episode_0001

When I first entered the novel.

I was quite confused.

I didn’t send a lengthy email of 5700 characters to the author.

Nor did I leave malicious comments.

Instead, even though it felt so unjust to be possessed by a fake hero when all I did was love the work so much.

I quickly changed my mind.

Even though I was possessed by a fake hero fighting against the protagonist, just being able to see the protagonist whom I admired and adored so much made me so happy.

“And I can even help the protagonist more.”

Although I was possessed by a fake hero fighting against the real hero who had yet to reveal himself.

The power in the position of a hero was comparable to that of an emperor, so there was much I could do.

“So that’s why he was so arrogant.”

In the original work, the fake hero committed all sorts of evil deeds under the influence of power and covered them up.

No matter how much he tried to cover it up, rumors tend to spread little by little, but since there were no challengers to the hero, there were practically no obstacles to stop him.

However, now that I had become the fake hero.

I stopped all the evil deeds I had been doing and instead pretended to do them while spreading rumors little by little.

Since the original work progressed from the perspective of the protagonist in the novel, I had some difficulty not knowing much about the fake hero’s life, but thanks to the memories of the fake hero flooding into my mind, I quickly adapted.

The memories of the fake hero were truly dirty and trashy, enough to make one shudder, but with the thought of changing things now, I helped people.

Of course, the fake hero is evil. I had to maintain that stance, so I helped prevent my identity from being revealed and spent time pretending to commit evil deeds as the fake hero.

“Someday, the protagonist will come.”

The protagonist is very kind and upright.

So if the fake hero, possessing the noble character of helping others like a true hero, had been the case, I might have overlooked it, but after hearing about the rumors and evil deeds of the fake hero, I couldn’t.

Seeing such a story unfold, it was only a matter of time before the protagonist arrived.

Every moment, I waited with a trembling heart for the arrival of the protagonist.

“I didn’t slack off on training either.”

Honestly, I never intended to wield a sword, but since the fake hero wasn’t entirely powerless, I needed a certain level of strength, so I trained like crazy.

Moreover, since I had to show some degree of combativeness against the protagonist, I needed a certain level of strength, so I devoted myself even more to training.

Although I was just an ordinary person, I wondered if I could keep up with the fake hero’s strength, but recalling the noble mindset of the protagonist I had seen in novels, I trained relentlessly, resulting in a satisfactory level of strength.

However, since the protagonist still showed no sign of appearing, I used informants to search for him.

Due to the exceptional appearance of the protagonist, finding him was easy.

And upon finding him.

I received shocking news.

“…But it’s still the very beginning, isn’t it?”

That meant the protagonist had just started to become powerful in terms of the story’s progression.

Realizing this fact that I had forgotten, I thought to myself.

“Come to think of it, even before the original work began, the fake hero had been committing evil deeds continuously.”

So, it was all a misunderstanding.

Continuously spreading rumors would eventually lead the protagonist to come.

Not knowing what time it currently was.

“What should I do about this?”

It was too late to keep waiting like this.

At least the protagonist driving out the fake hero is a mid-story event.

It took at least a few years.

I pondered how to expedite this situation and came up with one solution.

“If I help, it should be fine.”

The protagonist, who was once an ordinary orphan, faced all sorts of hardships and trials as a result.

Throughout this process, she achieved significant growth but also endured much hardship.

However, it was certain that she would grow much faster than the original if I helped her.

“But I must not help completely.”

The protagonist must undergo growth herself.

If I were to assist her entirely, she would miss out on the growth she was meant to experience.

It’s not just about physical growth but also about mental development.

Therefore, within the boundaries that do not harm the original story, I provided support under the guise of sponsorship to prevent her from starving or lacking financial resources, and eventually, the protagonist appeared before me.

She sought to drag me out, labeling me as a false hero, but I welcomed it instead.

Through writing, I could now see her, whom I had only imagined before, with my own eyes.

Her appearance was so striking that I couldn’t help but feel joyous.

Even though I knew that after this moment, I would be executed for impersonating a hero and face death,

Just knowing that I had seen the hero I admired filled me with overwhelming happiness.

