I'm the Only One With a Different Genre - Chapter 25

Chapter 25 – Dovan’s Downfall

It hurts when you touch it, so I hate it.

Gritting teeth.

“Damn it, curse it…!”

In a narrow back alley where barely one person could pass through, piled with trash, there lay Dovan, crouching and grinding his teeth in anger.
This w a s co p i ed f r o m k i ngm t l . org

Click, squeak?
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Rats rummaging through the garbage stopped and curiously approached Dovan, tilting their heads.

“Scram!”

Zap!

Dovan snapped as the rats, realizing he was not a new source of food, quickly scattered. However, not all pests fled. Dovan felt the disgusting sensation of bugs crawling on his back but was unable to mount any significant response.

“How the hell did I end up like this…!”

With fists clenched, Dovan trembled violently. His face flushed in an extreme rage so intense it felt like it could erupt at any moment.

He wanted to unleash a barrage of spells and lay waste to everything around him, but all he could do was sit powerlessly on top of a rubbish pile.

“Damn Four Heavenly Kings!”

The reason Dovan, who once even had a fancy laboratory, was now reduced to sitting on a pile of garbage was entirely due to Jiso, one of the Four Heavenly Kings.

After sneaking into Mia’s mansion and getting caught, Jiso had dashed over, amused at the prospect of mediating the situation. She took delight in taking everything from Dovan under various pretexts, using all manner of reasons.

T h i s w a s c o p ie d f r o m k i n g m t l. or g
Dovan had been stripped of his laboratory, experimental subjects, weapons, and everything else, rendering him a penniless figure wandering the streets. Up to this point, it wasn’t a massive problem.

He was a capable dark warlock, after all. He could gradually rebuild what he had lost by earning money. The real problem was that Jiso wasn’t satisfied with just that.

She demanded his magic, his body, and even his soul.

“XX son of a bitch! Demanding something so ridiculous…! XXX! XXXX!”

He cursed profusely in his head, glancing nervously around him, shivering in fear that his inner thoughts might somehow reach Jiso and cause her sudden appearance.

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Ssssst.

“Damn it!”

Dovan cursed as he shook off a centipede that had crawled over his ankle. His eyes sparkled as he remembered why he ended up in this situation.

“It’s all because of that damn woman.”

Dovan didn’t entertain the thought that he might have done something wrong. Instead, he was preoccupied with figuring out how he could enact his revenge.

“I can’t run away like this.”

If he left the Demon King’s land, Jiso would not pursue him any further. That was his only way to survive, but his boiling rage made it hard to take the first step away.

“That slave I saw at her house.”

Dovan let out a perverted smile as he envisioned rebirth at his hands.

“I’m going to steal that slave.”

There was no longer any way for him to get back at Mia, but he still had enough power to sneak away with one of her possessions.

As a fugitive already doomed to leave the Demon King’s land, Dovan sketched out his vile plan without hesitation.

“There were definitely some usable slaves at that bitch’s house.”

Dovan rummaged through the garbage and unearthed a half-broken staff with which he traced a magic circle in the air.

The carefully drawn magic circle, shining black, activated with beads of cold sweat dripping from his brow.
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Whoosh.

“Perfect!”

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Dovan felt his magic successfully connect to Mia’s mansion, which lay far off in the distance. It was easy thanks to the traces left by his magic when he had previously snuck in.

Whoosh -.

Just as though a familiar spirit had infiltrated, part of the inside of the mansion came into his sight.

“Is this… the slave quarters?”

The cramped space had bunk beds lined up against the walls. Originally for the use of servants, now it was occupied by the children.

“Fortunate.”

Dovan’s eyes sparkled as he eyed his new prey that had just entered the quarters. Reflected through the magic circle was Pia, entering the room and opening a drawer underneath the bed.

***

Shivering uncontrollably.

My legs tremble so seriously it feels like they’ll bore through the ground. Even as I try to steady them by pressing my hands against my knees, it makes no difference.

“I’m doomed! Seriously, what do I do now!”

I can’t recall even a semblance of a reasonable plan that I thought I had until recently.

“Surely she’s not dead, is she?!”

