Call me egotistical, but I believed that, without a doubt, the conversation was about me.
Variables.
One example is my actions at the start, which weakened Liam, the protagonist. This variable led to a gruesome outcome, where two of the main cast members died.
I had grown so comfortable in this world primarily because I knew the future from end to start, but with the introduction of such variables, the value of my knowledge would undoubtedly decrease, maybe even becoming useless.
Needless to say, I hated variables, and three huge variables were standing in front of me right now.
There is no guarantee of a redo for future events like last time, so the only option is to adapt to the variables' appearance.
The second major event of the story was occurring tomorrow, and it was crucial for things to go according to the story as the event would increase Liam's connection to Irene and Alya.
The two, alongside 10 guards and civilians, were both heavily injured in the incident but eventually rescued by Liam. After being nursed back to normal health, they officially joined the main cast.
Who knows what could happen if Irene and Alya don't join the hero's party...?
Definitely not me!
That's precisely why I want this to go according to the plot.
Of course, it's not like last time when I was completely powerless. Sure, I will do my very best to ensure things go according to the plot, but I won't do anything drastic like risk my life.
I had learned from the last time.
Hiding myself in some bushes within earshot of the girls, I began intently listening to their conversation.
The usually calm and composed elven princess started off in an irritated tone.
"So? Out with it. You called us here, Lily."
Ah, one of the few people in the world who can speak so rudely to a hero's family descendant.
Irene seemed to share the same opinion as she nodded her head.
"... tomorrow, you two should be careful."
A sudden shock overwhelmed my body as my heart beat rapidly, my body started shaking uncontrollably, and my head started to spin.
Not giving me any time to catch my breath or refocus, Lily continued.
"Beware of your surroundings; I received a tip-off that someone is after the elven royal family."
Upon hearing it involved the elven royal family, Alya squinted her eyes and assumed a more serious tone before asking.
"Where did you hear this from.?"
Irene, who knew perfectly well about the countless protection spells surrounding the academy, asked.
"The academy is the safest place on Earth; how can the princess possibly be hurt here?"
"It's a *uhhh* long story. Please place your trust in me for just one day. I promise you'll understand after tomorrow. "
" *sigh* I guess I can indulge you, human, for one day. However, if this is all a ruse, you'll pay. What must I do?"
"Do not leave the academy building under any circumstances."
"Done."
After hearing that, Lily sighed in relief before turning to Irene, who simply nodded her head.
Not leaving the academy building for a single day wouldn't be terrible.
Not bothering with any more explanations, Lily headed inside the cafeteria, leaving the two bewildered girls behind.
Just then, Irene recalled something.
"WAIT, LILY... why did you tell me as well..?"
However, it was too late; Lily had already entered the cafeteria.
Deep down, Irene resented Lily for taking up the attention of her love, Kevin, so when she was called, Irene prepared for the worst-case scenario: Lily officially dating Kevin.
But, now Lily was trying to help her..?
Though Irene was still confused about the entire situation, she had heard Lily's seriousness and concern, so she doubted it was some trick or prank.
Thus, Irene decided to follow Lily's instructions, for now.
Alya was a careful and cautious person, so she had already decided to follow Lily's instructions despite the lack of evidence.
All she would have to do was not leave the academy building. This task was easy, considering that leaving the building could lead to her being targeted and possibly killed.
Back in the bush, I managed to calm myself down before immediately analyzing the situation.
A tipoff...
What a stupid excuse.
Why would the person inform Lily, who had no connections to the two girls, instead of the academy headmaster or an authority?
She mentioned that the tipoff was about the elven royal family, so why did she call Irene?
After receiving the tip, why did Lily not go to the authorities to report it?
Because there was no tipoff.
If she went to the authorities claiming that Irene and Alya would be attacked, with no evidence of the non-existent tipoff, the most they would do is slightly increase the number of guards.
She had information about tomorrow's incident; there was no other plausible reason for her to personally warn both Irene and Alya.
The mission was being carried out by high-level djinn executives, so she couldn't have insider information. Even if she did, the information would have to come from a low-level member, making it incomplete and vague.
Yet Lily clearly knew all the details of the kidnapping, as she had specifically warned Irene and Alya not to leave their buildings.
