Pretending to Be Human Is Exhausting Again Today - Chapter 110

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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Pretending to Be Human: Episode 110

“What? Why is Princess Jeina….”

I grasped Ruslara’s trembling shoulder and spoke with conviction.

“Jeina can stop him. The Emperor won’t act recklessly in front of her!”

Ruslara, who hadn’t overheard my earlier conversation with Jeina, wore a puzzled expression.

But this time, I could be certain.

Because when Jeina declared she would make me Emperor, I had heard something crucial.

‘The Emperor himself has flaws. For a legitimate and clean succession, his legitimacy must be compromised.’

For a woman to become Emperor, the current Emperor and his successors must bear sufficient blemishes. This was Jeina’s assertion.

‘In other words, Jeina already holds the cards to topple the Emperor.’

Back then, I had made clear my lack of ambition for the throne, so she kept her secret. But now circumstances had changed.

‘If I can only save Asmo-rina and Gregory, I’ll accept any bargain.’

There was no time to hesitate.

Praying I wasn’t too late, I set out for the Main Palace.

The Emperor was thoroughly satisfied with the current situation.

Not only had the fruits of his long wait finally come to fruition, but an unexpected windfall had rolled in as well. It could not have been more perfect.

He gazed at Gregory and Asmo-rina, both looking as though they might collapse at any moment, and a smile played across his lips.

‘The High Priest reported sensing magical power, so I came in haste. To think there would be a companion as well… If I obtain these two Demons, the Empire will possess a strength unrivaled by any other nation.’

Originally, he had been pursuing only Asmo-rina. Yet fortune had rolled toward him in abundance.

What pleased him most was that they had not fled even upon discovering the Emperor.

Had they used each other as bait to escape, capturing both would have proven far more difficult.

‘Camaraderie—how foolishly typical of Demons.’

With their stamina depleted, escape had become impossible. The Emperor contemplated at leisure which method would most efficiently break them.

‘The male Demon is particularly protective of the female. Then it would be best to torture the male and shackle the female.’

The Emperor knew countless methods for subjugating intelligent beings.

It was an essential skill passed down through generations of Emperors who wielded the Sun God’s authority.

“Damn it, blast…”

Still refusing to yield, Asmo-rina muttered curses while irritably brushing mud-streaked violet hair from her face.

Before the desiccating power of the sun, her life-giving magical essence proved utterly powerless.

Had she been able to close the distance and fight hand-to-hand, things might have differed. But the Emperor, wreathed in light, remained unreachable.

“Am I really losing to some decrepit old human?”

Her muttering apparently amused the Emperor, for he chuckled and spoke.

“Foolish Demon. Did you truly believe I would cross blades with an inferior creature such as yourself?”

He spread both arms wide, platinum light shimmering across them.

“Your Demon bodies surpass humanity in strength and speed alike—feats this aged flesh could never match. Yet humans possess something you shall never have: wisdom.”

Gregory, listening intently, asked in disbelief.

“…So you dare call stolen divine power wisdom?”

“Stolen? How foolishly typical of a Demon to judge it so.”

The Emperor unleashed a beam of light toward Gregory. As Gregory hastily rolled away to evade it, the Emperor’s lips curved upward in satisfaction.

“I am the Sun God himself. Do you still not comprehend?”

“….”

Though his masked visage concealed his expression, the Emperor discerned Gregory’s displeasure through the intensity of his gaze.

‘He remains convinced I have pilfered the Sun God’s power. It seems he possesses some knowledge of divine authority.’

There were numerous suspicious elements, but those could be unraveled after capture. Time was abundantly on my side to extract their secrets.

“Well then, shall we conclude this matter?”

The Emperor drew upon his power once more. He addressed the two tensing Demons before him.

“The honor of conversing with me ends here. Now, kneel before the authority of the Sun God.”

With merely a fragment of soul and a physical form remaining, they could be utilized endlessly. Severing their limbs as a warning would pose no inconvenience.

As the Emperor’s intent manifested, radiant light blazed ever more brilliantly around him.

Gregory and Asmo-rina braced themselves for combat, their expressions taut with vigilance.

‘They refuse to flee despite witnessing the disparity in power—their courage is admirable, at least.’

Yet such courage would soon become recklessness.

