This Novel is not my Novel

For a character who isn't completely controlled by the original author and can act of his own will to some extent, having stats this high is definitely something to welcome, but...

I felt reassured, but at the same time, anxious.

It would be a different story if the original novel were a satisfying power-trip story. In the despair genre, a protagonist with high stats means the enemies they must face are also incredibly strong.

The only silver lining is that the original author is unlikely to kill off all the members of the Special Class for Awakened Ones at once, I suppose?

After all, if everyone dies at once, it's hard to give each supporting character's death its own narrative. While it might shock the readers, it's difficult to create immersion and leave a lasting impression.

And having gone to the trouble of creating the 'Special Class for Awakened Ones,' if everyone except Reisir died, it would be impossible to maintain that setting.

Above all...

Author Senna seemed to prefer developments where Reisir slowly breaks down, engraving the death of each and every supporting character into his mind.

At the very least, a ridiculously strong monster with no hope of victory wouldn't suddenly appear. I bet the balance would be adjusted so that only one person got seriously injured or died in each battle.

For that to happen, the enemies would naturally have to be at a level the supporting characters could somehow handle.

So, the fact that Reisir is overwhelmingly strong must be a good thing, right...?

As I reached this conclusion and tried to shake off my anxiety, I felt a gaze fixed steadily on my face.

"Why..."

"Don't compare my stats to yours. As you know, I've devoted myself desperately to training since I was young to reach this level. For our age group, your stats are quite respectable. Your defense power might be low, but that can be covered by evasion. You have the skill for it, don't you?"

Before I could even finish asking why he was staring, he suddenly started rambling on with what sounded like words of consolation.

I had stared at his stats and then become lost in thought with a serious expression. He must have mistakenly thought I was disappointed in myself because my stats seemed so pathetic compared to his.

It was baseless speculation.

Because I knew that Reisir was the original protagonist. I knew very well that he was overwhelmingly stronger than everyone else and that I could never surpass him.

But, as always, this was another situation where I couldn't honestly explain why I'd reacted that way...

I had no choice but to let his misunderstanding pass without correcting it.

"Hmph... Enough of that. Just write down the skill description."

"Okay, I got it. I shared the skill description for the 'Lightning and thunder' attribute during Professor Radvisin's lecture, so I don't need to write that down, right?"

I gave a slight nod.

Seeing this, Reisir wrote the following on the whiteboard.

==========

【Truth-Reading Eye】 - (EX)

: An ability that penetrates the principles of the world and reveals its hidden essence.

: Can read the information of a Target.

==========

"It originally just said this. Plus, the grade was kind of weird, so I never even thought about trying to use it to raise its proficiency, you know? And... personally, I felt the skill was a bit ominous and scary. Since it's an ability I gained after... 'that incident.' Furthermore, Lord Djúpr repeatedly warned me that I should never let anyone else know about it."

He could have just written what it said now.

To think he'd insist on writing the old skill description first and then say all this. I wondered if he was trying to take credit, showing off that he was revealing information about this skill to me despite his guardian telling him to hide it.

"For something you found ominous and scary, you seem to use it just fine without any hesitation..."

"Haha. I guess it's because it's been a while and nothing's happened so far? I just got used to it, I suppose."

Reisir answered with an awkward laugh, and then...

He erased part of what he'd just written, added another sentence, and completed the following text.

==========

【Truth-Reading Eye】 - (EX)

: An ability that penetrates the principles of the world and reveals its hidden essence.

: The Reader of Truth will one day face the Truth of the World, so those who are not prepared should close that eye.

Stage 1. Can read the information of a Target.

Stage 2. Acquire Control Rights of this skill.

==========

Except for the fact that the proficiency was still too low for any descriptions beyond Stage 2 to appear, it was identical to the text I had read countless times in the original novel.

However, my impression of it was very different now.

When I first read this skill description as a reader, I thought it was an amazing skill that could uncover the secrets of the world, including the Demon Realms.

But now... what should I say...? Does it feel like I'm looking at exaggerated, false advertising?

Even in the parts I had read, no important clues about the Demon Realms were ever revealed. The only things the original protagonist read with the 【Truth-Reading Eye】 were bits of information about people, monsters, and various tools.

And now that I've confirmed it read the descriptions of Yor's and my skills incorrectly...

The phrase that went on about the truth of the world and demanded resolve looked utterly ridiculous. It felt as if it were putting on a pathetic bluff.

But since Reisir didn't know he'd read a false description, he was bound to feel differently from me.

"Karvaldr. What do you think about this?"

Reisir said, underlining the sentence I had just found so pretentious.

It seemed the reason he'd mentioned feeling ominous and all that was because this sentence was making him unnecessarily anxious.

Personally, I think the original author just wrote something that sounded plausible to seem profound, but...

I knew saying that would just make me look like a strange person.

