Chapter 279: Treasure Hunt (6)
"Did you just tell me that some cheap accessory that obviously isn't even worth a single gold coin would look good on me?!"
"You know that isn't what I meant."
Of course I knew.
The protagonist of someone else's novel simply wanted to put that childish headband on me and call me by some embarrassing title.
Even though I knew that, I had still said what I did because—
I was trying to use the identity of this wealthy young master I'd possessed as an excuse to pretend to be angry and escape this crisis...
Honestly, even I thought it was a hopeless plan.
Still, I had to try everything I could, just in case.
"I don't know! Let go of me!"
"Myaang! Nyoaang—!"
As I struggled and repeatedly stamped my heel down on Raysir's instep, Yor joined in by pulling the protagonist of someone else's novel's hair.
Perhaps our actions were proving quite troublesome.
Instead of pretending to be in pain with his usual exaggerated "Ow!" Raysir muttered—
"What should I do about this...?"
"What do you mean, what should you do?! Let go of me!!"
"Nyoaang! Nyoaang—!!"
Had the voices of Yor and me protesting the tyranny of the protagonist of someone else's novel grown loud enough to attract someone passing nearby?
Or had the original author intervened?
"What in the world [N O V E L I G H T] is going on here...?!"
A horrified female voice rang out.
At the sudden appearance of a third party, I instinctively stopped moving for a moment.
Then relief surged through me as I realized an opportunity to escape Raysir had arrived.
"Helga! Do something about your childhood friend! We were fighting, and then he suddenly grabbed me like this and refuses to let go!"
"My goodness...! I'm sorry, Young Lord! I think our idiot has finally lost his mind!!"
"If you're sorry, then hurry and get this madman to—mmph!"
While I urgently called on Helga for help, my mouth was suddenly covered.
Naturally, the person responsible was the protagonist of someone else's novel.
"There's a reason for this."
"What reason could possibly justify doing something like this during sacred class time?!"
"Karvaldr didn't keep his treasures inside the capsules. He took the notes out and hid them somewhere on his body. The empty capsules lying on the ground are proof."
"That means..."
"I merely intended to defeat Karvaldr in a fight and take the treasure notes he possessed. But Karvaldr refused to accept the outcome of the battle, which is how we ended up like this."
He had covered my mouth so I could not say a word.
Yet the protagonist of someone else's novel calmly explained everything in a quiet, measured tone.
Did his composed manner make him sound sincere? Or had the protagonist's blessing somehow lent credibility to his words?
"Oh, so that's what happened...?"
Helga reacted as though she understood.
From my perspective, it was outrageously unfair.
I had offered to take out the notes myself, but Raysir was insisting that he had to search me personally.
I tried to argue, but with my mouth covered, all that came out was, "Mmph, mmph—!"
"Karvaldr, stay still. Yor, could you stop pulling my hair and let go now? If you keep this up, I'll have no choice but to tighten both arms around Karvaldr so I don't lose my grip on him. But Karvaldr's Defense is extremely low, so it will probably hurt."
Apparently, the protagonist of someone else's novel had chosen a villainous persona for today.
At the threatening declaration that he would crush a body with Defense in the thirties using Strength well over 100, Yor released the black hair clenched in his paws and slowly backed away.
I also lifted my heel from the extortionist's instep and planted my entire foot on the ground.
Even with this situation unfolding right before her eyes, Helga did not frown at her childhood friend's thuggish behavior or try to stop him.
Instead, she appeared lost in thought.
While she stood by and watched, Raysir removed his hand from my mouth and slid it deep into one of my pockets.
"Nothing on this side. Then is it in the other one?"
"I didn't put anything in my pockets."
"I'll check anyway, just in case."
By the time the protagonist of someone else's novel had ignored me and searched the opposite pocket as well, Helga suddenly rummaged through her bag, took out a capsule, and opened it.
She pinched the paper inside between her index and middle fingers.
Then she smoothly slipped that hand beneath her shirt.
When the hand that had entered through the opening near her neck emerged again, the note was gone.
The implication of that act was perfectly clear.
"You... saw what happened to me and still chose to do that...?"
"No matter how much Ray and I grew up like real siblings, he can't just stick his hand inside my clothes, can he? Could you do it, Young Lord?"
"Of course I couldn't!"
"Exactly. The other boys probably couldn't either, right? And as for the girls... it doesn't matter as long as they don't find out. Thanks for teaching me something useful, Young Lord."
Helga patted her chest with satisfaction.
I wondered whether I should tell her that I too had thought it would be fine as long as I did not get caught, only to be discovered and end up in this predicament.
