Quietly Hiding that I am a Man chapter 61- Fake Evidence

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Etrance Academy. Just from the name, this place seemed grand.

It produced outstanding mages every year and had established itself as a prestigious educational institution within the Empire.

Since merely gaining admission guaranteed a successful future, during the transfer season, talented young mages from various territories would flood the Roland Marketplace near the academy.

“There are so many people here. If we hadn’t booked the tailor in advance, we would have left empty-handed.”

Twitty looked out of the carriage with a drained expression.

Although they had secured an admission letter with the help of Duke Michael, they still had to buy the necessary magical tools and uniforms for their studies.

“Oh my, Lady! Look at that! Goodness, how can they be so affectionate in broad daylight…”

Twitty gasped and covered her mouth, exclaiming with a squeal.

I looked outside with a disinterested expression.

A young lady and lord, both dressed in academy uniforms, were exchanging flowers.

Since the academy was filled with young progressive nobles, free love was common, and many couples ended up getting married after meeting there.

‘Carlisle and Luke grew their love at the academy too.’

Yes, the two had been childhood friends who attended the academy together from a young age.

Memories of all the festivals and events where Carlisle and Luke had flirted flashed through my mind. I groaned while crossing my arms.

‘I enrolled to find party members, but… I want to avoid running into Carlisle and Luke as much as possible. I should be careful to steer clear of them.’

After I was born from the heretic’s womb, completely drained from using too much magic, I was sure of one thing when I saw Luke aiming his bow at me: Luke and Jeanne could never be allies.

‘The more Jeanne from Sacre stands out, the more insecure Luke will feel, and he’ll become hostile. So, it’s best to stay quiet at the academy. I don’t need to act like a saintess anymore.’

At that moment, the carriage, which had seemed stuck in place for the past 30 minutes, suddenly stirred.

Just as I was about to ask Twitty if we should walk, a commotion broke out outside.

“The Flare Guild is here!”

“And the Venus Guild too!”

Upon hearing the familiar names, my eyes widened.

I pulled aside the curtain and looked out.

With the beat of drums, a procession filled the main street. It seemed that various guilds were out promoting and recruiting new members for the admission season.

Guilds were an old tradition at the Academy.

They were essentially like school clubs, but the bonds between guild members were so strong that many stayed connected even after graduation.

However, joining the top guilds was notoriously difficult, with many students joking that getting into the academy was just the first test and another awaited them inside.

“Wow, they really are impressive. Lady, will you be joining one of these guilds? Do you have a preference?”

“Well…”

It would be ideal to join the top-tier Flare Guild, but there was no way Flare would accept Jeanne, whose magic power was nearly zero.

I sighed, feeling as if I had run into yet another wall.

‘Well, I’ll figure it out somehow.’

The faces of the guild members marching proudly in their academy uniforms, with armbands on their arms, reflected their pride.

The young mages held guild flags adorned with their guild’s emblematic animals, and no one could look away from them.

While I was watching the procession absentmindedly, I locked eyes with a familiar face.

‘Luke.’

For a brief moment, surprise flashed across Luke’s usually expressionless face. My grip on the curtain tightened.

In his deep navy uniform, wearing a vice-guild leader’s badge on his chest, Luke looked undeniably impressive.

‘Of course, he does. Luke is the undisputed protagonist of this novel.’

The red lion emblem of Flare fluttered in the wind.

Luke, who had been looking at me with a significant expression, soon disappeared from sight.

My clenched fists tightened on my lap.

Unlike me, who had to play the role of a lady, Luke was living the life of a hero. I bit my lip hard.

“If only I transmigrated as Luke instead of Jeanne…”

“Pardon? What do you mean by that, Lady?”

Twitty asked in a puzzled voice as I mumbled under my breath.

Feeling complicated emotions, I just shook my head.

“It’s nothing.”

✽ ✽ ✽

After getting my academy uniform tailored at the clothing store, we stopped by a magic shop to purchase textbooks and a robe with defensive properties.

I had originally planned to buy only these items, but when the shop owner heard that the young lady of the Efilia duchy was visiting, he personally came down to serve us.

The owner eagerly introduced various fascinating but useless magical items.

As I glanced around with indifference, my gaze fell upon an unusual feather.

“What is this feather?”

The moment I grabbed the feather’s end, it twitched as if it were alive.

Surprised, I let go, and the shopkeeper hurriedly stuffed it back into a glass jar.

