This Novel is not my Novel

One advantage of the Thought Acceleration effect was that it allowed me to control my body with greater precision.

As a result, moving both hands independently had become much easier.

I raised my right arm as though preparing to swing the whip again.

After throwing the dagger in my left hand at Skati, I lashed out with the whip while simultaneously drawing another dagger.

If it were Skati, she could easily evade both the dagger and the whip with minimal movement without slowing her charge toward me at all, but...

She deliberately parried the dagger flying toward her, and when she avoided the whip, she retreated completely.

The purpose of this spar was not to evaluate my skills, but to demonstrate techniques to the students.

There would be no point in defeating me through an overwhelming difference in ability.

She must be deliberately matching my level.

Keeping that in mind, I watched Skati kick off the ground once more and close the distance.

Instead of leaping backward as I ordinarily would to maintain the gap, I held my ground and waited for her to approach.

Of course, that did not mean I simply stood there.

I continued swinging the whip, parried the daggers Skati threw, and returned fire with daggers of my own.

Only one step left now?

I tensed and tightened my grip on the dagger in my left hand.

It was time to prepare for close-quarters combat.

I carefully observed the movements and line of sight of my opponent, who was now only a stone’s throw away.

The instant Skati swung her dagger, I drove my reverse-gripped blade into its path at an angle and deflected the attack, then leaned my upper body backward.

That allowed me to evade the immediate follow-up strike she launched with the dagger in her other hand.

Skati’s horizontally sweeping blade cut through empty air.

Rather than straightening, I bent all the way back and performed a back handspring.

The movement opened a small gap between us.

I threw a dagger to prevent her from charging immediately, then swung my whip.

At that, Skati retreated with a deeply satisfied expression and returned the dagger in her hand to its sheath.

She was undoubtedly about to declare the demonstration over.

Having reached that conclusion, I deactivated 【Character Analysis】.

Sure enough, Skati immediately spoke.

“Karvaldrrr~, well done~! I’ll clean everything up, so just give me the belt and go back to your seat~!”

Refusing and gathering the daggers myself would have gone against Karvaldr’s established character.

I promptly unfastened the belt holding the dagger sheaths and handed it back to Skati.

After accepting it, she addressed the other students.

“Did you all see that~? Whether you use daggers as your main weapon or as support~, being able to move both hands independently is essential. So make sure you practice it in your daily life~! Just like Karvaldrrr~!”

“...”

As I had explained at the beginning of this chapter, the reason I could move both hands independently with such skill was the Thought Acceleration effect of 【Character Analysis】.

Hearing her say that made my conscience sting.

Using 【Character Analysis】 in combat consumed a great deal of mental energy.

If only to prepare for prolonged battles, I needed to train myself to move both hands independently without relying on the skill.

As I turned around with that thought—

“At long range, you attack or restrain your opponent with thrown daggers~. When they get too close for you to use your main weapon, block their attack with a dagger and create distance again~!”

—Skati’s voice came from behind me.

The explanation was so obvious that it made me wonder whether a demonstration had truly been necessary.

Naturally, the moment I returned to my seat, Ríolíkin began loudly proclaiming how impressive I had been.

“As expected of Lord Karvaldr, he—”

“Do not make a fuss.”

“Yes...”

I cut Ríolíkin off before he could finish.

Vigdís had also parted her lips to say something, but after seeing Ríolíkin fall silent, she tactfully closed her mouth, perhaps afraid she would be reprimanded as well.

The protagonist of someone else’s novel did not say anything either.

Instead, he smiled at me with a peculiar expression and raised his thumb.

He managed to embarrass me without uttering a single word.

He isn’t planning to ask for a moment of my time after lunch so he can bombard me with praise again, is he...?

Fortunately, that did not happen.

It was not that Reisir restrained himself.

Rather, he simply never had the opportunity.

The afternoon lecture was Djúpr’s 【Botany】, which was exclusive to the Special Class for Awakened students.

On top of that, Helga had shown tremendous interest in the cafeteria’s new dessert corner, which Fjodora had mentioned during the dawn lecture.

So after quickly finishing lunch, we all headed to the cafeteria building together.

The original dictionary definition of a cafeteria was “a self-service restaurant where customers carry their own food.”

However, since Valhalla Academy had a separate dining hall, this establishment did not serve meals.

True to the word’s etymology, it functioned as a “café plus lounge” and had only ever sold beverages.

And now, in the midst of that, a dessert corner had been added...

“It seems the rumor has already spread.”

“We came because we heard a dessert corner had opened too, but I didn’t expect it to be this crowded.”

Vigdís clicked her tongue as she looked over the cafeteria, which was packed with several times its usual number of students.

Helga, who had first suggested coming here, looked bewildered.

“I heard they’re selling a popular dessert that keeps selling out everywhere. Maybe that’s why?”

Pret was the one who said it.

At his words, I looked toward the tables.

Sure enough, the same dessert sat in front of everyone.

