Pretending to Be Human Is Exhausting Again Today - Chapter 19

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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 019

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The matches commenced immediately.

Contrary to my concerns about barely reaching the championship bracket, Ruslara advanced smoothly through her victories.

‘They said the extended rounds could stretch to four days, but at this pace, everything will certainly conclude by the third day.’

The matches that followed weren’t even worth discussing in terms of competitive balance.

“Extraordinary! The Armored Fighter’s performance is nothing like her record suggested! She’s systematically overwhelming every opponent she faces!”

Most of the Armored Fighter’s—Ruslara’s—matches were decided in a single strike.

Against aggressive opponents, she would slip inside their guard and target vital points for victory. Against those who maintained distance and probed defensively, she would throw her blade to create openings.

It was the efficient combat methodology born from the training I had given her and the sparring sessions with Ivan.

‘The competitors’ level is lower than I anticipated.’

Watching her win so easily, I felt an unexpected pang of guilt toward Ruslara. I found myself thinking that had I known the competition would be this weak, I wouldn’t have subjected her to such grueling training.

“Yes, match concluded! The first day of the Arena has ended!”

Thus the first day came to a close.

There were eight officially registered competitors including Ruslara, and naturally they all advanced to the upper bracket. Additionally, twenty-four general participants qualified, bringing the total bracket to thirty-two competitors.

‘Thirty-two in name, but the general participants are merely fodder.’

The bracket clearly showed consideration to ensure the general participants wouldn’t all be eliminated immediately.

Now that the bracket would be reshuffled, by the semifinals only the registered competitors would remain.

“Let’s head back.”

“Yes, Princess!”

I rose from my seat, guided by the staff member and Liribel. As I was leaving the Arena, I suddenly sensed something strange and stopped in my tracks.

‘What was that just now?’

I turned my head and surveyed my surroundings. But the strange aura vanished in an instant, swallowed by the clamor of spectators swarming around the fighters.

‘It was an incredibly ominous and repulsive presence.’

It felt as though I had passed by a sewage grate emanating the stench of filth.

Yet all that met my eyes were countless spectators and carts transporting the fighters’ equipment.

“…Was I imagining things?”

Liribel approached, having heard my murmur.

“Is something the matter, Princess?”

“Nothing at all. Let’s go.”

“Yes! Ah, I think it would be better to exit through that way instead.”

“Why?”

“There’s some ugly nobleman’s son making a fuss at this exit, so the path is blocked. Let’s go another way.”

‘I’m certain she was about to add something rather unflattering.’

Likely one of the nobles who had mocked me earlier.

I pretended not to hear and moved forward.

And the next day, the second day of the Arena.

The main tournament, narrowing down to four fighters total.

Ruslara dominated her first match.

Her opponent this time proved quite skilled, so the match wasn’t decided in a single blow. Still, they couldn’t last even a minute.

“Good heavens! There is no one to stop him, Armored Fighter! He seizes victory from the previous tournament champion! Will his decades-long Arena career culminate in a championship today? Truly, a golden debut!”

The Announcer had become so absorbed in the Armored Fighter that he naturally wove a compelling narrative.

‘I approve. I’ll overlook yesterday’s blunder.’

It seemed I wasn’t the only one thinking this. Liribel behind me nodded and murmured something.

“You owe me one favor.”

What sort of favor, I wondered?

I didn’t want to ask.

‘Yet something troubles me. If the competitors are at this level, Ruslara should have won a championship at least once.’

The registered fighters at the Arena didn’t participate in every tournament. I’d heard that with more than ten competitions—large and small—held annually, they rotated their entries.

Ruslara’s previous skill level had been below average among them.

My assessment was that even the weakest version of Ruslara should have been capable of winning at least once in a tournament with many amateur participants.

Yet Ruslara never won a championship.

No matter how lacking her abilities were, she wasn’t weak enough for that.

‘There’s definitely some kind of trap involved….’

Still, surely they wouldn’t set an obvious trap right before the Princess.

While watching the match with that thought in mind.

‘…Again, this sensation.’

That repugnant aura I’d felt when leaving yesterday rose from somewhere.

The revulsion was so intense that goosebumps erupted across my arms beneath my coat.

“Liribel.”

Veiled and with my vision narrowed, I called out to Liribel.

“Yes, Princess?”

“Do you notice anything strange around us? Any intruders, or suspicious objects…?”

After a moment, Liribel spoke in a troubled voice.

“I don’t see anything like that. Should I call for staff?”

“No, never mind.”

An ominous premonition washed over me. I pulled Liribel back and scanned the Arena once more.

