I’m Not the Final Boss’ Lover - Chapter 185

Chapter 185: Late To Regret

To Fabian, it would be more troublesome if Jun joined another expedition corps and shared her information, and so he had left her to die. It was an overly cruel and brutal decision to make over a past comrade as the Champion, but Fabian felt he had no choice but to do so for the greater cause. He apologized to Jun in his heart, promising not to forget her sacrifice, and that after he had defeated the demon lord… He would fulfill her wish by leaving Jun’s name in history. That was his atonement for her.

Since then, Fabian had thought the only thing left to do was to keep advancing. Although Fabian Corps was currently regarded decently as a rising star, it was only as a rising star. Fabian was a man who had reached the peak once, and there was no way he could be satisfied with this. He resolved to catch up to the Dark Knights quicker than in the first playthrough. He aimed to recruit their talents earlier and build some teamwork.

Things didn’t go as easily as he wanted, though. In fact, it felt like everything was harder than it was in the past. In one difficult dungeon raid, Fabian wondered if that dungeon was supposed to be so hard, and it was at that point that he realized something was wrong. Then again, it would be strange if nothing had changed after the demon lord reversed the wheels of time.

Fabian was late in discovering that something was different, but it was too late to turn things back. He regretted not keeping Jun alive. Thinking it over, he should have reunited with her first and observed the way things went instead of making such a hasty decision.

But it was no use regretting. Fabian resorted to self-rationalization: it couldn’t be helped, and there wouldn’t be a big problem even without Jun. Most events would flow as they did in the past, after all. Since he was having so much difficulty despite knowing the future, the others would have a much harder time. Perhaps it was an opportunity? It was easier to take the lead over the rest when competing over a harder problem instead of an easier one.

Fabian pushed himself even harder to catch up to the Dark Knights… but he was hardly closing the gap. No, forget closing, the distance only continued to grow. As Fabian grew anxious, he caught wind of a rumor about the Dark Knights. According to it, they had appointed a vice-captain.

“The Dark Knight Mayer Knox, appoint a vice-captain? Ridiculous.”

The Mayer Fabian knew was an arrogant and egotistical man. The man had never appointed a vice-captain because no one managed to meet his towering standards. If even the Dark Knights, known as the cream of the crop, didn’t satisfy Mayer, what would he think of other expedition corps? Well, he didn’t even bother mixing words with them, showing blatant disregard.

The man’s attitude didn’t change even when Fabian Corps surpassed the Dark Knights in the first playthrough. Feeling slightly proud of the achievement, Fabian had tried talking to Mayer, but the latter humiliated him by not even giving him the time of day. If Fabian had won over Mayer by a difference in level, then he would have simply dismissed the incident as a show of wariness. However, Fabian had never managed to do this, not even until the demon lord was killed. And that made it all the more humiliating.

In any case, Mayer Knox hadn’t appointed a vice-leader even until the very end in the past. Therefore, Fabian had no doubt that the rumor was unfounded. But the rumor only grew more specific. It wasn’t long until word was going around that the vice-captain of the Dark Knights was a support mage.