This Novel is not my Novel

To receive such an offer so soon after running into the limits of self-study?

Wouldn't the readers following this narration be shouting, 'Ah, this is an offer he absolutely has to accept!' at a development like this?

It's practically a situation where plausibility itself is pushing me forward and telling me to learn whip techniques from Skati.

If I'm willing to eat meals with the original protagonist yet claim I can't learn whip techniques from one of the original work's supporting characters, wouldn't that be a contradiction?

More importantly, Skati is a professor.

Her ability to explain things is incomparable to Vigdís's, and she's accustomed to teaching others.

'As expected, I have to accept.'

After finishing what could either be called organizing my thoughts or justifying myself, I arrived at that conclusion.

However, despite that, I didn't immediately give Skati a positive answer.

Instead, I kept my mouth shut, wearing a sour expression and looking at her with a wary gaze.

What I need from her is only instruction.

Feelings such as favor or kindness must be rejected.

"Uh..., ummm~? Don't decliiine... I'm really grateful and sorry... Unng~, so I feel like my heart would be at ease if I could do something for yooou..."

The person who had been confidently rattling off self-promotional remarks just moments ago suddenly became dispirited.

She timidly watched my reaction while fidgeting with her fingers, as though she had never been confident in the first place.

It was an expected reaction.

'Because Skati is someone who knows shame.'

The fact that she silently endured ostracism from her fellow professors and carried out her community service order, despite having the ability to escape the academy and live in hiding without anyone ever finding her, proves that.

Furthermore, she feels indebted to me.

That means even if I hesitate, she isn't in a position to play hard to get with a "Fine, then don't" attitude.

"Can I think of it as... a form of compensation?"

Resolving the bullying issue was something Skati accomplished herself, and since all I did was run my mouth, bringing up compensation is absurd.

Nevertheless, I downgraded the helping hand she was offering out of goodwill into mere compensation.

I erased the wariness from my expression and showed just a hint of temptation.

"Ugh, y-yeaaah~. You can think of it that waaay~?"

As expected, instead of denying my words, she simply told me to think whatever I liked.

I felt sorry for seemingly taking advantage of her sense of indebtedness, but it couldn't be helped.

Since I had absolutely no intention of becoming close to her or considering her a mentor, this was the best way to draw a line between us before beginning private lessons.

"Professor Skati? Why don't we sit down and talk first?"

Professor Radvisin suggested that Skati join us.

Probably because our conversation seemed likely to drag on, and the employee carrying our food was standing behind her waiting.

"Is that okaaaay...?"

Since the novel this world was based on was written by a Korean author, even though it was a fantasy work set in a Western-style world, a Confucian spirit had seeped into the setting, creating an atmosphere where elders were generally respected.

Yet perhaps because the author valued character individuality?

As demonstrated by the conversation above, Skati didn't hesitate to speak informally even to elderly people and continued using her unique habit of dragging out the ends of her sentences.

The reason was that, given her background, she had never received a proper education in etiquette.

Even taking those circumstances into account, Professor Radvisin could easily have found her manner of speaking unpleasant.

The age gap between them was roughly double, and while he was a noble-born scholar, Skati was a criminal of common birth.

Nevertheless...

"Hohoho, of course."

"Thank yooou~!"

The elderly professor merely let out a hearty laugh that made him seem every bit the good-natured person he was.

At that, Skati abandoned her hesitation, smiled brightly, and quickly sat down.

When she moved out of the way, the employee placed the food on the table.

Professor Radvisin had standardized everyone's dinner order to vongole pasta, but a plate of steak openly occupied part of the table.

It was Skati's meal.

Apparently, she had simply come to eat dinner and had ordered food as well.

"Don't mind us and speak freely."

At this point, readers might raise a question.

'Radvisin has essentially marked the protagonist as his research student, so why is he helping create opportunities for Skati instead of keeping her in check?'

For those people, here's a piece of information:

Combat professors do not take research students.

In the first place, what use would people who don't write papers and focus solely on becoming stronger have for research students?

'Occasionally, if they find a student they particularly like, they might personally train them and take them on as a favored disciple, but that's about it.'

Putting that aside and returning to the main point.

Professor Radvisin told me not to mind him and the senior research students, but I absolutely couldn't do that.

Because the senior research students were alternating their gazes between Skati and me with expressions full of curiosity.

I suspect Skati's remark about feeling grateful and sorry toward me had piqued their interest.

'Still... since Skati made it sound as though she had wronged me somehow, they probably won't find it strange even if I treat her somewhat coldly, nor will they suddenly start feeling distant toward me.'

Should I call that a blessing in disguise?

The fact that I could learn whip techniques wasn't unfortunate in the slightest.

But the fact that the person who would teach me was destined to die before long was unfortunate enough.

"When are you free during the week?"

Thinking it best to start discussing the lessons before unnecessary topics came up, I asked Skati about her schedule.

Skati immediately returned the question as though she intended to accommodate mine.