If that were the case, this world would fall into the Demon King’s hands and be doomed. Tears came pouring out like the turn of a faucet, unbidden.

“Uuugh, ugh.”

Thud.

Leaning against the kitchen table, clutching my hair, I try earnestly to think of a proper course of action but nothing comes to mind.

Then,

“What are you doing?”
“Ah…”

A blunt voice, Pia had come into the kitchen.

“Why? Is there something you’re looking for?”
“It’s not that, but…”

Pia trailed off, slightly furrowing her brows as she stared at my face. Is there something on my face?

Without a word, just staring at my face, Pia eventually turned around and went back.

“Did she need something? Oh, that reminds me, it’s about time to start preparing for dinner.”

A few days ago, Mia, utterly resigned to despair, still hadn’t regained her senses. She was muttering things like “I am not wrong” while flipping through old, worn-out specialty books.
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Since Mia showed no signs of wanting to eat properly, it was necessary to prepare some simple food for her.

“Fortunately, we have enough ingredients… should I make some easy-to-eat sandwiches today?”

After dressing Mia in outerwear, providing a wallet, and a list of things to buy, she managed to shop well all by herself.

“Can a person truly become this broken? More importantly, was that incident shocking enough to warrant this level of reaction?” I wonder, but since I now had more free time and it was easier, I didn’t make an effort to snap Mia out of it.

“As for the case with Iris… since there’s no immediate solution, let’s tackle the problems that are right in front of us.”

I smile brightly, despite feeling tears trickling down my face. Residents of the comedic world recover quickly, after all.

“So let’s see, there should be bread around here somewhere?”

I start preparing the evening meal, taking out suitable ingredients.

“Big brother.”
“Brother.”

As noise starts coming from the kitchen, a few children peek their heads inside.

“I’ll help! Here!”
“Me too! Here!”
“Would you like to?”

After showing them how to cook simple dishes a few times, the children were already helping with meal preparations. Smiling and nodding, I welcomed all the excited kids who came rushing in.
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The kids who came in numbered not three, but four.

“Master!”

Jess came bounding over, wagging her tail wildly, and clung to my leg. Patting her head in response to her adorable action, her perky ears drooped.

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“Wow…”
“A tail…”

Usually hiding her ears and tail, Jess had fascinated the children with the sudden reveal. They couldn’t resist their instincts and reached out towards the swaying tail.

“Don’t. You can’t touch Jess without her permission.”
“Oh, okay.”
“Jess, may I touch your tail?”

At the child’s question, Jess’s tail quickly coiled up and disappeared. She looked at the children and shook her head.

“It hurts when you touch it, so I hate it.”
“Whoa, it hurts!”
“I didn’t know, sorry!”

The children’s eyes went wide as they apologized for their careless actions. Jess nodded, bravely assuring them it was okay.

Watching the adorable children, I unraveled a loaf of bread, as long as my torso, from the wrapping paper.

“Now, before everyone helps out, there’s something we need to do first, right?”
“Wash our hands!”

The children cheerfully washed their hands clean at the sink, using the little stairs I had made for them to reach.

The long stairway I installed at one side of the kitchen table made it easy for the children to help with food preparation.

‘I’m glad I made those.’

I used to only ask them to do things that didn’t require the stairs, like taking out the trash or moving plates.

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The children were still small, so just helping with those was enough. I insisted on installing the stairs after seeing Jess fruitlessly jumping in front of the sink in despair.

‘This must be what it’s like to raise a daughter.’

Smiling contentedly, I cut the bread and laid it in front of the kids. With tiny hands, they eagerly began making sandwiches.

With so many helpers, dinner preparation was done in no time. I prepared the sweet sandwiches to Mia’s liking and handed the tray to Jess and the other children.

“Take it to the dining room and let the other kids know it’s time to eat, alright?”
“Okay!”
“Yes!”

Ordinary children might have let out cries of “Waaah!” and dashed away, but these children, having endured various horrible experiences, didn’t get overly excited and carefully carried the tray instead.

Leaving the children behind, I made my way to Mia. It was a path I knew well, and I arrived in no time.

Knock-knock, click.

Without waiting for a response, I pushed the door open.