“OF?!”
The first to react when my safety was threatened was, unsurprisingly, Yor.
The baby dragon’s startled expression quickly twisted into a snarl as it let out a growl.
But that wasn’t all. It seemed like it was about to leap forward with its mouth wide open, as if intending to bite the arm of Reysir who was gripping my collar.
“Yor, wait.”
I quickly raised my palm toward Yor to stop that action.
Reysir was in a state where he couldn’t see anything else; if someone attacked him, he wouldn’t hold back and would reflexively fight back.
Knowing that, I couldn’t just let Yor charge at Reysir.
‘Stay calm, stay calm…’
Perhaps thanks to my composed reaction, Yor soon calmed down and stopped where he was.
His gaze toward Reysir remained fierce and unforgiving.
But he was waiting, trusting that I would somehow resolve this situation.
‘Then, as his master, I should live up to that expectation.’
Even if it was an unexpected crisis, it wasn’t impossible to handle.
Reysir was physically much stronger than me, so it was impossible to pry him off by sheer force alone.
Still, despite the tightening grip making it hard to breathe, at least I could still talk.
Instead of struggling and thrashing in his grasp, I stood tall, lifted my chin, and met Reysir’s gaze as I spoke.
“You came to the wrong place. The culprit is probably Tridrick.”
“You’re the one who told him to do it?!”
“OFL|CF.”
“If you weren’t involved, you’d be panicking and demanding an explanation instead of calmly telling me to find someone else!”
As Reysir’s grip tightened and his hand squeezed my collar further, his throat constricted more.
Still, considering he might throw a punch any moment, I was doing reasonably well to still be able to talk.
“I judged that now isn’t the time to ask for details. You asked about Hailga’s whereabouts yourself, didn’t you? Isn’t she kidnapped?”
“……”
No answer.
But that was actually a good sign.
Whether his anger overwhelmed him into a cold-headed state, or my calmness calmed him down, I didn’t know.
Either way, it was better than him shouting blindly and refusing to listen.
“A few weeks ago, he said he wanted to teach you a lesson… I warned him not to… tch…”
“……”
The lecture hadn’t started yet, but it was just before it began.
The professor hadn’t arrived, but all the students were already in the classroom.
Not only extras—Vigdis and Riolikin were here too, since they also took Martial Arts lectures.
I had tried not to show weakness or desperation, but a groan slipped out.
Reysir’s hand trembled violently, squeezing my collar even tighter as I continued speaking.
“That conversation… happened… in the Dining Hall… If you look for it… uh… there should be witnesses…”
Breathing had become difficult; forcing my voice out made my head spin.
Still, was mentioning witnesses effective?
Just before losing consciousness, Reysir finally released his grip.
Huff, huff…
I staggered, gasping for breath.
I consoled myself that at least I hadn’t collapsed or fainted, and tried to stand upright with strength in my legs and waist.
Reysir watched me with a confused expression.
“Really… You didn’t do it…?”
“I swear on the honor of the Austri Ducal Family. I never ordered a kidnapping.”
“But…!”
“Are you going to claim that Tridrick did this to look good in front of me? Let me say it again—I clearly told him not to do anything. How would going against my words make him look good to me?”
A novel’s protagonist must think rationally even in urgent situations.
They shouldn’t stubbornly throw a tantrum when a clear answer has already been given.
Readers won’t accept the protagonist acting that way.
‘Of course, the original Reysir would try to awaken his reason paralyzed by anger and find the right answer.’
Karvald’s pride came from the power and honor of the Ducal Family.
Reysir knew that and wouldn’t think Karvald would recklessly invoke the family honor to lie.
Though I’m not the real Karvald, so the Austri Ducal Family’s honor isn’t my concern.
‘But I’m not lying!’
I’m not involved in this incident at all. Continuing to hold me and interrogate me is just a waste of time.
Reysir would soon come to this conclusion too.
“Do you know which lecture that bastard Tridrick is attending today?”
“That’s none of my concern. Ask someone else.”
I replied, gesturing toward Riolikin.
He was often dragged around by Tridrick and listened to his one-sided ramblings.
So it wouldn’t be strange if Riolikin knew Tridrick’s class schedule.
“Kar, are you okay…?”
“Meow…”
Vigdis and Yor, who had quietly approached, spoke to me with concern.
I appreciated their concern, but now wasn’t the time to chat.
So I caught my breath, straightened my clothes to indirectly show I was fine, and focused my gaze on Reysir approaching Riolikin.
“Speak.”
Since Riolikin had been eavesdropping on our conversation anyway, Reysir seemed to think there was no need to waste time asking again.
Reysir’s blunt demand was typical of him.
But more surprising was that Riolikin, who had been silent until Reysir approached, was even more baffling.
“Uh… well… Tridrick… oh, he has no class today… so he’s probably… sleeping in his room.”
