This Novel is not my Novel

“Are Familiars naturally born with large amounts of Ether?”

Reisir, who appeared to have finished checking the surroundings, cautiously posed the question.

I pushed aside the thoughts that had been occupying my mind and answered him.

“As I understand it, they are generally born with more Ether than humans. But even accounting for that, Yor’s Ether reserves are probably unprecedented.”

“Right... Thinking back to the combat form of Her Royal Highness the Princess’s Familiar, that seems likely. Since it controls wind, it doesn’t need to compress Ether, so it should consume far less than Yor does. Yet it still couldn’t unleash an overwhelmingly powerful attack, could it? And even so, it looked quite exhausted by the end of the lecture.”

It seemed Reisir had yet to check Lausa’s Skill Window.

Had he already seen it, he would not have gone out of his way to ask how much Ether Familiars were naturally born with.

“Anyway, this is a little... No, it’s extremely moving. Yor’s Ether Stat isn’t merely outside the normal range. It surpasses it by such an enormous margin that you should be guarding it as an even greater secret...”

“There’s nothing to be moved about... Anyone could guess that Yor’s Ether Stat is high, couldn’t they?”

“Even so, revealing the exact figure is another matter, isn’t it?”

“Well... that’s true, but... You’re not the sort of person who would carelessly spread something like this around, are you...?”

“So you trusted me?”

“......”

The remark pierced straight through my conscience.

After all, I had revealed Yor’s Ether Stat as a test because I suspected that Reisir might have used the 【Truth-Reading Eye】 to steal information about Yor and me.

Unable to meet Reisir’s eyes, which were shining with delight, I quietly shifted my gaze toward Yor instead.

Besides, there was something I absolutely had to say to the baby dragon.

“I’m sorry. I revealed your personal information to someone else without asking your permission...”

“Meow, myaow, miyaaow~. Myaow, meow~.”

I could not tell exactly what she was saying.

But judging by the bright smile on her face and the way she patted the back of my hand, she seemed to be telling me not to worry because she did not mind.

Yor was a wise, sagacious, and generous dragon.

She must have realized why I had revealed her Ether Stat to Reisir and understood my intentions.

I suppose this is what people mean when they say something is moving.

My heart tightened, and I rubbed my cheek against Yor’s scales.

It was only when I heard a muffled snort of laughter beside me that I came back to my senses.

“...Why are you laughing?”

“Is that called head bunting? I heard cats show affection and trust by rubbing or bumping their heads and faces against others. I was just thinking, ‘So it really is true.’”

“......”

Only moments ago, I had still felt somewhat guilty toward this protagonist of someone else’s novel.

That feeling vanished completely the instant he said that.

At the very least, I had never once questioned whether his species was human.

“Anyway, Yor really is incredible! Today was her first time fighting, yet she forced Professor Kaldrun to focus entirely on defense, didn’t she? Once she becomes accustomed to combat and her attacks gain greater precision, she’ll be capable of truly terrifying things.”

When I stared at him in disgust, Reisir abruptly began praising Yor.

If he believed that would improve my mood, he had miscalculated.

“She isn’t even a year old, so how can she already be this strong? She’s cute and intelligent too, isn’t she? Yor must be the greatest genius in the entire history of Familiars. Karvaldr, now I understand why you’re so completely taken with her. In that case, I take back what I said about you being overprotective. You weren’t fawning over her at all. You were merely stating facts.”

Perhaps... he had not miscalculated after all.

A profound sense of satisfaction swelled in my chest, and I needlessly squared my shoulders.

Worse, the corners of my mouth kept trying to rise of their own accord, forcing me to concentrate on holding them down.

Was I always this simple...?

As that thought crossed my mind, I caught sight of Reisir smiling, his eyes curving gently.

He had clearly noticed that my mood had improved.

“Come to think of it, predicting your opponent’s movements is your specialty, isn’t it? If Yor learns by watching you, she’ll be able to launch precise attacks in no time.”

I had only been able to observe and analyze my opponent’s movements so carefully thanks to the Thought Acceleration effect of my 【Character Analysis】 skill.

But Yor was a genius baby dragon.

She would surely be able to accomplish the same thing without relying on such tricks.

As I thought that and nodded—

“Since the subject has come up... Karvaldr, your ability to respond to unexpected situations is exceptionally impressive.”

Reisir suddenly changed the subject to me.

I could say with absolute certainty that the subject had not simply “come up.”

He deliberately brought me into it because he wanted to watch me get praised and become embarrassed...

I considered silencing the unbelievably devious Reisir, but ultimately decided against it.

If I listened after properly bracing myself, perhaps I could endure it without feeling awkward.

Then the protagonist of someone else’s novel would no longer be able to torment me with praise attacks.

“Pfft!”

“Why are you suddenly laughing?”

“Because you look as though you’ve resolved yourself to face some extraordinary ordeal.”

“......!”

I had not anticipated that kind of teasing, and I could not stop heat from rushing into my face.

“Anyway, shall I continue? You seem to be looking forward to it.”

“I was not looking forward to it.”

