This Novel is not my Novel

"Senior Reisir. I heard a rumor that you were kicked out of Senior Karvaldr's room last night while holding a cup of a beverage and a plate of cookies. What on earth happened?"

At breakfast the next morning.

As soon as everyone took their seats with their trays of food, Pret brought up the question as if he'd been waiting for the chance.

A rumor? What nonsense...

There were a few witnesses at the time, but...

That was late last night, and it was early morning now, so it was too soon for a rumor to have spread.

Besides, why would Reisir being kicked out of my room even be worth spreading a rumor about?

Therefore, this had to be information Pret had gathered personally by going around.

Unlike me, who had reached that conclusion, Reisir asked back with a bewildered expression.

"That became a rumor...?"

"How else would I know? I was training in dagger techniques with Professor Skati last night, and I attended the martial arts lecture with all of you early this morning. Besides, my dormitory floor is different from you seniors'. Despite all that, I heard the story when I just stopped by the dormitory to wash up, so what could it be if not a rumor?"

His argument was that he had no time to investigate personally, and witnessing the scene directly was even more impossible.

After hearing Pret's words, my conviction, which had been so firm just moments ago, began to waver.

Did something like that really become a rumor? And this quickly? But why...?

Is it because Reisir is the protagonist of this world within the novel, causing his every move to draw attention?

Or, as seen in the "Lobby Backbiting Event" of the 7th chapter and the latter half of the 11th chapter,

is it because this possessed body has a setting attached to it that says, "He is not only frequently the subject of gossip but has also received so much attention it amounts to an invasion of privacy."?

"Ríolíkin, Sveinn. Did you two hear that rumor as well?"

"I... I haven't."

"Me neither..."

While I was considering various possibilities, feeling a mix of bewilderment and absurdity,

Reisir posed the same question to the other two who use the male dormitory and got his answers.

Then, he looked at Pret with a suspicious gaze.

In contrast to me, who had been completely convinced by Pret's self-defense, it seems the original protagonist became even more suspicious after hearing his elaborate excuse.

"This is so unfair. I was just passing by when I overheard something that piqued my interest, so I asked. Anyone would think I've been doing background checks on my seniors."

The successor to the head of the Information Guild, who must have finished his background check on us long ago, pretended to wipe away tears that weren't there.

It was then that Helga joined the conversation.

"Right, you must know because you happened to overhear it somewhere. Stop picking on an innocent junior and just tell us. How did you end up getting kicked out of the young master's room?"

She couldn't have felt sympathy for Pret's comical, rather than pitiful, display.

It seemed she, too, was extremely curious about why I had kicked Reisir out.

Reisir was wary of Pret, so he wouldn't give him any answer.

Knowing that, she had stayed quiet until now, but if the one asking was Helga, it was a different story.

She was Reisir's oldest confidant and the person he considered closest and most familiar.

This protagonist of someone else's novel was bound to spill all sorts of things to his childhood friend.

"Just you dare say a word."

I threatened, glaring at Reisir.

By now. No, for a while now, my dear readers must also have been feeling curious about what happened.

Some of you might have a rough idea but want a more detailed narration.

So, to fulfill my duty as the narrator, let me explain.

The reason Reisir was kicked out of my room was that he burst into laughter the moment I showed him my wink.

And he was the one who pestered me to show him a wink...

To be honest, I was terrible at winking.

After all, it was the first time I'd ever done it in my entire life, including my life as "Imir".

After kicking out the protagonist of someone else's novel, I tried winking in front of the mirror again, and it truly was a ridiculous sight.

Not only was one eye squeezed shut, but the other eye was also on the verge of closing.

My facial muscles tensed up, causing even my nose to scrunch, and for some reason, my innocent lips puckered up.

It looked less like I was winking and more like I had just chugged a bowl of incredibly sour lemon juice.

And most decisively...

It didn't suit the character of this possessed body at all.

It wasn't just a minor shock; I ended up practicing winking in front of the mirror for a good while without even realizing it.

However, that didn't mean I could forgive that crazy wink-maniac for laughing his head off.

And if the fact that I winked and the result was a mess were revealed, it would be even more unforgivable.

"Yeah, yeah. Don't worry. I'll never tell anyone."

Thankfully, Reisir promised he would keep it a secret.

And yet, the thought that I couldn't forgive him didn't fade; it only grew stronger.

It was probably because that grinning face of his was just too detestable.

"Wasn't Reisir kicked out for doing something rude to the young master?"

"As a matter of fact, that is the reason."

"Then why is Young Master Karvaldr more reluctant to reveal the reason than Reisir is?"

"Do you think I'd fall for such a leading question?"

"I guess it won't work."

Fortunately, unlike her childhood friend, Helga was the type who knew how to back off cleanly without being persistent.

Even though the disappointment was clear all over her face.

She didn't try to sound me out or probe any further.

Instead, she brought up something else.

