I'm the Only One With a Different Genre - Chapter 174

Chapter 174
The Fortune Teller

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Compared to her playful grumbling, the Demon King felt a dizzying shock, as if she had been pushed off a cliff, when Lian fainted in the bath.

The warmth of the hot water that had wrapped around her body just moments ago seemed to freeze in an instant.

Lian’s limp, unresponsive body, like egg whites, lay motionless, and her magical energy, unable to be contained, wildly lashed out, slamming against the bathroom walls.

Crack, boom!

The luxurious decorations that Lian had admired earlier tumbled to the floor, and the beautifully painted ceiling split with a sharp crack. A massive scar, as if a giant beast had clawed at the walls, was etched into the bathroom.

Without even drying herself, the Demon King rushed out of the bathroom, grabbing an elixir—the kind that could revive even someone who had lost all four limbs—and poured it over the slime’s body.

If Erboan had witnessed this, he might have grabbed the back of his neck, forgetting all decorum.

Thanks to the elixir’s effects, the limp, fluid body of the slime quickly regained its round form. The Demon King collapsed to the floor, pulling the soft slime into her arms as it made small, sleepy sounds, like it was in a deep slumber.

“I can’t… lose you again.”

A deep, unhealed wound flickered in her eyes.

After a while, the Demon King, who had finally regained her composure, washed herself and the slime Lian in the now-destroyed bathroom. Since Lian had no voice or discernible form, the Demon King casually placed him on her lap and washed him.

Had Lian woken up at that moment, he would have immediately lost his physical body. It could have been considered an assassination attempt on a gag resident.

Fortunately, Lian didn’t wake up, even as his body was rolled around in a soft towel. Thanks to that, he narrowly avoided the Demon King’s deadly assassination attempt as her black undergarments brushed his white legs.

The Demon King hugged the soft, squishy slime like a beloved pillow, repeatedly caressing it until Lian woke up. The texture was so pleasant that she couldn’t help but keep touching it without realizing.

If Lian had been a golem or a fairy instead of a slime, he wouldn’t have enjoyed such luxuries.

Unaware that his harmless body had saved him from a deadly assassination attempt, Lian had to face the morning without a wink of sleep.

‘Whimper… I’m going to die at this rate… I’m really going to die…’

Having received several kisses from the Demon King since morning, Lian trembled between happiness and fear. The Demon King, who had changed her clothes, seemed to find the sight of the trembling, round slime quite adorable. She picked him up and rubbed her cheek against him.

Since his whole body was round and soft, there was no clear distinction between his head and body, making it feel like his entire being was being stimulated.

Once again, half-melted and limp, Lian ended up being carried to work in the arms of the Demon King.

“Why does Her Majesty the Demon King keep carrying around that slime?”

“Isn’t it one of the executives in polymorph form?”

“Huh, that makes sense.”

“If that’s the case, doesn’t that mean there’s an executive who’s that close to Her Majesty?”

“Maybe it’s a direct order from the Demon King herself.”

“What? Why would she do that?”

“It’s probably convenient to carry around.”

“Gasp…! That’s terrifying…”

As the Demon King carried Lian around all day, rumors began to spread like wildfire.

“I will immediately track down the source of these rumors and deal with it.”

“Leave it.”

“But…”

“Don’t make me repeat myself, Erboan.”

“My apologies.”

Erboan glanced at Lian, giving a look that said, ‘Hurry up and throw that useless thing away,’ but the Demon King cut him off sharply.

‘Uh… Can’t I just be left alone?’

Despite the overwhelming dignity in her voice, the Demon King’s hands were busy fondling Lian.

At this point, Lian had reached a state of half-enlightenment and had become accustomed to his squishy life with her.

What seemed like a life full of disadvantages actually had quite a few perks.

‘Having a body is definitely better.’

Though his arms were short, they existed, allowing him to flip through books quickly.

Squish—

Moreover, since his body was practically liquid, he could easily slip through any crack.

“Hey! Look, over there!”

“…! Ah, good day!”

“Yes, keep up the good work.”

Since it was known that he was favored by the Demon King, whenever he snuck out, he was greeted with sharp salutes from all sides.

If they had been innocent children or kind-hearted people, he would have sweated nervously trying to explain the misunderstanding. But the demons, intelligent monsters, and fallen humans who bowed to him had all shed blood on their hands, so he could enjoy his power without guilt.

‘Was it here?’

