I pretended not to hear the barrage of questions as I diligently chewed on my biscotti and sipped my sujeonggwa.
At that, the protagonist of another novel seemed to twitch the corners of his mouth before he suddenly burst into a loud, hearty laugh. It was a sight exactly as I had expected.
‘He laughs this much, so how on earth did he play the role of a tragic novel’s protagonist?’
The moment that thought crossed my mind, a sense of absurdity and a heavy, complicated feeling washed over me. After all, the Reysir Daudabina I read about in the original work before the remake and the Reysir right in front of my eyes were strictly the same person.
The Reysir from back then must have also been someone who could find joy in trivial things and knew how to laugh happily.
‘He couldn’t enjoy this mundane daily life, which is why he laughed so little…’
He was described as a great figure who never sat down in despair despite repeated tragedies and continued to walk his path.
However, seeing that he was also just an ordinary person like this, my heart stirred with the realization that he must have been worn down while struggling in pain.
However, I could not let these emotions be discovered.
If I did, this relentlessly persistent protagonist of another novel would surely pry into why I was acting that way, and I could not exactly tell him the truth.
I intentionally put strength into my eyes and glared at him with a displeased expression.
“Stop laughing and just eat. And then leave quickly.”
“So you are at least waiting for me to finish eating?”
“Well, these cookies are something you brought. And I can’t just let the drink Yor personally made go to waste…?”
“Pfft!”
I hadn’t even said anything particularly funny.
This protagonist of another novel, who was far too easy to make laugh, even turned his head away while his shoulders shook.
The pity that had been stirring in my heart just a moment ago began to fade, replaced by a desperate urge to punch him.
Since this was a thought I didn’t particularly need to hide, I immediately gave the protagonist of another novel a light kick in the shin.
An “Ouch!” escaped Reysir’s mouth.
I knew he was exaggerating, but it still felt like a successful punishment, which gave me a sense of satisfaction.
“But you know, that time dilation skill… Is it really okay to use it that much during training?”
After he finally stopped laughing, the original protagonist spoke again, adopting a serious tone.
‘Reysir probably came to my room just to hear the answer to this question. The reason, of course, is that he’s worried about the side effects.’
Since his intentions were obvious, there was no need to drag out the conversation by beating around the bush.
Thus, I immediately replied with the following.
“If it weren’t okay, wouldn’t Yor have stopped me from using it?”
“Meow, mrow, hiss, meow, hiss, meow.”
“It seems even Yor isn’t particularly fond of it…?”
It seemed I had presented the wrong evidence.
I didn’t know exactly what Yor was saying, but I could clearly feel that he had a lot to say.
It was only natural for Reysir to react with suspicion.
“…Anyway, there are no cumulative side effects even if I use it frequently.
I recover naturally if I get plenty of rest, and I feel fine immediately if I receive treatment.
Just in case, I had the Head Physician of my family perform periodic check-ups during the break, and he said no problems were found.”
In case anyone was wondering, the part about getting check-ups from the Head Physician wasn’t just a lie to brush him off; it was the truth.
It wasn’t because of the side effects of the [Character Analysis] skill, but because of the fake amnesia.
Regardless, it was clearly proven that there was nothing wrong with my brain.
“That’s a relief then…
But still, I don’t think it’s good to rely on that skill too much.
You say you’re fine after drinking a potion, but you can’t just drink a potion whenever you want in a real battle, right?
The healing effect weakens if you drink them in a row.”
He was asking what I would do if I got injured before the cooldown was over after using a potion to treat the skill’s side effects.
Since I had always been concerned about that myself, I could immediately understand the meaning behind his words.
“I am aware of that issue.
That’s why I try not to keep the skill active constantly and instead use it in bursts…
but that wasn’t easy when facing the Imperial Princess and Pret.
If I lose track of their movements for even a split second, responding becomes impossible.”
“In that case, it would be better to train your reaction speed so that you can react quickly even without using a buff.
And improve your physical abilities so you can respond even if your reaction is a bit late.”
The protagonist of another novel spoke words that were far too obvious and natural.
“I am already doing those things.”
“I meant that I’m offering to help you with that training.”
“What about your own training?”
“Sparring with you is helpful for me too, which is why I’m suggesting it.”
“Hmph. Even if that’s the case, it won’t be as good as sparring with the professors.”
“That…”
Reysir couldn’t find the words to refute my scoffing remark.
He probably knew that if he told a blatant lie just to flatter me, his future words would lose their sincerity.
Thus, he hesitated for a while before opening his mouth while gauging my reaction.
“I naturally thought we would all gather and train together every weekend, just like we did when practicing for the Bimu Tournament last year…
Perhaps…”
“I’m not trying to train while leaving only you out.”
“You’re not?
Then are we not doing joint training at all…?”
Reysir’s face, which had been momentarily tinged with disappointment, was now filled with confusion after hearing my answer.
“Unlike you, whose primary goal is to gain experience, the other students and I are at a stage where we still need to focus on individual training.
Besides, aren’t we going to continue sparring during class hours anyway?
For now, I think taking the time to review the sparring process alone, based on the advice given by the professors during class, will be much more helpful than mindlessly repeating matches.”
