I did not release the hero Leon Valheim's hand immediately.
The handshake lasted longer than ordinary courtesy required slightly longer than custom allowed.
One extra moment.
But in a world ruled by plot, every fraction of a second can be enough to rearrange an entire chapter for me perhaps enough for me to survive the inevitable fate that awaits me.
Leon Valheim finally pulled his hand away.
His smile did not disappear, but it was no longer comfortable. To me, it was the smile of someone who felt that something had not gone according to plan.
Then he looked at me and said:
-«You seem… different from what I expected, Lord Kyle».
As far as I remember clearly from the original novel, the hero never said this line.
There was no "difference."
I sat back down in my seat with deliberate calm, then looked at the hero again and replied in a steady tone that carried neither provocation nor submission:
-«Expectations are often wrong, Leon especially at the beginning».
At that moment, the system notification appeared:
[Additional Deviation: 0.3%]
The system explained nothing to me, but it recorded it.
The hero Leon sat opposite me, his back straight, his gaze unwavering, as though the chair itself had been crafted to contain a hero and That posture, that composure there was
no doubt about it for sure, He truly was a hero.
The man who would gather the strongest companions on his journey, defeat tyrants, and lead the world toward salvation from evil and a life of peace.
And this very man sitting in front of me was the same person who would kill me with these very hands.
In the original novel, this meeting was merely a formal procedure between the hero and Lord Kyle: polite words, a temporary agreement, and the beginning of a false friendship that would end in betrayal.
But now?
The legendary hero Leon was watching me with his blue eyes, while I tried to read what lay behind them. Then the hero said:
-«I've heard that the Arkad family possesses rare information about the relics in the North».
There it was the awaited line, the key that would set everything in motion. In the original text, Kyle responds with blatant arrogance, foolishly hinting at more than he should, planting a seed of suspicion in the hero Leon's heart a seed that would later turn against him.
But I was no longer that foolish Kyle.
I remained silent for a single moment just long enough to make the hero think I was considering his words without revealing the true intention hidden in my heart.
Then I answered:
-«I've heard only rumors here and there, but most of them, as you know, are exaggerated.»
The hero's right eyebrow lifted slightly a small movement, but one that did not escape my notice.
At that moment, the system notification appeared again, accompanied by a soft chime.
[Deviation: 0.6%]
A good plan that was what I was thinking and I was not changing the event; I was only changing its interpretation.
Leon smiled again, but this time it was the smile of someone who had found a puzzle worth thinking about. Then he said:
-«Your modesty is unexpected from the heir of the noble
Arkad family.»
I let out a short laugh, devoid of any emotion, and replied:
-«And expectations, as I said before, often fail, Leon.»
Then I fell silent. At that moment, silence was my strongest weapon of all.
Another system notification appeared:
[Side Quest Unlocked]
Mission:
Discover the hero's true intentions and what he is thinking, without revealing your knowledge of the future.
Reward:
– Increase safe deviation margin by 2%
I thought to myself for a moment and It seemed that the system itself wanted me to play this slowly.
I suddenly lifted my gaze, as if deciding to break the rhythm, and asked the hero Leon:
-«Please, Leon, could you tell me what you are seeking on this journey?»
Stop, you idiot, What am I doing?
This line was never in the original novel.
The hero's hesitation was genuine, as though the question I had asked had pierced his golden armor for a brief moment. Then he looked at me and said:
-«Honestly, I am searching for the power with which I can protect what must be protected. That is my true goal».
His answer was perfect, exactly as I had expected. It was the answer befitting the hero of the novel. But I could see what lay behind those words.
I saw his ambition, his fear of being weak and unable to save anyone, and the deep terror of being crushed beneath the feet of this world.
I saw the seed of deviation the one that would later grow and devour everything.
At that moment, I stood tall like a mountain. In the original novel, Kyle remains seated, appearing weaker, with less presence before the hero Leon.
But me?
I stepped toward the window, the light pouring over my back, and said:
«Then we are more alike than you think.»
The hero Leon approached me and placed his hand on my shoulder and he asked me:
-«How so?»
I looked down at the city from above a city whose ending I knew all too well.
This city would later be destroyed by his own hand.
-«Both of us, Leon, refuse to be trampled beneath the wheel of fate and weakness».
At that moment, as the last word left my mouth, a long, heavy silence settled and a true test for me and Then the system notification appeared once more:
[Critical Deviation: 1.2%]
I realized then that the system had not stopped me—it had warned me.
Leon stood up slowly, took a step forward, and said with a look I could not decipher:
-«Your words are truly interesting, Lord Kyle».
Then he added in a lighter tone, though no less dangerous:
-«I look forward to working with you».
In the original novel, this was merely a false promise between Kyle and the hero Leon.
In my story, it was a postponed threat.
He then bid me farewell and left, the door closing behind him. The moment his presence vanished, my smile collapsed, my knees grew heavy, and I sat down, resting my head in my hand as a heavy breath escaped me.
«That was one step outside the original script».
The system screen appeared before me:
[System Evaluation]
-Performance: Acceptable
-Deletion Risk: Low
-Warning: The hero has begun to notice you
I smiled.
-«Good».
Because the most frightening thing in stories like this is not the enmity of the hero or other characters, but being ignored.
And this time?
He is watching.