Quietly Hiding that I am a Man chapter 133- Fake Value

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The shimmering Diamond Slime darted away in the opposite direction.

Just as I was about to fetch Jerome, Karen grabbed my arm, speaking shyly.

“If you call Jerome, it’ll already be too late. Why don’t you chase after the slime first, Lady? I-I’ll explain the situation to Jerome when he arrives.”

“Is that so? Alright, but both of you must stay right here until I return. We can’t risk missing each other.”

“Yes! P-please don’t worry about us.”

Karen’s gentle smile warmed my heart.

After spending so much time around snobbish nobles who constantly whispered behind my back, meeting someone so free of prejudice was a small comfort.

“Alright, I’ll be back. Take care.”

Karen responded with a bright smile instead of words.

I hurried off after the Diamond Slime, which had already disappeared over the hill.

There were many reasons why I was trying so hard, but the biggest was to prove myself to those who scorned and looked down on me.

Ever since the incident with Lady Quaintrelle, I’d felt utterly defeated. If others recognized my worth, perhaps the crushing sense of self-doubt would finally ease.

[Your thoughts are always shallow. Simplistic. Idealistic, even.]

Luke’s words echoed in my mind, and I froze in place.

His harsh remark lingered, a constant reminder of my own shortcomings.

While I hesitated, the Diamond Slime vanished from view.

Frustrated, I slumped to the ground, scratching my arm against a branch in the process.

Blood began to bead on my forearm.

“What am I even doing here?”

I wasn’t as efficient as Jerome, nor as resourceful as Luke.

Why was I here at all?

Ever since I failed to expose Revulin’s crimes and my relationship with Jerome became strained, I’d been stuck in a slump.

Like a deflated balloon, I felt myself shrinking, sighing deeply as despair crept in.

“I guess I’ll just head back to where Karen is…”

Squeak!

As I turned to leave, a strange sound from behind made me look back.

A tiny, transparent slime—likely still a juvenile—was crying as it dashed toward me.

It hid behind me as though I were its guardian.

“Don’t cling to me; you’re sticky,” I muttered, prying it off my leg.

This juvenile slime, with its small, translucent body, was clearly a pre-evolution form of a gemstone slime.

Normally, they lived in damp, dark caves until they evolved. If this one was out here, it must have gotten separated from its parents.

The little slime trembled as though it had seen something terrifying.

Cradling it in my arms, I murmured, “What happened to you? Why is a baby slime out here…”

“There it is!”

A man I’d never seen before burst out of the bushes, followed by a group of people.

Alarm bells went off in my head as I realized this wasn’t a good situation.

The man glared at the slime in my arms and raised an eyebrow.

“Who the hell is this Sacre wench? Boomer! Get over here!”

The familiar name made my eyes narrow.

If he was Boomer, then… he must be the guild leader of Pluto, the one who orchestrated my abduction by the slavers.

Last I heard, he’d been expelled from the academy.

Thud, thud.

The ground shook with heavy footsteps.

Boomer emerged, even larger than I remembered—likely due to stress-induced overeating since his expulsion.

He grinned at me with yellowed teeth.

“Fancy meeting you again in a place like this.”

“……”

“Hey. Because of you, I got expelled from the academy, my engagement was broken off, I lost my position as the family head, and my father disowned me.”

The voice, dripping with venomous resentment, made me gulp involuntarily.

As Boomer drew closer, I instinctively took a step back.

Unlike his previously typical villainous demeanor, he seemed oddly composed now.

Boomer glanced at the slime nestled in my arms, let out a dry chuckle, and shrugged.

“Well, the past is the past. I have no intention of exacting petty revenge on you.”

“……”

“So just hand over that slime. Do that, and I’ll let you go quietly.”

Boomer’s voice rose, laced with barely contained rage.

I knew better than to mock or provoke him in this situation.

Keeping my tone as calm as possible, I asked,

“What are you planning to do with this baby slime?”

“What else? Torture it. There’s research suggesting that the cries of a baby slime attract others of its kind. It’s more efficient to hunt them when they’re all gathered in one place.”

If it were Luke, he’d probably hand over the slime without hesitation.

