Chapter 234: Rumor

“Senior Reysir.

I heard a rumor that you were kicked out of Senior Karbaldr’s room yesterday evening while holding a cup with a drink and a plate of cookies.

What on earth happened?”

At the breakfast table the next morning.

As soon as everyone sat down with their trays, Pret brought up the question as if he had been waiting for the moment.

‘Rumors, my foot…’

There were a few witnesses at the time.

However, it was late in the evening then, and it was early morning now, so it was too soon for rumors to have spread.

Why would the fact that Reysir was kicked out of my room even be worth a rumor in the first place?

Therefore, it was clear that this was information Pret had personally collected by running around himself.

Unlike me, who had reached that conclusion, Reysir asked back with a bewildered expression.

“That became a rumor…?”

“Otherwise, how would I know?

I spent yesterday evening receiving Dagger Arts training from Professor Skadi and attended the Martial Arts lecture with all of you early this morning.

Besides, my dormitory floor is different from yours, seniors.

Despite that, I heard such things when I stopped by the dormitory to wash up just now, so what else could it be if not a rumor?”

He claimed that he had no time for a personal investigation and that witnessing it firsthand was even more impossible.

Upon hearing Pret’s words, my firm conviction from a moment ago began to waver.

‘Did that really become a rumor?

And so fast?

Why??’

Was it because Reysir was the protagonist of this novel’s world, causing all his actions to be in the spotlight?

Or was it because of the settings attached to this possession body, as seen in the “Lobby Backtalk Event” of the seventh chapter and the latter half of the eleventh chapter?

A setting that stated he was ‘frequently the subject of people’s gossip and received so much attention it was an invasion of privacy.’

“Liolikin, Svein.

Did you two hear such a rumor?”

“I didn’t hear anything.”

“Me neither…”

While I was feeling a mix of confusion and absurdity while considering various possibilities, Reysir threw the same question to the other two who used the male dormitory and received their answers.

He then looked at Pret with a suspicious gaze.

Unlike me, who had been persuaded by Pret’s self-defense, it seemed the Original Protagonist had become even more suspicious after hearing his elaborate excuses.

“This is truly unfair.

I simply asked because something I overheard in passing piqued my interest.

Anyone would think I was conducting a background investigation on my seniors.”

The heir to the head of the Information Guild, who had likely already finished his background check on us, pretended to wipe away non-existent tears.

It was then that Hailga joined the conversation.

“Right, he probably knows because he happened to overhear it somewhere.

Don’t pick on your poor junior, and just tell us.

How did you end up being kicked out of the Young Lord’s room?”

It wasn’t that she felt sympathy for Pret’s playful antics; she was just incredibly curious about the reason I kicked Reysir out.

Since Reysir was wary of Pret, he wouldn’t give him any answer.

Knowing that, she had stayed quiet until now, but if it were Hailga, the story changed.

She was Reysir’s oldest friend and the person he considered closest and most comfortable.

Because this Protagonist of Another Novel was sure to spill all sorts of things to his childhood friend.

“Don’t you dare say a word,” I threatened, glaring at Reysir.

By now—no, since a long time ago—my readers must also be curious about what happened.

Some of you might have a rough idea but want a specific description.

So, to fulfill my duty as a Narrator, I shall explain.

The reason Reysir was kicked out of my room was that he burst into fits of laughter the moment I showed him a wink.

‘He was the one who pestered me to show him a wink in the first place…’

To be honest, I was very bad at winking.

After all, it was the first time I had ever done it in my entire life, including the time I lived as Imir.

After kicking the Protagonist of Another Novel out, I tried winking again in front of the mirror, and it truly was a sight to behold.

Not only was one eye squeezed shut, but the other eye was also nearly closed.

Every muscle in my face was tensed, causing my nose to twitch and my lips to pucker.

It didn’t look like I was winking; it looked like I had just downed a bowl of extremely sour lemon juice.

And crucially…

‘It didn’t fit the character of this possession body at all!’

It was so shocking that I ended up practicing my wink in front of the mirror for quite some time without realizing it.

However, that didn’t mean I could forgive that crazy wink-maniac bastard for laughing his head off.

It was even more unforgivable if the fact that I tried to wink and failed miserably was revealed.

“Yes, yes.

Don’t worry.

I won’t tell a soul.”

Fortunately, Reysir promised to keep the secret.

Despite that, my feeling of unforgiveness didn’t fade; instead, it grew stronger.

It was probably because that beaming smile of his was just too annoying.

“Did Reysir do something disrespectful to the Young Lord and get kicked out?”

“Actually, that is the reason.”

“Then why is Young Lord Karbaldr more reluctant to reveal the reason than Reysir?”

“Do you think I’ll fall for such leading questions?”

“I guess not.”

Fortunately, unlike her childhood friend, Hailga was someone who knew how to back off cleanly without being persistent.

Even though her face was filled with clear regret, she didn’t try to probe or question me any further.

Instead, she brought up another topic.

“Oh, by the way.