"Oh, right. Have lunch without me. Since it's the first weekend after the vacation, I've made plans to eat lunch and hang out with my friends outside the academy."

Her tone and the content itself were nothing special, but I could read a faint tension in Helga's expression as she spoke.

In Episode 187, she had revealed her intention to gradually drop her pretense, starting by opening up to those she was usually close with.

This must be her declaration that she was going to take that first step.

"Have fun."

The reason Reisir said this and gave his childhood friend a gentle smile was,

I'm sure, to convey the message,

"It'll definitely go well, so don't be too anxious."

"Uhm... Kar. I'm going with Helga, so... would it be okay to end our swordsmanship instruction 30 minutes early, just for today?"

The reason Vigdís cautiously brought this up

was likely because Helga, who knew all the circumstances, had asked Vigdís to be by her side.

Afraid her friends might feel betrayed and turn their backs on her, she didn't have the confidence to face the situation alone.

"Perfect. I was just about to tell you that starting this semester, you no longer need to teach me swordsmanship."

"What...? Why?"

"Have you forgotten? The reason I wanted to learn swordsmanship wasn't because I intended to walk that path, but to analyze a swordsman's movements. Although it is limited to the basic movements, I've achieved that goal, so I've decided it's time to stop. I also need a lot of time for personal training to fully digest what I've learned in the lectures."

"No way... Does that mean you won't be doing group training either?"

The same question that came from Reisir's mouth last night popped out of Vigdís's, with only a slight change in wording.

It seems she got a taste of rapid skill improvement during the joint training last semester.

She must have naturally assumed we'd do it this time as well.

"We might do it again later if it becomes necessary, but for now, I think there's more loss than gain. Reisir has much more to gain by sparring with the professors than with us, and the situation is similar for you."

"Me too...? My skills can't even hold a candle to Reisir's...?"

"I meant that there are many professors who can help you. Since there are many students learning swordsmanship, there's one professor teaching the swordsmanship course for each grade level, for a total of five, right?"

"Ah...?"

"One of them may be in charge of you and training you separately, but there's no rule anywhere saying you can't receive instruction from other professors. When you have free time, seek help from various swordsmanship professors and learn their unique know-how. At this stage, that will be more helpful than sparring with us, who don't know much about swordsmanship."

"Ah...!!"

Only after I laid out a detailed explanation did the doubt on Vigdís's face vanish, replaced by realization.

But even so, I couldn't start my meal.

Because—.

"Then, what should I do? I'm a defense-oriented tank... Training alone isn't much help."

"Since you just need to defend anyway, can't you just go to any professor and ask them to attack you?"

"Hyeok... I-I'm very shy with strangers, so asking for a favor like that is, a bit..."

"Then try speaking to Her Royal Highness the Princess. Ask her to set a condition, just like she did for Reisir, that she'll give an incentive to any professor who spars with you. If you do that, the professors will come looking for you first."

"Hiiiik...!"

Seeing that reaction, it seems unlikely that Ríolíkin will go to Fjodora and ask her to place what is essentially a bounty disguised as an incentive on him.

However, for an idea that came to me in the spur of the moment, it was quite beneficial.

For a tank who must protect himself and us from various attacks, could there be a better training method?

There might be one somewhere, but if so, we can just do them in parallel.

Thus, I decided to just push forward with this Ríolíkin Strengthening Project.

"Is asking Her Royal Highness the Princess difficult too? If so, I will speak to her during dawn training tomorrow."

"Ah, y-you don't have to do that...! On second thought, training alone doesn't seem so bad either..."

"Not only did I go to the trouble of racking my brain to come up with a helpful method for you, but I even offered to step forward and help you myself. Are you telling me you're going to ignore my sincerity?"

"Th-that's not what I, I meant..."

It's not that I don't understand Ríolíkin's feelings.

He was incredibly timid and fearful, belying his large build and grim face.

It would be natural for him to suddenly get scared, thinking about unfamiliar adults coming up to him and abruptly requesting a spar.

But if he enters a Demon Realm, unfamiliar monsters will attack him abruptly. Compared to that, this is nothing, right?

Reaching that conclusion, I pressured Ríolíkin a little more.

"What exactly is 'not' it? If you were going to give up before even starting, why did you ask for my advice?"

"Uhm, th-that's..."

"Will you follow my advice or not? State your intentions clearly."

"I... I will obey..."

"A wise decision."

"Hiiing..."

Ríolíkin's shoulders slumped and he made a pitiful face, but I had no intention of letting him take back his promise to follow my advice.

So I pretended not to see Ríolíkin's state and shifted my gaze to my baby dragon.

When our eyes met, Yor gave me a confident thumbs-up.

Others would probably think Yor was sending me a message saying, "well done."

Since I had just succeeded in drawing out the answer I wanted from Ríolíkin.

But I know.

That thumbs-up just now was a gesture from Yor to let me know she had perfectly carried out the task I had requested of her.

And as for what task I requested of Yor...

Due to length constraints, I'll reveal that in the next episode.

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