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

Benjamin Claudian was a large, rugged-looking boy, fitting the image of a strong man. His skin was dark and rough, making him look at least ten years older than his actual age, but his unusually bright eyes, which shone like a predator’s in the dark, gave him an intimidating presence, like a black tiger or panther.

He was incredibly skilled in martial arts, having reached the level of a first-class warrior by the age of fifteen. His physical strength matched his martial skill, and he excelled at tasks like moving hay bales.

However, the tasks that followed, like feeding the horses, were quite pitiful and awkward.

During the first class, Bivan Otiff only asked the students to familiarize themselves with the horses by feeding them hay and carrots, letting them get used to the animals’ faces.

Each student claimed a horse or a section to take care of, and Benjamin, Sheyden, and I naturally ended up walking in the same direction.

There were slightly more horses than students, so the three of us were assigned five horses in total.

Rather than simply putting the hay bales into the horse troughs, the first step was to hand a handful of hay to the horses, letting them get used to the smell of our hands.

“…Here.”

Whenever Benjamin offered hay to the horses, they shrank back, taking hesitant steps away. Some even shoved their necks into the corners, almost as though they were hiding, avoiding him like he was a snake.

Despite Benjamin trying his best to appear gentle and calming, the horses weren’t having it.

I tried to sense if he was unknowingly giving off an aura of hostility, but that wasn’t the case.

Although the Claudian family was a count’s household, so buying a horse wasn’t a problem, I realized Benjamin still didn’t know how to ride. This made sense now—if the horses were genuinely scared of him, it was something to be concerned about.

In contrast, the horses I was taking care of eagerly accepted the hay and carrots I offered. Some even nudged my shoulder or cheek affectionately, rubbing against me.

Wondering if the horses Benjamin was assigned to were just particularly fearful, I swapped positions, but the horses who had just been licking my hands and acting like puppies now stared at me with desperate eyes, whimpering.

It was baffling. I couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of the situation.

“Did I miss something? Did you eat a horse when no one was looking?”

“…No, I didn’t.”

“Claudian young master isn’t that scary, you know. Here, watch.”

Sheyden playfully tapped Benjamin’s shoulder, pretending to strike it. Benjamin, unsure of what Sheyden was doing, stood there blankly before finally reacting by feigning pain and stepping back a few paces.

The horses, wide-eyed, watched with curiosity as Sheyden continued the antics, shaking Benjamin by the collar and slapping his back. The more foolish the actions became, the more attention they drew, which made Sheyden stop when he realized it was getting embarrassing.

“Do you really think they’ll understand that?”

“My horses understand it just fine. They even cheer me on to hit harder.”

“No… let’s try another way.”

This time, I took a handful of hay and offered it to a well-built stallion with a white spot on its forehead. As it ate, it kept glancing at Benjamin, almost as if it was aware of him.

But as soon as I brushed my hand against Benjamin’s while feeding it, the horse stopped eating. I couldn’t understand why it was acting this way.

Realizing that this situation was beyond our control, I called for Professor Otiff.

At first, Bivan thought we were playing around, but after seeing Benjamin interact with several horses, he finally accepted that the horses were afraid of the boy.

By the time I had offered carrots to every horse in the stable, Benjamin’s face had grown darker with frustration, as every time he approached with food, the horses would turn away.

Seeing his downcast expression made me wonder if perhaps the dragons were more afraid of Benjamin than they were of me. When I voiced this, Benjamin sulked, and I had to console him.

So, the first class ended without much success.

Professor Otiff gave the students a schedule for when to bring hay and water for the horses, and at the end, he pulled Benjamin aside, advising him to come to the stable as often as possible to familiarize himself with the horses. He told him that if he spent more time with them, they would eventually get used to him.

He mentioned that a skilled warrior like Benjamin wouldn’t have to worry about getting hurt in a physical contest with the horses. The issue was that the horses feared him, and he needed to establish himself as a non-threatening figure before they would trust him.

“Just be careful not to get kicked in the back. It’s best not to enter the stalls without caution. And if you can, it would be helpful if the others came with you to assist.”

“We’ll come with him.”

“Good, then I’ll feel better. If the horses can’t eat because they’re too scared, that’s a big problem.”

Sheyden quickly agreed, and Professor Otiff nodded in approval, patting Benjamin on the back to comfort him after seeing his darkened expression.

