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

Ch 140



The buildings in the city of Sieron were mostly three-story structures.

The figure ran across the rooftops, seemingly unaware that anyone might be chasing them. I couldn’t help but wonder how confident and successful the person must have been in abducting someone so openly.

The person on the back of the masked figure was not resisting much. Their head was covered with a sack, and their hands were tied behind their back.

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t identify anyone within the academy who would be abducted in such a way.

Prince Luber? But his physique was different, and I dismissed the thought.

If it were him being kidnapped, he wouldn’t remain so calm. I felt relieved, only to quickly feel guilty and shake the thought off.

I ran down the path beneath the roof.

The white and red moons cast confusing shadows. The sounds of gossip from nearby houses, where the lights had not yet gone out, brushed past my ears.

I ran, intending to follow quietly, using the methods Professor Wilton Roberts had taught me. I had to occasionally stop, covering my mouth to catch my breath.

Every now and then, the figure would stop, standing tall like a spire, and look around. Whenever this happened, I pressed myself against the wall, hiding in the shadows so as not to be spotted.

I passed five streets, and my body grew cold.

When I began to worry that I might have gone too far, the figure suddenly opened a window in a building that jutted out and swiftly entered.

I looked around to see if there was any sign of a suspicious gathering. A drunkard walked out of the building, humming a song.

No matter how I looked at it, it seemed like an ordinary inn. I stood in front of it for a moment, lost in thought.

I couldn’t make the foolish move of entering the inn at this hour with my childlike appearance. I reached out and touched the wall.

Climbing up the exterior of the building was my first time since coming to this land, but my arms and legs were strong enough, so it wasn’t difficult.

When I was keeping my distance, I didn’t worry much, but as I got closer to the figure, I grew anxious about being spotted and causing a fight.

I crawled up to the roof of the inn and planted my feet on a column. I figured that being able to observe from above, rather than climbing up from below, would let me more subtly keep an eye on the situation.

Inside the half-open window, I saw the figure I was following.

The abducted person, thrown onto the bed, was slowly trying to sit up. They didn’t seem to be seriously hurt.

The masked figure pushed their shoulder, laying them back down.

The grip was rough, but it didn’t seem to cause any real harm to the person. Was this someone they knew? I held my breath and observed, but neither of them said anything. It was a puzzling moment.

The masked figure brought their lips close to the sack and whispered something. The abducted person twisted and tried to escape.

The figure growled low from deep within their throat. They grabbed the abductee by the collar and started unbuttoning their clothes. At that moment, I realized who the figure was.

Without hesitation, I opened the window and entered, gripping my sword firmly in my right hand.

“Stop it, Senior. What is this outrageous behavior?”

It was Walter Orgen, that boy.

I hadn’t recognized him because of the black mask, but I knew it was him when I noticed how he used his right and left arms differently. A sigh escaped me. Wasn’t he supposed to have a partner? And yet, here he was, abducting someone and doing this.

Walter, who had been straddling the abducted person, turned slowly to look at me.

The person who had been struggling under the masked figure suddenly froze. Realizing a new person had appeared, they seemed frightened and raised their voice.

“There’s no need to worry. I’ll help you.”

“No, damn it, ah. No, it’s not like that.”

“If you don’t move now, I will strike. Does Professor Agrigent know that you are this kind of person? You’ve spoken so passionately about your admiration for him.”

“Junior, that’s…”

Though Walter Orgen was known for his skill, I was confident he couldn’t attack me in real combat.

I had come to Sieron with the resolve to commit my first murder. Even though I was relieved to have encountered someone I knew, I couldn’t shake the feeling of uncertainty, so I didn’t lower my sword.

Walter, with both hands raised above his shoulders in a surrendering posture, hesitated as he stepped down from the bed.

I cautiously approached the bed, keeping my sword aimed at his neck as he tried to stop me.

Walter covered his face with both hands, gritted his teeth, muttered curses, and then removed the black mask. With a familiar gesture, he untied his hair and brushed it out with his fingers.

Confronted by his fierce presence, I quietly grabbed the shoulder of the abducted person and pulled them behind me.

The person, silent and motionless, was a man. Even though Walter was known to have same-sex preferences, I didn’t think he would be the kind of scoundrel to kidnap anyone just to do such things, which made me furrow my brow.

I silently untied the man’s wrist.

“Junior, would you at least listen to me for a moment?”

“I have no intention of listening.”

“I’m saying this because I think it would be best if you didn’t harm this person.”

“What have you done? Did you use drugs or something?”

“No, no, no… damn it, I know I look like I can’t be trusted right now.”

Who on earth had he brought with him that made him so nervous?