“Earlier, when you slipped and your body tilted, you didn’t show the slightest hint of panic. I was so flustered that I could barely concentrate on keeping my balance. But you used the angle of your body to your advantage and launched a restraining attack, didn’t you? Then you linked the motion into righting yourself and immediately followed up with another attack... Professor Kaldrun was simply too powerful, which allowed him to counter. An ordinary opponent wouldn’t have been able to react at all.”

“......”

Had the barrier around my heart already collapsed because I had felt embarrassed once?

Even though I had expected him to launch a praise attack, embarrassment still came flooding over me.

Ríolíkin had already praised that same movement.

Yet hearing Reisir, who possessed exceptional martial skill, break it down point by point and extol it in detail struck me entirely differently.

“You haven’t even been receiving combat training for very long. How did you think of moving like that? Were you born with extraordinary combat instincts? Or is it because your judgment is simply that good?”

“...Enough.”

“Why? Weren’t you prepared for this?”

I was, but it did not help...!

I clenched my jaw to keep the scream in my heart from escaping and glared at the protagonist of someone else’s novel.

At my reaction, Reisir burst into hearty laughter.

“...You made a bet with Professor Kaldrun, yet you’re wasting your time teasing me. Wouldn’t it be more productive to study magnetic fields instead?”

“You thought I asked you to come talk just because I wanted to enjoy watching you get embarrassed, and you still agreed? In other words, you...!”

I slapped a hand over the hateful lips that were about to spew some absurd nonsense.

The protagonist of someone else’s novel swallowed whatever he had been about to say and let out an exaggerated “Ouch!”

I knew perfectly well that he was not actually hurt, but I still felt a satisfying sense of vindication.

“I followed you because I assumed you had something important to say. I’m objecting because all you’ve done is tease me.”

“Ah, so that’s what you meant?”

“That is what I meant. If you have a point, hurry up and get to it.”

Perhaps my solemn expression proved effective.

Or perhaps the original protagonist had simply decided that it was time to bring the joke to an end.

Reisir wiped the smile from his face and spoke seriously.

“When I sparred with Professor Kaldrun today, I panicked and showed a rather... embarrassing side of myself, didn’t I?”

“It was hardly embarrassing. You managed to keep your balance on the slippery ice and continued sparring for quite some time. If anything, it was impressive.”

“Did you just call me impressive? Thank you for the compliment...!”

My casually offered assessment filled Reisir with delight, and his eyes sparkled with an uncomfortably bright light.

I could not say anything around him.

“No, I... Just continue with the main point. We should finish this conversation before lunch ends.”

“Right, right. Anyway, that’s why I wanted your advice.”

“Specifically? Mine?”

Had he really summoned me merely to tease me, only to invent an excuse on the spot after I complained?

When I narrowed my eyes in suspicion, Reisir hurried to explain.

“I know I could simply apply an anti-slip treatment to my shoes like Pret did, but I don’t think that would be the best solution. Just as Professor Kaldrun slid across the ice to evade Yor’s attacks, a slippery surface can be used to your advantage depending on how you handle it.”

“But completely treating your shoes against slipping would mean abandoning that tactical option, and you dislike that?”

“Exactly!”

Reisir nodded at once and looked at me expectantly.

He appeared utterly convinced that I would naturally find a solution for him.

Well... it was not as though I needed to find one.

I already knew the answer.

“It is not a particularly difficult problem. Wouldn’t it be better for you to think about it yourself?”

“Weren’t you the one who just said we shouldn’t waste time? And judging from the fact that you called it easy, you’ve already found a solution, haven’t you? In that case, hearing the answer from you would be the quickest way to save time.”

He had a point.

To show him the solution, I took a pair of crampons from my inventory.

“This is equipment attached to the soles of your shoes to keep you from slipping on icy ground. I bought them in preparation for entering a Demon Realm with a snowfield environment.”

“You had something like this, but you didn’t wear it during your spar with the professor?”

“Had I worn them openly, the professor would not have created ice beneath my feet.”

“No wonder you looked so calm the moment you fell! Did you deliberately lure the professor into creating an icy surface beneath you? Thinking of it that way, it’s even more impressive!”

“...Do not interrupt.”

“Right, right! Understood, understood.”

“There is no need to repeat yourself.”

“Right, right.”

I glared at Reisir for a moment before continuing.

“You have probably already realized this, but I will explain anyway. If you gather Ether beneath your shoes and shape it into sharp spikes like these, you should be able to keep yourself from falling. Then, whenever you want to slide deliberately, you can simply withdraw the Ether.”

“Merely preventing yourself from slipping that way would have been enough to catch him off guard. Yet you deliberately let yourself fall so the professor would completely lower his guard. You were waging a psychological battle against him! It was an excellent strategy, and it seemed to work on the professor perfectly. It must have been truly disappointing when the actual attack failed.”

The grin with which he spoke was profoundly, unbearably irritating.

And yet, the substance of his words was strangely pleasant and comforting.

So was I annoyed?

Displeased?

An emotion I could not define washed over me.

“...Hmph.”

As always, I let out a dismissive sound and sharply turned my head away.