Pretending to Be Human Is Exhausting Again Today - Chapter 141

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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 141

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“Quite an elaborate trap they’ve constructed.”
I whistled as I watched the Golden Hand members scatter in retreat. Coco, the spirit, had apparently deemed his work complete and returned to my shadow.
“For them, this forest at night must be a nightmare. Watching their comrades fall, ambushed from all sides… but was all this truly necessary?”
Grid gestured toward our hidden allies scattered throughout the forest—Ivan and the Black Rabbits.
“Looking at it now, our forces seem overwhelmingly superior. Couldn’t we simply attack and eliminate them all?”
“If this were merely a numbers game, perhaps. But more kills don’t always mean better results.”
I exhaled softly, watching the retreating figures of those who had become prey instead of hunters.
“These are only a fraction of the Golden Hand. If they die, more will come. Then armies. This strategy was designed to prevent that escalation.”
“But won’t they attack again regardless, even if they escape?”
“Not in the same way. Fear makes the next assault far more cautious.”
Grid still seemed unconvinced, so I drew upon memories from past battlefields.
“Consider this: two armies clash repeatedly in a barren wasteland with no supply lines. Our forces hold a slight advantage. The standoff has lasted over a month. What strategy offers the highest chance of victory?”
I raised my fingers as I continued.
“First: end the conflict quickly since supplies are limited. Second: prolong the standoff indefinitely.”
“By the numbers, the first seems superior… but tactically, the second would prevail.”
“Precisely. If I were commanding, I’d drag out the conflict and focus on maximizing their wounded.”
“Why?”
“Wounded soldiers consume supplies without contributing. Ten wounded require ten soldiers’ rations just to maintain them.”
“…I see.”
In essence, it was a strategy to cripple enemy forces and bind their movements through non-combatants.
This same strategy applied to our current engagement.
“About half of those fleeing members have lost their will to fight. Even if reinforcements arrive, the situation will be identical. The first unit will report corrupted information.”
They never discovered our true nature.
Their only report would be of a dark entity that steals human bodies and a shadow that mimics voices.
Abstract information—as if monsters from fairy tales had materialized.
A commander receiving such reports cannot make rational decisions. The variables are too numerous.
Even standard responses like reinforcing troops become impossible.
Command confusion, demoralized soldiers, and gradually mounting casualties.
Exactly the outcome I desired.
Only then did Grid’s expression shift to something uncomfortable.
“This is… unfamiliar.”
“Me?”
“Yes. I assumed the Princess would prefer direct confrontation, personally eliminating enemies.”
Not through such cruel and underhanded tactics.
I could easily infer the words he’d swallowed.
I smiled bitterly and deflected the question.
“Well, that’s also true of me, I suppose.”
In truth, during my time in the Demon Realm, I’d acted much as Grid suggested. The enemies there weren’t swayed by such shallow tricks.
When all-out war became the only option left, I abandoned strategy and took the front lines myself.
To kill more enemies than anyone else, and thereby save more of my own soldiers.
‘Though even that effort proved futile in the end.’
This is why I despise the air of the Battlefield. It resurrects regrets I’d rather forget.
Just then, Grid approached with a curious expression.
“Regardless of the outcome, was it you who devised this method, Your Highness? The corpse puppets, mimicking voices through Coco….”
“Ah, that.”
Dozens upon dozens of traps had been installed throughout the Forest.
The Golden Hand had only encountered a fraction of them—specifically those created by the combined efforts of the Black Rabbit, the Dark Spirit, and Ivan.
“The Black Rabbit, capable of transforming its appearance at will, the Dark Spirit, specialized in illusions and phantom sounds… I’m astounded at how skillfully you’ve utilized such disparate beings.”
Ivan would ambush the enemy’s rear and eliminate them silently. Then the Black Rabbit would steal their robes and mimic their appearance.
The severed heads were hung from scarecrows, while the Dark Spirit’s voice lured the enemies into confusion.
Simple in execution, yet perfectly optimized to instill terror in the enemy.
I responded to Grid’s admiration with an awkward expression.
“The one deserving praise isn’t me. It’s Liribel. Most of these traps were her ideas.”
“…Liribel? You mean that Maid?”
“Yes.”
Grid’s jaw dropped in disbelief.
“Where on earth did such ideas come from….”
“Apparently she doesn’t just love dark magic—she reads a lot of horror novels too.”
I recalled the advice Liribel had given me while we were constructing the traps.
‘Ways to frighten humans? I could list hundreds! The wisdom of the ancients is truly remarkable!’
Once she began her explanation, she indiscriminately pulled material from every eerie and horror novel she’d ever read.
‘First, the most primal fear doesn’t come from vengeful spirits or demons with clear intent, but from inexplicable phenomena! When faced with something incomprehensible, unexplainable, and unsolvable, anyone becomes afraid!’
Phenomena devoid of malice or benevolence—utterly mysterious and unknowable.
And thus, those traps were born.
Grid, momentarily at a loss for words, stammered his response.
“That… Maid Liribel isn’t quite right in the head, is she?”
“Don’t speak ill of her. She has a good heart.”
Even as I said this, I couldn’t bring myself to defend Liribel further, so I turned my gaze away.
The morning sun was just beginning to rise.
Thus, I had successfully repelled the Emperor’s first assault.

