Pretending to Be Human Is Exhausting Again Today - Chapter 156

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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 156
An awkward standoff continued between the man who called a Demon his wife and me.
Unable to grasp where to even begin questioning, I was working my lips when the woman being protected by the man hesitantly opened her mouth.
“Johan, that’s not it. This person didn’t threaten me, they….”
The Divine man called Johan furrowed his brow.
“If they didn’t threaten you, why are they leaking such ferocious demonic energy? Anyone can see it’s a threat?”
‘Ferocious demonic energy? From me?’
My state was the same as always. Of course, demonic energy was flowing slightly, but it wasn’t enough to be threatening.
‘Is it because their power is too weak?’
Just as small animals grow frightened at a beast’s mere yawn, they seemed to be tensing at my ordinary demonic energy.
I suppressed the leaking demonic energy for now.
“…I have no intention of fighting. Rather, I’d like to hear where this place is and who you are.”
Recognizing my lack of hostility, Johan turned his head toward the woman with a hesitant expression.
“What should we do, Mirinai? Maybe it’s better to just drive them out….”
“Captain, you’re different from the Demons we knew. I think it would be good to talk. Besides….”
The Demon woman, Mirinai, hesitated slightly before continuing.
“You’re not weak enough for us to drive out.”
“…Tch.”
Unwilling to acknowledge his own weakness, Johan’s face flushed slightly.
“Follow me. Don’t cause any trouble.”
He led me toward the opposite Flower Field.
I followed silently behind them.
Johan seemed intent on keeping Mirinai and me apart, sending her ahead while positioning himself beside me. A crude-looking wooden dagger hung at his waist, and he kept his hand on the hilt, ready to draw at any moment.
Sensing that meeting his gaze would only heighten his vigilance, I looked around as I walked.
‘It’s larger than I expected. It could be a small city.’
The Hill with the Flower Field wasn’t all there was. Beyond it lay vast Plains, a small stream, and densely grown Forests.
Judging by the traces of farming scattered across the Plains, they appeared to be self-sufficient.
“Here we are.”
We finally arrived at a small Cottage at the edge of the Plains.
It was a crudely built wooden Cottage, and around it were neatly arranged a table and two small chairs that seemed made for tea time.
Johan guided me to one of the chairs, then sat across from me.
“Ah, shall I bring some tea?”
When Mirinai asked carefully, Johan furrowed his brow.
“No need for an Intruder. Water will suffice.”
Mirinai carefully examined my appearance, unable to hide a look of concern.
“But you look very exhausted. You must have been terribly cold, having come through that blizzard….”
Johan sighed with displeasure, but eventually nodded.
Before long, Mirinai returned with warm tea and an additional chair.
Then she naturally sat beside Johan.
“I’d appreciate an introduction first. You’re called Captain, but…could you be Asmodina?”
“That’s right. You know my name too.”
I nodded briefly at Mirinai in gratitude, then took a sip of tea. After enduring on nothing but eye contact for so long, the taste of water on my lips felt remarkably welcome.
Johan let out a hollow laugh as if bewildered.
“The youngest Captain, the undefeated Demon—how could I not know of you? Though I never imagined you’d be this young.”
“Then I’d like to hear about you two as well. Who are you, and why are you here? And where exactly is this place?”
“Before that, how did someone like you even arrive here in the first—”
Johan furrowed his brow, about to press further, when Mirinai stepped in and stopped him.
“Let’s be fair about this. The Captain introduced herself, so we should too. I’m Mirinai, and I was a soldier of the 1st Army in the past. My rank was corporal.”
“…I’m Johan. A lower-tier deity of the Wing Division.”
The name Wing Division stirred something familiar in my memory.
Sifting through my recollections, I recalled a deity I’d encountered roughly seventy years ago.
“Wing Division… the deity with those two pairs of wings?”
“Yes, our division commander. A mid-tier deity you killed in a single strike.”
The answer was sharp, yet Johan didn’t seem angered by it. He recounted the past matter-of-factly.
