I immediately put the thought I'd had at the end of yesterday's episode into practice.

For those who couldn't be bothered to hit the "previous chapter" button and check, I'll explain it again.

I deliberately waited until the meal was almost over before bringing up Nidr.

"Reisir. What exactly did you say during the match that made Nidr charge at you like that?"

"Ah, that? I just asked him to explain something."

"Explain what?"

"He's weaker than me physically, and he can't even defend against my Ether Attribute attacks. So I asked what made him so special."

"...You completely shattered his self-esteem."

"Haha."

After hearing my assessment, Reisir let out a short laugh, looking slightly embarrassed.

He's always treating me like some kind of tsundere, so he probably misunderstood that remark as a tsundere-style compliment.

When in reality, I'm stuck dealing with the protagonist of someone else's novel and slowly losing my mind.

'No wonder Nidr looked so strange...!'

Back in Chapter 113, he'd confidently declared, "I'm different from everyone else. I'm very special."

He even said everyone would understand why after the Tournament ended.

But after getting completely crushed by Reisir in the finals, how humiliating must it have been to hear that? 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

He couldn't even argue against someone outright denying his specialness.

'Nidr was going to be consumed by his inferiority complex sooner or later anyway, so maybe nothing changes...'

But now the point where that inferiority complex emerged had been pushed forward.

The timing of his first murder might be pushed forward as well.

There was a real possibility that he would cause trouble before graduating from the Academy.

And if that happened, his victim would be another awakened student.

'I don't know how many current students will awaken. But Vigdís, Ríolíkin, and I definitely will.'

Considering the Ether Attribute Abilities we possessed.

If he decided to kill one of us while still at the Academy, I would probably be the easiest target.

My position as the son of a ducal family wouldn't protect me.

Because once a murder was discovered, he would be arrested no matter who the victim was.

Naturally, he'd choose the easiest person to kill.

Someone he could dispose of without leaving evidence behind.

The further my thoughts went, the more anxious I became.

But worrying wouldn't solve anything.

All I could do was continue training and become stronger.

So just as I decided to set my concerns aside—

"Wait... you weren't complimenting me?"

Reisir asked carefully as he watched my expression.

Seeing the distress on my face, he had finally realized that my remark hadn't been a tsundere-style compliment after all.

"And here I thought you were worrying about someone like Nidr."

"...?"

I take that back.

Reisir still believed I was some soft-hearted, secretly affectionate tsundere who refused to admit it.

"Did you already forget? He intentionally listed all the side effects of Ríolíkin's rampage to make you feel guilty and put you under his control."

"W-What?! Something like that happened?"

"Ah, right. You, Helga, and Vigdís don't know about it, do you? Ríolíkin, while you were unconscious after fighting Nidr..."

Reisir briefly summarized everything that had happened afterward.

Coincidentally, he finished just as a waiter knocked and entered the room.

The man cleared away the empty dishes and served chamomile tea.

Only after the waiter left the private room did everyone's reactions finally explode.

"What kind of garbage is that guy?! Instead of comforting someone or worrying together, he tries to manipulate them?"

Helga was the first to react.

She had maintained her refined noble-lady persona while the waiter was present, but the moment he left, her true feelings burst out.

"You said Ríolíkin doesn't have to worry about lasting side effects this time, correct? That is fortunate. In more ways than one."

Vigdís looked equally angry, but she managed to compose herself and focus on the positive.

As for Ríolíkin—

"A-Anyway, I really don't like him. H-He kept saying things to stop me from throwing a party. A-And when we were alone, he said weird things about wanting me... R-Really creepy things. A-And also..."

Apparently deciding this was his opportunity, he immediately began tattling.

'Yesterday and today, Reisir was sitting alone in the participant area. Nidr must have approached him and spent the whole time bragging and talking nonsense...'

Reisir didn't bother repeating what Nidr had said during those private conversations.

He simply drank his tea in silence, looking thoroughly displeased.

Judging from his attitude, I could make a reasonable guess.

Nidr had probably spent most of the time talking behind our backs.

He might have insulted Helga's family.

He might have even repeated that ridiculous claim that he would become her sponsor.

'Whatever it was, it was probably the sort of thing nobody would enjoy hearing.'

Reaching that conclusion, I lifted my teacup.

The gentle scent and flavor of chamomile spread through my mouth.

"I missed the timing earlier, but I wasn't worried about Nidr."

"Then what were you worried about?"

"Isn't it natural to expect someone who spent his entire life intoxicated by a superiority complex to hold a grudge after being told he isn't special, getting completely overwhelmed, and even fainting during a Tournament watched by countless people?"

"So you were worried about me? Worried I'd get bullied again?"

Who exactly installed a tsundere filter in the original protagonist's eyes and ears?

I genuinely wanted to know.

"How did you arrive at that interpretation after everything I did to you last semester?"

"Were you thinking something like... 'I'm the only one allowed to bully you'?"

"No...!"

Why did every conversation with this guy end with me suffering unbearable embarrassment?

