QHIM chapter 23- Fake Hero

* * *

After finishing preparations to go out, I left the bedroom. Just then, I saw Cedrick walking down the hallway.

Cedrick looked me up and down, then spoke in disbelief.

“Where do you think you’re going so early in the morning? Especially when you’re supposed to be on probation.”

“I’m going out with the Duke’s permission. I’m meeting Jerome.”

“Jerome?”

As soon as I mentioned the name ‘Jerome,’ Cedrick’s expression hardened.

He seemed like he had something to say but couldn’t bring himself to do it.

I looked at him for a moment before asking,

“Do you know Jerome?”

“How could I not? He’s both a hero and a shadow of the empire. He was famous even when he was still at the academy. His swordsmanship was truly exceptional.”

Indeed, in the original novel, Jerome was once a hero, just like Luke.

However, he failed in his attempt to subdue the great demon Mephisto, and as a last resort, sealed Mephisto within his own body.

“A hero and a shadow…”

An outdated hero, slowly dying in the dark, damp basement of a psychiatric ward.

There was no better way to describe Jerome. I thought bitterly.

“The result of sealing the great disaster Mephisto in his body is ending up in a psychiatric ward. If it were me, I might have turned to the dark side too. I feel a little guilty as a creator.”

But even so, if he became a nuisance, I’d still eliminate him.

Cedrick, who had been watching me lost in thought, frowned and asked,

“But do you really have to go meet that guy?”

“Huh? But you and the Duke work for the family, so I need to do something useful too. Don’t worry. I’m going in with other clerics, and the interview will only last about 10 minutes.”

“…Honestly, everyone’s gone mad over this Saintess of Maya nonsense.”

So, Cedrick, you’re an atheist, huh? It wasn’t that strange. The main characters, Carlisle and Luke, were also atheists.

The reason was simple.

Not a single Saintess of Maya had been born in hundreds of years.

Because of this, atheists often mocked, saying, “I’d sooner believe in my dog Charles than in the Maya god.”

“Here, take this.”

Cedrick, still grumbling, pulled something out of his pocket and threw it at me. I caught it instinctively.

“What’s this?”

“It’s a magic stone with a defensive spell on it. If something happens, don’t think about fighting back—just get out of there. Don’t let yourself be caught off guard.”

Oh, a magic stone.

From the clean color and pristine condition, it was clearly a top-grade magic stone, worth whatever price one could ask for.

I looked between the stone and Cedrick. A smile slowly spread across my lips.

“So, are you worried about me?”

Cedrick squinted his eyes as if trying to hold back a smile.

“Just give it back. I’ll sell it to Kelly.”

Cedrick irritably reached out his hand, but I quickly pulled the stone back out of his reach, gripping it tightly.

Seeing my wide grin, Cedrick paused for a moment.

I wiped away the tears that had formed in my eyes from laughing so much.

“You’re so cute. Why not just admit you’re worried about me?”

As I teased him relentlessly, our eyes met, and I froze. Cedrick was smiling kindly, like a benevolent Buddha.

But that made it even more terrifying.

Watching Cedrick approach with clenched fists, I began to back away.

“Right, I’ve been too busy with the research institute lately, so I haven’t been nagging you much. I’ve been neglecting you.”

“…”

“What should I do? You tell me. How should I handle this?”

Ever since I ended up in this novel, I’ve categorized Cedrick’s anger into three levels.

If it was just a small annoyance, it was like dealing with a Chihuahua.

If it was enough to earn a light smack, it was like a Welsh Corgi.

But right now, it was at least a Sapsaree, if not a Chow Chow.

Not knowing what else to do, I shyly spoke up.

“…Big… Big Brother.”

Pause.

Cedrick’s body froze, as if turned to stone, at the unfamiliar title.

This was my chance. I quickly turned around and ran. I hid behind a large potted plant to catch my breath.

“He wouldn’t chase me all the way here, would he?”

Just as I was feeling relieved, something bumped into my foot.

I looked down and saw someone crouching behind the pot just like me.

I could hear the servants’ voices nearby.

“Where’s Ber? It was just getting fun.”

“Yeah, we didn’t even finish drawing the other side of his mustache.”

Realizing someone was there, Ber slowly turned his head.

As soon as I saw Ber’s face, I burst out laughing.

