Pretending to Be Human Is Exhausting Again Today - Chapter 119

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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 119
After that, Ivan and I forced open the Manor’s door and stepped inside. But the interior held no signs of life—not even proper furniture.
Despite its pristine exterior, the inside was nothing more than an empty shell, stripped of anything of value.
‘Whether creditors took it or the administrator sold everything off before fleeing in the dead of night…’
What mattered was that there was no one here to hand over the Domain to me.
Standing in the second-floor office of the Manor, I released a weary sigh into the vacant space.
The Imperial Palace had provided a budget, but it fell woefully short of reviving an impoverished City. At best, it would cover basic necessities and furniture for the Manor itself.
‘Should I honestly report that the previous administrator left the Direct Dominion in ruins?’
No. I’d already received a warning that failure to manage properly would result in punishment. I couldn’t afford to complain now.
Besides, the Emperor was likely still seething over letting the Demon slip away. Avoiding him altogether was the wisest course.
Just then, Ivan returned from searching the entire Manor and entered the office.
“Your Highness, I found something.”
What he carried was a single book with a worn leather cover.
I took it carefully and opened it. Dense numbers and records were inscribed across yellowed pages.
It was the ledger of the Direct Dominion.
“Where did you find this?”
“In the Manor’s attic. Nothing else was there. So what does it say?”
Ivan leaned in curiously. I pushed his face back and examined the ledger’s contents.
The ledger contained the true records of the Direct Dominion.
‘Five years ago, the administrator squandered his fortune in the Entertainment District of a nearby Domain.’
He lost money at the gambling dens in the Entertainment District and fell into debt with an Unknown Organization. That was where this disaster began.
He’d tried to repay the debt with his own salary, but couldn’t manage the snowballing interest. The sum was staggering enough to leave even a Princess like me speechless.
Eventually, he began embezzling from the Direct Dominion’s public funds, and ultimately even arbitrarily adjusted the tax rates imposed on residents.
‘He raised the tax rate and pocketed everything except what was supposed to go to the Capital.’
Normally, the tax administrator overseeing this region should have noticed the irregularities.
But since this place was too remote to visit directly, and the amount sent to the Capital remained consistent, they apparently harbored no suspicions.
Or perhaps they’d accepted a modest bribe and turned a blind eye.
‘Administrative negligence… I’m not even surprised anymore.’
Once the administrator had accumulated enough to repay all his debts, he fled in the dead of night.
He’d decided it was better to escape before the Imperial Palace caught wind of him.
In the process, he’d even sold the furniture to fund his retirement, and the result was the Manor I now faced.
I closed the ledger and spoke with a sigh.
“Did none of the Domain’s residents petition the Imperial Palace? They could have noticed the abnormal tax rates just by visiting another Domain.”
Ivan shrugged in response.
“Apparently, almost no one enters or leaves this Domain. Besides, if I were the administrator, I’d have silenced anyone trying to leave first.”
“You can’t hide something just by silencing people.”
“I’d kill them if they opened their mouths. Or I’d have already killed them.”
He continued matter-of-factly.
“In these remote rural regions, the administrator’s power exceeds the Emperor’s. The administrator alone wields the force of Soldiers. Before anyone could appeal to the Imperial Palace, they’d face violence first.”
For Ivan, who’d lived in a world where violence trumped law, this was simply fact. Unable to deny it, I bit my lip.
At that moment, Viscount Gorden entered the study. He was the one who had stepped outside to survey the surroundings while we searched the Manor.
“Your Highness, the situation is dire.”
He briefed us on the state of the City in concise terms.
No wealthy individuals remained in this City. It appeared they had conspired with the administrators, committed fraud, and fled.
Naturally, they had taken every last coin with them, leaving nothing behind.
“First and foremost, the food situation is catastrophic. It seems they exhausted all their stored provisions just to survive last winter. Now that spring has arrived, the fields need to be tilled anew, but there’s a shortage of both laborers and seeds.”
“Since it’s a mountainous region, there are no loggers? Or perhaps livestock farming…?”
“All the livestock has either been slaughtered or sold. The woodcutters are the only ones managing to scrape by, but even that’s limited due to a shortage of tools.”
A shortage of tools—surely they weren’t saying they couldn’t work because they lacked axes.
Confronted with a problem I’d never even imagined, I found myself at a loss for words.
Seeing my distress, Viscount Gorden spoke carefully.
