Quietly Hiding that I am a Man chapter 48- Fake Prophecy

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“Stop it!”

No matter how much I shouted in annoyance, it didn’t help.

The space was so small that there was no way to escape.

Every time Jerome moved, the skin that touched him made an obscene, sticky noise.

Unable to bear looking at his face, I lowered my head, only to meet the sight of veins running over his solid abs.

His shirt had ridden up, revealing his stomach.

‘No matter which way I turn, it’s a dead end.’

Feeling utterly defeated, I glanced at Jerome’s expression.

Contrary to my expectation that he’d be lost in pleasure with a dumb look on his face, he was actually observing my reaction with a blank expression.

The moment our eyes met, my previously calm heart began to race.

I could feel my face gradually heating up.

“Now you’re finally aware of me?”

“I’m not.”

“But your face is red.”

“Anyone would get pissed and turn red if they ran into a crazy guy using their thigh for…”

I fired back furiously, not even pausing to breathe.

Jerome, who had been listening quietly, muttered under his breath, “Well, you’re not wrong…” and then made a sulky face.

He didn’t seem like he’d back down until he got a proper answer.

Knowing how persistent he could be, I sighed and answered straightforwardly.

“It’s nothing.”

“…”

“It’s just… it felt weird seeing my face reflected in your eyes.”

Honestly, for me, that felt more obscene than his… pressing against my thigh.

That’s why I hesitated, but I never expected him to pick up on it.

Jerome seemed to have a habit of unconsciously observing his surroundings.

After staring at me for a moment, he finally spoke.

“I was just teasing you earlier.”

“…”

“But now, I’m really hard.”

Jerome smiled faintly as he whispered provocatively into my ear, his lips brushing my earlobe.

I replied calmly.

“I get it. Now take your hands off my butt before I bite my tongue and end this.”

After a long while of being groped, I eventually passed out for about 30 seconds, unable to withstand the mental shock.

Jerome, startled, bit my earlobe, which brought me back to consciousness with a sharp pain.

Only then did the assault end. But even after coming to my senses, the problem remained.

I had no idea how to get out of this situation.

Groaning in frustration, I lowered my head.

‘Why doesn’t Jeanne have any talent for magic? Even if he’s Maya’s incarnation, it’s not like he has any useful magic, and I can’t exactly pull out Maya’s bow in this cramped space.’

Sighing, I leaned my head against Jerome’s chest.

He must not have specifically worked out his chest, but it was still pretty solid.

Just as I was feeling hopeless, something odd caught my attention near Jerome’s pocket.

‘Huh? What’s this?’

I immediately started digging through his pocket, causing Jerome to let out an uncomfortable groan.

At the same time, I learned a piece of information I never wanted to know: Jerome stored things in his left pocket.

I finally grabbed something, and suddenly the space around us lit up.

The object in my hand sparkled with a brilliant glow—it was a mana stone.

“Where did you get this?”

“Hm? Oh, right.”

Jerome, as if he had just remembered, smiled and replied.

“I picked it up in the bushes.”

I recalled Jerome disappearing as soon as we arrived at the lake for some childish reason.

He must’ve known the legend of the great sage Maron.

Jerome smiled at me as I stood there dumbfounded.

“I filled it with enough mana while you were asleep for a few days. Just in case I die, so my wife can survive.”

“…”

“I’m a good husband, right?”

“It’s a bit lame that you’re the one saying it, but…”

Had he just stayed quiet, I would’ve felt touched, but the fact that he had to announce it ruined the moment.

Jerome looked at me expectantly, waiting for praise, so I awkwardly mumbled.

“Yeah, thanks. I’ll put it to good use.”

“I’m a good husband, right?”

“…”

“I’m a good husband, right?”

Like a broken record, Jerome repeated the same phrase, and I did my best to ignore him.

Although a blue mana stone was one of the most basic types, the fact that Jerome had been infusing it with mana for days made it highly useful.

‘With this, I can use an incantation.’

