“Liolikin. Why are you so calm when you’re the one who has been subdued and tied up?”
“Well, I did what I had to do, didn’t I?”
“What you had to do?”
“Lord Karbaldr, you heard her too, didn’t you? Her Imperial Highness told me to hold you all back so you couldn’t chase after her.”
It was beyond absurd. He had tried to run away the moment he realized Reysir was going to subdue him, and yet he was saying this now.
Moreover—
“You were the one who got caught, weren’t you?”
“Still, the result is the same, isn’t it?”
—he even chirped that out with a carefree expression.
Looking at him, I didn’t know whether to call him shameless or just simple-minded.
“…How could it be the same? If you’re out of the Cyan Team, the only ones left who can fight are the Imperial Princess, her Familiar, and Pret. Who among them could possibly stop Reysir? Even if they joined forces and managed to face him, do you really think the rest of our team would just stand by and watch?”
“Ah…?”
“So even if we fail to take your ribbon, your team would have to take risks to rescue you from our capture. Do you still think the result is the same?”
“Uuuuh… I guess not.”
Even as he replied, not a hint of a sense of crisis could be found on Liolikin’s face.
I had no choice but to let out a deep sigh and say, “We tied you up not because we lack the power to break your **[Armor of Protection]**. We could do it, but if we did, you would be seriously injured. We did this for your safety.”
“Uh, I suppose so…”
Even though I didn’t specify who I was talking about, Liolikin nodded in agreement as his gaze shifted toward the original protagonist. I was glad I didn’t have to explain or hype up how strong Reysir was with my own mouth.
“Do you understand what this means?”
“That Lord Karbaldr cherishes me…?”
‘Did he catch that nonsense from Reysir?’ I was so flabbergasted that I couldn’t find my words.
The one who continued the conversation in my stead was the original protagonist.
“It means that if this were a real battle, you wouldn’t be sitting here tied up; you would have been dead long ago.”
“Gasp…!!”
As if finally realizing the gravity of the situation, Liolikin sucked in a sharp breath, his face filled with shock. Reysir frowned as he looked at him with a look of extreme disapproval. I was certain this wasn’t because he thought Liolikin was pathetic.
‘It’s probably out of anger toward Fjodra, who ran away after giving Liolikin the ridiculous order to stop us all!’
Furthermore, Reysir didn’t know that Fjodra had been acting to lure us into a trap. Therefore, it was only natural that he couldn’t hide his resentment toward her.
‘I find it hard to defend her actions this time as well…’
Even if Fjodra had acted that way because she judged that we would chase after her once we had dealt with Liolikin.
If one is to play the role of a leader, they should think from multiple angles before giving orders. One must consider not only the gains to be had from a plan but also the risks to be borne in case of failure.
To think the opponent would move exactly as she desired—what foolish arrogance.
Perhaps it wasn’t that she was arrogant.
It was possible that the original author had designed it so that Vigdis and I would fall into a trap while chasing Fjodra, only to have our ribbons taken by Pret.
But because I suggested we shouldn’t give chase and Reysir accepted it, we ended up in this current situation.
‘Even so… no, all the more reason why this issue shouldn’t be overlooked.’
If Liolikin keeps performing roles like this, one day he will become a victim of the death flag: ‘Leave this to me and go on ahead. I’ll follow soon.’
‘The only ones who can say those lines and actually catch up to their allies safely are protagonist characters!’
Therefore, Liolikin needed to be on guard.
He didn’t even seem to realize what Fjodra’s real plan was. Seeing as he was satisfied with having fulfilled his role even though we hadn’t chased her.
‘Liolikin has a simple personality and hates thinking hard. If she were going to use a tactic like this, she should have told him beforehand to let go after stalling for a bit…’
Even if it was a plan she came up with on the spot, she could have explained it only to Liolikin without us knowing by using her Aether Attribute ability to manipulate wind. Yet Fjodra hadn’t done so.
‘They say to fool your enemies you must first fool your allies… but that doesn’t apply to every situation.’
Especially in a strategy like this, she should have definitely shared her true goal with Liolikin.
“Should I… maybe, complain about this…?”
Hesitation bled through his tone, and he even added the word ‘maybe’. He seemed to know it was something worth complaining about, but since the opponent was a member of the Imperial Family, he didn’t dare speak up.
“Even if you don’t do it angrily, I think it’s better to talk to her. That way, Her Imperial Highness will realize that she shouldn’t use such tactics recklessly, won’t she?”
“Is this a matter of realizing it or not? She knew Liolikin couldn’t handle all of us alone, yet she ordered him to stop us! She just sacrificed Liolikin for the sake of victory! Thank goodness this is just training, but if it were a real battle…”
“The purpose of training is to prepare in advance so that situations like this don’t happen in real battles. Perhaps she didn’t consider a real battle at all, or she might have overestimated Liolikin’s abilities.”
I could feel Reysir’s emotions becoming increasingly agitated.
