Pretending to Be Human Is Exhausting Again Today - Chapter 120

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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 120
The poorer a domain, the more readily its people lend their ears to legends of saints.
In the wealthy Capital, the danger of plague feels almost unreal. Thus, there’s no need to cling to vague hopes like those of a ‘saint’.
But in a city like Monos, where survival itself was a burden without one’s own strength, things were different.
For them, miracles were not unrealistic rumors, but hope that kept them alive.
‘In such circumstances, the appearance of the Sun God’s saint is certainly cause for celebration.’
I exhaled deeply.
Being called a saint was not something I desired, but following Viscount Gorden’s advice, it seemed wise to offer them hope.
It would also make cooperation easier when I governed the Direct Dominion going forward.
“Hey, I don’t mind you being lost in thought, but let go of my cheek already.”
“Oh, right.”
I’d forgotten I was pinching Ivan’s cheek. As I released my fingers, Ivan rubbed his reddened cheek and grumbled.
“Here I am giving serious advice, and you do something like this.”
“What Viscount Gorden said was advice. What you said was just teasing.”
“Tch, so what are you going to do? Leave those people as they are?”
Ivan pointed to the residents still lingering on the Street, watching me. I answered with firm resolve.
“It seems right to treat them as a saint would. As the Viscount said.”
“As my advice, you mean.”
“Keep it up and I’ll pinch the other cheek too.”
Leaving Ivan to retreat with an odd cry, I approached the residents.
As they saw my face up close, they cheered even louder.
“Those, those golden eyes! She really is the saint!”
“But didn’t they say the Imperial Family has golden hair, not eyes? Isn’t it backwards?”
“You fool! Haven’t you heard the rumors? Golden eyes are what prove it’s real!”
Even the symbol of ill omen—my platinum eyes—seemed to have transformed into a different rumor among them. I wasn’t sure whether to call that fortunate.
I cleared my throat and spoke to them.
“It is my pleasure to meet you, residents of Monos. I am Deina Ripeon, Princess of the Ripeon Empire. I have come here to….”
Normally I should have spoken more casually, but to match the saint persona, I began with respectful courtesy.
The residents seemed confused at first, but when I told them I had been appointed as administrator of this Direct Dominion, their expressions brightened.
Some began murmuring that we would survive after all, that the Sun God had finally answered our prayers.
“…So, if there is a village representative, I would like to meet them. Might one of you be here?”
At my question, a young man raised his hand eagerly and spoke.
For some reason, his face was flushed, and he could barely meet my gaze.
“The, the Village Chief lives in the two-story building across the way!”
“…Village Chief?”
The title seemed odd for a city’s representative. When I expressed my doubt, Viscount Gorden, who had been waiting behind me like a secretary, explained instead.
“Though it is officially recorded as a city, the residents seem to think of this place as a village.”
“But the recorded population was two thousand, wasn’t it?”
“That is the total population. About five hundred residents actually live in this village, while the rest are scattered throughout the mountains. That is why they call it a village.”
‘Then why record them all as living in one area!’
The report clearly stated that residents gathered to live around the administrative office.
Viscount Gorden let out a bitter laugh.
“Rural reports cannot be trusted. When we can barely verify the status of adults, it’s questionable whether the population was even properly measured.”
“So, I need to manage all these numerous villages scattered across this vast mountain range?”
“That’s correct.”
Worse still, all those villages were impoverished. The difficulty had skyrocketed.
‘I truly knew nothing.’
I had naturally assumed that managing a Direct Dominion would mean operating a respectable city. I had anticipated that learning administration would be challenging, but I never expected to face such fundamental problems from the start.
‘I thought too lightly of this. The life of the Imperial Family isn’t just about political intrigue.’
With deep regret settling in my heart, I steadied myself and prepared to leave after telling the residents I would see them again soon.
Then a child with disheveled hair pushed through the crowd and stepped forward.
“Um, excuse me, Holy Maiden!”
The child carefully retrieved something from their pocket and handed it to me.
It was a small brooch made from twigs and flowers, seemingly crafted to imitate the Sun God’s emblem. Though crudely made, it radiated sincerity.
“Is this for me?”
“Yes, yes! I made it because you were coming, Holy Maiden!”
The child wanted to pin the brooch to my chest. I bent down, accepted it, and fastened it to my clothing.
Though the seams didn’t align perfectly and it hung slightly crooked, it held firm.
