Pretending to Be Human Is Exhausting Again Today - Chapter 165

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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 165
‘Alberto harbors his resentment toward Franz. If the Empress truly is the mastermind, I can’t force Alberto into an alliance.’
The Empress’s faction was nowhere near comparable to Franz’s power.
If Franz, Gilbert, and the faction following Jeina had united by gazing toward future authority, then the Empress’s faction was a steadfast alliance bound beneath current power.
To oppose such a faction, one needed justification and benefits proportionate to their strength—that was Alberto’s argument.
‘Alberto doesn’t seem to be lying. There’s no reason for him to… He’s not the type to be swayed by money or honor.’
Had Jeina been present, she might have devised another card to offer him, but she wasn’t here, and she remained unaware that the Empress was the mastermind.
As I sat lost in thought, Asmo-rina, who had been resting with her legs propped on the table and a nonchalant expression, opened her mouth.
“Why are you making this so complicated? Why not just kill both that Franz fellow and the Empress?”
Alberto’s expression, which had been waiting for my response with ease, suddenly hardened. He seemed to realize that Asmo-rina’s words weren’t mere bluster.
I sighed and reproached her.
“You can’t solve everything with force. Even if you could kill them in a worst-case scenario, the aftermath would be too difficult to manage.”
“Honestly, you hu—”
“Rina.”
I silenced Asmo-rina with a glance just as she was about to curse human irrationality again. I didn’t want to give Alberto unnecessary information.
Pouting, she thrust out her lips.
“You’re quite the saint. Why did you even step forward to punish them in the first place?”
Though her words were spoken in complaint, a solution suddenly occurred to me from them.
‘Saint, holy one… that’s right!’
Focused on the fact that Franz and the Empress were the masterminds, I had forgotten my own position.
My most powerful weapon was neither strength nor magical power.
“Lord Alberto, if you have another plan in mind, would you be willing to participate?”
“What sort of plan?”
“Well…”
I laid out the plan that had just occurred to me, step by step. Alberto, who had initially seemed skeptical as though it were mere fantasy, nodded with interest after hearing it through to the end.
“It’s a sound plan. If it proceeds as intended, Prince Franz won’t be able to counterattack easily.”
“Will you join me then?”
“Hmm…”
He pondered briefly before answering with a slight upturn of his lips.
“Very well. I cannot refuse such an ingenious plan.”
Contrary to my concerns, Alberto agreed readily. The plan seemed to please him greatly.
“I particularly appreciate that it doesn’t center on Princess Jeina.”
‘It seems his resentment toward Jeina hasn’t been resolved after all.’
I smiled bitterly. That was one problem I couldn’t solve.
“Then I’ll contact you once we execute the plan. First, I’ll need you to prepare…”
After conveying what was needed for the plan, I left the Golden Plains. Asmo-rina, catching a glimpse of his bright smile as he saw us off, spoke.
“Humans are peculiar, I tell you. With their minds full of vengeance, yet they can smile so readily.”
“Does Lord Alberto seem that way to you?”
“Yeah. Even while we were talking, his mind was a mess of anger the whole time.”
Unlike me, who had been reborn as human, Asmo-rina, who retained her demonic instincts, seemed to perceive human emotions far more vividly.
If Asmo-rina spoke with such certainty, then Alberto must have been chewing over his past anger throughout their entire conversation.
‘If I could take revenge on Prince Franz through this opportunity, that would be ideal.’
Hoping that the sorrow of losing family might be soothed through vengeance, I turned toward Jeina, who would be waiting for me.

