Pretending to Be Human Is Exhausting Again Today - Chapter 142

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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 142
Jeina seemed to think I was too shocked to respond, so she continued speaking rapidly.
“What’s worse, it wasn’t the Intelligence Division that moved—it was the Combat Division. Each of them is an elite knight, and this small city can’t even mount a proper defense. We need to leave immediately.”
“Jeina, actually….”
“Of course, I know you’ve worked hard to save Monos. I’ve heard the reports. You even played that ridiculous role as a saint and built up the holy site tourism business. That’s impressive. But now is the time to retreat.”
Ridiculous role? I found myself shrinking my shoulders without thinking. I felt a little hurt.
“The most important thing is your life. Your pride might be wounded, but listen to my advice for now.”
There was no deception in Jeina’s eyes. I could feel the genuine concern she had for family.
“That’s… we don’t need to run anymore. It’s all over.”
“You’re not thinking of confronting them, are you? I know you possess extraordinary power, but fighting the Golden Hand would be reckless.”
Once she started talking, she never stopped—it was the same when we were children.
I poured her some tea as a gesture for her to calm down and spoke.
“That’s not it. The situation is already resolved. The Golden Hand has withdrawn, so there’s nothing to worry about.”
“What are you talking about?”
“What I mean is….”
I slowly explained the events that had unfolded before. From the moment I discovered the Emperor’s scheme to the final battle where I drove back the Golden Hand.
Of course, I omitted the part about being a Demon.
After my explanation, Jeina asked in a voice mixed with bewilderment and suspicion.
“You drove back the Golden Hand with a trap? How exactly?”
“The Countess lent her strength. And we won by chance.”
“…By chance?”
“Yes, by chance.”
She frowned. Her eyes conveyed disbelief at such an ending, but I didn’t avoid her gaze.
“If you’re hiding something, tell me right now. Have you forgotten we’re allies?”
“Jeina, that’s what I should be saying. You’re hiding things from me too.”
“What do you….”
“About the Emperor and the Sun God’s power—you still don’t intend to tell me, do you?”
“….”
Jeina bit her lip and fell silent. She hadn’t expected me to bring up that secret again.
‘Back then, I brushed it off saying I couldn’t tell her because it would put me in danger, but Jeina definitely knows something about the Emperor’s secret. The fact that she won’t speak even in this situation means it must be quite significant.’
In truth, secrets weren’t more important to me than our alliance. But it was a useful card to play in hiding the fact that I’m a Demon.
“So, when you’re ready to share your secret, I’ll tell you the truth about this incident. Fair?”
“…You’ve become quite imperial.”
“I have an exemplary younger sister, after all.”
Jeina glared at me as I chuckled, then clicked her tongue.
“Fine, I’ll let it slide for now. The most important thing is that we’ve overcome the crisis.”
Then she suddenly propped both her legs up on the reception room table. I widened my eyes at such behavior—the kind a ruffian might display.
Despite my stare, she let out a deep sigh as if to make sure I heard it. It was a sigh that revealed her exhaustion.
“What’s wrong? Did something difficult happen?”
“You have no idea how much I’ve suffered. I came running from the opposite side of the Empire just to deliver this news….”
“You should have just sent a letter.”
“Any letter would have to pass near the Capital, and there’s no guarantee the Golden Hand wouldn’t intercept it.”
“Then you could have sent a skilled Knight. There was no need for you to go personally….”
“I had to go myself. That way, your safety is guaranteed.”
‘So that’s why she came in person.’
The mere fact that she was in Monos served as a warning to the Emperor: ‘I know your plans.’
Though the Emperor had moved faster than she anticipated, the fact remained that she had made the effort for my sake.
Judging by how exhausted she was—enough to cast aside the mask of Imperial Family—the journey to Monos must have been anything but easy.
I felt oddly moved. I had never realized that Jeina cared for me this much.
“I’m not exactly idle myself. Franz has been obstructing wheat exports from my Direct Dominion lately, so I’ve been traveling back and forth between the Eastern and Western Regions trying to find alternative trade routes. Then I suddenly heard news about Monos, abandoned everything I was doing, and jumped into a carriage.”
She added that she had ridden through three nights without sleep to get here.
I laughed awkwardly and asked.
“If you’re exhausted, shall I have a Bedroom prepared for you? It’s still daytime, but….”
“Of course. Surely you weren’t planning to send me away without even letting me rest?”
‘She really can’t help but speak her mind.’
I called for Emma, who was waiting outside the door, and instructed her to prepare a guest Room.
“I have much I’d like to discuss… but let’s talk again after you’ve rested. Since the Golden Hand has withdrawn, we have time to spare now.”
With those words about seeing each other tomorrow, Jeina left the Reception Room.
Unlike when she first arrived, her departure carried not a hint of reluctance.
As I watched her go, a voice suddenly came from the ceiling.
“That younger Princess has a tail following her, doesn’t she?”
“A tail? What do you mean?”
At my words, the ceiling panel opened and Ivan tumbled out.
He brushed the dust from his body and gestured toward the Reception Room window as he spoke.
“I saw it while patrolling earlier. When that younger Princess entered Monos, she confirmed the entry of individuals who weren’t tourists.”
“An enemy?”
“I’m not sure. I don’t sense any killing intent, and their strength is inferior to the younger Princess’s Guard anyway.”
‘So the purpose is to spy on Jeina’s movements?’
Since Jeina hadn’t particularly tried to hide her movements, it wasn’t strange that a pursuer had attached themselves to her.
Given their lack of skill, they were probably from some local Nobleman.
“Shake them off discreetly. Don’t kill them.”
“Understood.”
For Jeina, who had come all this way for my sake, I could easily bear this much trouble.
After sending Ivan off, I leaned my shoulder against the Reception Room window and fell into thought.
‘I never thought Jeina and I would return to how we were before.’
Family was strange. People you thought you’d never meet again would eventually come together as if nothing had happened.
Of course, because we were family, there had also been times when we grew distant.
‘Now that I think about it, how is Father doing now that the war has ended?’
By Father, I meant not the Emperor of the Empire, but the Demon King of the Demon Realm.
The ruler of the Demon Realm who had taken me as his adopted daughter.
And that weak man who had rejoiced at the prospect of stepping down from the Demon King’s throne.
What must he think of me now, abandoning my duties as a general and departing?
If I were to meet him again, could I reconcile with him as I had with Jeina?
I swallowed the unanswerable question and closed my eyes for a moment.
Today, the sunlight of Monos seemed particularly brilliant.

