It looked as though he would leave the audience seats and head straight to the stage.

However, Ríolíkin remained standing there with his equipment in hand, looking down at us where we sat.

What he wanted was obvious.

"Do your best and come back...!"

"Make sure you win."

Vigdís offered ordinary words of encouragement.

On the other hand... No, "on the other hand" isn't really the appropriate expression here.

After all, what Reisir said was also a commonly used form of encouragement.

However, because Reisir had found Ríolíkin rather unsatisfactory lately, that contrasting expression naturally came to mind.

Out of all the possible words of encouragement, he chose to say, make sure you win and come back?

At the unexpected remark, Ríolíkin's face instantly filled with emotion.

'I would appreciate it if you stopped looking at me with such expectant eyes while keeping that expression on your face...'

If I'd known it would turn out like this, I should have immediately said, "Do whatever you want, whether you go or not," the moment Ríolíkin stood up.

Because if I said something like that now, the motivation that had finally soared would plummet straight back down.

"...If you win and come back, I'll give you at least one word of praise."

"Mya ung mya."

I spoke those words in an indifferent voice while feigning an aloof expression.

And I have no idea what Yor was saying, but for some reason, her attitude was extremely haughty.

Was she imitating the way I acted while maintaining the possessed body's persona?

Unlike me, who was troubled by the thought that I might be corrupting the adorable baby dragon with bad influences,

Ríolíkin simply grinned broadly, looking delighted.

"More importantly, the host is calling your name. Shouldn't you be heading over there?"

"Gasp! I-I'll really go now!"

Ríolíkin hurriedly ran toward the stage.

I watched his retreating figure for a moment before turning my gaze toward the person who had made the unexpected remark earlier.

"Reisir. Do you sincerely want Ríolíkin to win?"

"Was what I said really that unexpected? Enough for you to ask that?"

Actually, not quite.

Because I know how affectionate Reisir is.

Vigdís and I had sparred with Ríolíkin a few times, but only a few times in the literal sense.

Because Ríolíkin couldn't attack.

Because he couldn't accumulate proper combat experience.

As a result, Reisir had practically taken sole responsibility for training him.

'I heard he even called Ríolíkin to his personal training ground on weekday evenings.'

He had spent a great deal of time with Ríolíkin and witnessed his efforts from closer than anyone else.

It was only natural for someone as affectionate as Reisir to open his heart to him.

'Even though I've reached that conclusion myself, the reason I asked is...'

Because Reisir is not a character I created, so I can't be certain.

Whether he has truly accepted Ríolíkin into his circle.

Or whether he simply dislikes the extra who approached me with ulterior motives and wants Ríolíkin to ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) block his advance through the tournament.

'Although this protagonist from someone else's novel is fundamentally overflowing with affection and kindness, like a typical modern web novel protagonist, he also has a calculating side.'

The narration was lengthy, but the actual time that passed was effectively zero.

It was thanks to the Thought Acceleration Skill activating once again.

So before Ríolíkin had even stepped onto the stage, I received an answer to my question from Reisir.

"Yes, it was unexpected. Didn't you find him unsatisfactory?"

"In the past, I did."

"I guess you don't anymore."

"Yeah. Because Ríolíkin sincerely wants to become your person now."

That's strange.

The Ríolíkin influence event had clearly ended in failure, so why had he come to believe that Ríolíkin sincerely wanted to follow me?

Surely Reisir hadn't been planting ideas in his head to draw out his loyalty?

'A substitute influence event or something? What exactly did this protagonist from someone else's novel say to the former villain's underling?'

Unable to understand what was going on, I could only blink in bewilderment.

Then Reisir chuckled, as though he had expected that reaction, and continued.

"And it's not that Ríolíkin lacks ability. He's just so scared that he can't bring out his full strength. If he can overcome that fear, he'll become quite reliable."

Did this guy seriously read through Ríolíkin's stats and skill list in that short amount of time?

So he had concluded that Ríolíkin was suitable as my escort?

The question came to mind, but it wasn't one I could openly ask.

"Has that resolved your doubts a little?"

Not at all.

Far from resolving the question of whether the original protagonist had accepted Ríolíkin into his circle,

it had only created more questions.

Questions that were far too awkward to ask aloud.

"...More or less."

As I reluctantly gave a positive answer, my tone came out slightly sulky.

Yet somehow, Reisir immediately put on his usual irritating smile.

"Why are you smiling like that?"

"I was just thinking that you're really shy."

"Why would I be shy at a time like this...?"

"Because you're bewildered that Ríolíkin sincerely wants to follow you, and happy that I care about you and think about you in all sorts of ways."

As always, it was a perfect misunderstanding.

I had asked for no reason and only ended up increasing the conversation count.

Meanwhile, Ríolíkin's match had already begun.

"If you're going to spout nonsense like that, then just keep your mouth shut."

At my words, Reisir burst out laughing.

"Ahaha."

He had definitely mistaken me for being shy again.

The misunderstanding itself was embarrassing enough to actually make me feel shy, but I tried my best to ignore it and shifted my attention to the stage.

'If my life as a transmigrator were a novel written in first person, then I have a duty as the narrator.'

I carefully watched Ríolíkin's fight and observed it in detail.

Although I had missed the exact moment the match began, it was still in the early stages. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

'I remember that extra wasn't present during Ríolíkin's preliminary-round matches, but he managed not to get knocked out in a single hit.'

That guy had shown signs of paying close attention to the people around Karvaldr before, even mentioning Reisir.

So he must have already gathered information that Ríolíkin was a coward.

Judging from the look of surprise on his face, he seemed to have realized that Ríolíkin's skill level wasn't something to be taken lightly.

