Unlike the academy infirmary staff, who could only treat external injuries, the Healer hired specifically for the Tournament was exceptionally competent.

Not only did he erase the aftereffects of the electric shock in an instant, he also stopped my nosebleed and immediately lowered the fever that had built up in my head.

Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do about chronic sleep deprivation.

Still, the fact that my headache vanished and my mind felt clear after treatment proved that the overload on my brain had been resolved.

"He had a fever and a nosebleed exactly like this before. Why does that keep happening? He doesn't have some kind of illness, does he?"

While I wiped away the remaining blood with a wet towel provided by the tournament staff, Reisir grabbed the Healer and asked the question.

Anyone looking would think he was my guardian.

Instead of worrying about me, he ought to have been retrieving the weapon he abandoned on the stage.

"It appears that fatigue accumulated in the brain and caused an overload. If he avoids excessive stress, gets sufficient rest, and sleeps deeply for seven to eight hours a day, he should recover."

Words that sounded more fitting for a modern physician than a fantasy Healer came from the man's mouth.

Apparently, stress and lack of sleep being the source of all ailments was a universal truth.

The reason my brain reached the point of producing nosebleeds was excessive use of the Thought Acceleration Skill. Sleeping well won't actually solve anything, though.

I had no intention of revealing that.

So I kept my mouth shut.

I could feel Reisir looking at me with a pitying gaze, but what was I supposed to do?

I couldn't exactly explain that I wasn't suffering from insomnia and had simply reduced my sleep to study.

This body is a problem too. It develops dark circles the moment I sleep a little less than normal.

After returning the towel, thanking the Healer, and brushing off my clothes, I stood.

Now it was time to return to my seat.

More importantly, Yor was waiting there.

Naturally, I hurried off.

"Karvaldr, your daggers!"

The protagonist of someone else's novel called after me and jogged over.

Several daggers were suddenly thrust into my hands.

Only then did I realize that I had abandoned my own weapons on the stage.

The moment the match ended, all I had been able to think about was receiving Yor Therapy as quickly as possible.

"I assumed they would be damaged, so I intentionally left them behind to be discarded. Surprisingly, they're completely intact."

Embarrassed by my oversight, I hastily made up an excuse while accepting them.

"Pfft."

Reisir laughed.

Apparently he had noticed immediately that I was fabricating excuses to conceal my embarrassment.

Perhaps the real problem was my habit of explaining things nobody had asked about.

"By the way, you were amazing."

I was still reflecting on my mistake when Reisir suddenly praised me.

Naturally, he was talking about the match.

It felt absurd.

He had held back the entire time and could have ended the fight whenever he wished.

Yet he still called me amazing.

"Judging by that sulky expression, it seems my words aren't getting through at all. But I mean it sincerely."

"As if."

"You know, just a month ago, you struggled even to launch the opening attack. Today, you had follow-up plans prepared in advance in case your first move failed. And beyond that, every attack felt thoroughly calculated."

"..."

"You've improved enormously in just one month."

"..."

I had to bite my lip and exert considerable effort to keep my facial muscles under control.

If I relaxed even slightly, I felt as though a foolish grin would escape.

Because those words were...

No.

They weren't merely pleasant.

They were tremendously pleasant.

"Blocking my Ether Attribute Ability was impressive too. I lowered the power, but not the speed. Yet you didn't waste Ether covering your entire body. You accurately defended only the exact points that needed protection. I was genuinely surprised."

"S-Still... I lost in the end, didn't I?"

"That's true. Which is why seeing you draw a dagger and keep fighting despite the paralysis was even more impressive."

"..."

"And even at the very end, after being knocked down, you still refused to give up and tried to throw the dagger. Honestly, if your condition had looked better, I would've wanted to continue the duel. It's a shame."

Every compliment targeted something I personally thought I had done well.

And he spoke with complete sincerity.

The relentless barrage left my mind drifting.

"And through this match—"

"S-Stop."

"Hm?"

"Stop talking."

He had already said, in the end, so I assumed he was finished.

Apparently not.

I had no choice but to interrupt the protagonist of someone else's novel.

Reisir immediately nodded with ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) a bright smile.

"Yeah, I should. Your face is completely red. At this rate you'll get another nosebleed."

"That is absolutely not going to happen."

"Should I continue, then?"

"..."

For a moment, I wondered whether the entire speech had simply been an elaborate attempt to tease me.

But he had promised not to tease me in public.

And the contents themselves were nothing but sincere praise.

Maybe I'm just awkward because I'm not used to being praised...

After exhaling deeply, I carefully analyzed my own emotional state.

Karvaldr had undoubtedly received plenty of flattery throughout his life.

I hadn't.

Even my mother had used words like "thank you" and "sorry" more often than praise.

Given that background, accepting compliments naturally would have been stranger.

Back when I serialized novels, readers occasionally left compliments in the comments.

But apparently there was a world of difference between reading praise and hearing it spoken aloud.

"...Hmph."

Employing my universal coping mechanism for difficult situations, I quickened my pace and returned to my seat.

"Meow, meow~! Meow meow meow~!"

Naturally, Yor was the first to welcome me.

Watching her repeatedly vocalize "meow" with complete sincerity was adorable.

At the same time, it was regrettable.

I missed seeing her scribble on the whiteboard and hearing all her different sounds.

Still, starting tomorrow I'll be watching from the general student seating. Nidr won't have a reason to approach me there. Yor can behave normally again.

