The morning after I kicked Pret out of the Private Training Hall, during breakfast.
I couldn’t help but be struck by a single regret.
“Oh, right! Senior Karbaldr, you know I received private lessons from Professor Skadi all yesterday afternoon, right?”
This was because Pret had suddenly brought it up.
Judging by the friendly tone and the sense of intimacy dripping from his voice, it seemed my attempt to lower his affinity had ultimately failed.
‘I should have told him not to act so close before I kicked him out…!’
As one could tell from the contents of chapter 205, Hale, Pret, and I were to learn weapon techniques from Skadi. Because of that, we had discussed who would receive private lessons on which day.
So, there was no way I could be unaware of the fact that Pret spoke with me yesterday morning and then received lessons from Skadi in the afternoon…
‘But that applies to everyone else too, doesn’t it?’
After all, that discussion had taken place during a meal.
Even though everyone currently sitting at the table to eat breakfast already possessed that information, Pret had specifically singled me out.
It was as if he was certain that while others would surely let it slip by and forget, I would naturally remember.
Perhaps he had no particular ulterior motive and was simply making a light remark to start a conversation with me about Skadi.
However, the Original Protagonist didn’t seem to think so.
As proof, Reysir Daudabina stared at Pret with wary eyes and spoke.
“I know that too. Why are you bringing that up all of a sudden?”
“Aha! Well, I had dinner with Professor Skadi yesterday evening, you see. I heard something related to Senior Karbaldr back then! Maybe that’s why? Now that I’m eating with Senior Karbaldr like this, that story suddenly came to mind!”
It seemed this successor to the Information Guild leader had managed to extract some information about me from Skadi.
Reysir likely didn’t know Pret’s exact identity yet…
‘But he probably guessed that Pret sweet-talked the somewhat naive Skadi to coax information about me out of her.’
Furthermore, Pret acted as if he was about to spill what he had learned right this moment.
It was a natural reaction for Reysir, who already disliked him, to have his gaze turn even sharper.
“……”
“Oh? Why did it get so quiet? Aren’t you going to ask what it is?”
“It sounds like something I already know. And it doesn’t seem like the kind of thing to talk about in a place like this.”
“I suppose so! Senior Reysir is already very close with Senior Karbaldr. You must naturally! Surely! Very well! Know all about Senior Karbaldr’s criteria for friends.”
The way he repeated the same meaning using different words and even added emphasis made it clear to anyone that he was bragging, saying, ‘I know something you don’t!’
At that, Reysir’s golden pupils began to tremble uncontrollably.
For my part, I couldn’t hide my agitation and whipped my head toward Pret.
‘What he heard from Skadi… wasn’t about her being bullied by her fellow professors, but that…?’
While I was gripped by embarrassment, Pret turned his head to meet my eyes and gave a sly smile.
Judging by that look, he had undoubtedly found out how Skadi was able to escape that bullying.
‘When Pret misinterpreted my words yesterday, just like Reysir does, he made that exact expression… Did he change the subject because Reysir cut in, even though he originally intended to bring that up? Or did he plan to talk about the criteria for friends from the start?’
“Now that I think about it, Senior Reysir, you were always on guard whenever someone approached Senior Karbaldr to get close, weren’t you?”
Since the person who fell into that ‘someone’ category was wagging his tongue like that as if it were someone else’s business, Reysir’s expression soured in an instant.
As if enjoying the reaction, Pret landed the final blow by placing his index finger to his lips.
“Ah, ah. Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone else about this. Let’s keep it a secret just between us.”
For now, it was a relief that Pret didn’t seem like he would go around blabbing about what was essentially my dark history.
However, I had no idea what he was thinking, provoking the Original Protagonist like that.
“I don’t know yet… I want to know…”
“Everyone, stop talking nonsense and just eat.”
“Aww…”
It was a pity for Liolikin, who had just managed to get a word in, but I had no choice but to ruthlessly put a stop to his speech.
It would be trouble if Pret suddenly changed his mind and started rambling about the ‘friendship narrative theory’ I had argued for in chapter 124.
‘In the original work before the remake, Reysir and Pret shared a deep bond and were close friends. It feels uncomfortable to see the two of them clashing because of me…’
Feeling my heart grow complicated, I moved my hands, which had stopped at some point, and picked up a side dish with my chopsticks.
***
About thirty seconds later, Heilga spoke up.
“Come to think of it, the apple pie I had with my friends yesterday was really delicious. I want to eat it again.”
Unlike Liolikin, who was busy moving his fork after taking my command to ‘just eat’ literally, she had no reason to mind me and do as she was told.
Instead of continuing to eat in the uncomfortable silence, she boldly opened a topic for small talk.
“Don’t you agree, Lady Vigdis?”
