This Novel is not my Novel

"Shall we go now? To the lecture hall."

Reisir gently pushed my back with his palm, urging me on.

The next lecture was 'Botany,' taught by Djúpr, and the assigned lecture hall was quite a ways from here.

We had wasted a considerable amount of time after the preliminary bell, so we needed to hurry.

Still, we weren't so pressed for time that we had to run.

Just by walking quickly with long strides, we were able to enter the lecture hall without being late.

"You're here? You were taking so long, I was worried you'd be late."

The first to greet us was Ríolíkin.

In a situation where it was trendy to declare a self-imposed absence from class to a professor's face and storm out, I didn't understand why he was worried about something as trivial as being late.

Looks like he wants to know why we were late...

Explaining it wouldn't fit Karvaldr's character, and besides, I couldn't bring myself to say we were late because we had been bickering over who would pay for the information we purchased from Pret, and when.

So I shot Ríolíkin a glance with an expression that said, "So what?" and then sat down without replying.

"Did you have a good talk?"

It seemed Ríolíkin wasn't the only one curious about our conversation, as Vigdís was the one who asked this time.

However, she asked the original protagonist, not me.

"Not... good, but we talked, anyway."

"Yes? What does that mean?"

"It means exactly what it sounds like."

"Yes...?"

"More importantly, Vigdís. Why are you alone?"

Ríolíkin and Vigdís weren't the only ones who had arrived at the lecture hall before us.

Fjodora, Lissy, and Sveinn were also seated.

And yet, the reason Reisir said that was...

It must be a question of why Helga isn't here.

Reisir had asked Vigdís to stay with Helga as much as possible.

Because of that damned villain.

If Vigdís and Helga's timetables didn't overlap and they had to attend lectures in different places, it couldn't be helped, but this Botany lecture was attended by all members of the Special Class for Awakened Ones, so there was no reason for Vigdís and Helga to be apart.

What's more, at this very moment.

The chime signaling the start of the lecture rang out.

Helga not being here was even stranger.

For that reason, just as Reisir's face hardened and grew serious,

"Helga will be coming with Professor Djúpr. We ran into them by chance as we were leaving the campus cafeteria after our meal, and the professor said he wanted to have a conversation with just the two of them..."

These words flowed from Vigdís's mouth.

Reisir's face relaxed a little at the fact that Helga wasn't alone, but he didn't seem completely relieved.

Because that villain had scorned Helga's family.

He wouldn't hold his tongue just because he's in front of Djúpr...

Was it only after seeing that Reisir's face still looked serious despite her explanation that she recognized the problem?

Vigdís showed bewilderment on her face and watched Reisir's mood.

"Perhaps... did I do something wrong...?"

"...No. If she's with Lord Djúpr, it should be fine."

"Right? That's what Helga said, too."

Reisir spoke, trying hard to shake off his worry, and Vigdís took his words literally and was relieved.

But I couldn't.

The world within this novel I possessed had been restarted, but it was still moving according to the original author's intentions.

In terms of novel progression, a problem will definitely erupt.

Helga's real personality beneath the pretense was that of a tomboy, but not just anyone could become the top student in the grade by feigning innocence.

Not only did one have to be smart, but diligence also had to back it up.

And she had inherited her diligent nature from her father, Djúpr.

Seeing as this diligent father and daughter had yet to show themselves in the lecture hall, I had to assume there was no possibility that my prediction was wrong.

And Reisir, who knew their diligence well, was the same.

Judging by the anxiety I could sense from the way he kept looking at the clock, it seemed he had ultimately failed to shake off his worry.

"Is Ms. Helga being threatened by someone?"

The one who had just spoken was Fjodora.

Since Reisir had shown concern for Helga's safety and well-being and said it would be fine if she was with Djúpr, it was only natural for such a question to arise.

"...Yes, it is a threat. A clear one."

For a moment, Reisir hesitated with an expression that asked whether he should be saying this, but he soon nodded in affirmation.

Seeing this, Fjodora furrowed her brow and opened her mouth, but—

"Who dares to do this to a student in this humble one's class—"

The lecture hall door burst open, cutting her off.

The one who thus interrupted the princess and captured everyone's attention was none other than Helga.

However, including Reisir, who had been anxiously waiting for her, no one in this room could show gladness or feel relieved.

Because the following words flowed from Helga's mouth.

"My dad collapsed..."

Since the professor who was supposed to conduct the lecture had collapsed, the cancellation of class was a foregone conclusion.

But no one left the lecture hall.

The only person who stood up from their seat was Reisir, and even that wasn't to leave this place.

It was to support the precariously standing Helga, whose eyes were red, and bring her inside.

