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

The second month of classes had begun.

The academy’s first semester starts in February and ends at the end of May. June and July are summer vacation, followed by the second semester from August to November. December and January are again vacation months. Therefore, the second and fourth months of each semester are reserved for exams.

I was already aware that throughout the week, discussions about midterms would likely come up.

Thus, when entering my basic swordsmanship class in the morning, I was quite tense, but when a student asked how the midterm exams would be conducted, Maestro Sandson smiled and waved his hand dismissively.

“How could we assess you twice in a semester? Should we have a test on whether you hold your sword with your right hand or left hand? No, no. I already know everything you’re doing in my head.”

“Wow!”

“Your grade will be based on how much you’ve improved from the first day to the last day of the semester. Swordsmanship doesn’t follow absolute standards; it’s a fight against yourself. Always strive to be stronger and sturdier tomorrow than you were yesterday. Got it?”

“Yes!”

He truly was a good teacher. The voices of the students answering were unusually bright and powerful. I also responded out loud and smiled a little. I felt relieved that the rest of the morning would be spent in this relaxed and enjoyable manner.

However, the afternoon was a different story.

“…Now, so far we’ve learned a total of five formulas, and we’re able to unfold all of them… The midterm exam for this class will be interpreting the formulas I hand out without any help and performing them in front of me during the exam…”

I had no talent for interpreting the formulas in the handout and just stared blankly.

“Magic is an ancient study, and most magic formulas are first encountered in written form… The ability to interpret and use what’s written is incredibly important… There won’t be a class next week, but we’ll have the exam the week after, so I hope you all practice hard… If you have any questions, come to my office between 3 and 4 p.m…”

I stared directly at Professor Angela Sting without even breathing. I was waiting for her to notice me.

It was true that I had signed up for the magic class out of my own desire, and it was also true that I hadn’t been able to follow the lessons properly, but I had attended diligently every time. Still, I felt it was unfair to fail just because I couldn’t take the exam.

Perhaps seeing that in my eyes, she glanced at me, sighed lightly, and placed another handout on my desk.

I looked at the new handout in front of me. It was a sheet with basic magic formulas written on it.

On the left was the magic symbol, and on the right were the pronunciation and interpretation.

I had no words and just stared down at them quietly.

“And… Ernhardt Young-sik… will take a separate written test… If you can fill in more than 70% of the formulas correctly, you’ll get the base score… The other students are all memorizing these, so you should at least be able to read them to say you’ve taken this class, right…?”

That’s when I realized why no one suspected Edwin Kiadris, even though all the swordsmanship students had fled from the class.

I was sure that any of the swordsmanship department students, if given this substitute handout for the midterm, would immediately get up, bow, and disappear.

But the only response I could give now was one. I solemnly promised myself that I wouldn’t take magic department classes next semester and answered respectfully.

“Yes. Thank you for your consideration, Professor.”

“Mm… Do your best… Ah, and… do you have time on Saturday…?”

“Pardon? I’m free. What’s going on?”

“The duel… I’ll be officiating it… Let’s meet at 2 p.m. on Saturday.”

I was momentarily surprised, then nodded with a smile. I had expected Edwin to relay this to me, but it seemed that the entire magic department had been buzzing about this duel. Even though it was after class hours, every student was still seated, and none looked surprised.

Professor Angela Sting carefully explained the way to the duel venue. I thought I should leave a little earlier to make sure I wouldn’t be late.

Although I couldn’t develop a relationship with my expected magic department colleagues due to Edwin’s interference, I had met the sharp and bold Marianne in the camping class, so I had already achieved half of my original plan.

And the duel against Edwin, who seemed to be a battle mage, was a fortunate development. Despite the heavy handouts, I soon found myself excited about whether I could use a sword to counter magic.

“Yeah, when was it ever easy to memorize?”

Here, even young children learn and use the words, so whining about not being able to do it just because I’m older would be shameful. I gathered my thoughts and bowed politely as the professor left the room.

* * *

Around the end of Tuesday’s advanced swordsmanship class, Maestro Sandson gathered all the students and mentioned the upcoming duel between Edwin Kiadris and me.

Some had already heard about it from somewhere, while others, hearing it for the first time, chuckled and seemed entertained.

It was the same for anyone who wielded a sword, regardless of age. If you asked who was stronger, the discussion would go on for days and nights without a conclusion.

“Talks of duels between magic and swordsmanship, and swordsmanship and magic, come up every generation, but no one has ever really gone through with it. But you’re doing it, huh, Mikael?”

“You’re too kind.”

“…I’m glad you took it as a compliment. I’ll be attending as a referee, as Professor Sting requested, but how about inviting your friends and seniors here as well? Don’t you think everyone would be curious?”

“Yes, of course, I will invite them. But, how big is the venue, the First Auditorium? Will there be enough room for everyone?”

