“No, it’s not that..! I didn’t mean you were bad or anything… Wait, actually, last semester you were bad, right? But you’ve reflected since then, so I wasn’t trying to blame you…”
As I fiddled with the baby dragon in my arms to distract myself, the protagonist of someone else’s novel suddenly started babbling anxiously with words I couldn’t quite understand.
I lost count of how many times he said “No.”
Watching him deny over and over again, bewilderment quickly replaced any sense of injustice.
“What are you so flustered about?”
“You made a face I’ve never seen before, so I wondered if I said something too hurtful..?”
“Forget it. It’s not like you said anything you shouldn’t have.”
He’d made a fuss in chapter 59 too, claiming I made a new expression he’d never seen.
I guess he plans to make a scene every time I show a new face.
‘Well, Reysir Daudabina is the main character of a first-person narrative, after all.’
Since he’s the narrator in the story, it makes sense that he’d be extra sensitive to other people’s facial expressions and react to them.
As I accepted that—
The protagonist of someone else’s novel stared straight at my face, then suddenly asked,
“But, Vigdis. What did you talk about with that Nidhr fellow while shaking hands earlier?”
Just like I’d been curious about the conversation I had with an extra during the preliminaries, he seemed curious about this too.
It could just be a question out of simple curiosity.
‘But most likely, he’s asking on my behalf.’
Honestly, such needless kindness.
It’s not like there’s any mystery about what the two of them would have talked about.
So I wasn’t particularly curious.
If he knew Vigdis was engaged, then he’d obviously know she hadn’t even learned swordsmanship for a year.
Even if he didn’t,
Since Vigdis had asked Nidhr before the match how long he’d been learning the sword, it was only polite to return the same question and answer.
‘He probably praised her, saying her skill was remarkable for someone who learned so recently. Maybe added he looked forward to seeing her performance next year, too.’
When Nidhr first appeared in the original work, he’d built up a positive, cheerful image based on his overflowing confidence.
He must have treated Vigdis in line with that image this time, too.
“He said he was surprised I’d reached this level in such a short time. So I thanked him, and said it was an honor to cross swords with him.”
See?
Nothing special at all.
“But… um….”
I thought that was the end, but apparently there was more.
For some reason, Vigdis faltered, unable to continue her explanation, glancing at me for my reaction.
Up until just a moment ago I hadn’t felt even a spark of curiosity, but seeing her hesitate mid-sentence piqued my interest.
So if I, who was only just now getting curious, felt that way, how much more would the original questioner?
“But what? What was said next?”
“It wasn’t exactly a conversation. After letting go of my hand, the other person just blurted out something weird…”
“Weird?”
“He said…, it was a pity I already had a fiancé….”
Under Reysir Daudabina’s repeated questioning, Vigdis finally spoke.
And once again, I realized how difficult it was to predict the actions and words of characters from someone else’s novel.
“What the…? Was he hitting on you or something?”
“I thought he was complimenting my skills and recognized me as a fellow swordsman, so I was happy…. But was that praise just empty words?”
I’m sure the compliment was sincere.
That’s why he couldn’t hide his regret.
A woman as talented as Vigdis would make a fine match, but she was already engaged to someone else.
‘He’s the type who grades people and decides if they’re worthy to keep close.’
In the original, Nidhr only showed his true colors much later.
He’s still an Academy student, so he has to graduate.
Much later, when he reappeared, a flashback revealed everything.
After the finals of the sword tournament, Nidhr acknowledged that Reysir Daudabina’s skill surpassed his own.
But he considered him unworthy as a friend.
‘To be bullied by a defective Karbaldr, of all people.’
Failing to realize how insignificant Karbaldr Austri truly was, and unable to properly use the strength he possessed.
He judged Reysir Daudabina as just another person who bowed to power.
‘He didn’t even consider why Reysir Daudabina had to endure such things. He never considered his circumstances at all!’
He even thought that if Reysir Daudabina ever freed himself from Karbaldr’s bullying, he’d accept him as a friend.
His self-confidence went beyond arrogance, piercing the sky.
‘If he’s so great, shouldn’t he have tried to save Reysir Daudabina from that bullying himself?’
He didn’t dare stand up to Karbaldr, the duke’s son, either.
He’d just found a way to justify it to himself.
So for Nidhr—who’d acted like that in the original—to now say it was a pity Vigdis was engaged…
Maybe he’d heard the recent rumors that Vigdis had Karbaldr Austri wrapped around her finger.
“He might have said that just to impress you. But Vigdis, if you weren’t actually so skilled, he couldn’t have said it in the first place.”
“You think so?”
“Of course! Even Karbaldr said it earlier, didn’t he? That you had the makings of a great swordswoman. You know as well as I do he doesn’t say things he doesn’t mean, right?”
Not only did Reysir Daudabina drag me into his conversation with Vigdis, he even pointed at me.
Then, Liolikin, who wasn’t even part of the conversation, giggled, “Hehehe…”
He was probably remembering the compliments and lip service I’d given earlier, happy all over again.
“Yes, I know. That’s just how Kar is.”
“To covet someone already engaged, that’s an insult to both you and Karbaldr Austri. And treating an opponent you faced in the tournament that way isn’t great, either. He’s got skill, but a lousy personality.”
Maybe Reysir Daudabina thought both Vigdis and I had been insulted, because he frowned, looking distinctly displeased.
It’s not like we were directly insulted.
No, even when I was insulted outright, not a single person ever got angry on my behalf in my previous life.
‘Ah… I shouldn’t be feeling sentimental about this…
Anyway, Reysir Daudabina only got angry because he thought Vigdis hadn’t been respected as a swordswoman.
