This Novel is not my Novel

"A-Anyway...! Entering your room was not my objective."

"If that wasn't it, then was there some other reason?"

I had tried to smooth things over and move on while the protagonist of someone else's novel was still laughing his head off.

But somehow, we had circled right back to the same point.

"You insufferably persistent bastard..."

"It can't be helped, can it? If I don't keep pressing you like this, it's impossible to hear what you truly think."

In other words, his persistence was my fault for refusing to be honest.

Apparently, he had no intention of backing down until he heard why I had come to his room instead of pulling him aside separately...

Well... I did think it might be best to address it at least once.

I had merely hesitated because I feared that "Karvaldr" bringing up such a subject might constitute a collapse in characterization.

However, thanks to the person before me, the formula Karvaldr = tsundere had already been firmly established.

And since the protagonist of someone else's novel was being so tenacious about it,

I began to think it might be safe to explain.

"Haah... If I pulled only you aside while everyone was together, Ríolíkin would become curious. And if I drew a firm line and told him not to follow, he might think we were excluding him... That is why."

After letting out a deep sigh, I explained in a tone suggesting I had no choice but to confess.

The protagonist of someone else's novel reacted as though he had finally received an explanation he could accept.

"Aha! You couldn't bring yourself to explain because you were embarrassed that I might tease you for being kind?!"

"That was not the central point of what I just said."

"Mm, mm. The main point was that you were worried Ríolíkin might feel left out, so you wanted to be considerate of him, right? If Ríolíkin found out you brought this up first, he'd be incredibly moved!"

The thought that I never should have told him crossed my mind.

I had to give him credit for possessing a remarkable talent for embarrassing people.

"I was not being considerate! I merely did not want to become the villain! So I would appreciate it if you did not repeat this and create unnecessary trouble."

"If that is what you want, then I'll keep that tender heart of yours all to myself."

"No, that..."

"Yes?"

".........Hmph!"

The longer I continued talking, the worse it would become for me.

Knowing that, I hurriedly ended the conversation and sipped my cola.

All while trying not to look at the protagonist of someone else's novel, whose face was undoubtedly glowing with a cheerful smile.

"Then next time, we can invite Ríolíkin too. But since today we met alone—"

"Myaaow!"

"Ah, sorry. I should say the three of us, including Yor, shouldn't I? Anyway, since we're already here, let's spend time together today."

Despite having already laughed himself breathless while teasing me, he still seemed unsatisfied.

My sole objective had been to examine the material on the confession villain, and I had even explained why I had no choice but to visit his room at this hour.

Even so, the protagonist of someone else's novel plainly showed that he wanted to keep me there longer.

"No. I am returning to my room to rest now."

"I finished every volume of that web novel you recommended last Sunday, all the way to the ending."

"......"

Not only had I eaten the snacks Yor fed me while reading the material on the confession villain, I had also taken occasional sips of cola, so I had conveniently just emptied the can.

I had been planning to use that as an excuse to rise from my seat.

But the moment Reisir spoke, I involuntarily froze.

"Don't you want to hear what I thought?"

Honestly... I did.

The protagonist of the novel I had read had gone and read a novel I recommended. How could I possibly not be curious about his thoughts?

"I'm curious about your impressions too."

That, on the other hand, I did not particularly want to discuss.

For some reason, talking about how I had felt was rather embarrassing.

"Can't you stay just a little longer? Please?"

I had intended to return to my room and work on 《Repentance Room》 anyway.

But Reisir was both the only web novel reader in this world and one of my own readers.

Exchanging opinions about web novels with him could therefore also be considered an activity that would assist my "writing."

And so—

"Only... for a little while."

—the only reason I made this decision was to prepare for the future, when the 【Writing】 skill would be unlocked.

It was not because I wanted to have fun discussing books with the protagonist of someone else's novel.

So I hope my dear readers will not misunderstand.

The following morning.

As soon as I finished breakfast, I headed to the private training ground, where I once again encountered Pret.

The reason was obvious. I was there to receive his report on the task I had entrusted to him last week—in other words, back in Chapter 24.

"We're still investigating the person responsible for Professor Vanahilda's loss, and we plan to make contact with her after the investigation is complete."

After all, they were tracking down the culprit behind an incident that had occurred in the distant past, nearly twenty years ago.

There was no chance it could be neatly resolved in a mere week.

Had that been possible, the culprit would have been caught and executed long ago—or dealt with by Vanahilda herself.

"Still, the fact that you are discussing what will happen after the investigation means progress is being made."

"We are managing somehow. I can't tell you the details because they're trade secrets! But if you joined us—"

"I refuse."

"Wow, now you won't even let me finish the recruitment offer!"

Pret clicked his tongue as he said it, but there was no disappointment on his face.

In other words, he had already expected me to refuse.

That only made it harder to understand why he kept repeating the same offer.

"More importantly, what became of the sponsorship?"

"That was already sent. Along with a letter containing the fictional story you invented and a promise to provide the same amount every month."

"The response?"