"To threaten a student's safety and attack a professor within the Academy under Direct Imperial Control! Whose deed is this?"

A completely mistaken Fjodora furiously demanded the culprit's identity from Helga.

No matter how much of a scholar Djúpr was, and despite being an early-story companion with relatively weak combat power from a time before power inflation, he wasn't so weak that he would collapse from an attack by a mere student.

In the first place, the villain courting Helga had no reason to attack her father, Djúpr.

If he did, the rumor he had worked so hard to spread and the scheme using it would all become useless.

Djúpr's collapse was probably not from a physical attack, but from psychological damage.

"It wasn't an attack. But... that trashy bastard...!"

When she revealed that her father had collapsed, she used her original speech pattern, so I had guessed as much.

Even while answering the princess's question, Helga couldn't hold back her rage.

She somehow managed to use honorific speech, but she suddenly clenched her fist tightly and slammed it down on the desk with a 'Bang!'

This wasn't a matter of whether she had refinement or not.

And yet, instead of making an issue of it and pointing out her rudeness, Fjodora quietly closed her mouth and turned her gaze toward Reisir.

It seemed Helga was not in a state to have a calm conversation right now.

She was likely demanding an explanation of the situation from Reisir, who seemed to know about the one threatening her.

"During lunchtime two days ago, I witnessed a male student confessing to Helga. But that male student's attitude..."

Even though he must have been extremely concerned about how his guardian had ended up collapsing, perhaps because he thought he couldn't allow himself to be swept up in emotion as well, Reisir somehow held on to his thread of sanity and calmly explained what he had seen and heard that day.

Perhaps he judged that mentioning how the villain named 'Drembi' had brought me up would obscure the point of the argument.

He did speak while omitting that fact.

He recounted without omission how that fellow had acted as if Helga were an object, disregarding her feelings and, of course, insulting her family.

"A lowly bastard who knows no honor...!"

He hadn't even mentioned the rumor yet, but Fjodora was already incensed and raised her voice.

Did seeing that give her hope?

Helga, who had been clenching her teeth and swallowing her anger with her trembling hands still balled into fists, carefully parted her lips.

"Perhaps... can you help me...?"

"That is simple enough."

"Really?!"

I could assure you, this problem couldn't be solved even with the power Fjodora possessed.

Because in a novel, solving a heroine's problems was the protagonist's share.

If there was an exception, it would be the heroine in a predicament growing and overcoming it herself, but the one in a predicament now was Helga, not Fjodora.

"If we create a regulation under the pretext that Special Class students must focus on training and prohibit romance, he'll have no choice but to give up."

Indeed, the solution Fjodora offered in a clear tone was complete nonsense.

It was a moment that made her character setting of having a bright mind seem pointless.

"Um... Your Royal Highness the Princess...? If such a regulation is made, what happens to my engagement with Kar...?"

"If we say that engaged couples are exempt, then making such a regulation would be useless. It seems that fellow's final goal is to marry Helga."

Vigdís opened her mouth, unable to hide her troubled expression.

I added my own words while hiding how flabbergasted I felt.

"Then that will not do..."

Of course it wouldn't.

If such a regulation were made, 'Let's date!' would simply change to 'Let's get engaged!' and only result in the problem becoming bigger.

"If that fellow had caused you or your father direct harm, I could have at least issued a restraining order... You said it wasn't an attack, right? What exactly happened that made Professor Djúpr collapse?"

"My father and I were talking, just the two of us, when that fellow came over... He told my father to go to his parents, kneel, and beg them to permit him and me to date with the premise of engagement... He said that for a baronial family with no redeeming qualities to become in-laws with a great family like his, that was the least they should do... My father and I don't even want that damned thing, yet he's the one who wants it..."

In reality, Fjodora was basically saying that unless the villain physically attacked the Vitnir father and daughter, she couldn't help.

But Helga was not in a state to comprehend the meaning of those words.

Trembling with humiliation, she let out a stream of complaints as if she were tattling.

"And he also said that the reason my father didn't remarry was because our family is unremarkable. My father just loved my mother very much... He asked whether it wasn't because no one wanted to marry into our family, and said that if he didn't want to see his daughter live alone for her entire life, he'd better do as he said... He also commented that while my face is pretty, how long did I think that would last... And what's more..."

"And what's more...?"

"N-no. This is too... It's so disgusting and filthy that I don't even want to say it, and I hate even recalling it..."

Helga hurriedly finished speaking and shut her eyes tightly.

Seeing her even grind her teeth, it didn't seem like she couldn't speak because she was putting on a pretense.

It was certain that even if she dropped her pretense, she had heard something so humiliating that she couldn't bring herself to say it.

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