This Novel is not my Novel

"My older sister? What brings you to my room?"

The question slipped out naturally the moment I opened the door after hearing a knock.

As the line itself suggested, the visitor was Ragfrid.

No matter how I thought about it, there was no reason for her to visit her youngest sibling this late at night.

Surely she hadn't come to discuss the Demon Realm Transformation.

I had already told her that reading the report Hárðr received would be more efficient.

Yet if she'd come for some personal matter, it was far too late for that as well.

In the first place, it was questionable whether such a personal matter even existed.

Unless it was extremely urgent, she could have simply come tomorrow during the day.

"I came because there's something I need to say."

"Ah. I see."

"......"

"......"

"...Do you not intend to let me inside?"

To be honest, that was exactly the problem.

I didn't know what she wanted, but I wished she would simply say it quickly and leave.

Naturally, I couldn't say that out loud.

"Not at all. I simply assumed you would briefly state your business and leave immediately."

Making up an excuse, I stepped aside and allowed Ragfrid and her familiar into the room.

Perhaps it was her first time entering her youngest sibling's room.

She slowly looked around the interior before taking a seat.

The white-furred beast with magnificent purple rosettes settled itself at her feet.

"Shall I call for an attendant and have some refreshments prepared?"

"That won't be necessary."

I had asked out of courtesy.

Her immediate refusal suggested she truly had no intention of staying long.

As soon as I sat down, Ragfrid spoke.

"Didn't you say that you no longer wished to die because you now have someone you must take responsibility for?"

"Yes. That's correct."

"Then why did you do that?"

"...Pardon?"

"I stopped by Father's office and finished reading the report concerning today's events."

For a moment, I had no idea what she was talking about. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Then I finally understood.

Apparently, after reading that I had drawn the monster's aggro in order to save Helga, she had begun doubting whether I had truly abandoned thoughts of suicide.

Had she rushed over at this hour because she thought her youngest sibling might try poisoning himself again?

"I didn't step forward because I thought it was fine if I died. I stepped forward because I calculated that I wouldn't die."

"Even so, wasn't it far too dangerous? According to the report, the monster reached your immediate vicinity. If the student named Reisir hadn't intervened, it would have been truly dangerous."

I flinched involuntarily when the original protagonist's name suddenly emerged from Ragfrid's mouth.

Misinterpreting my reaction, she frowned slightly and seemed about to say something.

I hurriedly explained.

"My calculations were based on the assumption that the combat faculty professors would immediately assess the situation and intervene. Even if they had never encountered such a monster before, they're veterans of real combat and educators responsible for protecting students. Their failure to step in was completely unexpected."

"......"

"As a student, I simply trusted the professors. I had no idea it would be interpreted as a death wish."

"I was already considering lodging a formal complaint with the academy administration. They need to be held accountable."

I suspected the professors' inaction had been the result of the original author's influence.

If that was truly the case, then the professors themselves weren't actually at fault.

However—

When I remembered how close I'd come to dying, I felt absolutely no urge to defend them.

Besides, many of those same professors had either tormented Skati or stood by and watched it happen.

I had no intention of covering for them.

Not after that.

"Regardless, I truly have no desire to die. No, more than that—I desperately want to live."

"Truly?"

"Yes. Even before losing my memories, I couldn't accept the fact that I had attempted suicide. I diligently attend combat-related lectures for self-defense and carry potions with me at all times just in case. My desire to survive is very strong."

I emphasized it as clearly as possible so she would never misunderstand again.

At that, Ragfrid—

"And yet the you from before you lost your memories..."

—murmured quietly, unable to conceal her agitation.

The realization that someone so obsessed with survival had once wanted to die seemed to have shaken her deeply.

The truth is simply that Karvaldr and I are different people.

Then again, perhaps the original Karvaldr never truly wanted to die either. Maybe he was simply risking himself in order to confirm whether his father loved him.

Actually... that possibility would probably be even more disturbing.

Ragfrid sat there motionless for a long time.

Like someone whose soul had left her body.

Seeing her like that, I couldn't easily tell her to leave if she was finished.

"You... so that's why you forgot us."

"......"

"You wanted to live, but our treatment of you made you wish for death."

Her voice trembled.

"You abandoned your memories because you wanted to abandon your expectations."

"It seems I must have made it quite obvious before losing my memories that I wanted our family's attention."

I smiled faintly.

"Otherwise, you wouldn't have reached that conclusion so quickly, Older Sister."

"Ah..."

The moment she let out that pale, exhausted sigh, I was forced to admit something.

Ragfrid genuinely wanted this to become a family-regret story.

