This Novel is not my Novel

The students' admiring gazes converged on Reisir all at once.

It was only natural. A student their own age had just been described by a professor as a "completed form."

And it's also another scene meant to emphasize the protagonist's exceptional, overpowered nature.

The reason elemental skills bearing the title ○○ Domination were classified as high rank wasn't because the skills themselves were inherently extraordinary.

It was because they allowed their user to dominate that element's power and draw out its full potential.

In other words, when an elemental skill reached S Rank, it meant its user had already attained everything that could be achieved through training, exactly as Professor Radvisin had explained.

...Under normal circumstances, anyway.

Any modern person knew one thing.

Just how many different ways electricity could be used.

Reisir's lightning ability wasn't limited to firing bolts of lightning.

He controlled electricity itself.

If that's the case...

"Couldn't you create a magnetic field as well?"

"Huh?"

The protagonist of someone else's novel immediately reacted to the casually tossed-out remark.

He had obviously realized I was referring to his ability.

Since there was no point in a lengthy introduction, I went straight to the point.

"Nerve cells transmit information through electrical signals. If you generated a magnetic field and used it to interfere with those signals... couldn't you indirectly affect opponents who have resistance to the lightning attribute? That's what I was thinking."

Author Senna wanted her protagonist to be someone extraordinary.

She would never write something like, Reisir tried his best, but generating a magnetic field was impossible.

At the same time, because she preferred despair-driven stories, she wouldn't allow the protagonist to become completely invincible.

"Of course, it shouldn't be a guaranteed winning technique. If someone's nervous system is repeatedly exposed to magnetic field interference, they'd probably develop resistance. And some monsters might naturally be less sensitive to magnetic fields in the first place, making the effect weak—or nonexistent."

I deliberately established the limitations first.

That way, when we eventually entered a Demon Realm, Author Senna wouldn't suddenly decide, Magnetic fields don't work on monsters at all.

If the technique were overused, enemies would build resistance, making it useless when it truly mattered.

And if its effectiveness varied depending on each monster's characteristics instead of functioning as an overwhelmingly powerful debuff...

Then the balance was actually quite reasonable.

Author Senna would probably accept it.

If the original protagonist grows too powerful, the original author might simply introduce an equally powerful enemy, but...

If Reisir's arsenal continued to expand...

Then perhaps, when he acted to protect everyone around him—including me—

...he might be able to step outside the future the original author had planned and overturn one of those inevitable death flags.

It was only speculation.

I had no way of knowing for certain.

But if Reisir really could manipulate magnetic fields...

And if the balance I'd proposed became part of the world's established rules...

Then one thing would become undeniable.

I can interfere with the settings of this world inside the novel.

That realization made my entire body tense.

Without noticing, I had already clenched my damp palms into fists.

"Hah..."

A deep sigh suddenly escaped Professor Radvisin.

For an instant, disappointment washed over me.

Did I just suggest something fundamentally impossible? Is creating magnetic fields simply beyond the capabilities of lightning users in this world?

"Lord Karvaldr should have become a scholar... To think someone talented enough to illuminate the entire academic world..."

The elderly professor shook his head with heartfelt regret, sighing heavily.

His expression was genuinely mournful.

Seeing that, I finally relaxed.

My proposal hadn't been rejected.

He was simply lamenting the fact that someone he considered a promising researcher had instead chosen to venture into the Demon Realms.

That was an immense relief.

"Karvaldr... You actually worried about how I could develop my ability even further... I'm... I'm truly touched...!"

The fact that Reisir's voice trembled with emotion was significantly less reassuring.

His golden monocle wasn't merely sparkling anymore.

It was positively gleaming.

The sight made me instinctively flinch.

His fingers briefly brushed the back of my hand before he pulled them away.

I had a strong feeling he was about to seize my hand the way he had back in Chapter 156 before somehow managing to restrain himself.

But then what was the point of clenching both fists to stop himself?

His entire upper body was still leaning toward me.

"...Stop leaning on me. It's burdensome."

"Ah... sorry."

"Don't just apologize. Sit properly."

If I could, I'd simply move farther away.

Unfortunately, Vigdís was seated on my left.

There was no way I was going to cling to my prospective former fiancée just to escape the protagonist of someone else's novel.

So I stayed where I was and pushed against Reisir's shoulder.

Naturally, someone whose physical strength far exceeded mine wasn't going to budge from such a weak shove.

Still, he hadn't been trying to press closer on purpose.

At least the distance between us didn't shrink any further.

I'd count that as a victory.

"But... using a magnetic field instead of simply manipulating lightning... How did you even think of something like disrupting biological signals indirectly?"

"I just... thought that maybe, if you approached your ability more theoretically and deepened your understanding of it, you might discover entirely new applications...?"

...That was what I should have said.

The truth was much simpler.

I'd merely looked at it from the perspective of both the author and someone from the modern world.

What could someone with lightning powers actually accomplish?

"So... you've researched theories related to my ability separately?"

"Not really. I just remembered things I'd already learned as common knowledge."