"They were overjoyed, of course! At the moment, they seem too busy searching for good medicine and arranging appointments with healers, but once that settles down, they'll probably contact Sveinn too. They'll tell him that, thanks to a merciful anonymous benefactor, his younger sibling will finally be able to receive proper treatment."

It was not even money I had earned through my own sweat and effort.

I had merely shared a portion of the money accumulated by the original owner of this body—money that had ultimately come from Hardr's pockets.

And I had done so to protect myself by removing the original traitor's reason to betray us.

Being described as merciful could only make me scoff at myself.

"Hmph! Merciful, my foot..."

"If you don't like that expression, should I call you benevolent instead?"

"Enough of that nonsense. If your report is finished, return the fee for the information on Dremby and leave."

"I still have more to discuss, so I can't leave yet, but I can give you the money now."

As he spoke, Pret took a coin pouch from his Inventory and held it out.

I accepted it, but...

"Why does this feel... strangely light?"

"Ahaha! You see, Reisir insisted that the matter had already been resolved before he even had a chance to read the information he bought from me, so he haggled down the price!"

It seemed Reisir had displayed the shrewd, profit-conscious side befitting a modern web novel protagonist.

"So? Did you collect the remaining amount from me?"

"I only deducted the initial retainer. I still had to receive full payment for my labor."

"Then how much did you collect from Reisir? Even if the information he purchased had become unnecessary, the transaction had already been completed. I cannot imagine you simply accepted his argument and yielded..."

"That was exactly why I told him I couldn't reduce the information fee itself. But since, from another perspective, I had investigated it out of personal curiosity, I said I would deduct only the amount corresponding to the retainer!"

"So in the end, you collected the full cost."

"Ahaha! I believe it was a perfectly fair transaction!"

That was indeed true, and I found myself nodding.

I had commissioned the investigation, while Reisir had received the finished information.

It made sense to collect the retainer from me and charge Reisir for the information itself.

Moreover, Pret's investigation had by no means been meaningless. It had produced concrete results.

For one thing, he had discovered that the confession villain was spreading false rumors.

And since I ultimately read the material myself, the information that the man was deeply obedient to his elder brother had allowed me to conceive of using Valtraus.

Satisfied with the arrangement, I placed the coin pouch Pret had returned—containing everything except the retainer—into my Inventory.

"But you already knew, didn't you, Karvaldr?"

"If you are referring to Reisir haggling down the price of the information he purchased from you, I did not know."

"No, not that. I mean Reisir's 【Identification】 skill."

At the end of Chapter 245, I had expressed certainty that Reisir would uncover Pret's identity.

There was no point denying that I had known, nor was there any reason to do so.

Besides, I had a suitable excuse prepared, so I readily nodded.

"Yes, I knew. Reisir was the one who helped me gain access to Sky Blue Ether. At the time, he told me about the existence of Silver Ether and the 【Identification】 skill."

"Huh? Really? I thought Professor Radvishin was the one who helped you..."

"Professor Radvishin was indeed the one who confirmed the existence of Sky Blue Ether and guided me until I could manipulate it. But Reisir was the one who taught me how to draw it out whenever I wished."

"Didn't Reisir say he couldn't control his Silver Ether?"

He was asking how Reisir could have helped me with a second Ether when he himself could not properly control his own.

"In any case, if his skill was activating on its own, that means he had reached a state where he could draw upon his second Ether at any time, does it not? Besides, the reason he lost control of his Silver Ether in the first place was that it ran rampant when he was young."

"What exactly did he do to help you?"

"I cannot tell you that. The information does not belong to me."

"Ah! You could have subtly taken money from me and sold it, but I truly admire your respect for intellectual property rights! In that spirit—"

"I refuse."

At least Reisir's attempts to trigger influence events had not occurred this relentlessly at every possible opportunity.

At this point, perhaps Pret's recruitment offers should be considered a habitual compulsion.

As I frowned at the thought, his expression and voice suddenly became considerably more serious.

"Karvaldr, did you know? I consider every member of our guild family. My mother, the guildmaster, feels the same way, and most of our members think of one another like that too. We are one family who share the same table."

Since he knew the family circumstances of this body I possessed, he seemed intent on exploiting that point.

Although I was not truly Karvaldr, I could not remain entirely unmoved by words such as "family" or "mother."

But both in the past and now, I had only ever had one mother. I had no intention of replacing her with someone else, and—

Even if it is only an idiom... Is it not rather questionable to talk about sharing the same pot in a place where no one even cooks rice in pots?

—for that reason, I merely flinched for an instant.

The brief emotional disturbance soon subsided, replaced by bafflement.

"I'm not making things up just to draw you into the guild. I'm sincerely telling you the truth."

"Ah, well... I am sure you are. But I have no need for it."

"Don't simply let my words go in one ear and out the other. Even if it is later, give them some serious thought."

"The conclusion will not change regardless, but very well. Now leave."

"Tch. Fine."

He seemed to realize that I had not taken his words seriously.

Pret thrust out his lower lip, openly displaying his displeasure, and left the training ground.