‘So that’s why he’s dragging him around—because he’s useful for something.’
But just having someone tag along to handle bothersome conversations for you isn’t nearly enough of a reason—Tridric is a hopelessly useless character.
Besides, it’s not like he’s stepping in to talk to the extras on my behalf out of the goodness of his heart.
‘He probably just wants to keep Karvald Austri from getting close to anyone else. That way, only he can use this possessed body’s status to throw his weight around. Or maybe he wants to give off the vibe that if you want to get close to Karvald Austri, you have to offer him something first, so he can get some benefit as the middleman.’
I feel like I should cut ties with him as soon as possible, but for now, I’ll just watch and see.
If I listen carefully to the conversations Tridric has with the extras, I can figure out what the Academy students think of the possessed body.
I’ve read some of this in the original, and I’ve got experience both as a webnovel writer and reader, so I can make some guesses.
But still, isn’t it better to check and make sure, just in case?
“By the way, Young Master, you haven’t said a word for a while.”
“Please don’t talk to Karvald Austri right now—he’s not in a good mood.”
“Oh my, why’s that?”
“I heard he couldn’t sleep because of his insomnia.”
“Was something bad going on at the Austri Ducal Family? Bad enough to keep him from sleeping? I haven’t heard any such rumors.”
“It must be a personal matter. I haven’t heard any details either.”
Extras whose names weren’t even in the register, and who almost certainly never got mentioned in the original, glanced over at the body I possessed as they chatted with Tridric.
I sipped on my water, ice cubes floating on top, and observed their faces.
Some looked like they didn’t care at all.
But a few of them wore sly smirks, as if to say, ‘Ah, I get it now.’
‘Of course, there’s no way they know the real truth. I’m not actually suffering from insomnia, after all!’
The students gathered at this table were here because they wanted to talk to Karvald Austri, so they must be very interested in the possessed body’s Academy life.
Naturally, they’d know that the student he bullied last semester ended up getting suspended.
And they’d also know that the Austri Ducal Family’s oppression played a part in that.
‘So maybe they’re assuming that Karvald Austri got a scolding from his father for that incident, suffered all break long, and even developed insomnia because of it.’
Even though Hard Austri hadn’t said a word about it.
Given what Karvald Austri did last semester, any father with his head on straight would have been more than justified in giving him a serious tongue-lashing.
But that’s just speculation.
Just like those extras were smirking while making wild guesses about the cause of my nonexistent insomnia, I was also just piecing things together from context.
There’s no guarantee they actually thought any of that.
‘But anyway, it doesn’t matter how they interpreted the “insomnia.” What’s important is not whether I hid it perfectly, but the subtle expressions and feelings they showed in response. That’s the real clue.’
Whether they knew I was analyzing their every word and gesture or not, Tridric and the extras continued chatting among themselves.
Meanwhile, Riolikin sat silently, shrinking into himself as much as possible.
He really looked like the perfect example of “shriveling up in a corner.”
***
-DENG DENG DENG!
The bell rang out to signal the hour.
According to the party schedule, the faculty would enter next, followed by the headmaster’s speech.
The orchestra’s background music faded away.
The students, who had been happily catching up with friends, all stopped chatting and turned their attention to the main hall entrance.
Tridric and the extras did the same.
And so, when all eyes were focused—
The attendants waiting at the door unfurled the rolled-up red carpet, creating a path leading to the center of the hall.
At the end of that path stood a Standing Microphone—an artifact made based on Aether Engineering.
Finally, the headmaster and faculty appeared through the wide-open doors.
I recognized all their faces from the portraits in the register.
Once I confirmed that, I lost interest.
The headmaster stood at the microphone and began to speak, but I decided there was nothing worth listening to.
Honestly, I doubt I was the only one who felt that way—probably every student here was thinking the same thing. Most likely, everyone was zoning out, wishing, ‘I hope this speech ends soon so I can actually have fun.’
Still, I decided not to waste this time and used it to think productively.
‘Judging by the attitude Tridric and the extras showed earlier… they think Karvald Austri is useful, but they still look down on him, don’t they?’
Because the color of Aether shows so clearly in the eyes, it’s no secret that the possessed body didn’t inherit the family’s abilities fully.
So anyone could guess that Karvald Austri’s standing within the family is shaky.
‘But it’s just a guess, not something proven. Any decent parent would still care for their child, even if they’re lacking in some way.’
Those who work in the Austri Ducal Family’s castle never talk carelessly about their master, Hard Austri.
That’s not just because of loyalty or professionalism.
