Quietly Hiding that I am a Man chapter 46- Fake Prophecy

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Jerome blinked slowly, his expression turning bitter as if he had resigned himself.

Just when I thought he had finally accepted the situation, he suddenly bit down on my earlobe.

The pain, sharp like my flesh was being torn, brought tears to my eyes.

“It hurts!”

Even though I hit him with my clenched fists, it didn’t stop him.

He bit down like a rabid dog, refusing to let go, making it impossible for me to turn away.

No matter how much I demanded an explanation, Jerome remained silent, pinning my struggling wrists.

Realizing he might tear off my earlobe, I became desperate.

“It hurts! I said it hurts!”

“……”

“Why… Why are you doing this? Why now?!”

The pressure on my earlobe increased, and the pain was so intense that tears streamed down my face.

Finally, as I began to sob quietly, Jerome released his grip.

He patiently waited until I calmed down, then spoke in a soft voice.

“Jeanne, I’m a disaster for you. Do you think a disaster comes only if you call for it or stays away if you tell it not to? No, a disaster, like your earlobe just getting ripped for no reason, comes suddenly. Without any warning, without any compromise. Did you dare bite your tongue because you hate me that much and try to die?”

“….”

“Then I’ll rub my cock on your maggot-infested corpse. After that, I’ll kill myself and find you in the underworld. If you try to reincarnate to escape me, I’ll reincarnate too. If I’m born as a woman, I’ll carry your child, and if I’m born as a man, I’ll make you carry mine. over and over again.”

Honestly, up until a few days ago, I was arrogant enough to think I could understand Jerome. But I was wrong.

No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t comprehend this bastard.

It felt like I was sentenced to death, and once again, I burst into tears.

For the record, I’m not someone who cries often.

In fact, I was trapped in the old-fashioned belief that men shouldn’t cry under any circumstances.

Yet here I was, bawling like a newborn, for three reasons.

First, I was utterly resentful that a disaster like this had befallen me.

Second, I was sure that no matter how much I tried to persuade or threaten him, Jerome would never change.

And lastly, my bitten earlobe still stung painfully. Jerome patted my back, likely shocked by my outburst.

‘Why me? Why is it always Jeanne that this happens to?’

Jerome, who was watching me like a helpless baby bird, smiled contentedly.

“How cute, look at you, crying in joy. Blow your nose. Huff.”

Jerome, completely misunderstanding the reason for my sobs, grabbed my nostrils.

Despite my crushed spirit, I cleared my nose.

Jerome wiped the sticky mucus off on his pants and said casually,

“Finished crying? Have you fully accepted the disaster that has come for you? If not, let me know—I’ll give you more time.”

His tone was calm, as if he were comforting a child throwing a tantrum.

I wiped my tears and threw a frustrated glance his way.

It was my attempt at a small act of rebellion.

But Jerome, always keenly perceptive, gave a faint smile.

“Your eyes still have that defiant glint. It’s fine, your husband has a lot of patience. I’ll explain it to you again from the beginning.”

When Jerome grabbed my cheek, I turned pale and shouted in a panic,

“I, I’ve accepted it! I’ve accepted it!”

“No, you’re just saying that to avoid the disaster in front of you. Deep down, you’re hoping I’ll bite your other ear too.”

“I’m serious, I’ve accepted it! I’ve decided to fully respect the disaster that has come to me!”

As I frantically denied it, waving my hands, Jerome’s demeanor softened again.

Just when I thought I had barely managed to stop his rampage, a loud noise rang in my ears again.

Boom!

Jerome instinctively wrapped his arms around my shoulders and turned his head.

The moment his gaze left me, I opened my eyes slightly, sneakily lifting my middle finger behind my back.

‘Forget pride—surviving this is the priority. A step back now for three steps forward later. Once Mephisto is taken care of, I won’t have to see Jerome again.’

The mysterious booming continued for a while before it finally quieted down.

Jerome, who had been lost in thought, stood up and extended a hand toward me, motioning for me to get up.

Reluctantly, I grabbed his hand, but as I stood, I wobbled.

The ground was so squishy it was hard to keep my balance.

“Are we really out?”

“Yeah.”

“How much time has passed?”