After all, risking your life for a mere slime would clearly be a losing bargain.

I wanted the protagonist, Luke, to be beloved by readers.

That’s why I made him intelligent, logical, and capable of making rational choices even in critical moments.

‘Unlike me, who’s always swayed by emotions and circumstances.’

I bit my lower lip, staring down at the baby slime in my arms.

Sensing my hesitation, the slime began to cry, tears rolling down its tiny body.

I slapped away Boomer’s outstretched hand as he tried to grab the slime.

Narrowing his eyes, he growled,

“Did you not hear me? Hand over the slime, and—”

“No.”

“What?”

“I guess I’ll never be like Luke.”

In that moment, I felt like I’d found a way to pull myself out of this slump.

Winking at the slime, I watched as it miraculously stopped crying and trembled, as if understanding me.

Taking a deep breath, I steeled myself.

“And I don’t need to be.”

The slime launched itself from my arms, landing squarely on Boomer’s face.

While Boomer flailed and struggled, trying to peel the slime off, I yanked down his pants in one swift motion.

The men behind him burst out laughing at the sight of his rather unimpressive size compared to his stature.

Tripping over his half-lowered pants, Boomer fell backward with a groan.

Seizing the opportunity, I called out to the slime.

“Come here!”

The baby slime, having completed its assault, leapt back into my arms.

Without a second glance, I turned and bolted in the opposite direction.

Behind me, Boomer’s enraged voice echoed,

“You little piece of scum! I swear I’ll kill you when I catch you!”

✽ ✽ ✽

“Jeanne, there’s a slime cave up to the north—”

Jerome, who had been scouting the area, stopped mid-sentence.

Instead of Jeanne waiting for him, only Karen was there.

As the air around him grew colder, Karen hurriedly stammered,

“M-Master Jerome, it’s just that… the lady said her feet hurt and insisted on going back. I tried to dissuade her, but she was so adamant…”

Hesitating, Karen hung her head low and nervously picked at the skin around her fingernails.

“I-I’m sorry. I should’ve stopped her, but no matter how much I warned her about losing the trail, she wouldn’t listen…”

“……”

“This is my fault. If you’re going to blame anyone, blame me.”

Jerome regarded Karen with an unreadable expression before brushing past her without a word.

The way Jerome ignored her, as though she didn’t exist, caused Karen’s eyes to tremble.

Shaking, Karen stepped forward to block Jerome’s path and spoke desperately.

“N-no matter what people say about you, Master Jerome, you’re my hero!”

Karen’s shout echoed, her face flushing crimson.

She had always believed in fate ever since reuniting with Jerome at the guild assembly.

During the battle in the subdimension, covered in blood and fighting off countless monsters, Jerome had been the only hero from a bygone era to rescue them.

Karen had been one of the survivors who witnessed that battle firsthand.

Recalling those memories, Karen offered a hesitant smile.

“When the imperial family refused to send reinforcements for the subdimension… you were the only one who risked yourself to open the dimension and save us. It was because of you that I’m alive today.”

“You were in the subdimension during the Great Catastrophe?”

“Yes. Though… the exposure to aether left me with this… stutter.”

Jerome’s cold gaze softened briefly.

Taking that as an opening, Karen stepped closer.

“Master Jerome, your memory spells may be powerful, but… you can’t use them on yourself, can you? You’ve been enduring all those painful and sorrowful memories alone, haven’t you?”

“……”

“But I can cast illusions. I can give you a vision of comfort. Think about it—imagine the person you want to see the most…”

As if praying, Karen clasped her hands together.

Particles of light began to gather around her.

Slowly, her appearance transformed.

Jerome’s eyes widened at the sight of long platinum hair cascading down Karen’s back and a face as stunningly beautiful as a painting.

It was a visage Jerome thought he’d never see again—a nightmare from his past.

The woman smiled faintly, her soft hand reaching to cup Jerome’s cheek.

Entranced, he couldn’t look away from her radiant expression.

“Jerome.”

Finally grasping the situation, Jerome grabbed Karen’s shoulder just as the illusion leaned in to plant a kiss on his cheek.

The forceful grip broke the illusion, and Karen winced, reverting to his original form.