Chapter 12 – Noah is definitely an angel!

“…!”
Noah’s expression twisted into a fierce scowl. His upper body was covered with so many scars, they were practically uncountable.

“You, this…”
Noah’s low voice made me flinch in an instant.

“Uh? Oh, this is just… the experiment marks I mentioned back in the cafeteria? It doesn’t hurt at all! They just look really gnarly.”

Saying this, I couldn’t help but chuckle to myself.
‘Haha, having friends is truly great. Even getting worried over something like this!’

In the comedy world, you’d hardly ever die from minor stuff (and if you did, it was totally normal to pop back up during the funeral). So as long as it wasn’t something serious, worrying over it was just rare.
Even when big issues came up, all you really got were comforting words like “Hang in there.”

‘Of course… the handsome guys probably just get worried all day long…’

This ridiculous beauty standard was everywhere. Back when I was in school, girls used to come barreling toward me like freight trucks because they wanted to meet the “prince” of the classroom, knocking into me as they went.
I ended up with two broken ribs and a sprained ankle from that, stuck in the hospital for three days.

Having lived such a ridiculous life, Noah’s concern felt incredibly warm.
‘You are my true best friend, really!’
‘Don’t forget that kindness, even if I get successful later!’ I thought while smiling contently, but Noah’s expression still showed no sign of easing.

“Are you seriously expecting me to believe that?”
“Ah, right! I didn’t mention that, did I?”

I suddenly realized I had never properly explained how my body was different from everyone else’s.
I immediately clapped my hands and picked up the scissors that were on the bedside table.

They were the same scissors I had used to mend Nero’s clothes just yesterday. Holding the scissors, I grabbed an old cloth from the laundry pile that was about to get tossed.
“The truth is, my body is pretty different from everyone else’s. Even fatal wounds aren’t really a big deal for me. Like this -..”

Thud!
I lightly poked the back of my hand with the scissors, and they slid right in like cutting through tofu.

This was proof that my comedy filter was working. Because in reality, there’s solid bone and muscle in the back of my hand, so it shouldn’t pierce that easily at all. But in the comedy world, you can just poke your hand for the sake of a good laugh.

As blood squirted out, I quickly pulled the scissors away and covered the wound with a cloth. Then I thought to myself.
‘Oh no, I’m seriously gonna die!’

With that thought, I made a grimacing face. And suddenly, the bleeding just stopped.
In the comedy world, if you think, “Haha, I’m fine!” usually a giant signboard falls from the sky.
But if you panic and think, “Oh no, I’m gonna die!”, the injuries tend to heal real fast. Of course, it varies by the situation, but in this case, my “I’m gonna die” thought worked wonders.

As expected, when I removed the cloth, smooth skin appeared underneath. Sure, there was a little reddish mark where the skin had just reattached.
This too would fade away after a while.

“Ta-…”
Just as I was about to finish with a “Ta-da!”, Noah, who had been standing there in shock, dashed over and snatched my hand.

“What the heck are you doing?!”
Noah gently grasped my hand as if he were holding fragile glass, his hands trembling. He inspected my blood-soaked hand.
I awkwardly smiled and showed him the healed part.

“Look, it’s already healed. So don’t worry -..”
“Stop talking nonsense! Just because it heals fast doesn’t mean it’s not painful!”

Noah’s sudden shout startled me and made my shoulders jump as I darted my eyes around nervously.
“Really, it doesn’t hurt much. Just a little sting? Less painful than static electricity!”

I abruptly remembered that static shocks in the comedy world could lead to being struck by lightning, but I quickly pushed that thought out of my mind.
“It’s not that painful, and it heals quickly, so you really don’t have to worry.”
“…”

Noah’s face turned bright red as he gasped for air, looking like he was about to let out a storm of curses.
“It’s not okay at all! Everything’s wrong!”

Noah grabbed my shoulders tightly, staring at me with a look that seemed on the verge of tears.
“Just because it doesn’t hurt and heal fast, doesn’t give others the right to mess with your body!”

Noah’s words hit me hard. In that moment, countless memories from the comedy world flashed through my mind.
The greeting from my mom, “Did you go out?” when I finally came back from being kidnapped.
The time I was shoved aside simply for being ordinary, even when I was injured just the same.
That “friend” who sold me out to a mad scientist to pay off their debt, and so many more.