After the lesson, we ate together, and as we discussed the situation, I learned that Benjamin Claudian had always had an inexplicable aversion from animals and young children since he was very young.

The Claudian family, being nobles, had a reputation for being reserved and upright, which often gave them the appearance of being unfriendly or harsh to those who didn’t know them well.

But animals—how much could they judge someone by appearance?

Even a tiger’s cub was cute.

To me, Benjamin Claudian was just an adorable, slightly undergrown beast.

His sharp features, with a high nose and strong chin, gave off the impression of righteousness.

I wasn’t an expert in physiognomy, but I could tell that his sturdy frame and serious expression would have made him quite popular in the central plains.

Especially in places like Shaolin or Zongnan, where martial artists with heavy styles or those who focused on strength and the Dao would have been eager to recruit someone like him.

So, unlike Sheyden, I suspected there was another reason behind it.

“Do all the members of the Claudian family look alike?”

“Yes, they do.”

“Then do your parents and siblings also not know how to ride?”

“…Hmm, no. I’ve heard that my father used to enjoy horseback riding when he was young.”

“Excuse me, but does your father resemble the Claudian young master in appearance?”

“…What?”

Benjamin’s eyes widened in surprise, his golden pupils, which were slightly smaller than most, clearly showing a look of shock.

Benjamin stammered, confessing that he looked just like his father. I nodded in agreement.

“It seems it’s not an issue of appearance, so let’s slowly look for other reasons.”

Benjamin, clearly touched, grabbed my hand tightly.

He thanked me repeatedly, and I nodded in response. Sheyden, who had been sitting quietly beside us, placed his hand on top of ours and jokingly added that he would help as well.

—

During Thursday’s advanced swordsmanship class, in addition to moving around the other students on the left and right, I had to pay attention to the students in front and behind as well.

I wondered why we had to move so tightly, as though facing a foe in close quarters, but as we continued, I found it surprisingly fun and put more effort into moving my body.

It was still the season just before summer fully passed. Even in the morning, the sun was hot.

Moreover, because we had to keep both feet firmly planted on the ground and use only our upper bodies, there were many times when I had to lean my back and shoulders too much in order to avoid another student’s sword path, and I quickly became drenched in sweat.

At first, we all moved slowly to perform the basic stances, which gave us enough room to avoid each other. After switching positions once, we seemed to become more familiar with each other’s sword paths.

Then we were instructed to speed up the execution of our moves. The sound of swords clashing became louder, *clang clang*.

Luckily, we weren’t using our auras. As the speed increased, the sword paths grew more complicated, and the tension became sharper, so it was common for students to accidentally graze each other’s cheeks or arms while trying to avoid another’s sword.

At first, I was shocked by such scenes, but seeing Maelro Sanson step in to prevent injuries using the same method as before put my mind at ease.

I couldn’t help but wonder what level of skill one needed to control their energy so precisely.

As we focused on moving, the other students, including myself, became more tired than usual, so we decided to take a break.

Out of the three hours of class, forty minutes were dedicated to active practice, and twenty minutes to resting.

The regular and clear breaks in the middle of the class were something I had only learned after entering the academy. Having a clear start and end to learning made it easier to focus and calm the mind.

Sitting cross-legged on the floor, my classmates gathered in a circle in front of me. It seemed like it would have been perfect if there had been a round table in the middle.

Everyone was too tired to speak and was just breathing heavily when Lucilla suddenly stretched her legs out in front of her and bent her body in half, which shocked me.

“…What are you doing?”

“Stretching.”

“Stretch…?”

I wasn’t the only one surprised. Lucilla was so flexible that as she bent over, her wrists touched her toes.

She then pushed her body several times with a bounce before raising both arms and pressing her elbows behind her head.

While I had tried stretching my arms and legs a few times, I had never seen someone bend their body in half and stretch like that, so I was amazed.

Curiosity getting the best of me, I stretched my legs out in front of me and bent my waist like Lucilla.

I was able to grab my knees easily, but when I tried to grasp my ankles, I couldn’t quite reach.

As I struggled, Benjamin, noticing, gently pressed my back down with his large hand, helping me bend further.

“Ugh.”

“Pull your chin in, Mikael.”

As if she had found a new toy, Lucilla jumped up and approached me with a mischievous grin.