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

On Thursday, before course registration, we gathered with the friends we had taken the camping class with to review each other’s schedules.

Everyone agreed to sign up for the camping class, which was held on Friday and Saturday. However, there was a follow-up explanation that it would be better to take all the weekend courses available in the first year, as studying for exams would become more difficult in the second year. That thought already made me nervous.

Among the classes we hadn’t yet synchronized, there were a few overlaps.

Damien also said he was taking the Artifact class, and Jenny and Ivan promised to meet in the Imperial Genealogy class. However, the only class that overlapped with Marianne’s schedule was the camping class.

Marianne had four magic classes in her schedule.

Not only Professor Angela Sting’s class, but the others also seemed fascinating: Basics of Magic and Formula Theory, Practical Magic for Everyday Life, Modern Interpretations of Classical Magic, and the Use of Seven Magical Languages.

Just hearing their names made me dizzy.

“Last time, when Michael took the Basics of Formula Theory class and beat Edwin in a duel, the rumor spread, and this time, so many swordsmanship students signed up. I almost passed out trying to register. It’s all because of Michael.”

“Then Marianne will…?”

“No! Our angel-like Professor Angela Sting never rejects students who want to take her class. I heard she even increased the class capacity.”
“…Why are you laughing?”

“Well, the thought of swordsmanship students running to take a magic class is just funny.”

“Wow… Are they monsters?”

That was true. If the Magic Artifact class hadn’t been held in the business department building, I wouldn’t have signed up for it.

The Shieran Empire was an enormous country, so the important institutions in the capital were all massive. The Shieran Academy alone had over 200 buildings.

Among them, the swordsmanship and magic departments were located at opposite ends of the campus.

For an ordinary person who didn’t train regularly, walking from the swordsmanship department to the magic department took over an hour and a half.

Due to my habit of using lightness techniques, I tend to walk fast with a wide stride, but even then, it took me a solid hour to move from the swordsmanship building to the magic building last semester.

Even when I was rushing because Professor Sanson’s class was running late, it still took over 15 minutes.

No matter how short my arms and legs were compared to others, the fact that I had mastered lightness techniques meant it wasn’t an easy task.

I could only hope that the swordsmanship students gave themselves enough time to travel between classes.

After hearing this, Shayden shrugged and organized the schedule in front of him.

“Well, the magic swordsman was a dream of the previous generation. Nowadays, there’s no one who dreams of becoming one, so it makes sense that the swordsmanship and magic buildings are far apart. Being good at both the mind and the body is something only fairy tales are made of. It may look good, but it’s not something a person can realistically do.”

“Still, it’s cool, right? I’m the most envious of the swordsmanship students who do acrobatics.”

“I’d rather take dance lessons.”

Shayden’s rebuttal made us all burst out laughing.

Aside from the courses we took together, Shayden filled his schedule with courses from the business and academic departments.

These two departments were located near the dormitory, so there was relatively little concern about travel time.

Both were among the departments that could afford to be less focused on physical training, so the short travel distances were an added benefit… It made me feel that the design of the campus was flawed.

We all opened our notebooks to the academy map and compared the distances between each classroom as we discussed various things.

When we did the math, it was impressive that Damien, Ivan, and Jenny often attended classes on different floors of the same building.

When the others saw how much I had walked last semester, they all shook their heads in disbelief and laughed.

“Do you know the names of the swordsmanship students taking the magic department classes?”

“Uh, no. I just heard it through rumors.”

“I know. I think there were eight of them trying to sign up.”

As expected, it was Shayden, well-informed as always. When Marianne and Damien asked why he hadn’t stopped them, Shayden sighed and shrugged his shoulders.

“I tried to stop them, but they said they couldn’t do the morning drills, but they could run for an hour after lunch. They said, if Michael could do it, so could they.”

“Running is more effective on an empty stomach.”

“I said that too, but it didn’t work.”

Another round of laughter followed.

We gathered around, making plans for when we would do assignments and study for exams.

As we discussed everything, I couldn’t help but feel excited for the next semester, my heart fluttering with anticipation.

After thoroughly checking the course registration forms several times, I submitted them to the department office.

Knowing that we’d be busy over the weekend, we joked that this would be one of the last times we’d get together like this, so we decided to go out for dinner.

The academy’s main gate was bustling with students who had just arrived, and the vibrant atmosphere was truly uplifting.

