Pretending to Be Human Is Exhausting Again Today - Chapter 29

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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 029

“Well, uh….”

Grid, who had been quietly observing the situation, carefully raised his hand and spoke.

“Your Highness, I’m curious—how did you interpret everything I’ve said until now?”

“A novice merchant deity showing off to boast about how to make money.”

“Ah, I thought so.”

Had I known his true identity from the start, I would have thought that Black Market merchants truly were different.

It was a conversation that could only be misunderstood without proper context.

Feeling awkward, I averted my gaze and asked casually.

“I’m sorry to ask this now, but could you explain how you ended up here?”

“Ah, well.”

Perhaps wanting to clear his own name, Grid readily explained the situation.

Apparently, he had been interested in Ruslara for quite some time. With his keen eye for talent, he had discerned something extraordinary about her.

“I was aware that the Armored Fighter was bound by some contract. I have connections at the Arena, you see.”

Unable to resist rare talent, Grid had dangled the Captain as bait to recruit her. His plan was to first hire her as his Guard, then use his wealth to break her contract.

‘Money—in a way, that’s the most peaceful solution.’

True to his reputation as a renowned Black Market merchant, Grid had been prepared to invest a substantial fortune.

But contrary to his expectations, Ruslara rejected the Captain’s recruitment offer, defeated him instead, and claimed victory. And she chose me as her master.

“Unfortunately, what can I do? Your Highness seems equally extraordinary, so I decided to quietly withdraw. But then I noticed that person was tailing me.”

Grid glanced at Ivan, who was crumpled in the corner of the Study.

“Right after that, I suddenly heard news that the Imperial Palace was recruiting merchants. And it was from the Separate Palace where the Princess resides, no less. Since that person is the Princess’s subordinate, naturally I thought they were singling me out….”

“Wait, how did you know Ivan is my subordinate?”

Grid shrugged his shoulders.

“I saw him returning to the Princess’s side.”

“What, what!”

At that moment, Ivan, who had been listening quietly, shot to his feet.

“How in the world did you recognize me! And something’s been off since earlier—you didn’t even notice me at the arena…!”

“Ivan, I didn’t tell you to open your mouth.”

“Yes, sir.”

He deflated back into silence.

I exhaled a weary sigh and spoke.

“Don’t get upset over something like that. It wasn’t his own ability anyway—he was borrowing the power of something that was beside him.”

“…!”

In that instant, Grid’s pupils trembled. He quickly composed his expression, but he couldn’t escape my gaze.

‘Did he think he was the only one with that ability?’

There was no need to spell it out further, so I gestured with my chin for him to continue his explanation.

“…Anyway, once I realized that person was the Princess’s subordinate, I assumed this merchant recruitment was also targeting me.”

“That makes sense.”

A Princess who had been tailing a black market merchant. That same Princess suddenly began recruiting merchants.

Anyone would have thought the recruitment was aimed at them.

“Did you not suspect it was a trap?”

“Then this interview would have been far more enjoyable.”

The response dripped with arrogance. Yet those who wielded such abilities were typically eccentrics, so I felt little reaction to it.

“I understand why you revealed your identity so confidently. But what’s your real purpose?”

It was time to shift the atmosphere back to seriousness.

I lowered my voice, and Grid straightened his posture in response.

“As I mentioned, I wish to contract with the Princess.”

“Why? Among the Imperial Family, I have the weakest influence and the worst reputation.”

“That’s precisely the point. The ominous atmosphere surrounding you made me initially hesitant to approach. It seemed dangerous. But upon reflection, I realized the opposite was true.”

“The opposite?”

He smiled, the corners of his mouth lifting.

“I realized anew that a merchant must always stand beside danger to reap great rewards. Just as merchants always prosper when wars end.”

‘I’ve heard this somewhere before.’

Even as the memory surfaced, Grid continued his lengthy explanation.

“So I wished to stand beside the Princess. I saw it as a golden opportunity to secure a front-row seat. Like sitting at the eye of a storm and moving the storm itself.”

“…Ah.”

Only then did I recognize the original source of this philosophy.

“Kheh.”

It was Ivan, laughing cowardly from his corner.

Whether Grid sensed something in Ivan’s laughter, his otherwise immaculate brow furrowed.

“Surely you didn’t initiate this exchange first?”

His manner of address had shifted from “that person” to “that bastard.”

