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

Leaving Boulder and Douglas behind, I headed to the stables as promised to the children.

I had stopped arm wrestling with Benjamin.

Instead, I got used to holding hands with him as we walked side by side. It was endearing how he would occasionally squeeze my hand with unnecessary force, and a sharp “tsk” from me would make him stop immediately.

It reminded me of raising a large, loyal dog.

In the Outer Martial World, there was a sect called *Namman Beast Palace* that specialized in taming all sorts of animals. They mimicked the movements of beasts in their martial arts and shared remarkable bonds with these creatures. I recalled them visiting the Martial Alliance with tigers, peacocks, elephants, and other exotic animals, demanding to be treated as honored guests.

At that time, I envied the black tiger the palace master brought along. Now, I thought they must have endured significant hardships.

If dealing with a human like Benjamin could be this demanding, managing real beasts must have been even more so.

Occasionally, I handed Benjamin a raw egg to hold instead of my hand.

At first, he broke every egg he touched, but after I showed him how to toss and catch it skillfully, he managed to follow suit.

Watching us, Shade clapped and joked that we should join a circus, eventually joining in. After class, we often sat in a circle at the stables, playing with the eggs.

Benjamin would sometimes march around the stable, holding a carrot like a sacred offering, carefully selecting a horse willing to accept it.

Perhaps because of this, a horse nudged Benjamin’s shoulder with its muzzle during *Praising Noble Steeds* class on Wednesday.

It was a black stallion that had once allowed Benjamin to saddle it. Despite being a beast that couldn’t speak, its sighs and nickering as Benjamin timidly offered a carrot were so human-like.

Benjamin named the stallion *Victor* and talked about it all day long.

He eagerly described the horse’s breathing when it approached, how it had surely opened its heart to him, and so on. Instead of trying to calm his excitement, I simply nodded along.

By Thursday’s javelin-throwing class, I had gotten the hang of it and could hit the 5-meter target consistently.

Professor Walton Roberts permitted me to use the 10-meter target, advising me again on how to distribute strength in my grip.

—

On the third Friday of each month, the camping class involved an alchemy experiment.

We used the materials we had collected during last week’s field trip to the plains.

The month’s goal was to harvest as many herbs as possible, identify what could be made from them, and complete the preparation process.

Thanks to Damian and Jenny, who had preselected the potions we’d work on, all I had to do was follow their instructions: grind, crush, slice, and mix the ingredients in order.

I carefully reviewed the recipe they transcribed.

Previously, I avoided meddling with delicate materials, fearing I might ruin them. But not this time.

Seeing Benjamin struggle daily to control his strength made me uneasy about delegating all the work to the children while I idled.

When I finally got hands-on, I found it wasn’t so difficult after all. I sterilized glass jars by boiling them.

*Mindolan blossoms* were used to treat unusual bleeding but were also a base ingredient for facial and hand creams.

Since I’d spent my second life seeing people meticulously apply such creams and powders, it wasn’t unfamiliar to me.

When used as medicine, the whole petals were utilized, but for cosmetics, their juice was extracted. The instructions stated that decorative petals were placed in the jar to help identify the ingredients for allergy-prone users.

Thus, I took charge of cutting the petals into the prescribed shapes and sizes and placing them into the sterilized jars.

The petals were small and delicate, easily torn even with a knife slightly longer than a finger.

Cedric assured me that the material wasn’t affected by aura or mana, so I used a fine thread of aura to handle the task.

My knife skills impressed Damian, who enthusiastically requested a variety of shapes—flowers, leaves, stars, cats, birds, and so on.

While flowers and stars were easily recognized, the children mistook my cats and birds for lions and dragons, which made me laugh.

Scolded by Cedric for fooling around, we focused back on potion-making.

Fortunately, we finished on time.

Our group submitted a lotion made from *Mindolan blossoms* and a stomach remedy brewed from *Naksedeng grass* and *Yulsom mushrooms*.

Some groups took longer, unable to leave even after class ended. Jenny beamed with pride at this.

“I deliberately avoided overly complicated recipes from the start. The harder ones take too long and are prone to mistakes.”

“Indeed.”

“So, what now, Mikael? Shall we shop for the next camping trip together?”

“I have an appointment, so I’ll head out first.”