“What room?”
“Room 603…”
The moment I heard that, Reysir immediately turned and rushed out of the classroom.
His impatience had reached its peak while listening to Riolikin’s slow answer.
‘This guy’s head really isn’t working properly.’
I clicked my tongue, watching Reysir leave with the classroom door wide open.
By the way, it was only now that oxygen flowed into my brain and I felt my head clearing.
What I meant was…
“Who in their right mind kidnaps someone and then leisurely sleeps in?”
“Whether he kidnapped her himself or hired someone, he’d be at the place holding the kidnapped person by now.”
That was it.
But I couldn’t blame Reysir for being foolish.
His childhood friend had been kidnapped, so it was only natural he wasn’t thinking clearly.
‘Since he doesn’t know where Hailga is held, he’s desperate to find out the kidnapper’s location.’
Even if he knew she wasn’t there, he wouldn’t accept it without seeing it with his own eyes.
Standing still and stomping his feet wouldn’t help; he had to chase any small chance, running here and there.
“Ka, Kar…! How can you say that now?!”
Vigdis was startled by my muttering and tried to follow Reysir.
But even if she told Reysir what I said, it wouldn’t help.
It would only drain his energy further.
“Don’t act rashly. Stay still. We need to think.”
I stopped Vigdis from running after him and fell into thought.
It wasn’t about whether to help Reysir or not.
‘Hailga’s family is a Baronial House, while Tridrick’s family is a Viscount House—a rank higher. But that doesn’t excuse kidnapping a noble daughter. The fact that this happened means…’
It was obvious.
They planned to pin it on me.
They must have prepared false evidence for that purpose.
Whether they thought the Ducal Family’s power could cover it up, or sought revenge on me for humiliating them, either way, it was despicable.
‘I’m sure Reysir can rescue Hailga safely on his own. But if he finds any false evidence planted by Tridrick, he might start doubting me again.’
Strong evidence often outweighs circumstantial suspicion.
But if no one believes the evidence… that’s a different matter.
To make that happen…
I have to actively help rescue Hailga so thoroughly that everyone has no choice but to acknowledge it was me.
So I considered the kidnapping’s purpose.
“Tridrick definitely enjoys tormenting Reysir itself. Since that only means something if he sees it himself, he’ll lure Reysir to where Hailga is held, threaten her safety, and inflict pain on Reysir.”
“Really… what a fiend.”
Vigdis’s words hit the mark.
But I wasn’t bringing this up just to rant about Tridrick.
So I ignored her comment and continued my prediction.
“If he drags things out too long, the city guards will intervene, ruining his plan. So Tridrick will try to accomplish his goal quickly. That means he likely left clues about the location. Then the place would be… where Reysir, after searching all day for Hailga, finds nothing, feels discouraged and guilty, and finally drags his tired body back.”
It would be embarrassing if I made such a fuss in public but was wrong.
Still, I showed that I was putting effort into helping Reysir, so even if I was wrong, it wasn’t a loss.
“Yor, you have a task.”
“Meow!”
“If Tridrick’s not in his room, tell Reysir to check his room carefully for any notes slipped under the door. I’ll go prepare a carriage at the station. Whether he finds something or not, tell him to come there.”
“Meow!”
Perhaps to fly the shortest route to the dorm building, Yor left through a window instead of the door Reysir had used.
Seeing Yor’s cleverness, I felt relieved that the little dragon would do fine on his first errand without me watching.
***
As I stepped out of the classroom toward the carriage rental, Vigdis and Riolikin quietly followed behind me.
“Vigdis, if you come along, who will teach me what we learned today?”
“Ah…! So you finally recognize my teaching skills?!”
“……”
Now wasn’t the time to point out Vigdis’s poor explanatory skills.
I only made that excuse because I didn’t want her tangled up with Reysir, and couldn’t tell her the truth.
So I averted my gaze from her and looked at Riolikin instead…
‘Vigdis probably just wants to help, but what is Riolikin thinking following me?’
I was suspicious, but decided to let him come.
If he intended to help Tridrick trap me, this would be a chance to get rid of both Tridrick and Riolikin completely.
Please let Riolikin be an accomplice in this.
With that hope, I tried to leave the classroom, but had to stop again.
The professor arrived just then.
“The lecture’s about to start. Where do you think you’re going?”
Since this was a case of a student kidnapping another student, maybe I should bring the professor along?
That thought briefly crossed my mind, but unfortunately, the Martial Arts Professor was not someone I could trust—he had embarrassed me during the first lecture.
If Tridrick insisted, “Karvald ordered me!”, the professor would probably not investigate and simply blame me as the culprit.
Concluding that, I passed by the professor and said, “Something urgent came up, so I’m suspending class today.”
“What?!”
I heard the Martial Arts Professor’s bewildered voice behind me, but I ignored it—it was none of my concern.