When I laid out various hypotheses to calm him down, I saw the expression of the protagonist of another novel turn sour in real-time.
‘Did he feel unpleasant because it felt like I was taking Fjodra’s side instead of sympathizing with his feelings?’
Just as that worry crossed my mind, Reysir let out a hollow chuckle and spoke.
“I can’t tell if you’re being lenient with the Imperial Princess or if you’re insulting her…”
Depending on how one interpreted what I just said, it could sound like this: Fjodra had forgotten this was training for real combat and was treating it like a game, or she was an incompetent person who couldn’t even grasp the abilities of her own teammates.
I thought such a reaction was understandable.
‘Anyway, it doesn’t seem like he’s disappointed in me or has a grievance against me…?’
Just as I felt relieved by that fact—
“Ah?!”
A sudden cry of urgency burst from Vigdis’s mouth. Reflexively turning toward her, I saw a cyan light fading away.
Then, a cyan light appeared in the distance, and Fjodra, with a cyan ribbon tied around her neck, appeared from within it.
‘I guess she already went to the Starting Point.’
Since there was no reason to rush, she likely wouldn’t have wasted Aether using **[Space Leap]**. I suspected the Cyan Team’s Starting Point wasn’t very far away.
“Vigdis, did she take your ribbon?”
“No…! Fortunately, I didn’t lose it because I kept holding onto the knot.”
Luckily, Vigdis hadn’t let her guard down and had remained tense, preparing for a surprise attack. But her attitude must have been visible to the opposing team as well.
Because of that—
“Lord Karbaldr, I shall take your advice to heart.”
—though these words flowed from Fjodra’s mouth, I took my eyes off her and quickly turned my head toward Liolikin.
“Uh…?”
In that brief moment when my attention was diverted, Liolikin had broken free from his bindings. He wore an expression that said even he didn’t know how it happened. As the sound showed, it wasn’t me who uttered that ‘Uh…?’ but Liolikin.
“Yor, attack the area around Liolikin!”
“Nyaoooh!!!”
Yor created a large number of Aether arrows and scattered them around Liolikin. Then, something moved quickly and hid behind a tree, appearing as if a part of space had been copied and shifted.
As you might have guessed, that ‘something’ was definitely Pret, who had concealed himself with his **[Camouflage]** skill.
“Senior, what are you doing?! Hurry and grab your weapon and shield!!”
“O-Oh… Okay…!”
Pret poked his head out from a tree next to the one he had just hidden behind, perhaps having crawled through the bushes. Liolikin replied hurriedly, scrambling to his feet to grab his shield and mace.
‘So the plan was for Fjodra to draw attention while Pret approached and freed Liolikin from his bonds…!’
Setting aside the fact that I hadn’t figured out a way to take Liolikin’s ribbon, it wasn’t as if I hadn’t expected this situation. Yet I had taken my eyes off Liolikin. Realizing my mistake, I bit my lower lip slightly.
“Karbaldr, why are you making a self-reproachful face? You weren’t the only one who didn’t pay attention to Liolikin.”
The protagonist of another novel spoke while observing my expression. Hearing that made it feel as if it really wasn’t my fault.
‘Right… even at a time like this, when Fjodra has returned and Liolikin’s bindings are undone, there’s a protagonist of another novel who’s trying to leisurely hold an “influence event”.’
Compared to that, turning my head in response to the exclamation Vigdis let out couldn’t even be called having my attention diverted.
“Is this the time to be worried about that?”
“Why would that be—”
“Use your Aether Attribute ability on the opposing team already!”
The protagonist of another novel looked like he was about to launch into a long lecture to continue the influence event. I quickly cut him off and shouted as if urging him on.
However, in a world with a caste system, shouting ‘Hurry and attack the Imperial Princess with your lightning ability!’ would have been too impious. I had to word it indirectly.
I thought the original protagonist would have understood, but—
“Uh, which one…?”
“Do you have anything other than lightning?”
“No!!”
I had no idea what kind of stupid conversation this was. Even worse, Reysir failed his attack.
One of the advantages of the lightning ability is its speed. If he had fired his lightning before Fjodra could prepare, he could have landed the hit. But since he hesitated while answering my question, Fjodra had already used **[Space Leap]** to escape.
“Lord Liolikin. Do not just stand there; mark Lord Reysir.”
“Reysir is much stronger than me. So, if this were a real battle, I would definitely die…”
Fjodra, who had appeared in a different location using her **[Space Leap]** skill, gave Liolikin an order. Liolikin didn’t just blindly follow it; instead, he protested in a hesitant, timid voice.
Fortunately, it seemed he had etched the sense of danger into his mind properly.
“…I intended to have Lausa fight alongside you.”
“Ah! Is that so?”
‘Was it because Reysir couldn’t be left unmarked?’ Even though Fjodra looked somewhat troubled, she reassured Liolikin by saying she would attach Lausa to him. Only then did Liolikin charge toward Reysir, holding his shield out front.
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