"Thank you, Young Master. Thanks to your words, my mind feels much lighter."

Even though he could have simply let the matter pass, Djúpr insisted on expressing his gratitude.

Did he feel compelled to say something because of how enthusiastically Reisir praised me?

Or did my words genuinely bring him comfort?

Either way...

"...I would prefer not to discuss that matter any further."

"If that is your wish, Young Master."

Fortunately, Djúpr knew how to respect another person's wishes and withdrew immediately.

It was difficult to believe he was the guardian who had raised the relentlessly persistent Reisir.

Just as I was feeling relieved by that fact, I noticed Djúpr lightly tap the back of Heli's hand.

Immediately afterward, Heli spoke.

"The atmosphere is already awkward enough. Why don't we stop talking about heavy subjects and have a light personal conversation instead?"

If I hadn't witnessed Djúpr's subtle signal, I would have assumed Heli was merely trying to ease the tension inside the carriage.

But having seen what I saw, I couldn't help thinking otherwise.

It seems Reisir wasn't the only one who recruited Heli as reinforcement.

Djúpr had likely asked her to steer the conversation naturally.

The goal being to observe how I normally treated his wards.

That was my conclusion, but I chose not to point it out.

After all, talking with people I've spoken to several times is still preferable to continuing an awkward conversation with the guardian of my professor and classmates, whom I only met today.

Judging by his expression, Reisir seemed quite pleased with Heli's suggestion as well.

Did he fail to notice Djúpr signaling her?

Or did he see it and, like me, simply decide to pretend he hadn't?

"Young Master, how did you spend your vacation?"

"I spent it well."

"Not like that. I mean specifically."

The answer most faithful to Karvaldr's character would have been:

Why should I tell you?

However, with Djúpr present, I found myself wondering whether it would really be appropriate to display that degree of arrogance toward his daughter.

After all, any parent would be hurt if they saw someone dismiss their child.

So I gave a proper answer instead.

"It was no different from my time at the Academy. I practiced whip techniques, dagger techniques, and trained my Ether Attribute Ability."

My tone remained indifferent, but the answer itself was sincere.

In truth, there was little else worth mentioning.

Such as how I had been unable to inherit the possessed body's memories and therefore had to study countless things to acquire the accomplishments expected of a ducal heir.

Or how I had decided to resume writing and painstakingly reconstructed the synopsis of How a Repentant Villain Saves the World from memory.

Or how the structure of a typewriter made a three-set Korean keyboard more efficient than a two-set one, leading Yor and me to become unexpectedly devoted to typing practice.

None of those were things I could discuss.

"...Was there anything special or interesting?"

"There wasn't."

"...Any new hobbies or interests?"

"Nothing like that."

As I continued offering short, dutiful answers to her one-sided questions, I began to feel as though I were being interrogated.

Apparently, the one conducting the interrogation felt the same way.

A crack appeared in Heli's smile.

"Excuse me, Young Master? If you don't have anything to talk about, shouldn't you at least ask a question back? That's usually how conversations work, isn't it?"

Heli had no particular interest in me.

The only reason she was asking these questions was because Djúpr had requested it.

And the only reason she was trying to create a friendly atmosphere was because Reisir had asked her to.

Since she was forcing herself to do it in the first place, it was only natural for irritation to creep in when I failed to cooperate.

Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do.

For Karvaldr to actively participate in empty small talk and inquire about someone else's private life would be completely out of character.

Wasn't that why I usually sat quietly stroking Yor during conversations?

Only occasionally answering questions. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

And sometimes not even doing that much.

"Why don't you just act normally?"

"Normally?"

"I'm asking what the point is in forcing yourself to ask questions you aren't actually curious about just to make it look like we're close."

Unless she genuinely wanted to know something, Heli never went out of her way to question me.

That attitude had always been comfortable.

Which was why, when she suggested having a personal conversation earlier, I assumed she would simply chat with Reisir while occasionally inviting me to contribute.

But at this rate, it's no different from speaking with Djúpr.

I couldn't understand why someone who should know perfectly well that forcing friendliness only made things more awkward was behaving like this.

Surely she doesn't think I want to impress Djúpr.

Did she expect me to scrape together every ounce of my nonexistent social skills and actively participate?

I was willing to avoid openly treating him with indifference.

Anything beyond that was impossible.

Djúpr might have earned a professorship at the Academy, but his title remained that of a baron.

For Karvaldr, a member of a ducal family, to suddenly change his behavior because he was conscious of someone like that wouldn't merely be out of character.

It would damage the story's plausibility.

"I think Karvaldr is right."

As soon as Reisir voiced his agreement, bewilderment spread across Heli's face.

Her mouth fell open slightly, and there was a trace of grievance in her expression.

It practically screamed:

Who do you think I'm doing this for?!

"So you're saying I'm wrong?"

