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 24

“Don’t jump to conclusions, you romance-obsessed fool. There’s no way I’d fall for someone as insufferable as him.”

“But Mian, you know Alva very well, don’t you?”

“Anyone would after living together for years, even if they weren’t close… We’re comrades, after all.”

Despite being insulted, Chrono didn’t back down, and Mian’s tone gradually softened.

Then, her muttered words struck me with an unexpected impact.

Not close, but still comrades. Living together for years and naturally getting to know one another.

I didn’t have any memories of living with others for an extended time, but if I replaced “comrades” with “family,” it made sense.

However, even if my mother or brother were replaced by someone else entirely, I don’t think I’d try to take them down like Mian did.

So what if they were family? As long as my life wasn’t affected negatively, wouldn’t that be enough?

I’d likely pretend not to notice and continue living with the imposters, thinking it was fine.

But now I realized how abnormal that mindset was.

That’s what relationships are—what it means to connect with others. I had forgotten. Or rather, I had wanted to forget.

The reason Mian labeled me a fake was because I had internally dismissed Alva’s life. It wasn’t just Alva—I’d also belittled his comrades.

I had oversimplified and underestimated the relationships Alva had cultivated over years of living and adventuring together with them.

Alva Grayblood, an adventurer who had lived in this world for over twenty years.

A silver-ranked adventurer, leader of the Gray Hawk Brigade, and someone who had maintained a base for communal living with his comrades for years.

When I thought about it, that was quite an achievement—one that I couldn’t replicate.

I had unconsciously looked down on Alva, thinking of him only as a foolish man who mistreated the protagonist, got expelled, and eventually died miserably.

That’s why I returned to the base with no hesitation or concern, assuming that as long as I didn’t reveal the truth, no one would notice anything about Alva’s “identity.”

But for someone like me, who had no deep bonds with anyone, no one who truly needed me—not even my family—

Whoever replaced me wouldn’t matter as long as they fulfilled my role.

Alva wasn’t the same as Takumi Haimura, a man of such insignificant worth.

“Alva?”

“Alva?”

The women called my name, seemingly puzzled by my prolonged silence.

But were they really addressing me?

Suppressing the heavy weight in my chest, I opened my mouth to speak.

“Mian’s situation will remain undecided for now. And… there’s something I need to tell both of you.”

“Something to tell us? What is it?”

“Don’t you think I’ve been acting strange? This is the reason why.”

Their gazes sharpened as they focused on me.

I suppressed the urge to run away and took a deep breath.

I’m not a fake.

I only regained my memories from a past life. I am, without a doubt, Alva Grayblood.

Repeating this to myself, I began to speak.

“The truth is… you might find this hard to believe, but… I met a god.”

As soon as I finished speaking, I realized I might have phrased that poorly.

It sounded overly dramatic, like something you’d hear from someone newly obsessed with religion.

Sure enough, the witch’s violet eyes flashed with a mix of suspicion and exasperation. I couldn’t blame her.

But this part, at least, was no lie.

“…Huh? Did you hit your head or something?”

“That’s amazing, Alva!”

Ironically, Mian’s skeptical reaction was easier to handle. Chrono, on the other hand, was too straightforward—both her sincerity and enthusiasm were overwhelming.

But perhaps it was because of this personality that she had endured years of being overworked and sleeping on the floor without complaint.

“I might’ve hit my head. No, I probably did. Actually, I was trying to solo a request and ended up falling into a trap in a cave…”

I muttered this without meeting their eyes, recalling how I’d nearly died in a pitfall. The real reason for my strange behavior was, of course, the lie I was spinning, but the two seemed to interpret it as embarrassment over a failed mission.

“Ha! You idiot! What kind of dog doesn’t even use its nose? Dumb mutt!”

“M-Mian, that’s going too far. Dogs are cute!”

The blonde witch mocked me mercilessly. Since it was all a lie, I didn’t feel humiliated. I didn’t—but it still annoyed me.

“Honestly, the fact that you went to a trap-filled area all by yourself, when all you know how to do is fight, was already stupid!”

She scolded me, saying I should’ve at least brought Curse along to help with the traps. Her words were completely reasonable, but I retorted instinctively.

“Shut up! I thought I could handle it on my own!”

“You’re always like this! Just like when we were at the ruins of Sargatanas—!”

The witch, who had been quiet just moments earlier, started to rant loudly as if it had all been a lie. As usual, we were about to escalate into a full-blown argument, trading barbs back and forth.

No, this wasn’t right. If we kept going like this, we’d stray far from the main point. Clearing my throat, I cut off the conversation with Mian.

“Enough about the past. Let’s move on. So, I was unconscious for a long time, and when I woke up, I was in this completely white temple. There was this stunningly beautiful woman who helped me—”

“Lies. Or delusions.”

“Just shut up and listen! She introduced herself as the Goddess of Knowledge and shared a lot of wisdom with me.”

“You met a goddess? That’s amazing!”

Chrono’s eyes sparkled with genuine admiration, while Mian’s expression remained skeptical.

“Yeah, and she told me that if I keep living like this, I’ll die soon.”

That’s why I’ve decided that I can’t keep going like this—I need to change. I’ve resolved to be kinder to my comrades from now on!

Clenching my fist dramatically, I made my declaration. I knew I was putting on a bit of a show, but it wasn’t a lie. Not entirely.

I had met the goddess. That much was true.

But the more I insisted, the colder Mian’s gaze became.