"Karvaldr, when are you freeee~?"

"Monday and Friday afternoons."

"Wow, perfect~? I just happen to have no lectures scheduled at those tiiimes~! Which of those two days do you prefeeer~?"

As readers know, Skati is destined to leave this academy at the end of the semester, just like Reisir.

And the time remaining until then is barely less than two months.

Yet only once a week?

At the very least, isn't that too little?

I'm afraid of becoming attached if we spend too much time together, but if you ask whether that's more frightening than dying, the answer is obviously no.

Although I tried not to, a note of regret naturally slipped into my voice.

"I have to... choose only one day...?"

"Uuung~? ...Ah! Come to think of it, didn't you say you wanted to participate in the tournament, but couldn't apply this time because your skills weren't good enough~?!"

At my reaction, Skati tilted her head in confusion before suddenly brightening as though she had been enlightened.

Even though I have no regrets about missing this Martial Arts Tournament.

If I weren't in a position where I needed to accumulate combat experience to prepare for survival, I wouldn't want to enter tournaments in the future either.

"Monday and Friday afternoons. From after lunch until right before dinner, I'll teach you with all my effooort~! So let's enter the tournameeent~?"

"...Pardon?"

"I'll properly plan out your training curriculum too, so just leave it to meee~!!"

So this development...

Is this one of those situations where I have to enter the tournament in order to learn whip techniques from Skati in a short amount of time?

"Aim for at least the Round of 16~! Go, gooo~!!"

"...Isn't that goal a little too ambitious?"

"Nooope~! Considering the movements you showed during the midterm exam, I think it's completely possibllle~. Plus, the whip is a weapon with a strong element of surprise, isn't iiit?"

Indeed, among the students planning to participate in the tournament, how many had ever fought someone who used a whip as a weapon?

Furthermore, this body belongs to the son of a duke.

Most students would hesitate at the decisive moment out of concern for injuring me.

Some might even intentionally throw the match.

'If I get lucky with the bracket, I might really make it to the Round of 16...'

Although a victory handed to me by someone else in a mere tournament would have no real meaning.

Still, the tournament itself wasn't important.

It was only a pretext.

Learning the fundamentals of practical whip techniques and as many advanced applications as possible from Skati within a short period of time—that was my real goal.

If Skati intended to train me with expectations beyond the Round of 16, then that was something to welcome.

"I understand. Let's give it a try and aim for at least the Round of 16..."

"Yeah, yeaah~! That's the spirit~! The bigger the goal, the betteeer~!"

This was the moment the reason the chapter subtitle was 「Tournament Preparation」 was finally revealed, despite my declaration at the beginning of the chapter that I wouldn't be entering the tournament.

"How do you know that?"

"The participant list was posted on the notice board on the first floor of the Academy Main Building. Yesterday was the application deadline."

After breakfast earlier that morning.

Instead of heading directly to the Martial Arts classroom, Reisir had stepped away, saying he had somewhere to stop by first, and I had wondered where he was going.

He must have gone to check the participant list.

Unless someone knew the students well enough to gauge their abilities from names alone, looking at the list wasn't particularly meaningful.

Still, it was useful for at least determining the number of participants.

Moreover, didn't I possess a directory containing information on the key students?

'I should go check the list later too.'

Learning about the existence of the list was certainly a good thing, but...

There was also a problem I couldn't simply overlook.

"More importantly, Vigdís should clearly be my sparring partner, so why are you standing in front of me, Reisir?"

Instead of assigning sparring partners according to skill level, the Martial Arts professor had irresponsibly told everyone to pair up with whoever they wanted and start sparring.

That had happened last week, and naturally I had chosen Vigdís.

I needed to maintain distance from Reisir, and sparring with Ríolíkin wasn't possible because he wouldn't even dare consider throwing a punch at me.

Thus, Reisir had been paired with Ríolíkin.

But...

"You didn't see what happened when I sparred with Ríolíkin last week...? No, can that even be called sparring? Anyway."

Of course I hadn't seen it.

I had been far too busy blocking and dodging Vigdís's attacks.

If I'd had enough spare attention to watch other people, I would have landed at least one counterattack.

"Ríolíkin was so afraid of me that he curled up and couldn't do anything. So I asked Vigdís to switch with me. Vigdís hasn't been training for very long, and since she's slender, she looks weak, so I thought things might be a little different..."

As he spoke, Reisir turned his gaze elsewhere with an extremely sour expression.

I followed his gaze and couldn't help making a similar face.

Because instead of raising his guard, Ríolíkin was trembling as though desperately pleading, "Please don't hit me!"

And standing in front of him, Vigdís was clenching her fists and stomping her feet, unable to do anything.

If I had to choose which of them was more pitiful, I would choose Vigdís without hesitation.

After all, she was the one wasting precious sparring time.

"It seems it wasn't because the person facing him was me..."

Only now did Reisir realize his mistake, and he sent Vigdís an apologetic look.