Talking alone without any response from those around her was just as uncomfortable as the silence, so Heilga pulled Vigdis into the conversation.
The two of them reminisced about yesterday, talking about what was good about this and that.
Naturally, the topic shifted to the current trends within the Academy.
By that point, Liolikin had joined the conversation as well.
He had belatedly realized that my telling them to stop talking nonsense didn’t mean they shouldn’t speak at all.
‘That aside…’
The moment she mentioned her friends, Heilga’s expression looked incredibly bright.
While it was partially because she was trying to brighten the mood after Reysir’s spirits had sunk due to Pret’s provocation…
‘Even considering that, seeing not a single shadow on her face, things must have gone well with her friends.’
Since the Original Protagonist, Reysir, had guaranteed it would be so in chapter 187, I was simply confirming a predetermined outcome.
Furthermore, I couldn’t exactly say I had a close relationship with Heilga.
We hadn’t shared a deep personal conversation, and there was no direct connection between us.
Nevertheless, I suddenly felt relieved.
Even though Heilga was the one who had deceived them first, her friends had accepted her for who she was.
‘Maybe it’s a sort of vicarious satisfaction.’
As mentioned briefly in chapter 168, I have experience being rejected instead of being fully accepted.
Even now, I am acting as someone else while hiding my true identity.
The reason my emotions didn’t spiral into envy or jealousy but stopped at vicarious satisfaction was…
‘Is it because there’s someone who I feel would gladly accept me even if I confessed the truth, despite everything I’ve shown so far being a lie?’
As I entertained these thoughts, my gaze unconsciously drifted toward Reysir.
However, far from showing a reliable appearance, he was staring at me with eyes full of betrayal, wondering what kind of thoughts he had spiraled into on his own.
‘Is he acting like that because I didn’t tell him the conditions for being a friend? It’s not like I told Pret directly, either.’
Besides, I had only explained from an author’s perspective what characters in a novel must do to form a friendship; I hadn’t preached that one must satisfy those conditions to become my friend.
In the first place, I’d need to have had friends myself to even have a baseline.
‘Anyway, it’s a bit problematic if the protagonist of another novel is in that state…’
The reason it was problematic was that I intended to induce Reysir to use his **[Truth-Reading Eye]** on me today.
The reason why I had to do so was already described in the latter half of chapter 205, so I’ll skip it.
In case any readers are thinking, ‘Isn’t it too early?’ I’ll explain the reasoning.
‘It’s because Reysir’s **[Truth-Reading Eye]** skill still has low proficiency, so the information he can read is limited.’
As long as I have to continue Academy life with Reysir, showing him my Status Window as soon as possible is the best way to hide as much of my information as I can.
‘Plus, there’s no telling when the original author might intervene and create a situation where Reysir has no choice but to read my Status Window.’
If Reysir were to face my Status Window for the first time then, his curiosity might be piqued, and he might accidentally read its contents.
However, if he was already familiar with the contents, his curiosity wouldn’t even hold his gaze.
He would immediately look elsewhere to check his surroundings or adjust his eyepatch.
‘It just so happens that today is a good day to avoid the original author’s observation!’
Yesterday, he seemed to have been called by various professors for duels all day, but Reysir said he planned to hole up in the Library today to study magnetic fields.
Surely Author Senna wouldn’t spend pages explaining the principles of magnetic field generation in the novel.
The original author would surely bury the scenes of their protagonist buried in books and studying between the lines.
They would probably jump straight to Tuesday, when Professor Radvicin has his Aether Trait Enhancement Lecture, to show Reysir mastering a new way to use his **[Lightning Domination]** skill.
‘Crucially…’
Inside the Library, there exists a place where the original author’s gaze will definitely not reach.
I had no concrete proof, but just a vague feeling.
I felt that if it were that place, filled with the real-world webnovels that Reysir calls ‘special character novels,’ the original author wouldn’t be able to perceive our conversation.
When considering everything from various angles, every conclusion pointed to today being the right time.
And yet, right now, Reysir was ruthlessly shaking my resolve.
‘And all because he’s being toyed with by Pret’s silver tongue.’
I was able to make up my mind to show Reysir my Status Window because he had previously affirmed that even if everything he had seen of me so far was a lie, he wouldn’t feel betrayed.
That was why I felt that even if he discovered my identity, he wouldn’t turn his back on me, allowing me to only worry about the timing and location.
“…Karbaldr? Why are you glaring at me like I’ve done something wrong?”
“Hmph!”
“No, seriously, why?!”
Despite having looked at me like I was a traitor just a moment ago.
Reysir didn’t reflect on his own fault at all and instead wore an indignant expression.
The way he looked around suggested he was asking the others what he had done wrong.