For the same reason, I planned to stop the swordsmanship lessons I was supposed to receive from Vigdis every Saturday.
It had been proven that this body had no talent for swordsmanship, and I had already sufficiently achieved my original goal of grasping a swordsman’s movements.
‘Furthermore, it’s now a confirmed fact that I will be entering the Demonic Realm with Vigdis. And in the near future at that…’
The path for all of us, including myself, to be even slightly safer was for her to bloom her talent as quickly as possible.
Therefore, I should no longer take up Vigdis’s time.
This was the conclusion I had reached.
“I suppose… what we need to prepare for now isn’t a Bimu Tournament where students compete against each other.
We should build a solid foundation by taking things step by step.”
Seeing him nod and mutter these words, it seemed Reysir had fortunately understood my words correctly without misinterpreting them.
However, unfortunately, this protagonist of another novel suffered from a very serious chronic illness.
Now was not the time to be relieved, but rather a time to be on guard.
“I’ve always thought this, but… Karbaldr, I really think you are someone who thinks deeply and knows how to look far ahead.”
Sure enough, Reysir spoke words of praise once again.
He was undoubtedly planning to wrap up an Influence Event while I was flustered and embarrassed.
Knowing this, I straightened my face and cut off the flow before the embarrassment could surface.
“I simply haven’t been distracted by fooling around and playing, unlike a certain someone.”
“Who is that ‘certain someone’?”
“Are you really asking because you don’t know? It seems that ‘certain someone’ has no conscience either.”
“Could it be… you’re saying that because I was tricked by Pret’s words and had my ribbon taken this morning?”
“You know well.”
Reysir looked dumbfounded by my answer.
He then muttered, “Karbaldr really holds a grudge for a long time…” but I decided to pretend I didn’t hear that.
However, the next words out of his mouth were something I could not just close my ears to and ignore.
“Since we’re on the subject, show me how you wink.”
“What?”
What on earth was this?
This absurd demand was thrown out completely out of context.
Mentioning the “subject” was just an excuse.
I suspected he had been looking for an opportunity to bring it up and finally voiced the thought he’d been holding onto just to cover up a topic that was disadvantageous to him.
“Don’t just take it as nonsense and think about it carefully.
If I had been certain that you would show me an expression when I asked for it, would I have been so easily swayed by Pret’s words and gotten distracted?
Absolutely not.”
“Just because you speak seriously as if you’re being logical doesn’t mean your nonsense suddenly makes sense.
And in the first place, isn’t this a problem that would be solved if you just kept your head on straight?!”
“But Professor Bjorn also advised you, didn’t he?
That you should show me how you wink.”
“That wasn’t advice, it was meddling…!”
“Still…”
Still, my foot.
I wondered why this guy, who had opened this chapter by declaring, “I’m not some crazy wink-maniac,” was acting like this.
“Was it not that your curiosity was piqued because Pret’s comment was so sudden?
Did you truly want to see me wink…?
Why…?”
“The expressions you usually show are far too limited.
So except for your expressionless face, your prideful face, and your embarrassed face, the rest feel so rare and precious.
I feel like I shouldn’t miss the chance to see them when the opportunity arises.”
I wished he would stop treating another person’s expressions like a limited-edition product produced in small quantities.
No, wait, those surely aren’t the only expressions I usually show.
Shouldn’t he include being angry or looking appalled, like I am right now?
“And that smile you showed me briefly on the day of the Graduation Ceremony… it felt so unrealistic, like a mirage…”
“That was a mirage. You saw wrong.”
“Stop being stubborn just because you’re embarrassed that you showed me a genuine smile.”
“Who would be embarrassed by something like that…!”
“Then will you show me a smile like you did then?
Along with a wink.”
I didn’t know why he had been bringing up this nonsense so seriously and firmly for a while now.
“If you wanted to see it that much, you should have just stayed quiet when Pret suggested we all take turns winking earlier.
Why did you oppose it?”
“If I had stayed quiet then, when your turn came, you wouldn’t have been able to hide your embarrassment.
You would have squeezed one eye shut with a look of grim determination, then hugged Yor in a shy fit of bashfulness.”
“What kind of…”
“Pret probably made that suggestion just to see that.
Otherwise, you would have only sneaked a wink at me.”
“Do you think everyone is like you?
No, more importantly, why is everyone talking as if it’s natural for me to wink at you?!”
“Of course he’s different from me.
I only want to see a different side of you out of a pure heart, but Pret’s goal would be to use that as an opportunity to close the psychological distance between you two.”
“No, I… haa…”
I couldn’t even manage a hollow laugh because I was so appalled; only a sigh escaped me.
I was exhausted from continuing a bickering match over such a ridiculous topic, and I even began to think about just closing my eyes and giving him what he wanted.
In this case, it was a simple matter of closing one eye instead of both.
‘He couldn’t be spouting all this nonsense just to induce me to think this way, could he?!’
It was highly suspicious, but since the scales of my heart had already tipped, they showed no signs of returning to their original position.
In the end, I tightly closed my eyes and decided to grant his request.