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

Asdel, who had spread sheets of paper across the parlor table, dipped his quill into the ink.

I noticed that ink was dripping from the quill every time he moved his hand, but there were no adults chasing after him to scold him.

After sending me a letter, Asdel had developed an interest in writing. Recently, he had no one to send letters to, so he satisfied his desire to write by copying out fairy tales.

Evan Serbel, being generous, had given him a few fairy tale books he had read when he was younger.

It seemed I was the only one who minded the round, small fingerprints, blackened on the pages of the fairy tales.

Now eight years old, Evan sat proudly, helping Asdel turn the pages or reading aloud words he didn’t know, behaving like a proper host greeting guests.

Although Asdel was still quite young, I thought it wasn’t a bad match for him to pair up with someone around Evan’s age, and I watched them with a warm smile.

Then, Michael tugged at my sleeve, pulling my attention away.

“Brother, how do you read this? What does it mean?”

“Here? It’s ‘eternal rest.’ It means eternal sleep.”

“Read the next part too.”

“This doesn’t mean that the gods dying is the same as ‘eternal rest.’ No one believes that gods can die. Modern magicians and theologians believe many of the things once called gods are simply the result of physical phenomena…”

I paused, wondering if Michael was already old enough to read theological texts, and I checked the title of the book.

*Did the Nine Gods Really Exist?* The question mark was written unusually large on the thick book.

I began to worry if I had been a burden on the children for learning to read and speak so early, but as I thought that, Michael, still clinging to my side, whined in a tone that suggested he didn’t understand why I hadn’t read more to him.

I gently patted Michael’s head and paused to think for a moment.

Before entering the academy, I had always gladly allowed Michael to read more difficult books and praised Asdel for walking more steadily.

But now, I realized it was more appropriate for young children to act their age.

“Michael, do you think… this book is interesting?”

“Huh?”

Michael, who had been trying to climb into my lap, paused with a puzzled look on his face.

I had asked out of concern, but Michael suddenly put on a serious expression, placed his hand on the book, and sniffed.

“Of course. I’ve always wondered why the world was created.”

“Little brother only reads books about gods and fairies.”

“Really?”

Asdel, who had been copying words onto paper, suddenly chimed in with her clear voice.

Asdel, probably because she had been around Michael so much or was simply a clever child, had learned to speak quickly compared to other children. Her tone was bold and confident.

“Big brother always reads books with knights. Little brother only reads books about gods and fairies. They sleep, fight, run away, and get sad.”

“Well then, Asdel, what do you read?”

“I… read books with dragons.”

Suddenly, the face of a new friend came to mind, and I nodded, thinking about borrowing the precious book Benjamin Claudian had. I hoped I hadn’t given the children any bad influences.

It was at that moment, as I held Michael in my arms and reopened the book, that Asdel spoke up again.

“Don’t spoil little brother too much. He’s grown up now.”

“What?”

“He’s seven now, but he still acts like a baby only in front of you. He pretends to be so grown-up around me.”

Asdel said with a teasing tone, and Michael, trying to hold back his frustration, made a noise.

All I could see was the top of his head and his ears, but they were bright red, which told me his expression as well.

When I looked up, I saw Evan trying to stifle his laughter, burying his face in his elbow.

Asdel, with her cheeky expression, once again dipped her quill into the ink.

The shape of the letters she wrote was still a little crooked, but compared to a few months ago, her handwriting had definitely improved.

I remembered the words of the child who had been frustrated that she couldn’t write properly on her own and had practiced diligently.

I still vividly remembered the day Asdel was born, when I held Michael and we went to visit Asdel together.

The reason I had carried Michael more than Asdel was not just because Asdel was a girl.

Michael, worried that he might lose the love of the family after the arrival of his younger sibling, had been quite insecure and spoiled.

Meanwhile, Asdel, who had grown up with the love of both parents, had developed into a strong, independent child.

Hearing Asdel speak so confidently for the first time, I tried hard not to laugh out loud, though I was both surprised and pleased.

Watching children grow was always such a wonder.

It always amazed me how, if I took my eyes off them for just a moment, they would grow so quickly, like bamboo shoots after a rain, and surprise me with their progress.

“Still, Michael is playing the role of the older brother,” I said.

“I’m just playing with little brother,” Asdel replied.

“No! Don’t listen to Asdel. If you keep acting like that…”

“You’re not going to play with me? Then I’ll just play with Evan Oppa.”

Instead of intervening in the children’s bickering, I opened the book.