Before I could reply to Jenny, Marianne stood abruptly, packing her bag.

Though there was still some cleanup to do, it wasn’t critical for her to stay. Seeing her rush off, I didn’t stop her but bid her goodbye.

It felt unusual for her to leave so suddenly.

But Jenny nodded knowingly, watching Marianne leave.

“Marianne has a prior engagement with Sir Gletin Tenor today.”

“Gletin? You mean…”

“Yes, the one recently betrothed to her.”

Shade, who had also finished the potion mixing on time by picking an easy recipe like us, came over to call me but overheard the conversation.

He slammed his hand on the desk with such force that a beaker nearly fell over, which I quickly caught and set upright. A mischievous grin spread across Shade’s boyish face.

“Then shall we go check on Marianne?”

“Huh? But… would that really be okay?”

“Why not? Do you know where she’s going?”

“I heard she’s going to the botanical garden.”

“Well, we could just happen to be visiting the botanical garden ourselves. It’s market day today, so it’s perfectly reasonable for us to go out together. Don’t you think?”

Damian and Ivan looked reluctant.

I, too, was curious about Marianne’s fiancé, but the thought of secretly tailing her didn’t sit well with me, so I hesitated to reply.

As the kids wavered, Shade clapped his hands on the table with a *bang bang.*

He also caught a falling chalice and set it back upright.

“Then let’s settle this with a vote. Everyone close your eyes, and those in favor of going, raise your hands.”

“…”

With five hands raised, it was unanimous. All of us were now heading to the Sioren National Botanical Garden.

I was well aware that the Sioren Empire was as vast as the Central Plains, but I couldn’t help being astonished every time I encountered an exceptionally large building.

This national botanical garden, much like the Sioren Academy, was particularly enormous.

The sun was setting, casting a glow over the multiple glass greenhouses, which sparkled as they scattered light in all directions.

As I squinted against the glare to take in the sight, Jenny and Shade returned with tickets and handed them out to everyone.

When I struggled to fasten the paper wristband serving as an entry pass, Ivan stepped in to help me.

The entrance to the garden was wide enough for eight carriages to pass through at once. The right side served as the entrance, and the left as the exit.

The flow of people was strictly one-way, so even with the crowd, there was little congestion.

“With so many people here, how are we supposed to find Marianne?”

“Let’s see. The national botanical garden has several greenhouses for strolling, but only a few designated rest areas. We’ll visit two greenhouses first, then head to the restaurant district here. We might run into her while she’s dining. If not, then we’ll check this spot next.”

Shade pulled out a small map he had apparently brought with him and pointed to a specific location. His excitement was evident, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.

Ivan, wearing a serious expression, nodded thoughtfully and responded immediately.

“The Café Terrace in the Garden of Flowers. Excellent idea.”

“How do you know that?”

“It’s famous for its magical lighting fixtures. The view after sunset is said to be stunning—a must-see spot for dates.”

“Wow… I’ve always wanted to go, but I didn’t think it’d be with this group.”

Jenny burst into laughter as she took the map from Shade.

When I asked if it was her first time here, she replied that the steep admission fee made it impractical to visit during exam season. Judging by her reaction, it seemed Shade had covered the entry fees for everyone.

With ample resources, his generosity matched. I decided to lean on my parents’ goodwill as well.

“It’s nice to come together. I’ll take care of dinner, Jenny, so let’s pick a good spot.”

“What? Really? You don’t have to go that far.”

“I trust you’d know better than I would about good places to eat here.”

The others quickly agreed with my suggestion. We decided to explore the greenhouses first, then have dinner before looking for Marianne.

Though I had come along somewhat reluctantly, the rich scent of foliage that hit me the moment we entered was immensely satisfying.

Jenny, poring over the restaurant list on the back of the map, consulted Damian about the menu options.

Damian explained the ingredients and preparation of each dish in a calm and precise manner, their easy rapport charming to witness.

The interior of the first glass dome was cool.

It housed an array of evergreens. Each tree was accompanied by a rectangular plaque detailing its name, scientific classification, appearance, and habitat.

Being able to compare the real trees with their descriptions made it easy to understand and enjoy.

Even before completing a full circuit, I knew I would grow quite fond of this space.