This Novel is not my Novel

"That kind of disease couldn't possibly exist in this world?! I simply refused because neither calling you by a nickname nor being called by one appeals to me."

"Why on earth?"

"I should be asking you that. Why do you want to call me by a nickname so badly?"

"Because your name is too long. It's a whopping five syllables, isn't it?"

I thought the answer would be, at most, that he wanted to get closer to me.

But instead of such an emotional appeal, he gave a reason focused on efficiency.

The reasoning even sounded fairly reasonable, so I almost nodded and allowed the nickname without realizing it.

'Get a grip. Titles are important in human relationships...'

Titles can convey respect and intimacy toward the other person, indicate social standing, and sometimes reflect emotions or determine perceived distance.

Thus, whether calling someone or being called by someone—

It affects a person's heart all the same.

'Going on about syllable count is nothing more than an excuse to persuade me.'

If he simply called me whatever he wanted, there would be nothing I could do, but the fact that he is asking permission proves otherwise.

This is very different from the case of Vigdís, who maintains the title 'Kar' out of necessity.

If I allowed him to call me by a nickname, Reisir would misunderstand it as me opening my heart to him and would consider me even friendlier than before.

Even if what he called me was not my real name, but merely the nickname of this possessed body.

The problem is that the emotion behind it still reaches me.

"At most, there is only a one-syllable difference between your name and those of Vigdís and Ríolíkin."

"But your name has an accent in the middle, so it's subtly inconvenient to pronounce, you know?"

"That sounds like your problem."

"It would be convenient for you too if you shortened my four-syllable name to two syllables, right?"

"It's not a name I call often, so is there any need to shorten it?"

When I continued giving negative answers, perhaps his feelings were hurt, because a sulky expression settled on his face.

However, I wasn't particularly worried.

Because—

"Wait a minute! You're the one who needs something right now, so why am I the one begging?"

"Isn't that because you are eager to be helpful to me?"

—Because of this.

I displayed the arrogant expression I had diligently practiced today, and Reisir grumbled that it was detestable upon seeing it.

I felt a slight thrill of satisfaction, as if I had paid him back a little for all the teasing I had endured.

However, there was no benefit in maintaining this standoff.

As Reisir himself had just pointed out, I was the one who currently needed something.

Therefore, to prevent him from giving up, I decided to offer a compromise.

"If you want something other than money, suggest a one-time arrangement rather than something long-term. Then I may be willing to accept the deal."

"A deal... you really do [struggle with] getting close to people..."

Reisir mumbled something to himself before stopping.

Somehow, I think I know what he held back.

Do you hate it? Does it make you uncomfortable?

If it were only that, he would not have trailed off and hesitated.

Are you afraid? Are you anxious?

He probably wanted to ask questions like those.

As I stood there tense, worrying about how I should refute such questions if they came from Reisir's mouth—

The other party, who had been staring at my face, let out a soft sigh and returned to the main topic.

"...Never mind. If only a one-time thing is allowed, then is it okay if I watch you train today?"

"You claim your goal is to win this tournament, yet you're fine leisurely watching someone else train?"

"Eh, observing how others train is a form of training too."

It was an incredibly shameless attitude.

"Anyway, I can't reveal the location of the Ether Core inside your head in an open place like this, can I? There's no one around now, but anyone could pass by here. If someone suddenly appears and breaks your concentration, I'd be the one in danger. Surely you don't intend for me to take that risk?"

Certainly.

To receive his cooperation, whether as a transaction or simple assistance, we would have to enter a personal training ground together.

So letting him watch me train was not an especially burdensome price.

The only remaining doubt was whether Reisir truly requested such a thing as compensation because he was genuinely curious about another person's training method.

'It seems he just blurted out whatever came to mind because he didn't want to accept compensation for helping...'

If I refused even this, he might suggest something burdensome like the nickname issue again, or simply say he would wash his hands of the matter entirely.

So I decided to accept it while pretending not to notice.

I cannot allow Reisir into my space.

"In that case, let's move to your training ground."

Since the deal had been established, we immediately changed locations.

The inside of Reisir's personal training ground was no different from mine.

That is to say, it was completely empty, as nothing had been placed there.

"I left spare clothes in the shower room, you see? So while I go in to get changed, you should get ready too."

If he were merely going to watch me train, there was no particular need for him to change clothes.

Perhaps he was trying to validate his earlier claim about leaving clothes in the training ground, because Reisir insisted on changing and entered the shower room.

Or perhaps he intended to interfere if my training looked utterly clumsy.

Since it would be awkward to call someone back out after they had already entered the shower room, I had no choice but to leave him be.

"Yor, the training uniform."

