Chapter 49: The Weight of Reysir’s Hurt

“Um…”

“It’s already a scheduled appointment, just changing the location, so it’s not like I broke the promise of not luring you somewhere.

Besides, didn’t I inform you in advance that the place might be moved? And considering the circumstances, this might be unavoidable…”

“L…?”

I reflexively started to pour out excuses at Vigdis’s call, but when I caught the questioning look on her face, I realized my mistake.

I thought she was going to scold me for breaking the clause.

Only then did I realize that wasn’t the case.

‘Right, Vigdis isn’t the type to pick a fight over something like that. I originally included that clause just to keep some distance from her. Even if I subtly broke it, she probably wouldn’t care. I wasn’t unaware of that…’

‘Could she be the woman confronting two important characters from the original story, including the protagonist?’

It was hard to come up with a proper answer immediately.

My jumbled thoughts wandered aimlessly and mixed into a complete mess.

“What did you call me for?”

“Ah, about that person earlier…”

“I’m not particularly interested in talking about him.”

“Is Kar alright?”

I didn’t know what Vigdis’s intention was behind that question.

Anyway, my answer was pretty much set.

It would be ridiculous to say he wasn’t alright at this point.

“Is there any reason for him not to be okay?”

It was better this way. Reysir finally left.

Though his hurt expression as he turned away lingered in my mind, it was a consequence he brought upon himself.

If only he had kept his distance when I kindly pushed him away.

‘Why did he keep coming closer?’

‘He must really hate me now. Not Karvald, but …!’

That was only natural.

It was well known that Reysir was tormented by this possessed body.

With many eyes watching, it wouldn’t have been easy for him to come to me first and act friendly.

He must have lowered his pride to approach me.

But I shattered that pride completely, threw it to the ground, and trampled on it.

‘It’s no wonder he harbors a grudge!’

Even now, I kept wondering if the original protagonist would come to kill me someday.

I knew Reysir wasn’t that petty of a character.

Still, I couldn’t help but worry just in case.

“Are you really okay…?”

“Meowww…”

Though I tried to keep a neutral expression, it showed in my face.

Vigdis asked again if I was alright, and Yor meowed worryingly.

I don’t know why they’re concerned about me when there’s an actual victim.

Let’s say Yor reacts like that because he considers me a priority.

“But why does Vigdis act like this?”

“Maybe because there are many onlookers, and since I’m engaged, she can’t just abandon me to chase after Reysir.”

“So maybe she’s just concerned about my condition right in front of her?”

“Since the troublemaker is gone, let’s continue training.”

“Wasn’t it my poor explanations that weren’t helpful?”

“I want to observe how you wield your sword.”

“Ah, yes…”

Vigdis hesitated and put some distance between us.

Even while drawing her sword, she kept glancing at me nervously.

But after closing her eyes and taking a few deep breaths, when she opened them again, the timid look was gone.

She shook off all worries and distractions of reality and focused solely on her sword.

But I couldn’t do the same.

My mind kept drifting elsewhere.

‘Just because I don’t want to be hurt, it doesn’t mean I can hurt others. No one in this world has that right.’

Even when I tried convincing myself it was inevitable, I still felt uneasy.

I tried blaming Reysir for everything to deceive myself, but it was useless.

Even if I could cover the sky in my sight with my palm, nothing could hide my heart.

‘Seeing someone hurt because of me is such a painful thing…’

‘What kind of nerves do people who easily hurt others have?’

‘I couldn’t understand it, nor did I want to.’

That made it even more painful.

“Meowww…”

“Maybe Yor was really worried about me because he rubbed his head against my shoulder affectionately.”

“But even seeing that didn’t cheer me up.”

Of course, my focus didn’t recover either.

“Vigdis, explain that move just now… hmm, no, forget it.”

“Huh?”

“Today’s training should end here. Instead of going straight back to the dormitory, stop by the library and borrow some anatomy books first.”

“……”

In the end, I used Vigdis’s poor explaining skills as an excuse to go back to my room.

Only then could I curl up fully and drown in my gloom.

Yor wrapped around me, trying to comfort me.

I felt grateful for this intelligent and caring baby dragon, but I also felt terribly sorry for not being a trustworthy and reliable owner.

Even though I’m such a pitiful master.

“…Still, I have to make sure I eat.”

If I were alone, skipping a meal or two wouldn’t matter.

