I'm the Only One With a Different Genre - Chapter 163

Chapter 163
The Playboy of the World

***

The faces of the people from the Duke’s household, which had been painted with confusion, soon hardened into seriousness.

“Duchess, this seems to be…”

“Yes, it’s probably as we expected.”

There is no such thing as a result without a cause in this world. The scene unfolding before them couldn’t have been created without a reason. And wasn’t there a particular reason that came to mind?

‘If it’s those bastards who targeted us before, they would certainly do something like this.’

The Duchess pressed her lips together, recalling the doppelgänger that resembled her daughter.

‘Even if it’s not them, it could be another “enemy” that has appeared.’

Since it was impossible to predict what kind of situation might arise, the Duchess heightened her vigilance and dismounted from her horse.

Given the closed nature of the village, if a group of knights in rare plate armor approached on their sturdy horses, the villagers might lock their doors in fear, or even a fight could break out. Thus, the Duchess decided to approach the village with only a few knights.

It was a gesture of consideration, born from the confidence that they could survive any attack.

After conversing with the villagers for a short while, the Duchess sent one of the accompanying knights back to the group with a message to enter the village.

Lian looked out from the carriage window at the vibrant land and the lively village, deep in thought.

‘Something feels off.’

Most people would frown as if they had seen something unpleasant if they saw someone standing by the roadside, smiling brightly for no reason. The village had exactly that kind of atmosphere.

The inexplicable peace, the people who looked unusually happy, and the scenery of the village, which seemed to embody the word “peaceful.”

It was a perfection that carried with it a sense of eeriness.

***

The villagers welcomed the Duchess’s group and even offered them a large house. Such kindness only heightened the group’s unease.

‘Normally, if you let your guard down in a village that’s this friendly, you’d end up eating something laced with sleeping drugs and passing out. When you wake up… you’d probably find yourself having signed a contract with a black company or stamped a body waiver.’

Lian imagined a comedic scenario, tilting his head slightly and closing his eyes.

‘But this is a dark fantasy world… If we were to fall asleep after taking sleeping drugs, we’d probably be robbed by village bandits or offered as sacrifices.’

Fortunately, the Duchess’s group had lived in the dark fantasy world for a long time and were seasoned veterans. They began to prepare for situations even worse than what Lian had imagined.

As Lian watched the installation of various traps and magic within the pristine mansion, the Duchess approached him and spoke.

“Could I have a moment of your time?”

“Ah, of course.”

As the Duchess drew near, Iris hesitated and hid behind Lian. She had the sudden urge to block the conversation between Lian and the Duchess, but all she could do was hide her trembling gaze, as if a storm had settled in her mind.

She simply buried her face in Lian’s back, clutching his hand tightly.

Lian gently patted the back of her hand with his free hand and said, “Iris, I’ll be back soon. Just wait over there.”

“…If it’s inconvenient, we can talk later.”

Iris, who was about to shake her head like a child throwing a tantrum, flinched at the sound of the Duchess’s voice. She quickly realized that when the Duchess said “later,” she meant the time when Iris would be asleep.

Iris glanced up at her mother—no, at the Duchess’s face. She had seen the face before in the portraits hanging in the Duke’s household, and aside from the difference in color, they didn’t look much alike. However, one thing was certain.

‘She’s beautiful…’

Iris had encountered many people with beautiful appearances, but this was the first time she had seen someone as mature and elegant as the Duchess. Even the sharp atmosphere around her radiated the charisma of a predator that no one could rival.

‘There’s no way I can let them meet alone at night.’

Iris didn’t want Lian to meet the beautiful Duchess while she was asleep.

“I-I’ll go too.”

Her voice trembled as she barely managed to speak. Lian turned around swiftly and locked eyes with her. Startled by his sudden movement, Iris froze.

“I’ll be back soon, Iris. Can you be a good girl and wait for me?”

“…Okay.”

Lian smiled in relief as he watched Iris, her cheeks flushed, hesitantly walk towards the sofa he had pointed out.

‘As expected, Iris is such a good girl.’

Lian thought the earlier conversation was like a gentle request from an older brother and a sweet younger sister yielding to him, but to the Duchess, who had been watching from the side, it looked entirely different.

“You seem quite skilled at handling women.”