That’s the main reason. Anything related to me is just a side note.
So I worked hard to keep my face blank.
If I accidentally made a touched expression, Reysir Daudabina would just get all fussy.
“But Karbaldr, you really don’t react at all..? Aren’t you bothered that Nidhr might be aiming for Vigdis?”
Looks like I was wrong.
Even if I kept my poker face, Reysir Daudabina still pestered me.
“I told you not to ask.”
“So you are bothered? You can’t even say you’re not…”
What a ridiculous misunderstanding.
But I knew even if I denied it, Reysir Daudabina wouldn’t believe me.
And I couldn’t very well declare right here that I had no romantic interest in Vigdis.
“Just shut up and watch the match.”
With that, I turned my gaze to the stage to cut off the conversation, then fell into thought.
‘By the way, Nidhr hasn’t even started acting like a villain yet, but he’s already earned the original protagonist’s hostility.’
He’s set up to fall to darkness eventually, but I felt a bit sorry for him.
Sure, he’s cocky, but he’s never bullied anyone so far.
He’s just another teenager drunk on his own brilliance—just more so than most.
‘…And here I am worrying about someone else when I’ve got my own problems!
Besides, the reason Nidhr turns dark is because his former confidence flips into inferiority, when he realizes he’s not special since he can’t “awaken.”
That’s not something I can fix for him.
It has nothing to do with me.
With that, I refocused on the match unfolding on the stage.
“It’s almost lunchtime, so what are we going to do about food?”
Around the start of the thirteenth match, Reysir Daudabina suddenly asked that.
At Valhalla Academy, the martial arts tournament didn’t have a set lunch break.
But you could order food and eat inside the Stadium, and Academy students got free boxed lunches.
So Reysir Daudabina wasn’t asking where we’d eat, but when.
“I plan to eat after my match. If you want to order now, just order for yourselves.”
For reference, I’m in the fifteenth match. Reysir Daudabina’s is the sixteenth.
If I ate now, I’d have to compete with a heavy stomach.
Since I said I’d eat later, Reysir Daudabina agreed, and Vigdis and Liolikin postponed their orders as well.
“Karbaldr. Still, you should eat something for energy before you go up on stage. Like chocolate, or, say, chocolate. Or even some chocolate.”
Seeing Reysir Daudabina say that, he must have prepared chocolate for this situation.
Or maybe he just happened to have some chocolate in his Inventory.
“You’re not allergic to nuts or anything, are you?”
I never said I’d eat anything, but Reysir Daudabina put his hand in his coat pocket, paused, and asked me about allergies.
Just to be clear for any readers: this body doesn’t have an allergy setting.
Back at the original home, I ate food with nuts and was fine, so there’s no need to worry.
The only reason allergies came up is because Reysir Daudabina, knowing I’d nearly died from poison before, was just being cautious.
There’s no foreshadowing here.
“…I don’t have any.”
Only after I answered did Reysir Daudabina pull out a box of chocolates.
He pretended to pull them from his coat, but probably got them from the Inventory.
It is winter, but if you put chocolate in your coat pocket, it could melt. Besides, the box is way too big to fit there.
Vigdis and Liolikin exclaimed, “Wow!”—but it wasn’t because the 20-piece box of Praline Chocolate looked tasty.
They were amazed that such a big box came out of a coat pocket.
‘If he’d just bought a 10-piece box, it wouldn’t be as impressive, and it’d fit in a pocket… Maybe he thought that wouldn’t be enough for everyone?’
As I was thinking that, the open box of chocolates was pushed in front of me.
Just from the glossy shine, you could tell it was properly tempered, high-quality chocolate. He’d definitely bought it for all of us to share.
Same as the bread he bought before. Reysir Daudabina barely gets any allowance, so why does he keep doing this?
‘He’s probably thinking he’ll get prize money if he wins, so this expense is fine?’
I couldn’t think of a good reason to refuse.
Rather than act like a picky kid and insist on not eating, it was better to just eat.
So I picked one at random, put it in my mouth, and bit down. The elegant sweetness and savory flavor filled my taste buds.
…It really is delicious!
The thirteenth match ended after we’d all shared some chocolate.
The flavor had just about faded from my mouth.
Then the fourteenth match began, but the difference in skill between the two competitors was clear—it looked like it would end quickly.
I thought I should start getting ready, so I set Yor down.
As I took off my coat and folded it on my lap, I could feel my body stiffening. Partly from the cold, but also from nerves.
Without thinking, I took a deep breath and blew out a big white puff.
“You’re still at the stage where you learn by trial and error, but I hope you win so I can face you in the next round, Karbaldr. So do your best!”
“Whatever happens, just do your best so you don’t have any regrets…!”
“G-Good luck…! Also, uh… I-I’ll start thinking of praise for you now…!”
The people sitting on either side and behind me each offered a word.
For a moment, I almost got emotional at their sincere encouragement.
But the last thing Liolikin said was so ridiculous it snapped me out of it.
The match hadn’t even started, so what’s the point of thinking of praise in advance?
Praise without genuine feeling or reason is just empty flattery, isn’t it?
“Nyan nyan nyan~!”
After the fourteenth match ended,
As I got up to go on stage, Yor waved a whiteboard that read, “Fighting☆ Master is the best!!”
With a star, even. So cute and touching.
So.
“I’ll be back.”
–That line was only meant for my adorable baby dragon.
But the three humans misunderstood and said “Good luck” as if it was meant for them.
I thought about correcting them, but realized I’d just be seen as cold, or worse, a tsundere, so I kept my mouth shut and turned away.