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

As Maelo Sanson’s story dragged on, the students plopped down onto the floor here and there, listening intently. The students, sitting in a circle around the large Maelo, looked innocent.

It was hard to believe that they were the same people who had just been charging at us like they were about to die.

“So, I volunteered with some friends for the Special Imperial Knights. There were plenty of subsidies and equipment, and I heard it was safer to travel with seasoned knights who had experience in the Unique Mountain Range rather than going on a solo subjugation. I suffered the most joyfully in my life. I almost died a few times…”

“…”

“Before entering the Unique Mountain Range, there’s a procedure to sign a death waiver and a will. It’s not that they can’t be persuaded to stay behind, but it’s good to think about what to write in your will in advance.”

“Is it possible to give up halfway?”

“Of course not. It’s better to stay with the other knights and watch each other’s backs while on watch rather than return alone. Once you enter the mountain range, you can’t leave until you finish the scheduled mission, and you end up seeing a lot of things you’d rather not.”

Maelo Sanson suddenly rolled up his left sleeve.

Sanson, who wore long sleeves even in the summer to prevent sunburn, was showing his bare arm for the first time. His lower arm was strangely twisted.

“This is a badge I earned in my third year in the Unique Mountain Range.”

“What kind of monster did you get that injury from?”

“From me.”

“Pardon?”

Maelo Sanson chuckled.

The way he laughed vaguely resembled Cedric, the professor of Alchemy and Camping, so it was easy to guess why the two were close.

Maelo Sanson lowered his voice to gather the students’ attention.

“In the Unique Mountain Range, the subjugation teams usually consist of eight members, and two or three teams move together. However, when it comes to reconnaissance, it’s usually two or three people. As soon as monsters are spotted, you must return to the base immediately to report.”

“…”

“However, after about three years, people become arrogant.”

I could already guess what the rest of the story was going to be. I swallowed nervously.

There are always those who overestimate their abilities and end up in trouble.

Which hunter would fear being eaten by a rabbit? The young Maelo Sanson, having hunted monsters safely for days, was filled with arrogance.

Though trolls have regenerative abilities, they usually don’t move in packs. At the time, Maelo Sanson, who had already reached the level of Sword Master, believed he could handle a troll by himself if he took the time.

“It was then that I learned some trolls live in groups. They suddenly poured out from caves and behind trees, and I knew things were bad, so I ran in the opposite direction with a friend. He made it back to the base, but I ended up running the other way and found myself facing a cliff.”

“…”

“What else could I do? I jumped off the cliff and stuck my fingers into the rock.”

He said that despite breaking his arm in the process, he managed to crawl down the cliff with his broken arm, determined to survive.

It was sheer luck that he found a cave halfway down the cliff. At the time, medical artifacts were not as advanced as they are now, so it took a long time for his wounds to heal. Meanwhile, the knights who had been fighting off the troll group had assumed Maelo Sanson was dead and even held a brief funeral.

Looking around at the students, who were all listening with tense faces, Sanson smiled and continued.

“I’m saying this because I know you’ll still crawl into the Unique Mountain Range even if I tell you not to. If you ever have to jump from a cliff, make sure you use your non-dominant hand to grab onto something. If my right arm had been broken, I wouldn’t be here now.”

“Yes.”

“Also, it’s a good idea to learn about the monsters in the Unique Mountain Range and their tribe-specific traits in advance. You should be able to find classes like Intro to Monsters or Monster Directory at the academy, so look them up.”

“Yes!”

He was indeed a true master. I firmly decided to take one of those classes in the next semester.

***

After finishing lunch, I headed to Professor Douglas Mustang’s office.

Today was the day I had promised to give him some Jin Ki Do lessons.

Just a week ago, Professor Mustang had begged me to let him kneel instead of sitting cross-legged, saying it was uncomfortable. Seeing him now sitting on the floor in a fairly proficient posture was quite cute and heartwarming.

I held back my laughter, not wanting to tease the grown man, and quietly sat behind him.

Mage Boulder, ready with his notes, gleamed with excitement.

A quick glance showed that he had been studying and elaborating on the notes we had taken together during the Jin Ki Do lesson, turning them into a report. Since thinking wasn’t my job, I didn’t add any comments and just focused on my own tasks.

Douglas Mustang’s internal blood flow was much better regulated than Mage Boulder’s, so it was much easier for me to circulate his inner energy. His energy channels were firm, and his muscles were strong, so I also helped guide his energy through his side channels, not just the main ones. As a result, by the end of the session, he smelled even worse than Boulder.