To the Duchess, the way Lian had gently coaxed Iris looked exactly like the behavior of a playboy who was adept at dealing with women. Of course, this wasn’t the first time she had thought so. She had her reasons.

Every day, he was surrounded by a stunningly beautiful beastkin, and for some reason, a woman who was clearly disguising herself as a man (the Duchess’s sharp eyes hadn’t missed it) kept stealing glances at Lian with a gaze full of untold stories.

All three were beauties that even nobles would admire, and they also possessed remarkable skills. In a world where strength was akin to law, it was nearly impossible to manage three such women—each with both beauty and ability—without any conflict.

If Lian had promised his future to one of them, it might have been understandable, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

As a result, Lian appeared to be a playboy who had the incredible ability to maintain a harem of three beautiful and talented women without any issues.

“Huh? Ahaha! That’s not it at all.”

“Not just Iris, but that red-haired beastkin as well—”

“Everyone traveling with me has been like family since childhood, so it’s not that I’m good with women, but more that I’m good at taking care of children! Haha!”

Lian hurriedly tried to clear up the Duchess’s misunderstanding.

‘Phew… I almost died.’

The Duchess, looking at the man who had just spoken to her precious daughter, had said, “You’re good with women, aren’t you?” To Lian, it sounded like a death sentence.

‘I need to be careful not to end up in jail before I can escape.’

Though it was hard to imagine the Duchess treating someone who had saved her life so harshly, the fact that Iris was involved made things different. If he were to be misunderstood as playing with someone Iris cherished more than her life, jail time would be the least of his worries.

While Lian was mentally jotting down new rules for survival, the Duchess was thinking something entirely different.

‘It doesn’t seem like a lie… Hmm. A son-in-law wouldn’t be a bad idea.’

Having experienced passionate love herself, the Duchess had already noticed what kind of feelings Iris harbored towards Lian.

‘He wouldn’t be a bad gift.’

The Duchess realized that Lian would be the perfect gift to open her daughter’s heart. Her eyes gleamed with a hint of greed, much like the gaze of a swordsman who had found a fine blade. Lian shuddered.

‘What’s this? Why do I feel like I’m about to be captured by a strange collector and put on display in a museum?’

Just as Lian’s eyes began to tremble as if an earthquake had hit, the Duchess spoke in a soft voice.

“Sorry for the misunderstanding. Now, follow me for a moment.”

“Ah, yes!”

Relieved that the situation seemed to have been resolved smoothly, Lian followed the Duchess. The unease he had felt earlier also dissipated just as easily.

Since the mansion was filled with traps, there wasn’t a suitable place to talk, so they left the building and moved to the side.

Next to the mansion they were staying in, there was another similar-looking house, which was also for guests.

It was suspicious that such a small village would have multiple guest houses.

The Duchess sent out a wave of magic to check if the building was empty, and then led Lian into the alley between the two buildings.

Entering the empty building to talk wasn’t a bad idea, but unlocking the door and sneaking in would be bothersome. Besides, if the villagers saw them sneaking into the building, it could cause unnecessary trouble. So, the Duchess began speaking in the empty alley.

Lian waited for the Duchess to finish speaking, but when he heard something unexpected, his eyes widened.

“A priest?”

“Yes.”

According to the villagers, the one who had created this paradise-like place was an old man who introduced himself as a “priest.” At first, he had healed the sick, then he had stopped the raging snowstorm, and finally, he had even purified and erased the fierce monsters.

“Are priests usually that powerful?”

“…I’ve never seen a priest with that much power. Except for one.”

“So, there is such a powerful priest?”

Nodding in agreement, Lian tilted his head in confusion.

‘If such a strong person existed, they would have been mentioned in the original story, right?’

Feeling curious, Lian looked at the Duchess, and their eyes met.

“Isn’t there one right here? A priest that powerful.”

“Eh?!”

“You can heal the wounded, easily ‘cut through’ a snowstorm, and even wipe out monsters, can’t you?”

“But I can’t create fertile land like this!”

The Duchess nodded as if to say, “Is that so?” but her expression clearly said, “I’ll let it slide for now because you said so.” Before the misunderstanding could grow, Lian gathered holy power in his hand and threw it onto the ground.

“Look! Nothing’s—”

Flash!

The seeds that had been lying dormant beneath the soil sprouted, and all kinds of plants—grass, flowers, vines—began to emerge.

“…”

“…”

End of Chapter