There was no way Reisir could have known in advance that I would return to the academy today.
Therefore, if Djúpr had already come to this area, it meant he had some purpose other than meeting me.
Though I had no idea what that purpose might be.
"Why exactly should I meet your guardian?"
"There has to be a reason?"
"Isn't that obvious?"
"Aren't you curious about the person who raised me?"
"Not in the slightest."
Djúpr was a character who carried considerable weight in 《NaSE》.
In fact, he appeared even more frequently than Helga.
Which meant I already knew everything I needed to know about him.
When I answered so bluntly, Reisir unexpectedly sulked before finally offering an actual explanation.
"...You saved Heli during the closing ceremony, remember? He wants to thank you personally."
Now that I thought about it, this wasn't Reisir arranging the meeting on his own initiative.
Djúpr had been the one to propose it first.
And the reason itself was understandable.
That didn't mean I had any obligation to accept.
"If it's gratitude, I've already heard enough from Helga. Tell him there's no need."
"Aw, that's different. Didn't your father send me a gift to thank me for saving you?"
"And in return, didn't I [N O V E L I G H T] refrain from thanking you directly?"
"...Huh?"
Reisir blinked slowly, looking genuinely bewildered.
Only now did he seem to realize that I had never actually thanked him.
Then again, considering the state he had been in that day, it wasn't surprising he hadn't noticed.
"Then let's forget about the meeting. And as for dinner, handle it your—"
"W-Wait! Lord Djúpr doesn't only want to meet you because of what happened during the closing ceremony."
"There's more?"
"After our audience with Her Royal Highness the Princess... I was so excited that the moment I got home, I grabbed Heli and Lord Djúpr and spent hours talking about all your accomplishments."
"If he's thanking me for that too, then I need it even less. I've already heard more than enough from you."
At my response, Yor immediately nodded and launched into an enthusiastic barrage.
"Meow! Myaow myaow! Nyaa, nyaaa!"
Apparently, even in my baby dragon's opinion, Reisir's gratitude that day had been excessive.
"No, that's not the point. Let me finish."
Reisir made a calming gesture toward Yor.
Although I had absolutely no intention of meeting Djúpr, I at least wanted to hear the excuse he was preparing.
So I gently scratched the back of Yor's neck until she settled down.
Only after the baby dragon quieted did Reisir continue.
"You see, I thought the Award Ceremony would become a memory for us too. Even though you're a Young Master, your familiar was only recently born, so it must have been your first official event, right? I thought we'd make small talk beforehand to calm our nerves. Then after the ceremony, we'd compare the rewards we received and talk about them."
So he had been looking forward to the Award Ceremony.
Not because of the medal.
Not because of the weapon awarded by the Imperial Family.
But because he believed it would become a special memory shared with people he considered close.
"And since it was an official Imperial event, at least one member of your family was bound to attend. I thought maybe you'd introduce me and Ríolíkin to them. Ah! Not because I wanted connections with the Ducal Family. I was just curious about your family and how you would introduce us."
"...You don't need to explain. I never misunderstood that."
I had absolutely no interest in hearing about the expectations Reisir had held regarding the family of the body I possessed.
So when I responded with a stern expression, trying to cut the conversation short, a smile immediately bloomed across his face.
He probably interpreted that as proof that I trusted him.
"Anyway, I was really looking forward to it. But on the day itself, except when you received your award, you stayed glued to your father's side. You wouldn't even look at me."
As readers may have guessed from that statement, I had used Hárðr as a means of keeping the original protagonist at a distance.
As I have mentioned repeatedly, Reisir's persistence was unmatched.
To prevent him from approaching, I required a barrier so imposing that he wouldn't even dare attempt to cross it.
Fortunately, Hárðr had displayed complete indifference toward whether I followed him or not.
More accurately—
He paid no attention to me whatsoever.
Which made him the perfect barrier.
He was not considerate enough to suggest that his youngest son spend time with his classmates.
Nor did he care enough about Karvaldr to personally thank Reisir and Ríolíkin for protecting his child.
Had I tried to attract Hárðr's attention or behaved cautiously around him, it might have become obvious that he was utterly indifferent to his youngest son.
Instead, I simply stood proudly beside him with my back straight.
Not a single word passed between us.
Still, considering it was an official ceremony, I don't believe that appeared strange.
Then again, if it's Reisir, even if he witnessed Hárðr openly treating me coldly, he'd probably dismiss it as another case of a tsundere family.
A tsundere Hárðr.
