Quietly Hiding that I am a Man chapter 42- Fake Death

* * *

The heretic’s tongue, which had been trembling, regenerated before my very eyes. I was left speechless by the sheer recovery speed.

I was terrified because of the heretic, but Jerome, on the other hand, was too busy fondling my thigh while holding me tightly.

“Get off me, you lunatic! The heretic’s still alive!”

I repeatedly slammed my fist against Jerome’s back.

I was getting anxious, fearing that his hand, which was now kneading my thigh, might accidentally reach my private area.

But Jerome, who had clearly lost his mind because of the lie I told, merely brushed his lips against my earlobe.

“Master, above!”

Following my lead, Ber, who had been biting Jerome’s hand, pointed upward.

The heretic, now fully recovered, let out a roar as if insulted, then slammed its thick body onto the ground.

Boom!

With a tremor that shook the earth, the impact sent our bodies flying into the air.

Jerome, finally realizing the situation, gripped my waist tightly.

Barely suppressing the urge to punch him, I looked down.

The heretic, its huge mouth wide open, was waiting for us to fall.

‘We’re going to get eaten.’

The body that had floated into the air was now plummeting fast.

Ber, who was clinging to my arm, screamed so loudly it felt like my ears would burst.

Only Jerome, laughing like a child on a rollercoaster for the first time, seemed to be having fun.

“Hold on tight, honey.”

Jerome, laughing like a madman, pressed my head down from behind.

I clenched my eyes shut, my head lowered.

Jerome’s maniacal laughter was the last thing I heard before…

I lost consciousness.

---

In the late evening, after the sun had vanished, a man in a black robe dashed quickly through the temple corridor.

As he arrived at the Archbishop’s chambers, he caught his breath and removed his robe.

“I’m here to report on the heretic matter, Lord Revulin.”

Luke appeared noticeably shaken, a rare occurrence. The knight guarding the Archbishop’s door nodded, and from inside, the voice of the secretary echoed.

“You may enter.”

The door creaked open, and Luke, still composing his breath, passed the knight and entered.

After walking down the dim corridor, lit only by oil lamps, he arrived at a spacious bathhouse.

Seeing the young women, barely clothed, lounging in the bath, Luke frowned.

“Not again, with this indecency…”

Revulin, the Archbishop, was the hero who had sealed the Archdemon Baal and saved the empire.

However, his scandalous personal life stood in stark contrast to his public reputation, causing the temple to quietly cover up his true nature.

Revulin had a fondness for beauty, regardless of gender, but his favorite were women from Sacre, who were known for their fierce, almost wild nature.

He particularly enjoyed breaking them down, turning them into submissive pets.

Luke’s gaze fell upon a woman crouched in the corner of the bathhouse. Her pale skin and dark hair clearly marked her as a Sacre woman. Her thin body was covered in signs of abuse.

“Do you like her, Luke? You can take her if you want,” Revulin offered with a grin.

The Sacre woman flinched at his words.

Luke turned away in disgust, as if the idea was unthinkable.

Had she been from Aileen, it might have mattered, but he cared little about the fate of a Sacre woman.

“A heretic was spotted near the Maron’s Spring. Fortunately, there are no unusual signs yet, but the House of Efilia has requested an extension for the search,” Luke said as he pulled a letter from his robe.

Revulin raised an eyebrow as he accepted the letter.

“The House of Efilia… That must be Duke Karlotte.”

As Revulin read the letter, he stroked his chin thoughtfully.

It had already been four days since the Duke’s adopted daughter, Jeanne, had gone missing.

Until now, the heretic had not been dealt with because of concerns about disturbing the search site, but enough time had passed that they would soon need to take action.

“Why is the House of Efilia getting involved? Could it be that they’re after the Mana Stone too?”

“There was no mention of the Mana Stone, but… they still haven’t found the Lady after two days. They’re probably getting desperate.”

“What a joke. Of course, they won’t find her. By now, she’s likely dissolved in the heretic’s acid,” Revulin sneered, crumpling the letter with a laugh.

“No matter how much power they wield within the empire, they’re still just a noble house. If the temple refuses their request, citing a waste of resources, that’s the end of it.”

Luke hesitated for a moment before pulling out another document. “This is the investigation report.”

Revulin began skimming through the thick report before muttering, “Jeanne von Efilia…”

Jeanne von Efilia had once stirred up society with rumors that she might be Saintess of Maya.

