, I created a small gap of about an inch between his sword and my body. I pushed off my left foot to rise and aimed a kick at his knee. Though I knew my short arms would miss, I only needed to correct my stance.

I kept my sword behind me and launched my body forward.

Back in Zhongyuan, my body rarely moved before my sword. I only used my body to rush forward when I used the “Qinggong” technique to cover long distances, or when I used my body like a cannonball to close the distance quickly.

The main martial arts of the Nangong family were sword techniques, so no matter how excellent the techniques of fists and legs (boxing techniques) were, they couldn’t compare to weapons infused with inner energy.

However, in Sierran combat, using the whole body was fundamental.

That’s why heroes in picture books often carried shields. To defeat gigantic beasts, a sword alone was never enough.

Unlike humans, who die from a single strike to the neck or chest, monsters would keep coming, no matter how many times they were stabbed or slashed.

If I had to survive and defeat my opponent, even if it meant rolling on the ground or kicking up dust, I would endure and strike again. That was the martial artist of Sierran.

So, that’s exactly what I did.

I used my left hand like a hook, trying to grab Ruber’s collar. However, he swiftly evaded it, and my hand only brushed against his pale cheek. I had lost my grip. Once I gained the upper hand, I wasn’t going to let it go. I burrowed into his space and thrust my sword.

The sword made a loud noise before it stopped. Ruber wielded his sword with both hands, and I couldn’t overcome his power with just one hand. His legs remained firmly planted.

Still, I didn’t think the battle would end quickly. I kept looking for opportunities to get closer.

Having crossed many years and experiences, I had honed my swordplay as a game of strategy. I read the direction of his sword as it came from the lower-left to the upper-right. It was better to advance than to retreat.

The more I pressed him, the shorter his strikes became. Ruber suddenly loosened his grip on his sword. As he made a downward strike, his attack confused me for a moment, and in that hesitation, his sword came flying toward my midsection.

The distance was too short for him to swing the sword properly, so he tried to attack me with the rounded end of the sword instead of the blade. I barely read the intention and managed to dodge in time.

This was a fighting style I had never encountered in the Yongbong Guild, and it made my neck tense with the pressure.

A smile tugged at the corner of my lips.