Perhaps losing to Reisir in the second round wasn't entirely a bad thing.

Thinking that, I picked up the baby dragon and prepared to enjoy some much-needed healing.

Unfortunately, the humans interrupted.

"L-Lord Karvaldr! Y-You were really amazing! T-The lightning was everywhere, b-but you blocked all of it... A-And you kept swinging the whip while throwing daggers too..."

"You're surprisingly persistent for someone who looks like you."

Ríolíkin's comment was little more than a description of what he had witnessed.

And Nidr's remark merely wore the skin of praise.

At its core was prejudice.

Karvaldr spent years desperately studying and accumulating knowledge just to gain his father's attention despite all the trouble he caused after entering the academy...

For those reasons, neither statement felt like praise.

Unlike Reisir's words, they produced no emotional reaction whatsoever.

"And Reisir... it seems I'll be meeting him in the finals." 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Nidr's attention shifted toward the original protagonist.

A trace of rivalry flickered in his eyes.

Yet his expression remained confident.

Because I had successfully blocked Reisir's lightning several times, he probably assumed it wasn't that difficult.

"I look forward to it. I hope you show me exactly how, and in what way, you're special."

Reisir looked at Nidr with cold eyes.

Only the corners of his mouth lifted.

The remark was unmistakably sarcastic.

He had even recycled Nidr's own words from earlier.

Watching the exchange was oddly satisfying.

All of Nidr's irritating behavior up until now suddenly felt like preparation for a future payoff.

It awakened a sense of anticipation.

A desire to see the original protagonist thoroughly crush him.

The problem is that after doing exactly that, this protagonist from someone else's novel drops out of the academy...

At that point, it wasn't even as satisfying as flat soda.

What truly worried me was the future.

Nidr would eventually become a monster.

If he misunderstood and concluded that Reisir and I were close friends, there was a genuine possibility he would capture me as a hostage before fighting Reisir.

I glanced sideways.

Unfortunately, because I couldn't discuss the contents of the original work, I couldn't exactly tell Reisir to lose on purpose.

The more I thought about it, the deeper my headache became.

"Are you alright? Is your head hurting again? Did the treatment not work?"

Reisir immediately abandoned his staring contest with Nidr and scrutinized my complexion with excessive concern.

Apparently he had noticed me touching my temple.

Judging by the look in his eyes, he was fully prepared to carry me back to the Healer if anything seemed wrong.

"It's not that. Stop worrying."

"If it's not that, then what?"

"A troublesome matter suddenly came to mind."

"What kind of matter?"

"...A personal issue unrelated to you. Don't involve yourself."

In reality, it was very much related to him.

But that was the only way to stop his questioning.

"If you ever need my help—or simply want someone to talk to—you can tell me anytime."

...Apparently he hadn't given up completely.

Still, I decided to appreciate the fact that he had retreated for now.

"Karvaldr, I have a question."

Suddenly, Nidr spoke.

"Why is that guy so devoted to you?"

Not only was the question itself baffling, I had no idea why he was asking me instead of the person sitting right there.

So I frowned.

Seeing my expression, Nidr elaborated.

"I'm asking how you managed to win him over. The person you bullied has reached the point of sincerely worrying about you."

If he had asked why Reisir had gone beyond forgiving Karvaldr and seemed to genuinely cherish him, I would have honestly answered that I had no idea.

And then admitted that I was curious myself.

But the question, at least superficially, was about concern.

So I answered without much thought.

"If someone possesses compassion, isn't it natural to worry when another person is ill?"

To me, that was simply normal.

It was a virtue.

A quality every protagonist ought to possess.

Unless they were explicitly written as a sociopath, no protagonist would watch someone nearby suffer without feeling any concern at all.

"Do you think that's what I was asking?"

"Then ask the question properly. More importantly, why are you asking me about Reisir's psychology while Reisir is sitting right here?"

"Why? Don't tell me you genuinely don't know."

Nidr looked almost incredulous.

"Ríolíkin said you possess some extraordinary charm that attracts people. Then Reisir shut him up and said it should remain a secret known only among yourselves."

So that was why.

Nidr had already concluded that Reisir wouldn't answer honestly.

Therefore he had come to me instead.

I had absolutely no idea what kind of conversation had taken place while Reisir and I were fighting.

So I turned toward the person who obviously knew.

"He t-told me to become h-his person... I s-said I didn't want to serve s-someone who had no f-friends. Then he said the people around Lord Karvaldr only c-care about the Ducal Family's influence... S-So I explained that they just d-don't know Lord Karvaldr's charm yet..."

After hearing that explanation, I was rendered speechless.

I had no friends either.

And it was objectively true that most of the people surrounding Karvaldr were interested in his status.

Why had he bothered explaining any of that?

No.

More importantly—

Did Nidr just ask me how to make friends?

If so, he had chosen the wrong person imaginable.

I was living proof of the equation:

Age = Years Without Friends.

"First of all... that... this is my first time hearing that Reisir and Ríolíkin had such a conversation. I'd like to dispute your claim that everyone approaches me because of my family, but I genuinely can't think of any particular strengths I possess. So Ríolíkin probably just improvised something. If that's not the case... then... well. I don't really know either."

There was no way I was going to repeat the conversation from Chapter 112 with my own mouth.

Feigning ignorance was the safest option.

Fortunately, it worked.

Nidr asked no further questions.