One side of his cheek was decorated with a drawn-on cat’s whiskers. It was such a pathetic sight for someone who once reigned as the scourge of an era.

When Ber saw me, he collapsed into my arms.

“Master…”

Without a word, I patted Bermut’s head as he sniffled.

The servants, upon seeing me, quickly bowed their heads in embarrassment. Ber glared at them with eyes full of resentment.

“Why did you draw on Ber’s face like this?”

My cold tone made the servants hesitate. One of them bit his lower lip and stepped forward.

“Well… he was the one who pushed all his work onto us and went off to gamble!”

“That’s right! And one of the other servants even lent him money!”

I thought he was just being bullied again, but this evil dragon had been shirking his duties and slacking off.

I stared at Ber without any expression. He pretended not to notice and hummed a tune.

“Nananana…”

I barely resisted the urge to smack him. With a sigh, I said,

“Even so, tormenting someone I brought in is like disrespecting me. If you pull something like this again, you’ll both have your pay docked. Do you understand?”

The frightened servants quickly nodded. Ber’s eyes were now filled with admiration.

If he looked at me like this, he’d probably be willing to co-sign a loan for me.

With a complicated mix of emotions, I waved them away.

“Alright, if you understand, you can go.”

The servants quickly left. I took out a handkerchief and wiped the soot off Ber’s face.

“Ber, that must have been scary. Your cute face is all messed up.”

“Yes. Sniff, they tried to make me eat a dead mouse. They wanted to pull my teeth out while I was still alive.”

“That sounds like a lie.”

“Yes. Sniff, even though what I just said was a lie, they still bullied me.”

This guy…

I grabbed Ber’s shoulders firmly. He looked at me with big, innocent eyes.

“Anyway, now you should understand. I could send you to those guys at any time. So what should you do? You should never even think about betraying your master. You should be loyal, right?”

Ber, who had been listening blankly, nodded his head vigorously.

“Yes, I will be loyal…”

“Good, that’s a good boy.”

I patted Ber’s head kindly as he leaned into my arms again. Then I smiled darkly.

Everything according to plan.

Even though he’s acting all cute now, this guy is actually a dark-hearted evil dragon.

In the original story, he would kill humans like they were ants.

If I treated him too well, who knows when he’d stab me in the back.

So, I figured that if I let him live in a harsh environment for a while and then kept him by my side while treating him decently, he’d be less likely to betray me after experiencing a taste of hell.

As Ber calmed down, he clung to my hand. Speaking kindly to him, I said,

“Ber, now that you’re feeling better, do you want to go out with me? It’s a place I can’t really take Twitty to.”

“Of course! Where are we going? A tea party? Or a boutique? I’m very strong! I can carry things!”

I smiled brightly at the excited Ber, who was jumping around with joy.

“No, we’re going to the psychiatric ward.”

Ber suddenly slumped down, looking utterly defeated.

✽ ✽ ✽

I took a carriage to the Waverly Asylum where Jerome was staying.

Since Jeanne was also supposed to be admitted there in the original story, I felt uneasy in many ways.

I wondered if meeting Jerome was really the right thing to do the entire way there.

But there was something I needed to confirm.

Jerome had a particular talent for mental magic.

Mental magic referred to spells that could confuse or distort someone’s memory or mind.

In that sense, brainwashing was also considered a form of mental magic.

Lost in thought, I leaned my chin on my hand as the carriage rattled along.

“It’s impossible to live my whole life lying like this. There’s a limit to how much I can make things up. But I can’t just reveal that I’m a man now. In the end, there’s only one way I can survive.”

Her eyes caught sight of the lilies in full bloom near the lakeside.

Suddenly, a dark memory surfaced, and I quickly averted her gaze.

An unexpected wave of anxiety made her nervously bite her nails.

“If I could erase Jeanne’s existence from everyone’s memory, as if I never existed in the first place…”

This thought started from a speculation that if Jerome could distort memories, perhaps he could erase them as well.

Of course, I knew that such magic was likely impossible.

But in my current state, where I would grasp at even a rotten straw, I couldn’t help but cling to that hope.

“The problem is… even if it were possible, would Jerome really agree to help me?”

I sighed and leaned back. Ber, who had been fanning me diligently, tilted his head in concern.

“Master, you don’t look well. Is something bothering you?”

“We’re on our way to meet a madman.”

“A madman… more so than you, Master?”