How to Survive as a Supporting Male Lead - Chapter 4.2
Being reincarnated in a book, knowing the future… It might seem like the perfect path was laid out in front of him, but Iann had one big problem.
He was the supporting male lead, and the story was a romance fantasy where the male lead ends up killing the supporting male lead.
In any case, because of this, Iann knew that he was the supporting male lead, that Kallian was the main male lead, and that the dimension-traveling female protagonist—soon to be the Saintess—would be appearing soon.
But Iann hadn’t been able to tell Derrick all these details, because when they first met, in a moment of panic, he had blurted out:
“Hey! I’m a great person who has prophetic dreams! So just follow me!”
That lie was the best young Iann could come up with at the time to keep Derrick, who had been skeptical of him, by his side. And fortunately, Derrick had believed that lie with absolute certainty ever since. After all, countless events had unfolded exactly as Iann had predicted, so in a way, it was understandable.
On top of that, Derrick had even misunderstood Iann, thinking that he suffered greatly every time he had one of his prophetic dreams. For Iann, it was a major win. Thanks to this misconception, Derrick often helped Iann with his work, and because of it, today would likely be another day with a 9 PM finish. Iann’s conscience had long since been crushed under the murderous amount of paperwork.
“Where did you say the Saintess would appear?”
Derrick asked, and Iann racked his brain to remember.
“Where was it… Ah! In the Nieve Forest of Occurus.”
“That’s where the new mine was found. So, is that why you asked the Duke for that region?”
“Oh? Well, that’s not exactly… Yes! Of course!”
Iann hastily changed his answer, but Derrick had already caught on. Behind his glasses, Derrick’s green eyes sharpened.
“You said you saw the future up until your death, right?”
“Uh, well…”
“Then why are you acting so vague now? Wait, did you forget that the Saintess is supposed to appear in Nieve Forest in a week?”
“Uh, well. No?”
Iann denied it, but Derrick wasn’t buying it. Seeing how relaxed Iann looked, Derrick raised his voice in frustration.
“Hey! How can you treat a prophecy that says you might die so lightly?”
“Hey, hey, hey, no. I didn’t completely forget. I had a rough idea that it was coming soon. And look, I’ve been working hard too—I’ve stolen some good things Kallian was supposed to get, snatched a few mines that should have been his, so I’ve been doing my part!”
“That elixir! Speaking of which, why did you steal that eel elixir? If you’re going to steal something, at least take something you need right now!”
Iann had his reasons. He couldn’t stand the thought of Kallian happily eating eel with the female lead later on, being all lovey-dovey. But even Iann had enough sense not to say that out loud, knowing it would only further enrage Derrick. So instead, Iann tried a little flattery.
“I mean, I also stole you, his biggest asset, didn’t I? I mean, come on, with you on my side, what do I have to fear, huh?”
“Hey, that’s not—”
“Think about it. Honestly, if the Duke of the North has a ton of work piled up, do you think he’ll have time to focus on romance? Or to train his abilities and come after me? By having you, I’ve already solved 90% of my problems!”
“Keep talking, see how far it gets you.”
Derrick muttered under his breath, his cheeks slightly flushed. Typical. Even though Iann was far from as strict with praise as Kallian, Derrick always softened up quickly whenever he received a bit of flattery.
“Iann, no matter how capable a subordinate like me is, if you lose to Kallian, it’s all over. I heard you barely managed a draw in the last duel.”
“Yeah, it was a draw. But if we’d had just a bit more time, I would’ve won. Honestly, I let him off easy. I felt bad for him, you know? Losing the mines was bad enough—imagine how devastated he’d be if he lost the duel too. What if that oversized kid ended up crying at home into his handkerchief?”
“The fact that you’re talking so much just makes it sound like an excuse.”