Perhaps there was a limit of one per person.

Each student had cut the small, bite-sized dessert into four pieces and was slowly savoring them one at a time.

That allowed me to see not only its exterior, which resembled a ball coated in cocoa powder, but also the cross-section.

Inside the chewy-looking outer layer was a mixture of pale green spread and something resembling crushed noodles.

...I’ve never tried one before, so this is the first time I’ve seen the real thing, but that’s definitely it, isn’t it?

By now, dear readers, something has probably come to mind for you as well.

And yes, that is the correct answer.

“What is that? Why is everyone eating it as though it’s so delicious?”

“Who knows? I only heard a little about it during the morning lecture. Apparently, it’s called a Dubai Chewy Cookie. All I know is that the ingredients are difficult to obtain, so it’s expensive and hard to find.”

Pret shrugged in response to Ríolíkin’s question and finally revealed the dessert’s name.

In a world where the city of Dubai doesn’t exist, isn’t it wrong to use that name unchanged?

The question arose in my mind, and I nearly asked whether they even knew what Dubai was, but ultimately decided to let it go.

The campus cafeteria already sold tom yum goong.

Objecting to the name Dubai Chewy Cookie now would feel far too much like belatedly realizing something obvious.

Besides, the important thing was not the dessert’s existence.

It was the fact that the cafeteria was bustling with students trying to buy and eat it, and that a long line had formed.

The reason that mattered was—

“The excitement will probably die down in about a week. Should we come back then?”

“There is no need. Not only has this humble one prepared exclusive seating for the Special Class, but I have also arranged matters so that you may order without waiting in line.”

—because when the original protagonist suggested returning later, Fjodora suddenly appeared and said those words.

In other words, I suspected that the Dubai Chewy Cookie was a contrivance created by this world to draw students into the cafeteria.

Or perhaps Author Senna simply became obsessed with that dessert and included it in the story without giving it much thought...

In any case, the students needed to crowd into the cafeteria.

Some of them had to wait in line for a long time to buy the dessert, only to discover that there were no seats left and be forced to eat outside.

That must have been intended to emphasize the special privilege granted to the Special Class for Awakened students, which Fjodora had just mentioned.

But using food for this feels rather cheap... Isn’t it a little childish...?

With confident strides, Fjodora ignored the line of students and headed straight for the counter.

The employee in charge of sales immediately stopped what they were doing, asked the students for their understanding, and pushed through the crowd to clear a path toward the window seats.

Naturally, not only were those seats vacant, but they had also been decorated far more lavishly than the others.

“Follow me.”

The word “no” hovered at the tip of my tongue, but I could not bring myself to say it.

As I followed the princess, sharp gazes from the surrounding students pricked at my face.

At this point, I would rather have endured another praise attack from the original protagonist on some secluded walking path.

That would have been less burdensome than this.

“What would you like to order?”

Even after guiding us to the seats, the employee did not return to the register.

They remained beside us and asked the question directly.

Can this even be called a privilege...? This seems like the perfect way to make every other student curse us.

Thinking that, I observed the reactions around us.

Contrary to my expectation that they would be filled with resentment, the emotion on the students’ faces was envy.

Although I occasionally sensed a negative gaze, even those appeared to be nothing more than jealousy rooted in envy.

The original author must have defined their emotions that way while narrating this scene.

Feeling sorry for the students who were still waiting in line without even having ordered, I quickly placed mine.

The others, perhaps feeling similarly, chose their drinks just as quickly.

Only then did the employee return to their post.

“Was that not fortunate? Had you failed to encounter this humble one, your journey here would have been wasted.”

At that moment, I was certain I was not the only one thinking the opposite.

The awkward smiles on the faces of those seated with me were proof enough.

However, the princess appeared to interpret those expressions differently.

“Even this humble one did not expect so many students to gather here. Had I anticipated it, I naturally would have informed you this morning. Even if the line was long and every seat briefly appeared occupied, there would have been no need for you to turn back.”

I found that deeply regrettable.

Had we heard that beforehand, we would never have set foot on the cafeteria terrace.

The moment we noticed the crowd from a distance, we would have turned around and left.

In that regard, I was exceedingly envious of Lissy, who was not here.

“Ahaha, it’s fine as long as we know now. By the way, Senior Lissy didn’t come with you? I heard the third- and fourth-year students use the same floor as the campus dining hall.”

Perhaps Pret had been thinking the same thing I was.

Or perhaps he was simply curious about the whereabouts of the only absent member.

With his natural sociability, he smiled and struck up a conversation with Fjodora.

“Ah, her. She went to the library. Since training has made it difficult for her to set aside time, she said she felt she ought to participate in club activities during lunch, at the very least, so she would not feel guilty toward the other members. She always makes do with something simple, such as a sandwich, and leaves in a hurry.”

I was certain of it.

Lissy had definitely fled to the library because spending every lunchtime with Fjodora was too burdensome.