“…So, this is…”

“It’s the removal of stagnant energy from within your body.”

“But Ernhardt, you’ve never had this happen before, right?”

“Well, I practice energy circulation every morning.”

To see higher levels of energy, one’s body must be strong and clean. After being reborn, I made sure to meditate on my inner self at least once a day.

In my previous life, I couldn’t do this because I lacked stamina and perseverance as a child.

The friends from the central plains always repeated that if they were ten years younger, they would definitely do this too, like a mantra, and now I was putting it into practice. So, it was only natural that I hadn’t shown this side of me to Douglas until now.

Douglas was still in a daze as he went to the shower to wash off the impurities.

Having tested the method on these two, I felt a sense of satisfaction, knowing that while I might not be able to teach the full energy circulation technique, I could at least offer Jin Ki Do to those I cared about in Sierron.

Mage Boulder wasn’t uncomfortable with starting casual conversations either.

When it came to the flow of energy and movements, only Douglas Mustang could discuss it thoroughly, so most of Boulder’s chatter was relatively trivial.

Boulder talked about the artifacts he developed, his favorite magic, foods he liked or disliked…

I quietly listened, but when Boulder mentioned he had been to the Unique Mountain Range, I became interested. Boulder laughed loudly at my reaction.

“Looks like Ernhardt is a swordsman after all. That was the best expression you’ve made so far. So, what are you curious about? I’ll tell you everything I know.”

“Hmm… I’ve heard that the area around the mountain range is quite dangerous.”

“The area between the Sierron Empire and the Unique Mountain Range is heavily guarded by the Withrow and Grimmsbane noble families. As long as you stay within the empire’s borders, it’s generally safe. Plus, I’m not a battle mage, I’m a research mage, so when fights broke out, I usually hid among the mercenaries,” he explained.

“How many mercenaries did you hire?”

“Usually about ten. I’m all about safety, so I’ve hired up to fifteen before. Mercenaries who venture into the Unique Mountain Range have high fees, so it’s hard to hire more than that. I’m not sure about current prices though.”

Boulder went on to explain the costs and methods of hiring mercenaries, but since I had never needed bodyguards in my past life, I didn’t know how expensive or cheap people were in this land.

When I showed some hesitation over the prices, Boulder quickly changed the subject. He began describing the dangerous areas he had been to.

Like most talkative people, Boulder was very good at mimicking voices and adjusting pitch to make his storytelling more vivid.

Boulder mentioned traveling with a mercenary group called the White Lion Mercenaries.

I felt like I had heard of them before, but couldn’t remember where. Boulder talked for a long time about how manly the mercenaries he met were.

“One of them didn’t shave his beard even once during a three-month journey. Every time he ate, you couldn’t tell if he was eating bread or picking at his beard. If you’re going to grow a beard, you need to trim it properly and keep it neat.”

“Did he shave after three months?”

“Yes, when he got to the village. The reason is funny too.”

“Why?”

“He said it’s better to grow your hair out in the mountain range so that the monsters won’t see you as clearly. But how can a guy that tall with such broad shoulders be missed by a monster? It’s hilarious.”

His exaggerated voice and gestures were quite funny.

As a mage, Mage Boulder was no doubt skilled, but if he became a storyteller, he’d be a millionaire.

Boulder rambled on about the messy behavior of the White Lion Mercenaries for a while, and just as he was about to start telling a story about his trip to the Shaton Desert, Douglas returned.

He had taken longer than expected because it took several washes to get the smell off his body.

I told him it was fine and showed him where I had traced lines on the human body, explaining the energy channels I used for circulation and how I had used blood points when doing Jin Ki Do on Boulder and Douglas.

Even without me going into too much detail, the two smart men quickly made progress in figuring things out.

They understood the principles of energy circulation, but they were fascinated by how I could intuitively move energy while avoiding deadly pressure points.

Half of it was due to instinct, but the other half was because I had learned a pressure-point technique during my previous life.

When Mage Boulder boldly asked me to experiment on his body, I pointed out a pressure point that silences speech. Boulder nearly passed out in excitement.

Douglas Mustang, who had been watching carefully as I worked on Boulder’s energy points, impressed me by quickly copying my technique.

For the rest of the time, I was busy filling in the names and functions of the energy channels I knew on the human anatomy diagram.

From Douglas Mustang, who sat close to me, I could smell a pleasant soap fragrance.