This Novel is not my Novel

"More importantly, I'm genuinely moved."

Just as I was lamenting my mistake, the protagonist of someone else's novel abruptly began talking about how touched he was.

He still did not know that I had been unable to deny the word "friend," so that could not be the reason.

For him to say something like that at this particular moment—

"You could have stayed safely outside and waited for the Demon Realm to be cleared, but you rushed all the way here to help us...!"

—of course that was why.

As though unable to contain his emotion, the protagonist of someone else's novel subtly pressed closer while supporting me and tried to pull me into an embrace.

However, thanks to Yor's miraculous massage of the pressure point on my wrist, I had returned to normal.

I no longer needed his support, so I pushed the protagonist of someone else's novel away at arm's length and thwarted his attempt to hug me.

"What choice did I have? Her Royal Highness the Princess is here, as is my fiancée, Vigdís.... If I had turned a blind eye to the Demon Realm that appeared here, I would surely have become the target of condemnation and ridicule. That is the only reason I had no choice but to come, so do not misunderstand."

"Sure, sure. I knew you'd say something like that."

Once again, the protagonist of someone else's novel treated my words as a tsundere remark.

I had expected exactly that from him, so I merely snorted, "Hmph!" and ignored him.

He let out a cheerful laugh entirely unsuited to the Demon Realm around us, then said something that was difficult to answer.

"Your brother is quite incredible too, isn't he? He isn't even an Awakened One, yet he entered a dangerous Demon Realm for his younger brother!"

"My brother is... well.... Hmm, I suppose...."

"I'd like to greet your family as well.... I know I could simply walk over and introduce myself, but since the opportunity is here, I'd prefer it if you formally introduced us."

I had no particular desire to tell Reisir about Karvaldr's family circumstances.

The original author would not leave this "setting" surrounding Karvaldr buried forever, so the original protagonist would probably learn of it someday.

Still, I would rather that day not be today.

Besides, Reisir was not the only person here.

"This does not seem like an especially good time to introduce anyone formally."

"That's true. The monsters here aren't a threat unless someone approaches them, so as long as everyone remains in one place, I don't think they'll be in any danger. Even so, they must be frightened and anxious, so dealing with the Boss Monster takes priority right now."

"Precisely."

"Sure, sure. So after we've cleared the Demon Realm, we'll go to the café or your room, exchange greetings at our leisure, and have a proper conversation?"

The protagonist of someone else's novel tried to project his own wishes onto what I had said.

What he wanted was probably the chance to watch Valtraus and me talk from close by.

That must also have been why he wanted me to introduce them personally if possible.

The basis for this conjecture appeared in Chapter 187.

"For the record, I speak formally to my brother."

"Oh...... That's truly disappointing...."

The protagonist of someone else's novel looked genuinely devastated.

I had no idea how badly he had wanted to see Valtraus and me trading questions in matching imperious tones.

Nor could I understand why he wanted to see such a thing in the first place.

Still, just as I began to feel relieved that Reisir's expectations had apparently been dashed...

"I'm still curious about your family, though. He rushed straight here to see you the moment he received your letter asking for help. More than that, he couldn't bear to let you enter the Demon Realm ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) alone, so he accompanied you into a dangerous area."

The protagonist of someone else's novel spoke with a serious expression, mercilessly crushing my hopes.

No, he did more than that. He made the situation even more troublesome.

Contrary to Reisir's assumptions, Valtraus was by no means a good brother.

"...Clearing the Demon Realm takes priority right now. Let us end the idle conversation here."

"All right."

"Did you find the Boss Monster?"

"Yes, quite a while ago. The roads were blocked in several places, so we had to take long detours, and there were monsters positioned where we couldn't avoid them, which delayed us further because we had to fight. Still, that allowed us to meet you before fighting the Boss Monster, so perhaps it worked out for the best?"

The original protagonist went on to explain that Lausa, Fjodora's spirit beast, had apparently been the first to locate the Boss Monster.

The eagle spirit beast had flown around the academy and found a pile of rocks believed to be the Boss Golem.

Fjodora had then used 【Wind Control】 to lift herself into the air and traveled to the location with her spirit beast, thereby verifying the discovery herself.

Granted, golems could attack airborne enemies by throwing boulders.

However, they could not detect living creatures unless they came within a certain distance, and they stopped moving again once that distance widened.

That must have been why Fjodora had felt safe scouting with only her spirit beast.

If anything went wrong, she could simply use 【Spatial Leap】.

"Where is it?"

"Right nearby. In front of the cafeteria."

What a remarkably coincidental location.

Of all places, the Boss Monster had appeared where Helga had beaten some sense into the confession villain and begun the legend of Fire Fist.

