Pretending to Be Human Is Exhausting Again Today - Chapter 125

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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 125
I wasn’t the only one taken aback. Viscount Gorden, a devout believer, had also lost his composure.
“Are you suggesting we turn this place into a holy site?”
“Exactly, Viscount! With the Princess here, it won’t be difficult!”
Chloe unveiled her blueprint as if she’d been waiting for this moment.
“First, there are many empty buildings in this village, aren’t there? We’ll convert the largest one into a Temple and make it a communal space where believers can stay. Then we’ll renovate the surrounding area into lodging for pilgrims.”
The office fell silent.
“We’ll open a market selling sacred relics in one corner of the plaza. Medals engraved with the Sun God, blessed wax candles, bundles of medicinal herbs said to prevent illness… We can leave production to the villagers. It’ll create jobs too.”
As if she’d toured Monos dozens of times, she explained each section methodically.
What was most surprising was that this plan wasn’t mere fantasy.
The facilities were neither excessive nor insufficient for my budget, the industrial structure considered the villagers’ livelihoods… The concept was grandiose, but the plan itself was remarkably concrete.
Viscount Gorden, who had been listening, even began frantically taking notes.
“But Chloe, that plan only works if this place becomes known as a genuine holy site. There are rumors that I’m a saint, but that’s hardly enough to serve as a tourist attraction….”
“Then we just need to make the Princess more famous as a saint!”
“How exactly should I do that?”
“By solving these problems!”
She pulled several documents from her backpack and handed them to me.
“These are incidents recently reported in the surrounding domains. Normally the Temple should handle them, but since they involve commoners, they seem to be neglected.”
After reading the documents, my eyes widened.
Farmland damage from the appearance of beasts presumed to be magical creatures. A cursed jewel that causes auditory hallucinations upon contact. A mad mage calling himself a dark sorcerer and performing rituals… It was a collection of incidents related to dark magic and demons.
Moreover, most of them were problems I could solve with my own power.
“If the Princess solves these in her name, the reputation of being a saint will grow even stronger.”
Chloe continued her explanation with unwavering confidence.
“Of course, we won’t just make it look like a holy site on the surface. We’ll sell genuine holy water and create sacred relics imbued with divine power. We’re not trying to commit fraud.”
“How exactly? I don’t possess any divine power.”
“I do.”
Chloe smiled brightly and tapped the rim of the water glass sitting on my desk with her fingertip.
The water inside the glass began to emit a soft glow.
“This is….”
“Holy water! I can borrow divine power from the Lake God!”
The water in the glass had transformed into pure holy water.
‘Now that I think about it, the Lake God has been helping Chloe all along.’
Unlike me, Chloe was a genuine saint who could communicate directly with deities.
If she set her mind to it, she could probably create sacred relics that purify curses and magical power without much difficulty.
“…Wait, wouldn’t it be better to establish the holy site under Chloe’s name rather than have me become the saint?”
“That won’t do. It’s much cooler when the Princess does it!”
‘What kind of logic is that?’
I was frowning at Chloe’s absurd reasoning when Viscount Gorden beside me cleared his throat and interjected.
“I also believe it would be better to establish the holy site under the Princess’s name. It’s politically safer thanks to her Imperial status, and as you know, the Sun God Order is a monotheistic religion, so establishing a Temple of the Lake would be somewhat….”
Hearing such an explanation from the devout Viscount Gorden gave me a strange feeling, but in any case, it was more convincing than Chloe’s reasoning.
Part of me wondered if sacred objects made with the Lake God’s holy power would be treated as heresy, but holy power had no distinct attributes to begin with.
No one would be able to distinguish them.
‘Maximize the rumors of a saint, turn Monos into a sacred site, and create a sort of pilgrimage destination.’
Certainly, it seemed to have more impact than starting an unfamiliar industry from scratch.
“But wouldn’t the Temple just let this slide? The Order only recognizes people they’ve approved as saints.”
“That’s right. They might even try to reject it as heresy if we’re not careful. Selling unauthorized sacred objects or holy water is also problematic.”
