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

A sparrow never passes by a mill, and a martial artist never passes by a blacksmith.

Having seen countless blacksmiths in the Central Lands, I had an image in my mind of what Siren’s forge would be like.

However, the weapons shop in the capital did not match any of the images I had imagined.

As soon as I saw the enormous building, I was overwhelmed.

The dazzlingly white walls filled my vision.

From one end to the other, several white buildings formed a gentle curve, resembling the shape of a bird with its wings spread wide.

At a quick glance, I could see more than ten entrances.

The building was so tall that I initially thought it was a multi-story structure, but as I walked and entered through one end, I discovered it was a single-story building. Sunlight poured into the shop through long windows positioned high up, nearly at the ceiling.

Hundreds of sword blades, displayed in clusters, shimmered as they caught the light.

“This place always makes my heart race.”

“Shall we order the swords first and then look around?”

But what surprised me even more was the sight of two boys walking through this massive space as if it were completely familiar to them.

I followed behind them, dazed, taking in my surroundings. On the left wall, dozens of long swords were neatly arranged by the colors of their hilt and blade.

The swords were well-oiled, their blades gleaming in a way that made them seem sharp enough to cut even with a light touch.

The swords on the right wall were displayed in size order, ranging from small daggers the size of my palm to swords taller than me, arranged as wall decorations.

What astonished me even more than the precise size classifications was that each sword had a name.

There were swords in glass cases, and more displayed on intricately made shelves of dark wood. I asked, “Why are there only swords here?” and my companions answered as if it were the most natural thing.

“This is the First Building. Buildings 1 through 3 are all for swords. I guess it makes sense, since swords are the most popular in the capital. There are longswords, shortswords, daggers. And shields, bows, maces, light armor, heavy armor, robes, and artifacts each have their own building. In total, there are ten buildings.”

“If you tip the staff, they’ll even deliver to your dormitory door. If you find something useful, it might be a good idea to buy a few, even for Ernhardt’s household,” Benjamin added when he noticed my expression.

“But don’t buy too many at once, or it will be hard to manage the swords. It’s better to order them as needed. They’re not cheap, so think carefully before deciding.”

“Hmm.”

Suddenly, my affection for my maternal uncle, Oscar Valentia, surged. I nodded, thinking that I would send another letter on my way out.

Back in the Central Lands, throwing hidden blades was mostly a skill of assassins and was considered dishonorable.

Throwing a blade filled with energy, without crossing swords, from an unseen angle was a powerful tactic. But for a skilled opponent with sharp energy senses, it was often easily blocked.

Unless it was a technique like the “needle of the Thousand Rivers” or the “Rain of Ten Thousand Blades,” which involved hundreds or thousands of hidden weapons being fired in all directions, most such techniques were looked down upon.

Although I had to look down on them due to my own position and wearing the robes of the Nangu family, I couldn’t help but be tempted by the sight of small blades that glistened like playthings in the hands of common women.

Because of this, I always carried a small dagger, just in case. Now, that old desire began to resurface.

The staff member following me, upon hearing that I intended to buy weapons on credit under the name of my uncle, Oscar Valentia, smiled broadly and began writing down everything I said, as if his mouth were about to touch his ears.

I was pleased by the overly polite demeanor of the clerk.

“Do you really need to buy so much, Mika? Wait, do you know how to use daggers?”

“I don’t know. I plan to learn.”

“I think there was some related instruction in the swordsmanship elective class.”

“Do you happen to know the professor’s name?”

“No. But it should be listed in the academy notebook, so we can look it up together later.”

Right, I should find that professor sometime.

After pondering the two daggers, one light and thin and the other a simple one-piece design resembling a dagger with a leather cord wrapped around it, I decided to buy both, holding them in both hands to gauge their weight.

Both of them had already completed their orders and were following me, one occasionally sighing and the other bursting into laughter, but neither of them bothered me further.

A sword that I had to carry in my hand would be enough.

However, a dagger was inherently a weapon that was easy to lose. Moreover, if I practiced the skill of throwing and wielding it, many daggers would surely break or get damaged.

It was better to order enough for a month ahead rather than going out every time.

Had my finances been poorer, I might have thought more carefully, but I already knew how much wealth my maternal uncle would inherit along with his title.

I also understood how much love he had for his younger sister, my mother, and how that affection extended to me as well, so there was no need for further hesitation.

It seemed strange to me that I was learning about family matters at the academy, but this was preferable for me.

If I were to learn something, I needed to know what to ask about, and I wasn’t interested in their personal circumstances. I only cared that their conduct was proper and their relationships were sincere and warm.

If it hadn’t been for Professor Calyps Agrigent’s teachings on the aristocratic family history, I wouldn’t have known how deeply rooted my own family was, and I would have lived in constant anxiety every day.

What I should be curious about, what I should know, and what I didn’t need to know—learning these things was initially frustrating, but now it had become fascinating, and I looked forward to the next lesson.

