Male Lead, Don’t Follow Me! - Chapter 8

The next day.

I carefully entered the forest to check if the traces were still well-preserved.

I didn’t forget to remain vigilant of my surroundings as I entered.

“Phew, thankfully it’s still here.”

I was a bit worried, but looking at it after some time had passed, it seemed even more convincing.

“So that’s why people were talking about that story.”

I grumbled as I trampled the ground a bit more. Of course, I had applied a potion to my shoes that wouldn’t leave any traces.

“I said Duke Bishwaltz was a son of a b*tch, when did I ever say he was gay?”

What if this gets back to him and all hell breaks loose?!

Even at last night’s banquet. I saw Duke Bishwaltz leave the hall with an angry expression and go to the terrace…

Did Baron Beber follow him in?

“Gasp! If it’s Baron Beber!”

I covered my mouth with both hands and looked around.

Wasn’t he the one who was caught making love with another man in the forest before?

“This is bad.”

The Duke must have found out.

The thought of being caught by him was terrifying. He might kill me on the spot.

Thinking about it made me feel miserable as I diligently packed the ground.

To make it look more convincing, I naturally broke up the dry ground and shaped it.

“I guess he hasn’t heard about the mole on his butt.”

I sighed, saying it was truly incomprehensible.

“Puhahahahaha.”

Hm? Wait a minute. I think I just heard something I shouldn’t have…

I slowly raised my creaking neck. There was laughter coming from above.

“Huh…?”

“I heard a sound and came to check, and this is quite interesting.”

I saw a man perched on a tree, looking down at me.

“Ah, you startled me!”

My heart nearly leaped out of my mouth, let alone just pounding.

I took quick breaths as I looked at him.

‘C-Calm down. If you get scared, you lose.’

I tried to compose my expression as if nothing had happened and walked straight ahead, pretending not to see him.

“Well, well, are you trying to pretend you didn’t see me?”

The man lightly jumped down from the tree and blocked my path.

Gulp. I swallowed dryly and smiled awkwardly.

‘I guess that won’t work, will it?’

The man’s red eyes, framed by his long black hair tied back, turned towards me.

“…How much did you hear?”

“Well, enough to know that your relationship with Bishwaltz is not ordinary?”

Damn, it seems things have gotten seriously complicated.

“There’s no relationship…”

Why did I mention the butt mole!

I averted my gaze like a guilty person. The man’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.

“It would be strange to deny it too, wouldn’t it?”

Black hair and red eyes.

The man standing before me was undoubtedly the Archmage who was with Bishwaltz that day.

‘Ah, this is driving me crazy!’

Unable to go anywhere, I stood before him with my hands clasped. I glanced slightly to look into his eyes.

I hurriedly tried to recall the contents of the book.

Having focused solely on Bishwaltz, I couldn’t properly remember the other characters.

He must be one of the main characters.

“You’re making an interesting expression.”

“Pardon?”

Gulp.

My mouth went dry, and I swallowed hard.

I leaned back as the man’s face suddenly came close.

“W-Why, why.”

Why are you suddenly putting your face so close!

I blinked my eyes rapidly.

“I can hear the sound of your brain working from here.”

Wait a minute…

That rude way of speaking, the black flowing hair, and the aura surrounding his body.

“Serhin.”

As I muttered the name, I was startled and covered my mouth.

“It seems you’re interested in me as well as Bishwaltz. I didn’t even tell you my name.”

What should I do now?

I decided to just go for it since things had come to this.

“I’ve always been interested in handsome men.”

“Not a bad answer.”

Serhin stroked his chin with a satisfied expression.

I momentarily lost myself in his smile as he raised one corner of his mouth, then slapped both my cheeks hard.

“Ouch.”

That hurts! Get a grip.

I widened my eyes as if determined not to be enchanted by the guy’s good looks.

“But why are you here?”

“Ah, that Bishwaltz asked me a favor.”

“What kind of favor……”

Have I already been caught?

Anxiously, I found myself biting my nails without realizing it.

“Don’t worry. Thanks to you, it was fun.”

“What?”

“I won’t tell. I came here to investigate magical beasts, not to find someone who’s stalking.”

If he investigated magical beasts, he might have already discovered the traces I left.

“No, but what do you mean by stalking?!”

Dying unjustly was bad enough, but being labeled as someone stalking that madman was even worse.

Of course, I do know everything about Bishwaltz.

But that wasn’t because I wanted to, it was information forcibly inputted into my head.

