Quietly Hiding that I am a Man chapter 49- Fake Prophecy

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Luke, waiting in the underbrush, mounted one of the griffons charging toward him.

He then wrapped his arm around the struggling griffon’s neck.

Kieeek! Kieeek!

As the resistance of the exhausted griffin gradually weakened, Luke unsheathed the dagger strapped to his thigh without hesitation.

He then slashed the griffin’s neck at an angle.

As the blood gushed out, the griffin’s head was severed, and it collapsed onto the ground.

Luke wiped the blood from his face with the back of his hand and shouted.

“You can come out now.”

Luke knelt on one knee and said a short prayer.

Although he did not kill without reason, he had no qualms about killing young animals if there was a clear purpose.

Mia frowned in disapproval as she watched Luke drink the blood with an expressionless face.

“Do you really have to go this far?”

“Griffin’s blood has a protective effect against mental contamination. If Miss Mia becomes a heretic, my position would become problematic.”

“I’d rather become a heretic than survive by drinking monster’s blood.”

Despite Mia’s disgusted reaction, Luke did not back down.

Eventually, Mia, who drank the griffin’s blood, retched.

Luke, accustomed to the situation, took out a candy, unwrapped it, and handed it to her.

Mia, hastily putting the candy in her mouth, whimpered.

“It’s terrible!”

“The blood cannot be sweet.”

“When is Carlisle coming back? That bastard always leaves all the dirty work to us while he goes off on his own. You must know where he is.”

Luke quietly sipped the blood.

Only Luke knew Carlisle’s whereabouts, who was famous for his reclusive nature.

Carlisle’s preferred sword was the black ‘Sword of the Great King,’ which, peculiarly, became more powerful the more lives it took.

That’s why Carlisle went to the northern territories, known for their abundance of monsters, during the academy’s vacation.

He made an unilateral declaration that he wouldn’t return until he mastered the sword properly.

As a result, Luke had to handle all the guild master’s duties on his own.

“Luke, aren’t you pushing yourself too hard?”

Mia asked with a hint of disapproval.

To Mia, Luke, who balanced his academic life, temple duties, and social activities, seemed almost superhuman.

Luke responded as if it was nothing new.

“I’m only doing it because I can. And that’s how I see it. Men are meant to work until they die.”

“You’re definitely not going to let your wife and children go hungry.”

Mia’s steps came to a halt as she shivered.

The guild members who had arrived first bowed their heads to Luke.

Mia’s eyes widened at the grand scene before her.

“So this is what a heretic looks like.”

It was only after reaching the highest point that the heretic revealed its strange appearance.

Bound by the artifact and motionless, it looked less like a living creature and more like an ancient relic from a bygone era.

The enormous size of the creature, which was almost beyond belief, inspired a sense of awe in Mia, surpassing her fear.

“Unexpectedly, it’s quite docile.”

“Snakes that have had their fill of prey don’t hunt unnecessarily.”

“Ah, Jeanne, was it?”

Mia’s gaze was once again fixed on the heretic.

Even in its bound state, the immense aura it radiated made it clear that no matter how powerful a magician might be, they wouldn’t be able to subdue it if it moved.

Mia, rubbing her goosebumps, muttered with a wry smile.

“If that child was really consumed by this heretic, it would be impossible for her to return alive. Unless a miracle happens, of course.”

“……”

“They’ve been making a fuss about the saintess of Maya born after centuries… But there’s no way a girl from Sacre with such origins could be the saintess of Maya, right? Ha, what a fool—getting lost while playing around with some guy.”

Mia sneered.

No one was predicting the survival of Jerome and Jeanne, who had been missing for days.

There were widespread rumors that the Duke of Efilia’s household was already preparing Jeanne’s funeral.

A faint smile appeared on Luke’s otherwise expressionless face.

“You seem pleased.”

“Of course. The saintess of Maya is one of the highest authorities recognized by the temple. That title should rightfully belong to me, the daughter of the great saint Revellin.”

As the guild members finished their preparations for the subjugation, a chilling, monstrous roar echoed through the forest.

One of the guild members, stunned, pointed to the sky.

The heretic, trapped in a state of paralysis, began to swell enormously.

The guild members stood in stunned silence, unable to move as the heretic’s bizarre form continued to expand.

“Wh-what’s happening with that thing?!”

