CHAPTER 5 — The Smile That Shouldn't Exist
Leon sat silently on the carriage bench, fingers tapping against his headphone frame.
Outside, the world moved—
soldiers marching, villagers whispering, banners fluttering—
but inside his head, he was arranging pieces on a mental board.
Humans are scared. Humans want hope.
Hope follows the first person who offers a solution.
And solutions…
Leon smiled faintly.
…I can manufacture.
To him, the entire kingdom was shaping into a giant chessboard.
Pawns.
Knights.
Players who didn't know they were being played.
If he could save them, even once, they would be his.
Not through power.
Through gratitude… and fear.
---
A Deal with a King
King Aldros rode beside him, speaking of the war with the tone of a man already exhausted by it.
> "Three cities have fallen.
Our scouts say demon battalions move faster than before.
The demihumans of the North are wavering…
And the elves are refusing to aid anyone."
Leon listened quietly, head tilted, analyzing every word.
"Sounds like everyone's desperate," Leon said calmly. "Perfect."
Aldros blinked.
"Perfect? Boy… people are dying."
Leon met his eyes with a smile that didn't belong on a fifteen-year-old.
"They'll die faster if you keep doing what you're doing.
But if you let me work, I can fix it."
There was no arrogance in his voice.
No bragging.
Just… certainty.
Aldros felt a chill run through him.
This child was far too calm.
But he had seen Leon survive a battlefield with nothing but reflexes and an inhaler.
So he nodded.
---
The City That Feared Him
As their convoy rolled through the capital gates, hundreds of eyes locked onto Leon.
Fear.
Curiosity.
Suspicion.
He walked beside armored knights, yet he looked like a stray kid who had wandered somewhere he didn't belong.
Ruffled hair.
Oversized cloak.
Headphones glowing faintly.
Whispers spread:
> "Who is that boy?"
"Is he cursed?"
"Why does he smile like that?"
Leon didn't mind.
Suspicion was temporary.
Usefulness was permanent.
---
The Return of the Song
Just as the castle came into view…
His headphones clicked.
Leon froze.
No—
not now.
Not here.
The song started playing by itself.
The same song that played right before he was Isekai'd.
A cold chill ran up his spine.
He grabbed the headphones, trying to turn them off—
They didn't respond.
The line approached.
The cursed line.
"Your time is up—"
And right when the words hit—
A man walking two steps beside Leon
collapsed.
No warning.
No cry.
Just dropped like a puppet with its strings cut.
Screams erupted.
Women rushed forward.
Soldiers panicked.
"Heart failure!" someone shouted.
Leon's breath hitched.
No, no, no—
Not again.
He stumbled backward, putting distance between him and the body.
The last thing he wanted was people connecting the timing.
He forced his smile back.
Control the face.
Control the room.
Control the story.
Aldros rushed forward.
"Boy, are you alright?"
Leon nodded too quickly.
"Just… noise sensitivity. I should go inside."
He didn't wait for permission.
---
The Hour of Stillness
Leon reached his assigned room inside the castle, closed the door gently, sat on the edge of the bed—
And stared at the wall.
Not blinking.
Not moving.
For a whole hour.
His mind raced:
The song.
The collapse.
The timing.
The corpse.
The meaning.
Cause or coincidence?
Trigger or warning?
Magic or curse?
Fate or system?
His fingers dug into his knees.
His smile widened.
Not amusement—
pressure.
"If this world wants to play games with me…
fine."
A deep breath.
He raised his head slowly, eyes cold but shining with dangerous clarity.
"I'll play."
But on my rules.
---