But in the end, I could not warn her.
Because—
"Huh...? That light, could it be...?!"
—before I could open my mouth, a teal light flashed beside Helga.
There was no one here who did not know to whom that light belonged.
Helga hurriedly turned to flee, but the person who burst from the teal light tackled her first.
"Y-Your Highness the Princess! Wait! Ah...!"
The silhouettes of the two women toppled beyond the bushes and vanished from sight.
Fjodra was the first to get back up.
"Well, um... I thought you would let your guard down once your battle ended, so I planned to seize the opportunity, quickly snatch your treasures, and escape... But then a treasure that looked much easier to take happened to appear..."
No one had asked, yet she volunteered this explanation.
What an exemplary attitude for a supporting character in a novel told from the first-person protagonist's perspective.
Though if one judged her conduct as a princess, the word exemplary would be difficult to use.
"Anyway... thanks to that, I've fulfilled my quota, so I shall take my leave."
Perhaps she was embarrassed that she had been hiding and watching us, or perhaps she was embarrassed by what she had done to Helga.
Either way, just as she had appeared like the wind in a flash of teal light, she vanished like the wind as well.
A little while later—
"I'll be going too. Young Lord, instead of staying trapped like that, you should just hand over the notes quickly! That way, you'll still have time to find new treasures before the exercise ends, won't you?"
Raysir's objective was not the treasure notes themselves, but to force me to carry out the punishment.
Her advice was no help whatsoever.
"W-wait! If you're leaving, take your childhood friend with you!"
I called after her urgently, but Helga left without even looking back.
Why had she appeared in the first place?
I thought perhaps the original author couldn't directly control Raysir's actions and had sent Helga in to stop him indirectly...
Had she truly only happened to be passing nearby when she heard the commotion and came running?
As I felt hollow at the thought—
"Karvaldr, where did you hide the notes?"
The protagonist of someone else's novel asked me that question.
"If you can't find them, give up and let me go."
"It's not that I can't find them. If I take my time and thoroughly search here and there, I'll eventually uncover them. But I realized you might feel uncomfortable if I did that."
"What a remarkably quick realization."
"Isn't it good that I realized it at all?"
"......"
Was he hoping to be praised for being considerate?
I was too dumbfounded even to laugh.
"Anyway, I'm asking so I can use your hiding method as a reference. Could you tell me where at least one of them is?"
"And if I refuse to tell you...?"
"What do you think I'll do?"
The conversation above had already proven that this persistent protagonist of someone else's novel would never give up.
I could not remain trapped in his arms forever.
With great reluctance, I had no choice but to reveal the locations of the notes.
"Inside my boots, near my thighs... one on each side..."
"Oh, there they are! So this is where you hid them. What about the rest?"
"My left side..."
"Mm-hm. And another? Is there nothing on the right side, your stomach, or your back?"
"No. I've told you repeatedly that I only possess three notes."
"And I've told you repeatedly that I can't believe you."
In the end, Raysir remained suspicious and checked every place he had mentioned.
Naturally, he found no additional notes.
"Now that you're finished checking, let me go!"
"Finished?"
"There are no other places to hide anything, are there?!"
"I can think of a few more..."
"Enough! If you go any further, I really will get angry!!"
"All right, all right. Then I'll just check whether the notes I found are genuine treasure notes. You might have hidden 'dud' notes in preparation for a situation like this."
Had I known this situation would arise, I probably would have chosen to carry them inside the capsules after all.
His argument was not entirely without merit.
And before he could change his mind and declare that he would inspect every other place he suspected, I decided to wait quietly while he unfolded all three treasure notes he had just found.
"All three are genuine treasure notes."
"Then let me go."
"All right. A promise is a promise."
Fortunately, the protagonist of someone else's novel did release me.
But from his expression and tone, I could read the thought, It's a shame. I feel like I could find a few more notes if I searched a little longer.
My relief vanished, replaced by tension.
Is he really acting like this because he doesn't believe me, or is he just teasing me...?
I hurried away from Raysir and pulled Yor into my arms.
There was no way this could stop the protagonist of the original work, but at least Yor therapy could restore some peace to my heart.
"Why are you looking at me so warily?"
"Are you truly asking because you do not know?"
"Mm... did that upset you, by any chance?"
"You call that a question?!"
It was truly absurd beyond words.
He had held me for ages while I struggled and demanded to be released, repeatedly threatened me, covered my mouth, and ultimately searched my body.
Yet not only did he ask whether I had been upset, he even prefaced it with "by any chance," as though the possibility were unlikely but conceivable.
How could anyone say something so ridiculous?