“Precisely seventy-two years ago. When you fought in the Northern City, our division commander was defeated, and I became a survivor of that rout.”
‘The Northern City… that would be about two weeks’ journey from this Snowy Mountain.’
I recall it wasn’t a major engagement, given the city was nearly barren.
To be honest, it was an easy battle. Our casualties were minimal, while the enemy suffered near-total annihilation.
Johan was one of the few Divine Race soldiers who survived that day.
As if it were her turn, Mirinai spoke up this time.
“I’m similar. Do you remember the Northwestern Coast operation from eighty years ago?”
“That was the operation where Gregory retreated.”
“Yes, I couldn’t retreat with Commander Gregory at that time, so I was left in the Northwestern region. After that, I began fleeing to escape the Divine Race’s notice.”
This meant that afterward, she never returned to the main force and eventually settled here for some reason.
They were called survivors of the rout, but in truth, both were deserters.
‘Now I understand why Johan was wary of me.’
He must have feared I’d come to punish Mirinai.
But I had no intention of bringing up events from decades past.
“Now it’s our turn. Tell us why you came here.”
“That is…”
I briefly explained my conversation with the Lake Deity. How I was told that coming here would allow me to find answers to the questions I harbored.
Johan’s face flushed red as he muttered.
“That deity… came here as a guest and we welcomed them, yet they go around blabbing our information to outsiders.”
“The Lake Deity has been here before?”
“Yes. Came about fifty years ago. Asked nothing but endless questions and left. How we met, when we married… all pointless drivel.”
Johan spat out rough curses, lamenting how he’d opened up to what he thought was an eccentric deity, only to be betrayed.
Mirinai, who’d been listening with a wry smile, continued in his stead.
“You asked earlier how we came to be here, right? It’s simple. I was wandering in the north, got lost, and happened to arrive here by chance. Johan’s situation was similar.”
“By chance? Through that blizzard?”
“I didn’t get lost in the blizzard itself. In my case, it was a Dense Forest, and for Johan it was the Plains… we collapsed from exhaustion, and when we opened our eyes, we were here.”
It was a hard story to believe. This Demon Realm Danger Zone was a place where even a Demon like me had to risk my life just to barely enter.
‘Did a fairy play a prank? Or some kind of miracle?’
Even Johan and Mirinai had difficulty explaining this part and showed reluctance.
They said they had lost consciousness from hunger and wounds, and when they opened their eyes again, they were already here. At that time, they had lost most of their demonic and divine power.
‘I thought it was strange that a Soldier had such weak demonic power for his rank….’
As if collecting a toll, had someone taken their strength?
“So you don’t know the true nature of this place either?”
“No. We can’t go outside because of the blizzard. Since we opened our eyes, we’ve been staying here the whole time. Fortunately, there’s no problem with living….”
Indeed, this place looked far more livable than the desolate Demon Realm.
“Then… this is just personal curiosity, but you two are married, right?”
“…Yes, that’s right.”
Mirinai’s face flushed. As she hesitated to answer out of shyness, Johan stepped forward instead.
“Living here, the hatred toward the Demon Clan faded considerably. It was the same for Mirinai. As we spent more time together like that, we naturally came to love each other.”
It was a calm yet bold confession. Mirinai averted her gaze with an embarrassed cough.
Meanwhile, I fell into thought at this unbelievable situation.
The Divine Race and Demon Clan were beings that could never be compatible. The Divine Race felt murderous intent at the mere sight of Demons, and Demons suffered such agony from touching divine power that their bodies would melt.
Oil and water that don’t mix, fire and water that cannot coexist.
That should be the very nature of the two races, yet between Johan and Mirinai, I couldn’t find even a hint of such discord.
‘What’s the reason these two are different? Is this region special? But I don’t feel anything unusual.’
Moreover, the Lake Deity’s instruction to come here must surely be related to this matter.
After pondering for a while, I suddenly recalled one fact.
‘Could the weakening of demonic and divine power be the cause of this change?’
Conversely, the stronger one’s power, the stronger the hatred toward the other?

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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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