This Novel is not my Novel

I was too dumbfounded to know what to say, and his mind was so firmly made up that no words would ever persuade him otherwise.

In that case, it would be better to end this conversation here.

Having reached that conclusion, I let out a deep sigh and raised the white flag.

"Haah... Fine. Do as you please."

"Okay, okay. But what excuse are you planning to use?"

"What are you talking about now?"

"An ability that strengthens other people's Ether Attribute Abilities is hardly ordinary, is it? But you said it wasn't something you'd always had—that it appeared recently..."

He meant that someone was bound to ask how I had acquired the skill, so I ought to prepare an explanation in advance.

The protagonist of someone else's novel looked as though he had encountered a difficult problem.

But this was a very simple matter that required no deep thought whatsoever.

"I'll simply say I opened my status window for the first time in a while and found it there."

"Huh...? Can you really get away with that?"

"Why would I not? There is no rule stating that the 'trigger' for acquiring a skill must be something momentous. It could have been something so trivial that even I failed to notice it, or perhaps it was the accumulated result of several experiences."

There was no need to concoct some long, elaborate excuse in the first place. I could simply say that I did not know.

Besides...

"Reisir, do you open your status window and inspect it every day?"

"No."

"Naturally. Skills do not grow noticeably from one day to the next, so there is no reason to check them daily. The others are likely the same, and so am I."

"Ah! Then you can also claim you don't know exactly when the skill appeared?"

"Precisely. We had to open our status windows during the first 'Ether Attribute Enhancement' lecture of this semester, so that would narrow the period down to sometime between then and yesterday."

This was hardly a problem.

No one would demand a detailed account of everything I had seen, heard, and done over those nearly two weeks.

And even if someone did, I was under no obligation to answer.

Judging by Reisir's expression, he seemed to have realized that the issue he had been worried about was nothing serious.

Then it should be safe to bring up something else now.

"Ah, speaking of my skills, I do not intend to disclose 【Exhortation】 or 【Character Analysis】. Neither is a skill that particularly requires information sharing. However..."

"However?"

"If I leave 【Exhortation】 unused and its existence comes to light later, there is no telling what people might say. So I intend to apply it discreetly just before activating 【Exaltation】, without allowing anyone to notice."

Reisir was not the only person who knew about 【Exhortation】.

Professor Radvishin and the senior research students knew about it as well.

I did not think they would carelessly spread information about my skill, but one could never be too careful.

Moreover, readers of the original novel should know this skill exists.

The place where Reisir and I had discussed 【Exhortation】 was the library's special literature section.

Readers who had discovered the original novel only after 《NaSE》 was remade might not know about the skill yet.

But those who had followed the original work since before the remake were another matter.

Its proficiency is still low, so the increase isn't particularly significant. Even so, if I refuse to use a perfectly functional buff, their opinion of me will plummet.

That was not the only reason I had decided to use 【Exhortation】 on other people.

The dramatic increase in 【Encouragement】's effect after I used it in the previous chapter had also influenced my decision considerably.

I had assumed that using it regularly on myself and Yor would be enough to build sufficient proficiency, but that had proven untrue.

"Then, now that you've made up your mind, why don't you use it on me right away?"

It was hardly a difficult request, so I decided to indulge the protagonist of someone else's novel.

It would also be useful to confirm whether 【Exhortation】 could be activated with the keyword "my acquaintance."

"I've used it, so open your status window and check."

"What? Already? I guess it doesn't have any additional conditions, like having to crack your whip to maximize its effect as with 【Exaltation】, or saying something encouraging as with 【Encouragement】?"

"Well... the fact that it can only be applied to people with whom I share a certain degree of closeness is itself a condition."

"That's true."

Reisir nodded in understanding.

Yet immediately afterward, his face suddenly lit up, and he stared at me with a deeply moved expression.

I had no idea what had gotten into him, which only left me bewildered.

"Why are you suddenly looking at me like that...?"

"You said the base increase from this skill was '3,' right? And that its effect becomes stronger as your affinity with the target rises?"

Apparently, his stats had increased by more than 3.

But the only keyword I had just applied to him was "my acquaintance."

I immediately opened the description window for 【Exhortation】 and discovered the cause of the protagonist of someone else's novel's abrupt change in expression.

==========

【Exhortation】 - (B)

: A skill derived from the reflection of the {Disposition: Possessiveness}

: Awakens the will of beings who belong to the user, strengthening their abilities. Can only be applied to targets assigned a in the form of "my ○○○."