At this point it felt like a curse.

"I was simply worried about myself. Since Nidr mistakenly believes we're friends, couldn't he target me as revenge and try to harm me?"

"Pfft...! No matter how desperately you try to make excuses, what kind of explanation is that?"

Apparently he thought I'd been exposed and was now inventing excuses on the spot.

Reisir was the only one openly laughing, but the others weren't much different.

They all assumed that, as the youngest son of a ducal family, I was untouchable.

'Bullying might be difficult. Murder and a cover-up are another matter entirely...'

But if I voiced that thought, everyone would immediately assume I was traumatized by the poisoning incident and living in fear.

Enduring embarrassment was preferable to being pitied.

After reaching that conclusion, I kept my mouth shut and glared at the main culprit responsible for my tsundere reputation.

"Hmm... Still, if you considered the possibility that Nidr might harm people around me, then your concern is perfectly understandable."

Only after seeing how serious I was did Reisir finally adjust his interpretation.

Though not completely.

Only partially.

As a result, I somehow became someone who worried not only about Reisir, but about everyone present.

The one fortunate thing was that Reisir immediately continued speaking before anyone else could start teasing me.

"But I don't think Nidr would go that far. He's the kind of person who goes around declaring how special he is. Would someone like that really do something as petty as targeting the people around someone he dislikes?"

That optimism was not fortunate at all.

Had he forgotten that he was the one who shattered that pride?

"Besides, he doesn't seem like the type to operate from the shadows. He doesn't have friends, much less followers. He can't order people to bully me. At worst, he'd keep picking fights with me or challenge me to endless duels. After the difference in skill shown today, he might not even be able to do that anymore."

Since Reisir didn't know the future, it was only natural for him to think that way.

If I hadn't read the original story, I would have reached the same conclusion.

Who could possibly predict that a chuunibyou would suddenly evolve into a serial killer, agree to participate in a biological experiment proposed by a suspicious organization, and eventually become a monster?

"Don't be so certain. Sometimes a superiority complex is nothing more than a thin shell. Peel it away, and all that's underneath is an inferiority complex."

"Karvaldr, you're surprisingly insightful."

"W-Why are you saying that all of a sudden...?"

The protagonist of someone else's novel launched a surprise compliment attack.

I was so caught off guard that I stammered before I could even consider whether he was being sincere.

I won't bother describing the expression that appeared on his face afterward.

"Still, I think you're right. I'll be more careful from now on."

The words What about before now? rose to the tip of my tongue.

But I was the only person who knew how vile Nidr would eventually become.

And that was information I couldn't share.

If I continued pressing the issue, I would simply look like someone irrationally attacking a person he disliked.

So I decided to end the discussion there.

I gave a small nod and wrapped my fingers around the teacup.

Following the etiquette drilled into me at the ducal estate, I elegantly lifted it, let the aroma linger in my mouth for a moment, swallowed quietly, and set it down.

Then, completely without warning, the protagonist of someone else's novel said something absurd.

"Karvaldr. Want to sleep in my room tonight?"

At least he'd waited until after I'd swallowed.

If he'd spoken even a second earlier, I would have spit tea everywhere.

"...Why are you suddenly saying something so ridiculous?"

"You said you have insomnia, didn't you? But you slept pretty well during History and Ethics on Tuesday. I figured maybe you'd sleep better somewhere you don't have to worry about being assassinated."

Chamomile tea was famous for relieving anxiety and helping with insomnia.

But it was also commonly served after meals because it settled the stomach and aided digestion.

So I hadn't paid much attention to it.

'Don't tell me... he ordered this because of my fake insomnia...?'

Feeling strangely uncomfortable, I unconsciously removed my hand from the teacup.

"Ah, is sharing a room awkward because there's only one bed? Then I could stay in your room until you fall asleep and go back afterward. Which do you prefer?"

"I need neither option. If simply having someone nearby cured insomnia, it would have disappeared the day Yor was born."

"I know Yor is an incredibly intelligent and wonderful Familiar with limitless potential, but she's still a baby who needs protection. Maybe you're unconsciously staying tense because of that."

His reasoning was surprisingly convincing.

If I actually suffered from insomnia, I might have listened and thought, That makes sense.

"...The reason I fell asleep during History and Ethics is because Basic Physical Training comes right before it. When my body is exhausted and the professor spends an hour talking in a slow, boring voice, how could I possibly stay awake?"

"In that case... should I exhaust you after dinner every night and then slowly read a boring book aloud until you fall asleep?"

"Don't even think about trying that. I'd rather stay awake forever."

"I went to all the trouble of coming up with a solution, and that's the reaction I get?"

"Because your solution deserves that reaction...!"

For quite some time afterward, I found myself arguing with the protagonist of someone else's novel over an insomnia problem that didn't even exist.

The result was my victory.

A perfectly natural outcome.

After all, it wasn't as if Reisir could force me through a training session and then break into my room to begin a dramatic reading.