Even after being confined, the feather continued twitching until the shopkeeper vigorously shook the jar to calm it down.

“Ah, this feather belongs to a Jakov, a creature that never gives up on its prey. When attached to an arrow, it guarantees a hit on any target.”

Hmm, like a homing missile, I thought, and quickly checked the price.

It wasn’t cheap, but it wasn’t unaffordable either. I mentally calculated the costs and made up my mind.

“Alright, I’ll buy this too.”

“Uh, ha ha, I must not have explained it properly. Let me clarify. This feather is not for decoration but to be attached to arrows…”

I stared at the shopkeeper silently.

The shopkeeper, drenched in cold sweat, nodded vigorously.

“I-I’ll help you with the payment right away.”

Jeanne was beautiful, but when he wasn’t smiling, he often gave off a somewhat cold impression.

It was because of his slightly upturned eyes.

As expected, the shopkeeper, seemingly mistaking me for being angry, hurriedly packed the items and handed them to me.

“Thank you, Lady. Please visit us again!”

All the shop’s employees came out and bowed deeply.

Berom, the knight who was escorting me, adjusted the packages in his arms and asked,

“Come to think of it, my lady, where is that servant you always have with you? I remember he went out with you last time…”

“Oh, that guy.”

I narrowed my eyes at Berom’s question.

Now that I thought about it, I hadn’t heard from Bermut in a while.

Did he win big in gambling and decide he didn’t need anything anymore?

Or does he no longer see me as his master?

He was always eager to get rid of me, but I still thought we were close in our own way.

Hiding my disappointment, I answered as nonchalantly as I could.

“Who knows, maybe he bought himself a noble title with his gambling winnings…”

“M-master…”

Hearing a pitiful voice behind me, I turned around.

Bermut, his cheeks sunken, was stumbling along, looking like a beggar.

I stared at him expressionlessly for a moment before sighing.

“Of course, it’s you.”

As they say, the one who rises through gambling falls through gambling.

I took Bermut, who had lost all his winnings, to the inn’s dining hall.

Starving, he ate without a word, then, feeling a bit embarrassed, grinned sheepishly.

“Wow, I really almost died this time! After going days without eating, I realized how wonderful it is to be a slave with a master. I think I’m best suited for the life of a slave.”

I smiled kindly at Bermut’s banter.

He flinched and started sweating nervously, quickly changing the subject.

“B-but more importantly, master, I’ve been hearing some strange rumors in the capital lately.”

“Rumors?”

“Yes, while I was sleeping rough, I overheard some knights talking. Apparently, there have been a series of murders in the capital recently.”

The word “serial murders” was so alarming that my hand froze around my teacup.

I rested my chin on my hand and nodded, signaling him to continue.

“Serial murders? What’s that about?”

“Well, I only caught bits and pieces, but… they say a witch with black hair has been killing men with poison. Because of this, the atmosphere in the capital has been quite grim lately.”

I tapped my finger on the table.

The victims were all men, so Jeanne wasn’t in danger, but the mention of black hair bothered me.

In the empire, only the Sacres had black hair.

“Serial murders…”

“In any case, master, since you also have black hair, I think it would be wise to be cautious for a while. I’m so relieved I ran into you! I wanted to tell you in person.”

Bermut smiled broadly, his face smeared with sauce.

I folded my arms and shrugged at the sight.

“Hm, well, thanks for the warning. It’s nice to know you still care about your former master.”

“Huh? Former master?”

“Didn’t you plan to leave me? You left so suddenly that I assumed you had some grand independence plan.”

Bermut’s jaw dropped.

I pulled on my cloak and stood up, smiling gently at him.

“Well, take care, Bermut. Stay healthy… and I hope you find a new master soon, one who will take you to the underworld. Though, I’m not sure if they’ll be as humble, wise, and thoughtful as me…”

As I turned to leave without hesitation, Bermut suddenly wrapped his arms around my waist.

On the verge of tears, he shouted,

“M-master! Please wait! Just give this miserable gambling addict one more chance.”

Bermut sobbed loudly, and the passersby gave us sympathetic looks.

But I knew better.

This was the crocodile tears—no, the tears of a wicked dragon.

Just as I raised my fist to give him a good knock on the head, I noticed something odd.

“Bermut, have you gotten taller?”

“Huh? Really?”

“You used to only come up to my waist, but now you’re almost at my chest. Have you grown?”

Bermut blinked for a moment, then his eyes sparkled.

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