Thanks to his ability to flip through books quickly, he was investigating small libraries where books were stored one by one. He remembered the location of the library he had found when he was still a spirit, so he didn’t get lost. Or at least, he wouldn’t have normally.

Squish.

Lian squeezed his body through the crack under what appeared to be the library door. Like being sucked into a vacuum, his back swelled, and his front flattened. With practiced ease, he pushed himself inside, and with a pop, he landed with a thud inside the room.

‘Huh? This doesn’t look like a library.’

A rug adorned with a starry night sky hung on the wall, and in the center of the room was a table covered in purple cloth. On top of the table sat a silver stand and a crystal ball the size of two fists combined.

‘Was this place always here?’

He hadn’t found this room while phasing through walls in search of libraries. Cautiously, Lian squirmed around the room, checking things out.

‘There are books, but…’

[The Price of Reading the Stars and Foreseeing the Future.]

Lian read the title of the topmost book among the three stacked books. It was an intriguing title, but it didn’t seem to contain any crucial information. Still, just in case, he flipped through the book, only to close it within ten seconds.

‘Yep, I don’t understand a thing.’

If he had read any further, he might have fallen asleep on the spot. If that had happened, his plan to return to the room before she woke up would have been ruined.

‘Ugh… I might end up trapped in a glass jar again.’

Because his body was practically liquid, the Demon King would often place him in a large glass jar when she wanted to restrain him. It gave him a stable feeling, which was nice, but he had to give up all freedom, so he wanted to avoid it as much as possible.

‘Anyway… looks like there’s nothing more to check out here. I should get out of—’

Before Lian could finish his thought.

“We have a rare guest.”

“Ahh!”

A soft voice came from behind him. Startled, Lian wobbled and tumbled across the floor. His slime body bounced lightly.

“Oh dear, I’m sorry. It’s been a while since I’ve had a visitor.”

Lian looked up and saw an old woman sitting in a chair behind the desk, her wrinkled hand covering her mouth as she chuckled softly. She seemed utterly harmless.

“Shall we take a look at your fate?”

“F-Fate?”

Her soft, downturned eyes fluttered lightly. The old woman nodded slightly, waiting for Lian’s response.

‘Wait… where have I seen this before?’

As he stared at the old woman, a strange sense of déjà vu washed over him, and he fell into deep thought with a stiff expression.

‘Not just the scene, but even her words feel familiar.’

After racking his brain for a moment, the answer popped into his head.

“Ah! The mysterious fortune teller!”

“Hoho… Secrets and fortune-telling are inseparable companions.”

Even at Lian’s sudden exclamation, the old woman responded with a calm voice. Embarrassment crept in, but curiosity won out.

‘The fortune teller suddenly appeared before the hero’s party, who were wandering through the Demon King’s castle, and offered them advice, looking into their past and future.’

Lian immediately bounced up onto the purple-covered table.

“Alright. Then first—”

Vwoom.

“Let’s take a look at your fate.”

The inside of the transparent crystal ball began to fill with purple smoke.

“Ooh…”

Lian’s eyes sparkled with curiosity. Of course, since both his body and eyes were black, it wasn’t very noticeable.

“Hmm…”

The fortune teller gazed into the crystal ball, now filled with purple smoke, and let out a small hum.

“This… I didn’t realize I was in the presence of someone so extraordinary.”

“Excuse me?”

“With such immense power, you must be… Hohoho… This old woman’s tongue has grown loose with age. Let’s look at something else.”

Muttering cryptically, the old woman waved her hand lightly over the crystal ball, and the purple smoke turned white. She seemed to be shifting her focus to something else.

“Now then…”

“…!”

As the smoke inside the crystal ball gradually cleared, it revealed the face of someone Lian knew well.

“Iris!”

Lian’s body shook uncontrollably as he shouted, causing the fortune teller’s habitual smile to fade slightly.

“This… is dangerous.”

Just as the fortune teller said, the Iris reflected in the crystal ball was staggering forward like a puppet with its strings cut, her head drooped low. She seemed possessed or perhaps sleepwalking.

“M-Ma’am, what do you mean by dangerous…?”

Lian asked cautiously, as if speaking to a doctor examining an X-ray with a grave expression. The fortune teller tapped the crystal ball lightly.

Vwoom!

Suddenly, a black cloud, which hadn’t been visible before, appeared, engulfing Iris’s body.

End of Chapter