Please eat lunch without me.

Since it’s the first weekend since the vacation started, I decided to eat lunch and hang out with my friends outside the Academy.”

Her tone and the content themselves were nothing special, but I could read a faint tension in Hailga’s expression.

In chapter 187, she had expressed her will to slowly let go of her “fake” persona, starting by revealing her true self to those she was close with.

This was a declaration that she was going to take that first step.

“Have a good time.”

Reysir said this while giving a gentle smile to his childhood friend.

It was likely meant to convey the message: ‘It will definitely work out, so don’t be too anxious.’

“Um… Kar.

I also decided to go with Hailga, so would it be okay if we ended the Swordsmanship lesson thirty minutes early today?”

Vigdis spoke up cautiously.

It was likely because Hailga had asked Vigdis, who knew everything, to be by her side.

She probably wasn’t confident enough to handle the situation alone, fearing her friends might feel betrayed and turn their backs on her.

“That works out.

I was actually about to tell you that there’s no need to teach me Swordsmanship starting from this semester.”

“Huh?

Why?”

“Have you forgotten?

The reason I wanted to learn Swordsmanship wasn’t that I was interested in that path, but to analyze the movements of swordsmen.

Although it’s limited to basic movements, I’ve achieved that goal, so I decided it’s time to stop.

I also need a lot of personal training time to fully digest what I learned during the lectures.”

“Wait…

then are we not doing group training either?”

The question that had come out of Reysir’s mouth yesterday evening popped out of Vigdis’s mouth with only a slight change in wording.

Since they had tasted rapid improvement while doing joint training last semester, they naturally thought we would do it this time as well.

“We might do it again later if it becomes necessary, but for now, I think the disadvantages outweigh the benefits.

Reysir will gain much more from sparring with the professors than with us, and your situation is similar.”

“Me too?

My skills can’t even follow in Reysir’s footsteps…”

“I meant that there are many professors who can help you.

Since there are many students learning Swordsmanship, there are five professors teaching the subject, one for each grade, right?”

“Ah…?”

“One of them will be assigned to guide your personal training, but there’s no rule saying you can’t be taught by other professors.

If you have extra time, seek help from various Swordsmanship professors and learn their unique know-how.

At this stage, that will be more helpful than sparring with us, who don’t know much about Swordsmanship.”

“Ah!!”

Only after I provided a detailed explanation did the doubt vanish from Vigdis’s face, replaced by a look of realization.

But even then, I couldn’t start my meal.

Because…

“Then, what, should I, do?

I am, a defense-focused, tanker…

so training, alone, isn’t, much help.”

“Anyway, you just need to defend, so couldn’t you just go to any professor and ask them to attack you?”

“Heh…

I’m very shy, so making, such a request, is a bit…”

“Then try asking the Imperial Princess.

Tell her to set a condition that she will give incentives to the professors who spar with you, just like she did for Reysir.

Then the professors will come looking for you first.”

Hieeeek!

Judging by that reaction, it didn’t seem likely that Liolikin would go to Fjodra and ask her to put a bounty on his head disguised as an incentive.

However, the idea I just mentioned was quite useful for a spontaneous thought.

‘Is there a better training method for a tanker who has to protect himself and us from various attacks?’

There might be one elsewhere, but if so, they could just be done together.

Therefore, I decided to just push forward with this “Liolikin Enhancement Project.”

“Is it hard to ask the Imperial Princess as well?

Then I’ll tell her during tomorrow’s early morning training session.”

“A-ah, you don’t have to do that!

Now that I think about it, just training alone, doesn’t seem too bad…”

“I went to the trouble of using my brain to come up with a method that would be helpful to you and even offered to step up and help personally.

Are you going to ignore my sincerity?”

“N-no, that’s not, what I meant…”

It wasn’t that I didn’t understand Liolikin’s feelings.

Despite his large frame and intimidating face, he was very timid and fearful.

It was only natural for him to feel terrified at the thought of adults he barely knew coming to him and suddenly requesting a spar.

‘But if you enter the Demonic Realm, monsters you don’t know at all will suddenly launch attacks, so this is nothing compared to that.’

I reached that conclusion and pressured Liolikin a bit more.

“Then what do you mean?

If you were going to give up before even starting, why did you ask for my advice?”

“Um, well, that’s…”

“Will you follow my advice or not?

State your intention clearly.”

“I-I will follow it…”

“Good choice.”

Hing…

Liolikin slumped his shoulders and made a pitiful expression, but I had no intention of letting him take back his word.

Thus, I ignored Liolikin’s appearance and sent a gaze toward My Baby Dragon.

When our eyes met, Yor gave me a bold thumbs up.

Others would probably think Yor was sending me a message that I did well.

Since I had just succeeded in drawing the answer I wanted from Liolikin.

But I know.

The reason Yor gave me a thumbs up just now was a gesture to let me know that the task I had requested was performed perfectly.

‘And as for what I asked Yor to do…’

Due to the length of this chapter, I will reveal it in the next one.