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 39

Without realizing it, Noah had cast not only truth magic but also silence magic.

Perhaps he had to be this cautious—after all, with his striking appearance, it would have been impossible to survive as a fugitive for decades otherwise.

And if we were to ask who was responsible for making him a wanted man, from a meta-perspective, the answer would be me.

Back in middle school, I gave Noah—the character I had created—a backstory in which he slew a guardian dragon.

As a result, that setting carried over into this world, and he has been pursued as a criminal ever since.

Of course, I could never tell him that.

If I had the power to erase or rewrite his crime as the author, that would be a different story, but I don’t have that kind of authority.

Despite his carefree demeanor, Noah was forced to part ways with his beloved family due to the consequences of slaying the dragon.

Among his family members, the one he cherished most was his younger brother with black hair—someone who bore a striking resemblance to Chrono.

Because of this, Noah dotes on Chrono, the protagonist, and watches over his growth.

In other words, if he ever found out that I was the one responsible for separating him from his beloved brother, things would turn ugly.

I took a deep breath and exhaled, trying not to appear unnatural. Even so, I was sure my nervousness was evident.

The silver-haired hero wore a faint smile as he observed me closely.

If I told a clumsy lie, I might lose an arm.

The fact that he could use high-level healing magic only made him more terrifying.

Noah could probably torture someone for hours without killing them.

Why did I create such an overpowered character?

Cursing my younger self, I opened my mouth to speak.

“…First, let me say this—I won’t deny the rumors about me in the tavern.”

“Oh? Is that so?”

“Yes. Until recently, I treated Chrono horribly. I was a violent womanizer with a terrible reputation in town.”

Actually, my reputation probably hasn’t improved much.

I recalled how the town’s vigilantes reacted when I helped with the slime extermination.

As Noah studied me, his expression showed clear skepticism.

“A womanizing brute, huh? But the man standing in front of me now seems more like an overly cautious coward.”

Even now, I was choosing my words carefully.

Since there was no point in denying it, I simply nodded.

Anyone, no matter how violent, would act differently when faced with someone overwhelmingly stronger than them.

I kept that thought to myself—having Noah notice the inconsistency worked in my favor.

“That’s because I’ve remembered my past life. In other words, my current personality is from before I was reincarnated as Alva.”

Noah hadn’t expected that answer.

He fell silent.

I watched his reaction, praying I wouldn’t be treated like a brain-eating monster and have my skull smashed open.

“You’re not lying, are you? I suppose it’s possible you just convinced yourself of that…”

Well, proving it would be difficult.

With a quick shift in attitude, he urged me to continue.

“I understand why there’s a discrepancy between the rumors and the person you see now. But that’s not what I really want to know.”

“I figured. What I’m about to say is going to sound unbelievable, but in my past life, I read a novel… where Chrono was the protagonist.”

“…Oh?”

“And in that novel, he had a mentor who trained him in both swordsmanship and magic. I believe that mentor was you.”

I had never seen another person with hair and eyes like his before.

The moment I laid eyes on him, I instinctively knew—he was the Golden Hero himself.

At my words, Noah gave a complicated smile.

“Yeah, I do stand out, don’t I?”

So far, I hadn’t felt any pain.

That meant the penalties of the truth magic hadn’t been triggered.

I felt a sense of relief—only for Noah to shatter it with a sharp remark.

“So, what you’re saying is… the world we’re in right now is someone’s written story?”

“…No, I don’t think so. The fact that I regained memories of my past life proves that things aren’t following the original plot.”

“I see. Then do you know who created this world?”

“…Probably a god. But I’ve never met them, so I can’t say for sure.”

That was close.

If his question had been “how was this world created” instead of “who created it,” I might have been forced to spill everything.

Actually, if he kept pressing about the gods, I would be in real trouble.

The supreme god, Elena’s boss, was nothing but a domineering, depraved deity.

If our conversation led Noah to realize that the god had based this world on my novel, I’d be doomed.

“A god, huh…? If that’s the case, I’d love to have a few words with them.”

“To ask them why they made me a criminal just so I could train Chrono, is that it?”

His voice wasn’t rough, but simply hearing it felt like being crushed under a massive slime.

As an author, I couldn’t help but feel guilty.

I had given Noah the label of a criminal without much thought.

Because of that, he had been running for decades.

Maybe I did deserve to be tortured a little.

No, I had to stop thinking about this.

The more I dwelled on it, the more I wanted to apologize.

I needed to change the subject before things got even more ominous.

I had to say it now—before his suspicions or bad impressions of me grew any stronger.

“Noah Brightless. In the novel I read, both you and I—Alva—are going to die soon.”

“What?”

“That’s why… why don’t we change our fate together?”

The silver-haired hero’s eyes widened in surprise.