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 14

It seemed Elena had no one to confide in until now, and once she started, she poured out her grievances about her superior’s treatment to me like a dam breaking.

From what she described, this so-called Supreme God appears to be the epitome of a one-man operation—someone who excels at dumping responsibilities onto subordinates.

They make decisions quickly, but that’s because they’re utterly convinced of their own infallibility. And when it comes to anything troublesome, they leave it for others to deal with.

Despite their difficult personality, they hold a high status in the realm Elena works in and are generally regarded as competent, even if they have their quirks. Reality tends to work that way—those forced to deal with the burdens of such people are left to silently endure.

I’ve dealt with superiors like that before too. They’re probably six feet under by now, though.

Elena comes across as serious, principled, and a little awkward.

Perhaps because of that, she’s often at the mercy of her superior, the Supreme God, who uses her as a convenient tool.

Currently, she seems to be managing the task of overseeing humanity almost entirely on her own.

“Just let me know when Chrono gets expelled from the party. Until then, I don’t really care.”

The Supreme God disappeared after saying that following the creation of this world, showing no interest in the lengthy prologue.

Since then, they haven’t shown themselves even once.

“Not even once in four hundred years?!”

The Goddess of Knowledge, now seated on the floor and drinking straight from a bottle, exclaimed as she placed the bottle down.

She handed me a cup filled with the same alcohol, urging me to drink.

Not wanting to refuse, I took a sip.

The transparent liquid, surprisingly, had a tangy citrus-like sweetness that I hadn’t expected.

**“It’s my job! Watching over humanity is fine—I could do it for hundreds or even thousands of years!

…But knowing this world was created only to eventually be destroyed by a Demon King made it unbearable.”**

Believing that humans were nothing more than living dolls, without any real value, was the only way I could keep working.

But as I kept telling myself that, I started to truly believe it.

Elena wore a bittersweet expression before downing her drink in one go.

When she casually suggested we remake the world, I thought it was the callousness of a higher being, but maybe her heart had been on the verge of breaking.

“…I’m so glad you stopped it from happening.”

“I’ll never become a Demon King, so there’s no need for you to worry about that.”

“Takumi…”

“And I won’t expel Chrono from the party, either.”

This means Elena doesn’t need to contact that sexually harassing, power-abusing Supreme God ever again.

I kept that thought to myself, though. From our conversation, I could tell she both feared and despised her superior.

To be honest, I’m not fond of their type either.

I’d love to complain about how they’ve twisted my character into a pervert and tampered with my work without permission.

But if we were to meet, I might end up playing right into their hands. It’s better if we never meet.

Let them remain a Supreme God in name only.

As I was thinking this, Elena lowered her gaze slightly.

“…I’m so glad you regained your memories as Takumi Haimura.”

“It’s because you’ve been diligent in your role as a goddess that you noticed and brought me here.”

I praised her for her efforts. After all, I had once wished someone had done the same for me.

Elena smiled awkwardly, and seeing that she seemed to have calmed down, I spoke.

“I think it’s time for me to return to my world. I need to repair my relationship with Chrono and, more importantly, atone to her.”

Before regaining my memories, I, as the villain Alva, had treated the true protagonist, Chrono, like a slave.

Though it wasn’t in the sexual way the Supreme God imagined, a wound is a wound, regardless of the context.

Chrono’s suffering early in the story followed the plot I had written as Alva Greyblood, leader of the Grey Hawk Brigade, and as Takumi Haimura, the author.

I carried guilt for what I had subjected her to over the years through my careless writing. I couldn’t undo the damage, but I wanted to do whatever I could to make amends.

First, I would ensure she never had to sleep on the cold floor again. I’d also provide her with proper food and clothing.

“…Understood. I’m sorry for keeping you here for so long.”

I only intended to confirm whether you had regained your memories as Takumi Haimura.

Elena’s wistful gaze accompanied her words.

“One last thing—can I transfer the final skill to Chrono?”

The Supreme God, with their awful taste, seemed even more obsessed with Chrono than with me.

They undoubtedly relished the thought of her suffering.

To prepare for the worst, I wanted to leave her with as many tools to defend herself as possible—especially the skill only she could wield, one that could take her to heights I could never reach.

“Transferring the right to acquire a skill? It’s difficult, but I’ll make it happen.”

Until then, please train Chrono Nightray to the point where she can acquire even the most advanced skills.

I nodded at the Goddess of Knowledge’s words, recalling the skill described in that book: Godslayer.

Though ominous, it would serve as a powerful insurance policy in case of the worst.

I had no doubt Elena was thinking the same.

We drank in silence, shared a brief kiss, and then parted ways.

It wasn’t an act of love or romance but rather a gesture of shared guilt and a fleeting moment of connection.

We won’t let the Supreme God have their way.