She wasn't worried about the djinns going inside the building in the slightest.
Could she have somehow regressed..?
No... the book would have mentioned such an important thing if it had been possible.
Thus, I was left with one possibility.
Who was to say that I was the only person who came from Earth?
What if Lily, too, originated from Earth and read the novel?
But then, if Lily were from Earth and possessed the novel's future information, she would have realized that I was not Ren, as I was not expelled at the start.
Upon realizing that, shouldn't she have recognized I was in the same situation and contacted me?
Assuming that my theory about her being from Earth is true, there could be another reason for her not to be surprised by my not being expelled.
What if she had already made a change, so she assumed me not being expelled was a butterfly effect of that?
From her actions earlier, it was easy to conclude that she was the absolute opposite of me; she was willing and even trying to change the plot.
Before my expulsion, there was only one incident. Not even an incident, a prologue.
To display the brutality of djinns and Radics, the book starts off with a scene that displays the invasion of a small town on the outskirts. All the inhabiting humans were killed off, displaying the brutality and wickedness of the book's main antagonists.
Wasting no time, I pulled out my smartwatch and searched.
[Invasion of Cordu Village]
---> Only 2 months ago, a small group of djinns visited an outskirt village called Cordu. This group of djinns could have easily wiped out the entire town, but thankfully, the hero family, Silverbrook, intervened and dispatched all of them.
...
Lily Silverbrook
There was no longer any doubt in my mind.
Lily Silverbrook was a person from Earth, just like me!
After concluding that, I began to calm down, yet one question still remained in my mind.
Why was she changing the plot?
Tomorrow, Irene and Alya will find out that Lily's information is true and that she has saved their lives, so she will immediately have a connection with the two.
However, considering Lily's position as the sole inheritor of the Silvebrook family, she would already have everything she needed, making the connection somewhat useless.
In the prologue, why did she warn her family about the impending invasion of Cordu Village? There were absolutely no benefits to be gained from that.
What game was she playing?
In the prologue, she saved countless lives.
By warning the two girls, she saved them from being bedridden for a month and saved countless guards from dying to the djinns.
She simply wanted to save people...? That was the only possible conclusion.
Despite having knowledge about the future, she sacrifices that knowledge just to save some random people in a fake world.
A hero.
The definition of a hero is complicated and vague; however, even someone like me can clearly see that Lily embodies that word.
Her selfless and good-willed actions speak for themselves.
But it's all wrong.
Naivety. Not her selflessness or kindness; naivety is her most apparent trait.
Sure, the book had a good ending with the world being saved, but these changes made by her can easily change that.
She's saving countless people now, but what good is that if those people are doomed to die in the end?
What good is saving 10 people if it causes 10 million other people to die?
Foolishly believing that a good ending is guaranteed.
Someone has to stop her.
It has to be me. I'm the only other person with future information.
But does that make me evil?
I'm allowing all those civilians and guards to die to the djinns and even allowing Alya to be kidnapped.
Yes, anybody would say I'm evil for allowing those things to happen.
Maybe I am evil and wicked for wanting this world to have a guaranteed good ending.
If so, I accept it.
For good to exist, there must be evil.
Somebody has to take the role of evil, and in this world, that person would have to be me.
If Lily is a hero for changing the plot, then in contrast, I would have to be a villain for refusing to touch it.
At first, I despised my reincarnation as a third-rate villain, but here I am, actually embracing the role...
Does being evil and a villain mean I'm wrong?
In contrast, I believe I'm right, as I'm simply trying to ensure the world's salvation.
I don't deny that I'm evil, but I assert that my actions are not wrong.
After clearing the area, I left the bush and headed straight to my dorm room.
I had lost my appetite.
The only other real person in this world was destined to be my enemy.
Instead of sharing our experiences and chatting about our lives on Earth, we would face each other.
Worst of all, neither of us is wrong.
She's trying to save countless innocent lives while I'm trying to save the world.
Tomorrow would be our first fight.
I had to ensure that Alya was kidnapped by the djinns and promptly saved by Liam. Of course, Irene had to be there, but I already had a foolproof plan for her.