This Novel is not my Novel

"It seems everyone has been considerably shaken."

The person who opened the new chapter with that line was Fjodora.

After the villain brothers had been forcibly silenced, most of the others merely stood there with dazed expressions, looking as though they had only half returned to their senses.

That was how shocking the brothers' words must have been.

Helga naturally looked the worst of them all.

Her face was deathly pale, her expression a mixture of anger and terror, and her entire body was trembling.

She nearly had a highly acidic liquid capable of melting even an Ether barrier thrown over her.... Of course she would react like that.

Her father Dyuf's expression was icy.

At first, he had been as appalled and stunned as everyone else.

But the moment he heard that the liquid the acid villain had thrown at me was originally intended for his daughter, he seemed to snap back to his senses.

He looked as though he was barely restraining the urge to tighten the tree trunks binding the villain brothers and crush their bodies on the spot.

Was it because I, not Helga, had been the actual target of the acid attack?

Perhaps he had decided that the right to judge and punish the criminals belonged to the Austri ducal family and that he could not disregard that and take matters into his own hands.

Or perhaps his gentle nature and reason as a scholar were preventing him from harming another person.

Either way... if that liquid had actually struck Helga, he never would have been able to restrain himself. He would have tried to kill the villain brothers.

This was fortunate in more ways than one.

Helga had escaped such an attack, and Dyuf would not have to bear the grave burden of having killed someone.

"You have all endured much. Professor Dyuf and We shall see that those men are handed over to the guards, so return home and rest."

When I deactivated 【Character Analysis】, Fjodora's continuing words reached my ears.

If Her Royal Highness the Princess acted as a witness, all the troublesome formalities—victim statements, questioning, and everything else—would naturally be skipped.

This truly was welcome news.

"Thank you for your consideration, Your Royal Highness."

Judging by those words from Valtraus, even he, a member of the First Prince's faction, seemed pleased with Fjodora's decision.

After bowing gracefully to Fjodora without violating a single point of etiquette, he turned his gaze toward me and spoke.

"Karvaldr. Let us return home now... No.... That is.... How long do you intend to remain like that?"

Like what? What in the world is he talking about?

My confusion lasted only a moment.

Realization came quickly.

"Reisir! How long do you intend to keep holding me?! Let go at once!!"

"Ah, sorry. Everything happened so suddenly that I did it without thinking.... But why did you just stand there and let me hold you?"

"I was too startled to think clearly as well."

Having recovered his composure, Reisir relaxed his arms, and I immediately escaped his embrace and scurried backward.

As though she had been waiting for that moment, Yor wrapped her long body around mine and cried, "Meow meow."

Apparently, my baby dragon had been just as frightened by the acid attack.

Granted, I had anticipated that the villain brothers would cause trouble and even possessed a top-grade Healing Potion.

But if the acid had struck me, I would have suffered immense pain.

Even if I had washed it off immediately with water and poured the top-grade Healing Potion over myself, fully restoring the melted skin would have required lengthy treatment.

There was a chance that scars might have remained even then.

And that wouldn't have been the worst of it. If any of that liquid had splashed into my eyes, I would inevitably have gone blind.

An involuntary shudder ran through me after I considered the danger.

Regretting that I had even thought about it, I instinctively hugged Yor tightly.

"I understand that you were startled... but must you do that here?"

Valtraus spoke again.

The discomfort in his voice was utterly ridiculous.

He appeared incapable of understanding just how shaken I was. Despite knowing how many people were watching us, I could not stop myself from challenging him.

"The face I inherited from the mother you adore so dearly was nearly disfigured, and that is all the reaction you have?"

"I have a great deal to say about that. Is that not why I am telling you to return home quickly?"

"I cannot. I have training again at dawn tomorrow."

"What training could you possibly receive when the academy is in this condition? Moreover, is that collapsed building not the cafeteria? Not only must all the boulders covering the grounds be cleared away, but the academy cannot even provide meals for its students."

As he spoke, Valtraus looked toward Fjodora.

Valhalla Academy was an institution owned by the imperial family, so he was seeking an answer from the Princess.

"Indeed, temporarily closing the academy appears unavoidable. You should all return home and rest."

Even after Fjodora said this, my decision remained unchanged.

Nothing good would come of returning to my possessed body's family home.

By contrast, remaining at the academy would offer me a definite benefit despite its current state.

"Then that is all the more reason for me to remain. It is an opportunity to receive intensive whip training from Professor Skati."

I had not yet asked for Skati's agreement, but she would undoubtedly welcome the idea.

She would be bored if she remained alone at the academy while repairs were underway, and if Professor Radvisin also returned home, she would have to worry about how to feed herself.

By teaching me, she could relieve her boredom and solve her meal problem with the boxed meals I brought her.

It would accomplish two things at once for her.

And I could improve my proficiency with the whip, making the arrangement mutually beneficial.

"Must you really go that far...?"

"Oh! What an admirable desire to improve. If anyone else wishes to remain at the academy and continue training like Karvaldr, you may do so freely. We shall even assign you a professor if you desire one."

Fjodora cut Valtraus off, looking immensely pleased.

