“Ah, anyway…! Coming into your room wasn’t my intention.”
“Then what? Was there some other reason?”
As the protagonist of another novel was smirking, I tried to gloss over it and move on.
But the topic came full circle again.
“You’re so persistent, you know…”
“I can’t help it. If I don’t press like this, it’s impossible to hear your true feelings.”
He means that his persistence is because I’m not honest.
It seems he has no intention of backing down until he hears why I came to his room instead of calling him out separately…
‘Well… I did think it might be good to address this once.’
But I was hesitant because bringing this up with Karbaldr might be out of character.
However, with the person before me, the formula ‘Karbaldr = Tsundere’ was established, and since this protagonist of another novel was persistently hounding me, I thought it might be okay to talk about it.
“Haa… If I called you out alone when everyone was together, Liolikin would get interested. And if I told him not to follow, he’d think we were excluding him… So that’s why.”
I let out a deep sigh and reluctantly explained, as if confessing.
Then the protagonist of another novel finally seemed to understand.
“Aha! So you were embarrassed that I might tease you for being kind, and that’s why you couldn’t explain easily?!”
“Wasn’t that the core of what I just said?”
“Yeah, yeah. The key point was that you were worried Liolikin would feel left out, so you wanted to be considerate, right? If Liolikin finds out you said this first, he’ll be super moved!”
The thought crossed my mind that I shouldn’t have said anything.
Anyway, I have to admit he has a knack for making people feel embarrassed.
“It’s not really consideration! I just didn’t want to be the bad guy! So please don’t go spreading that around and making trouble.”
“If that’s what you want, then I’ll keep your kind heart a secret.”
“No, that…”
“Hmm?”
“……..!”
The longer I drag this out, the more I lose.
Knowing that, I quickly ended the conversation and took a sip of cola, trying not to look at the protagonist of another novel’s face, which was surely grinning.
“Then next time, let’s include Liolikin. For today, we met alone…”
“Nyao!”
“Oh, sorry. So it’s the three of us including Yor, right? Anyway, let’s just hang out today.”
Having teased me enough, he still seemed unsatisfied.
My goal was only to see the Confession Villain’s materials, and I’d already explained why I had to come to his room at this hour.
Yet the protagonist of another novel showed signs of wanting to keep me in his room longer.
“No. I’m going back to my room to rest.”
“I finished reading the special character novel you recommended last Sunday, even the final volume.”
“……”
I had been looking at the Confession Villain’s materials while eating snacks Yor handed me and drinking cola, so I had just finished the can.
I planned to use that as an excuse to stand up.
But Reysir’s words made me stop involuntarily.
“Don’t you want to hear my thoughts?”
Honestly, I did want to hear.
How could I not be curious about what the protagonist of a novel I read thought about a novel I recommended?
“I’m curious about your thoughts too.”
I didn’t really want to say that.
It felt a bit embarrassing to talk about what I felt.
“Can’t you stay a little longer? Huh?”
Well, anyway, if I went back to my room, I was planning to write ‘Hoe-ak-bang’.
And Reysir was the only web novel reader in this world, as well as my reader.
So discussing web novels with him could be considered an activity helpful for ‘Writing’.
So.
“Just… a little bit.”
—I made this decision solely to prepare for when the [Writing] skill unlocks in the future.
Not because I wanted to have fun discussing books with the protagonist of another novel.
So I hope the readers won’t misunderstand.
The next morning.
Right after breakfast, I headed to the private training hall and met Pret there again.
The reason, of course, was to receive a report on the task I had entrusted to Pret last week—specifically, in the 24th chapter.
“The matter regarding Professor Vanahilda’s enemy is still under investigation, and contacting the professor will be after the investigation is complete.”
Of course, it’s impossible to track down the culprit of an incident that happened nearly 20 years ago in just one week.
If it were possible, the culprit would have been caught and executed long ago, or dealt with by Vanahilda’s hand.
“Still, from the fact that you mention after the investigation, it seems progress is being made.”
“It’s kind of in progress. I can’t tell you the details because it’s business confidential! But senior…”
“I refuse.”
“Wow, now you don’t even let me finish the recruitment offer!”
Pret clicked his tongue as he said this, but his expression didn’t show any disappointment.
That means he expected me to refuse.
Then I can’t understand why he keeps repeating the same offer.
“More importantly, how did the sponsorship go?”
“I already sent it. Along with a letter stating that the same amount would be paid every month, as per the fictional story you made up.”
“The response?”
“Well, of course, he was overjoyed! Right now, he’s probably busy looking for good medicine and doctors and making appointments. After that, he’ll contact senior Svein. Thanks to some benevolent anonymous sponsor, his younger brother can finally get proper treatment.”
