Quietly Hiding that I am a Man chapter 43- Fake Death

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As the morning classes ended, students, each wearing uniforms adorned with badges of different shapes, gathered in the square.

The excitement over the rare mana stone’s appearance had spread to the academy as well.

“If we find that rare mana stone, we can name our price. Shouldn’t we act before the temple makes a move?”

“They’ve already made an announcement a few days ago. They said any spoils found on a heretic would be the property of the guild that hunted them. Looks like the temple finally realized it can’t handle the heretics on its own.”

One of the students, after glancing around cautiously, lowered his voice and whispered.

“Of course, Flare will be the first to find it, right?”

“Who knows? It’s hard to say. I heard Jupiter and Mercury have been gaining strength lately. And Venus supposedly increased their numbers significantly.”

As the students were engrossed in their debate over which guild would be the first to find the rare mana stone, Luke emerged from the auditorium with an impassive face.

The students, who had been chattering excitedly, immediately fell silent.

Luke Bernie, the vice-guild leader of the renowned Flare guild and the youngest holy priest, commanded that much respect.

His reputation was so impressive that a quiet group of female students secretly admired him from afar.

“Hey, look over there. It’s happening again.”

A girl hurriedly adjusted her hair as Luke left the auditorium.

Then, with a calculated move, she dropped her handkerchief in his path. The male students watching couldn’t resist commenting.

“Must be nice, huh? Good looks, brains, talent. If he has any flaw, it’s probably his family background, but Luke’s capable enough to rebuild that on his own.”

“Rebuild his family? He could probably rebuild a whole nation. Man, I’d love to live as Luke, even for just one day.”

Contrary to the girl’s expectation, Luke walked past the dropped handkerchief without even glancing at it.

Unlike the students around him, buzzing with excitement over the mana stone, Luke had a different thought in mind.

‘They’re all so obsessed with the mana stone that they’re missing the bigger picture. The repeated appearance of heretics isn’t just a temporary issue.’

Until now, all the heretics discovered had been humans who had made contracts with low-ranking demons.

The damage had been minimal.

But if one day a greater demon, like Mephisto, were to turn a human into a heretic, the damage would be far more catastrophic.

Luke bit his lower lip, unease growing.

‘Heretics don’t just appear out of nowhere. There must be a fundamental cause. I need to find it.’

Ever since the rise of the heretics, Luke had been leading an exhausting life, barely getting two hours of sleep a day.

The more anxious he became, the more he pushed his body to its limits—a long-standing habit of his. His vision blurred momentarily, and he frowned.

‘Just a few days without sleep and already…’

Though the world hailed Luke as a genius, he didn’t see himself that way. To him, he was simply better at hiding his struggles and enduring them.

His natural holy power was indeed superior to most, but he lacked the stamina and endurance to support it.

His face turning pale, Luke scanned the area. He could feel the admiring gazes of students all around him.

‘I can’t collapse here. At least not in front of people.’

Just as he leaned against a railing, swaying dangerously, someone caught his arm.

Luke’s eyes widened as he recognized the man’s face.

‘Why is Carlisle here?’

For a moment, Luke thought he was hallucinating.

Carlisle should have been on an expedition to the northern territories, yet here he was.

Luke’s usually indifferent green eyes gleamed with momentary brightness.

“Why the shocked face? You look like you’ve seen a monster.”

Luke quickly averted his gaze. Carlisle always caught him off guard, making it difficult to keep his expression in check.

While Luke was flustered, Carlisle remained composed.

“When did you return? No, why are you here?”

Luke’s voice trembled slightly as he spoke.

His heart raced, fearing that his excitement might have shown too clearly.

Carlisle gestured for Luke to lean on him.

“Wouldn’t it be better to rely on me? You’re about to collapse.”

“There’s no need.”

“Luke, your temper is nasty, but your body is too weak. If you had more stamina, you’d probably have sold off a country by now.”

“I’m honored you think so highly of me.”

Carlisle chuckled softly as he helped support Luke’s shoulder.

Luke, barely making it to the bench with Carlisle’s assistance, let out a sigh.

Just as Carlisle had said, his body felt terribly inefficient.

As Luke caught his breath, Carlisle, who had been quietly waiting beside him, broke the silence.

“The news about the Efilia’s adopted daughter going missing around the Maron Spring…”

“…”

“Is it true?”

Luke clamped his mouth shut.

This was the first time Carlisle had ever asked him about someone else’s well-being.

After a long silence, Luke responded with a sarcastic tone.