“Is it going to explode?”

Amidst the commotion of the guild members, Luke calmly assessed the situation.

The heretic’s skin, stretched to the limit, resembled a balloon about to burst.

Mia, her face pale, muttered in shock.

“Luke, this is strange.”

“……”

“Something’s…”

Sensing the threat, migratory birds took flight in flocks.

Luke cast a defensive spell, creating a large circular dome around the guild members’ area.

Mia, seemingly entranced, added.

“It feels like it’s being reborn.”

Eventually, the heretic burst open, sending blood and flesh splattering in all directions.

The sky rained a crimson hue. In the midst of the panic-stricken guild members, Luke shouted with intense urgency.

“Don’t stray from me! Stay within the protective barrier!”

As the rain of blood-like droplets subsided, a mysterious figure gradually emerged from the thick fog.

A chilling silence enveloped the forest.

Gooo…

The divine dragon, revealed from the mist, roared loudly.

In the Empire, there was no one who did not know of this sacred and beautiful being.

Mia covered her mouth in disbelief.

“I’ve seen it in a dragon ecology class.”

The divine dragon, initially crouched and trembling its wings, spread them out and soared into the sky.

The guild members, exhilarated by the rare sight of the divine dragon, cheered loudly.

Stumbling towards the dragon, Mia muttered in rapture.

“It’s clear. It’s Maya’s divine dragon, Bermut.”

✽ ✽ ✽

“It’s the Divine Dragon Bermut .”

“No way. It’s really the Divine Dragon Bermut .”

The Divine Dragon soared through the clouded sky, having dramatically dispatched the giant serpent heretic.

As the Divine Dragon glided between the clouds with its wings fully extended, onlookers couldn’t help but marvel.

But suddenly, the Divine Dragon vanished into the clouds.

Luke clenched his fists with a frustrated expression.

‘The Divine Dragon should be a guardian of the Underworld. Why is it here?’

As they searched for the Divine Dragon that had disappeared into the clouds, one of the guild members pointed into the air.

“There it is!”

The Divine Dragon gently landed on the cliff, folding its wings.

The sunlight, now piercing through the gray clouds, illuminated the Divine Dragon.

With a mighty slam of its thick tail, it struck the ground and spoke in a thunderous voice.

[To the vile humans, I shall deliver Maya’s oracle!]

When the Divine Dragon spoke in the ancient tongue, all the guild members turned their gaze toward Luke.

Only Luke, who could understand the ancient language, could interpret the oracle.

The Divine Dragon’s eyes, shining with intensity, continued.

[Maya has decreed that a calamity, which once tainted this star with evil, will once again engulf the human realm. Therefore, Maya herself has bestowed the blessing of the star upon this child.]

As the Divine Dragon lifted its tail, Jeanne, covered in blood, was revealed.

The Divine Dragon, gazing down at Jeanne with a steady look, curled up as if to protect something precious.

[In the future, this child, blessed by the star, will rescue this cursed land from disaster.]

For a moment, the contempt in the Divine Dragon’s eyes was tinged with a hint of tenderness.

After finishing the oracle, the Divine Dragon soared high into the sky. Jeanne, slowly regaining her senses, opened her eyes.

“Luke, what did the Divine Dragon say?”

The guild members looked at Luke with hopeful eyes. Hesitating, Luke lowered his head.

‘Why does Maya love you and not me?’

Amidst the whirlpool of intense emotions, Luke gripped his bow.

No one could describe Jeanne, stained with heretic’s blood, as anything but beautiful. Her chilling and intense beauty held everyone’s gaze.

As Jeanne slowly blinked her eyes, she met Luke’s stare.

‘Why is it you and not me? How can you, born as a Sacre, receive Maya’s love? Maya loving you… means she doesn’t love me.’

The Sacre burned down Aileen, Luke’s homeland.

They killed all the adults and sold the children as slaves to the Kaiser Empire.

‘Die.’

Even knowing that ignoring the divine prophecy was a grave sin, Luke could not spare Jeanne with her dark brown hair.

He couldn’t stop the intense bloodlust boiling from the deepest part of his heart.

‘Die!’

Just as Luke drew his bowstring, a large, bloodied hand covered his eyes.

“What’s the hurry, Luke?”

“……”

“Not like you.”

A familiar voice pierced his ear from the darkness.

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