* * *
“The Empress has taken Prince Franz’s side.”
When I relayed the information I’d obtained from Alberto, Jeina rarely displayed displeasure.
“I said there had been no recent contact, but I never expected such scheming.”
“Do you know why? The Empress cherished you dearly.”
“It’s one of two things. Either that foolish whim that occasionally surfaces, or she’s issuing a warning.”
“A warning?”
Jeina gave a brief nod and spoke with her arms crossed.
“Though she hasn’t announced it publicly, she must have realized that I’m cooperating with you. She’s interfering to prevent that.”
“Then why not attack Monos?”
“She probably thought there was no need to touch Monos since the Emperor is already targeting it.”
“…I see.”
‘That means the Empress also knows the Emperor is after the Demon Clan.’
Despite sharing the same bloodline, this family certainly harbored many secrets.
“In any case, I have no intention of backing down just because we’ve gained two enemies. After all, for you to become Emperor, the Empress was always going to be one of the adversaries you’d have to overcome.”
At that moment, Asmo-rina, who had been listening to the conversation as if it were tedious, suddenly brightened and interjected.
“What? Become Emperor? Who?”
“Your mother, Deina. You didn’t know that? We’re in the middle of an important discussion, so don’t interrupt—”
Asmo-rina cut off Jeina’s irritated words.
“If that’s what it was, you should have said so sooner! So world conquest was the goal all along!”
‘Oops.’
The word “Emperor” had clearly ignited Asmo-rina’s competitive spirit.
‘She was displeased with the Demon Realm’s commander living as a human, but now that she hears I’m to become Emperor, her mood has lifted.’
I was about to tell her to calm down, but Jeina suddenly shifted her tone.
“Yes, that’s right. Your mother will become the ruler of the Empire, and subsequently the conqueror of the world. Impressive, isn’t it?”
“As expected of Mother! That’s the level she should be operating at!”
Watching Rina rejoice like a child left me speechless. I couldn’t bring myself to tell her it would never come to pass.
Whether Jeina was taking advantage of my predicament or not, she spoke in a subtle tone.
“So I’ll need your help this time as well. I heard from before that you have the ability to control plants….”
“Who’s your niece? Well, since I do possess life force magic, you’re not wrong, but why?”
Asmo-rina, now in excellent spirits, laughed lightly as if there was nothing she couldn’t do.
‘Jeina’s skill at handling children is steadily improving.’
At this rate, I wonder if she’ll actually become an aunt.
“The grain that had been problematic has arrived at Monos. Our scholars couldn’t identify it, but can you distinguish it?”
“Bring it here. I’ll take a look.”
Jeina disappeared, saying to wait a moment, and soon returned carrying a small sack.
When I opened the sack, I saw strange fungi glowing with fluorescent light. The fungi were blooming throughout the wheat grains inside.
“Hmm, I usually only see this color in the deep layers of the Demon Realm…”
Asmo-rina examined the grain with an intrigued expression. She touched it with her hand and even channeled magical energy into it. Jeina, who had been watching her, spoke.
“The biggest problem is that we don’t know what it is. We can’t respond, and we don’t know how it’s spreading. Once we execute the plan, there won’t be time to investigate. We need to figure this out now.”
“Asmo-rina should be able to figure it out. She handled cases like this often in the Demon Realm. More importantly, are you sure we should proceed with the plan as is?”
It was a plan I had proposed myself, but from Jeina’s perspective, it could be humiliating.
However, Jeina tilted her head as if asking what the problem was.
“The moment I made an alliance with you and swore to make you Emperor, I resolved to use whatever tools are available. That’s my pride.”
Moreover, she looked at me with a suspicious glint in her eyes.
“But are you sure about this? If this plan succeeds, you’ll become known throughout the realm as a saint.”
“There’s no helping that. It’s something I resolved to accept the moment I created the holy site.”
The plan I had proposed to Alberto was to actively utilize the rumors of me being a “saint” that surrounded me.
For now, the rumors had only spread quietly among commoners, but the moment this plan was executed, not only the nobility but also the priests of the Sun Cult would not remain idle.
I would have to bear the full brunt of the backlash that would follow.
‘Of course, that’s something to worry about only after the plan succeeds.’
If it failed, there would be no future. The rumor of being a saint would become shackles that strangled my neck instead.
“So when should we start the plan?”
“I need to go to my Direct Dominion first, so at least a week from now…”
At that moment, Asmo-rina cried out as if she had discovered something.
“I’ve got it! This isn’t fungus! It’s a curse!”
“What? A curse?”
Jeina and I asked simultaneously, shocked by the unexpected revelation.
“It’s a curse that gives those who consume it hallucinations, hostility, and intense hunger. Originally, it was a curse used in the Demon Coliseum, but humans have managed to recreate it!”
Jeina’s expression turned cold.
“What happens if a human eats it?”
“It would make the people around them appear as delicious food, wouldn’t it? In Demon Realm terms, it would create living zombies?”
A horrifying curse that would trigger cannibalism among one’s own kind.
Worse than any plague, faced with such a terrible calamity, I was left speechless.

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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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