Pretending to Be Human Is Exhausting Again Today - Chapter 135

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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 135

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Zeras was a man who never revealed his emotions, no matter the circumstance.
Like a puppet executing orders, his every action was precise and without excess.
This was why Zeras’s master trusted him so completely.
No matter how sordid the task, Zeras accomplished it without complaint. His dispatch to Monos was merely an extension of this.
“You can handle this, Zeras.”
“I obey your command.”
Zeras submitted to his master’s orders as he always did.
He never questioned why such trials were being imposed on Monos, nor did he wonder about the circumstances of Deina, the Imperial Family member stationed there. Such trivial questions never crossed his lips.
Following orders was his entire existence.
Disguised as a believer, he arrived in Monos and tersely relayed his master’s command to his subordinates.
“Collect adults who know this village’s geography well. Minimum of five.”
It was an incomplete order, lacking execution details. Yet his subordinates asked no questions. They were the same breed as Zeras—humans who neither doubted nor hesitated.
They immediately concealed themselves like assassins and abducted villagers.
But an unforeseen variable emerged. Despite Monos’s small size, its security was remarkably good, preventing them from reaching their quota of five.
Moreover, every village where disappearances occurred entered a state of alert. Operations in remote areas became impossible, forcing them to shift their attention to the busier central district.
“I’ll participate in the next operation. Find a dwelling far from the main road.”
The final target they selected was the house where a girl named Lili lived.
The girl’s parents were lifelong residents of Monos, fitting perfectly the criteria he sought.
Upon arriving at the destination, Zeras knocked on the door as if he were a visitor.
In his possession was a magical artifact his master had provided—a treasure that prevented others from sensing the presence of its bearer.
Thanks to it, the neighboring houses remained oblivious to their presence.
“Yes, who is…?”
The head of the household, accustomed to the innocent life of a mountain village, opened the door without suspicion and was swiftly subdued by Zeras’s subordinate.
“Ugh…!”
He collapsed to the ground before he could even scream. His wife, who had been preparing dinner in the kitchen, was instantly seized by another subordinate.
The order was to abduct them, but no instruction had been given to avoid injury. The subordinates applied force without hesitation to knock the resisting couple unconscious.
Blood from the couple soon pooled on the ground.
Witnessing this, Zeras issued a brief command.
“Place them in the prepared sacks. Clean up the bloodstains thoroughly.”
“Yes, sir!”
The subordinates methodically cleaned the scene. As Zeras observed their work, he surveyed the surroundings.
‘This should allow us to execute the plan as intended. The operation is scheduled for next week…’
Then his eyes met those of a girl hiding beneath the table—Lili.
“…!”
She had apparently hidden beneath the table the moment her father was seized. Though she covered her mouth and stifled her breathing, she could not escape Zeras’s gaze.
A subordinate who noticed his stare asked.
“What should we do?”
“Deal with it. We need adults anyway.”
A witness is a witness, regardless of age. There was no reason to spare the child.
At Zeras’s emotionless command, his subordinate swung his blade at Lili without hesitation.
“Kyaa…!”
She tried to flee too late, but the subordinate’s sword found its mark. Watching the long wound open across her back, Zeras lost interest in Lili and turned to address his men. “We need to return to the hideout and prepare before midnight, so move quickly.”
“You need to move quickly so you can return to the Hideout before midnight today and prepare.”
The subordinates silently obeyed, their hands moving with purpose.
Zeras had just begun to relax, thinking the task complete, when—
“Hey there, would-be assassins. What are you doing?”
“…!”
An unexpected voice cut through the silence.
Though his subordinates instantly formed a combat formation, the voice’s owner merely smirked, as if amused.
With the firelight at his back, his face remained obscured. Yet in that moment, Zeras felt certain he’d heard that voice before.
The intruder crouched low and drove a wedge between Zeras and his men.
His speed was extraordinary, his tactics exploited blind spots with precision, and the weapon he wielded… Zeras quickly deduced his identity.