“It should be fine. It’s about the size of the practice hall. There’ll be protective magic cast around the spectators, so you can just relax and watch.”

A few seniors who had been peeking around interjected with worried voices.

“But, Ernhardt Young-sik, do you think Edwin Kiadris will be okay with us all showing up?”

“Yeah… They’re not close, so it’s not like they set this duel up for fun. There’s all kinds of rumors going around.”

“If we ask if he’s afraid of losing, he’ll probably let us come watch.”

“…Huh? No, wow, no, that’s a bit… personality.”

“This upcoming Ernhardt is no joke… Anyway, thanks.”

If I hadn’t been the one participating in the duel, I would’ve been doing everything I could to watch it too, so I didn’t find it surprising. Everyone seemed excited.

I wondered if they were enjoying it more because it was during the exam period.

As the conversation wrapped up and we were about to leave for lunch, I felt the familiar weight of hands lightly tapping my arms, shoulders, and back. The gestures were becoming more familiar.

I just thought they were showing affection and didn’t mind.

While I was about to move to another seat for lunch, Prince Ruber suddenly appeared in front of me.

“…Don’t rush. It’s okay to go slowly.”

“Pardon?”

“…I’m just worried you might get hurt.”

“Ah, it’s fine. I’m doing it because I enjoy it.”

“Edwin Kiadris…?”

“Yes?”

“…Ah, no. That was a slip of the tongue. I was just curious about why it was Edwin Kiadris… I haven’t had the chance to fight him yet, but I’ve been looking forward to the duel with Ernhardt Young-sik, so I asked.”

“Hmm. I just picked a suitable opponent, someone I thought would be of similar strength, because I was curious who would be stronger between a wizard and a swordsman. I can’t ask a professor for a duel, and fighting a weak wizard would only seem like bullying.”

“…I see.”

“Still, I appreciate your concern. I’ll do my best to avoid getting hurt, and if possible, I’ll win and come back.”

Lately, it seemed like he was quite weak, a boy with a fragile heart.

What struck me the most was that, unexpectedly, he said he was looking forward to our duel. Among the twenty top-ranked swordsmen in the advanced swordsmanship class, Prince Ruber was certainly one of the highest-ranking. Realizing that he was paying attention to me, someone still sitting at the bottom of the ranks due to my underdeveloped body, helped me understand why he made such an effort to be kind to me.

A warrior is only as good as the eyes that watch him. Seeing the signs of him growing significantly only made me more pleased.

In truth, as the boy had said, it was a situation where there was no need to rush.

As Ruber said, if I fought Edwin now, there was a high chance I would lose or get hurt.

Having already reached the peak of martial arts in the central region, my techniques outclassed those of warriors at my level.

However, I was not at my prime anymore. With shorter arms and legs than I once had, I had difficulty judging distances. My muscles were still underdeveloped, and my skin had yet to toughen, so I lacked strength and durability compared to my former self.

If I were determined to win, now would not be the ideal time.

But I also knew that if I hesitated and played it safe, I would never reach the heights I once attained. The painful experiences I had crossed in the past had helped me grow stronger.

It was this belief that had shaped the person I was today.

That’s why the duel with Edwin had to happen now.

On the other hand, thinking of how much of a nuisance Edwin Kiadris, like a young colt with horns, would be, made me even more certain that this was something that had to be dealt with right now.

Resentment should not be left behind but placed in front of you. The people who will strike at your back when you’re not paying attention should never be kept close. Countless people had died because they had.

Suddenly, my mouth went dry, and I lost my appetite. It was a thought I didn’t want to dwell on.

Regret was enough for one lifetime. I wasn’t the kind of person to make the same mistake twice. I hadn’t been in the central region, and I wouldn’t make that mistake now.

* * *

…People must be creatures who make the same mistakes over and over again. I was sitting absentmindedly, unable to find a way to gather my scattered thoughts.

Professor Briana Casablanca of the World History class, as she had hinted before, said that the midterm exam would involve filling in the royal genealogies of five dynasties and the Sieron imperial family.

With my limited memory, I couldn’t even remember which number emperor of the Ming Dynasty reigned during the time I died, let alone memorize not only the names of the Sieron dynasty but also the royal lineages of neighboring countries. It was overwhelming.

But this was something I knew, and it was just a matter of memorization, so it wasn’t too shocking.

What made me more nervous was when she mentioned that for the past month’s lessons, we would have to write about five of the topics covered so far.

A deep sigh spread through the classroom at that announcement.

It would have been nice if the exam range was narrowed, but she said that every topic was equally important, so we couldn’t skip any. My eyes stung, and the back of my head ached.

At least there was no exam or assignment for the empire’s genealogical lessons, as Professor Calypso Agrizent had previously announced.

She said that, as usual, there would be just a pop quiz and the lessons would continue as they always had.

It was a huge relief, but I couldn’t find it in me to smile.