As I answered, I carefully observed Reisir's expression.

The corners of both his eyes and lips had curved into a broad smile.

No matter how I looked at it, he had completely convinced himself that I was making excuses because I was embarrassed.

"I'm so grateful... so deeply moved... that I want to give you a big hug."

Apparently, this protagonist's preferred method of expressing gratitude had become hugging people.

Is it because NaSE is one of those male-oriented novels with countless heroine candidates?

So he thinks casual physical contact with female supporting characters is perfectly normal?

After arriving at that conclusion, the original protagonist standing before me suddenly looked shameless beyond belief.

"...You haven't even confirmed that your ability can produce a magnetic field yet. Don't celebrate too early."

"So if I succeed in creating one... does that mean you'll allow me a hug as thanks?"

I spoke with complete seriousness.

He answered with equally serious nonsense.

What exactly was wrong with this guy?

"How did you get that from what I said?!"

"I'll definitely succeed."

"...Why are you so determined to hug me in the first place?"

"Because you keep refusing what's only a hug, it's become something valuable. And... it'll also prove I've managed to get one step closer to you."

...

Or maybe not.

Was I the strange one here?

I was genuinely beginning to doubt myself.

"Um... Kar. Do you... maybe have some advice for me too?"

"Ah! M-Me too! I'd... I'd also like to hear Lord Karvaldr's advice!"

Vigdís and Ríolíkin rescued me from my confusion.

Both of them looked at me with sparkling eyes full of expectation.

Unfortunately, there was nothing I could tell them.

Nothing came to mind.

And even if it had, now wasn't the time.

"Professor Radvisin already gave each of you a goal, and you haven't even begun working on it. Are you seriously trying to take on assignments from me as well? That's just greed. Right now, you've only learned how to activate your skills—you haven't even begun learning how to control or apply them."

That was my real reason.

Still...

Now that I'd said it aloud, there was a chance it would sound as though I considered my advice superior to Professor Radvisin's.

So I hurriedly added,

"I understand why you're impatient. None of us knows when we'll be sent into a Demon Realm. But that's exactly why you need to accomplish things one step at a time. If you try to complete several assignments simultaneously, you'll only end up doing all of them halfway."

"I understand, sir. Then I'll work hard on Professor Radvisin's assignment first. Once I finish it... you'll give me advice, right?"

...

Ríolíkin had somehow interpreted my words to mean that I did have advice for her but was simply postponing it until she'd completed her current assignment.

"The thing about Reisir's ability was just something that happened to occur to me! Pure coincidence! I simply said whatever came to mind. Don't expect advice from an amateur like me."

"If you put it that way... then couldn't something useful just happen to occur to you about me someday as well, by coincidence?"

"...If something genuinely does happen to come to mind, I'll tell you. So stop trying to pressure me into it."

"Yes!!"

In the end, Ríolíkin received an answer that satisfied her.

Meanwhile—

"Ah... now that I think about it... last semester I put off all my assignments until I was preparing for the martial arts tournament, and it turned into a complete disaster... If Helga hadn't helped me study for the exams, I would've spent the entire vacation in remedial classes..."

—Vigdís had apparently remembered a painful experience.

Turning toward Helga, she thanked her over and over again, even saying she'd treat her to a meal sometime.

Helga simply smiled quietly and nodded.

"Second-year students. May this old professor have the floor now?"

Only after deciding our conversation had finally ended did Professor Radvisin speak.

We all lowered our heads together.

"We're sorry."

"Hahaha. There's no need to apologize. Didn't I say at the very beginning of today's lecture that collective wisdom may reveal new ways to develop your abilities further? Students exchanging ideas and advice with one another is precisely the sort of attitude I hope to see."

The old professor's warm gaze drifted gently across each of our faces.

Then it settled on me.

"So there is no need to hold back your ideas out of consideration for me."

Apparently, my insistence that the magnetic field idea had merely been a lucky guess had stayed with him.

He seemed to think I had been downplaying my own contribution out of respect for his expertise as a professor.

"Ah, though I would appreciate it if you consulted me regarding the training method itself. If only to prevent unforeseen accidents. With that in mind, I'll gather some materials on magnetic fields and think about the safest way to train before our next class. For today, Mr. Reisir, continue your usual training as a final review before moving on to the next stage."

"Yes!"

Reisir met Professor Radvisin's eyes and nodded enthusiastically.

The professor smiled in satisfaction.

Then he turned toward me once more.

"Lord Karvaldr, you've attended my lectures since last semester, so you already know that, aside from using your buff skills as frequently as possible, there is no special method of training them. This exercise is neither difficult nor time-consuming enough to interfere with your other studies, so continue practicing consistently. Understood?"

He deliberately referred to them simply as buff skills instead of mentioning 【Exaltation】 by name.

For some reason...

It sounded suspiciously like he was saying,

"Hurry up, acknowledge your classmates as friends, and reveal the existence of 【Encouragement】 to them."

No.

That was almost certainly exactly what he meant.