This Novel is not my Novel

Where should I hide the treasure note I got this time...?

I could not entrust every note to Yor.

Even thin sheets of paper gained bulk when several were layered together, so as the number of notes increased, it would become obvious that something was wedged between the wish-granting orb and her palm.

Even aside from that, hiding all the treasure notes in one place was far too risky.

One mistake, and all the treasure notes I worked so hard to collect could be stolen at once.

If I entrusted them all to Yor and something like that happened, my baby dragon would feel terribly sorry toward me and sink into self-reproach.

Therefore, it would be better to hide any treasure notes I found from now on somewhere on my own body.

Not all together in one place, but distributed in as many different locations as possible.

"My pockets... would be too obvious, wouldn't they?"

"Meow meow."

"I thought so...."

In various works of fiction, people usually hid notes in their socks or underwear in situations like this.

But this was merely training, and I did not want to do anything so vulgar.

It was not the sort of thing Karvaldr would do either.

There is an opening at the sleeves, so it would fall straight out as soon as I lowered my arms.

The training uniform I was currently wearing consisted of only three elements: a shirt, trousers, and boots.

As a result, there were very few places where I could hide a note.

If I had even been wearing a belt, I could have slipped it behind that.

Wait. I don't have a belt, but....

The person who had designed this training uniform appeared to have been obsessed with making the wearer's legs look longer.

That much was clear from the combination of thigh-high boots and high-waisted trousers that covered the lower abdomen.

The reason I brought this up was to explain that the broad upper band of the close-fitting trousers was well suited for slipping a note inside.

It might also work to tuck one between the boot and my thigh. That much could hardly be considered vulgar....

First, I slipped the note marked "Carrot" against my side, then moved my arms around in various directions.

Thanks to the shirt garters, the shirt remained firmly secured no matter how much I moved my arms. Not only did the hem stay tucked into my trousers, it did not even shift.

Therefore, the note tucked against my side did not get pulled out along with the shirt either.

While I deliberated over where to hide the treasure note, Yor had already buried the empty capsule in the ground and even covered it with fallen leaves to conceal it, allowing us to resume our search immediately.

Not long afterward—

"Ah, Karv?!"

—we encountered Vigdís.

The moment she spotted me, she reflexively drew her sword and assumed a guarded stance.

However, when she saw my bag stuffed full of "dud" capsules, she soon relaxed and looked pleased to see me.

Apparently, she had mistaken them for a large number of treasures.

From that sequence of changes in her attitude, I could draw the conclusion that Vigdís possessed treasure capsules, but fewer than five.

She must have become wary the moment she saw me because she was afraid I would take the capsules she had, only to react that way after seeing my bulging bag.

Because she thinks I have no reason to take hers and, if things go well, she might receive some of mine or steal them from me.

Sure enough, the following words came from Vigdís.

"You must be extremely lucky, Karv. Most of the capsules I found were 'duds,' so I've only managed to find two treasure capsules...."

Apparently, she had discarded the capsules containing "duds" as soon as she opened them and kept only the ones containing "treasures."

That behavior alone was astonishingly naive, yet she had even volunteered the exact number of treasures she had found.

Well, in her own way, she probably confessed honestly because she thought I might help her....

Despite her sharp, capable appearance, she was remarkably impractical.

The pity of it made me look at her with sympathy without realizing it.

However, that gaze seemed to cause yet another misunderstanding.

"At this rate, I don't think I'll be able to collect five treasures before time runs out.... If you happen to have any to spare, could you share one with me? Even just one...."

Vigdís pleaded earnestly with a pitiful expression.

Unfortunately, however, I was equally short on secured treasures.

"That would go against the purpose of the training, so I cannot. Do you think the professor forbade us from putting capsules in our Inventories and told us we were allowed to take what others had found for no reason?"

"Ah! That is true. Then...."

"If you want what is inside my bag, naturally, you should defeat me in battle."

As I spoke, I drew my whip and attempted to provoke her into fighting.

I saw Vigdís tighten her grip on her sword once more, but she could not bring herself to attack me easily.

The reason was....

Fighting two against one must be too much of a burden for her.

Vigdís's hesitant gaze was directed at Yor.

With her 【Ironblood Body】 skill, she would not suffer much damage even if Yor's attacks struck her.

However, Yor was not limited to shaping Ether into arrows and firing them. She could also form it into hands and seize Vigdís by the ankles, restricting her movements.

And although Vigdís has never experienced Yor's 【Dragon Fear】 herself, she has seen several times that Yor possesses an ability capable of suppressing another person's mind.

She might reasonably worry that fighting Yor and me would merely waste valuable time and wonder whether it would be better to focus on the treasure hunt instead.