I asked Yor to take out the clothes in a short, concise, and rather unpleasant tone.

That was because my voice might be overheard by Reisir inside the shower room.

Reisir had already witnessed me speaking affectionately to Yor, but since I had pretended to be embarrassed back then, being as cautious as possible suited the character I was maintaining.

"Nyang~!"

The wise baby dragon seemed to understand my predicament, cheerfully shaking the Yeouiju without showing any dissatisfaction.

Along with a clear ding-a-ling bell sound, the clothes popped out.

I removed what I was wearing, handed it to Yor, and put on the clothes the Yeouiju had spat out.

Reisir came out of the shower room around the time I was putting on my shoes.

Without sparing him a glance, I finished putting on my shoes, accepted a hair tie from Yor, and tied my hair up high.

Reisir waited quietly and only then opened his mouth.

"If you're done preparing, shall we begin?"

As he spoke, he sat on the floor in the lotus position, seemingly intending to provide the promised service before receiving payment.

There was no reason to refuse.

"Do I place my hand on your head?"

"No. Since I need to guide the path, just place it on my back and wait. When you feel my Ether touch your palm... you know the rest, right?"

"I simply follow the path of your Ether with my own."

"Yep, exactly."

I sat behind Reisir and placed one hand against his back.

At that moment, it felt as though the genre had shifted from fantasy to wuxia.

Since those were merely useless distracting thoughts, I quickly closed my eyes and focused my mind on the purple Ether firmly rooted in my lower dantian.

The fundamental premise is that Karvaldr's Ether is not poisonous.

However, it was definitely established that the purple Ether inherited by his family possessed not only buff properties, but poisonous attributes as well.

So, in preparation for any possible situation, I gathered Ether refined into a pure energy state stripped of its unique properties in my palm and waited.

Soon, I felt Reisir's Ether tap against my palm as though knocking.

I could not verify its color visually, but judging by the circumstances, I assumed it was silver Ether.

I drew the Ether gathered in my palm into a thin, elongated thread and sent it into Reisir's body.

There was no resistance whatsoever.

Instead, I felt Reisir's Ether, which had come out to meet mine, wrap around the tip of my Ether as though taking it by the hand.

Reisir moved his Ether in that state and slowly began guiding me.

Along the spine, up the neck, into the head, and even deeper within.

After guiding me along the path, he suddenly released my Ether and went farther inward.

A calm, stable concentration of energy could be felt there.

I memorized its location and slowly retrieved the Ether that had entered Reisir's body, like rewinding an unravelled skein of thread.

"Phew..."

Perhaps because I had been so tense, a sigh escaped my lips the moment I withdrew my hand.

Suddenly, Reisir's earlier words came to mind.

'Your threat that you might harm me actually sounds harmless.'

Embarrassed that I had so openly shown relief because of that, I hurriedly composed myself and stood up.

"There really was a vessel inside the head capable of holding Ether. If it had been a lie, I would have left immediately and gone to my own training ground, but since you kept your promise, I must keep mine."

"Can't you just say thank you?"

"It was useful information that will aid my growth. I don't know whether watching me train will truly help your growth, but I hope you gain something from it at least."

Since this was merely a transaction, I would not say thank you.

When I made that intention clear, Reisir shook his head side to side as though I were hopeless.

"So, what kind of training are you planning to do?"

"I plan to practice handling a whip infused with Ether... To be honest, it's embarrassing, but it isn't systematic training."

"Your family has used whips as weapons for generations, though?"

"The Austri family's Summoned Beasts protect their master and fight on the front lines. I suspect there was never any need to personally hone martial arts or develop combat techniques."

"Then why are you training yourself?"

There are two answers to Reisir's question.

One is to increase my chances of survival in the Demon Realm, but since only I know that the Demon Realm is destined to run rampant in this world, I cannot speak of it.

The other is that Yor is an Eastern Dragon, so physical combat is not his specialty.

Since that could be explained indirectly, I answered accordingly.

"Because my Familiar is a wise, noble, and mysterious existence, dogfights involving biting and scratching do not suit him."

"Uh... y-yeah... true. Since he's currently a cat, those kinds of fights don't suit him... But by that logic, your ancestors' and family's Summoned Beasts too..."

"Do not compare him with those things. Yor is a great and special existence."

"Karvaldr... I knew you cherished Yor very much, but seeing this now, you're basically a doting parent...?"

The representative descriptor for a 'Dragon' in Korean fantasy novels is a 'Great Existence.'

Wisdom, nobility, and mystery are all traits of an Eastern Dragon.

Therefore, I merely stated the facts while excluding personal feelings.

Yet Reisir had added a doting-parent label on top of the tsundere one.