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

I arrived in front of the Sieron Academy’s main gate just after noon on the last Wednesday of July.

Many students had already returned to school, so the area in front of the gate was crowded like it was the day of a night market.

After leaving the heavy luggage I had in the carriage at the storage facility, Sir Ventus once again saw me off with a bow. This time, I was able to return the gesture without feeling awkward.

After promising the Serbel siblings that we would meet again for a meal during the semester, I parted ways with them.

I set off to find Shayden Rose, who was already supposed to be at the academy.

Due to the large number of courses, there are often changes to class schedules and professors even just before the semester starts, so I had planned to meet Shayden before the semester began to finalize the timetable.

However, when I reached Shayden’s dorm, the door was firmly closed.

Shayden had told me she would return to the academy on the last Monday of July when the vacation started. She should be somewhere at the academy, but I couldn’t find her anywhere.

When we had classes, it was easy to predict where she would be at a certain time, but without classes, I had no idea where to look. So, I wandered aimlessly through the academy grounds.

While doing so, I ran into many familiar faces.

Some students with smooth, egg-like faces greeted me loudly or patted my shoulder in a friendly manner.

I didn’t recognize all of their faces, but since they knew me, I assumed I must know them too, so I greeted them in return and moved on.

As I was leaving the library after taking a quick look around, I suddenly spotted a familiar head of violet hair.

“Mikael! Did you have a good vacation? Why are you only arriving now?”

“It’s been a while, Marianne. How have you been?”

“Oh, I’ve been fine. Thanks to your concern, I had a good rest and fun.”

In the letters I received from her, she mentioned feeling unwell, but seeing her now, she seemed perfectly fine. The lively and cheerful tone of the girl suggested that her words about feeling weak were just an exaggeration. She looked no different than before the break.

As is common in close relationships, Marianne started talking without asking if she could walk with me, standing next to me and chatting away.

“You came straight to the library as soon as you got to the academy? How can you be like this?”

“No, it’s not that… I was looking for Shayden. Has she arrived yet?”

“Hmm, I saw her at lunch today. She didn’t say where she was going, but… do you want me to help you find her?”

“Hmmm… Do you have to?”

“When someone asks for help like this, you should just say, ‘Yes, please help me.’”

“Alright. Please help me.”

Although I thought it was unnecessary to go this far in the academy, where Marianne knew the place like the back of her hand, I realized that she just wanted to walk with me and chat, so I gave in and answered the way she wanted.

Seeing how her steps were wider than usual and her shoulders were bouncing, it seemed like she was in a very good mood, and I couldn’t help but smile.

“Looks like something good happened.”

“Yeees… if you can call it a good thing.”

“Is it related to what you mentioned in the letter?”

I vaguely remembered something about love in the letter.

Since I couldn’t figure out the details, I was curious if her excitement was because she had found someone special.

It reminded me of how, in a past life, a certain person named Zhuge often acted foolishly when dealing with someone. …I wanted to be prepared in case it was similar.

It seemed that my guess was right, as Marianne, who had been chatting loudly a moment ago, suddenly shut her mouth like a clam.

The sight was both cute and funny, so I lightly tapped her shoulder with my fingertip as she silently walked beside me.

“Did he propose already?”

“Of course not!”

Marianne yelped and looked around before lowering her voice and muttering.

“Well… we’re just getting to know each other.”

I kept quiet. The way her face lit up was blinding, and for a moment, I couldn’t help but be dazzled. She smiled sweetly, her pale cheeks flushed like someone who had just swallowed a pearl.

I, too, had many precious people in my life over the years, but I had never experienced the feeling of being infatuated with someone.

Looking back, I thought it might be because I started focusing on sword training at such a young age.

Since I was five years old, when I first held a sword, I had never had room in my mind for anything else.

After running until my guts seemed ready to spill out and pushing my body to its limits, the only thought I had was to take a warm bath and rest, even in the midst of my turbulent youth.

I was a well-behaved child. I focused only on my sword training when told to, without looking elsewhere.

Because of that, I caught the eye of my uncles, who saw potential in me even among the distant relatives.

It was thanks to that that I was able to secure a position, even if only a nominal one, in the Wulin Alliance.

Among the many people I met there, there were several female martial artists around my age, but they were too lively and friendly to associate with someone as quiet and aloof as me, so I kept my distance.

Being accustomed to silent training and avoiding indulgence had been a great help.

When I turned forty and friends started showing off their children’s antics, I felt a twinge of envy. But considering that direct heirs in Central often married at eight or ten years old to continue their family lines, I realized it wasn’t too late, no matter how delayed.

