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

Sheydon responded nonchalantly.

“Marianne? Why her?”

Sheydon had a habit of pausing for a moment before answering, even when the question was something he could easily answer. It didn’t feel like he was asking because he didn’t know; it felt more like he was carefully considering the response.

I didn’t reply and simply watched him. After a brief moment of avoiding my gaze, Sheydon shrugged his shoulders and then dropped them.

“…How much did you hear?”

“Not much. I just noticed that I’m not taking classes with her twice a week this semester.”

“Right.”

“She brags less about Glothin. She seems to be focusing only on studying.”

“…What’s wrong with studying hard?”

“She never used to do that.”

“Well, that’s… true.”

“…”

“…”

Sheydon ruffled his hair as if he was uncomfortable.

This was something he hadn’t done before, but after spending more time with me, he had started to pick up the habit of running his fingers through his bangs and gently shaking them at the crown of his head. It was exactly the same thing I did when I was fixing my hair.

I waited in silence, and after a moment, Sheydon smiled lightly and looked at me with a serious expression.

“Actually, I’ve been talking easily about Walter since he’s not someone close to me. Walter Orgen is someone in your circle, not mine, so I thought it was right for you to know about him.”

“Right.”

“But Marianne is someone I’m close to, so I didn’t want to talk about something she hasn’t told you herself.”

I was briefly taken aback but quickly understood. He was indeed a wise child.

I knew that, because I was inexperienced in dealing with people, I relied on Sheydon a lot for guidance.

Since I first entered the academy, most of my relationships had been shaped with Sheydon’s advice and guidance. After realizing that all my alchemy classmates were also close to him, I relied on him even more.

But that wasn’t the right way. Sheydon was right. I made an effort to reply calmly.

“You’re right. I almost made a mistake.”

“Yeah, thanks for understanding. Anyway, she’ll be fine. She’s really smart.”

“Yeah.”

“If Marianne ever ends up in jail, let’s go visit her together.”

I was taken aback. The teacup I was setting down made a clinking sound.

“…What? No, I really need to know what’s going on.”

“I said it’s a secret.”

Seeing his mischievous smile, I knew it was just a joke, but I still didn’t feel completely reassured, so I asked a few more times.

He promised that if there was something I needed to know, he would tell me. After joking around a little more, Sheydon said he was going to bed and got up.

“Good night, Mika. Sweet dreams.”

“Thanks.”

“Huh? For what?”

“Just because.”

He looked at me for a moment, then chuckled. His hand lightly patted my shoulder. His face was close, and the smile on his fox-like face blossomed brightly.

“We’re friends, after all.”

It was a nice thing to hear.

As I lay in bed, I thought about my friends’ faces. Beyond the small friends I made in Sieron, the faces of the older, taller friends I had were especially vivid in my mind. I drifted off to sleep peacefully.

Time passed like an arrow leaving the bowstring. Before I knew it, the day had already ended.

I had promised myself that I would definitely find time to speak with Professor Calyps, but, as it often happens, February passed by without me getting the chance, and by the time March arrived, I still hadn’t managed to meet with him.

Alchemy classes, like all subjects, were tied to both my and my friends’ grades, so I naturally had to put in my best effort.

In World Geography, I couldn’t take my eyes off the terrain and landmarks as we started learning them in depth.

In Introduction to Monsters, I had to memorize not just the names and characteristics of monsters but also their internal organs. For someone like me, who wasn’t great at written exams, it was a difficult task.

After Beast Magic classes, Roberts and I secretly practiced ways to walk and hide our bodies.

Wilton Roberts had exceptional observational skills and was excellent at imitating others. He was able to learn breathing techniques and walking methods just by glancing at them, then suggest improvements immediately, which was impressive.

From working with Wilton, I learned that in Sieron, there were two kinds of walking techniques similar to the footwork used in combat.

The first involved using aura to lightly lift the body rather than channeling internal energy into the blood vessels. It was a way to move explosively over long distances, as if a giant were tossing me through the air with its giant arm, and it was perfect for charging at or dodging large monsters from afar.

The second method involved blending into the shadows.

This was Wilton’s specialty. He taught me how to silently slip between the darkness, blending into the shadows so that one seemed present yet invisible.

