I was Reincarnated as an Incompetent Leader with Zero Popularity who met his downfall early on. Instead of banishing the hidden cheat Protagonist, I decided to embrace him, and somehow, I ended up being treated like a Hero instead. - Chapter 12

Only one skill remains to be chosen.

And deciding on that one is the hardest part.

Every unacquired skill seems appealing, yet none feels like the definitive choice.

I wish I could take this book home and spend three days deliberating over it.

“That’s impossible.”

Before I can even ask if it’s allowed, she rejects it outright. She’s reading my mind.

When I glance at her, the Goddess of Knowledge coughs lightly and continues.

“However, if you wish to stay in this temple for three days, I could consider it.”

The book cannot be taken outside, but I can spend as much time here as I need to study it. That’s what Elena suggests.

I see. It’s an appealing offer. But her suggestion makes me realize something.

Isn’t this goddess being a bit too indulgent with me?

When we first met, she had a much stricter demeanor.

Was I simply overly tense around her because of her stern, teacher-like appearance?

And why, in the first place, did she choose to appear as a teacher instead of in her divine form?

When I silently stare at her, the Goddess of Knowledge looks slightly uneasy and falls quiet.

Eventually, her soft, cherry-colored lips part, and a beautiful voice escapes.

“Takumi Haimura. I… misjudged you.”

“Misjudged me?”

“Regarding Alva Greyblood’s abusive behavior toward Chrono Nightray.”

Her words instantly make me feel uneasy.

It’s true that Alva’s treatment of Chrono went beyond neglect and could justifiably be called abuse.

Even if it was part of playing the role of a villain destined for ruin, it must have been unpleasant to witness.

Still, if Elena had been observing us as a goddess, I can’t help but wish she had intervened sooner.

I regained my memories as Takumi Haimura suddenly, after hitting my head at the tavern. That’s why I no longer have any intention of bullying Chrono.

And perhaps as a backlash from reclaiming my past life’s memories and personality, my memories of living as Alva have grown faint and blurred.

But when I recall the image of that girl curled up and sleeping on the cold floor, the guilt becomes unbearable.

I now understand, from her earlier explanation, that Elena had mistaken Alva for the protagonist.

But in that case, she should have found the idea of a protagonist abusing a girl deeply unsettling.

Still, such thoughts feel like excuses. Maybe I just don’t want to accept the fact that I was the one who abused her.

The goddess, who can read my thoughts, shakes her head weakly, denying my self-condemnation.

“That’s not true. You are not a sadist who would take pleasure in abusing a young girl.”

“That’s why I said I misjudged you.”

Behind her glasses, her eyes lower slightly, accentuating her long lashes.

“…If it were now, I could have argued against her claims much more strongly.”

“How could I have believed that you had the tendency to abuse a girl?”

“You were a kind person who saved others from a random attacker.”

Her regret-filled words leave me speechless.