‘There are too many people. It’s impossible to pinpoint. Where exactly is it?’

As I continued sweeping my gaze across the crowd.

“Now then, the first match of the Round of Sixteen! The Armored Fighter takes the stage!”

‘…Why?’

As Ruslara entered, I could identify the nature of that aura.

‘Why are you carrying that?’

Ruslara, who had performed flawlessly through her previous matches, stumbled onto the Arena floor as if intoxicated.

The crowd murmured, wondering if her stamina had been depleted, but I knew the true cause.

‘Divine power is seeping from it.’

The sword in her hand was emanating divine power.

Looking more closely, it wasn’t just the sword.

The armor, boots, and shield were all the same.

The repulsive aura I had sensed was the equipment Ruslara was carrying.

‘They all provide weapons at the Arena.’

For fairness, everyone at the Arena used the same weapons. Naturally, they were provided by the Arena itself.

Only then did I realize that the source of the energy I had felt yesterday was a cart carrying weapons.

‘Why? Why are they suddenly distributing such weapons? If they do this, a Demon like Ruslara won’t be able to use their power at all….’

In that moment, a conversation I’d had with Ruslara flashed through my mind.

‘If you abandon the championship, I will change it to a different contract, they said.’

‘What kind of contract?’

‘I’m not entirely sure… but they said since you have a superior, you should become their subordinate.’

A strange contract of unknown purpose, made in the Abandoned Mine.

Ruslara’s pride, broken by continued failure.

And the abilities of Baban Si.

Blood drinking, disguise, and brainwashing.

Countless clues swirled through my mind.

‘How did I not see this until now.’

I had grown careless, thinking we were in the Human Realm.

It was my fault for assuming that humans, unable to sense magical power, would naturally be unable to distinguish Demons.

It was my fault for assuming the nobleman who presented this contract was naturally ‘human.’

‘I only thought about hiding Ruslara’s true nature. It’s the opposite. What mattered more was uncovering the other party’s identity.’

As one mystery was solved, the puzzle pieces began falling into place in succession.

How had that nobleman precisely targeted and purchased the Abandoned Mine where Baban Si lived?

The characteristics of the Baobhan sith—living underground—are unknown to humans, yet someone had pinpointed the location of their hidden sanctuary with such precision. The probability of this being mere coincidence was vanishingly small.

And why had they made a contract with the condition “become my subordinate if you wish to give up”?

If they truly needed subordinates, they could have simply taken hostages from Ruslara’s family and used coercion instead of this tedious arrangement. The entire process seemed deliberately designed to instill a sense of defeat in the target.

When I connected all these questions and clues, the most plausible candidate for the contractor was… no, the Demon was.

‘A Baobhan sith.’

The same species as Ruslara.

A Baobhan sith who knew the location of the hideout, understood the nature of their kind, and sought to brainwash Ruslara by fulfilling the condition of “instilling defeat to enslave.”

One of their own was attempting to enslave another of their own.

This was something I should have realized much sooner. With just a few clues—even the smallest hints—I could have unraveled this secret.

‘If only I had thought more carefully about why the Baobhan sith was attacked in the first place…!’

I bit my lip. Indifferent to my anguish, Ruslara’s opponent pressed forward with confidence, driving her into a corner.

“Ah! The Armored Fighter is losing! Could it be the same outcome as last year? That unfortunate habit of his—crumbling in every important match…!”

‘No. This is a match Ruslara should win.’

This is not her true strength. I, who trained her, know this better than anyone.

She, who never experienced the Demon Realm War and has never faced holy power, must believe she is losing because of her own inadequacy.

‘And in every important match, she made inexplicable mistakes.’

‘No. Your defeats are fabricated.’

Blood dripped from my bitten lip. At the same moment, I saw a transparent tear fall beneath Ruslara’s helmet.

She loses again. The same defeat she has repeated for decades unfolds before me.

Unable to repay the kindness of those who helped her, she falls once more.

‘No. I cannot permit such an ending.’

Those who yearn must be given their chance.

Those who strive must receive their reward.

To prove this principle myself, I resolved to live as a human.

So I will not stand idle while my subordinate faces defeat.

“Liribel.”

“Yes?”

“Prepare handkerchiefs. As many as you can.”

Leaving Liribel with her questioning gaze, I began to chant the incantation slowly.

[Shadows.]

My target was the entire Arena.

I needed to create a disturbance so massive that the match would be halted.

After so long, my magical power drained away as the shadows beneath my feet awaited my command.

[Overturn everything.]

The shadows engulfed the Arena.

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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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