Thanks to Asdel, this was Michael’s second time reading this book, and even though I had been told three times not to indulge him because he was only pretending to be spoiled, I still indulged him.

When a child is being spoiled with affection, I wanted to give in and spoil them.

“…If the gods, like present-day humans, had personalities, the task of creating the world with just nine gods would have been a lengthy process. According to the famous wizard and physicist, Kano Paquin’s book *The Birth of the First God*…”

The lively voices of the children as they chattered around me were full of energy.

Outside the window, the pale green leaves fluttered, and the sunlight pouring into the parlor tinted the room with a blue hue. At that moment, I knew I would never forget this scene for the rest of my life.

A warm, proud feeling rose within me. It was such a lovely sight.

* * *

I spent half of July lazily, without regret.

It was only possible because the end was already planned. My siblings, the Serbels, and I were expected to return directly to the academy from the villa.

We had planned to leave early, as there would be many preparations to be made before the semester began, and we would be short on time if we didn’t depart early, so we followed the advice of those who had experienced it.

It would take a whole week of travel to reach the Ernhardt estate from the capital, where the Siron Academy was located.

From the middle point between the capital and Ernhardt, it was another four days by carriage to reach the Serbel villa.

In terms of distance, we would certainly reach the academy in a week, but because the Siron Empire’s land was so vast and immense, we had to allow for plenty of travel time.

The younger children, who hadn’t known this beforehand, were upset and unsure of what to do.

At least Evan Serbel, who had been through a few vacation trips with his older brother and sister, pouted but still showed a grown-up demeanor, while my younger sibling, Michael Ernhardt, shed big, tear-like drops of water and clung to my sleeve, not letting go.

“It’s still July, why are we leaving already? You promised to play with me.”

“But we already played yesterday and the day before.”

“No, we didn’t play enough. There’s still a whole week left, right? No, just five more days… or three… Please, just one more day.”

Seeing him like that, so heart-wrenchingly pitiful and endearing, I wanted nothing more than to sit here and hold his hand.

But I knew that supporting him in this way was not the right thing to do.

I also didn’t want to fall into this tender rest and end up doing nothing, so I gathered my strength to speak in a firmer voice, since I had decided to take care of everyone I loved, including this child and my parents, within a stronger and more secure boundary.

“Little one.”

“I’m not little.”

“Right. Our Michael isn’t a little one anymore, so why are you acting like this?”

“…I am little.”

Immediately changing his tune, Michael buried himself in my arms.

I picked up the sobbing child and rubbed my cheek against his temple.

Though I was used to the passage of time, the thought of being away from them for several months still left me with a bittersweet feeling.

I gently stroked his back, and my voice softened, like cream on a cake.

“We’ll go quickly and come back soon. Or, like last time, you can come to visit me halfway… It’s nice to be together every day, but if we did that, we wouldn’t have time to study, right?”

“I’m little, so I won’t study.”

“Michael.”

I could tell he was complaining with words he didn’t truly mean. I pressed my forehead against his, then pulled back slightly to meet his eyes.

When I gazed at him, he mumbled “I’m lying,” and once again buried his forehead against my shoulder.

It was hard to pull away from him, especially when I could see he was trying to prolong the moment of separation.

With a sigh, I looked up to see Asdel Ernhardt, only five years old, gazing at us with her tiny hands resting on her waist.

Her pink cloud-like hair was braided neatly, and her face was full of maturity.

“I’ll take care of little brother. Don’t worry about him, big brother. Focus on your studies.”

“Uh-huh.”

“No, I’ll go to the academy too!”

“Really! Are you going to act like a little kid all the time?”

Asdel stubbornly pulled at Michael’s collar.

Despite her serious act, Asdel was still only five, and there was no way she could support Michael’s body properly. I had to stop them from bickering and gently set her down safely.

Beside us, our mother chuckled and whispered in our father’s ear.

“Doesn’t Asdel look just like Michael?”

“Where could that blood have gone? If you ask me, she looks just like you.”

“I wasn’t that clever.”

“Well…”

She said I was the one who resembled her.

After setting Michael down on the floor, I also hugged Asdel tightly, who was looking up at me with a determined expression, before letting her go.

I wondered what thoughts were running through her little mind.

Eventually, after comforting Michael, who had shed tears, we missed our scheduled departure time, but no one complained.

The journey to the academy wasn’t difficult, and since there was not much to prepare for in terms of escorts, it was a relief.

The remaining family members planned to stay a bit longer at the Serbel villa before returning.

Even though we would be returning to the estate within a month after taking care of various matters, I had answered that I would send letters through the Ernhardt estate.