: Effect - Increases every stat except Ether by [4] per keyword

└ Keywords registered thus far

: Yor - "my spirit beast," "my happiness," "my solace," "the one who understands me," "my salvation," "my editor"

: Karvaldr - "my possessed body"

: Ymir - "my existence"

: Reisir - "my acquaintance"

The keyword "my acquaintance," which I had just applied to Reisir, had been officially added to the list, while the stat increase had risen from [3] to [4].

First 【Encouragement】, and now this skill. Both had undergone such obvious changes the moment I used them on someone else.

Perhaps there truly was a limit to how much skills could grow through nothing but repetitive grinding.

"My stats went up by four...!"

"Ah, the effect increased because its proficiency rose."

I abruptly cut off the words the protagonist of someone else's novel had blurted out in delight and casually stated the fact I had just confirmed.

He blinked at me in bewilderment.

"...What?"

"I said the skill's proficiency increased. Its base increase is now '4.'"

"......"

"If you do not believe me, you can use 【Truth-Reading Eye】 to inspect their status windows later, when I use 【Exhortation】 on other people."

"......Never mind. If you're going that far, then there isn't any point in checking. The proficiency really must have increased."

His shoulders slumped listlessly. He did not look merely disappointed.

I had done nothing wrong, yet I somehow felt guilty.

Even so, I could not apply the keyword "my dear reader" to him right now.

An increase of merely 1 had made him look ready to leap for joy. The prospect of how he might react if his stats rose by another 4 was far too daunting—

"That aside, about you acquiring a new skill...... Well... um... First of all... congratulations... You did well."

—so I decided to console him by offering the praise he had pestered me for earlier.

It was remarkably effective.

Regrettably, far too effective.

"Karvaldr......!"

The protagonist of someone else's novel called my possessed body's name in an unnecessarily emotional voice, sprang out of his chair, and spread his arms wide.

Why did he keep gesturing for me to embrace him when he was the one feeling emotional?

I supposed it was fortunate that he did not simply throw himself at me, but I still could not understand him at all.

"Sit down and eat your miniature honey cookies."

"Ah, okay."

Had he forgotten that I had banned idle chatter two episodes ago, or was he merely pretending to have forgotten?

Reisir planted himself back in his chair, ate the miniature honey cookies, drank the five-flavor berry tea, and showered both with praise.

He also praised Yor's and my cooking skills, which left me slightly embarrassed, but...

It would be one thing if I were the only one receiving praise, but he complimented Yor too.

My baby dragon puffed out her chest proudly and meowed, openly displaying her satisfaction.

That made it impossible for me to tell Reisir to be quiet.

Still, listening attentively to his praise did not feel quite right either, so I took out a notepad and pen to distract myself and scribbled down the following.

==========

Discernment - (A)

: A skill derived from the reflection of the {Disposition: Justice}

: Allows the user to see through things concealed beneath the surface.

For reference, I had asked Yor how to write the characters for "Discernment" before Reisir came to my room and memorized them.

Leaving only that word from 【Truth-Reading Eye】 made it sound like an ordinary skill name.

Unlike when I had invented the name 【Identification】, there seemed to be no need to search for a suitable word.

"Huh? This is..."

"You cannot very well reveal a grandiose skill name claiming to discern the truth itself, can you? The same applies to a description stating that anything, no matter how secretly and thoroughly concealed, will be laid bare the instant your gaze touches it. It could inspire excessive expectations—or excessive caution."

"As expected... Karvaldr, you truly are thoughtful and kind, aren't you?"

"D-Do not say such pointless things."

Perhaps snapping at him while nudging his shin several times beneath the table had worked.

Instead of springing from his chair and making another fuss, the protagonist of someone else's novel continued the conversation without incident.

"But why did you include the explanation that it's a derived skill?"

"Every additional Ether Attribute skill I acquired contained that phrase, so I included it as a precaution. Perhaps the fact that a skill acquired later in life, such as 【Truth-Reading Eye】, lacks that phrase makes it an unusual case."

"Oh!"

Although there was nothing particularly impressive about what I had said, Reisir reacted with admiration.

It was probably nothing more than a conversational interjection.

"Well, the only thing that truly matters is the skill's effect. Whether or not it is a skill derived from a {Disposition} is irrelevant, so I see no reason to reveal that phrase to others. I doubt anyone will ask, and they are even less likely to take issue with you for not mentioning it. Consider it nothing more than a note for reference."

"Okay, okay. Got it!"

That seemed like enough discussion about skills.

Which meant it was time to move on to the next subject.

"Come to think of it, did you not say you had many things to discuss with me? I believe you said they were all important matters as well."

"Ah..."

A hint of reluctance crossed Reisir's smiling face before his expression stiffened.

It was as though he deeply regretted that the pleasant topic of conversation had passed and the time had come to broach something uncomfortable.

His expression became not merely serious, but grave.

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