After finally returning to my lodging, I paid the ridiculous ten–gold coin fee and collapsed onto the bed with a heavy sigh.
Those impudent little brats had gotten a proper scolding from , so they probably wouldn’t be causing trouble again anyti soon.
"...Ah."
A thought suddenly surfaced, jolting upright.
"What should I do with this?"
I reached for the wooden sword lying against the wall—the one that woman had dropped when she attacked earlier. She’d swung at without warning, misunderstood everything, and then bolted in a panic, leaving this behind.
The sword was surprisingly well-made for sothing carved out of wood. I ran my fingers along the grain, noting the smooth finish and balanced weight. It felt far too heavy to be ordinary. When I tapped the side, I caught the faint ring of tal hidden inside.
"A tal core? In a wooden sword?"
No wonder it packed a punch.
If soone untrained were hit with this, a single strike would be enough to break a bone. I might have been able to dodge it thanks to my training, but an average person would’ve been done for. Just thinking about it made shake my head.
Seriously—who attacks people with sothing like this?
But as I turned the sword in my hands, sothing else caught my attention. A faint, familiar hum beneath the wood.
"...Wait."
I closed my eyes, focusing. That subtle vibration—mana.
"It’s an artifact?"
Artifacts. Objects infused with magic.
Like my wallet, which stored mana to keep things secure, artifacts were crafted to hold magic for practical use. So were for convenience, others for combat, but all were rare and expensive.
Curious, I let a thin stream of mana flow from my fingertips into the wooden sword.
The reaction was imdiate.
A soft blue glow spread along the blade, shimring like moonlight on water. Then, on the hilt, a crest slowly erged—a deer with massive antlers, holding a sword in its mouth.
The sight made my breath catch.
"...A noble’s crest."
Of course.
Noble families used crests like these to mark their possessions, a silent declaration of authority. The craftsmanship, the hidden tal core, the mana-infused design—everything made sense now.
"That woman was a noble."
I tightened my grip on the glowing sword, a wry smile tugging at my lips.
"A noble charging at strangers in the middle of the street... what an uncivilized way to introduce yourself."
The light slowly faded as I withdrew my mana, leaving only the elegant but dangerous artifact in my hands.
Now the question was: what to do with it?
Returning it would an seeking her out... but keeping it might be more trouble than it was worth.
And with just one glance at the crest, I could pretty much guess which family she belonged to.
"The eastern region... right?"
The design was unmistakable—a deer. Families from that part of the Empire, where hunting is practically a tradition, often use deer in their crests.
The east is famous for its endless green mountains and rich natural beauty. A place overflowing with forests, rivers, and wildlife. Tourism thrives there, and it’s said their festivals celebrating the changing seasons are breathtaking.
It’s definitely on my list of places to visit soday.
After all, in any proper fantasy world, places like that almost have to hide ancient ruins or mysterious dungeons. If I went all the way there and found nothing of the sort, I’d honestly be a little disappointed.
With the family crest identified, I could easily return the wooden sword to its rightful owner later. No need to rush.
I twirled the wooden sword in my hands, the faint residual mana still tickling my fingertips.
Keeping it overnight shouldn’t be a problem. If anything, I needed ti to think.
But the more I thought about it, the stranger the whole encounter felt.
Well, what more strange could it be transmigrated into webtoon.
Anyway, I let out a long sigh and flopped back onto the bed.
Considering everything I have to do tomorrow, the smartest thing is to get so proper rest tonight.
With that thought, I stretched, set the sword aside, and let my eyes drift shut.
Sleep ca surprisingly easily.
---
The next day.
Finally, the long-awaited day of enrollnt at the Academy had arrived.
Unless you were one of those overly patriotic types who signed up for military service early, this was the day every noble child in the Empire entered the Academy.
It wasn’t just nobles, either. Princes and princesses from allied kingdoms, heirs of foreign races, and even a handful of commoners with rare talents all gathered here.
In short, today was the Empire’s biggest coming-of-age event—a day when the brightest of every class and bloodline converged on one place. Naturally, there was no way an occasion like this would pass quietly.
I woke before dawn, stretching my stiff limbs as excitent and nerves humd in my chest.
The world I now lived in ca from a romance fantasy webtoon. Normally, that genre leans heavily toward pastel-colored love stories aid at a female audience.
But this one?
It was... different.
Sure, the title and setup looked like the usual sugary romance at first glance. But once you got into it, the story tilted in an unexpected direction. The protagonist was male—unusual enough already—and the plot leaned surprisingly hard into battles and academy politics.
There were no demon lords or apocalyptic villains waiting to end the world, but plenty of dangerous incidents—duels, conspiracies, turf wars between noble factions.
How should I put it?
It was technically a romance fantasy, but it never felt like one.
Instead of endless heart-fluttering monts, it played more like a coming-of-age adventure with a dash of action and strategy. The romance between the male lead, Edmond, and Elena was there, yes—but it often took a back seat to swordsmanship training, magical experints, and student rivalries.
Looking back now, I think the author deliberately tried to mix genres: growth, action, politics, romance—anything to keep readers hooked.
And to be fair, it worked.
That mishmash of tones was exactly what drew in when I first started reading.
If only the story hadn’t derailed into a full-blown harem by the end, it would’ve been perfect for my taste.
I sighed, shaking off the thought.
No use brooding over the webtoon’s ending now.
After all, I was living inside it. And today... today was the real beginning.
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