This further strengthened my conviction that the current Demon Realm was connected to the confession-villain episode.

But if it's at the cafeteria, it's practically right in front of us. If we'd been only ten minutes later, he might have made a dramatic entrance in the middle of the Boss Monster raid and immediately used his buff skill.

Not me, but Valtraus.

My motion sickness would obviously have prevented me from taking action right away, and Valtraus's 【Exaltation】 buff was far more effective.

"Lord Valtraus, what dost thou intend to do now?"

"I am not an Awakened One. It is obvious that I would only become a burden if I followed you to the Boss Monster, so I will wait here."

Valtraus answered Fjodora, then cracked his whip and activated 【Exaltation】 again.

The effect of 【Encouragement】 was barely still active.

With everyone's stats rising by an astonishing 1.665 times, they could all feel the difference and reacted in surprise.

Several of them stared fixedly into the air, perhaps opening their status windows to calculate how much their stats had increased.

At that moment, Valtraus abruptly said the following.

"Karvaldr. Would it not be better for you to wait here as well? I doubt there is anything you can do against a colossal monster made of boulders."

In a way, it was only natural for Valtraus to think that.

The members of House Austri had always supported others from the rear with buff skills instead of fighting personally.

To them, a whip was merely a tool that helped them activate 【Exaltation】.

At most, it also served as a means of self-defense, coated in poisonous Ether and wielded against enemies that broke through the defensive line.

But this Boss Monster was made of boulders, so poison would have no effect on it.

Moreover, unlike the rest of his family, Karvaldr could not use a Poison Attribute skill in the first place.

Nevertheless, I shook my head and rejected Valtraus's suggestion.

"I cannot do that. If the battle drags on, I will need to extend your buff before its duration expires. And it feels somewhat awkward to say this myself, but among our group, I am one of the more capable fighters...."

"You are that strong...?"

"It is not that I am strong. There are simply people weaker than I am. One of them spent their entire life avoiding combat and has only received two weeks of training. I competed in a martial tournament just last semester, so surely I cannot sit this out."

"They entrusted the defeat of a Boss Monster to children who have not even mastered the basics?!"

Valtraus raised his voice in near horror, startling me as well.

So he was capable of making such a sensible statement?

Despite insisting that our mother's death in childbirth was murder committed by the fetus, hating his younger brother for nearly twenty years because of it, and continuing to do so even now?

"...I hope Your Royal Highness did not recklessly push this plan through merely because you wished to claim the achievement."

Was this because House Austri professed neutrality while Valtraus personally supported the First Prince?

He readily made a remark implying that the Princess might be exploiting ignorant young students to satisfy her own ambitions.

"That is not the case. It simply... somehow came to this, one might say.... I know it may sound like an excuse to thee.... Nevertheless, someone must step forward to defeat the Boss Monster, must they not? Yet the professors have a duty to protect the students...."

"The people standing here are students as well, are they not?"

"Students they may be, but they have also been entrusted with the responsibility and duty to fight in the Demon Realm."

The responsibility and duty Fjodora mentioned arose from their being Awakened Ones, so in one sense, it could be considered the will of heaven.

And since the imperial family had placed them together in the special Awakened class, it could also be interpreted as the Emperor's will.

Perhaps because either one was a power he could not dare criticize...

"...Even so, there is no need to bring along those who cannot contribute to the battle. They will only become a burden."

Valtraus refrained from criticizing her further and returned to the original subject.

"I had already begun considering the matter after seeing the previous battle. Since that is also thy opinion, however, I need worry no longer."

"Pardon? What do you mean?"

"The monsters here may be harmless as long as no one approaches them first, but what if someone fleeing from a monster comes this way? I was troubled because I could not leave the less capable members behind on their own. Yet despite knowing they are Awakened Ones, thou hast argued that excluding them from the battle would be proper. Therefore, thou canst protect them."

"......My spirit beast can carry only two people, including me."

"Excellent. As it happens, exactly one person was entirely unable to contribute during the previous battle."

Fjodora looked toward someone as she spoke.

When Valtraus saw the person at the end of her gaze, his face twisted in irritation.

After all, that person was holding an enormous hammer that looked perfectly suited to smashing boulders.

Even so, it was not difficult to guess why Fjodora had singled out Lissy.

Even when sparring among ourselves, Lissy frequently froze from nervousness or squeezed her eyes shut.

She first had to approach an enemy to strike it with her hammer, which would put her at greater risk of being hit by a golem's attack.

Forcing someone who could not overcome her fear and whose body went rigid into the front line would only increase that danger further.

That was probably why they had been left with no choice but to keep her standing idly in the rear.