Quietly Hiding that I am a Man chapter 37- Fake Companion

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Bermut’s body trembled as he opened his hand, summoning a hammer larger than himself.

It was a beautifully crafted weapon, similar to the golden-feathered bow I had summoned before.

Scales began to sprout on Bermut’s cheeks as he shouted furiously.

“Die at my hands, you mongrel!”

Bermut leaped high into the air and brought the hammer down on Jerome.

The massive shockwave felt like it was rattling my organs.

The loud crash of a bookshelf collapsing filled the room, and everything was shrouded in dust.

Despite his childlike appearance, Bermut was one of Maya’s divine beasts.

If he wanted to, he could easily kill Jerome.

‘Damn, I didn’t consider that Bermut and Jerome don’t get along!’

As the dust settled, the two figures that had been obscured came into view.

I froze, expecting to see Jerome defeated, but to my surprise, it was Bermut who lay on his back, groaning.

“What an odd weapon. It doesn’t seem like ordinary magic. What are you?”

Jerome’s voice was calm, not fitting the situation at all. Bermut glared at him with eyes full of murderous intent. In that moment, I noticed something strange about Jerome’s right arm.

Under his skin, it was as if thousands of insects were wriggling, and his enlarged hand and forearm looked more like a beast’s paw than a human’s.

Jerome turned his head toward me, sensing my gaze.

The moment our eyes met, I shuddered.

His monstrous arm was completely out of place on his otherwise elegant face.

A primal fear took hold of me, the kind that arises when you encounter something truly alien.

‘Could this be an aftereffect of the heresy?’

Though I had managed to stop Mephisto from taking over Jerome’s mind, it seemed I hadn’t been able to prevent him from altering Jerome’s body.

Jerome, who had been watching me intently, deactivated the heresy that had been affecting his arm.

Bermut, who had gotten back up, gritted his teeth in frustration.

“If I were in my adult form, killing you would be a trivial task. You’re lucky.”

“I asked you, what are you?”

“Why do you need to know, when you’re going to die anyway? It’s disgusting how you cling to life even after sealing Mephisto inside your body. And you call yourself the hero of the Kaizer Empire?”

Bermut seemed to be deliberately provoking Jerome, but Jerome remained unmoved.

Instead, he smiled faintly and replied softly.

“If it were the old me, I would have taken my own life long ago. If I die, Mephisto would vanish too.”

“Then why…!”

“But now, that doesn’t matter to me anymore.”

Jerome knelt on one knee and roughly grabbed Bermut by the throat.

The atmosphere was so tense it felt like Bermut’s neck could be snapped at any moment.

I quickly stood up. Jerome continued speaking, unconcerned.

“No matter how altruistic and righteous a person is, after spending years in solitary confinement, having their nails pulled out, spending nights in rooms swarming with holy insects, and having their skin seared by holy brands… a certain question inevitably arises in their mind.”

“……”

“Did I ever truly have a shred of humanity in me?”

Jerome tilted his head slightly.

The smile that had lingered on his lips gradually disappeared, his eyes showing how tired he was of even discussing this.

The veins in his arm bulged as he squeezed Bermut’s neck tighter.

“No, really, what is humanity… and what exactly was it?”

Bermut let out a choked sound as Jerome’s grip tightened.

I stood there, frozen, realizing that if this continued, Bermut would be killed by Jerome.

‘I have to stop Jerome. But how? How can I possibly stop him when he’s overpowering Bermut, one of Maya’s divine beasts?’

My breathing grew more labored. I didn’t even have the stone that would allow me to summon Maya’s bow.

If Jerome’s mind was completely overtaken by Mephisto, not only would Bermut die, but everyone in the Efilia Duchy might be killed.

Jerome suddenly released Bermut, flinging him against the wall.

As Bermut slumped to the ground, coughing, Jerome slowly walked toward him.

I bit my lower lip and clenched my fists tightly.

‘I have to do something. I can’t just stand here like an idiot.’

With a loud smack, my head snapped to the side. Jerome halted in his tracks, surprised by my unexpected action.

As soon as I tasted the metallic tang of blood, I slapped myself hard again.

After hitting myself two or three times, Jerome, who had been watching silently, asked in a low voice.

“What are you doing?”

“Just wait.”

I took a deep breath and threw one final punch at myself.

Blood trickled from my lips.

I wiped it away with the back of my hand and spat out a tooth into my palm.

I approached Jerome and held out my hand.

