Chapter: 108
As the sun set and darkness settled over Cardishian.
Shops that had been closed during the day started to open one by one, gearing up for the night trade. Stores that sold different stuff at night swapped out their signs and brought in the daytime goods.
On the streets, there were demon folk who looked just like monsters, wizards with their hoods pulled low, adventurers, and mercenaries just wandering around like it was an ordinary night.
Since most shops had only just opened, the streets weren’t very crowded yet.
Amidst the busy folks rushing to their destinations, a group of around ten, all cloaked, hurried along.
No one paid them any mind because it was typical for mercenary groups or dark wizards to move in packs like that.
“…”
Leading the group was Lily, who pressed her lips tight and picked up her pace.
Tonight, the executives and some members of Nest were about to slip out of Cardishian.
*
Nest had been on a spree—either wiping out or absorbing the small and large organizations in Cardishian. At this point, it wouldn’t be wrong to say Cardishian practically belonged to Nest.
All the hidden paths and secret hideouts in Cardishian were now under Nest’s control. Thanks to that, around 100 members were able to sneak out of Cardishian without kicking up any fuss.
Noah, cloaked in her robe, casually glanced over the gathered members and started counting them. She confirmed with her own eyes that they all made it out but still asked Nero, who was nearby, just to double-check.
“Everyone’s here, right?”
“Yep, checked three times! We can head out as planned.”
“Awesome! Let’s hit the road!”
As soon as Noah finished her sentence, the group of about 100 began to move. At first, they looked like one big unit, but soon enough, they started splitting apart.
The group that started at 100 broke down into ten smaller ones, walking with enough distance between them to look like they weren’t with each other at all.
Having too large a group could be a recipe for disaster if something went sideways. So, Noah split them into ten groups and assigned at least two executives to each.
“Lian, if things get tough, don’t hesitate to shout it out.”
Lian was at the very back with Noah, making that the riskiest spot since they had just left Cardishian.
Despite thinking of Lian as fragile as glass, Noah reluctantly included him in the most dangerous group because Lily insisted.
“I’ll be your sister and keep you safe!”
Lily’s voice, arguing that there was no safer place than sticking by Noah, rang in Noah’s ears.
Not wanting to feel helpless like before, Noah rolled with Lily’s suggestion.
“Uh, okay. I’ll let you know if it gets tough.”
“…”
Noah pursed her lips as she watched Lian avoid her gaze and act all evasive.
‘Why’s he avoiding me like the plague?’
Ever since the day Lian coughed up blood and fainted, he kept a subtle distance from Noah.
He didn’t avoid conversations, but he often couldn’t meet her gaze, flinching like he’d been burned every time she got close.
‘Is he mad because I hid my gender?’
Hurt by Lian’s avoidance, Noah made a sulky face. Sensing this, Lian took out a candy from his bag and passed it to her.
“Noah, if you’re feeling down, have this.”
“…”
Noah interpreted Lian’s gesture in a totally different way.
‘Lian’s such a sweetheart… even if he’s probably not fond of me.’
While Noah was caught up in her inner thoughts, Lian was busy staring at the dirt path like it owed him money.
‘Ugh… please just stop it… stop bringing it up…!’
With zero experience with women and dealing with a gag filter, Lian, who had never even properly seen a woman’s body, found ‘that scene’ way too stimulating.
Plus, ‘that scene’ was a total shocker for Lian, who only saw Noah as a same-gender buddy. The mere memory of ‘that scene’ haunted him non-stop.
He glanced at Noah, sighed internally, and thought,
‘Wow, how did I not notice how obvious she was until now?’
Even though Noah used magic tools to maintain a masculine appearance, she still had those subtly feminine traits that screamed out “Hey, I’m a girl!”
Things like instinctively clutching her chest or tilting her head in a cute way happened way too often.
While the first one could kinda count as evidence, the second one was just Lian’s bias, which he totally missed.
Amidst his internal struggle, Lian suddenly pondered seriously.
‘Whether Noah is a woman or a man doesn’t change the fact that we’re friends. I should just focus on that!’
But every time he reassured himself, mini-Lians in his head showed up with signs saying, ‘How can a guy and gal just be friends?!’