In that case.

"Do not worry. Yor will not intervene. I will fight you alone."

"Truly?!"

"I will tell you this in advance in case you misunderstand, but this is not a decision made out of consideration for you. If I rely too heavily on Yor, my own growth will stagnate. Unless my opponent is so overwhelmingly superior that I could never defeat them alone, I merely judged that fighting by myself would be better for my own development."

"Pfft...! I see. Understood."

The conflict on Vigdís's face vanished in an instant, replaced by a relieved smile.

She had mistaken what I had just said for a tsundere remark.

She was probably under the misconception that, while remaining within the purpose of the training, I was making an effort to accommodate her.

In truth, I merely rambled on deliberately to make her lower her guard.

Even so, this was... embarrassing.

It had been an action carried out through thorough calculation. No, perhaps that was precisely why it filled me with even more self-loathing.

I could not deny the reality that a tsundere line had just come out of my mouth.

After going this far, I absolutely have to take Vigdís's treasure notes. If I fail, I really will have become a tsundere....

That thought filled me with self-loathing in its own way.

Repeating the words do your best in my head, I activated 【Encouragement】 while telling her to continue the battle.

"A-Anyway.... Enough pointless chatter. Hurry up and attack."

"Yes!"

If Reisir had been here, he would have laughed for quite some time at my burning face.

Fortunately, Vigdís did not.

I was extremely grateful that she immediately adopted a serious expression and entered combat.

Though my conscience ached greatly at the fact that I had deceived such a kind and innocent person.

Even so, I do not want to spend a full four hours wearing a childish headband and being called something humiliating like Cool Guy.

It could not be helped. Besides, I had not lied.

While rationalizing my actions in that manner, I activated 【Exhortation】.

My eyes calmly observed Vigdís charging toward me, while my mind sank into the thoughts required to use 【Character Analysis】.

Vigdís probably thinks I am letting my guard down because I intend to subtly lose and hand over a treasure capsule to her. But that does not mean she will swing her sword carelessly. Her attitude toward swordsmanship is always serious.

Therefore, I could not afford to underestimate her.

The problem was that the whip was an excessively loud weapon because it generated sonic booms.

Even the sound itself was highly distinctive.

If the characteristic crack of a whip tearing through the air rang out, those weaker than me would flee as far away as possible, while those confident they could defeat me would come looking for the treasures I possessed.

Pret would probably only come to watch the fight, so he is not a concern. Fjodora worries me somewhat. But the greatest problem is still....

The original protagonist, Reisir.

Even if Yor and I joined forces, we could never defeat him.

We would not be able to escape either.

If I managed to take Vigdís's capsules and quickly remove and hide the notes afterward, perhaps I could shake him off by claiming that I was not carrying the treasure capsules and had hidden them somewhere else.

Let us not take an unnecessary risk.

After a brief internal conflict, I put the whip back into my Inventory and drew a dagger in each hand.

I could fight without the whip at first, then take it out again if things seemed impossible.

I have also thought of a way to take advantage of Vigdís's lowered guard.

Vigdís briefly looked puzzled when I suddenly put away my main weapon, but soon returned to her original expression.

Then again, she was probably under the misconception that I intended to go easy on her.

Perhaps she dismissed it as nothing important, assuming that I simply wanted to practice close combat.

Once the distance between us had narrowed sufficiently, Vigdís swung her sword along a straightforward trajectory.

I crossed the two daggers to block the attack, then put strength into both arms and knocked her sword away as though shoving it back.

It seems I have the advantage in strength. Very slightly....

The thought that this was fortunate crossed my mind, but bitterness filled my mouth.

In Chapter 140, while we were heading toward the gate transit facility after the closing ceremony, Vigdís had revealed that her Strength stat was 40.

Therefore, I had expected that by using 【Encouragement】 to enhance the effect of 【Exhortation】 and applying the two keywords "my possessed body" and "my existence," I would secure a clear advantage in strength.

But based on what I just felt, the difference was not that great.

My Strength had risen by only a single point during the vacation.

Meanwhile, Vigdís's Strength stat appeared to have risen by approximately five points over the same period.

That means, if we compare our unmodified Strength stats without buffs.... No. I should not think any more deeply about that right now. I am in the middle of a battle. I need to concentrate.

Forcing away the thoughts that had surfaced in my mind of their own accord, I focused on evading or deflecting Vigdís's attacks.

Whenever our weapons collided, the thought of using 【Exaltation】 also occurred to me.

But I deliberately ignored it.

☆The next page contains images of the male and female characters' school uniforms and training uniforms. :)

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