And for some reason, that irritated me.

What's the point of regretting everything now?

The actual victim isn't the one who returned. A third party is occupying his body.

If the original Karvaldr could see this situation, would he be happy to learn that his older sister had cared after all?

Or would it simply make him feel even colder?

"I... I..."

"......"

"...I should leave."

"Yes."

Ragfrid rose unsteadily from her seat.

For a moment, I considered helping her.

But I didn't.

I had no desire to give her false hope that we could become close siblings.

And somehow, I doubted she had ever reached out a hand when Karvaldr was the one stumbling.

After she and her familiar finally left—

I closed the door and voiced the thought that had been lingering in my mind.

"Until now, I knew Karvaldr wasn't loved by his family, but my reaction was always just, 'So what?'"

I sighed.

"But now... he really is pitiful."

"Yaong, yaong."

The following day.

Despite leaving in obvious shock the night before, Ragfrid didn't avoid me.

Instead, she summoned me to the greenhouse.

With tea and snacks prepared, no less.

I need to train my body, practice my whip techniques, increase my skill proficiency, raise my Ether stats, study strategic board games like chess, and learn lip-reading.

I already have a mountain of things to do.

For all my dislike of Hárðr, one thing about him was convenient.

He never sought out his son.

From that perspective, Ragfrid had unexpectedly become a hidden threat.

"What was so important that you called me all the way to the greenhouse?"

"I wanted to discuss the second child."

She hesitated briefly.

"As for the location, my personal handmaiden recommended it."

"Does that handmaiden know I've lost my memory?"

"She is trustworthy. She's served me for more than ten years."

So she knew.

For reference, the handmaiden had taken Yohrn outside the greenhouse only moments ago.

Officially, it was to give us privacy.

Unofficially...

Was she trying to gather information about Karvaldr's interests and preferences?

If that was her goal, it was completely pointless.

That wasn't speculation.

It had already been proven.

I'd asked Yohrn what Karvaldr liked and disliked before.

He hadn't been able to answer properly.

Because Karvaldr had never told him.

Shouldn't a personal attendant figure those things out on their own?

At any rate, the fact that she'd gone so far as to consult her handmaiden made one thing clear.

Ragfrid was determined to get closer to her youngest sibling.

Only now.

"I wasn't questioning whether your attendant was trustworthy. I was simply asking whether I needed to pretend my memory was intact around her."

"Ah. I see."

"Yes."

"......"

"......"

The conversation died awkwardly.

The person who had summoned me for a discussion simply sat there watching my reaction.

"Didn't you say you wanted to talk about my older brother?"

"Ah... yes. Well..."

Ragfrid looked uncomfortable.

"I spoke with him. But... I think it will take a very long time before he sincerely apologizes to you. Changing eighteen years of beliefs isn't easy."

"You mean the belief that I killed our mother?"

"...Yes."

I had expected something more significant.

Unable to help myself, I let out a faint snort.

"I imagine so. It's a belief he's held for eighteen years. Why would a few words suddenly change it? Just leave it alone."

"Leave it alone?"

Ragfrid looked startled.

"Even if you've lost your memories... are you truly fine with your brother hating you for such a ridiculous reason?"

"If you've been fine with it all this time, Older Sister, why shouldn't I be?"

I met her eyes calmly.

"Must I suffer every time my brother says something hurtful?"

Even if Valtraus suddenly regretted everything and apologized, it would mean nothing to me.

Just as Ragfrid's current anxiety felt awkward rather than comforting.

"I... I didn't know the second child hated you because of that..."

"Please don't say you didn't know."

I shook my head.

"My brother has hated me since the day I was born. Everyone must have had their suspicions about why. Isn't that why nobody ever asked him directly? Because the answer seemed obvious."

"N-no..."

"If not, then nobody cared enough to ask."

"......"

"Which means nobody cared whether I was hated or not."

Ragfrid lowered her head.

Her face looked utterly devastated.

For two consecutive days, the woman who always appeared calm and composed had completely fallen apart in front of me.

Apparently her familiar had reached the conclusion that I was the cause.

Grrr...

The leopard lying nearby rose to its feet and let out a threatening growl.

It wasn't frightening at all.

After all—

I had Yor.

"Riensa. Be quiet—"

"Kyaaong!"

Before Ragfrid could finish her command, my dependable baby dragon activated 【Dragon Fear】.

The effect was immediate.

The leopard called Riensa whimpered and collapsed where it stood.

Not in a relaxed posture.

Not comfortably.

Its appearance was much better described as cowering in terror.

Or, more accurately—

Prostrating itself in absolute submission.