Viscount Gorden nodded with a worried expression.
However, Chloe’s face was brimming with confidence once again.
“We just don’t directly declare ourselves a ‘saint.’ We let people naturally elevate her status around us. The Princess herself has never once called herself a saint.”
“…I don’t think such an ambiguous stance would avoid suspicion.”
“It’ll be fine! Once this industry succeeds, we can make a business agreement with the Temple and that… what was it called? Just a moment.”
She suddenly rummaged through her pocket and pulled out a note, then read it.
“A business agreement! The Temple’s revenues have been declining lately, so they’re relying on donations. Once we succeed with this pilgrimage business, we can share our operational know-how with them, and they’ll understand!”
She was planning to exploit the Temple’s materialistic side.
This too had its own persuasive power. I recalled the High Priest’s face when Viscount Gorden made that massive donation—he couldn’t hide his smile.
If this plan succeeded, wouldn’t the Temple try to create similar sacred sites throughout the Empire?
I crossed my arms and looked at Chloe.
“That aside, Chloe.”
“Yes?”
“This plan is groundbreaking and impressive, but… you didn’t come up with it entirely on your own, did you?”
Her eyes darted around.
“Hehe, you caught me?”
“You knew too many details about the Direct Dominion’s situation for this to be your idea alone, and yet it was too concrete to have come from just asking the Lake God.”
I stared at her and added,
“Who advised you?”
“Um, they told me to keep it secret until I was caught, but… two people helped me.”
Chloe carefully handed me the note she had been reading.
The note contained detailed information about this plan.
“First, the Countess of Adonia was the one who informed me about the Princess’s situation. She came to find me while I was idling away my time at the Imperial Palace.”
‘I knew it had to be the Countess.’
Seeing that Chloe had more accurate information about the situation than I did from Monos, I naturally suspected the Countess was involved. Someone as well-informed about the Empire’s affairs as her would have already grasped the problems of this Direct Dominion.
“And the one who created the specific plan based on that information was… Atlas.”
“Atlas? That child from the Military Academy?”
“Yes. The Countess brought her directly. The Countess said this:”
Chloe mimicked the Countess’s tone of voice.
“I merely provide information. How to utilize it is another’s role. And I have determined that Atlas is the most suitable talent for this task.”
And true to the Countess’s prediction, Atlas came up with the audacious plan of pilgrimage tourism the moment she heard the explanation.
‘I knew she had exceptional talent for invention, but I didn’t expect her to devise economic strategies too.’
For Atlas, city planning might be similar to mechanical design. It was merely a matter of arranging people and capital instead of components.
“So I came here directly to deliver that plan and help you create the holy water and sacred objects.”
“…Thank you. It seems like it will be a great help.”
“Really?”
Despite my confident explanation, anxiety lingered in a corner of my mind. The moment Chloe heard my answer, she let out a relieved sigh and broke into a radiant smile.
‘But the Countess hasn’t even decided to make the deal yet, and she’s already offering help.’
She was probably trying to create a sense of obligation so I couldn’t refuse.
Since her assistance was genuinely useful, I had no choice but to fall into her scheme.
“Since I can’t think of an immediate solution, shall we proceed as Chloe suggests?”
I turned my gaze toward Viscount Gorden, who had just finished taking notes. After a moment of deliberation, he nodded with a resolute expression.
“The budget and timeline seem to align reasonably well. It’s feasible.”
“Good.”
I rose from my seat. The plan that Atlas and the Countess had devised was so meticulous that I didn’t need to lift a finger. That meant only one thing remained—for me to move in accordance with their vision.
“Let’s give it a try.”
The first task was to resolve the incidents occurring near Monos.
‘Hunt the magical beasts, apprehend the mad mage, recover the cursed jewel… Conveniently, these are all matters that can be resolved through force alone.’
It felt as though the Countess had deliberately set the stage this way. Her message was clear—move in the manner you excel at most.
“I shall set out. Prepare the soldiers.”
“Yes, sir!”
At my command, Viscount Gorden responded with vigor, as though he were my adjutant.

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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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