So I uselessly pretended to be lost in thought with a serious expression, then opened my mouth with feigned caution.

"First, if you diligently raise this skill's proficiency, it seems certain that you'll be able to read more than you can now. 'One day' refers to the future, and you currently can't read any information that could be called the 'Truth of the World.'"

"Then what about the sentence, 'those who are not prepared should close that eye'?"

"It means that among the things you'll be able to read later, there will be truths you're better off not knowing, so you should keep that in mind. I believe it means you should refrain from using the skill if you think you can't handle the 'Truth of the World.'"

"I guess that's what it means?"

The protagonist of someone else's novel nodded, reacting as if he had been thinking the exact same thing.

He must have asked me the question to check whether what he was thinking was correct.

I showed a sour expression at how absurd that was, but Reisir didn't even look at my face and suddenly turned his gaze toward the surrounding bookshelves.

"I still don't have the 'authority' to read information about the Special Character Novels. In that case, shouldn't we consider it almost certain that the Special Character Novels are related to the 'Truth of the World'?"

The Special Character Novels were 'web novels' that existed outside this world, and 《NaSE》, which constituted this world, was also one of those web novels.

I expressed my agreement with that undeniable truth by nodding.

"They must be related in some way."

"If that's the case—"

Reisir didn't get straight to the main point, first offering only the beginning of his sentence.

Then, his eyes glowing gold and silver, he looked straight at me and continued.

"Karvaldr. Won't you continue reading the Special Character Novels with me in the future and explore the truth of this world together?"

He built up the atmosphere and said it so grandly.

But it just meant he wanted to keep reading Special Character Novels with me, sharing our thoughts and spending time together.

"Even if you hadn't said so, I was already planning to come and read the novels here whenever I had the time. I'm personally interested in them."

"Even though you might learn an unbearable truth you'd be better off not knowing?"

The protagonist of the original novel quoted the exact words I'd just said, posing a question that sounded like a warning.

I was the one who already knew the truth of this world related to the Special Character Novels, so logically, I should have been the one asking such a question.

It was so ridiculous that a hollow laugh escaped me.

"If you're that scared, then you can just quit."

"No, I want to know, too."

"Then stop wasting time and finish what you were doing."

"Okay."

The serious, heavy atmosphere lifted from Reisir's face, and his usual faint smile returned.

Even though it had been revealed that the Special Character Novels weren't ordinary books, he seemed pleased that my attitude toward them hadn't changed.

He must have been desperate for someone to share the same hobby with...

Unaware of what I was thinking, Reisir diligently copied the general skills he had learned and their descriptions onto the whiteboard.

The descriptions were too obvious, so listing only their names and grades, they were as follows.

==========

【Spear Techniques】 - (S)

【Martial Arts】 - (A)

【Dagger Techniques】 - (E)

==========

"Didn't you just start learning Dagger Techniques this semester? How is the grade already 'E'?"

"I practiced a bit during the vacation. Through self-study."

"......"

As I have mentioned several times, dear readers, my current 【Dagger Techniques】 grade is 'E.'

And yet, he reached the same grade as me just by practicing on his own during the vacation.

Since I knew he was the original protagonist who received protagonist correction, I didn't feel it was unfair.

However...

It's a little... no, it's very embarrassing.

It was because I recalled the demonstration spar I had with Skati in episodes 207 and 208.

At the time, Skati had praised my skills to the heavens, calling me the only perfect scorer from last semester.

The useless worry of what Reisir must have thought upon seeing my dagger skills, which were no different from his, popped into my head.

Even though I knew his disposition meant he wouldn't mock me, I couldn't help but be concerned.

And so, as if this state of mind were visible on my face, the protagonist of someone else's novel brought up the following in a comforting tone.

"But you know, this skill grade thing doesn't seem to be a clear indicator of actual skill. No matter how well you can land a direct hit on a target with a dagger, if the angle and timing are off, it's useless, right?"

"......"

"In actual combat, things like split-second judgment and application—instincts—have a huge influence, so you often end up displaying skill above your grade, or even below it."

"Well... I suppose that's true..."

"So, if we're talking purely about dagger technique, I think you're much better than me."

Since 'physical abilities' were also a factor that allowed one to display skill beyond one's grade, if I were to spar with Reisir using daggers, my defeat would be certain.

Even knowing that, I felt a little relieved, and because of that, I ended up feeling embarrassed for a different reason than before.

"H-Hmph... Did you think I'd be happy just because you said that?"

I'd opened my mouth to prove that I hadn't been tempted by his words.

But after saying them, it felt very... you know.

If I felt this way myself, how much more so must it have been for the person listening?

"Pfft—!"

Reisir clapped a hand over his mouth, trying desperately to hold back his laughter.

Regret and shame washed over me, and I unknowingly lowered my gaze, my eyes darting around as I searched for a hole to crawl into.