"You're kidding me! What the hell is going on!?"
When I woke up this morning and looked in the mirror, I saw someone else staring back at me.
The face was clearly not Japanese, yet I could still control my expressions with ease. I had long golden hair, piercing blue eyes, and the refined features of a handsome man. Not to mention, my body was tall, lean, and muscular, like a model's. It was a physique I could only dream of having. But without a doubt, it was still me.
'Could this be... one of those Isekai reincarnation things?'
In my previous life, I was a 35-year-old single salaryman in Japan, overworked and exhausted. By the way, I was still a virgin, so if this were the kind of world where virgins could use magic, I'd probably become a fairy by now.
...Just kidding.
But seriously, I can't remember why or how I ended up reincarnated into another world. I do remember passing out after days of overtime work. Maybe I died from overwork? Damn that black company! I hope my parents sue them.
'Well, whatever. For now...'
I took another long look at my reflection. "There's no doubt about it. This guy... he's Alfred Westen!"
Alfred was a character in a light novel series I had borrowed from my junior colleague, Sasaki, back in my previous life. The novel had originally been a web novel before being published as a book.
The title was: The Enchanter Betrayed by His Lover: Realizing He Was the Strongest After Being Exiled-Those Who Betrayed Him Faced Gruesome Retribution but He Didn't Care.
The author was Tanaka Daichi.
And the story? Well, the title pretty much gave it away. It's about a protagonist whose lover betrays him, gets exiled, but then goes on to become incredibly powerful and unstoppable. Alfred was one of the villains who gets what's coming to him in a big "serve-you-right" moment.
I vaguely remember that after Alfred, who was the party leader, exiled the protagonist, everything went downhill for him. His momentum slowed after the buffs from the protagonist's enchantments wore off, leading to a series of failures and humiliations. Eventually, he falls into darkness, challenges the protagonist, only to be easily defeated, and finally gets executed in front of a crowd.
"Are you serious...? I've been reincarnated into another world. No, wait... why the hell is it Tanaka's world? Of all the worlds, his?"
I wasn't upset about the reincarnation itself it was that I ended up in the world written by Tanaka.
And who could blame me?
Tanaka Daichi is notorious for his lazy, plot-convenient writing with gaping holes in logic. At least, that's the bias I had developed toward his work.
After all, his novel was a popular series that was getting a manga adaptation and even an anime in the future. Surely someone along the chain of editors and higher-ups would have noticed and pointed out the issues.
Still, his entire story felt like nothing more than a stage set for the protagonist. The plot holes, the ridiculously convenient outcomes, the nonsensical progression of the narrative-it was all too much.
In my previous life, I commuted to work every day by train.
It was on one of those mornings that I ran into Sasaki, a junior colleague of mine.
He was 25 years old and always high-energy, a stark contrast to my constantly exhausted self.
"Yo, Senpai! Early morning grind, huh?"
"Yeah... Sasaki, you're always so full of energy. I envy your youth."
"Eh, no point in getting down about it. When things get tough, I just escape reality!"
By the way, Sasaki had light-brown hair and a bit of a flashy vibe, but deep down, he was a good guy.
"Escape reality, huh? That sounds nice."
"How about this, Senpai? I highly recommend it!"
Sasaki shoved his smartphone in front of me. On the screen was a web novel-none other than Tanaka Daichi's series.
"A web novel, huh? Never really read one. Is it any good?"
"Yeah, the story moves quickly, and you can just shut your brain off and enjoy it. Perfect for the commute!"
"Shut your brain off? You're not supposed to analyze or get absorbed in the plot? You're telling me this novel takes you to some sort of zen state?"
"Something like that. Nothing sticks with you after reading it. That's what's great! The story has no depressing moments for the protagonist-just straight-up catharsis after the beginning."
"Why does it feel like you're offering me some shady drug?"
"No, no, it's legit! It's even getting a manga and an anime adaptation soon, so you know it's popular! But the web version is the only one that's finished, so I'd start there if I were you!"
And so I started reading it every day on the train.
But honestly...
Even as someone unfamiliar with Isekai tropes, I found the plot holes endless. And now here I was, reincarnated as one of the villains.
To make things worse, this Alfred guy looked exactly like his appearance in the manga adaptation.
"Damn... and I didn't even get reincarnated as a baby. I'm already a full-grown adult. Plus, I don't have any memories of being Alfred... Wait!"
Suddenly, a flood of memories washed over me-Alfred's memories.
I see... so I'm supposed to rely on these memories and pretend to be him, huh?
Great. Just my luck.
And what memories they were. This guy was all about womanizing and never once took swordsmanship training seriously. He relied solely on the protagonist's enchantments. No wonder he fell from grace after exiling him.
But hold on...
"Wait a minute... it looks like I haven't seduced the protagonist's childhood friend yet. Maybe there's still time to change things."
If I've done anything disrespectful to the protagonist already, I'll get down on my hands and knees to apologize.
After all, this world, despite its medieval fantasy setting, borrows heavily from Japanese culture for no good reason. As expected from Tanaka. I'll have to avoid the protagonist's expulsion event at all costs and rewrite Alfred's tragic fate.
With that in mind, I stepped away from the mirror and checked the calendar on the wall.
"January 10th, Year 150 of the Isekai Calendar?"
There it is. A plot hole, right off the bat.
What the hell is an "Isekai Calendar"? From my perspective as a reincarnator-and from the readers' this might be another world, but it's supposed to be this world's reality. At least call it something like the "Planet Calendar" or "Continent Calendar." Come on, Tanaka! This isn't even a reincarnation story; it's supposed to be about getting exiled!
"Anyway... if I remember correctly, the betrayal and exile happen in the year 151. That gives me a whole year to course-correct."
With that in mind, I changed clothes and left the room.
"Ah... Al-Alfred-sama, good morning."
A timid voice greets me. It belonged to a young boy with black hair, holding a mop. He had a pure, innocent face and seemed nervous.
This was Rogue Sirius, the protagonist of the story. At 16, he was already a skilled enchanter.
"Good morning, Rogue. I'm sorry to always have you doing the chores."
At my words, Rogue tilted his head in confusion, a look of fear crossing his face.
And no wonder.
In the original story, Alfred constantly belittled and bullied Rogue, never once speaking kindly to him.
Calling him "Rogue" and using polite language? That was completely out of character for Alfred.
Normally, he'd be shouting something like, "Rogue, you lazy piece of trash! What are you doing standing around?!"
"Th-Thank you..."
"Really, I appreciate all your hard work. See you around."
"Huh...?"
Rogue stared at me, completely bewildered.
I don't blame him. Nothing had happened to justify my sudden change in attitude.
But this is just the beginning.
I need to build trust with Rogue.
I have to break the chain of events that leads to his exile. And the only way to do that is by proving how important and invaluable he is.
That's the key to avoiding Alfred's tragic fate.