* * *
Fortunately, the Golden Hand showed no signs of launching a second attack.
According to the Countess, they were lying in wait in the surrounding domains, keeping watch over Monos.
‘The commander isn’t a fool, at least. A novice would have struck again immediately.’
The opponent seemed to be a rather seasoned commander—one capable of maintaining reason even in the grip of fear.
Thanks to that, I too had gained precious time.
I refocused on developing Monos’s sacred industries. Once security stabilized, the remaining tasks progressed smoothly.
The sale of sacred relics began turning a profit, and the number of pilgrims visiting the holy site gradually increased.
My name was hung on the Temple’s nameplate, and more people began offering prayers whenever they saw me—which was admittedly somewhat inconvenient.
‘Once Monos becomes self-sufficient, I need to return to the Capital quickly. At this rate, I might actually become a true saint.’
Apparently, in some provincial city, a nursery rhyme containing my name had even become popular.
It was time to draw a line before this became an established fact.
But that wasn’t the only problem.
The Black Rabbit, which should have returned to the Demon Realm, had completely settled into the Manor.
Normally, it shouldn’t have lasted long without my magical power, but the Black Rabbit had adapted to this world.
It seemed Monos’s terrain suited them well.
‘I’ve heard stories of demonic beasts leaving their habitats and settling in other regions… but I never expected it to be the Black Rabbit.’
The fortunate part was that the Black Rabbits continued to work diligently as servants.
Thanks to them, the Black Rabbits became the finest colleagues to Liribel and the other Servants.
“Your Highness, these creatures are truly amazing! Teach one and they understand ten!”
‘Well, they’ve lived and worked for dozens of times longer than you all…’
In any case, as the unexpected residents increased, the Manor in Monos grew increasingly bustling.
Then one day, while I was caught up in this busy routine, an unexpected visitor arrived.
“…Welcome, Jeina.”
It was my younger sister and collaborator, Jeina.
She had come to Monos without warning and stood before the Manor’s entrance, surveying her surroundings.
Then she snorted and spoke.
“Hmph, I heard it was ruins, but it’s quite decent. Still lacking for Imperial Family standards, but acceptable.”
Having assessed the Manor upon arrival, she fixed me with sharp eyes and spoke.
“Where’s the Reception Room?”
“Ah, it’s on the second floor…”
“Show me.”
“Y-yes.”
Normally we would have exchanged greetings, but today Jeina seemed unusually tense.
Upon entering the Reception Room, she dismissed all the Servants, saying she wanted to be alone with me.
“What’s wrong all of a sudden, Jeina? Coming without warning like this.”
“I have urgent news to tell you. I couldn’t trust a letter, so I came in person.”
“What kind of news?”
She took a deep breath, then spoke in a trembling voice.
“Brace yourself. The Emperor… is targeting Monos.”
“…?”
“His secret organization, the Golden Hand, will soon arrive in Monos. They’re formidable. You need to flee immediately.”
“Ah….”
How was I supposed to explain this?
I found myself momentarily at a loss for words as I regarded the tardy Jeina.

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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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