It wasn’t easy, but with Wilton’s detailed guidance, I was able to make steady progress.

Even weekends didn’t offer much of a break.

I would wake up early for a brief morning training session and then head to the library, where Ruber would be waiting.

If he were just idly chatting, I could easily leave, but Ruber always showed enthusiasm for our shared study sessions, bringing his notes, snacks, and even engaging in sparring. I couldn’t leave him alone.

When I told him I was going to meet with the professor, I couldn’t help but wonder how I would answer if he asked why.

Was I going to tell him that I was going to ask Professor Calyps if I was living the life of a faithful lover? That would be a horrible thing to say.

By the first week of March, I had gotten used to hearing Ray Gibson’s loud voice.

I had expected to hear the exam topics today, but instead, I was handed a reed. It was puzzling at first.

I looked it over, and it was just a common reed, the kind you’d find along riverbanks. I couldn’t understand what we were supposed to do with it until five work-study students brought in a large glass tank and placed it in front of the class. I was so stunned that I lost my senses.

Ray Gibson, with the large tank beside him, laughed loudly, exposing his uvula.

“When you encounter a beast with a sensitive nose and you’re running out of energy, diving into the water can help erase your scent. So today, we’re going to practice surviving underwater with a reed in our mouths!”

Was he trying to teach us how to become effective hunters?

But as a student, it was my duty to follow the professor’s instructions, no matter how ridiculous they seemed, so I joined the line and climbed into the tank with the other students.

The longest-lasting student would receive extra points for the midterm, so there was no way I could refuse.

I was good at martial arts and breath control, so I could sit underwater for a long time without trouble, but most of the other students were struggling.

Some floated around, their backs visible above the water, while others hesitated in fear and ended up inhaling water through their noses.

I helped one student who was flailing in the water, grabbing their shoulder to correct their posture so they wouldn’t get tripped up by the other students. The student didn’t even thank me before they swam to the surface.

The last one left in the tank was Marianne.

I had lasted a long time, but since I couldn’t compete with Marianne, who had mana to create a thin barrier around her face, I gave up.

As I walked out of the tank, several students suddenly grabbed their noses.

Ray Gibson saw this as a good opportunity and taught us how to stop nosebleeds quickly. I didn’t pay much attention to the trivial lesson.

Once the students had dried off using magic and returned to normal, the professor opened a textbook and announced the exam topics.

“Everything we’ve covered so far is fair game for the midterm. Next week, there will be no class, and the exam will be in two weeks, at this time, in this classroom! The midterm will be fill-in-the-blank questions.”

I was handed a handout. It was eleven pages long, with blanks between words that represented everything we had learned up until now.

For example, today’s lesson was written as: “The reason for entering the water to avoid a beast is to erase its scent from the ________.”

What was this supposed to be? Narrowing my eyes, I saw Ray Gibson chuckling.

“Fill in the blanks in the handout and memorize it! It’s no use memorizing them in order! I’ll randomly select 50 questions from these and give you the test. They’ll all be easy, so no problem, right?”

I looked at the last page of the handout. It said there were 500 questions, and he would pick 50 for the test.

Next semester, when I chose my classes, I promised myself I would ask Ruber for advice on which classes were good before I signed up.

The sight of Marianne, who had been smiling and lively just moments ago, letting out a deep sigh, made me feel a little better.

After class, as always, I walked Marianne to the girls’ dormitory.

At first, I had started walking with her just to listen to the talkative girl, but it had slowly become a habit. When we finished filling in the blanks, we decided to check our answers against each other, and I nodded in agreement.

On my way back to the second-year boys’ dormitory, I couldn’t believe my eyes.

In the distance, someone was running at a fast pace toward a farther direction.

There was clearly a person on their shoulders. I was taken aback and looked in the direction the figure was running from, but the academy was so vast that I couldn’t tell where they had come from.

My hesitation was brief. I started running after them.

I didn’t know why someone was doing this or what circumstances led to it, but there was no way abducting someone under the cover of night could be anything good.

I was fortunate that I had already secretly learned how to walk quietly and hide my body from Professor Wilton Roberts. I hadn’t expected such a need to arise so quickly.

I followed the stranger and jumped over a fence.

For a moment, I was worried about the penalty I might get for being out after hours, but I quickly dismissed the thought.