Ríolíkin couldn’t return to his seat, as he was still unconscious.
So I worried Nidr might take his seat and sit next to , but fortunately, he sat in his original spot.
'Is it because of the seating structure? The back seats are higher than the front ones, so he prefers that position to look down on us?'
It’s not that I’m making baseless speculation just because I dislike Nidr.
His words and actions invite such thoughts.
"Could it be that the reason you thought Ríolíkin could beat was because of the frenzy skill? If so, that’s too disappointing."
Look at this.
He didn’t even notice that Ríolíkin’s objective was to knock him down. Even after falling on his butt, he’s still talking about being 'disappointed.'
As if Ríolíkin and we are in a position where we have to satisfy him.
'Even if his thinking is childish and trivial, a villain is still a villain. Even before his corruption, a hint of condescension is sared across his every word and action.'
I suppressed the urge to click my tongue and opened my mouth to correct his misunderstanding.
"Whether you are disappointed or not has nothing to do with us. What I expected from Ríolíkin was not victory, but for him to physically knock you down. And since he brilliantly achieved the goal I set, I am satisfied, and Ríolíkin will be as well."
Using the possessed body’s style of speech, I made it clear that we did not underestimate his skill.
At the sa ti, I tried to convey that we are strangers, so he should stop paying attention to us.
Aristocrats in fantasy novels consider speaking in a roundabout manner a mark of refinent.
Since Nidr is a noble with a superiority complex, he should have understood.
However, understanding words and accepting them are two different matters.
"Satisfied? You can say that after seeing Ríolíkin lose his reason and run wild?"
Why is he saying that when he isn’t even genuinely concerned about Ríolíkin?
To understand his intent, I decided to listen for now.
"Do you not know about the madness of warriors? Is this the first ti Ríolíkin has gone berserk?"
Nidr began like that and proceeded to explain the risks of 【Frenzy】 in detail.
Then he made another judgntal remark.
He said that although Ríolíkin is timid, his natural talent seed decent, so he had considered training him well and making him an escort knight.
But {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} now that a major defect had appeared, it was regrettable, and having such weak ntal strength was indeed a problem...
Rather than concern for a person, it sounded like an evaluation of a broken tool.
'Even though I know he is a pitiable figure, written to be like this by Author Senna—the creator of this world.'
Even so, the fact that I can’t overlook it and instead feel irritated ans I’ve really grown attached to Ríolíkin.
At first, I only thought of using him in reverse because I found it distasteful how he tried to exploit the possessed body’s status.
But playing together is enjoyable, and how could I truly exclude a big kid trying to change?
To be honest, now that I’ve lowered my guard toward Ríolíkin, his courage in trying to overco his fear was admirable.
That’s why I felt guilty when I learned he had developed the status effect 【Frenzy】.
The thought seized that if I hadn’t rushed him, he could have slowly overco his fear and grown—but instead ended up like this because of .
"But you know. Shouldn’t we consider Ríolíkin going berserk your fault for giving unreasonable instructions?"
"Watch your mouth."
When Nidr touched on my guilt, Reisir’s expression twisted, revealing a hint of anger.
However, the original villain ignored that and turned to with a feigned benevolent expression.
"I understand. You wanted to fix Ríolíkin’s timid nature and make him more useful, right? But you were too greedy. You should have set a goal appropriate to his current ability."
The condition I set wasn’t excessive.
If Ríolíkin’s preliminary opponents hadn’t withdrawn, or if his Round 2 opponent hadn’t been Nidr—
then it definitely wouldn’t have been.
A sudden sense of injustice rose within .
'It’s a relief that the owner of the 【Truth-Reading Eye】 guaranteed I don’t have to worry about 【Frenzy】...'
If Reisir hadn’t done that, I wouldn’t even be able to feel wronged right now.
I would be drowning in guilt, constantly blaming myself.
After explaining the dangers of 【Frenzy】, Nidr emphasized that Ríolíkin had beco defective because of it.
And claid it was all my fault.
"Ha, this is why a leader’s ability is important..."
I understood his intention.
He misunderstood that Vigdís, Reisir, and Ríolíkin see as their leader.
So, by criticizing , he is trying to push into a swamp of guilt—hoping I will voluntarily hand over that position.
So that I fear responsibility and co to rely on him.
So that he can control as he pleases.
'What a futile effort. We’re just a group that eats together—there’s no such thing as a leader, right?'
Moreover, this gathering exists entirely because of the original protagonist’s ddleso persistence.
If Reisir hadn’t intervened,
Vigdís and I would have had no connection beyond Sunday morning sword training.
Ríolíkin would have only thought about using the possessed body, and upon hearing my words about entering the tournant and knocking down three people, he probably would have just run away.
Because he wouldn’t have had enough motivation to overco his fear.
To Reisir, I am simply a tsundere person who gives amusing reactions when teased.