“Ugh…”
Tears began pouring down my face like a waterfall. I wrapped my arms around Noah tightly and sobbed.
“Noah, you’re really a good guy, huh!”

He must be an angel sent from heaven! At that moment, I made my resolution.
From today on, Noah and I are one; we’re joined at the hip now! Attack Noah, and it’s an attack on me!

As I let that thought sink in and the tears flow, Noah—who had been stiff—relaxed and hugged me back.
‘Sniff, even being hugged by another dude, he accepts it without kicking me out…’
Noah, how much of an angel can you be!

*

Noah gently patted the back of the sobbing Lian and bit his lip.
‘…What should I do?’

Since he ended up solely responsible for his little brother Nero, ‘survival’ had been the most important thing for Noah.
In a kingdom that had fallen under the Demon King’s rule, feelings like sympathy were pure luxury.
To survive, Noah had to ignore kids around Nero’s age. No, he had no choice but to.

There wasn’t really a way to help kids other than agreeing to be sold and basically dying in their place. Noah managed to stay alive by overlooking countless deaths, all for his brother.
He thought he could go to extremes for his sibling, murder even, but that belief crumbled when faced with the sobbing man right in front of him.
‘If Lian doesn’t go through with the experiments… it might be Nero’s turn.’

To ensure ‘survival,’ he had to ignore Lian. He needed to find solace in Lian’s acceptance of ‘sacrifice’ and just stand by. But Noah couldn’t do that.
He couldn’t just look away from Lian, who was smiling through his scars and saying thanks. Even if he wanted to help, there was nothing he could do.
He couldn’t take Lian’s place as a test subject or offer up the other kids.

Noah felt utterly suffocated by this helplessness. It was like feeling a black fire burning in his chest against an overwhelming obstacle he couldn’t solve.
In that moment, Lian pushed Noah’s shoulder away and stepped back. Trying to hide his tear-stained eyes, he smiled brightly and said,
“Sniff, thanks Noah. From now on, I’ll diligently undergo experiments and eat well, too.”
“Why?! It’s not normal to let others mess with you!”
“Well, the other kids would have it hard without me. Plus, they’re so young.”
“…!”

Lian’s expression was so calm, it seemed impossible he had just been crying. In his gaze, Noah found something he had never encountered before.
The ‘look of an adult’ with a natural instinct to protect the weak and innocent now stared right at him. Noah froze, blankly gazing at Lian.

“I’ll do my best in experiments and cooking, so you take care of the kids, okay?”
It felt as if Lian was whispering to Noah, who had always been on high alert to protect his little brother.
“I’ll make sure to do that; let’s protect our precious ones together.”

Those words were incredibly sweet for Noah, who had to grow up too fast.
He could ignore all the guilt and sins in his heart, believing that warm smile would allow him to depend on someone and receive care.
He could escape from all the agonizing responsibilities.
If Noah had been a more mature and experienced adult, he might have scolded Lian rather harshly, but Lian was simply too young.

“…Alright, let’s work hard together.”
At that moment, Noah made a choice he might deeply regret for the rest of his life.

*

“Why does nothing work?!”
Dovan ground his teeth and hurled the poison he concocted onto the floor.
“Ugh -… The path to creating a masterpiece is truly rugged. The entire universe seems to be against me!”

Thud, stomp!
He stomped violently on the poison that was scattered on the floor. Still unsatisfied, he approached the girl sprawled on the ground.
“Why! Why won’t it come off?!”
“Gah…”

The girl lay there like discarded waste, her body soaked in various poisons, until Dovan kicked her, sending her flying.
“If only I had that beautiful skin, I could make a truly stunning masterpiece!”
Dovan fumed, spinning around in frustration. There, at the edge of his vision, stood a chimera made by amalgamating multiple bodies.

“Huff, huh… This isn’t good. I absolutely must get that poison!”
The girl, having smooth skin and soft hair, but a scrawny and frail body, couldn’t possibly become the beautiful work of art he envisioned.

So Dovan decided to peal off her scalp and skin to make his most cherished chimera even more exquisite. But this plan spectacularly backfired. The poison had bizarrely no effect on the girl.

It wasn’t that it was completely ineffective, just that it didn’t remove her skin as he had hoped.
“…Didn’t Mia buy up the last of the stock?”
Dovan mumbled to himself, eyes glinting.
“I guess I’ll need to pay her a visit after such a long time.”