Chapter 74: Karvald’s Restless Night

“Ar-are you okay…? Pl-please, have some water…!”

The moment I sat down at the seat the staff directed me to, Liolikin handed me a cup filled with cold water.

‘Is he really worried about me? Or is he just trying to curry favor and look good in front of me?’

I doubted his sincerity, but since there was no real reason to refuse, I quietly accepted the cup and drank the water inside.

“Hailga also looks worried… but considering her pretend character and the fact that she dislikes Karvald, it’s probably just acting, right?”

Yor, ignoring his perfectly fine hands, poked my arm with the horn growing from his head, then caught my gaze and cutely meowed.

He probably noticed it wasn’t motion sickness but just my mood.

As for Reysir…

“Did something on your mind?”

Of course he would ask something like that—he’s the protagonist after all.

Unlike Yor, he wasn’t fully aware of my situation but still managed to get remarkably close to the right answer.

‘This atmosphere is getting a bit overwhelming…’

Liolikin and Hailga were hard to read—whether they were sincere or not—but either way, they were checking on my mood.

The rest of the group was clearly worried about me.

Everyone came out to have fun, but here they were concerned about me, which made me feel somewhat guilty.

“It’s nothing like that. Didn’t I say it was just motion sickness from the rough ride in the carriage?”

“But last time when we went to save Hailga, you were fine, right? The carriage was the same as today’s.”

“…Actually, I didn’t sleep well last night. So my condition wasn’t good, and that’s why I felt motion sick.”

That was a lie.

I forced out the ‘right answer’ and, feigning sulkiness, glared at Reysir as if to say, “Are you satisfied now?”

There was only one predictable response from Reysir.

He’d tease me with something like, “You were so excited to hang out with us you couldn’t sleep?”

I was the one who had dampened the mood, so I tried to lift it back up by confessing that I had stayed up late, even though it would make me the butt of a joke.

But then someone else spoke first, dropping an unexpected remark that made my rare attempt at sacrifice fade away.

“Ah, come to think of it… you said you developed insomnia during the break…?”

“Ah! If it’s during the break…!!”

Liolikin’s mention of insomnia wasn’t a big deal.

Anyone could develop insomnia.

The real problem was Vigdis’s reaction, as if she’d just confirmed something.

Right after saying that, Vigdis sharply inhaled and covered her mouth with both hands.

Anyone could tell it was a gesture shouting, “I know you went through something terrible during the break.”

‘What’s with that reaction…? Could she be thinking my insomnia is related to the poisoning attempt?’

The only truth was that Karvald had ingested poison.

The insomnia and feeling threatened were lies, but somehow they were being connected like this?

“Vigdis, do you know something?”

Reysir asked Vigdis, even though I was right there.

He probably figured I wouldn’t answer if asked directly.

“A-ah, no, no! I don’t know anything! I just thought, since you developed insomnia during the break, that’s why you have dark circles now which you didn’t have last semester… that’s all…”

Vigdis’s eyes didn’t stay fixed straight ahead but darted around incessantly, and her eyelids flickered up and down way too fast.

Anyone could tell she was lying.

I sighed softly and, putting on a calm expression, picked up the menu and handed it to Vigdis.

“Stop with the pointless talk and just decide what you want to eat.”

“Ah, y-yeah…! Since we’re at a restaurant, we should order quickly. It’s rude to just talk and not order anything, right…?”

Vigdis focused on the menu and closed her mouth.

Reysir’s persistent gaze then landed on my face, so I handed him a menu as well.

“I don’t know what’s going on, but if you have something on your mind, feel free to talk about it anytime. I couldn’t help when you were worried about Professor Skadi, and it might be the same this time… but if we put our heads together, maybe we can come up with an unexpected solution?”

Reysir said this and only then looked down at his menu.

Fortunately, he didn’t seem intent on pushing me further.

The fake motion sickness issue seemed to have been buried somehow too.

‘By the way, Reysir is calling Skadi ‘Professor’ again? Has he decided to respect her as a teacher?’

Despite some twists and turns, we chose our meals and placed the order.

***

While waiting for the food to arrive, the conversation resumed, likely because Reysir had just mentioned Skadi.

“Kar, you attended that ex-assassin professor’s lecture again this week, right? How was it?”

Vigdis’s face looked like it was molded from anxiety.

Well, considering she mistakenly thought I had insomnia because of the poisoning attempt, her expression made sense.

“Now that I think about it, I haven’t told you that things with that professor are resolved.”

Strictly speaking, the only person who knew that was Reysir, since he was involved directly in the incident.

