This Novel is not my Novel

After returning to our team's starting point, putting my ribbon back on, and rejoining my teammates, we headed straight back into battle, but reversing the score difference in the remaining time proved impossible in the end.

Since Author Senna arbitrarily extended the strategy meeting time given before the training, I thought she might manipulate the remaining time to make up for Reisir's pointless act...

Time flowed as it should.

My conjecture was that the moment the opposing team used a stalling strategy without immediately putting their ribbons back on, she'd already written narration stating that little time remained.

She might have even specified exactly how much time was left.

All to maximize the thrill of a dramatic reversal.

I must not have been the only one convinced our team would score a comeback victory thanks to the original protagonist's performance.

My dear readers must have thought so, and Author Senna's readers as well.

But for the team's defeat to be confirmed because of that original protagonist's mistake? And for a ridiculous reason like a wink, of all things? Is... is this a development that even makes sense in a novel...?

I truly couldn't believe it.

In the pre-remake version of 《NaSE》, the original author had described the protagonist Reisir as a serious and tragic hero.

This was all the more true because he was emphasized as an exceptionally strong person, a cut above the rest.

Unless Author Senna had redefined Reisir as a troll protagonist and changed the work's main genre to comedy, this just couldn't happen.

"Um... Karvaldr...?"

"......"

"Are you okay...?"

"Don't talk to me."

"O-Okay..."

Perhaps worried by my half-dazed appearance, the protagonist of someone else's novel indirectly tried to strike up a conversation.

But he clammed up immediately at my single remark.

It seemed he was aware that he had done something wrong.

No, well... okay...... It's a good thing that Reisir can act against the original author's will. If the reason is related to me, it's a boon. But still, isn't this going too far...?

I had no idea how I was supposed to process this absurd situation.

My head was throbbing, and I even started to think that the expression "mind-boggling" existed just for times like these.

And so, around the time I let out a sigh while pressing a hand to my temple.

"This professor is disappointed in you."

Bjorn said, his hands on his hips.

My explanation is late because I was sharing the shock of our absurd defeat with my dear readers, but our current location was the entrance to the Academy Back Mountain, where the Mock Battle and Survival Training lecture had begun.

Once we gathered here, Bjorn just stood there motionlessly, staring at us in silence for a long time.

Then he finally spoke his first words.

From a reader's perspective, it might feel like an outdated, cliché line, but no one here could take his words lightly.

Especially if you have a lot to feel guilty about.

Sveinn, who had lost the most ribbons, and Vigdís, who hadn't played any significant role.

The protagonist of someone else's novel, who had not only lost focus twice during combat but had also lost his ribbon each time, was one of them.

Seeing the reactions of those on my team, I couldn't help but feel intimidated as well.

On the other hand, the expressions of the opposing team members were quite confident compared to ours.

After all, they had won, and they hadn't made any noticeable mistakes.

They must have thought there was nothing they could be seriously blamed for.

The one who could be called the hero of the victory was undoubtedly Pret.

But he at least pretended to study Bjorn's reaction, lowering his gaze appropriately.

The one who showed the most confidence among the opposing team members was Fjodora.

It must have been due to the pride and confidence that came from leading her team to victory as its leader.

The fact that she couldn't show a timid attitude as a princess was probably another reason.

"Using the artifacts lent by the Academy, I watched all of your strategies and how you fought... Really..."

Bjorn said this, narrowing his eyes as he scanned our faces.

While everyone else avoided his gaze, Fjodora alone maintained a uniquely confident attitude.

Perhaps because that caught his eye, Bjorn pointed out her fault first.

"No matter if it was for the team's victory, you shouldn't exclude a teammate from 'training.' Especially you, Lady Fjodora. Shouldn't you have stopped them even if someone else suggested it?"

He couldn't scold her harshly since she was a princess and merely spoke as if voicing a complaint with a reluctant expression.

But the intention behind his words was more than a mere complaint.

You are a member of the Imperial Family that formed the special class to forcibly throw students into the Demon Realms.

For the simple reason that a single meal was on the line, was it right to exclude the least experienced member from training?

...was the content of that criticism.

Fjodora was not so clueless as to miss such a hidden meaning.

In fact, her setting was that she was familiar with this kind of roundabout way of speaking.

Realizing her mistake, she let out a groan.

"Mm..."

"If it had been the Purple Team, I would have at least understood... That team, on the contrary, emphasized the importance of experience and encouraged each other so that all members could actively participate in combat."

"...This humble one admits to having overlooked an important fact."

The members of the Imperial Family in this novel's world were a group for whom "arrogant" was an understatement.

Fjodora was probably showing the most reflective attitude she could while maintaining her dignity as royalty.

Just as she had been taught until now.

But perhaps her attitude—maintaining a calm tone and showing no change in expression—caused a misunderstanding?

Antipathy broke through the reluctance on Bjorn's face.

