Pretending to Be Human Is Exhausting Again Today - Chapter 133

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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 133

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Monos developed like a ship with full sails catching a favorable wind—unstoppable and swift.
The rumor that I was a Saint spread across the entire Southern Region in the blink of an eye, and countless people flocked to Monos.
I converted all the vacant houses into Lodging and expanded large Buildings into Temples to welcome them.
However, there were so many pilgrims coming to the sacred site that the prepared Lodging was utterly insufficient.
In the end, I hastily erected a Campsite and borrowed Lodging from nearby Villages to accommodate everyone.
Fortunately, they weren’t people expecting comfortable tourism. Most understood after seeing Monos’s harsh circumstances.
‘The sacred relic production is also proceeding smoothly.’
Moreover, the sacred relic sales that Chloe oversaw were thriving.
Pottery handmade by residents, talismans stamped with my name, water containers filled with holy water—these sacred relics lacked anything special, yet the believers purchased them joyfully.
In truth, every product contained enough divine power to deserve the name of sacred relic.
The pottery was molded from holy water, and the talismans were made from silk soaked in holy water.
Above all, that holy water was created directly by the Lake God, so its effectiveness was guaranteed.
The prices were reasonable too—only slightly higher than everyday goods in the market, and merely half the price of sacred relics sold at the Sun God Temple.
With business thriving like this, I worried the Temple might cause trouble, but the response that came back was surprisingly straightforward.
‘We won’t interfere, so just submit your business plans and taxes properly.’
In truth, the pilgrimage business itself didn’t bring Monos significant profit. The taxes deducted by headquarters were enormous, and since we sold at such low prices, net profits were meager.
Actually, most revenue came from Lodging, the Dining Hall, and Road usage fees.
I never expected headquarters would leave us alone like this.
I thought they’d at least point out once that I shouldn’t impersonate a Saint.
‘Is someone in a higher position favorable toward us? I don’t know anyone at the Temple, so this is strange.’
It felt unsettling, but as long as I wasn’t caught immediately, that would suffice.
I had far too much work to do to indulge in suspicion.
“Well then, let’s begin the fifth operational meeting. Is everyone seated?”
I placed the Monos settlement documents I’d finished reading onto the desk and surveyed the faces gathered in my Office.
Chloe, who oversaw the sacred relic business. Viscount Gorden, who managed the City. Emma, who cared for the Manor overall.
And…
“Ivan, if you’re attending the meeting, lift your head.”
“Ugh… ugh.”
Ivan, the Lord’s proxy and security administrator, was nodding off with his head planted on the desk.
I reproached the exhausted Ivan.
“No matter how frequently these are held, it’s still an official meeting. Get your mind straight.”
“Put yourself in my position, Princess. I only slept at 4 AM yesterday.”
With a hollow expression, he rubbed his face and sighed heavily. It was terribly disrespectful conduct, yet no one pointed it out. Even Viscount Gorden smiled bitterly in sympathy.
‘Indeed, Ivan’s duties have been heavy lately.’
An influx of people meant security management became exponentially more difficult.
Because of this, Ivan, who had become my proxy and security commander, had been rushing about Monos day and night without rest.
‘Still, there’s no need for him to work that hard.’
Even as the security chief, there was no need for Ivan to personally conduct night patrols. Such duties could be delegated to the Soldiers, and Ivan had plenty of skilled Assassins under his command.
Simply issuing orders to them would have sufficed.
Yet Ivan insisted on running to the scenes himself.
He claimed it put his mind at ease to verify things personally.
Perhaps he still found it unfamiliar to work for the sake of protecting someone.
“Well, now that Ivan’s awake, let’s hear this month’s reports in order. First, Chloe.”
“Yes! The sacred relic sales are going very smoothly!”
Chloe was just as busy as Ivan, but as time passed, she only grew more energized. It seemed this kind of business suited her far better than her duties as a Princess.
She promptly began reporting the sacred relic sales performance in detail.
“We haven’t reached the break-even point yet, but at this pace, we should turn a profit by year’s end. Once the Lodging construction finishes in the second half, our revenue will accelerate even further!”
I nodded and commended her hard work before moving to the next reporter.
Viscount Gorden, who oversaw the general management of the City, continued his report with a bright expression.
