I'm the Only One With a Different Genre - Chapter 108

Chapter 108
Even the Gag Resident Has a Weakness

As dusk fell over Cardishian, the city slipped into darkness.

Shops that were closed during the day began opening one by one for night business. Stores that sold different items at night swapped their signs and brought in their daytime goods.

On the streets, demons with bodies indistinguishable from monsters, wizards with deeply hooded robes, adventurers, and mercenaries roamed freely.
Th is wa s c op i e d f r o m k in g mt l. o rg

Since most shops were just opening, the streets weren’t crowded yet.

Among the people hurrying to their destinations, a group of about ten, cloaked in robes, moved briskly.

No one paid attention to them, as it was common for mercenary groups or dark wizards with slaves to move in such a manner.

“…”

Leading the group, Lily pressed her lips together and quickened her pace.

Tonight, the executives and some members of Nest would leave Cardishian.

***

Nest had either destroyed or absorbed the small and large organizations within Cardishian. It had reached the point where Cardishian was practically Nest’s territory.

All the secluded paths and hideouts within Cardishian were under Nest’s control. Thanks to this, the approximately 100 members could leave Cardishian without causing a stir.

Noah, cloaked, scanned the clustered members, counting them. She confirmed with her own eyes that everyone had made it out but still asked Nero nearby, just in case.

“Everyone’s accounted for, right?”

“Yes, I checked three times. We can leave as planned.”

“Good. Let’s move out immediately.”

As soon as Noah finished speaking, the group of about 100 began to move. At first, they moved together, but as time passed, they split up.

The group of 100 split into ten smaller groups, walking at a distance as if they weren’t together.

Having too large a group made it difficult to respond to accidents. Thus, Noah divided them into ten groups and assigned at least two executives to each.

“Lian, if it gets tough, don’t hesitate to tell me.”

Lian was with Noah in the rearmost group, the most dangerous as they had just left Cardishian.

Despite thinking of Lian as fragile as glass, Noah placed him in the most dangerous group due to Lily’s insistence.

‘As your sister, I need to protect you!’

Lily’s voice, arguing that nowhere would be safer than by Noah’s side, echoed in Noah’s ears.
T h is w a s c o p i e d f r om ki n g m t l . o r g

Noah, not wanting to feel the helplessness of the past again, agreed with Lily.

“Uh, okay. I’ll let you know if it gets tough.”

“…”

Noah pursed her lips at Lian’s evasive response and averted gaze.

‘Why is he avoiding me?’

Since the day Lian coughed up blood and passed out, he had kept a subtle distance from Noah.
T h i s w a s c o p i ed f r om k i n gm t l .o r g

He didn’t avoid conversations but often couldn’t meet her gaze or seemed to flinch away when touched, as if burned.

‘Was he upset because I hid my gender?’

Feeling hurt by Lian’s avoidance, Noah wore a sullen expression. Lian, noticing, took out a candy from his bag and handed it to her.

Th i s w a s c o pied f r o m ki ng m tl . or g
“Noah, if you’re feeling down, have this.”

“…”

Noah interpreted Lian’s gesture differently.

‘Lian is kind, so he’s looking out for me even though he dislikes me.’

As Noah busied herself with such thoughts, Lian focused intently on the dirt path.

‘Ugh… please stop, stop thinking about it…!’

Having no experience with women and hindered by the gag filter, Lian, who had never seen a woman’s body, found ‘that scene’ extremely stimulating.

On top of that, the scene shocked Lian, who had only seen Noah as a same-gender friend. The memory of ‘that scene’ tormented him constantly.

Lian glanced at Noah and sighed internally.

‘She’s so obvious. How did I not notice until now?’

Even with the use of magical tools to maintain a masculine appearance, Noah often showed subtly feminine behaviors.

She would instinctively support her chest or unconsciously tilt her head with a cute expression.

While the former might be evidence, the latter was influenced by Lian’s own bias, though he didn’t realize it.

As Lian inwardly struggled, he thought seriously.

‘Whether Noah is a woman or a man doesn’t change the fact that we’re friends. I should stop focusing on Noah being a woman.’