"I wouldn't say you're wrong. Just that it wasn't the right approach. Isn't it somewhat rude to ask personal questions you're not genuinely interested in just to fill a conversation?"

"Small talk usually starts with personal topics. And it's not as if I asked about some deeply private matter. I only asked what you did during vacation. Do I really deserve criticism for that?"

A chilly wind suddenly swept between the two childhood friends.

Djúpr's expression became serious.

I found myself wondering whether now was finally the time to say the words I had failed to say back in Chapter 145:

"Please don't fight because of me."

"Heli. I'm not saying this to criticize you."

"If not, then what exactly are you trying to say?"

"Because Karvaldr only answers questions that come from genuine interest, I was trying to boast that if I had asked him, his answers would have been much more sincere."

"..."

Why that qualified as something worth boasting about, I had no idea.

Nor did I understand where he had acquired such confidence.

Heli apparently felt the same way.

All desire to argue drained from her face.

Her expression clearly said:

Why would I be jealous of something like that?

At that moment, my serious consideration of stopping their argument felt completely pointless.

"Myah..."

Even Yor shook her head in disbelief.

Only Djúpr's complexion seemed to darken further.

Reisir probably said all that in his own way to ease Djúpr's concerns.

The point wasn't that I answered Heli curtly because I looked down on her.

He was likely trying to argue that I simply didn't speak much because we weren't close enough to exchange personal questions.

...Probably.

That was merely the most reasonable conclusion I could reach.

Since Reisir was, in the end, the protagonist of someone else's novel, my assumptions could easily be wrong.

Still, from a narrative perspective, it seemed highly probable.

"Ah! It looks like we've arrived!"

The instant the carriage stopped, Heli lit up with visible relief and hurried outside as though escaping.

Even though the only thing changing was the location.

The conversation still had to continue.

Whether Reisir had arranged it in advance or not, their destination turned out to be a restaurant with a private dining room.

The seating arrangement was much the same as before.

Heli and Djúpr sat together.

Reisir took the far end of the opposite side.

And I sat next to him.

Earlier, I had moved away because I was tired of the protagonist of someone else's novel spouting nonsense.

But because of that, I belatedly realized something.

I should actually be sitting beside him.

If he says something ridiculous again, I can kick his leg under the table or cover his mouth before things get out of hand.

Unaware of my ulterior motives, Reisir's eyes widened.

Joy and surprise filled his expression.

Fortunately, he seemed to have learned something from earlier.

He didn't make a scene.

He simply smiled brightly.

"Young Master Karvaldr. There is something I believe I must say."

After the food had been ordered and served—

Djúpr, who had spent the interim silently lost in thought, finally spoke.

"It was only a brief interaction, but I was able to see that despite appearances, you possess a kind disposition and are not someone who judges people based on their status."

Perhaps because refuting praise had become a daily habit, I immediately felt the urge to deny it.

Unfortunately, this wasn't a situation where I could say:

Actually, I possess a cold heart and discriminate based on social rank.

More importantly, judging from the atmosphere, Djúpr wasn't saying this merely to compliment me.

So I simply wore a reluctant expression and waited.

"And although it may be shameless of me to say this after all the favors you've done for us..."

The preamble was far too long.

Apparently he felt the earlier praise had not been sufficient.

At this point I found myself wondering just how rude a request he was preparing to make.

Tension settled over me.

Only after swallowing once did I finally hear the point.

"You may have acted without giving it much thought, Young Master. But I hope you understand that your actions may carry tremendous significance for the other person. Enough to make them swing between joy and despair."

"...?"

"If you truly care for Reisir, then please make your intentions clear. So that child can maintain his balance rather than being tossed about by your whims."

"......"

Those weren't shameless words.

They were absurd words.

Did he seriously think I was toying with someone's feelings?

The statement left me so dumbfounded that even a hollow laugh refused to emerge.

"Lord Djúpr, I would appreciate it if you refrained from saying such things. Isn't a cat's unpredictability both its greatest strength and its greatest charm? Karvaldr is the same."

While I sat frozen in disbelief, the protagonist of someone else's novel once again began spouting nonsense.

Apparently sitting beside him still wasn't enough to stop him in time.

"That... what in the world are you talking about...?"

It seemed I wasn't the only one left speechless.

Djúpr's voice trembled as he voiced his confusion.

Perhaps worried about her father's well-being, Heli immediately stepped in to reassure him.

Unfortunately, her explanation wasn't much better.

"Dad, just stop worrying about those two. Even if it looks like Reisir is the one being led around by the Young Master, most of the time it's actually the opposite. Honestly, it's mutual, so there's nothing to worry about in the first place."

"Children these days... I truly don't understand what they're thinking. How am I supposed to do a good job as an Academy professor when I can't even understand my own students? I've completely lost confidence..."

I found myself seriously debating whether I should tell him that the problem wasn't children these days.

It was his ward.