Because the Thought Acceleration Skill had activated, it was easy to examine the extra's expression while he stood frozen in place.

'Winning through sheer luck seems impossible. He'll have to rely entirely on his actual ability if he wants to defeat Ríolíkin.'

I could continue analyzing either Ríolíkin or his opponent by adjusting the flow of Ether and slightly slowing my thought speed.

If I wanted, I could even observe every movement they made as though dissecting them frame by frame.

But I didn't.

'That consumes too much mental energy. Maybe after my own match, but for now I should conserve it.'

Unless I deliberately slowed my thought speed, the burden was relatively light.

But that didn't mean it was nonexistent.

Maintaining it frequently or for extended periods accumulated fatigue.

So I tightly restrained the Sky Blue Ether to prevent it from leaving the core on its own.

Doing so prevented the Thought Acceleration Skill from activating.

'Since it requires conscious Ether control, I have to maintain my focus continuously, so it's difficult to stay in this state under normal circumstances. But a few minutes is manageable.'

Now that I've finished explaining the recently updated Thought Acceleration Skill, I'll return to narrating Ríolíkin's match.

His opponent was taking the fight very seriously.

Dark green eyes flashed sharply as he searched for openings, while Ether of the same color wrapped itself around his blade and burned.

'A green flame sword, huh... As expected of an extra. His Ether color and ability have nothing to do with each other.'

Even so, it was undoubtedly a dangerous ability, so Ríolíkin had also activated his own Ether attribute.

Before I realized it, Ivory Ether had taken the form of armor and wrapped itself around his massive body.

The skill was called 【Armor of Protection】.

True to its name, it created armor that protected its user, making it a skill that suited Ríolíkin's cowardly personality extremely well.

Since compressed, filtered Ether can generate physical force according to the setting, anyone can imitate something similar through proper application.

However,

Ríolíkin's attribute itself was defense-oriented and implemented directly as a skill, making the difference in efficiency overwhelming.

He didn't even need to compress Ether manually.

The skill itself guaranteed superior defensive power while consuming less Ether.

Once activated, it automatically consumed the appropriate amount of Ether, maintained itself, and even repaired damage without requiring additional attention.

Even while protected by such an ability, Ríolíkin ignored none of his opponent's attacks and still didn't launch a counterattack.

He simply used his shield and mace, both covered in Ivory Ether, to block and deflect.

As far as I knew, the Ether coating the shield and mace was also part of 【Armor of Protection】, rather than something created by compressed Ether.

In any case, despite knowing that the armor-shaped Ether would protect him,

having a flaming sword swung at his body was still frightening, so he continued making defensive movements instinctively.

'Since there isn't a time limit in the main tournament anyway, it's not a bad strategy.'

If Ríolíkin had done nothing but defend, I would have frowned.

However, despite failing repeatedly, he still attempted attacks whenever opportunities appeared.

So rather than being frustrating, his refusal to completely trust 【Armor of Protection】 and simply charge forward felt like a positive sign.

Perhaps in situations where he had to break through a path surrounded by enemies,

a tank who becomes overconfident in his defenses and neglects defense entirely wouldn't last long and would eventually endanger his allies.

"It feels like only yesterday that he was just standing there taking hits whenever Reisir attacked him..."

"He has improved a lot, hasn't he?"

Reisir casually picked up the monologue I had unintentionally spoken aloud.

Nodding in agreement was impossible due to Karvaldr's personality.

So when I simply snorted and ignored him,

instead of feeling offended, Reisir found the reaction amusing and chuckled.

'...Let's not pay attention to him.'

I turned my attention back to Ríolíkin as he swung his mace.

Because the motion was unfamiliar and he put too much force into it, his massive body staggered when his opponent dodged.

Aiming for the gaps in 【Armor of Protection】, the extra thrust his sword forward.

It was a scene that had already repeated itself several times.

As a result, I felt no sense of danger whatsoever.

Ríolíkin twisted his body ever so slightly.

That alone caused the extra's attack to miss.

The blade merely scraped across the surface of the ivory armor before sliding away.

Recovering his balance, Ríolíkin immediately tried to shove the opponent away with his shield.

Anxiety appeared on the extra's face as he hastily withdrew his sword and retreated.

Neither side had landed a successful attack,

but Ríolíkin was protected by a defensive skill and possessed overwhelming physical attributes.

The extra knew that the moment Ríolíkin stopped blocking and simply charged forward, he would have no choice but to lose.

'Did he decide he had to finish the match quickly while Ríolíkin was still afraid of his sword?'

The extra closed the distance again.

He moved busily, trying to reach Ríolíkin's flank and attack from beyond the shield.

All the while, he continued swinging his sword relentlessly.

At first glance, it looked as though the extra was pressuring Ríolíkin into a corner.

But

every slash of the sword and every green flame coating it was blocked by the Ivory Ether, unable to cut or burn anything.

In reality, it was anxiety that was driving the extra into a corner.

And in situations like that, mistakes inevitably happen.

Usually fatal ones.

The moment Ríolíkin deflected the sword with his shield, the extra's footing became tangled.

As a result, he couldn't dodge the mace swinging toward him.

Although he hurriedly reinforced his body with Ether,

it was useless.

The thin membrane of Ether shattered instantly, and Ríolíkin's mace struck his torso directly.

With that, the match was decided.

The extra was practically launched through the air before crashing onto the floor.

He coughed up blood and cried out in pain.

No matter who looked at him, he was in no condition to get back up and continue fighting.

The match was declared over as Ríolíkin's victory was announced.

Immediately afterward, someone who appeared to be a healer hurried onto the stage.