Quietly Hiding that I am a Man chapter 65- Fake Guild

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At the mansion, I had been treated as a noblewoman, always pampered and indulged, so for a moment, I had forgotten.

Jeanne was a Sacre, a group famously discriminated against within the Empire.

Sacre had once been an independent nation, free from the rule of the Kaiser Empire.

But the Kaiser Empire coveted the mines in Sacre, so they devised a plan to incite an ideological war between the Sacre and Aileen peoples.

As the war dragged on and resources ran low, both Sacre and Aileen had no choice but to ask the Kaiser Empire for help.

The Empire took advantage of their weakened states and quickly placed both peoples under its control.

It was little more than a ploy to profit from the chaos.

Naturally, the Sacre people hated the Empire, and the Empire’s citizens, in turn, despised the Sacre, who looked and acted differently from them.

That’s why cases where Sacre people were lynched and killed, without proper investigation, were all too common.

Seeing these men act so rudely toward Jeanne made me suspect that this deep-rooted prejudice played a part.

‘In the original story, Jeanne was constantly disrespected, despite being the daughter of a duke.’

Each time, she would lash out in anger, which only worsened her reputation in social circles.

Now I had two choices.

Should I endure the insult to protect my reputation, unlike the original Jeanne?

Or should I throw caution to the wind and return the insult in full?

After a moment of consideration, I frowned.

‘I spent enough time suppressing my anger when I was living as Eunsoo. Do I really need to keep holding it in now that I’ve been reincarnated in this novel? Wasn’t I just promising myself not to do that anymore?’

With that, I made my decision and slowly opened my mouth.

“…You’re right. My manners are lacking.”

“What?”

“That’s why, unlike the other well-mannered ladies, you act first with your hands.”

Slap!

I slapped the man across the face without warning.

Maybe because I’d slapped Jerome before, this one sounded particularly brutal.

The man, staggering, ground his teeth, shaking his head.

“You…!”

Eyes wild with rage, he grabbed me by the collar.

The men standing behind him started glancing around nervously as the tension grew thick.

I nodded towards the seething man.

“Then hit me.”

“…”

“I said hit me. What’s wrong? Didn’t you say there were no rules? Or are you too scared? Of course, you are. How could you dare?”

I smiled faintly and tapped his cheek with the back of my hand.

Reputation?

I couldn’t care less if it plummeted.

If a reputation had to be maintained by appeasing these bastards, I’d rather have none at all.

“Is it one of those things, ‘What happens at the academy stays at the academy?’ Not a chance.”

“…”

“Let me tell you, I don’t give a damn about rules. The moment you lay a hand on me, your family’s heads will roll.”

At my taunt, the man’s pupils dilated, turning darker. Losing his temper, he raised his hand in the air.

“Shut up, you filthy Sacrian!”

I closed my eyes tightly as I heard the wind cut through the air.

Good, my provocation worked.

I needed this excuse for what would happen later.

Smack!

A large hand wrapped around my shoulder, and my eyes snapped open.

The man gasped as his wrist was caught midair.

In the silence, a voice, laced with amusement, rang out.

“You always…”

“…”

“…show up just in time to stir things up.”

Calming my rapidly beating heart, I slowly turned my head.

It was a face I could never forget, no matter how much I tried.

‘Carlisle.’

Why Carlisle was here didn’t matter right now.

Fresh from his expedition, his disheveled appearance still couldn’t dim his beauty.

Carlisle, who had been silently watching me, wrapped his arm around my waist.

“Or am I just seeing things because I’ve missed you so much?”

There was always an air of ease around Carlisle.

The kind that came naturally to someone who had lived a life of luxury, untouched by hardship.

He was not only relaxed but also unreadable, which made it impossible to guess what he was thinking.

His gaze, once fixed on me, shifted to the men.

“No matter how much you want first-class land, this isn’t the way to do it.”

“Urgh…”

“The other guilds aren’t standing idly by because they’re idiots, you know. Got it?”

With a sickening crack, Carlisle twisted the man’s fingers backward.

The men, who had been full of bravado, suddenly went pale at Carlisle’s unexpected arrival.

His smile faded, and his voice turned cold.

“I suggest you stay far away from here, unless you want to make an enemy of Flare.”

The man, clutching his hand, quickly nodded.

As they hurried off, I was left in a bit of a daze, still unsure why Carlisle had come to my aid.

He walked past me and approached Lea, pulling something out of his robe and handing it to her.

“Here, I thought you might need this soon.”

“Wow, thanks, big bro!”

Rhea, who had been trembling with fear, lit up at the sight of the hefty pouch filled with carat.

Carlisle, looking like his task was done, turned to leave, but I stopped him.

“Why are you giving Rhea money?”

“Hm? Oh, that?”

I gave him a suspicious look.

It didn’t make sense that he’d hand over such a large sum without reason.

