Quietly Hiding that I am a Man chapter 77- Fake Goods

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Once again, I looked around the eerie surroundings.

One wall was covered with frames of taxidermy insects, and as if that wasn’t enough, a menacing-looking skull lay on the floor.

In the pitch-black room with no windows, the only source of light was a half-melted candle.

It felt like I had been dropped into the set of a horror movie.

I grabbed my throbbing forehead and muttered to myself.

“Jerome, what on earth were you thinking with these coordinates?”

I knew because I had created this setting.

The coin Jerome had flipped was a magical artifact known as “Merlin’s Fare,” used for teleportation.

When you draw a magic circle around an object and flip the coin, the coin vanishes, transporting the object to the designated coordinates.

However, teleportation magic is incomplete, even by academic standards, and sometimes you end up in unexpected places or times.

Because of this unpredictability, Merlin’s Fare had been banned by the Empire to prevent lunatics from abusing it.

Getting caught using it meant at least life imprisonment, and at worst, the death penalty.

In the original novel, Luke had used this artifact, risking his life to return to Carlisle in a desperate situation.

“I have no idea how he got his hands on such a thing, but one thing is certain.”

I groaned as I pushed aside a pile of books stacked as tall as me.

When I pulled back the blackout curtains from the window, sunlight streamed into the previously dark room.

Outside, an endless forest stretched into the horizon.

It seemed I was in a remote tower deep within this forest.

Looking down at the dizzying height, I sighed.

“I’ve been stranded.”

As I left the strange room, I found a spiral staircase reminiscent of an old foreign apartment building.

Just as I cautiously started descending, a strange sound from behind startled me.

I quickly turned around. In the darkness, something faintly white was standing there, staring at me.

“Jerry?”

Unless my eyes were deceiving me, this ghostly-looking cat was definitely Jerry.

His cat ears, hidden under a white sheet, perked up.

With a soft “swish,” Jerry approached me.

I crouched down to meet his gaze.

Jerry, who had been staring intently at me, gently placed his tiny paw on my knee.

With a flash of light, the pain I had been feeling in my side disappeared, and the wounds all over my body healed.

After finishing his healing spell, Jerry lifted both paws as if asking for praise.

I smiled, reached out to pet him, but then paused.

“This is strange. You seem a little different from the Jerry I know.”

What should I say?

This ghost didn’t quite match the Jerry I remembered.

The sheet he was wearing had been old and worn, but the one in front of me now was crisp and stark white.

Absentmindedly, I stroked his head, and Jerry purred with his eyes closed.

“Nya.”

Jerry, still purring, suddenly thrust out his short arms.

Seeing the pink jelly of his paws peek out from under the sheet left me momentarily dazed.

It was like he was asking for something.

“Hmm, it looks like you want something…”

Narrowing my eyes, I racked my brain.

Now that I thought about it, I had once made a toy that looked like Jerry.

With a glimmer of hope, I rummaged through my pocket and, thankfully, found the Jerry doll.

When I handed it over, Jerry inspected it closely, then puffed out his tail in excitement.

“Nyan nyan nyat!”

His pupils dilated like a cat about to pounce.

Jerry handed the toy back to me, his nose so damp with excitement that the fabric had darkened.

I watched as Jerry excitedly scampered down the stairs.

Halfway down, he started spinning in circles.

“Is he asking me to follow?”

Without thinking, I followed Jerry down the stairs.

After descending for a while, we reached a passageway leading to another tower.

Jerry zigzagged down the corridor and stopped in front of an unusual door.

Just as I was about to open it, Jerry tugged on my robe.

He held out a white sheet identical to the one he was wearing.

Reluctantly, I took the roughly cut sheet with holes for eyes and asked,

“Do I really have to wear this?”

“Nya!”

Jerry nodded enthusiastically.

With no other choice, I draped the sheet over myself.

As I opened the door, I was met with a quaintly decorated kitchen.

The hearth was still warm, and soup was simmering on the stove, indicating someone had just been there.

Stepping over the knitting scattered on the floor, I stopped in front of the mirror.

“Wait, am I invisible?”

It was truly bizarre.

No matter how I moved, my reflection didn’t appear in the mirror.

Just as I was about to ask Jerry how this was possible, the heavy wooden door creaked open.

Instinctively, I turned and froze.

