This Novel is not my Novel

"Sveinn, hurry back to the starting point and put your ribbon back on. You've only got ten minutes, so don't waste any time."

Without taking his eyes off Ríolíkin, the original protagonist called out to the still-dazed Sveinn.

Even against an opponent he knew was weaker than himself, he never lowered his guard.

Being able to assess the situation while simultaneously directing his teammates...

That really was the sort of composure expected of the protagonist of a web novel.

"Gasp...! Y-Yes!"

It had taken us well over twenty minutes to reach this spot.

Realizing that, Sveinn gave a panicked reply before sprinting back the way we'd come.

The Teal Team's starting point, meanwhile, seemed to be much closer.

Fjodora's relaxed tone and unhurried demeanor after losing her ribbon made that much obvious.

"Then this humble one shall withdraw with Lausa as well."

She casually extended one arm.

"Kkieeek!"

A jade-colored eagle descended on the wind, landing gracefully on her forearm.

Watching Fjodora stroke Lausa's feathers, an unrelated thought suddenly crossed my mind.

She isn't even wearing a falconer's glove. Doesn't that hurt?

As a familiar, Lausa was far more intelligent than an ordinary eagle.

I supposed this was simply another convenient author setting that allowed her to control the strength of her talons so she wouldn't injure her master.

"Uh... then... I'll be going too...?"

"No. Lord Ríolíkin, you must remain here and hold them back."

"So that they cannot pursue this humble one and discover our team's starting point."

At first glance, it sounded as though the Teal Team simply wanted to keep their base hidden.

But if that had really been her intention...

She never would have mentioned their starting point in the first place.

"Y-Yes...? But... by... myself...?"

"It can't be helped, can it? Lord Pret has already retreated, and since this humble one has lost her ribbon, Lausa can no longer participate in combat."

"..."

"Lord Ríolíkin. I'm counting on you."

Fjodora and Lausa activated 【Spatial Leap】, reappearing beside Ríolíkin for an instant before disappearing behind him.

Leaving him with an utterly impossible assignment.

Up until now, nobody else on the opposing team had shown themselves.

That was why Reisir had remained occupied solely with Ríolíkin.

Had anyone else appeared...

He would have broken away immediately and gone after someone else's ribbon.

But expecting Ríolíkin to hold off not only Reisir but also Vigdís and me? He only has one body. That's impossible.

Which meant...

I was certain of it.

Fjodora had deliberately left us a clue.

Now that she'd confirmed a surprise attack with 【Spatial Leap】 wouldn't work...

She was changing tactics.

A trap...

She'll pretend she's heading back to the starting point and lure us into one she's already prepared.

Strictly speaking, that wasn't direct combat.

So it wouldn't violate the rules.

If anyone questioned it, she could simply claim she'd taken a detour to avoid exposing her starting point.

After all...

She only needed to put her ribbon back on within ten minutes.

"Um... so... you... can't... pass...?"

Left behind by himself, Ríolíkin tightened his grip on his shield and spoke hesitantly.

Even he knew.

No matter how hard he tried to stop us...

We could simply walk past him whenever we pleased.

"I'll go after Her Royal Highness the Princess. Do the two of you want to deal with Ríolíkin? Or would you rather chase her while I catch up afterward?"

The original protagonist addressed Vigdís and me.

His confidence was obvious.

He believed he could shake off Ríolíkin whenever he wanted.

Ordinarily...

Anyone would instinctively choose the second option.

"If Her Royal Highness the Princess truly intends to flee, someone with 【Spatial Leap】 can't be caught. And if Pret helps conceal her with 【Disguise】, chasing her becomes completely impossible. We'd just be wasting our stamina."

The enemy had almost certainly prepared a trap.

There was no reason to walk into it voluntarily.

So I chose a third option instead.

The protagonist of someone else's novel looked at me as though asking whether I was serious.

"That's true, but... we can't just stand here until Her Royal Highness comes back wearing her ribbon again."

"There is something we can do."

I tilted my chin toward Ríolíkin.

He blinked blankly, clearly not understanding what I meant.

That didn't matter.

The person who needed to understand...

Already had.

"Karvaldr, do you happen to have a rope? If not... could I borrow your whip?"

"...Why would you need something like that now?"

"It'll be much easier to experiment with stealing your ribbon if he's tied up."

The moment Ríolíkin heard that, anxiety flashed across his face.

He immediately turned to run.

Unlike his teammates...

He couldn't.

Reisir simply extended his spear.

Clack!

The shaft hooked Ríolíkin's legs cleanly out from under him.

His massive body crashed to the ground with a tremendous thud.

The original protagonist seized the opportunity without hesitation.

After pinning him down, he accepted the whip I'd handed over and quickly bound Ríolíkin.

"Oh, right. Karvaldr."