If they were caught gossiping about their employer, they wouldn’t just be fired—they’d never find work anywhere else. They have to protect their own futures.
So it’s only natural that many students try to get close to Karvald Austri.
No one knows for sure how he’s treated within the family, but the fact that he’s the son of a ducal house is undeniable.
They might laugh at him behind his back, calling him a half-baked young master.
But in front of him, they’re all polite, thinking, ‘If I get close to him, maybe I’ll get something out of it.’
‘And if Karvald Austri ever gets cast out of the family, they can just pretend not to know him. For now, there’s no harm in getting friendly.’
The original Karvald Austri must have noticed all this.
Even so, he probably just pretended not to care.
Because if he got angry or upset, he’d only make a fool of himself.
Admitting that he was so self-conscious about the defect in his Aether, visible in his eyes, would be like admitting it was his biggest insecurity.
‘In the original, he couldn’t hold it in until the end and ended up whipping around in the dorm lobby, exposing all his inferiority complex for the world to see.’
I’d already guessed—and prepared myself for—how Karvald Austri would be treated among the Academy students.
Of course, I expected there would be people like the extras at this table, or Tridric, who would secretly look down on Karvald Austri while trying to use him.
‘Even though I’m in this body, I’m not actually Karvald Austri. No matter how much others look down on this possessed body, those stares aren’t really directed at me. It’d be stranger if I let it get to me or got genuinely angry!’
It’s not like they can all gang up and bully me just because I’m possessing Karvald Austri’s body.
At most, they’ll just gossip behind my back.
That’s nothing. Really, nothing at all.
‘It’s not like every student at Valhalla Academy treats Karvald Austri the same way as these guys!’
There are probably way more students who avoid him, thinking he’s a thug who bullies others with his family’s power.
And the ones in different grades or who aren’t up to date on rumors might not even know that Karvald Austri bullied Reysir Daudabina.
The upperclassman I met in the library is living proof of that.
He checked my student ID and saw my name was Karvald Austri, and even witnessed Reysir Daudabina getting angry at me.
But that library club member acted completely normal toward me, showing no particular emotion.
‘And in possession stories, it’s a classic cliché for everyone around the possessed character to treat them poorly at first.’
Not all of them, but most possession stories have the protagonist take over the body of a scoundrel or a useless extra.
‘Why do so many writers have their precious protagonist possess such a body?’
The less the original owner was expected to amount to, the higher the readers’ expectations for the protagonist who takes over.
Because the difference before and after possession is so dramatic.
The original owner being ignored is just basic setup in possession stories.
The scornful evaluations will be turned upside down and become praise.
The useless talents will blossom brilliantly, and he’ll become the kind of talent everyone wants.
Before you know it, everyone will love him, as if he was never hated at all.
‘I don’t care about any of that. I just want to survive quietly in a safe place, reading and writing the stories I love. I don’t need anything more than that…’
Anyway, to sum up—
It’s perfectly natural for a scoundrel like Karvald Austri to be chosen as the body for possession, and there’s no reason for me to get worked up about how others judge the original owner.
After all, how people look at me and what they think will change depending on how I act!
‘Still, unlike a reader who can just sit back and read, I actually have to live this life, so I do need to worry a little about the future. But I’ll be fine. So I won’t run away. I won’t be afraid.’
***
After I’d finished analyzing the Academy’s opinion of the possessed body and sorting out my own feelings—
Right on cue, a wave of applause filled the central hall.
It wasn’t that anyone had noticed my resolve and was applauding my determination.
The students were just thrilled that the headmaster’s boring speech was finally over and were clapping in excitement to get the party started.
The headmaster and faculty, who had been standing in the center of the hall, moved to the sides, and the Standing Microphone was also removed.
The orchestra, which had been waiting, readied their instruments and began playing a lively dance tune.
Students in dresses and tailcoats immediately took each other’s hands and strode confidently to the center of the hall.
Others, much shyer, could be seen nervously asking each other to dance here and there.
***
‘Attendance was checked at the entrance, the headmaster’s speech is over, so now I just need to make a graceful exit. The problem is when and how to do it.’
‘Should I just get up and leave now?’
The original Karvald Austri wasn’t exactly sociable, and everyone knows him as a guy who does as he pleases, relying on his family name, so no one would think much of it.
After a brief moment of thought—
I set my glass, now filled only with ice, down on the table and started to stand up.
“Are you going to ask your fiancée to dance yourself? Instead of making her come to you?”
Tridric looked at me with a puzzled expression and blurted out something strange.