Ríolíkin couldn’t return to his seat, as he was still unconscious.

So I worried Nidr might take his seat and sit next to me, 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 me 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 smeared 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 same time, 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 refinement.

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 time Ríolíkin has gone berserk?"

Nidr began like that and proceeded to explain the risks of 【Frenzy】 in detail.

Then he made another judgmental remark.

He said that although Ríolíkin is timid, his natural talent seemed 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 mental 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 means 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 overcome his fear was admirable.

That’s why I felt guilty when I learned he had developed the status effect 【Frenzy】.

The thought seized me that if I hadn’t rushed him, he could have slowly overcome his fear and grown—but instead ended up like this because of me.

"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 me 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 me.

'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 become defective because of it.

And claimed 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 me as their leader.

So, by criticizing me, he is trying to push me into a swamp of guilt—hoping I will voluntarily hand over that position.

So that I fear responsibility and come to rely on him.

So that he can control me 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 meddlesome 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 tournament and knocking down three people, he probably would have just run away.

Because he wouldn’t have had enough motivation to overcome 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 someone who tormented 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 chimed in with agreement(?) and covered my mouth with his hand.

It seems he thought I would deny the word 'friend' if left alone.

'I have some 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 shamelessly 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 meow was heard.

"Meow~."

I had told Yor it would be better not to reveal her presence in front of Nidr.

She would only become a target for judgmental remarks if she stood out unnecessarily.

And yet Yor, who had remained quiet until now, suddenly made a sound and raised her hand, pointing somewhere.

Following her gesture, I looked—and saw Ríolíkin walking toward us with a broad smile.

That expression meant he definitely remembered.

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 me.

I had wondered what I would do if he blamed me and poured out resentment, but that tension vanished instantly.

"D-Did you see? I, I knocked down that unlucky g-guy who kept saying Ni... whatever...! Someone 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 become intoxicated by a sense of self-efficacy he’s never felt before?

For some reason, Ríolíkin had become extremely 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 moment.

When I subtly matched his mood, he seemed to take it as a cue and eagerly emphasized his effort.

"You went through a lot."

"Ye, yes. A lot."

"The moment 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.

"Meow meow."

When I fell silent, Yor patted Ríolíkin’s head and meowed.

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 something so difficult.

Understanding that, I didn’t stop her.

Ríolíkin once again looked delighted and obediently lowered his head. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"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 achievement is genuine.

But I can’t shake the suspicion that the fox-like protagonist of someone else’s story deliberately used that as an excuse to make me attend.