"Then, Mr. Reisir and Mr. Ríolíkin, tell me what you would like to receive as well."

"I would like a spear suitable for actual combat."

"O-Oh, then I'll take a shield! A shield! A big, sturdy one...!"

"I can certainly provide those."

It seemed Ríolíkin couldn't think of anything in particular and had simply copied Reisir's answer.

In any case, their choices were sensible.

The level of compensation was not burdensome for the Imperial Family.

From now on, no one knows when or where they might be dragged into another Demon Realm. Practical equipment is invaluable.

As petty and narrow-minded as the Imperial Family was, they were equally obsessed with preserving their dignity.

Even if only for the sake of appearances.

I suspected they would end up gifting Reisir and Ríolíkin weapons crafted by masters so renowned that neither of them would have dared request them.

"If it were up to me, I would enjoy speaking with all of you a little longer. Unfortunately, I have matters that must be reported to Royal Father immediately, so I must excuse myself."

"Your Royal Highness the Princess. I have one request."

The part about wanting to continue chatting was probably courtesy.

The part about needing to leave immediately was almost certainly true.

Even so, when I spoke, Fjodora lowered herself back into her chair after having already begun to stand.

"Speak."

"Regarding the measures to prevent diplomatic complications arising from the anomalies, I would like it to appear that Your Highness devised them, not me."

"Why?"

She blinked.

"If it becomes known that you anticipated the reactions of foreign nations and even proposed a solution, not only might Royal Father grant you a substantial reward, but Duke Austri would undoubtedly see you in a different light."

Why?

Because even the thought of attracting the Emperor's attention was unbearable.

And being viewed differently by Duke Austri was completely meaningless to me.

I hadn't brought it up hoping for a reward in the first place.

I had only wanted to ease my conscience by resolving a future problem awaiting the protagonist of someone else's story.

Of course, I couldn't say that aloud.

"It is because today's conversation has shown me that Your Royal Highness is someone who never forgets past events and understands moral obligation."

"So you concluded that by granting this humble one a favor, you could receive appropriate assistance in the future."

"Yes. Even if I earn recognition by involving myself in political matters, wouldn't I merely end up attracting unnecessary scrutiny? I judged it more beneficial to entrust the reward to Your Highness."

"If that is your reasoning, then I shall gladly hold it for you."

With that, we all rose.

Fjodora departed first to seek an audience with the Emperor.

Then Reisir, Ríolíkin, and I followed a handmaiden toward the carriage area.

"U-Um, by the way..."

Ríolíkin spoke hesitantly.

"You mentioned birthdays earlier, so... in a few days... January fourteenth is my birthday, you know? If, perhaps, you have the t-time..."

Although the sentence was fairly long, he only stumbled once in the middle.

No stuttering.

No dragging out words.

It was obvious he had spent quite some time carefully rehearsing what he wanted to say.

Even so—

"That won't work."

I rejected him immediately.

Ríolíkin's face crumpled in distress.

But impossible was impossible.

I already had enough to do during the break.

There were countless things I needed to learn.

Training I needed to maintain.

And on top of that, I was already scheduled to waste another day attending the award ceremony.

Come to think of it, I'll run into Reisir there too, won't I?

I couldn't keep increasing the number of encounters with the original protagonist.

And if that encounter occurred during a peaceful slice-of-life event like a birthday party?

Wouldn't it be stranger if something dangerous didn't happen?

The protagonist of any story is a black hole that attracts incidents.

That was especially true for the protagonist of a despair novel like Reisir.

Peace was never allowed to last around him.

So I attempted to persuade Ríolíkin.

"It would be best not only for me, but for anyone, to avoid visiting your territory for the time being. You should not hold a banquet either."

"Why...?"

"What will you do if an anomaly appears during your birthday celebration? No, that would actually be one of the better outcomes. At least if it happened inside the lord's castle, there would be soldiers stationed there."

I continued.

"But what if an anomaly occurred after someone took a Gate to Tremler Viscounty while traveling to the castle? If a guest were seriously injured—or killed—would you be capable of taking responsibility and compensating them?"

"Ah... uh... I'm not..."

"Then spend this year's birthday quietly with your family."

"Hmph... I understand..."

Unable to hide his disappointment, Ríolíkin trudged along with slumped shoulders.

After this birthday, he too would become an adult.

Though, judging by appearances, he had looked like an adult for the past decade already.

I had no idea why he behaved so childishly and made me worry for no reason.

"...What would you like for a birthday present?"

"Y-You're giving me one?!"

The moment I mentioned a gift, all his energy returned.

His eyes sparkled.

Simple didn't begin to describe him.