But I couldn’t let Yor starve.

Checking the clock, it was just past noon.

I wasn’t sure when I arrived back in my room since I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to check.

‘Can I send Yor alone to the dining hall? Someone might harm him if I’m not around!’

I had made up my mind and needed to act quickly.

If I kept acting like this, I might get comments saying, “The protagonist’s too pathetic, I’m dropping this.”

So I had to stop being so pitiful.

I stood up and checked my face in the mirror.

Though my complexion looked dull, I could blame it on dark circles.

Thanks to these dark circles, I was once mistaken for a research student and had to organize a thesis I didn’t even need to, so sometimes it did help.

There was something on the upper corner of my right eye, so I rubbed it with my finger.

Then I realized it was a mole and was about to lower my hand, but instead, I lifted the other hand and buried my face in both palms.

Slowly calming my breathing, I wiped my dry face and lowered my hands.

Then I tried on Karvald Austri’s signature arrogant and haughty expression.

Maybe because I practiced this look the most, it didn’t reveal my gloom well and looked quite convincing.

“Alright. Keep this expression, go eat at the dining hall, and then head to the private training hall to move your body a lot. That should boost my energy.”

“Meow meow!!”

As I spoke resolutely in front of the mirror, Yor responded enthusiastically.

His baby dragon cry sounded like praise for my good decision.

After lightly patting Yor’s head, who never ceased to amaze me, I left the room with confidence.

***

But despite my determination to keep the arrogant face, my expression crumbled as soon as I arrived at the dining hall.

Because I ran into Tridrick.

According to what he blabbered, he’s busy attending various social gatherings every weekend.

Those gatherings mostly involved meals, tea, or drinks.

So I didn’t expect to meet Tridrick in the dining hall today.

‘No gathering at lunch today? What a damn annoying coincidence.’

That’s what I thought at the time.

But when Tridrick sat opposite me and started talking, I realized his appearance wasn’t a coincidence.

“Karvald Austri, I heard the rumors. That Reysir guy acted insolent toward you?”

Apparently, many students at this academy love gossip.

My mind was still in chaos, yet the rumors had already reached Tridrick’s ears.

“What do you want to say?”

“These days, you’ve been surprisingly lenient, haven’t you? That’s why he started to think he could take you lightly.”

“Get to the point.”

“Shouldn’t you pick a day to teach him a lesson?”

“I don’t understand how someone can so easily say they want to bully another person.”

“Though I’m well aware that this type of person exists in the outside world as well.”

“But this person in front of me didn’t feel human at all, so this thought crossed my mind.”

“Is it because he’s just a character who exists only as a villain? Is that why he’s so rotten? His personality seems made up of pure malice, and he bullies the original protagonist without any reason. Is it all because of that?”

“…Why bother.”

“Then I’ll handle it myself!”

I didn’t want to waste my mental energy on some insignificant villain character who probably wasn’t put much effort into when the setting was made.

So I answered disinterestedly, but he couldn’t hide his joy.

He was excited by the thought of using Karvald Austri’s name to bully Reysir however he pleased.

The moment I realized that, a surge of either anger or irritation welled up.

“Someone like you. Why are you so reckless?”

Even though I barely swallowed the words “a mere character in a novel” and “an unimportant villain,” I couldn’t hide the contempt in my voice.

This was the first time since possessing this body that I truly despised someone.

“Sorry… I’m sorry….”

Even without raising his voice, Tridrick must have sensed something from my expression and tone because he retracted his neck like a turtle and apologized.

But I doubted his sincerity.

His only goal was probably to avoid this situation.

“You just do as I say. Don’t do anything on your own accord that I didn’t order. If I don’t ask for anything, don’t do anything. Living like that will be better for you too.”

I wasn’t saying it lightly.

If you mess with the original protagonist Reysir, you’ll suffer a big backlash.

This is almost an absolute rule that governs this world.

Even though I gave him this life-saving advice, there was no gratitude on Tridrick’s face.

Ungratefully, he trembled with a look full of humiliation.

Though he must have felt his pride crushed as well, the guilt I felt when I saw Reysir’s wounded face was nowhere to be found now.

‘Did I unknowingly regard Reysir not as a fictional character but as a real person? Or is it okay because Reysir is obviously a good character while Tridrick is clearly evil?’

I don’t know.

I don’t want to think about it deeply right now.