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 43

The person who entered the room was Chrono.

Judging by the bundle in her arms, she had brought laundry.

“Wha—?! Hey, wait a second!”

“Huh? Ah— I’m so sorry!”

It felt as awkward as if a woman had just walked into the men’s restroom while I was in the middle of using it.

Startled, I instinctively shouted, and Chrono flinched, her voice rising in panic.

Good thing I hadn’t taken everything off yet.

Hurriedly, I scrambled to fix my clothes.

“You’re awake, Alva?”

“Noah told me you were still sleeping.”

There was a slight note of surprise in Chrono’s voice.

That explained why she hadn’t knocked—she hadn’t wanted to wake me up.

Her reasoning made sense, but now I had a different question.

“No, I was just talking to him a little while ago.”

“Really? Did he tease me again?”

Chrono pouted, looking mildly annoyed.

“He’s kind, but sometimes he likes to mess with me.”

From the way she spoke, she seemed quite familiar with Noah.

If I wanted to ask about their relationship, now was probably the best time.

As she moved to put the laundry away, I spoke up.

“So, you already knew that guy, Noah?”

“Yes, I do.”

Well, obviously.

I already knew that much.

Frustrated with how poorly I had phrased my question, I bit the inside of my cheek, trying to think of my next words.

There was too much I wanted to ask, and I didn’t know where to start.

I decided to just go with the first thing that came to mind.

“Then… why did you bring Noah along for the slime hunt?”

Something fell with a soft thud.

My clothes had slipped from her hands and onto the floor.

More importantly—

Chrono had dropped to her knees, pressing her forehead to the ground.

…Was she bowing?

I stood frozen, unable to process what was happening.

“I’m so sorry, Alva! I betrayed your trust!”

Her voice was filled with guilt, and she bowed so forcefully that I half-expected the floor to crack under her.

“I wanted to apologize the moment you woke up, but I completely forgot! I’m sorry for that too!”

“No, you don’t need to apologize for that.”

Her desperate confession was so ridiculous that I reflexively corrected her.

Had I really written the protagonist to have this kind of personality?

Sure, she had endured years of mistreatment in a harsh environment without breaking down, so I had assumed she had a strong mentality…

Or maybe it was because her life had been so difficult that she developed this forgetful, overly apologetic nature.

She was probably referring to the fact that she had refused my command to cast support magic during the slime fight.

It had made things harder for me, but I hadn’t exactly asked her the right way.

At the time, she hadn’t even known she possessed such abilities.

For now, I needed to reassure her that I wasn’t angry.

“It’s fine. If anything, I was the one who made a mistake by asking you.”

“Huh…?”

Chrono’s face twisted into an expression of despair.

For a second, she looked like a child about to be abandoned by their parents on a trip.

But I hadn’t done anything to her.

Seeing her so anxious made me start feeling uneasy.

“No, seriously. You don’t have to apologize.”

“Please, Alva! I swear I’ll never disobey you again! Just give me one more chance!”

…Wait, am I some kind of villain about to abandon my subordinate?

Her desperation was starting to freak me out.

And then, I realized something.

This was the exact same line she had said in the novel when Alva exiled her.

I remembered the scene vividly.

Chrono, convinced she was useless, had desperately groveled at Alva’s feet, begging not to be cast aside.

And in response, Alva had looked down at her with a bored expression—

Before stepping on her head.

A grown man trampling on a child who was sobbing and pleading for mercy.

The thought alone made me sick to my stomach.

I pressed a hand to my lips.

Why did I suddenly feel so cold?

I could feel sweat on my back, despite the chill.

While I remained frozen in silence, Chrono cautiously raised her head.

Her eyes widened in shock, and before I could react, she rushed toward me.

“Alva, I’m so sorry!”

Before I could ask what she was apologizing for this time—

My feet left the ground.

It took me a full ten seconds to realize—

Chrono had picked me up.

“You’re still recovering from serious injuries, and yet I made you stand around and talk for so long…”

She sounded completely serious.

With that same matter-of-fact tone, she effortlessly carried me across the room.

Still stunned, I just let her do it.

“I’ll take you back to bed right away.”

…A girl who was at least a head shorter than me was carrying me with ease.

I was too confused to even react.

Before I knew it, I was back in bed, and Chrono was gently tucking me in.

“You can scold me as much as you want later. For now, just focus on resting.”

“Your wounds may be healed, but your stamina still hasn’t fully recovered.”

Her serious, unwavering gaze left no room for argument.

If I were a woman, I probably would have found this moment incredibly romantic.

…Actually, scratch that.

Even as a man, this situation felt strangely embarrassing.

More importantly—

At this point, she definitely had more physical strength than me.

How was she able to carry a fully grown man so effortlessly?

Where in that slender frame of hers was she hiding all that power?

After thinking about it for a moment, I reached a conclusion—

She was probably subconsciously buffing herself with enhancement magic.

The issue was that she wasn’t aware she was doing it.

I needed to explain her own abilities to her properly.

I grabbed her wrist before she could pull away.

She blinked at me in confusion.

I had to make sure she understood.