A boy, only about waist-high, walked past me.

“Jerry!”

The boy, who had burst into the room in a rush, stopped in front of a shelf. He stood on tiptoe and finally managed to grab a bottle of milk from the top.

After downing the milk, leaving a white ring around his mouth, he carelessly wiped it off with his sleeve before collapsing in front of Jerry.

“I finally figured out the spell formula to break the curse. With this, I might be able to cure Mother’s illness. It’s not perfect yet, but…”

The boy placed the bottle down and hugged Jerry tightly.

I held my breath as I studied his face.

The boy had stunning features, like a painting come to life.

With his ash-gray eyes and platinum-blonde hair, even in his childlike form, it was clear.

This was Jerome.

Jerome, snuggling against Jerry, suddenly opened his eyes with a cold expression.

“Well, well, seems like we have a guest in the tower. Judging by the presence, it must be a ghost?”

I flinched.

Even with my weak magic, Jerome had noticed my presence.

His sensory perception was almost animalistic.

Hoping to avoid detection, I pressed myself against the wall.

If young Jerome discovered me, it would be a disaster.

Just meeting him could change the future. Jerome, still crouched in front of Jerry, grumbled,

“No matter what, you shouldn’t let guests in while I’m gone. Next time, make sure to chase them out. I still can’t protect Mother with my magic.”

“Nya!”

Jerry responded energetically. Jerome eyed him suspiciously before pulling his black robe over his head.

I quietly watched as he left the kitchen with light footsteps.

It was hard to believe that the sweet-looking boy would grow into the maniacal Jerome I knew.

“Alright, I’m stepping out for a bit. And tell that ghost not to stir things up too much.”

As Jerome glanced toward Jerry, he momentarily looked in my direction.

It felt like our eyes met, and I stopped breathing.

After a moment, Jerome turned and left the kitchen.

Only when I heard his footsteps fade did I exhale in relief, collapsing into a seat as my legs shook with fear.

“How could such a cute boy grow up into a ruthless killer? Is this what it feels like when a sponsored child turns into a pirate?”

The thought that I had almost unintentionally altered the future sent a chill down my spine.

I pulled out the Jerry doll from my pocket and inspected it.

One of its four symmetrical whiskers was missing.

As I gathered my thoughts, I asked a sudden question.

“Jerry, did you bring me here?”

Jerry flinched and looked back at me.

That clever little ghost.

So, the gift he gave me wasn’t for my sake, but to protect Jerome.

I couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness. I understood Jerry’s feelings.

He was willing to do whatever it took to stop Duke Michael from taking Jerome.

With a heavy heart, I continued.

“I understand your intentions, but we can’t just change the past. Even if I’m here, nothing will change. I won’t alter anything.”

Hearing my firm response, Jerry’s ears drooped.

Just as I suspected, Jerry had been planning to use the past to protect Jerome.

The weight of guilt pressed down on me.

[Actually, that doll is my alter ego, into which I’ve transferred all of my life force. With it, you can peer into Jerome’s past whenever you want. Although, now there are only three chances left…]

A voice, neither distinctly male nor female, echoed in my ears.

Startled, I jerked my head up, only to see Jerry sitting there quietly with his paws neatly folded, watching me.

[So, please, Jeanne.]

As soon as I felt my feet lift off the ground, a black hole appeared beneath me again.

A warm breeze, from who knows where, tousled my hair.

Jerry’s following words made me clutch the doll in my hand tightly.

[Please save my little hero.]

✽ ✽ ✽

After an unplanned time travel, I returned safely to the Duke’s mansion.

But even after coming back home, I couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling lingering inside me.

I couldn’t get rid of the thought that I had abandoned Jerry.

As soon as a few knights chatting outside the mansion saw me, they rushed over in a panic.

“L-Lady! What on earth happened…?”

“Could it be… were you attacked by monsters?”

Seeing the pale faces of the knights, I sank back into thought.

Even if I told them what happened, all the mercenaries who should have been punished were already dead.

And Derek, who orchestrated my kidnapping, had been dragged to the Room of Truth.

Plus, in this empire, slaves were considered personal property.

If I testified against the slave traders, the runaway Sacr children might be captured again.

‘If the temple learns that Jerome went on another massacre, they won’t stay quiet.’

I glanced between the knights’ ashen faces and spoke in a flat tone.

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