“The residents’ living standards are gradually improving. Some small Villages still face food shortages, but we have sufficient reserves to resolve that. It’s somewhat disappointing that the number of new residents is low, but….”
“That’s unavoidable. Monos isn’t an attractive enough City for people to relocate there.”
Relocating to another Domain required complex procedures. It was more realistic to increase the birth rate among Monos’s residents than to suddenly attract new immigrants.
I decided to address that concern later.
Next was Emma.
She delivered a brief summary of furniture and supplies needed for the Manor. While her tone seemed composed on the surface, subtle pressure to prioritize renovating the Manor whenever spare funds became available seeped through every word.
‘True, the Manor falls far short of what befits the Imperial Family.’
Though the exterior appeared presentable, the interior was dilapidated with many empty spaces. While daily life was manageable, it was embarrassing to call it the residence of a Princess.
I’d need to inspect the Manor once we had some breathing room.
“Now for the last report—Ivan, do you have anything to share?”
“Yeah, quite a lot actually.”
Ivan fumbled through some documents and handed them to me.
He clearly wasn’t yet accustomed to writing reports. Erasure marks scattered throughout showed the haste of their preparation.
I quickly scanned through them.
‘Disturbances caused by zealous believers, conflicts arising from insufficient Lodging… these fall within expected parameters.’
Then a report caught my eye that made me furrow my brow.
“Missing residents? Three cases?”
For three people to vanish simultaneously in a Domain of barely two thousand inhabitants was absolutely not something to overlook lightly.
As I fixed Ivan with a questioning gaze, he yawned and spoke.
“That’s exactly why I didn’t sleep until dawn yesterday. I was trying to find the missing people.”
As if to clear his head, he slapped his own cheek sharply.
Then he shook his head several times and continued.
“So far, three confirmed missing. All residents of Monos, not pilgrims. One from this City, and one each from the Northern and Northwestern Cities. The first to go missing was from a small Village in the north—Beckia.”
“Beckia?”
“Yeah, the Princess has probably seen him before. He’s the woodcutter who brought firewood to the Manor last week. Forty years old, unmarried, drinks like a fish. He disappeared on his way home. As for the Northwestern Village….”
He then explained the information about the consecutively missing people.
He spoke with such detail, as if describing a close friend.
“…”
“What’s wrong? Why are you all staring at me like that?”
Ivan realized everyone’s eyes were fixed on him and stopped mid-sentence, his face flushing with embarrassment.
“No, it’s just that you seem to know them so well. Were they close friends?”
At my question, he scratched his head.
“I just got to know them around town. There aren’t that many residents here anyway.”
‘Two thousand people seems like quite a lot to me.’
Ivan appeared to have grown quite close to the villagers.
Perhaps Ivan was better suited for a role like security chief than for his work as an Assassin.
Whether from embarrassment or habit, he cleared his throat repeatedly before continuing.
“In any case, all three of them vanished simultaneously. In the past, we would have assumed they fell prey to mountain beasts, but… we’ve driven out all the beasts since we arrived in Monos. So that’s not a possibility.”
“In other words, someone took them?”
“Yes. And the culprit is likely among the believers who come and go from Monos.”
Silence fell over the Office. Unlike the optimistic reports we’d been receiving until now, this matter was far too grave to dismiss lightly.
Viscount Gorden, who had been pondering for a moment, voiced his opinion first.
“Is there no possibility this was a chance conflict? A drunken brawl, perhaps, or robbery…?”
“If that were the case, I would have found traces. I used the word ‘vanished’ precisely because I found no corpse, not even bloodstains. Someone deliberately erased all evidence. And…”
Ivan paused to catch his breath before continuing.
“The real problem is that even I couldn’t find those traces. I’m the Empire’s greatest Assassin. Do you think it makes sense that I couldn’t find them? Especially when I’ve been surveilling the City all day?”
“…Does that mean the one who erased the evidence is no ordinary person?”
“Exactly. And the culprit isn’t working alone. You can’t abduct three people simultaneously by yourself. Which means…”
Ivan muttered with sharp, piercing eyes.
“A considerable force might be moving without my knowledge.”

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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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