In the moment the Emperor moved to suppress them through his divine authority—

“Your Majesty, what is the meaning of this?”

“…!”

A familiar voice resonated from behind. The Emperor hastily withdrew his power and spun around.

There, mounted on horseback, was Jeina, her gaze fixed intently upon me.

“Jeina, how did you come to be here…?”

To my bewildered question, Jeina responded with a respectful yet assured tone.

“I was searching for Your Majesty. Before the state council convenes this evening, there is something I wished to discuss with you.”

“…How did you know I was here?”

“The Imperial Palace has many eyes and ears, Your Majesty.”

I furrowed my brow. I wanted nothing more than to conclude matters immediately, yet I could not act so freely before Jeina.

She was the only member of the Imperial Family who had discerned the true nature of my power.

‘She likely has no concrete evidence. For now, it remains mere suspicion.’

Thus, I could not carelessly wield my authority before her. The moment she obtained proof, she would bite back without hesitation, regardless of my station as Emperor.

Jeina was both a useful tool and a double-edged blade.

‘Even if the Imperial Palace has many eyes and ears, she shouldn’t have been able to learn of my movements so easily… Someone must have informed her.’

I swiftly organized the situation in my mind.

None of this could be coincidence. There had to be a reason why Jeina appeared just before the Demons were captured.

The most likely explanation was…

‘One of those Demons has a human collaborator who sought Jeina’s aid.’

Though my clues were sparse, my conclusion came swiftly. I trusted my instincts.

‘Those Demons were likely hiding in the Prime Minister’s Residence ruins. Either Jeina and the Prime Minister’s Family are connected, or someone wishes to frame the Prime Minister’s Family for this incident.’

Neither scenario was desirable. I desired to possess this power completely and without interference.

Having reached my judgment in an instant, I spoke to Jeina in an authoritative voice.

“Do not interfere with my duties, Jeina. I am currently….”

“Forgive me for interrupting, Your Majesty. But what duties do you speak of? There is no one before you.”

“What?”

The Emperor turned his head sharply. In the open clearing where Asmo-rina and Gregory had been lying moments before, there was indeed no one—just as Jeina had said.

‘What is this…!’

In the moment the Emperor’s gaze shifted, a spirit of darkness had slipped in and concealed the two demons. But lacking any sensory ability, the Emperor could not perceive this truth.

He could ascend into the sky now and search the surroundings, but as if to stop him, Jeina spoke again.

“Duties in an empty forest… Your Majesty, on the way here I witnessed an ominous light in this vicinity. Might you have suffered some calamity because of it?”

“…What calamity do you speak of?”

“Since ancient times, the Sun God has never tolerated light that is not his own. Of course, he also refused to permit the use of other light’s power. And why was that….”

Jeina dismounted slowly from her horse and finished her thought.

“Because one sky has no need for two suns.”

“….”

“I merely worried that this sacrilegious light might have clouded Your Majesty’s vision. Recently, I have heard rumors of blasphemous superstitions running rampant.”

‘This insolent woman.’

Two suns, light that is not his own… her tone made it certain she knew the secret.

The Emperor let out a hollow laugh at her audacious words, as though bewildered.

It was strange. Jeina had suspected him before, but never had she confronted him so openly.

The reverence she had always shown was nowhere to be found. Instead, she regarded the Emperor as though facing a rival.

The Emperor, quietly seething over the fact that he had let both demons escape, fixed his gaze upon Jeina and spoke.

“You seem to have forgotten your place, Jeina. Did you truly believe you could obstruct my imperial duties with baseless suspicions and escape unpunished?”

His tone made it clear he intended to hold someone accountable for this affair.

Yet as though she had anticipated such a warning, Jeina responded with composure.

“My, then we shall all face severe punishment, it seems.”

‘…We?’

It was precisely as the Emperor’s brow furrowed that the sound of hoofbeats echoed from behind Jeina.

And what emerged was….

“Gilbert, how dare you rush ahead of your elder brother!”

“Your Majesty, there you are.”

“Jeina, are you alright?”

Franz, Gilbert, and Deina.

Every one of the Emperor’s children present in the Imperial Palace.

Faced with the sudden appearance of these unexpected accomplices, the Emperor found himself at a loss for words.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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