This had irked Revulin greatly, as he had long desired to make his own daughter, Mia, the Saint of Maya.

“Is she the only one missing?”

“A young man named Jerome Howard, who was with her, has also been missing for four days.”

At the mention of Jerome Howard, Revulin’s expression darkened.

After Jerome had sealed Mephisto within himself, Revulin had been forced to share his hero’s glory with him, something that had never sat well with him.

That’s why Revulin had led the charge to have Jerome isolated.

He had orchestrated the so-called “treatment,” which was little more than torture, after Jerome was confined to a sanatorium.

‘I had planned to slowly let him rot away in that place, but after that lady showed up, he’s become strangely docile. How did she manage to tame a lunatic like him?’ Revulin thought.

Though he had released Jerome under pressure from the royal family, Revulin had vowed to lock him away again one day.

Now, with both Jerome and the Lady gone, it seemed the god of Maya was finally smiling upon him. Revulin grinned in satisfaction.

“Hah, the dog of Mephisto and the Saintess of Maya disappearing at the same time? How scandalous, for a noble lady to go missing in such a secluded place with a man. Duke Karlotte must be humiliated.”

The Duke had always tried to cut the temple’s budget, so Revulin silently rejoiced at his misfortune.

“It doesn’t matter if that girl is the Saintess of Maya or not. The idea of her being the Saintess of Maya is absurd. I will never allow a lowly girl from Sakre to become the Saintess of Maya.”

“……”

“Luke, remember this. No one but my daughter Mia can be the Saintess of Maya. This is the perfect chance to deal with that girl once and for all. Even if she’s still alive….”

Revulin trailed off, scanning the surroundings. Luke, quick to understand what Revulin implied, bowed his head.

“There’s no need for you to concern yourself, Sir Revulin. If she remains missing, that alone will prove she’s not the Saintess of Maya. However, there’s one thing that bothers me.”

“What is it?”

“It’s unusual for Duke Carlotte to contact the temple directly like this. If we’re not careful, we might end up provoking his wrath. Perhaps it would be better to accept his request for now…”

Revulin snorted, waving his hand dismissively.

“There’s no way that miser Carlotte would make such a request just to recover his adopted daughter’s corpse. That’s just an excuse—he’s after the mana stones.”

“……”

“If he comes begging later, we’ll just throw a few coins his way. I know him. That man loves nothing but wealth.”

Revulin rose from the water.

Two attendants who had been waiting outside the bath rushed in to dry Revulin’s wet body with towels.

Because of his large and bloated figure, it took both of them to handle the task.

With a twitch of his protruding chin, Revulin continued.

“Even if the Duke’s adopted daughter is involved, there will be no exceptions. The handling of the heretic will proceed as planned.”

Revulin snapped his fingers.

Several naked women approached him, their presence a far cry from the image of a revered saint.

Watching the depravity unfold, Luke lowered his head.

“Yes, Sir Revulin.”

✽ ✽ ✽

Etrance Academy, the prestigious institution of the Kaisar Empire.

Run with full support from the imperial family and funded by its graduates, this academy has produced countless sages and saints, becoming a key recruitment center for the Royal Knights.

The educational philosophy of Etrance Academy was one of strict meritocracy. Even the most aristocratic children couldn’t gain entry if they didn’t possess talent for magic.

While the academy did operate a “special admissions” program for those who donated vast sums of galons, students admitted this way were often treated like fools and ostracized.

This was largely due to the guild system within the academy.

Guilds were a long-standing tradition at Etrance Academy.

Every student was expected to attend classes in the morning and complete quests for their respective guild in the afternoon, honing their practical skills.

The system was designed to highlight individual abilities within the guilds.

Because academic grades were determined largely by the results achieved within the guilds, top students often aimed to join the most prestigious ones.

Recently, a new event had drawn the attention of such elite students: the emergence of a new heretic.

The report of a new heretic from the eastern territory had shaken the academy’s guilds.

While most students were frightened, a strange rumor circulated among the upper guilds.

It was said that a mana stone had been found on the reported heretic.

Mana stones were a rare mineral, found only in the deepest and most dangerous mines.

Given their ability to store mana, they were sometimes used as a common currency.

The amount of mana a stone could store was determined by its color.

Of these, the rarest—clear mana stones—could store up to a billion mana points, making them the most valuable.

* * *