A rumbling noise echoed as the inner walls pulsed.

The sac contracted, making the already tight space even narrower.

At the same time, I heard a faint sobbing sound from somewhere nearby.

I quickly pressed my ear to the wall and shouted.

“Verr, where are you? Can you hear my voice?”

The sobbing stopped, and a voice wailed back, “Maaaster.” In a calm voice, I reassured him.

“You can’t lose focus. Just listen to my voice.”

The ‘Contractor’s Incantation’ was a kind of servant magic that allowed the master to command a divine beast in exchange for their own mana.

If the caster’s mind wavered, the spell was likely to fail. Just as I grasped the mana stone and steadied my breathing, Jerome suddenly grabbed my wrist.

“You’re free to use that if you want, but there’s something you should know.”

I looked at him, puzzled, and Jerome added in a calm voice.

“This is a conduit that allows you to absorb a massive amount of mana. If you use it wrong, it could destroy your mind and kill you. Especially since you have a low mana sensitivity.”

“…”

“Is that dragon really worth it? Worth sacrificing your life?”

Jerome seemed to think I was acting purely out of selflessness, without any real plan.

But what I was feeling wasn’t selflessness.

It was closer to the anger that had built up over years after my father’s death. I stared at him quietly and shook my head.

“No, this isn’t a sacrifice. We’re all going to make it out alive.”

I thought of the Eunsoo who had been too scared to try anything after a string of misfortunes.

Back then, even stepping out the door was difficult, as every step felt like sinking into quicksand.

I had even come to believe that experiencing failure was a luxury I couldn’t afford.

Clenching my lower lip, I pressed my hands together as if in prayer.

‘I want to change the future.’

I wanted to change Jeanne’s predestined bad ending with my own hands.

I didn’t want to resign myself to an unhappy reality like Eunsoo.

To do that, I needed the courage to face the quicksand, not fear it.

‘Jerome said an incantation reads the heart of the dragon. If I cast the spell with a half-hearted resolve, my words won’t reach Bermut.’

Taking a deep breath, I recited the incantation in my mind.

[By the command of Maya’s divine beast, Bermut.]

A blue light seeped through the gaps between the fingers tightly gripping the mana stone.

Although it seemed that casting the spell had been successful, the process of absorbing the mana into the body was far more jarring and unsettling than anticipated.

Jerome’s warning that one could die if things went wrong echoed in his mind.

‘I’m scared.’

As anxiety began to unsettle him, the light of the mana stone gradually diminished.

Jerome, who had been observing the situation, grabbed his trembling hand with a surprising gentleness, unusual for someone with a reputation for habitual misconduct.

“You told me before, didn’t you? That even though there’s no one like me for Carlisle, there’s someone like you for me.”

“……”

“That statement was precious to me. I cherished it dearly to prevent it from rusting or fading. I wanted to return it to you in its entirety someday.”

Jerome’s eyes, usually shadowed with a sinister air, now held a tenderness that made him seem like a completely different person, almost reminiscent of the hero he once was in the Empire.

“Don’t be afraid, Jeanne. I’m here for you too.”

Hearing those simple words brought an immediate sense of relief.

It even made him wonder if Jerome had used some sort of brainwashing magic on him.

Fortunately, he could feel the unstable absorption of mana gradually stabilizing.

With renewed determination, he resumed the incantation he had hesitated on.

[In exchange for my magical power… Divine Beast Bermut, reveal your true form.]

A rush of warmth surged through his veins, and his ears felt muffled as if submerged in water.

As his body struggled to handle the immense mana absorbed, his vision began to blur.

Even as he felt himself losing consciousness, he urgently added:

[Right now!]

On the wind-swept hill, dozens of wild griffons gathered, tearing at hay.

One of the lead griffons paused its eating and lifted its head.

At that eerie silence, an arrow swiftly flew in and struck the heart of a griffon in the rear.

Kieeek!

The startled griffons scattered in all directions.

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