"What?"

"What happened with the princess's ribbon? I couldn't see because I was busy dealing with Ríolíkin."

Since NaSE was primarily told from the protagonist's first-person perspective...

I couldn't help wondering whether Author Senna had simply made her protagonist ask this question to fill in what the readers hadn't witnessed.

Or...

Was Reisir genuinely curious?

If it's the former, I'd rather not give too thorough an explanation...

Coincidentally, I didn't know what had happened on his side either.

So exchanging information seemed reasonable.

"You predicted they'd prioritize me, didn't you? I deliberately let go of my ribbon, and a teal light appeared immediately afterward. I released my weapon, grabbed my ribbon again, and took the princess's ribbon at the same time."

"...How can you describe something that incredible as though it were completely ordinary?"

"What? Was I supposed to dress it up with dramatic embellishments?"

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

His expression suggested my explanation hadn't satisfied him in the slightest.

Perfect.

I wanted to ask about his side anyway.

Let's see how he described his own accomplishments.

"Nothing happened on your side? I assumed that while Her Royal Highness targeted me, her familiar would go after your ribbon."

"As expected of Karvaldr. You were right."

"I was fighting Ríolíkin when suddenly a teal light appeared."

"And then?"

"I instinctively swung my spear toward it."

"It got hit and went flying."

"..."

I honestly didn't know how to evaluate that story.

"So you really didn't hear it? There was a huge thwack!"

Come to think of it...

Maybe I had.

Or maybe I hadn't.

I genuinely couldn't remember.

Maintaining 【Character Analysis】 required me to constantly continue my chain of thought while simultaneously regulating the flow of my Sky Blue Ether.

On top of that, I was devoting nearly all my concentration to controlling my own movements.

I simply hadn't had the spare attention to process sounds.

Besides...

Thought acceleration already stretched every sound into a long, low vibration.

That made it even harder.

"You really didn't hear it? Well... you couldn't have known the exact moment Her Royal Highness would use 【Spatial Leap】. You must have been incredibly focused."

"..."

"Ah... was that why you spoke so casually earlier? Not because you thought it wasn't impressive, but because you believed this was something you could accomplish with ease?"

"As if that were true!"

I shot him a fierce glare.

In other words—

Don't even think about teasing me.

Unfortunately...

It had almost no effect.

Instead of backing down, the protagonist of someone else's novel let out an infuriating laugh.

"Ahahaha!"

"But if that's not it... then doesn't that mean you genuinely don't realize how incredible what you accomplished was?"

With those words...

He effectively announced,

I'm about to drown you in compliments until you're too embarrassed to function.

"Even if you predicted Her Royal Highness would target your ribbon, nobody with ordinary reflexes could have reacted that quickly or that accurately. That's genuinely incredible."

"Hmph."

"But perhaps even more incredible... was having the courage to think of that plan in the first place—and actually carry it out."

"..."

Even after I snorted, making it perfectly clear the conversation was over...

The protagonist of someone else's novel ignored the signal completely.

Instead, he shifted to a slightly different angle.

"If you'd acted on a whim, thinking, I'll just try it and see what happens, I'd have been angry."

"If this had been a real battle instead of training, you would have been gambling with your life."

"But you're cautious by nature. And you understand better than anyone that this exercise exists to prepare us for real combat."

"I don't believe you'd ever do something reckless."

He spoke calmly.

Patiently.

With an earnest expression that made it seem as though he genuinely wanted me to understand.

No...

That was exactly what he was doing.

"It's incredibly difficult to judge your own abilities accurately and then execute them without making a mistake."

"Yet you're neither falsely modest nor arrogant."

"When you explained it so matter-of-factly... I actually felt a little disappointed."

"I found myself wondering why someone so exceptional doesn't seem to realize just how exceptional he really is."

"..."

The protagonist of this world—

Someone more extraordinary than anyone else—

Was looking me straight in the eye while sincerely telling me I was remarkable.

There wasn't even a trace of teasing in his expression.

Only quiet seriousness.

...This isn't one of his usual praise-and-tease routines.

This is another influence event...

Heat crept into my face as embarrassment steadily mounted.

Yet instead of flashing that oddly playful smile of his...

Or bursting into laughter the way he usually did...

He simply continued looking at me with gentle eyes.

So it really is an influence event.

...Can't he stop directing these influence events at me already? Is it because I still haven't acknowledged him as a friend?

Unsure how I was supposed to respond, my eyes wandered aimlessly.

Then...

Ríolíkin entered my field of vision.

He was staring at us with sparkling eyes, looking thoroughly captivated.

Only his upper body had been tied.

He could have been searching for an opportunity to escape while our attention was elsewhere.

Instead...

He had settled comfortably onto the ground.

He was even sitting cross-legged.