I briefly explained what had happened on the day of the Dagger Arts exam.

“The conflict was resolved last Thursday. Reysir got angry at Professor Skadi, and she also told him some things she had to say.”

“You’re summarizing it that way?”

Reysir looked baffled, but to me, that was the best I could do.

I couldn’t say that I tried to understand her, defended her, and helped her forgive herself.

I didn’t feel the need to.

But Reysir could have told the whole story and was willing to share it.

By the time the food arrived and we had started eating, Reysir’s explanation continued.

He complimented me so much along the way I almost felt embarrassed.

“Why do you have to tell all that?”

“At least I want people gathered here to properly know what kind of person you are.”

“Why do you care?”

“Because you don’t.”

“So why do you…”

I was about to argue again but stopped midway.

I could roughly guess why Reysir was stepping in.

Hailga, who still harbors prejudice against this possessed body.

Vigdis, who once suffered under Karvald but now is unintentionally using the engagement to her advantage.

And Liolikin, who is genuinely trying to cling to me for his own benefit.

They probably hoped that I would sincerely like them in return.

If I also warmed up to them and opened my heart, it would be the best outcome for everyone.

‘So this is what happens when the protagonist’s typical meddling nature mixes with excellent social skills.’

If only someone like Reysir had been by my side during my childhood.

No, there’s no need to go back that far.

If only Reysir didn’t know that the path he must walk in the future leads not to fields of flowers but to a graveyard.

‘Maybe I would have gladly welcomed his interference.’

After all, I once longed for a school life filled with laughter and friends.

“Let’s stop this kind of talk. Today we came out to play and clear our heads after exams, didn’t we? So let’s stick to topics everyone can enjoy and relate to.”

“Karvald, you’re surprisingly sociable even if you don’t seem like it.”

“Got a problem with that?”

“No, no! I actually like it.”

Reysir waved his hand and smiled.

If I kept looking at his face, I’d end up growing attached for sure, so I snorted and turned my head away.

“Oh, by the way, have you all heard the news that the technology called ‘photography’ has finally been commercialized recently?”

Hailga, the only one among us with many friends, clapped her hands and broke the quiet that was about to settle.

The topic was well chosen.

For those who didn’t know what photography was, it was a small curiosity.

For those who heard the explanation, it was naturally a fascinating topic.

For those who already knew about photography, it was even more interesting.

“Photography? That sounds familiar… isn’t it the technology that can capture an image far more realistic than a portrait in just a few seconds?”

Reysir, an avid reader of hunter stories set in modern times, looked genuinely surprised.

From his perspective, this fictional invention that only existed in novels suddenly appeared in reality, so such a reaction was natural.

But Hailga, despite her childhood friend’s earnest recommendation, had never read web novels.

So she took Reysir’s reaction as completely natural.

“Oh, Reysir, you knew about it too? Well, the concept has been around for a long time, and the development succeeded a while ago. But you probably didn’t know there’s a shop nearby where you can actually try photography, right?”

“I had no idea!”

Reysir probably concluded that novel authors just knew about photography beforehand and reflected it in their works.

His doubtful look disappeared without a trace, replaced only by admiration and anticipation.

“After we finish eating, shall we all go try this thing called photography?”

“I’m totally in!”

Reysir was excited to experience a technology he’d only seen in novels.

“I-I’m good with that too!”

Liolikin was happy, thinking photography could always prove his friendship with me.

“Me too…!”

Vigdis looked delighted at the thought of preserving memories of our first outing as friends through images.

“Nyah~!”

Yor, as always, was cute.

I felt a bit awkward about commemorating today’s gathering with a photo, but since I probably wouldn’t look at it again anyway, I stayed silent, gently stroking Yor’s fur to keep the mood lively.

“No one’s against this… right?”

“If Yor agrees, then Karvald agrees.”

Reysir whispered that to Hailga, who was waiting for my answer.

It was true, but it still felt somewhat uncomfortable.

Still, I said nothing and kept chewing my food, when Reysir spoke to me again with a satisfied look.

“How’s the food? Does it suit your taste?”

“…It’s okay.”

“That’s good. I was worried since you’ve always eaten expensive and fancy food.”

That worry was unnecessary.

Unlike Karvald, who came from a noble family, my background wasn’t that great.

Besides, I wasn’t the type to care much about taste.

Of course, good food was nice, but if the nutrition was there, I’d eat it even if it wasn’t tasty.

My palate was very simple, but I decided not to tell Reysir that.

I didn’t want to invite more familiarity.

Better to just say nothing and eat quietly.