As I became more confused, I grabbed the knot of the sack that covered the man’s face. Just then, the man, who had been silent until now, grabbed my wrist with his chin.

“Don’t worry. I’m trying to help you.”

The man didn’t loosen his grip on my wrist. But his strength was weak, and it was obvious he wasn’t a fighter, which made me even more worried.

“…It’s alright. I’ll deal with him.”

The man shook his head. The more I reassured him, the more desperately he shook his head, his thin fingers trembling as I watched. That’s when I realized something I hadn’t wanted to know. Could it be…?

I looked at Walter. I looked at the man with the sack over his head. I looked back at Walter.

And then… I looked at the man with the sack again.

As I examined him more closely, his frame seemed familiar. My mouth fell open.

“…Calypse… Professor?”

The man with the sack on his head, Calypse, covered it with his thin hands to hide his face.

Seeing his slender shoulders huddled together like that, I was stunned. I tried to steady my hand, which had loosened from the sword, but Walter quietly placed the mask he had been holding onto a side table.

His pale and delicate face turned beet red from his forehead to the back of his neck.

“…First, let’s put away the sword, Junior.”

“…”

I couldn’t understand anything. What kind of strange game was this?

I hesitated but finally sheathed my sword.

For some reason, the memory of that day, already long past lunch, came rushing back. I should have jumped in through that gap when they were at it. It would have been less embarrassing and awkward than it was now.

“Are you saying I came all the way here in the middle of the night to disturb your lovers’ bed?”

“…Both of you, go back to the Academy.”

While I was standing there, unable to decide what to do, a hoarse voice came from the sack. It was unmistakably the voice of Calypse Agrigent.

If I had heard this voice outside the window even once, I would have hesitated twice before charging in. Somehow, I felt wronged.

“No, but—”

“I’ll rest here for a while.”

I stood there, dumbfounded, watching Calypse lean against the head of the bed.

I couldn’t understand why he still hadn’t removed the sack from his head. I thought it might be for the same reason Walter hadn’t looked me in the eye and was covering his face with his hands, but that sack looked too ridiculous for such a reason.

“…Could it be, an agreed-upon… situation?”

“Are you out of your mind?”

Calypse’s sharp response was a small consolation.

Walter didn’t refuse when he grabbed my wrist and pulled me away.

There were three of us in the room, and I was worried it would seem suspicious that we all entered through the window and were now leaving through the door.

But that wasn’t the only thing I had to worry about right now.

Walter, who had been groaning for a while, finally spoke.

“Why did you follow me?”

“Because a vicious man was running off with someone in the dead of night.”

“…Right, I did that… Why did you have to see that…?”

“I’m curious about that too.”

Apparently, it seemed clear to Walter that I wasn’t at fault, so he didn’t add anything further.

We slowly made our way down the stairs to the first floor. During this time, Walter tightly held onto my wrist, not letting go.

Did he think I would try to run away? I didn’t have the energy for that. When I shook off his grip, he awkwardly released my wrist.

Now, Walter didn’t seem like the friendly and cheerful boy he had been. A young man, barely in his twenties, who had kidnapped his lover and thrown them onto the bed—this was something even a beast wouldn’t do.

“I know you won’t be able to sleep if you go in now. Let’s talk for a bit.”

“Alright.”

The first floor of the inn, like many others, had a small restaurant. Some people were gathered, chatting and laughing, enjoying a late-night snack in a peaceful atmosphere. It was a relief that I had left the black mask behind.

I rubbed my eyes with my cold, numbing hand to steady my blurry vision.

Not going too far, I pulled out a chair at an empty table. Soon, a waiter rushed over to take our order. Walter, with a tired voice, asked the waiter:

“Do you have anything suitable for a kid to eat?”

“We only have orange juice. How about a meat pie?”

“Warm food.”

“Hmm, how about quince tea? Would that be okay?”

The waiter, who looked about Walter’s age, glanced at me, and I nodded in agreement.

“Yes.”

“Then please give this friend quince tea, and I’ll have a beer.”

“No, please give him quince tea and me orange juice.”

“Huh?”

“Aren’t you supposed to be drinking alcohol right now?”

“…Sorry. Then, please bring it like that.”

“Okay.”

The waiter smiled and left. Though he tried to be polite, it wasn’t easy. A reprimand almost slipped out, but it was deserved.

Neither Walter nor I spoke for a while. Or rather, neither of us could speak.

Soon, the drinks and food arrived.

The steaming meat pie looked appealing, but I couldn’t bring myself to touch it. I had no appetite.

I sipped the sweet tea and looked at Walter. The orange juice cup in his large hand was trembling.

Seeing that made me sigh involuntarily. I quickly finished my quince tea.


Tip: You can use left, right, A and D keyboard keys to browse between chapters.