‘An assassin! And an exceptionally skilled one at that!’
His own men were trained in Imperial swordplay—in such a confined space, they stood little chance against an assassin’s fluid movements.
Zeras barked orders immediately.
“Don’t cluster! Back against the walls!”
Never exposing your back was the fundamental defense against an assassin.
But the moment the assassin heard Zeras’s voice, he pivoted and charged directly at him.
‘He’s identified me as the leader…!’
A textbook assassin’s approach—targeting the head with lethal intent.
Cold sweat beaded on Zeras’s brow as his eyes struggled to track the movement, yet he saw opportunity. He tightened his grip on his sword.
If he could block even one of this assassin’s attacks, his men would swarm and surround him.
A deadly strike from the assassin versus a single defense that could turn the tide—Zeras was ready.
The moment they were about to collide—
“…Huh?”
The assassin’s eyes found Lili, the girl sprawled across the ground, and his steps faltered.
His killing intent vanished so completely that even Zeras and his men, braced for impact, were left bewildered.
“Now…!”
Just as Zeras was about to command an attack, an ominous aura erupted from the intruder’s body.
Even Zeras, who never betrayed emotion, found himself instinctively stepping back. The aura was malevolent and overwhelming.
As if standing before a colossal beast, his entire body froze with terror.
‘We have to flee.’
Only then did Zeras comprehend that they faced something beyond their capacity to fight.
His attempt to block a single attack had been foolish.
From the moment they encountered this monster in this cramped space, they never had a chance.
“Scatter…!”
Scatter and flee. We regroup at the hideout.
There was no time to issue such lengthy commands.
Before Zeras could finish speaking, the Intruder unleashed a ferocious aura and began attacking the Subordinates around him.
“…!”
As he swung his dagger, the Subordinates’ limbs fell away lifelessly. There wasn’t even the sound of cutting. It was as if an impossibly sharp blade were slicing through butter.
A chill ran down Zeras’s spine, but he threw himself backward regardless. Even if the Subordinates were sacrificed, he had to survive.
Not out of a desire to live.
But to report the identity of this monstrous Intruder to his master.
“You think I’d let you escape?”
Yet the Intruder never took his eyes off Zeras. The moment Zeras tried to flee toward the door, a dagger flew into his thigh.
“Ugh…!”
Thrown with such tremendous force, the dagger pierced through his thigh and embedded itself in the ground.
Losing his balance, Zeras collapsed helplessly to the ground. Watching him fall, the Intruder spoke in a cold, sharp voice.
“I was planning to take the leader as a hostage and make the rest prisoners… but I’ve changed my mind.”
“You bastard…!”
“One person is enough to extract information from.”
The moon shifted, and light flooded into the dark room. The Intruder’s face was revealed in that glow—Ivan, his expression devoid of all warmth, continued speaking.
“The rest all die here.”
And the moment those words ended, an unstoppable storm of blood swept through the small house.

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“So this is the result.”
Ruslara, arriving late after hearing the commotion, let out a sigh at the gruesome sight of the house.
The interior was fouled with blood and flesh. The Soldiers who had entered with her were retching.
Ruslara, frowning, spoke to Ivan, who sat slumped in a chair in the corner of the room with his head bowed.
“You understand you’ve crossed the line, don’t you?”
“…I know. I’m reflecting on it.”
“Even if the opponent deserves immediate execution as a criminal, a skilled Knight should first capture them as prisoners….”
“I said I know! I was angry! I’m sorry!”
Ruslara clicked her tongue briefly. Still, there were signs of genuine remorse, so there was no need to scold him further.
Just then, voices of residents came from outside the house.
“My goodness, what happened?”
“Is that blood in there….”
It seemed the nearby residents had come to gawk because of the gathered Soldiers. Ruslara glanced at them and spoke.
“I’ll silence them for now… but rumors will spread that you killed people. You made quite a spectacle of it.”
Ivan’s head bowed even lower.
Feeling as though she were needlessly tormenting him, Ruslara ordered the door closed and then spoke to him.
“So, what exactly happened here?”
Ivan began explaining slowly in a weary voice.

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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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