Upon hearing her declaration, Sveinn and Lissy cast dissatisfied looks at me.

Apparently, they had wanted to return home and rest in comfort.

"Then I will remain as well."

Vigdís was the first to declare her intention.

I had expected as much.

If anyone here wanted to return to their family home even less than I did, it was undoubtedly her.

"I want to stay and train too."

The next person to speak after Vigdís was none other than Helga.

The decision surprised me at first, but I soon understood.

She was glaring at the villain brothers.

If their original plan had succeeded and she had become the target of the acid attack, she could not possibly have escaped unharmed.

Even setting aside the fact that she had to enter the Demon Realm, perhaps the incident had reminded her of the truth that she could not protect herself unless she became stronger.

"I will remain as well."

"Uh, um.... Then I will too...?"

Reisir and Ríolíkin declared the same intention in succession.

Since Helga, who should have returned home with him, had chosen to stay, it was only natural that Reisir would remain as well.

Ríolíkin was probably watching the rest of us because he did not want to be left out.

"Ríolíkin, wouldn't it be better for you to go home for a while? You said before that your parents worried about you a great deal."

Living up to his status as the original protagonist, Reisir seemed to have read Ríolíkin's feelings and addressed him in a cautious tone.

For reference, the fact that Ríolíkin's parents worried deeply about their son was revealed in Chapter 130.

"That is true... but what about everyone else...?"

"Helga and I have Professor Dyuf, our guardian, here with us. Karvaldr can have his brother inform his family that he's safe. And Vigdís...."

Perhaps Reisir knew that Vigdís had been able to attend the academy by becoming engaged to Karvaldr but did not know the details of her family circumstances.

His voice trailed off as he looked at her, his gaze seemingly asking, Are you sure you don't need to go home?

"Pardon? Oh, well.... It isn't that my parents don't worry about me, but I really, really want to practice swordsmanship...."

Flustered, Vigdís blurted out something that could easily be interpreted as meaning, Learning the swordsmanship I love is more important than my parents' concern for me.

Anyone unaware of her circumstances would inevitably think she was an extraordinarily unfilial daughter.

"Can't you practice swordsmanship at home?"

"I can now, but... I suppose I still feel uncomfortable doing it there. And learning from a professor is much more effective than swinging a sword by myself...."

As she answered Reisir, Vigdís's eyes darted around.

She seemed uncomfortable because she could not reveal the details of her family circumstances here.

Even if her parents truly worried about their daughter, it was only because they viewed her as a commodity they could sell for the family's benefit.

It would be deeply unjust and pitiful for her to be branded an unfilial daughter.

I therefore decided to offer her a little assistance.

"Her fiancé intends to remain at the academy, does he not? Merely informing her parents of that in a letter should put them at ease."

"That's right! My parents trust Karv very much!"

I had worried that the rather oblivious Vigdís might spout some nonsense along the lines of, My parents want me to seduce Karv as aggressively as possible!

Apparently, she possessed enough common sense to know she should not say such a thing in front of my supposed future brother-in-law.

Relieved, I turned my attention elsewhere.

"Ríolíkin, Her Royal Highness did not order us to remain and train. She merely offered us a degree of accommodation. There is no need to feel pressured."

On the surface, I was speaking to Ríolíkin, but my words were actually intended for Sveinn and Lissy.

I had chosen to train because I wanted to, but I had no desire to force them to do the same.

Admittedly, part of me did hope that Lissy would remain and train....

But Sveinn should probably return home.

If he saw that his sick younger sibling had received proper treatment and recovered even a little, along with the brighter atmosphere in his home, he might gain some peace of mind.

Then, even if someone reached out to him with a corrupting temptation, he might find it within himself to refuse.

"Then I'll go home for a while!"

"Aha! Should I head home too, then?"

"Me too!"

"I will as well...."

Beginning with Ríolíkin, Pret, Sveinn, and Lissy declared their intention to return home.

Given Pret's personality, I had wondered why he had remained so quiet. If he had intended to stay at the academy, he would have spoken up long ago.

Apparently, he had been waiting for an opportunity to announce that he would be away during the closure.

Is he planning to help search for Banahilda's killer? Or does he have something else to do?

If it was the former, he would boastfully report his results later even if I did not ask.

If it was the latter, he would refuse to tell me the details even if I did.

Just as I reached that conclusion—

"Do you truly intend to remain here?"

Valtraus clicked his tongue and addressed me.

"You still haven't left?"

"Have you forgotten? I distinctly told you that I had something to discuss with you."

I had assumed he had merely made that claim because he could hardly admit in front of everyone that he had not worried about his younger brother in the slightest.

No. Even if that were true, he would still have to stay and at least pretend to have the conversation, would he not?

I want to hear about the original protagonist's newly acquired skill as soon as possible....

I was displeased, but what choice did I have?

With everyone watching and listening, I could hardly snap at him not to waste my precious time merely to preserve his own image.

"Understood. Then we can go to a café outside the academy...."

"Why would we do that? We can simply go to your room."

"Ah...... Yes, I suppose we can."

I truly did not want to.

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