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 17

Ever since returning to this house, our base of operations, fragments of Alva’s memories have been gradually resurfacing.

It was during my brief conversation with Chrono that I began to realize it.

The patterns on the shirts stashed away in the wardrobe, the face of the secondhand clothing shop owner in town, Chrono clasping her hands as if in prayer behind us during battle, and Mian’s sharp profile as she clicked her tongue and cast attack spells on our enemies—all of these memories were coming back to me.

The bathroom where I had just sent Chrono was something one of our party members had insisted on having installed. That person was Mian Clovel, a magician with golden twin tails that gave her the appearance of a child.

She was skilled in attack magic, but she had a noble upbringing that she never let anyone forget. She acted like a spoiled princess, using her past status to justify her selfishness.

“…It must be her,” I muttered to myself in the now-empty room.

Chrono’s injuries were likely because she had been forced into the unfamiliar role of a frontline fighter. And the one who had probably issued that order was Mian.

The other men in the party wouldn’t joke around when it came to combat roles. Forcing someone inexperienced into a fight only creates unnecessary chaos. I couldn’t be sure about Est, the healer, but she didn’t seem like the type to engage in such reckless behavior either.

Having someone unable to fight wandering around on the battlefield was nothing but a liability. And the only person I could imagine setting up such a ridiculous situation was Mian, the emotional and self-centered noblewoman.

Mian despised Chrono. She didn’t see her as a comrade but as a slave to be looked down upon. It wouldn’t surprise me if she thought nothing of burning both Chrono and the monsters with her magic flames.

Even the fact that she’d made Chrono change clothes in my room seemed suspicious.

My thoughts turned to the bathroom where Chrono must be now. While it was technically a shared facility for the party, Mian frequently declared it her personal domain, claiming she only “allowed” others to use it. The clawfoot bathtub was, in fact, her private possession.

If Mian found out that Chrono was using the bath, she’d undoubtedly explode in anger and make a scene like a cat on the warpath. At worst, she might even throw Chrono out into the hallway, completely naked.

I got up from the bed where I’d been sitting. I needed to intercept Mian before she got anywhere near the bathroom.

Come to think of it, she had already confiscated the souvenirs I brought back. I couldn’t help but worry if she had devoured the entire lot by herself. With that thought in mind, I left my room and headed out.