“Your Highness, the tilling must be expedited. To secure seeds and agricultural implements immediately, funds will be necessary. I can provide some assistance.”
“No, I couldn’t possibly accept your help, Viscount…”
Just as I was about to refuse, I caught sight of Viscount Gorden’s eyes and fell silent.
His gaze was cold and reproachful, as though chiding me.
Understanding his intent, I drew a deep breath and smiled bitterly.
“You’re right. This is no time to concern myself with propriety or pride. May I ask for your assistance?”
“Of course.”
Human lives mattered more than honor or appearances. Reminding myself that this was not the Imperial Palace, I asked the Viscount for specific support.
With no way to request aid from the Imperial Palace, the Viscount’s help was like rain in a drought.
After concluding my conversation with the Viscount, I stepped outside the Manor. Sitting idle in an empty house would change nothing.
First, I needed to secure lodging for my companions. And I had to meet with the representatives of the residents.
“What if the residents don’t welcome me? They must already harbor resentment toward the administrator.”
Hearing my worry, Viscount Gorden chuckled and spoke.
“There’s no need to worry. The residents will surely welcome Your Highness.”
“…?”
His inexplicable certainty left me puzzled.
That doubt didn’t linger long.
The moment I opened the Manor doors and stepped outside, I saw dozens of residents gathered on the Street, which had been quiet moments before. Their held breath released as their gazes fixed upon me in unison.
After a brief silence, cheers erupted.
“It’s… it’s really her! The Saint!”
“Heavens, we’re saved! We’re finally saved!”
The residents embraced one another in joy. Some wiped their eyes, while others clasped their hands together and murmured prayers.
I stood overwhelmed by their fervor, momentarily speechless.
‘A Saint? Who?’
As though reading my thoughts, Ivan, who stood beside me, whistled and spoke.
“As expected of Your Highness. Your popularity is remarkable.”
“What are you talking about? What popularity?”
“Your Highness has been called the Saint lately.”
When I sent him a look of utter bewilderment, Ivan’s eyes widened in surprise.
“What? You really didn’t know? Don’t you remember? We saved people in that Viscount’s domain last time.”
She was referring to when I had cured the mana sickness in the City of the Baron of Golden.
This time, I turned my gaze toward Viscount Gorden. He then spoke with a chuckle.
“Word of Your Highness’s deeds has spread far and wide. It seems many people rose up in opposition to the false rumor of the ‘Cursed Princess.'”
Of course, I was aware that more people had come to see me differently after that incident. But I never imagined that fervent followers would emerge even in such a remote place.
Even half the nobles I encountered in the Capital seemed skeptical.
Then Ivan spoke as if to say there was nothing surprising about it.
“It’s a compelling story. Plenty of witnesses too. Of course it would spread.”
“But I’ve never felt that way in the Capital….”
“That’s because everyone the Princess has met is nobility. Excluding servants, have you ever actually spoken with commoners?”
“…No.”
I suddenly realized a shocking truth. Since my rebirth, I had never once conversed with an ordinary citizen who wasn’t entangled with the nobility.
For some reason, I felt like a delicate flower confined within a greenhouse.
I asked Viscount Gorden, just to be sure.
“These people the Viscount called… they’re not, are they?”
“No, Your Highness. They’re simply residents who came after hearing the rumor that you had arrived in this city.”
“Then they believe that I will….”
“Save this city, yes.”
I hesitated, wondering if I should correct them—tell them I’m no saint, that I possess no such power—when Ivan whispered softly into my ear.
“But do you really need to deny it? Why not just let them believe you’re a saint, and then guide them well? It’s far better than being treated like some newly arrived corrupt official.”
Viscount Gorden beside me nodded in agreement.
“They need hope. If Your Highness becomes their saint, they’ll be able to endure even one more day.”
“But I’m not a saint….”
Ivan interjected with a laugh in his voice.
“If you say that, those people will be devastated. They might collapse. My, can the Princess who worries about the residents really afford to do that?”
Here I was, once a Demon, about to play-act as a saint.
And yet, this deception was supposedly the best path for the residents.
I closed my eyes tightly, overwhelmed by the bleakness of it all.
Of course, I didn’t forget to pinch Ivan’s cheek for mocking me in the process.
“The Princess is shameless enough to pull off a saint act well… Ow, ow! I’m telling you it hurts!”

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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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