Jerome looked back and forth between my face and the tooth before letting out a laugh.

“No way…”

“Here, the tooth you’ve been begging for.”

“……”

“I’m giving it to you, so stop being angry. And Bermut is one of Maya’s divine beasts. If you kill him here, we won’t be able to ask about the Stone.”

Despite the excruciating pain, I forced myself to maintain a calm expression.

Jerome, who had been silent, burst out laughing.

Unlike his previous sinister and cryptic laughter, this time, it was an innocent, childlike laugh.

Wiping away the tears that had formed in his eyes, Jerome brushed his hand across his lips.

“No matter what, a young lady who would give up her tooth…”

“……”

“How could any well-bred noble be brave enough to even talk to you?”

“If you don’t want it, fine.”

As I spoke, a stream of blood dripped from my nose.

Jerome reached out, gently brushing the blood from beneath my nose with his thumb.

His touch was surprisingly tender.

Jerome, who had been silent, suddenly smiled brightly, looking absolutely delighted.

It seemed that all my detailed explanations had gone unheard.

“Are you really giving this to me?”

“Yes.”

“But… something this valuable, I can’t possibly accept. You’re joking, right? You’re going to snatch it back after pretending to give it to me?”

“I don’t go back on my word.”

My cheek stung from where I had punched it, and the sensation of pulling out my tooth was excruciating, almost unbearable.

Jerome clutched my tooth tightly, his expression flushed with excitement.

“Look, Jeanne. It’s so tiny and cute. Even the root is intact.”

“……”

“Thank you. I’ll treasure it forever. Maybe…”

Jerome, still gazing at the tooth as if it were some kind of sacred relic, smiled brightly again.

In the sunlight streaming through the window, his gray eyes sparkled like gems.

“Maybe I stayed alive all this time just so I could meet you, Jeanne.”

To anyone else, it might have seemed like he had just won a film award, not received a tooth.

Watching Jerome’s obsession with my tooth made my stomach churn.

‘What is this? I feel…’

As I tried to suppress the unfamiliar feeling welling up inside me, Bermut, who had been watching me as if I were crazy, rushed over and pushed Jerome aside.

Jerome, distracted by the tooth, let himself be shoved without resistance.

“Ma..Master…”

“Yes, Bermut. I understand your feelings, but…”

“Why does only that guy get it?”

“……”

“I want one of your fangs too! Please give me one!”

I stared at Bermut, who was shaking my arm with a desperate expression, with a blank face.

Jerome was lost in the moment, surrounded by the fallen bookshelves, and the impudent evil dragon, whom I had just saved from drowning, now had the nerve to demand more.

I spat out the blood pooling in my mouth and held my throbbing cheek.

‘Why… does it feel like I’m the one who’s lost the most here?’

With a deep sigh, I ran my fingers through my disheveled hair.

I glanced back and forth between the two of them and spoke quietly.

“First, both of you, kneel. Let’s straighten out the household hierarchy today.”

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I looked at the two who were kneeling side by side with a sense of despair. What could I even say?

I felt like a zookeeper at Xberland Safari.

At least the tigers there could be trained with raw chicken.

But these two beasts here?

Even if I gave them my fangs, I doubted they’d learn anything, making it all the more pitiful.

“Bermut, your actions almost destroyed some priceless ancient books. I’ll add the cost of the damaged ones to your tab, so pay it back slowly.”

“But that guy was the first to go after you, Master…”

“Don’t make excuses. You’re the butler I hired. You can’t act on your own until I give an order. Don’t do this again.”

At my stern reprimand, Bermut’s shoulders slumped.

I shot a cold glance at the cowering Bermut before turning my gaze to Jerome.

He was still completely absorbed in the fang I gave him.

I couldn’t even begin to fathom why he was so obsessed with it.

“Jerome, look at me.”

My cheek still throbbed as I spoke, making me grimace.

Jerome slowly lifted his head and looked at me with a now docile expression.

Cooling my swollen cheek with the back of my hand, I continued.

“If you shove your mouth at me one more time, I swear I’ll tie a rock to your ankle and throw you into the lake.”

“I thought you meant for me to eat the thing in your mouth, so of course I went for it.”

“Then you should’ve just taken what was in my mouth. Why did you have to run your tongue along my teeth?”

At my pointed question, Jerome averted his gaze. I frowned, clutching my throbbing head.

I had no idea where to even begin civilizing this guy.

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