“I’ve been counting since we came in… about 216,892 seconds.”

I couldn’t believe my ears at the number.

Sixty seconds in a minute—so that meant a considerable amount of time had passed.

Suddenly, the thought of Bermut flashed through my mind. I asked with a trembling voice,

“Speaking of which, where’s Bermut? Did you see where he went?”

“Even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you.”

I glared at Jerome, who smirked mockingly, and started walking.

I wasn’t exactly in a position to worry about others, but I couldn’t help feeling concerned.

The thought of Ber being alone in this dark and hot space bothered me. I felt the need to find him quickly.

‘I have to find him. As much as I don’t want to admit it, things would get tough without Bermut.’

Even though I was in a hurry, my body didn’t cooperate.

The squishy floor sucked at my feet, and the stifling heat drained my energy after only a few steps.

Jerome, who had been observing me like a specimen under a microscope, suddenly hoisted me into his arms and added with a laugh,

“My wife sure needs a lot of attention.”

✽ ✽ ✽

We walked for a long time through the seemingly endless, pitch-black corridor. The inside of the heretic’s belly was unbelievably vast and oppressively hot. Without Jerome, I would’ve collapsed after five minutes. At some point, Jerome stopped walking.

“What’s wrong?”

“I hear something.”

He hears something? I held my breath, straining to listen. Just like Jerome said, I could hear faint murmuring from somewhere. As soon as Jerome put me down, he ran toward the sound. Rounding the corner, I saw Berm, drenched in sticky mucus.

‘Thank God. He doesn’t seem to be hurt.’

Maybe it was the relief of the reunion, but tears welled up in my eyes. Berm, who had been twitching intermittently, muttered,

“Ugh… I’m going to die. I’m sure of it. I’m going to melt in this sticky stomach acid and die…”

“….”

“Disgusting humans. Because of them, I’m stuck in this mess too! Die! Die! Die! I’ll curse both of you for life!”

In an instant, the relief I felt vanished like snow melting in the sun. Berm, noticing me, gasped and froze in place. After a long moment of silence, Jerome broke it,

“Can I eat him now?”

“No.”

“I thought we brought him as emergency food.”

Jerome clicked his tongue in disappointment. Berm, visibly flustered, hurried over and clung to me. Looking down at him with a sour expression, I sighed.

“Master! Where have you been? I was so heartbroken, thinking you’d chosen that mutt over me.”

“Verm, you’ve lived for hundreds of years. Can’t you assess the situation objectively?”

If Berm, who had lived for centuries, had been through all sorts of trials, then surely this couldn’t be the worst situation we faced.

I wanted, no, needed to hear that from him, even if I had to force it out of him.

“This isn’t the worst situation, is it?”

After a long pause, Bermut responded enthusiastically,

“No! Even for me, this is the worst!”

Damn it!

I collapsed onto the ground in despair.

Unless the heretic vomited us out, it seemed impossible to escape on our own.

Jerome, who had settled down beside me, spoke calmly,

“I’ve been thinking, and I wouldn’t mind melting in the acid with you. In a way, it’s like becoming one.”

“….”

“Think of it as a kind of coupling.”

“Shut up. I already feel out of sorts; just keep your mouth shut.”

I sighed and covered my head with my arms. In the original story, Luke used a mana stone he stumbled upon to defeat the giant serpent heretic.

‘If only I had that mana stone, which is packed with tremendous power, this heretic would be a piece of cake.’

I asked Jerome, who seemed completely unconcerned despite the life-threatening situation,

“Even if I struggle, with your power, can’t you take down this heretic?”

“Yeah, but I like it here. It’s cozy.”

“….”

“The outside world is full of scary, bad people. Let’s just make this place our newlywed home, okay?”

Jerome clung to my arm, pretending to flirt, then shivered as if frightened.

He seemed to be imitating the mechanism of fear itself, making a fuss on purpose.

Watching Jerome’s exaggerated antics, I thought dryly,

‘You’re the scariest, worst person here, Jerome.’

The now-familiar sound of a loud crash once again pierced through the air.

Ber, who had been hanging limply, perked up his ears.

He looked around and, in a voice tinged with confusion, asked:

“Wh-what is all that, Master…?”

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