Pretending to Be Human Is Exhausting Again Today - Chapter 43

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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 043

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There were countless ways to earn money through power.

One could venture into dungeons frequented by adventurers and plunder their treasures, or raid criminal organizations lurking in the underworld to steal gold—quick fortunes abounded if one knew where to look.

But all such methods required expending vast quantities of magical energy.

Inevitably, the aftermath would bring coughing up blood and other grievous side effects.

Moreover, there existed the danger of my true identity being exposed.

Thus, I conceived of a more convenient and safer enterprise.

It was to operate through a proxy.

‘I had intended to abandon my demonic powers, but circumstances have grown urgent. Besides, the Sun God himself dispenses counsel through his Priests. Why should we not do the same?’

At their roots, the Demon King and the Sun God were not so different from one another.

Through a proxy, I would share my counsel and power, resolve matters, and receive compensation.

Though the venture would last only a few days at most, Grid judged it possessed sufficient potential.

“If this deity truly proves capable… it could be a lucrative enterprise indeed.”

I had explained the concept, yet I had not anticipated such ready acceptance. I posed my question with lingering suspicion.

“Does it not trouble you? You don’t even know what manner of deity this is.”

“Why should it? Is this a matter of faith? There are countless deities in other lands regardless. Besides, I am a merchant. Whether my patron is a demon or a god matters little—so long as there is profit to be made.”

Moreover, she noted that professions such as Diviner or priestess—those who channel divine counsel—were commonplace beyond the Empire’s borders.

Had the Sun God truly descended, divine retribution would have been warranted, but for a demon such as myself, her response was nothing short of ideal.

Thus, Grid and I ventured to the Black Market on the Outskirts of the Capital to establish our new enterprise.

The Black Market was located in the underground level of a sprawling building, a place frequented by noblemen, criminals, merchants, and all manner of individuals seeking its wares.

Grid had hastily painted an eccentric sign reading “Yellow God’s Consultation Office” and hung it above the small warehouse building he used for storage.

When I questioned whether the signage seemed odd, he assured me that this level of attention was precisely what would make it work.

“Then, is there anything else you need?”

“A ouija board, four candles, and… ah, a dagger as well.”

“A dagger? What for?”

“Think of it as self-defense.”

Grid seemed to find it peculiar, but he agreed to follow my instructions regardless.

The business model was elegantly simple.

Grid would receive clients in the room and relay the divine message through the ouija board and other implements.

Of course, the one actually communicating with him would be me. I planned to position myself in the small room adjacent to the warehouse, using my magical power to produce various phenomena.

‘Moving a ouija board requires barely a speck of magical energy. There won’t be any aftereffects.’

Yet Grid seemed to find the method too simplistic, and he asked with a skeptical tone.

“Commoners might believe it as a miracle, but most will suspect a sorcerer is hidden somewhere.”

“That’s where the concept of divine possession becomes crucial. I’ll reveal information that only a Deity could possibly know.”

“You mean to offer prophecy?”

“No—instead, I’ll illuminate the past.”

“…?”

Seeing that Grid still didn’t grasp my meaning, I waved my hand dismissively.

“Just bring in the clients. Given your connections, they’ll certainly be wealthy patrons, won’t they?”

Since Grid was backing this venture, naturally those who knew his name would come seeking it out, and there would be no shortage of clients.

I showed the suspicious Grid into the room and made my way to the small room.

Before long, I heard the sound of the door opening on Grid’s side.

‘Now then….’

I naturally erased my presence and closed my eyes. Then I moved my shadow to sense the aura of the visitor who had come.

My shadow, elongated like a tentacle, passed through the door and revealed to me every detail of what transpired within the room.

Manipulating my shadow with minimal magical energy and delicate precision demanded intense concentration. I filtered out useless information and searched for the reason he had come here.

‘The first visitor is a middle-aged man. His clothing is expensive, but his gait lacks refinement. His manner of speech too….’

“Ha! Running such a childish business? Have you lost your mind?”

‘He’s no nobleman, then.’

“Please, do sit down. You came here because you have troubles, did you not?”

“You suddenly blocked my cargo clearance, then threatened me saying you’d release it if I came for a consultation!”

‘I asked him to draw in customers, but did he resort to such methods?’

