"Karvaldr, you don't need to worry. I understand everything."

"What do you mean...?"

"You weren't actually considering the Imperial Family's position, were you? If I forced an apology out of them, they would inevitably come to resent me. You devised a solution that would officially clear my parents' names while allowing me to maintain a friendly relationship with the Imperial Family. You did it all for my sake."

Reisir spoke with complete certainty.

There wasn't the slightest trace of doubt in his voice.

Only unwavering faith.

"I told the Imperial Family they didn't need to return all the wealth they took from your territory. And you're still convinced I acted for your benefit?"

"That should simply be viewed as the price of receiving the support necessary to rebuild the territory. Money can be earned one way or another, but institutional support can only come from the Imperial Family. You can't buy that. In the end, I essentially purchased those benefits with money that never even passed through my hands. That's hardly a loss, is it?"

"..."

"Why? Am I wrong? If there's something I've overlooked, will you tell me?"

"No. It's just... I see you haven't misunderstood anything."

"Actually, that's not entirely true."

Reisir smiled awkwardly.

"When you said granting me the territory as a reward was impossible, I was disappointed for a moment. I didn't realize those words were meant for my sake. I'm sorry for making you anxious."

After apologizing, he began fidgeting with his fingers.

It was an unconscious gesture people made when they felt uncomfortable.

The problem was—

How long does this protagonist of someone else's novel intend to keep holding my hand?

The moment his grip loosened slightly, I attempted to slip my hand away.

It was useless.

The instant he noticed, he stopped fidgeting and tightened his grip again.

With more than double my Physical Strength, there was no chance of forcing my way free.

"Let go."

"Does it hurt? I didn't think I was holding it that tightly."

"It doesn't hurt, but—"

"Then it's fine."

"What part of this is fine?! It's uncomfortable, so let go!"

I even pulled my arm back, making my intentions obvious.

The protagonist of someone else's novel remained unmoved.

"Can't we stay like this a little longer? I can't control how grateful I am. If I acted on my true feelings, I'd hug you and spin around while dancing. But I know you'd hate that, so I restrained myself over and over and settled for holding your hand."

He looked at me pleadingly.

"Please don't tell me even this isn't allowed."

The desperate look in his eyes was absurdly burdensome.

Anyone seeing this scene without context wouldn't think he was expressing gratitude.

They'd think he was begging me to cosign a loan.

And annoyingly enough—

A tiny part of me did soften.

"There's no reason to be this grateful. All I did was move the timing forward and provide a few additional options. You heard the conversation in the reception room, didn't you? Even if I hadn't spoken up, the Imperial Family would eventually have had no choice but to clear your parents' names and return the territory."

"That's exactly why I'm even more grateful."

"...What does that mean?"

"You seriously don't know? Or are you pretending not to?"

"What are you talking about?"

"..."

Reisir stared into my eyes as if trying to verify my true intentions.

At the same time, he absentmindedly kneaded my hand.

The sensation was strangely familiar.

And strangely unfamiliar.

It felt—

Like when I needed comfort and absentmindedly played with Yor.

Except now someone was doing it to me.

Yor seemed to enjoy it.

I absolutely did not.

It was awkward and burdensome beyond belief.

I was just about to tell him to either stop moving his hand or let go entirely when—

"For foreign nations to hold the Empire responsible for the anomalies..."

Reisir's voice suddenly became quiet.

"...would mean that ridiculous story about my parents conducting a forbidden experiment and causing countless deaths would resurface."

"...!!"

"Everyone who knows the truth understands it was a fabrication created by the Imperial Family to seize our territory. But some people genuinely believe it. Others don't believe it and use it as a convenient excuse to mock and criticize us."

Anyone could tell he was speaking from personal experience.

Come to think of it, characters like that frequently appeared in the original story.

The moment they heard the surname Daudabiner, they would ask whether his parents had truly been responsible for the Demonization phenomenon.

Those who lost loved ones to Demon Realms directed resentment toward him.

Those who had profited from the existence of Demon Realms joked about it and laughed among themselves.

The details may have differed.

But during the ten years that were skipped over in the original narrative—

Between those lines—

A young Reisir must have suffered greatly because of the false accusation the Imperial Family fabricated to steal what belonged to him.

"If the anomalies continued, fear spread, and people started dying..." 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

His voice grew quieter.

"Then people all over the world would have cursed my parents."

"Ah..."

"Even if the Imperial Family later stepped in and corrected the story, once a belief has taken root, it's difficult to erase. There would always be people who refused to accept the correction."

His reasoning was so sound that I found myself nodding unconsciously.

"If not for you, most of the world would have remembered my parents as villains. Some people might have hated me simply for being their son."

He laughed bitterly.

"I think some might even have wanted to kill me."

"..."

"So you didn't just move forward the date when I'd get my territory back."

His golden eye fixed on me.

"You saved my life."

I flinched.

The word struck harder than I expected.

My hand twitched instinctively.