"Yes. I'll send it to you. If there's something you want, tell me."

"I-I'll be happy with anything, Lord Karvaldr! If it comes from you! And if you personally put thought into it and carefully choose it..."

"In that case, I'll select something myself and send it."

"Yes!!"

The Imperial Family was already planning to grant Ríolíkin a new shield.

So I decided to give him a weapon.

A mace.

Decision time: 0.3 seconds.

By the way... why has Reisir been so quiet? It's making me nervous.

Normally, the moment Ríolíkin mentioned his birthday, Reisir would have suggested inviting Vigdís and Helga and holding a celebration together.

Or at the very least, he would have promised to send a present as well.

Yet the protagonist of someone else's story remained silent.

He merely walked with a stern expression.

Even Ríolíkin grew quiet, seemingly sensing that something was off.

Could it be... he feels betrayed by me?

The thought struck me suddenly.

I had secured a valuable opportunity for an apology from the Imperial Family.

Then I ruined it.

Perhaps he had misunderstood my earlier remarks criticizing the Imperial Family.

Perhaps he thought I had sincerely defended them and showered them with flattery.

Or perhaps he suspected I had used his family's name to curry favor with the First Princess.

I absolutely never intended that... but if Reisir is misunderstanding things that way, wouldn't it be better to leave it alone?

I was trying to distance myself from the original protagonist anyway.

If he ended up disappointed in me, that would be a welcome outcome.

After all, I had not only provided the Imperial Family with a method of avoiding a formal apology—

I had even advised them on how to avoid returning everything they had taken from the Daudabiner Earldom.

Still, considering everything we'd been through together...

As long as I didn't try to kill him first, Reisir would probably never become hostile toward me.

At most, he would regard me as someone who briefly crossed his path and eventually forget I existed.

Exactly as I had always hoped.

"L-Lord Karvaldr, did you come in your family's carriage?"

When we reached the carriage area, Ríolíkin pointed toward an impressive carriage bearing the Austri family crest.

My dear readers might wonder why he would ask something so obvious.

The reality was a bit more complicated.

Ragfrid and Valtraus were currently staying in the ducal territory, but they had originally lived in the capital.

As a result, I had been able to travel from the Gate facility to the Imperial Palace in one of the family's own carriages.

Reisir and Ríolíkin hadn't had that option.

They had arrived in transportation provided by the Imperial Family.

Which meant they should also be able to return using the same guest carriage service.

"...Reisir. Why are you getting into this carriage?"

"You're heading to the Gate facility anyway, aren't you?"

To board someone else's carriage without permission and speak as though it were perfectly natural—

What an astonishingly shameless act.

And yet I couldn't bring myself to get angry.

Perhaps he intended to confront me about my conversation with Fjodora during the ride.

I might end up hearing a great many resentful words.

Even so, I steeled myself and climbed aboard.

To prevent the protagonist of someone else's story from becoming overly harsh, I also made sure the third party who could serve as a moderator—

Ríolíkin—

Entered the carriage and sat beside Reisir.

Soon the carriage began moving.

I hugged Yor, whose effectiveness at relieving stress and calming the mind was second to none.

However—

"Myang?!"

She was stolen.

The protagonist of someone else's story suddenly grabbed Yor from my arms like a radish being pulled from the ground and deposited her into Ríolíkin's lap.

It was utterly incomprehensible.

I was bewildered.

Yor was bewildered.

Ríolíkin, who had unexpectedly caught a baby dragon, was bewildered.

And while everyone sat there in mutual confusion—

"Karvaldr, thank you so much...!"

The very culprit responsible for the confusion suddenly grabbed both of my hands.

"Thanks to you, I can restore my parents' honor. And I can reclaim my precious homeland, cultivated by my family for generations."

I had prepared myself for criticism.

What was this?

Some form of sarcasm?

And if it was sarcasm, why was he immobilizing both my hands?

"Why are you making that face, as though you've heard something incomprehensible?"

"Well... because I thought you might resent me...?"

"Why would I?"

"Because you wanted an apology from the Imperial Family... and without even asking your opinion, I handed them a justification not to apologize. I even told them how to preserve their authority. Naturally..."

"So that's why you were so tense? Because you thought I might end up hating you?" 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

"W-What are you talking about?! Why would I be afraid of something like that?!"

"You're lying."

"N-No... really..."

"Really?"

Reisir smiled.

It was impossible to tell whether the expression reflected happiness, gratitude, or something deeper.

Warm emotions swirled together with fierce joy in his eyes.

Only then did I realize why he had remained silent with such a stern face until the carriage departed.

He had simply been struggling to suppress the emotions threatening to overflow.