“So you rushed back after hearing Lady Jeanne had gone missing?”

Carlisle paused for a moment, then let out a dry laugh as if the idea was absurd.

“What a brutal misunderstanding. We’re not that close. I only came back briefly to fix my damaged sword.”

“If it’s a misunderstanding, I apologize. I heard it’s already been three days, and there’s not even a trace of her. Rumors are spreading about her disappearing with Jerome, and they’re quite nasty.”

In the relatively quiet social circles, the disappearance of two adults—a man and a woman—was causing a massive stir.

Carlisle’s expression subtly darkened as he listened. Luke forced a smile and continued.

“I, too, find it quite unfortunate. After all, I finally found a lady who met your standards.”

“…”

“But don’t be too disheartened. There are always more beautiful women out there.”

At first glance, it sounded like Luke was trying to console Carlisle, but Carlisle detected a different emotion on Luke’s face: irritation. Carlisle, staring at Luke calmly, spoke in an even tone.

“You would do anything to make me Emperor, wouldn’t you?”

“…”

“Even if you don’t overexert yourself like this, I’ll make sure you get your fair share. You’re my long-time friend.”

After finishing his sentence, Carlisle patted his own knee.

Luke, understanding the gesture, grimaced but couldn’t refuse.

In the end, Luke gave in to Carlisle’s persistence and laid his head on Carlisle’s lap.

Carlisle chuckled softly at Luke’s disgruntled expression and gently tidied his disheveled bangs.

“This reminds me of when we were kids. You used to lay your head on my lap whenever you felt dizzy. If I hadn’t taken you as my squire, you’d have been executed long ago for insulting royalty.”

“If you keep bringing that up, I’ll get up.”

Ignoring Luke’s threat, Carlisle grumbled that he had no cuteness, but Luke merely closed his eyes.

Carlisle was always relaxed.

He didn’t get angry if someone took something from him, nor did he feel anxious about giving more than he had.

He seemed like someone from a different world, unlike Luke, who constantly worried about losing even the smallest thing.

‘That’s why I liked him,’ Luke thought.

Carlisle’s cool fingers ruffled Luke’s hair.

For a brief moment, a shadow of sorrow passed through Carlisle’s light green eyes. Just hearing the word “friend” made Luke’s heart ache.

‘I still like him so much.’

It was a long, unspoken love.

Contrary to the rumors, Carlisle didn’t like men.

In fact, the rumor was Carlisle’s clever ploy to avoid unnecessary gossip.

By spreading rumors that he was interested in men, noblewomen wouldn’t approach him.

This way, Carlisle reduced the chance of any scandal that could hurt his chances in the future battle for the throne.

Carlisle, despite his outwardly relaxed demeanor, was more calculating than he seemed.

He was ambitious enough to pursue the Emperor’s throne, even by allowing people to misunderstand his sexual preferences.

That’s why Luke didn’t want his personal feelings to get in the way of his plans.

He thought it wouldn’t be too late to confess his feelings once Carlisle became Emperor.

‘At least, that’s how I felt before she showed up.’

Ever since Jeanne appeared, Luke had been feeling increasingly anxious. As a fellow man, Luke couldn’t help but notice it.

Although Carlisle seemed unaware, there was a clear glint of sexual interest in his eyes when he looked at Jeanne.

So, when Luke heard Jeanne had gone missing, he felt both happy and miserable.

He was disgusted with himself for feeling relieved that she was gone.

He lacked the courage to confess his feelings, yet he was so petty.

For the first time in his life, Luke found himself truly repulsive.

“Carlisle.”

Luke, who had finally regained his composure, called out to Carlisle.

Carlisle lazily looked down at him. Luke’s lips moved, but then he dropped his gaze to the ground.

The remnants of emotions he swallowed down pricked his throat like needles.

After a long hesitation, Luke clenched his fists and muttered.

“No, it’s nothing.”

He was aware that such thoughts were pathetic.

He knew full well that with the Aileen children dying by the dozens, now wasn’t the time to be agonizing over a mere crush.

Yet, despite knowing all this, Luke wished desperately that his unrequited love wouldn’t end too soon.

He wished Jeanne would never come back.

SPLASH, SPLASH.

The sound of waves made Luke snap his eyes open.

Startled by the sudden change in scenery, he looked around in confusion.

He was in a room surrounded by glass walls, and outside the windows, the vast blue sea stretched out before him.

He blinked slowly, staring blankly at the ocean.

‘Is this a dream?’

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