Even though I invented the phrase myself, it felt like a combination of words that should never exist in this world.
"I did consider approaching you first. But I was worried your father might think I was using you to get close to him. I didn't want him to see me as some opportunist. So I just watched from afar."
His smile faded.
"You felt so distant. Like someone completely beyond my reach. It made me feel insignificant."
The smile that had adorned his face only moments earlier had vanished entirely.
His mood had clearly darkened as he recalled that day.
I should never have avoided Reisir during the Award Ceremony.
I failed to achieve my objective and gained nothing except unnecessary guilt.
"Instead of explaining why your guardian wants to meet me, why are you telling me all of this?"
"Ah, well..."
Reisir scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"I went to the Award Ceremony full of excitement. Then I came home feeling completely depressed. Lord Djúpr and Heli asked what happened, so I ended up talking to them about it."
Watching him answer, an uncomfortable feeling settled in my chest.
I had never met Djúpr.
Even so, I already suspected he would not view me favorably.
The more I listened, the more convinced I became that meeting him was a mistake.
"And since Lord Djúpr was appointed as a professor here this semester, I also told him about how you bullied me during the first semester last year. I thought it would be better if he heard it from me directly, along with my side of the story, rather than hearing rumors from someone else."
From the protagonist of someone else's novel came words that effectively meant:
Even if you refuse today, Lord Djúpr is going to meet you eventually.
Of course, Reisir himself hadn't intended that implication.
But it was exactly how it sounded to me.
And more importantly—
It was true.
So Djúpr came here as a professor...?
Thinking back, Reisir had said something earlier.
All the people I want to protect are here at Valhalla Academy.
There was no way Djúpr wasn't included among those people.
I should have realized it then.
Why hadn't I recognized it as foreshadowing?
Because in the original novel, Djúpr was never appointed as a professor at the academy!
According to what Ragfrid had told me, First Princess Fjodora had successfully secured Hárðr's support.
Using the authority gained through that alliance, she carried out extensive personnel reforms.
Most of the combat faculty had been dismissed and replaced with new talent.
However—
Djúpr isn't a combat specialist.
According to the original setting, he was a scholar whose field was botany.
My guess was that while Reisir spent the past month at the academy, Djúpr remained nearby studying the plant life growing around the grand auditorium.
His Ether Attribute Ability allowed him to manipulate plants, perfectly matching his academic specialization.
Because that ability could be used for ranged combat, he eventually fought alongside the original protagonist while exploring Demon Realms.
But his physical capabilities were utterly dreadful.
In other words, the dismissal of combat professors and Djúpr's appointment had absolutely nothing to do with one another.
The original protagonist stays at the academy instead of withdrawing.
Then an original supporting character suddenly becomes a professor.
I couldn't shake the ominous feeling those facts produced.
A pained groan escaped me before I realized it.
"...Kngh."
"Once Lord Djúpr meets you in person, he'll immediately realize you're a gentle and affectionate child and grow fond of you! And even though I don't think it'll happen, if he says anything mean, I'll stop him, so don't worry."
The protagonist of someone else's novel was reassuring me about entirely the wrong thing.
He had no idea what I was actually worried about.
It was simply baffling.
More importantly—
Why would I need Djúpr's approval in the first place?
"Anyway, to summarize. Aside from wanting to thank you, Lord Djúpr simply wants to meet and talk with you. He says that listening to my stories isn't enough to understand what kind of person you are. Or whether you truly consider me a friend."
"..."
"I told him you're just a tsundere. But apparently that's a modern term that doesn't really resonate with him."
"........."
"Oh, and if possible, could you avoid saying you don't consider me a friend in front of Lord Djúpr?"
His voice grew hesitant.
"Because I know that even though you say things like that, you actually care about me quite a bit. And I'm looking forward to the day you finally admit we're friends. But I don't think Lord Djúpr would understand..."
As he said that, his face turned bright red.
He looked exactly like an adolescent embarrassed by an overly involved parent interfering in their friendships.
"You said you'd come to my room at seven?"
"...!! Can I take that as a yes? You'll meet Lord Djúpr?"
"Now that your guardian is a professor at the academy, avoiding him until graduation is practically impossible. If we're destined to meet eventually, it's better if you're present."
"I think so too."
"Then... I'll see you later."
"Yeah! See you later!"
In the end, I accepted the meeting.
But as I watched Reisir cheerfully wave and leave, I couldn't suppress the feeling of helplessness washing over me.
I had absolutely no idea what sort of conversation awaited me at that dinner.