As he stared at me, a mysterious smile spread across his face.

“Follow me. I’ll explain.”

---

We walked up a hill behind the log house together.

There was a huge field there, but it looked like nothing was being cultivated at the moment, just overgrown weeds everywhere.

For a guild as decayed as ours, the land was surprisingly vast.

“The land owned by the Luna Guild is first-class among guild territories. The soil is rich, making it perfect for growing medicinal herbs. There’s even a teleport gate right next to the mansion that connects to other gates.”

While Carlisle climbed the hill effortlessly, I was left panting.

Not surprising, given that I had transmigrated as a man pretending to be a noblewoman and never had to run.

‘I should’ve done some push-ups in my room if I’d known it’d come to this.’

Not only did I lack magical talent, but my physical endurance was pathetic too.

As I paused to catch my breath, Carlisle approached me.

“Want me to carry you?”

“I appreciate the offer, but I’ll pass.”

I declined firmly and resumed walking.

Carlisle chuckled softly at my exhausted attempt to climb the hill.

‘Wow, beautiful.’

At the top of the hill, an unexpected view unfolded.

Beneath the sunset, the academy’s landscape stretched out in front of us.

It reminded me of when I first met Carlisle.

It was during a sunset like this when I had fallen from the clock tower.

“Is it true you entered the academy with the recommendation of Duke Michael?”

As I was lost in the scenery, Carlisle broke the silence with a question.

Narrowing my eyes, I turned toward him.

“Probably.”

“There’s no way Duke Michael would have let you in without a price. You must have traded something significant in exchange.”

Both Jerome and Carlisle had sharp instincts, like world-class champions.

Instead of answering, I kept my lips sealed.

Carlisle murmured in a calm voice.

“Was it because of Jerome?”

“…”

“No, it couldn’t be. Even someone as reckless as you wouldn’t get involved with someone as monstrous as him…”

“Don’t talk about him like that.”

I flinched as soon as the words left my mouth. I hadn’t meant to sound so serious.

After all, I thought of Jerome as a monster too.

Embarrassed by my unintentional defense of him, I fell silent.

Carlisle grabbed my wrist, spinning me around. Our gazes locked in the air.

“What you did at the Crown Prince’s birthday was a miracle. No heretic has ever turned back into a human.”

My heart sank at Carlisle’s words.

The image of Lily, who had transformed into a heretic and charged at me, resurfaced.

The memory I had buried deep resurfaced, bringing with it a wave of discomfort.

‘What good is turning them back into humans if I couldn’t save them in the end?’

I had returned Lily to her human form, but I still didn’t know what conditions triggered that “miracle of restoration.”

After that incident, I hadn’t been able to reverse a heretic’s transformation again.

“You have a special talent, something more extraordinary than magic. That’s why you should join the Flare Guild.”

“…”

“I can make sure something like today never happens again.”

By “something like today,” did he mean the group bullying?

After all, I had threatened my seniors and even said I’d have their families executed.

By tomorrow, the rumors about me being an unmanageable villainess would spread, and the harassment might get worse.

“No thanks. I’m staying in the Luna Guild.”

But even so, I couldn’t join the Flare Guild.

There was something much scarier there than any bullying.

As I pulled my arm free, Carlisle frowned.

“You struggled so hard to get into the academy, why make the worst choice now?”

“Tell me, have you ever felt jealousy in your life?”

“Jealousy?”

As soon as I asked, a sharp spring breeze made me hunch my shoulders.

Carlisle, seeing my reaction, took off his robe.

I was about to refuse, thinking he’d try to drape it over me, but instead, he neatly folded it and slung it over his arm.

I let out a small cough.

“Well, jealousy is an emotion you feel when you don’t have something. I’ve always gotten what I wanted, so I’ve never had time to feel jealous.”

“Jealousy is stronger than you think. People who seem indifferent can become entirely different when faced with it.”

I knew because he was a character I had written. Luke was the embodiment of jealousy.

As an ambitious character who would go to any lengths to get what he wanted, the moment he learned that Carlisle, whom he had long admired from afar, had brought me to Flare himself, I could already predict the chaos that would follow.

“With rumors spreading that I entered the academy under Duke Michael’s influence, what do you think will happen if I join the top guild, Flare, thanks to you? I’ll be hated even more than I am now, won’t I?”

“……”

“Luna Guild isn’t the worst choice. It’s the best option I have right now.”

Even though I was shivering from the cold, I spoke calmly.

Carlisle, who had been listening in silence, muttered something meaningful under his breath.

“No arrogance, self-awareness, and quick judgment. The last time we met, you seemed more timid and defeated…”

In the end, Carlisle covered me with his robe, laughing softly.

He suddenly moved closer without warning, causing our knees to touch.

My eyes widened at his next words.

“Is this because of Jerome?”

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