“They said that when the Holy Maiden comes, our village will become happy too. So, so I wanted to celebrate…”
Charmed by the child’s halting words, I smiled and gently stroked their head.
“Yes, thank you. I’ll work hard to make sure this village can be happy too.”
“…Yes!”
The child, beaming with the satisfaction of accomplishment, returned into the crowd and immediately rushed into the arms of a woman who appeared to be their mother standing nearby.
Watching that scene, memories suddenly surfaced.
The Demon Realm devastated by war. The powerless people enduring within it. And myself, forced to turn away from them to end the war.
I took a deep breath and spoke.
“…Let’s go meet the Village Chief.”
The discomfort of having to play the role of a Holy Maiden had eased somewhat. For now, I had no room to worry about the fact that I wore the emblem of the Sun God, once my bitter enemy, upon my chest.
‘Originally, I accepted the Direct Dominion precisely because I didn’t need to mind the Temple’s eyes… but I’ll think about that later.’
Right now, saving these people was more important.
I moved toward what appeared to be the Village Chief’s house.
Upon arriving at the entrance, Viscount Gorden knocked on the door instead of me.
“Village Chief, are you inside?”
But no matter how much he knocked, there was no response. Viscount Gorden and I exchanged glances, finding it strange, when suddenly Ivan pushed between us.
“There’s someone in there. Why are you waiting around like fools?”
“Wait—”
And he kicked the door.
With a loud crash, the door flew backward.
“Ah, ahhh—!”
Before I could reprimand Ivan, I saw the back of someone fleeing in panic from inside, screaming. Before I could even speak, Ivan grabbed them by the scruff of the neck.
“Why are you running? Aren’t you the Village Chief?”
“Gasp, gasp! L-let go of me….”
“Princess, is this really the Village Chief?”
“….”
I exhaled sharply and stepped inside the house. Concerned that other villagers might see, I asked Viscount Gorden to close the door behind us.
“You’re really the Village Chief?”
I examined the man Ivan had restrained. Unlike the villagers who looked ready to collapse at any moment, this man was remarkably well-dressed.
He appeared to be in his early forties—quite young for a Village Chief.
“Y-yes, I am the Village Chief! So please, let me go!”
“Then why were you trying to escape? Why did you lock the door?”
“That’s….”
The Village Chief hesitated, his eyes trembling. I glanced around the interior of the house.
The furnishings were sparse and neat, but several suspicious details caught my attention.
‘There are marks on the wall where paintings once hung. Traces on the floor where furniture used to be. A large chandelier that doesn’t match this village’s standards… I see what happened.’
I could easily imagine how lavishly this house had been decorated before—far beyond what this village’s standards would suggest.
I changed my line of questioning.
“You were acquainted with the previous administrator here, weren’t you? Now that a new one is coming, you’re trying to erase the evidence?”
“Hiccup!”
The Village Chief gasped, even hiccupping as if he couldn’t believe he’d been caught so easily.
It was clear this Village Chief had been complicit in corruption with the previous administrator.
“Ivan.”
“Yeah.”
“No one else in the house, right? Let’s move to that room.”
It seemed I needed to interrogate him properly.
“Wait, wait please! There’s an explanation for all this…!”
The Village Chief tried to make excuses desperately, but Ivan covered his mouth with his other hand.
“Sure, sure. We can talk about that inside. Conversation works just fine even after one of your limbs disappears.”
“Mmmph, mmmph!”
Ivan’s playful threat was effective—the Village Chief, now pale as a ghost, writhed frantically.
Viscount Gorden watched the two of them and asked me cautiously.
“That… you’re joking, right?”
I shrugged.
“Whether it’s a joke or not depends on what the Village Chief decides to do.”
Since ancient times, military supply corruption had been punishable by summary execution.
And I intended to handle those who committed corruption under military law.
Leaving Viscount Gorden muttering something like “Is it okay for a Saint to do this?” behind me, I headed toward the room where Ivan was.
The moment Viscount Gorden followed me into the room, I locked the door.
“W-why are you locking the door….”
I smiled at the Village Chief, who trembled as he asked, and spoke.
“From now on, there are only two things that can come out of your mouth: ‘I’m sorry’ or ‘yes.’ Choose.”
“W-what did you say?”
“First refusal to comply.”
I gestured toward Ivan.
“Start with the left thumb.”

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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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