It’s not like I earned that money by sweating.
It was just money saved by the original owner of this body, and a portion from Hard’s pocket that I shared.
And that was only to eliminate the reason for the original work traitor to betray me, thus ensuring my safety.
Yet the adjective ‘benevolent’ is attached.
I can’t help but sneer.
“Hmph! Benevolent my foot…”
“If you don’t like that expression, shall I say ‘gracious’?”
Enough talk.
If the report is done, refund the information fee for that guy Drembi and get out of here.
“Look at that.”
“I still have things to say, so I can’t leave, but I can give you the money now.”
With that, Pret took a money pouch out of his inventory and held it out.
I took it.
“But… it feels oddly light?”
“Ahaha! Well, you see? Reysir senior haggled the price, saying that before I even read the purchased information, the problem was solved!”
It seems Reysir, true to being a web novel protagonist these days, showed his calculative side by looking after his own interests.
“So? Did you get the remaining amount from me?”
“I only took the down payment. I have to get full compensation for my labor.”
“Then how much did you get from Reysir? Even if the purchased information became unnecessary, the deal was already done. I doubt you would have given in easily…”
“Exactly. I said I couldn’t reduce the information fee itself for that reason, and since in a way, it was me who was curious and investigated, I only took the amount corresponding to the down payment!”
“In the end, you got the full fee.”
“Ahaha! I think it was a fair deal!”
Indeed, that was the case, so I nodded involuntarily.
I was the one who commissioned Pret to investigate, and Reysir got the results.
So it was right for me to pay the down payment and Reysir to pay the information fee.
Moreover, Pret’s investigation was not meaningless.
It produced clear results.
First of all, we found out that the Confession Villain was spreading false rumors.
In the end, I read the materials and got the idea to use Valtraus based on the content that the guy greatly admired his older brother.
I nodded in understanding and put the money pouch—which I got back from Pret, minus the down payment—into my inventory.
“But, senior Karbaldr, you knew, didn’t you?”
“If you mean that Reysir haggled the price of the information he bought from you, then no.”
“No, not that. About senior Reysir’s [Identification] skill.”
At the end of chapter 245, I expressed confidence that Reysir would figure out Pret’s identity.
So it’s useless to deny it, and there’s no reason to.
Besides, I had a suitable excuse ready, so I nodded in affirmation.
“Yeah, I knew. It was Reysir who helped me use the Sky-Blue Aether. That’s when I heard about the existence of Silver Ethere and the [Identification] skill.”
“Huh? Really? I thought Professor Radbisin helped you…”
“Professor Radbisin confirmed the existence of Sky-Blue Aether and guided me to handle it. But it was Reysir who showed me how to bring it out whenever I wanted.”
“Didn’t senior Reysir say he can’t control Silver Ethere?”
He’s asking how Reysir could help me with that when he can’t even handle his own second ether properly.
“Anyway, the fact that the skill activates on its own means he’s in a state where he can draw on the second ether anytime. Besides, the reason he lost control of Silver Ethere was because it rampaged when he was young.”
“What exactly did he help you with?”
“I can’t tell you that. I’m not the owner of that information.”
“Ah! You could have subtly charged me money and sold it, but I really like that you respect intellectual property! In that sense…”
“I refuse.”
At least Reysir’s Influence Event attempts weren’t this persistent and untimely.
At this point, I wonder if Pret’s recruitment offer is just a habit.
As I furrowed my brow at that thought, the other person’s expression and voice turned quite serious.
“Senior Karbaldr, did you know? I consider all our guild members family. My mother, the head, feels the same, and most of the guild members think of each other that way. We’re all one family eating from the same pot.”
He knows about the family history of the body I’m possessing, so he seems to be trying to dig into that.
Although I am not Karbaldr, I couldn’t be completely indifferent to the words ‘family’ or ‘mother’.
But for me, then and now, there is only one mother, and I have no intention of replacing her with anyone else—
‘Even if it’s just a figure of speech… isn’t it a bit problematic to talk about “eating from the same pot” in a neighborhood where they don’t even cook rice in a pot?’
For this reason, I only flinched for a moment.
The wavering feeling soon settled, replaced by a sense of absurdity.
“I’m not making up words to lure you into the guild. I’m telling you the truth sincerely, senior.”
“Oh, well… I suppose. But I don’t need it.”
“Don’t brush off my words. Think about it carefully later, even if it’s later.”
“The conclusion won’t change anyway, but fine. Now, get out.”
“Tsk, fine.”
He must have noticed that I didn’t take his words seriously.
Pret pouted his lips, blatantly showing his disappointment, and left.
So sweet he’s just a mama’s boy