* * *
Family affection was rare among the Demon Clan.
For them, hierarchy mattered far more than blood relations, so it was no exaggeration to say that the difference in power determined the entirety of their relationships.
The weak who resorted to cowardly tactics deserved contempt.
A loser’s life was naturally decided by the victor’s hand.
A parent surpassed by their child lost their role as a teacher.
In a world where such common sense was absolute, the relationship between Asmodina, the Demon Clan’s commander, and her adoptive father, the Demon King, was extraordinarily exceptional.
Originally, the position of Demon King was inherited by whichever member of the Demon Clan possessed the strongest demonic power in the Demon Realm.
For the Demon King was synonymous with the strongest of the Demon Clan.
In that regard, the current Demon King had no right to sit upon the throne.
His adopted daughter, Asmodina, had already transcended the current Demon King in strength.
From the moment of her inauguration, she possessed overwhelming demonic power, and the more she traversed the battlefields, the stronger she became, eventually surpassing the Demon King’s level.
Therefore, the Demon Clan anticipated that the day of succession was not far off.
They proclaimed that the strongest Demon King in history would soon be born, elevating Asmodina’s name.
But something unexpected occurred.
“I am the sword of the Demon Clan. A sword does not become a king.”
Asmodina suddenly renounced her succession.
The Demon King was a being who wielded absolute authority to command all members of the Demon Clan. Naturally, it was a position every strong demon aspired to.
She voluntarily stepped down from that throne.
Since no official reason was disclosed, all manner of rumors circulated among the masses.
One theory was that she respected her adoptive father, the current Demon King, and therefore refused to ascend to the throne.
“Come to think of it, the Commander has always shown strong loyalty to His Majesty the Demon King.”
“Moreover, in private she calls him Father. Using honorifics toward a demon weaker than herself… it’s almost like she’s human.”
The plausible rumor spread further and further, gradually being accepted as truth.

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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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