No matter how much he tried to ignore it, once he saw Noah as a ‘pretty and cute girl,’ all his efforts to stay neutral fell flat.
And so the awkward journey rambled on…
*
Contrary to his initial worries, the journey was surprisingly smooth sailing. Sure, there were monster attacks and bandit encounters, but the executives handled them like pros.
As night fell, magnitudes of danger skyrocketed, and the groups that were keeping distance from each other gathered together in a spacious area to catch some Zs.
The busiest people among them? The executives. They had to check if anyone was injured or sick and ensure no stragglers wandered off before reporting back to Lily.
Noah, who was leading Lian’s group, promptly checked on everyone’s status once they settled in the clearing.
Before long, a large bonfire was blazing in the center. From her dimensional bag, she pulled out a massive pot, filled it with water, and started making soup.
Meals were served in the morning and evening, and before heading to sleep and as soon as they woke up, so about 100 people had to eat at once.
With so many mouths to feed, the quantity had to be pretty big! Just as the delicious aroma wafted through the air, Lian found himself gulping down the saliva building up in his mouth.
Growl!
His stomach growled as it twisted in hunger, demanding to be fed. A long line quickly formed in front of the pot. Wooden bowls were heaped high with warm soup.
The meat they hunted on the way was abundant, making the soup hearty and filling.
‘I need to hurry and line up!’
Right as Lian moved towards the end of the line, Noah appeared, holding two bowls of soup.
“Noah, are you seriously gonna eat two bowls?”
Lian’s eyes nearly popped out of his head in shock.
With food in short supply, it was crucial to share it equally to make their provisions last.
So when Noah, who stressed fairness, waltzed in with two bowls, it was quite a surprise.
Noah handed one bowl to Lian and casually said,
“I grabbed yours too. Let’s eat together!”
“Uh, right. Okay.”
When Noah flashed that radiant smile, Lian couldn’t help but feel like he was bewitched and obediently followed her.
“…”
Iris, who was in another group, shot a narrow-eyed glare at Lian and Noah but didn’t take any further action.
They had to eat among their groups to prepare for any sudden ambushes. So, with a pout, Iris slurped up her soup.
Meanwhile, Lian and Noah seated themselves where their group gathered. Since everyone else was still waiting in line, it was just the two of them at the table.
There wasn’t really a need to wait for everyone to start eating, so Lian and Noah dove right into their food. They drank the soup like it was tea, tilting their bowls.
When a large chunk of meat hit Lian’s mouth, he couldn’t suppress a grin. By the time he had downed half of his soup, Noah casually initiated a conversation.
“Lian.”
“Huh? Gulp. What’s up?”
Maybe it was because the warm soup had relaxed him, but Lian’s usually stiff voice flowed easily.
Relaxed by Lian’s tone, Noah looked at her bowl, which was now more than halfway empty, and asked,
“We walked all day—was it tough for you?”
“Hmm, there’s way younger kids who’ve walked without saying a peep. How could I complain?”
“But that’s…”
Noah was lost in thought.
‘What does someone else’s struggle have to do with your own discomfort?’
Pain is a relative concept. What is unbearable to one could seem minor to another.
Thus, you’ve got to center your standards around yourself to care for your own needs effectively.
But Lian’s stance wasn’t all bad either. Living in society requires a certain sensitivity to others and an ability to compromise.
But you can’t just keep saying you’re fine forever. No matter how experienced or mature you are, everyone feels drained at some point.
And that’s why Noah’s heart ached a bit at Lian’s words. She wanted to articulate her thoughts right away but managed to swallow it.
“That’s good to hear! So, if you start feeling tired, just let me know anytime. And hey, if you want more soup, you can totally have some of mine!”
As she caught sight of Lian’s empty bowl, Noah offered him her own, making Lian’s eyes widen in shock.
‘Wait… that’s like, an indirect kiss…’
Lian’s pupils jiggled like the earth itself was quaking, before he promptly dropped his gaze to the ground.
“No, I’m fine! I just… uh! I’ll go return my empty bowl!”
“Uh?”
Left to herself, Noah soon finished the remainder of her soup with a sullen expression.
*
End of Chapter.
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