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 41

“W-Why do I have to train too…?”

“Why? Well, if you keep fighting the way you do, you’re going to get yourself killed~.”

“I respect your courage for standing up to strong opponents, but you only have one life, you know?”

As he spoke, Noah casually flicked my forehead.

“Ow.”

I hadn’t even noticed his hand moving until I felt the sharp sting on my forehead.

He wasn’t using magic—his physical abilities were simply inhuman.

“By the way, Chrono would’ve easily dodged that~.”

Noah’s words hit harder than the flick itself.

Even before undergoing any formal training, Chrono already had better reflexes than me?

Or maybe, since she was the protagonist, this much was only natural.

As I struggled to process that realization, Noah patted my head like I was a child.

“There’s no need to sulk. If you train properly, you’ll be able to react just as fast~.”

“I’m not— I mean, I’m not upset or anything…”

“But you were frustrated enough that you refused to teach her how to fight and just kept her around as a servant, didn’t you?”

Noah’s voice remained lighthearted, but his words cut through me like a blade.

He was right.

If Chrono had been properly trained, she would have far surpassed the party leader—me.

Knowing that, I deliberately reduced her to nothing more than a pack mule.

Why?

Because I couldn’t stand the thought of being overshadowed by a kid—one much younger than me, with no formal sword training.

To protect my fragile pride, I labeled an incredibly talented child as “useless” and actively suppressed her potential.

That was the truth.

And Noah, the all-powerful hero, wasn’t going to let me hide from it.

“If you really believed she was incompetent and a burden, you wouldn’t have taken her into battle in the first place~.”

“After all, in a real fight, one person’s mistake could cost the entire party their lives.”

Noah’s calm logic left me with no room to argue.

Chrono had never panicked or frozen in battle.

Not once had she been too slow to dodge an enemy’s attack.

Even while carrying heavy supplies, she moved quickly and efficiently, never interfering with combat.

Even without seeing her wield a weapon, it was obvious she wasn’t just an ordinary child.

“Well, I’m not sure how much of the old Alva’s thoughts and memories you actually understand now~.”

“You said your past-life personality is dominant now, right?” Noah asked, as if confirming something.

I nodded.

“To be honest, I never understood why the old me treated Chrono so badly. If he really thought she was useless, he would’ve just kicked her out immediately.”

“Well, yeah. From what I’ve heard, Alva Grayblood wasn’t exactly known for his generosity or for training his juniors~.”

“But if he recognized Chrono’s talent, secretly resented it, and still couldn’t bring himself to let her go… that, I can understand.”

“She wasn’t entirely useless, after all. Carrying supplies was already convenient enough, right? And on top of that, she handled all the cooking and cleaning too~.”

“In a way, you did train her… Just in household chores instead of combat.”

Noah’s sharp gaze made his disapproval clear.

I hesitated, unable to find a response.

“Maybe the old Alva was even planning to pass down Chrono’s talents to his own children~.”

Noah’s casual speculation made me shake my head immediately.

Alva Grayblood wasn’t the kind of man who planned that far ahead.

If he had been, he wouldn’t have kicked Chrono out purely out of resentment, despite knowing how capable she was.

I explained as much, but Noah only smirked—a deliberately sleazy grin that looked completely out of place on his refined features.

“Well, in a few more years, Chrono is going to be quite the beauty~. She’s already adorable now, don’t you think~?”

“That’s… probably true. But she’s still a kid. Thinking that way about someone more than ten years younger would be disgusting.”

“Unlike the old Alva, I’m not that much of a womanizer,” I added, firmly rejecting Noah’s teasing.

“Hmmm. I’d love to hear you say that again in a few years~.”

“…That is, if we’re both still alive by then.”

With those final words, the all-powerful hero finally let go of me and took a step back.

“Well then, think seriously about my training offer. I’m staying at a cheap inn on the outskirts of the village.”

“Talk it over with Chrono and give me an answer in a few days.”

I exhaled and nodded.

Noah’s proposal wasn’t something I could dismiss so easily.