I'm the Only One With a Different Genre - Chapter 221

Chapter 221

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“Look at me.”

‘Is this… is this right?’

Lian knew that this wasn’t the first time he had struggled with such thoughts.

In the past, he had felt guilty for harboring romantic feelings for both Jess and Noah at the same time. And as Iris, now a woman, approached him without hesitation, he had hurriedly cut off any emotions that arose.

But those were only fleeting moments of confusion.

The constant barrage of urgent events left him with little time to deeply contemplate, and by the time he gained proper awareness, it was already too late.

‘Yeah… I know. I know I grew up without love! I know I’m obsessed with it! But…! This, this isn’t right!’

Is it because he grew up without love that he tries to swallow up any affection that comes his way?

Could he really say that the affection shared among the Nest members, who cared for each other like family, wasn’t love?

Of course, one could argue that it wasn’t romantic love.

‘There were people who confessed to me, too!’

If his obsession with affection and love had been that strong, he should have accepted every woman who confessed to him, their eyes brimming with affection.

Of course, Lian had always thought that the people confessing to him were just joking… but even if their feelings were genuine, he doubted he would have felt the same way he did about the four people currently in his heart.

Utter chaos.

Lian’s mind was in such a state that the word “chaos” was the only way to describe it. He groaned as he walked, eventually collapsing to the ground, running his hands over his face and letting out a deep sigh.

‘Could it be that I’m just someone who falls in love with anyone as long as they’re pretty…?’

Just as Lian was digging himself into a mental hole, Elensia found him.

The moment she saw Lian, with his white hair standing out like the only light in a pitch-black world, her mind went blank with excitement, and she couldn’t control her body.

Like a puppy meeting its owner—no, even more eagerly—she rushed toward Lian.

“Lian!”

“Huh? Ugh!”

Lian tumbled to the ground from the sudden impact. Despite the scream that escaped his lips, there was no pain, and he quickly regained his senses.

“Huh? M-Ma… Demon King? Elensia?”

“That’s right!”

Elensia, who had always exuded an overwhelming charisma, was now smiling brightly as she hugged Lian. Startled, Lian flailed his arms, his face turning as red as a tomato.

So many things were touching him that his face felt like it was going to explode. Perhaps because he had only recently become aware of his feelings, all his senses were focused on the warmth of their contact.

It was only after some time had passed, and Elensia had calmed down and created some distance between them, that Lian could finally gather his thoughts and speak.

The only information Lian could extract from Elensia was, “I don’t know where this place is either.”

She couldn’t possibly tell him that she had broken through a wall while watching her life flash before her eyes after dying, so she had no choice but to feign ignorance. As her thoughts reached that point, Elensia’s expression faltered.

‘Could it be… Lian is dead, too…?’

She quickly cut off that train of thought. The mere idea was too despairing—and yet, a part of her felt a strange sense of hope, causing her to clench her fists tightly without realizing it.

She hated herself for even briefly feeling relieved at the thought of going to the afterlife with him.

“I…”

While Elensia was drowning in guilt, Lian briefly explained what had happened to him after they parted ways.

As Lian recounted how he and Jess had taken refuge in a cave, his eyes darting around and his cheeks flushing, Elensia quickly shook off her guilt. Instead, she narrowed her eyes, sinking into a sticky jealousy.

When Lian began describing the camp where the beastmen had gathered, the memory of the ‘heat incident’ flashed through his mind, causing his face to turn even redder than before. Elensia silently scooted closer to him.

‘I don’t know if this is love… but at least I know this feeling isn’t ordinary.’

If she could, she’d lock him up in a tower with no windows, where only she could see him. The impulse to do so surged within her as she stared intently at Lian’s face.

‘…If only he were a little less cute, I would’ve locked him up already.’

Seeing him awkwardly shift his gaze, his face flushed, her burning emotions cooled down a bit. It was so absurd that she couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.

‘Was I always this weak to a pretty face?’

No, that wasn’t it. She had lived in the Demon King’s castle, surrounded by countless handsome faces, but she had never once felt anything for them.

Just as she had no interest in whether an ant passing by was male or female, she hadn’t cared about the gender of anyone working in the castle. If she hadn’t met Lian, she might have mistaken herself for asexual.

It was just that she had a weakness for ‘Lian.’ Even if he had been a slime without proper facial features, she would have reacted the same way.

‘…There’s no need to worry about this.’

The fact that she had ever doubted whether her feelings were love now seemed ridiculous. While Elensia was reaffirming her emotions, Lian’s explanation was coming to an end.

“When I came to my senses, I was in this endless darkness.”

Lian looked at the Demon King, as if asking, “How did you end up here?”

She loved the way his gaze focused solely on her, so instead of answering, she stared deeply into his eyes.

After about three seconds of silence, Lian’s ears turned red, and he averted his gaze.

The Demon King’s beauty was still so overwhelming that it was hard to look at her for too long. His heart pounded wildly, and he felt like crying inside.

Then, a pale hand reached out and gently turned his chin. His eyes met hers, those red orbs glowing seductively.

“When we talk… you should look at me.”

Despite the softness of her voice, the look in her eyes and the tone of her words were more of a command, and Lian, as if entranced, responded automatically.

“Y-Yes…”

She smiled seductively, her eyes curving as she softly stroked his chin.

“Good, that’s right.”

Her voice, as if praising a well-behaved puppy, sent chills down his spine, and his lips parted slightly.

‘Wow… so this is what it feels like to be mesmerized.’

Lian thought that if he had woken up in the Demon King’s castle instead of the prison where Noah and Jess were, he might have been so enchanted by her that he would have handed her the world. That was how powerful her allure was.

A sense of danger buzzed in his head, as if he might be swallowed whole if he let his guard down even a little. It was a similar feeling to what he experienced around Jess, but different.

If Jess felt like a predator biting down on its prey, Elensia was like a snake coiling around its prey, slowly suffocating it before devouring it.

The end result was the same—being consumed—but Elensia’s way was far more terrifying.

Only after she withdrew her hand did Lian manage to regain his composure, clutching his chest as if to calm his racing heart. Watching him, Elensia narrowed her eyes.

‘Thinking about someone else while I’m right in front of you…’

Countless cruel thoughts filled her mind, enough to make her think, ‘As expected of the Demon King!’ But they quickly dissipated. After all, she was dead and had no way to act on them.

Unbeknownst to Lian, he had already been imprisoned by her more than 30 times in her mind. If he knew, he would have been so creeped out that he would have kept at least a three-meter distance from her, but there was no way for him to know.

Elensia’s eyes gleamed as she wondered how she could swallow Lian whole. The contrast between her current appearance and the tearful one from before was stark.

Of course, it was only natural.

The shy, hesitant feelings of wanting to approach one’s first love carefully were a luxury she could only afford while she was alive.

From the moment she escaped the path of certain death, it wouldn’t have been strange if she disappeared at any time. Every second was more precious to her than anything else, and she had no time to play coy.

She didn’t hide her honest impulses, hoping that even a trace of her presence, a memory of her, would remain with Lian.

Of course, that didn’t mean she planned to cross any lines.

‘Not that I don’t have those thoughts…’

Whether Lian would agree or not, whether it was possible or not—those trivial details didn’t matter right now. What was important wasn’t her desires or lingering regrets.

‘I need to save Lian.’

Unlike her, he wasn’t dead. He didn’t belong in this place so close to death.

Her base desire to keep him with her surged, but her wish to return him to a peaceful life was stronger.

‘Even if I have to pay with my soul… I’ll save him.’

As she steeled herself for the possibility of her own annihilation, a sharp sensation shot through her body.

“…!”

End of Chapter