To the point where I felt it was worth dying for.

I watched as the protagonist, holding a sword, prepared for the duel.

With long white hair that seemed to radiate the light of the world, and the upright gaze of the woman I had only seen in writing.

It was the appearance of the protagonist I admired.

“Now you are a true hero.”

It was time for the tainted existence of the false hero to exit the stage.

Once this is over, she will likely reclaim the powers she was originally supposed to possess.

If that happens, it would greatly aid her in defeating the demon king in the future.

“It makes me laugh.”

Even though it was almost certain that I would die after this event,

Laughter bubbled up involuntarily.

Perhaps it was because I thought she would go on to defeat the demon king and live happily.

For whatever reason, I found myself sincerely wishing for her happiness.

Drawing the sword from its sheath at my waist, I aimed it at her.

It was time to adorn the final act of the play.

I uttered the words I had only imagined in my mind until now.

“Are you challenging a fake hero?”

“…”

The words spoken by the false hero in the original work to the real hero.

And the protagonist’s reaction upon hearing them was just as I had anticipated.

“You call me fake… when you yourself know you’re the fake one.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

I immerse myself in the performance at hand.

I mimic the trembling gaze, the breath, and the expressions that I had only imagined in writing, as if I had become the fake hero from the original work.

At least for this moment.

I decided to become the fake hero.

“It doesn’t matter if you pretend not to know. After this, you’ll come down from your pedestal anyway.”

“Why don’t we try that once? Proceed with the judgment.”

“Yes!”

At my prompting, the judge urgently began the countdown.

“Three! Two! One! Begin!”

The protagonist rushed forward menacingly as soon as the words were spoken.

Her training thus far seemed to pay off as the trajectory of her sword strikes looked precise.

“Now, let’s push back from here.”

As the fight unfolded to a certain extent,

I swung the sword while thinking.

Clang!

“…”

“…”

The sword the protagonist held flew out of her grasp, landing far away on the ground, and she fell backward.

Not only the protagonist but also the judge, the audience, and even I stood there dumbfounded, making no sound.

Such was the extent of the absurdity of the situation.

“…What just happened?”

Thanks to the support I unknowingly provided, the protagonist’s strength was in a more advanced state than when she fought the fake hero in the middle of the original work.

Therefore, I thought it would be even easier to act, but for some reason, the protagonist’s sword flew effortlessly.

Is this a staged or spontaneous event?

It was truly incomprehensible.

Perhaps because of that, without realizing it, I blurted out a word.

“Why are you so weak?”

After completely uttering those words, I quickly regretted them and rushed to save the protagonist.

The protagonist, with a gaze filled with animosity, looked at me, as if trying to hold back tears, lowered their head, and shouted,

“Someday… I will reveal my true identity!”

Just like the protagonist of a boy’s comic.

The protagonist got up, pulled out the sword stuck in the ground, and quickly disappeared.

Left alone in the arena, I could only blankly stare at the spot where the protagonist had left.

“Wow! Sir Knight! I believed in you!”

“Well, of course! There’s no way the knight is fake!”

“Wow… But did you see that just now? Did they finish it in one blow?”

“It was all just a rumor.”

“From the start, it was obvious that a woman pretending to be a knight wouldn’t work out.”

“Still, I thought there would be some semblance of a fight, but it ended too quickly.”

Voices of the spectators could be heard.

If it were a fake knight from the original work, they would probably be more jubilant, but I could only feel a headache considering the current situation.

“Damn, what should I do?”

I’ve only lived by observing the current situation.

Accidentally winning like this made things incredibly confusing.

Should I just admit that I’m not a knight myself?

I briefly entertained that thought, but no matter how much I thought about it, it seemed too insane.

I’ve been pretending to be a knight all this time, even defeating the real protagonist who is a knight. Suddenly declaring that I’m not a knight amidst this chaos would lead to utter pandemonium, possibly even bringing about a level of chaos akin to doom.

“Damn, I don’t know.”

For now, I decided to leave this place and think things over further.