I hadn’t wanted it to go that far. I felt a pang of guilt toward the unnamed man.

‘This is my first client—I need to handle this well….’

As the two of them continued their exchange, I quickly assessed his condition.

‘Found it.’

Fortunately, I was able to identify the problem I needed to address without delay.

“At least sit down. Why not give it a try, even if just for fun?”

“A ouija board? This isn’t some children’s game.”

Grid settled the grumbling Intruder into a chair, and I felt him place his hands upon the Ouija board. I immediately used my shadow to manipulate the planchette across its surface.

‘Gently, gently. Leave no trace….’

With a soft scraping sound, the planchette pointed toward the source of the problem.

“Wait, I haven’t said anything. Why is it moving? Are you moving it?”

“Certainly not. I’m merely keeping my hands upon it. All of this is divine guidance.”

“What nonsense….”

The planchette slowly completed a single word.

[Merchant’s Daughter’s Portrait]

“…!”

The chair clattered to the floor. The startled Intruder had toppled backward.

“Please, sit down. We’re not finished yet.”

“W-what….”

“Come now.”

At Grid’s urging, the Intruder settled back into his seat. I then guided the planchette to spell out the answer he sought.

[Hidden Behind Family Crest…]

After confirming the final letters, the Intruder spoke in a trembling voice.

“You’re truly saying it wasn’t you?”

“It was not.”

“Then how…? No one else could possibly know this….”

“As I said—divine guidance.”

I could vividly picture Grid’s smirk. The Intruder withdrew his hand from the Ouija board and slowly rose from his seat.

“Wait, just wait a moment. I’ll be right back.”

“Shouldn’t you pay the consultation fee before leaving?”

“If I can just confirm that this message is genuine, I’ll pay whatever you ask! Just give me a moment!”

With that, he threw open the door and rushed out in a panic. The moment his presence vanished, I pushed open the hidden door and poked my head through.

Grid, upon seeing me, asked with a suspicious expression.

“How did you know that merchant had a daughter?”

“There are ways. More importantly, she’s dead, isn’t she?”

“That’s correct.”

Grid briefly relayed the publicly known information about the Intruder.

The Intruder was a merchant who had achieved success in his later years, and he had a past of losing his daughter when he was young. Consumed by his work, he hadn’t even been there for her final moments when she was ill.

“However, the painting and frame of his daughter—that’s something I’ve never heard before.”

I merely shrugged and didn’t answer Grid’s question. He wasn’t Liribel or Ruslara, and I had no desire to explain my secrets to him.

‘With traces of spirits so blatantly evident all around, how could I not notice?’

I wasn’t quite at the level of a Demon’s spirit sorcerer, but with concentration, I could perceive the traces of spirits.

Finding the root cause of problems through those traces was my method.

‘Just now, the Intruder’s daughter’s spirit kept crying out to look behind the frame. What’s actually there, I don’t know yet.’

Of course, clients without entangled spirits might appear, but I had ways to handle that as well.

‘If I cover my body with shadows, I can roughly discern their health condition. I can just make up a reason.’

Something about shoulder stiffness being caused by a ghost, or sleeping with my head pointing northeast. Then I’d use mana to give their muscles a proper massage and send them on their way.

A dark room was precisely what was needed.

‘And I don’t need to satisfy every customer. Helping just one out of ten—someone entangled with spirits or bearing the marks of a curse—that’s enough.’

The moment even one or two people experienced results, this charlatan-like divine possession gained credibility.

It might appear effortless, but this was a business rooted in genuine experience. It had been the very method the Demon Clan used to make money when they first infiltrated the Human Realm in the distant past.

‘I never thought I’d actually employ the techniques the elders casually mentioned back then.’

Those stories I’d half-listened to decades and centuries ago were now proving remarkably useful. Truly, the ways of the world are unknowable.

Lost in reflection, someone knocked on the door.

“It seems the next customer has arrived.”

“Then, I’m counting on you for this one too.”

“Of course. I’ll convey your regards to the Deity.”

‘Shameless, knowing full well that I’m the one moving the spirit board.’

Grid and I parted ways with knowing smiles.

“Hello? Grid called for me, so I came, but…”

Demon’s Next Victim stepped into the room.

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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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