I bought more daggers than I could count with both hands and selected a few more longswords to repay Benjamin. It wasn’t that my wallet was thin, but I was generously spending.

The sight of the boy accepting the items without hesitation was undeniably cute.

When the clerk used the second page of his notebook, I had nothing more to buy, so I requested that the items be delivered to my dormitory and wrote both my and Oscar Valentia’s names on the order form.

They agreed to send it by Monday afternoon since deliveries were not made on weekends.

Seeing that I was still thoroughly interested in this building, Sheiden suggested we look around elsewhere, and we began walking.

We started with the third building and strolled sequentially.

In the fourth building, the shields seemed like an art competition, showcasing how intricately each family’s coat of arms could be engraved.

Among them, a shield adorned with a dragon head design from a certain noble family caught my attention. It was so uneven and bulky that it seemed impossible to slide an opponent’s attack off. When I mentioned it, Benjamin explained that the raised surface was intended to disarm an opponent’s weapon and make it fall to the ground, which surprised me.

Upon closer inspection, I was impressed by how the ornamentation was reinforced with solid metal embedded into the shield.

While touring the archery section, I learned that there were dozens of different types of bows, beyond just the solid, one-piece bow I was familiar with.

Among the many, some bows were particularly beautifully decorated. When I showed interest, Benjamin explained that nobles in this place often went hunting when they turned fifteen, and these were the kinds of equipment they used.

It was a luxurious activity—releasing small or large animals into the forest and then riding in to hunt them down. Though extravagant, shooting small game wandering in the forest with a bow was a skill worthy of admiration, and with practice, it could be helpful for martial arts.

As I spent time handling strange-looking weapons, holding them, and listening to Benjamin’s explanations, I found myself at the last building.

Just before that, the wizard’s robe section had various colors and textures, but most were black and thick, which didn’t offer much to see. I had never been interested in browsing cloth shops in my past life either.

Therefore, I had high expectations for the last building. I was curious about the variety of artifacts they would display and entered through the door.

It was purely by chance that I encountered a familiar face.

“Hello, Professor!”

“Hello, Professor.”

Professor Calyps Agrigent, who taught the imperial genealogy class and served as the editorial advisor for the Imperial Nobility Yearbook, was looking at us with a subtle expression.

Beside him, Walter Orgent had one arm draped over Calyps’s tense shoulder and was standing comfortably, leaning in.

Walter whispered something into Calyps’s ear, but when he made eye contact with me, he withdrew his hand, stood upright, and smiled brightly.

“Fancy meeting you here. It’s good to see you, juniors.”

“Hello, senior.”

Walter Orgent, who took the advanced swordsmanship class with me, was a friendly, strong-built student on a leave of absence.

To be honest, I didn’t recognize Walter right away because he always wore his long hair tightly braided and tied at the back of his head during class.

Even when he let his hair down after class, it always seemed wavy, and I assumed it was curly. I didn’t expect it to be so straight.

After class, he would let his hair down, laughing in a clear, loud voice, and always saying kind words like “Well done,” or “You were great.” He had already sparred with me before, and most recently, he had a dramatic victory against Prince Ruber.

I admired the way his cloak draped stylishly over his left shoulder, but I couldn’t help wondering why the top swordsman of the swordsmanship department and a professor of imperial genealogy were spending their holiday together.

It seemed I wasn’t the only one confused, as Sheiden also appeared a bit surprised. However, he quickly smiled and approached Professor Calyps, knowing full well that Benjamin and I wouldn’t be involved in anything like this.

“It’s even better to meet you outside, Professor! Senior.”

“…I see. If you’re here to buy artifacts, it’s best to avoid the ones marked with a light green tag on the function description. It’s a sign that they were made by novice mages. I’m sure you all know this already.”

“Ah, no! I had no idea. Thank you for letting us know.”

“Well, we’ll be off now. Have a great weekend.”

“Yes, Professor! We’ll see you at the academy!”

When Sheiden bowed, Benjamin and I also followed suit and gave our greetings.

Walter, following behind Professor Calyps Agrigent, turned around with his usual smile and waved at us stylishly.

Although I was surprised to meet the professor, I didn’t think it was unusual for him to be out in the capital on a holiday—it didn’t leave a strong impression on me.

We went over to the area where Agrigent had been looking and peeked inside.

There was a brooch with intricate patterns, and the description card stated it had three spells—warmth, defense, and recovery.

As Benjamin and I marveled at how the spells could be engraved on such a small item and how much more valuable it became with the added gemstones, Sheiden asked, “Am I the only one surprised?”

“Hm? No, I’m surprised too. How can they engrave a spell so small? Is it a button?”

“This isn’t just a button, it’s a cufflink. I’d like to have it, but the price for the magic stone would be quite high…”

Sheiden, looking a bit disappointed, fell silent. A little while later, when he found something else interesting to show us, he seemed to cheer up, and I didn’t think much of it anymore.