Misinterpreting the movement as an attempt to pull away, Reisir tightened his grip once more.

His gaze felt intense enough to pierce through me.

The pressure radiating from his uncovered golden eye was so overwhelming that I found myself grateful the other eye remained covered.

"I-I never thought that far ahead."

"Even so."

His answer came immediately.

"The fact that you worried about me and tried to find the best possible solution doesn't change. Because you made the effort, even the things you didn't consider ended up being resolved."

"The results aren't even finalized yet. Isn't it too early to celebrate?"

"It's not."

Reisir shook his head.

"You've forced the Imperial Family into a position where they have no choice but to act quickly. And they don't have any alternative."

"..."

I was clearly being thanked.

Wholeheartedly.

Sincerely.

Yet for some reason, I felt overwhelmed.

Perhaps because the emotions he was trying to convey were simply too heavy.

"How am I ever supposed to repay this debt...?"

"Haaah..."

Reisir let out a long breath and lowered his head.

Whether intentionally or by coincidence—

His forehead brushed against the back of my hand.

The image resembled a knight pledging loyalty.

Th-This is...

No, this is bad.

I can still cut ties with him, right...?

It seemed I hadn't triggered some kind of Influence Event or Inspiration Event this time.

I wanted to deny it.

But I couldn't.

This was exactly what it sounded like.

A Salvation Event.

"Y-You don't need to repay anything...!"

"Yeah."

Reisir nodded.

"I knew you'd say that. You didn't help me because you wanted compensation. You simply wanted to help."

"N-No, that's not what I meant—"

"I'm warning you in advance."

He cut me off.

"Don't try to claim you only did it because you wanted compensation from Her Royal Highness. That's just an excuse. The truth is that you didn't want to get involved in politics and attract attention. Yet you revealed your political insight anyway, all for my sake."

"..."

Reisir straightened up and met my gaze.

Meanwhile, I was desperately trying to figure out how to escape.

"You are a once-in-a-lifetime benefactor in my life."

His expression softened.

"Maybe that's why..."

A faint smile appeared.

"...I keep feeling that I must never let you go."

Reisir said it casually.

As though it were the most natural thing in the world.

"I suppose you've forgotten that you used to torment me."

"I remember."

"Then—"

"But because we got through that period, we're able to be friends now, aren't we?"

His smile widened.

"That's why those memories don't hurt anymore."

"Haven't I repeatedly told you that I've never been your friend?"

"Still not friends?"

For some reason, he looked delighted.

"Those words are thrilling."

"...?!"

Were my ears malfunctioning?

Or had the protagonist of someone else's novel finally gone insane?

I was willing to swear I wasn't the only one questioning his mental state.

If I glanced to the side, I could see Yor and Ríolíkin huddled together, trembling.

I'm sure the readers felt the same.

"Why is everyone looking at me like I'm dangerous?"

"Because you're saying strange things! Just go back to treating me like a tsundere and teasing me for being shy!"

"That's not strange."

Reisir looked genuinely confused.

"Think about it carefully."

"What exactly am I supposed to think about?"

"If you truly don't consider me a friend, then you went out of your way to help someone who wasn't even your friend and fulfilled his lifelong wish."

He leaned closer.

"And you did it in the most ideal way possible."

"..."

"So if you ever did consider me a friend, I can't help wondering how much more you'd be willing to do for me."

That's the conclusion you arrived at...?

The sheer positivity of his thought process nearly destroyed my sanity.

No.

I was fairly certain half of my sanity had already been destroyed.

"Ah!"

Reisir suddenly snapped his fingers.

"Come to think of it, ten years ago, when Her Royal Highness was scolding me for failing to explain the qualification needed to kill a specific monster, you stepped in and protected me, didn't you?"

"Th-That was..."

I struggled for an excuse.

"At the time, your expression looked strange... and I thought you were about to cause trouble..."

"Exactly."

Reisir laughed.

"If you hadn't intervened, it would have been a disaster."

His smile turned rueful.

"I was thinking things like, 'How can a member of the Imperial Family bring up something from ten years ago and blame me for it?' and 'Do they even know who's actually responsible?'"

He shook his head.

"I probably wouldn't have said those exact words. But I definitely would've said something problematic."

"..."

"Karvaldr."

His voice softened.

"Thank you for covering for the mistake I made in the past."

"..."

"And for stopping me from making another mistake in the present."

"..."

"Even if I followed you around for the rest of my life saying thank you, it wouldn't convey even a quarter of how grateful I am."

He lowered his head.

"I'm that grateful."

After that, Reisir continued expressing his gratitude.

And expressing it.

And expressing it.

All the way until we arrived at the Gate Facility.

He remained silent while we stood in line.

Only after I stepped onto the Gate Circle did he finally release my hand.

Then he asked:

"Will you smile for me again? Like last time."

"...Hmph!"

Clutching Yor tightly after she returned to my arms, I turned my back on the utterly unreasonable protagonist of someone else's novel—

And stepped through the Gate.