I nodded awkwardly.

“Yes, exactly the same.”

“Even the first part?”

“Yes. The bit about seizing the opportunity—identical.”

“….”

A prolonged silence settled between us.

I couldn’t bear to wound his pride further, so I held my tongue as well.

* * *

Fortunately, the interviews proceeded smoothly after Grid.

Ivan methodically filtered out the spies, allowing me to retain only those with unblemished records at the Separate Palace.

Afterward, Emma, the head maid, took charge of their training. Naturally, some grumbled at the notion of taking orders from a mere maid, but their protests soon subsided.

Rumors of the servants I had dismissed seemed to have circulated widely.

“The Princess is incredibly strict, I hear! She dismissed dozens in one go!”

“Good heavens… if I’m cast out from here, I’ll truly end up in the stables!”

Not being a spy meant having no ties to the nobility. The servants and maids resolved to be cautious, vowing never to be dismissed, and the Chamberlain and attendants who had learned the spies’ fate decided to work with heightened vigilance.

In any case, it was welcome news for me.

With the recruitment of servants concluded, only one final decision remained.

‘What to do about Grid.’

The issue at hand was none other than the Black Market merchant Grid’s employment.

“That man is far too cunning. Under no circumstances should he be allowed into the Separate Palace. You understand, don’t you, Princess?”

Ivan continued to insist that Grid should not be brought in. Of course, I let his words pass through one ear and out the other. From my perspective, this anger stemmed from a kind of tribal prejudice.

‘I suppose he never imagined there would be two such peculiar individuals.’

Though their objectives differed, they shared the same audacity to venture directly into perilous places and the same manner of thinking.

“Moreover, I’ve heard the merchant is quite skilled at deception. So….”

“An Assassin who kills people is lecturing me about lies? Stop it. Is your pride so wounded that your surveillance was discovered?”

“Ugh…! That’s not it—he didn’t notice!”

Ivan thrashed about in indignation.

“He must have done something underhanded, I’m certain of it!”

“Well, I wouldn’t call it underhanded exactly….”

“You know what he did, don’t you, Princess? What was it?”

“Hmm….”

“Please, tell me!”

Fearing he would continue making a fuss, I calmed Ivan and explained slowly.

“As I mentioned before, it wasn’t his own ability. It was thanks to the spirit around Grid.”

“A spirit? Those actually exist?”

“Of course they do.”

‘If fairies exist, why wouldn’t spirits?’

Though spirits were admittedly not commonly seen in the Human World.

Spirits possessed reason, though they remained close to natural forces. That reasoning was childlike at best, and consequently, they lacked the ability to truly perceive themselves.

In essence, they were like wind or water—souls with merely a whisper of will.

Among them, spirits born with exceptionally formidable power would occasionally contract with those whose wavelengths aligned with theirs.

In the Human World, these individuals were known as Spirit Summoners—figures immortalized in folklore.

‘In a Human World where magical essence flows so sparsely, to be born with talent comparable to Grid’s… perhaps one in a century.’

In that sense, he was rarer than even a reincarnated Demon.

“So that spirit found me?”

“It must have. The spirit beside Grid is a Shadow Spirit—one that dwells in crevices and darkness. It would have discovered you easily.”

So it made perfect sense that Ivan was convinced Grid hadn’t noticed him at all. In reality, the spirit must have secretly informed Grid.

“Damn it. That bastard’s taking credit for abilities that aren’t even his.”

Leaving Ivan to grind his teeth, I turned my attention back to Grid’s ledger on the desk.

I hadn’t mentioned it to Ivan, but my mind had already leaned toward hiring him.

I needed materials that ordinary merchants couldn’t procure. A Black Market dealer would acquire them with ease. Most importantly, I could keep my search for those materials hidden.

‘Though I must admit, the fact that Grid’s spirit is a Shadow Spirit is rather unsettling.’

Spirits contract with those whose wavelengths match their own.

And Shadow Spirits were quintessential hedonists—perverts, even.

“Next time, I should tail that bastard again! A Shadow Spirit, you say? Perhaps in broad daylight…!”

I glanced at Ivan, still seething with rage.

‘Actually, doesn’t Ivan have good compatibility with Shadow Spirits too?’

Which meant Grid and Ivan were quite well-matched after all.

An old saying came to mind: if you have a loud and restless son, the answer is to give him a younger sibling to play with.

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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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