Having made so many enemies during my life, I sometimes worried about keeping my family safe through my own strength.

Feeling embarrassed at my age to show any interest, I had been avoiding and pretending not to care up until now.

But seeing Marianne, who was at the perfect age to shine with a glowing heart, smile bashfully in front of me, I couldn’t help but feel warm, envious, and a little awkward.

It was a very different feeling compared to when I had looked down on Zhuge for making a fuss in my past life.

I wondered if it was because, unlike Marianne who laughed shyly, Zhuge had clung to my waist and cried, making me feel embarrassed.

“So, just getting to know each other?”

“Ah, don’t look at it like that! Don’t laugh!”

“Who is this person who stole your heart so quickly?”

I laughed as I watched her collar flip each time she shook her shoulders.

With her cheeks flushed red, Marianne cupped her face with both hands. She must have realized how red her face was.

I just silently watched as she stamped her feet, shook her shoulders, and then looked down, pouting and muttering to herself. It was amusing.

“…It’s Glotin Tenner from the Management Department… Do you know him?”

“Hmm, not really.”

“Don’t tease me!”

“No, I was saying it as a joke. I don’t know the name, but I thought he might know me. I wasn’t teasing you. So, what happened next?”

As if she had been waiting for me to ask, Marianne poured out a mixture of bragging, venting, and what sounded like a romantic tale from the streets—her words flowing without pause.

Her voice was already high-pitched, but with all the laughter and shyness, it now sounded like a nightingale’s song.

I listened quietly as we strolled through the garden, allowing her to share her story.

Marianne had mentioned before that her family’s financial situation was tight. She had seemed especially intimidated by Edwin Kiadris, likely because of his immense wealth.

She had even said that she couldn’t afford to buy a new dress for the debutante ball, so she had to alter her sister’s dress. Being shorter than her sister, she had to pin the hem to keep it from dragging on the ground and added frills to hide the awkwardness, though her shoulders still hunched in discomfort.

“I hate it when I feel embarrassed about something that no one else cares about, but I can’t help it. Last year, the guys who danced with my sister know about the dress, but honestly, what’s the big deal? It doesn’t matter, but… even if I know that in my head, it’s something my heart can’t bear at times.”

“Hmm.”

“So, instead of taking the wide open path, I kept to the shaded areas. I felt all lonely, like I was the only one in the world. But that’s not the real me, you know? It’s just… something about it felt fated, inevitable, like some sort of force was at work.”

“Ah, I see.”

“I couldn’t stand it anymore, so I decided to take a walk in the garden. As I turned towards the terrace, there he was. Under the sun, soaking in the warmth, sitting on the sofa inside the terrace with the door only halfway open, staring into the distance. His ears, the little hairs on them, they looked like jewels, shining in the light.”

“Oh…”

“And then, when our eyes met, I swear—”

I worried that Marianne might faint from all the excitement, so I watched her closely as she whispered the rest of her sentence, almost like a breath.

“…His eyes widened slightly when they met mine. It was so, so, so… beautiful.”

So, in the end, she must have fallen for this guy after seeing his smooth face.

I almost sighed, but managed to hold it back. Marianne was making a dreamy face, looking like she was on the verge of tears.

I couldn’t make sense of the man in her head after that explanation. He must have been some kind of fox-like character, but I couldn’t tell exactly who from just her description.

Noticing my slightly skeptical expression, Marianne raised her voice again.

“Of course, Mikael, you’re also handsome, but it’s a different kind of beauty! He’s tall and slender, looks like someone who reads a lot of books. He looks great in glasses. He really looks like someone straight out of my dreams!”

“Yeees… I understand. So, what happened next?”

“Huh?”

“After your eyes met, did you talk more?”

“Of course!”

Marianne went on for a while more, talking about his jewel-like eyes, his slender fingers, his voice, and all sorts of other things.

As I listened to her chirp on with her nightingale-like voice, any trace of envy I might have felt vanished, and I just laughed uncontrollably.

Every time I laughed, she gave my arm a sharp slap, but it wasn’t painful, so I let it go.

Well, at least she was much better than Zhuge, who cried and rolled around on the ground, saying the other guy wouldn’t like her and that she wasn’t worth living anymore.

Marianne, who refused to take a seat and instead sat down next to the boy, shyly introducing herself, took nearly two hours to recount the entire process.

She still had a lot more to say, but since she had other things to do, I happily said my goodbyes and left.

Afterwards, I felt as though my soul had left my body, and I wasn’t sure if I was even fully conscious anymore.