Leon kept his gaze fixed on the hooded figure for a few seconds, showing no outward surprise, even though internally he had already identified who stood before him. His posture did not change, but his attention became colder. That was because, in the original story, Leon died because of her, something that made that body want to kill her as quickly as possible. In addition, that body recognized that woman as a thief who stole the place of his beloved Elara.
"Who are you, where did you come from, and what do you plan by coming here?"
"Wow, I just arrived and I'm already being greeted with so many questions"
"You came without announcing your name and still expect to be received without questions? That's very naive of you"
His voice came out calm, without aggression, at least he was trying not to be aggressive. Valeria did not back down at his words, she simply raised her hand to her hood and pulled it back in a simple motion, fully revealing the face he had already recognized. Her black hair fell neatly, and her blood-red eyes remained fixed on him without hesitation.
"If I had announced it, maybe I wouldn't have been received so quickly"
Trevon remained a few steps behind, watching the interaction carefully but without interfering, simply waiting for any signal from Leon. She did not seem rushed or nervous in front of a rank ten. In fact, she was quite calm, which made Trevon think the two might really know each other. Although Leon's reaction did not show that.
"You said you know our secrets"
"That depends on what you consider a secret"
Leon took a step forward, slightly reducing the distance. He had no intention of hurting her, but she was certain he could be dangerous. Carefully, Valeria tilted her head slightly, assessing how far she could go without crossing the limit in that first contact.
"I know enough to understand that you are not following the path you should"
He showed no reaction in front of her or Trevon, and with a hand gesture, he asked Trevon to leave them alone. After giving a slight bow, the knight gave one last look at the woman before entering the house.
"Explain"
"I could, but that would make the conversation too direct"
She took a step forward, now clearly entering his personal space, which made his eyes darken slightly. For him, it would be easy to snap her neck, and even so, she had that confidence. Well, he should expect nothing less from a protagonist who challenged the original Leon in the story.
"I prefer to propose something simpler"
"You speak, or you leave"
Valeria let out a small breath through her nose, as if she had expected that. She just wanted to analyze the situation a bit more before revealing why she came, but he wouldn't allow that.
"Then let's simplify… the war started earlier than it should have, you changed the flow of events, you're marrying someone you shouldn't, and you're not pursuing Elara… should I continue, or would you prefer to reveal your little secret to me?"
[I like her so much… I wish I could be her system]
'Then go and abandon me, whatever system, shut down and don't talk to me today'
Without giving the system time to speak, he used his pact to leave only the two of them alone. It was better than seeing that damn thing praising and wanting to be someone else's system. In fact, he wouldn't talk to it for an entire week.
Snorting in front of Valeria, which surprised her a little, he walked to a chair and sat down.
"I knew you would find out, I just thought it would take you longer to come after me"
"Oh, you admitted it without even hesitating"
Valeria showed a surprised and slightly unsettled expression at how easily he confirmed he was reincarnated. Scratching her cheek, she sat in the chair beside him with a curious expression.
"Why did you reveal it so easily?"
"Because it would be useless to keep it a secret from another reincarnated person. I need to ally myself with as many people as possible"
"Wait, you know I'm reincarnated?"
"You kind of just revealed it to me when you mentioned I changed the story"
Valeria looked to the side, trying to change the subject. He was right, and that made her feel a bit embarrassed inside. Pretending to stretch slightly, she looked back at Leon, who had a neutral expression, clearly thinking the woman in front of him was an idiot.
"…Then let's pretend that part didn't happen"
Leon didn't respond, just watched her in silence, making it clear he wouldn't make the conversation easier than necessary. Adjusting her posture slightly in the chair as she regained composure, she thought that small slip wasn't enough to shake her confidence, but it showed she needed to be more careful from now on.
"I'll get straight to the point. If you read the story, you should know about my ending, and I don't want to die"
Leon didn't interrupt, just kept listening. Her gaze carried the weight of what she would have to face in the future. Her ending would be terrible, and honestly, she just wanted to run somewhere far away and live a peaceful life.
"And the way things are… that's still a very real possibility. In the original story, I already had a defined ending… you also had a specific role… and now you completely broke that. That should be good… but it's not that simple"
"Because you lost the reference of what might happen in the future"
"Exactly, so—"
"Very well, I'll help you survive"
Valeria was about to make an offer for him to help her, but once again she was surprised by how direct he was. This time, however, she chose not to show much surprise or ask why it was so easy. Leon stood up from the chair, which made her stop him.
"What is it? Do you have more questions before I start helping you?"
"Yes… you know, it's good to meet someone from my world, so I'd like to ask if we can talk"
Tilting his head slightly, he raised an eyebrow with a hint of amusement as he saw Valeria a bit anxious. It seemed she finally wanted to talk to someone without having to hide anything.
"Very well, what would you like to know?"
"You accepted... I mean, let's start with the country. I'm from South Korea, and you?"
Her posture carried a slight excitement, even though her face still seemed cold. Someone like her and Elara truly did not deserve the ending they had in the story. A small smile appeared on his lips before he sat down again to continue the conversation.
"Well, I…"