There weren’t any secrets, but I did blurt out some things that could be misunderstood.

But weren’t those two close friends?

If it were me, I’d run straight to him and tattle about catching a suspicious person.

No matter how I looked at it, Serhin didn’t seem to have any intention of doing so.

“From what you’ve said, you’re either in a secret relationship with Bishwaltz, or stalking him. Which is it?”

Serhin narrowed his eyes, pressing me for an answer.

The snake.

Both options were difficult for me to answer.

If Serhin wasn’t planning to tell Bishwaltz anyway, wouldn’t it be better to bet on the safer option?

I immediately regained my composure and gave Serhin a shy smile.

“Well, let’s say I’m a hidden lover.”

“That guy has a lover?”

Serhin looked me up and down with disbelieving eyes.

I scrunched up my face at his gaze and lifted my chin.

“What, why! What’s with that look? What’s wrong with me?”

At times like this, I need to be even more confident. If you cower, you lose.

“You’re not Bishwaltz’s type.”

“Huh!”

A sigh escaped me involuntarily.

Of course, someone like me wouldn’t even catch his eye. But isn’t that better for me?

If I caught the fancy of a guy like that…… I shuddered involuntarily.

“But you’re my type.”

“……What?”

Serhin narrowed his eyes and repeated once more.

“How about being my lover instead of Bishwaltz’s? I don’t need to hide you.”

Rustle.

My hair flowed through Serhin’s fingers.

His breath slowly touched my pink-tinged hair.

Slap!

I was so surprised that I ended up pushing his forehead hard with my palm.

***

“You, what happened to your forehead?”

“It was intense.”

Bishwaltz frowned as he saw Serhin entering with a reddened forehead.

He sent him to the forbidden forest to find evidence related to magical beasts, but what on earth did he do?

He thought he might at least bring back a person!

“I didn’t expect her to run away like that.”

“Did you encounter a magical beast? Or perhaps the person spreading false rumors?”

Serhin shook his head.

He did meet a person, but it couldn’t have been her.

‘She didn’t say anything other than the mole on the butt. But why was she there?’

Only now did he start to have doubts one by one.

However, perhaps due to the still intense impression, other thoughts quickly disappeared.

Serhin recalled the woman who had hit his forehead and vanished, reliving the sensation left on his fingertips.

‘Pink hair……’

Indeed, my type.

Serhin, without answering Bishwaltz’s question, became lost in thought.

“You went to the forbidden forest, why are you in this state?”

Maybe I should have gone with him after all?

Bishwaltz found it strange to see Serhin laughing like a madman.

“There’s no way you were attacked by a magical beast.”

“I was attacked by something worse than a magical beast.”

Serhin chuckled, remembering the nameless woman.

He tossed the orb in his hand to Bishwaltz and lay down on the sofa.

“There were traces of magical beasts passing through.”

“Anything else?”

Serhin couldn’t answer Bishwaltz’s question immediately.

He had met a very suspicious woman, but somehow, he didn’t want to tell him about it.

It was both interesting and intriguing.

“Hey, do you perhaps have a secret lover hidden from me?”

“What nonsense are you spouting now?”

“Well, if you don’t, I was thinking of making one for you.”

Bishwaltz shook his head at Serhin’s words.

He couldn’t say they were friends, but there was a woman he was looking for, though not exactly a hidden lover.

‘She cursed me in every way possible, but she did praise my body and face.’

Those were words he could never forget.

Bishwaltz had never held anyone in his arms.

How did that woman know my size…… no, that enormous…… ha.

Grind. His teeth clenched.

She must be an unusual woman.

It was chilling, regardless of whose orders she might have followed to investigate him so thoroughly.

To even spread false rumors about him being gay, thinking she couldn’t have him.

His body tensed involuntarily.

“Ah, right. Someone said they saw Baron Beber?”

The oblivious Serhin said to Duke Bishwaltz.

Not having seen what happened on the terrace, he didn’t know what the Baron had done to the Duke.

“They said he looked pale. Did he confess to someone?”

“I guess you haven’t heard that rumor yet.”

Duke Bishwaltz didn’t feel the need to elaborate.

Even now, he’s enjoying teasing me like this, why add to it?

He shook his head and kept his mouth shut.

Come to think of it, Serhin didn’t look too good either.

He seemed quite excited, as if.

“Did you find a woman you’re interested in?”

“Well, something like that.”

Serhin didn’t deny it. He really had become interested.

At this point, neither of them knew.

That they would end up chasing the same person for different reasons.