"Those words...... Is that your way of telling me you get it, so I should just shut... no, be quiet?"

"That's not what I meant..."

"Then what is it?"

"It means I am literally admitting it."

"...I don't really understand, but whatever, I get it."

Having suddenly become a student who told her professor to shut up, Fjodora couldn't completely hide her predicament and let it show.

At that sight, Bjorn cleared up his misunderstanding, but.

Bjorn scratched the back of his head and averted his gaze from her.

It seemed he had lost the confidence to point out Princess Fjodora's mistake and say something to correct it.

"Lissy. You were just following the plan, so I won't point out your low participation. But the one time you swung your weapon, you closed your eyes, didn't you?"

"Ah, that... Unconsciously..."

"Now that you know, try to fix it."

"Yes..."

Bjorn stared at Lissy for a moment with an expression of immense worry, then shifted his gaze to Helga.

"Helga, you... I know you've just started learning weapon techniques and martial arts, so you're bound to be weak in close-quarters combat, but... Um, what was it. If you'd created a large flame to form a wall, couldn't you have blocked the opponent's approach for a moment?"

"What if the opponent got hurt...?"

"They can be healed with a Potion."

"Right... I guess..."

"......Then again, I guess you can't help but worry when throwing something like a fireball at a friend."

Just a moment ago, he had been setting the mood to give us a huge scolding, saying he was disappointed.

But now Bjorn was more restless and at a loss than the student he was supposed to be scolding.

Letting out a pained groan, he suddenly whipped his head around to look at his target: Reisir.

"You know what you did wrong, don't you?"

"I'm sorry."

"I'd heard so much about how skilled you were that my expectations were high, but you showed the most disappointing performance of all?"

"I was wrong..."

"If you promised to protect him, you should have been more focused, so why on earth... I'm so flabbergasted I'm speechless."

"I have no excuse..."

With every nagging word that left the professor's mouth, the head of the protagonist of someone else's novel dropped lower and lower.

It seemed he knew just what an absurd mistake he had made.

"No matter how much I borrowed the format of a 'game' to make the training fun, it didn't mean you could approach the training with a light heart."

"Yes... I know."

"You knew, and you still did it?"

"I'm sorry..."

"Apologize to your teammate later. Especially Karvaldr."

"I already did..."

"Do it again."

"I will."

Was it because the person strong enough to be responsible for a colleague's safety had made the most fatal mistake?

Bjorn chewed out the protagonist of someone else's novel for a long time.

After that, his gaze turned to Pret.

"Pret. You showed the performance that most exceeded my expectations. I can't believe you knew how to use traps."

"Aha! Thank you for the praise!"

"I couldn't hear the details of your team's final strategy meeting because of Lady Fjodora's ability, but was it your idea to make Reisir careless with Karvaldr's wink?"

As befitting someone who had described himself as uneducated in Chapter 210, Bjorn's phrasing was truly strange.

If you took that line out of context, you'd think I had actually winked at Reisir.

Unlike me, who was disgusted by the thought, Pret answered with a very proud attitude.

"Yes! To be precise, since I had a secret trump card to distract Senior Reisir, I asked to be allowed to face Senior Karvaldr alone. I was afraid I'd be scolded for joking if I directly mentioned a wink during the strategy meeting."

"......"

"But I was very, very serious, you know? It worked perfectly in reality, didn't it?"

"......"

Bjorn looked at Reisir once again.

Still, perhaps thinking he had already nagged him enough, he merely shook his head without a word and then turned his gaze to me.

"Karvaldr, you also fought better than expected. Your reaction speed is fast, and your situational judgment is good. Even though you were left alone because your friend was pulling a pointless stunt next to you, the way you fought to the best of your ability without giving up until the end was very impressive."

"That thing is no friend of mine."

"I understand. It's understandable that you'd want to cut ties. After striking all those poses and vowing to protect you no matter what, how could he lose his mind over words like that..."

I said it because we had never been friends in the first place.

Bjorn interpreted my words differently.

However, he was the first person not to disregard my statement that we weren't friends and even showed affirmation and empathy.

I decided to let it go without demanding a correction, but Bjorn betrayed me.

"Still, show him your wink later."

"Pardon? I think I must have misheard something..."

"I said, wink at Reisir."

"......"

"Look at him. He's still winking even at this moment. How badly must he have wanted to receive a wink that he goes around winking all day long and got distracted by the word 'wink' during combat?"

Who on earth described someone wearing an eyepatch over one eye as winking all day long?

Just when I was so flabbergasted that I couldn't say a word, there was someone who went even further than Bjorn.

"Then should we all just take turns winking at Senior Reisir one by one?"

The main culprit of the Wink Incident raised his hand high and shouted energetically.

If Author Senna really hadn't decided to change the genre, then this situation was the result of the butterfly effect I had caused...

Please, I just hoped Author Senna had made a big decision.