* * *

And then, Friday.

I stood in front of the department office, flustered, and wrote my name on a slip of paper for the lottery.

Fortunately, there was no issue with Professor Maelo Sanson’s class. If there had been, I would have been three times as distressed and in even more trouble.

The problem arose with the class on practical invisibility magic taught by Professor Wilton Roberts, scheduled for Thursday afternoon.

The professor, whom I had never seen last semester, only allowed ten students in the class.

Since I had decided to take the “Praise of Fine Horses” class with my friends on Wednesday and Thursday, I couldn’t move it to another time.

In the central plains, when drawing lots, a red marking was made on the tip of the long stick.

At Shieran Academy, the lottery was done by putting slips of paper with the names of the classes into a large box, and then a staff member would draw as many slips as the number of available spots.

Staff members walked among the students, checking the lists and handing out slips of paper.

A tense atmosphere filled the room as the students anxiously awaited their turn.

The slips of paper were all the same, and the one drawing the lots treated each student fairly.

Though it didn’t really matter when we put our slips in, everyone else was waiting to do so last, so I hesitated as well.

Though I could have learned invisibility magic on my own without a professor, I couldn’t help but feel anxious and caught up in the surrounding tension.

With a wishful heart, I neatly folded the slip with my name twice and dropped it into the box.

The boxes in front of me were all white, and I could tell they had been used many times by the worn edges of the corners.

The staff members kept loudly calling out that any students who wanted to cancel their registration should come forward, but no one gave up.

One of the staff members, who had been consulting with others, picked up the box I was watching and moved it to a table across the room. All the students’ gazes followed the box.

“Students registered for the Practical Invisibility Magic class, please come forward.”

Benjamin, along with about thirty students, stood up at the same time.

Half of them were familiar faces, while the other half were strangers. Among them, one upperclassman caught my attention as he desperately pleaded with the others.

“Really, is there no one willing to give up? I need to retake this class or my graduation credits will be in danger.”

“Would anyone? It’s Professor Wilton Roberts. Just close your eyes and pray. Please, let me take this class.”

“Ughhh…”

I wondered if Professor Wilton Roberts was particularly famous.

Professor Maelo Sanson had once mentioned that Professor Roberts didn’t come to school often, making it hard to see him, and Shayden Roze had said he didn’t know much about him.

I remembered that last semester, Luver Anti Shieran had mentioned that he was close with Professor Roberts.

I regretted not asking Luver earlier about the professor, but it was too late for that now.

One staff member, with her hair tightly pulled back, swiftly and expertly drew slips of paper from the lottery box and called out the names. Every time a name was called, emotions fluctuated.

“Michael Ernhardt.”

“Mm.”

My name was called fourth.

I unconsciously exhaled in relief. However, no matter how long I waited, Benjamin’s name wasn’t called.

Benjamin, usually calm and composed, furrowed his brow in disappointment, and I felt a little guilty.

After all ten students were called, the staff member scanned the room once more, called out the list again, and organized the slips of paper.

The upperclassman who had been pleading earlier seemed to almost collapse in despair, leaning on a friend’s shoulder.

“That’s it, ten students will be attending Professor Wilton Roberts’ Practical Invisibility Magic class. If you want to withdraw for any reason, such as wanting to take it with a friend, now is the time to say so.”

“Ugh… I’ll go.”

Seeing the senior’s pained expression, one of the less desperate underclassmen raised their hand to forfeit their spot.

The academic staff member coldly replied, “Alright,” and drew another slip.

Again, it wasn’t the senior’s name.

The students who hadn’t made it into the class moved on to receive a list of other available courses.

I followed Benjamin over to see the list. The staff handed out a list of classes available for Thursday afternoon, and I was intrigued by the courses on “Arts and Crafts” and “Weaving.”

I jokingly suggested these to Benjamin, but he gave me an annoyed response, and I quickly apologized.

In the end, Benjamin Clouden chose a suspiciously titled class called “Three Ways to Overcome Hardship” instead of the invisibility magic class.

The course syllabus was simple and straightforward, so I asked him to share his thoughts after the class.

Though I ended up taking the invisibility magic class alone, I wasn’t too worried.

I had only started keeping company with others after coming to Shieran. I didn’t have children or apprentices, so it was natural for me to be used to being on my own.

I was simply curious about what the “three ways to overcome hardship” might entail.