The Bystander Refuses to Bind to a System

Blurb:

Few people know that when night falls, Amos, the man who turns the Empire upside down, is actually just a passerby's secret identity.

That passerby is Kahn, the good-for-nothing second son of the Robert family.

Kahn once seduced the amnesiac god Ailia, making him set the whole world ablaze for Kahn's amusement.

The world describes Kahn as a heretic who is neither good nor evil, and sees himself as the center of the universe.

But one day, this passerby, whose secret identity is so well concealed, "luckily" gets bound to a System that supposedly saves the world by making the protagonist fall in love.

The System says that if passerby Kahn properly advances the plot and helps the protagonist, Ailia, complete his mission of pursuing his love interest and then burning him to ashes, he will gain power bestowed by the gods. With that power, he can surpass his older brother, take control of the entire Robert family, and eventually sweep across the Empire.

Kahn, who accidentally killed the God of Light last night: "..."

Bonus scene:

"Ailia, I was once bound to a System, and it was about you," Kahn said out of the blue.

"About me how?" Ailia asked. His belly was rounded beneath a loose white robe as he idly arranged flowers in a vase, though the corner of his eye kept drifting toward Kahn.

"Well, it wanted me to persuade you to cling desperately to a man."

Ailia's hand froze. His blue eyes fixed on Kahn, a tsunami seeming to gather in his pupils.

Kahn, still oblivious, gazed out the window and rambled on. "Later, as you know, I killed that man, then pinned you to the bed in the middle of the night..."

Remembering that rather unpleasant night, Kahn abruptly changed the subject.

"I hate how you became someone else for the sake of so-called love. But sometimes I wonder what you'd be like if you did become that way. Of course, all I can do is wonder... Mm!"

Kahn's eyes widened as Ailia suddenly pinned him to the chair and kissed him fiercely.

Ailia's soft, pregnant belly was pressed between them, so Kahn didn't dare move a muscle.

When the kiss ended, both of them were breathing slightly hard.

Ailia looked at the face he had yearned for, barely able to hold back the fire in his heart.

"Kahn, if you want to see me like that, you can have it now." Ailia restrained his desire, his gaze growing ever darker.

"Huh?!"

As Kahn cried out, Ailia tossed him onto the bed.

Note: Inspired by The Eminence in Shadow.

Reading guide:

1. The plot and romance run in parallel, with lots of flashbacks, mostly in chapters 41-66. The romance is bittersweet, with angst and sweetness rather than unrelenting sweetness.

2. The protagonist is the Creator God, and can "adjust" his physical stats. He'll deliberately make himself stronger to take the lead during sex, then try to exhaust his partner.

Theme: Follow your own will.