The Author's POV

After Hein's match, there were a couple of more matches, but none interested me, so I just made small talk with the others in order to pass time.

Fortunately, Hein's match was one of the very last ones as the round of 128 finally came to an end after one last big battle.

Though I said big, it was only like that because the two opponents facing each other were of similar strength and so was very entertaining to watch.

"This will be it for today's matches. I hope the contestants will take this time to rest for tomorrow's matches." The elven lady once again said as she showed up on the stage. Following her words, everyone stood up and left the premises.

Similarly standing up, just as I was about to follow the others out, Kevin came up to me. He had a serious look on his face.

Instantly my brows knit.

"...what's wrong?"

"Ren, we need to talk."

There was undeniable solemness in his voice as he spoke to me. Glancing around to make sure that the others had left, I slowly nodded.

Kevin wasn't the type of guy to act like this unless there really was something wrong. As such, I knew that the situation was serious.

"Where should we talk?"

"Your apartment."

"...my apartment?"

"Yeah. It's the place that has the least amount of people nearby."

"Fair."

And so we decided to head to my apartment to talk. The walk wasn't long as within ten minutes we were already there, but it was strangely uncomfortable as I felt this weird tension coming out from Kevin's face.

His face reminded me of someone who was just about to go to war.

Ci Clank—

Opening the door of my apartment and letting Kevin in, I slumped down on one of the chairs of the room.

Kevin shortly followed suit as he sat on the seat opposite of me.

"..."

An uncomfortable silence descended on the room as Kevin leaned forward, with both his arms on his thighs. Interlocking his hands together, Kevin's foot repeatedly tapped onto the ground.

Seeing that Kevin was having difficulty speaking, I decided to break the silence.

"...So? What did you want to talk about?"

Lifting his head, Kevin looked up at me.

"Say..."

His brows furrowed even more tightly.

"...do you perhaps have a secret that you can't tell me?"

"A secret?"

I was taken aback by his abrupt question.

'Did he find something out?...and isn't that rather vague?'

I had plenty of secrets, and so I wasn't really sure about which one he was referring to.

Nodding his head, Kevin's crimson red eyes continue to gaze in my direction.

"Yeah, do you have any secrets that you can't tell me?"

Leaning back, and deeply gazing into Kevin's eyes, I eventually nodded my head.

"...There are."

The fact that this world was a novel, the book, my skills, I had plenty of secrets that I couldn't tell him.

wasn't too sure how he would react. There was a high chance that a rift could form between us,

"I see."

Kevin's foot became more prominent. This was an obvious indication to me

going on

with you? Don't drag it out, tell me

been having

the least bit mad as

"Visions?"

Kevin ever having visions in the novel.

"...Yeah."

Kevin nodded.

type of

but I've written them down. Take a look for yourself and tell me

book from his dimensional space before handing it to

took the book. Although I

'Let's see.'

time, I lowered my head and directed my focus on the book in my

Kevin is this serious, it must

"...What the?"

I? I didn't think there would be anything

records?

the greater the confusion on my face became. That was because I didn't know any of the things that were written in the book apart from the Akashic

as the gods of this world, yet at the same time couldn't be considered gods. It was a confusing

out about the

that but the visions that he was currently experiencing were also not part

My head throbbed.

the

effect of my actions had pushed forward a couple of plot points several times ahead of where they should've

Flip—!

the passage, my eyes

you hadn't been so compassionate, I hope her death can finally

of a piece you are, a piece should

hope this will finally

Kevin who was looking back

It felt as though a lump was stuck in my throat, preventing me from

once again reading the book,

"It can't be..."

disbelief as I shook my

of speaking...and those words...that's

it too

the

and pointing at the book, he

in the vision

"This..."

I couldn't. The man described in the book reminded me an awful lot of me...or rather, me under the influence

"No, it can't be."

horrifying thoughts flashed across my

figure something

asked from the side. But I didn't respond. I

'...Monarch's indifference.'

re-read the passage multiple times. I swallowed

Not only did it feel as though I would lose all control of my body, but it also felt as though

my chess ideology did not

the ideologies that were being implanted inside of my head came from the moment I met the previous Ren, but that

got exponentially more prominent the moment I met the other Ren. Maybe that was why I never noticed it, and only noticed

down my

"Huuu..."

I tried to look back at any of the incidents revolving around me using Monarch's

that

I activated it to save Kevin. More specifically,

alive was merely a side-effect of Monarch's indifference since my goal was saving Kevin...but was it really a fluke? It had to be, didn't it? After all, under Monarch's Indifference, all that

nagging feeling inside of my

'I'm definitely overthinking things'

my head, trying to dispel such

to make sense,

the big incidents that had occurred to me felt kind of forced...almost as though someone was trying to manipulate the path that I needed to take. I