Every time he repeated this to himself, mini-Lians in his head would protest with signs saying, ‘How can a man and a woman just be friends?’

No matter how much he tried to ignore it, once he began seeing Noah as a ‘pretty and cute woman,’ all efforts were in vain.

Amidst the awkward atmosphere, the journey continued.

***

Contrary to initial worries, the journey was smoother than expected. Though they encountered monsters and bandits, the executives handled them promptly.

At night, when it became much more dangerous, the groups that traveled separately gathered in a spacious clearing to sleep.

The busiest were the executives. They had to check for injured or sick members and ensure no one had strayed before reporting to Lily.

Noah, leading Lian’s group, also checked their status as soon as they settled in a clearing.

Th i s w a s c o pi ed f r om k in g mt l .o r g
Soon, a large bonfire was built in the clearing. From the dimensional bag, a giant pot was taken out, filled with water, and soup was prepared.

Meals were served in the morning and evening, before sleeping and after waking, so about 100 people had to eat at once.
Th i s w a s c opie d f r o m k i n g mt l .o r g

With so many mouths to feed, the quantity had to be substantial. As the savory aroma filled the air, Lian swallowed the saliva pooling in his mouth.

Growl!

His stomach, stimulated by the smell of food, growled for sustenance. A long line formed in front of the pot. The wooden bowls were filled with hot soup.

The meat they hunted on the way was abundant, making the soup hearty.

‘I should go line up.’
Th i s w a s c o p i e d f r o m k i n g m t l . o r g

Just as Lian headed for the end of the line, Noah approached him, holding two bowls of soup.

“Noah, are you going to eat two bowls?”

Lian’s eyes widened in surprise.

Th is w a s c o p ie d f r om k i n g mt l. or g
With limited food supplies, they had to distribute the food equally to make it last.

Knowing this, Noah, who stressed fairness, taking two bowls was shocking.

Noah handed one bowl to Lian.

“I got yours too. Let’s eat together.”

“Ah, okay.”

As Noah smiled, Lian, as if enchanted by a fairy, nodded and followed her.

“…”

Iris, in another group, narrowed her eyes at Lian and Noah but did nothing more.

For sudden attacks, meals had to be taken within groups. Iris ate her soup with a displeased look.

At that moment, Lian and Noah sat where their group gathered. Since everyone else was still in line, it was just the two of them.

There was no need to wait for everyone to start eating, so Lian and Noah began their meal. They drank the soup like tea by tilting their bowls.

When a large meat chunk entered his mouth, Lian couldn’t help but smile. By the time he had emptied half of his bowl, Noah spoke cautiously.

“Lian.”

“Yeah? Gulp. What is it?”

Maybe it was because the hot soup relaxed him, but Lian’s voice, usually stiff, flowed smoothly.

Relieved by Lian’s tone, Noah looked at her nearly empty bowl and spoke.

“We walked all day today. Was it hard for you?”

“Hmm, kids younger than me are walking without complaining. Why would it be hard for me?”

“But that’s…”

Noah thought.
Th i s w a s c o pi e d fr o m k i n g m t l .o r g

‘What does someone else’s endurance have to do with your own struggle?’

Pain is relative. What’s unbearable for one might be trivial to another.

Therefore, you must use yourself as the standard to care for yourself properly.

Lian’s attitude wasn’t wrong either. To integrate into society, one must be considerate of others and align one’s opinions.

But continually saying you’re fine isn’t sustainable. No matter how experienced or mature, everyone gets tired eventually.

So Noah’s heart ached at Lian’s words. She wanted to voice her thoughts immediately but swallowed them down.

“That’s good to hear. If you get tired, let me know anytime. Oh, if you want more soup, you can have mine.”

Seeing Lian’s empty bowl, Noah offered her own, making Lian’s eyes widen in shock.

‘That… that’s an indirect kiss…’

Lian’s eyes wobbled like an earthquake, then dropped to the ground.

T h i s w a s c op i e d f ro m ki n g m t l . o r g
“No, I’m fine! I’ll just… uh! Return my empty bowl!”

“Uh?”

Left alone, Noah soon ate the rest of her soup with a sullen face.

End of Chapter.