In the first place, for the original protagonist to follow soone who tornted him and treat them as a leader—
that goes beyond breaking plausibility.
It destroys the story itself.
Therefore...
"You’re mistaken. I am not a leader."
"That’s right! Although Ríolíkin treats Karvaldr like a superior, we’re basically all equal friends."
Reisir chid in with agreent(?) and covered my mouth with his hand.
It seems he thought I would deny the word 'friend' if left alone.
'I have so tact, you know...'
Denying that can be done later, when Nidr isn’t around.
So even after removing his hand, I kept my mouth shut.
"Why did you suddenly block Karvaldr’s mouth?"
"Just... because his lips looked cold?"
Even when Reisir gave such a nonsensical answer to a perfectly reasonable question, I remained silent.
Because I had no desire to add anything to this conversation.
"What kind of nonsense..."
"The winter wind is this cold—why does that not make sense?"
"..."
Nidr fell silent, looking at Reisir as if he were insane.
Even so, since Reisir shalessly wore an expression as if asking what the problem was, I ended up feeling embarrassed on his behalf.
Just as the conversation was cut off by that nonsense, a standard cat-like ow was heard.
"ow~."
I had told Yor it would be better not to reveal her presence in front of Nidr.
She would only beco a target for judgntal remarks if she stood out unnecessarily.
And yet Yor, who had remained quiet until now, suddenly made a sound and raised her hand, pointing sowhere.
Following her gesture, I looked—and saw Ríolíkin walking toward us with a broad smile.
That expression ant he definitely rembered.
That he had knocked Nidr down while under the influence of 【Frenzy】.
'If so, he must also be aware that he lost his reason and went berserk... so isn’t he scared? Shouldn’t he feel goosebumps?'
It was a situation worthy of fear.
And yet his bright, pure smile was so absurd that a hollow laugh escaped .
I had wondered what I would do if he blad and poured out resentnt, but that tension vanished instantly.
"D-Did you see? I, I knocked down that unlucky g-guy who kept saying Ni... whatever...! Soone not as el- elegant as Lord Karvaldr, not as sc-scary as Lord Yor, and despite boasting so much with skill far weaker than R-Reisir...! He fell on his b-butt in such an unsightly way!"
Has he beco intoxicated by a sense of self-efficacy he’s never felt before?
For so reason, Ríolíkin had beco extrely arrogant.
Just judging by his words, you’d think he had defeated Nidr and advanced to Round 3.
'I get that you're excited, but there are things you shouldn’t say in front of the original villain...!'
Borrowing Reisir’s expression, Ríolíkin’s lips looked very cold.
In other words, I wanted to shut that mouth.
"Ríolíkin. Show courtesy to the winner."
"U-Um... Th-That is... I-I’m s-sorry for behaving rudely..."
"I understand. You’re just too excited after achieving a difficult goal, right?"
"T-That’s right! It was a r-really difficult and s-strong opponent, so... I knocked him down with h-hard effort."
His dejection after being reprimanded lasted only a mont.
When I subtly matched his mood, he seed to take it as a cue and eagerly emphasized his effort.
"You went through a lot."
"Ye, yes. A lot."
"The mont I saw blood, I thought you would withdraw. But seeing you fight back without running away—it looked quite courageous."
"Ehehe..."
"Weren’t you scared?"
"I-I was scared, but... since Lord Karvaldr b-believed I could e-easily do it... I d-didn’t want to disappoint you, so I gathered my s-strength."
"Right. You did well."
"Hehehe...!"
Ríolíkin let out a laugh that didn’t suit his size, unable to hide his grin.
He really seems incredibly happy.
I was about to ask if his injuries were okay, but stopped.
He must have already been treated and fully healed anyway, so showing concern would be excessive kindness—not fitting for Karvaldr’s character.
"ow ow."
When I fell silent, Yor patted Ríolíkin’s head and owed.
She knows there’s nothing to gain from standing out in Nidr’s eyes, but she couldn’t hold back from praising him after accomplishing sothing so difficult.
Understanding that, I didn’t stop her.
Ríolíkin once again looked delighted and obediently lowered his head.
"Congratulations on achieving your goal. Shall we hold a celebration party together this weekend?"
"P-Party! Th-That sounds g-good...! Very!!"
Reisir watched quietly as Yor patted Ríolíkin, then suddenly proposed a weekend gathering.
In the phrase 'together,' I must obviously be included.
No—more than that, even if others are absent, I absolutely cannot be.
In the first place, Ríolíkin has been trying to stick by my side for the future.
'If Reisir had suggested a party to celebrate his victory, I would have flatly refused, asking why I should attend...'
Of course, the intention to celebrate Ríolíkin’s achievent is genuine.
But I can’t shake the suspicion that the fox-like protagonist of soone else’s story deliberately used that as an excuse to make attend.
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