Pretending to Be Human Is Exhausting Again Today - Chapter 50

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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 050

“I can help, but what happened that damaged your carriage?”

I greeted him while feigning sympathy.

Loreil paused to choose his words carefully before speaking.

“…We were attacked. When people like us pass through such remote areas, we inevitably encounter those fake bandits.”

Fake bandits—a euphemism for Assassins.

“My goodness, how dreadful.”

“Did they not come after Your Highness the Princess as well?”

“My Guards are quite capable, so I’ve never encountered them directly.”

“I see.”

Loreil glanced around the area. I noticed his gaze linger momentarily on the Assassin disguised as a Servant. He seemed to have a keen eye for reading people.

“I’m traveling to Gilli Port under the Emperor’s orders. Where are you headed, Loreil?”

“Yoner Mine.”

Yoner Mine lay in a region just before our destination at the port.

‘There’s no turning back from this route. If things go this way….’

As the worry that I might have to travel with him all the way flickered through my mind, Loreil spoke.

“I have no intention of interfering with Your Highness’s journey. Once the carriage is repaired, I’ll depart immediately.”

“Oh my, I wasn’t asking with that intention at all.”

I smiled while offering no denial. My reluctance to become entangled was genuine, after all.

Yet something felt off. Loreil had given up far too easily for someone like him.

‘If it were any other time, he would have found some excuse to follow me.’

He was the type of man who wouldn’t hesitate to set a trap and expose my true identity as a Demon. Yet today, he seemed oddly listless.

Troubled by his unusual demeanor, I ordered the Servants to check on Loreil’s Carriage.

“Then I’ll be on my way, Your Highness.”

Ivan was the first to leave, apparently unwilling to let Loreil discover my secret. I cast a sharp glance at him before turning my attention back to Loreil.

“But what brings you to Yoner Mine? I was under the impression you were staying in the Capital.”

“Family matters have arisen, forcing me to leave the Capital temporarily. I’m heading to Yoner Mine to meet a friend.”

His explanation carried the weight of unspoken circumstances.

‘There have been quite a few rumors circulating about Loreil recently. I shouldn’t pry into this.’

His origins and the deteriorating relationship with the Empress were matters too heavy for me to meddle in.

“But when you mention His Majesty’s orders…?”

“Ah, the Princess of Jins Kingdom is seeking asylum.”

I gave a brief explanation of Jins Kingdom’s situation. He nodded, apparently already aware of the rebellion.

“I heard most of the Royal Family were either imprisoned or executed. So Princess Chloe has successfully escaped.”

“Do you happen to know anything about the Princess?”

Loreil paused thoughtfully before answering.

“I’ve heard that Princess Chloe isn’t particularly active in public affairs. The most notable thing I know about her is that she received a blessing at the Temple of the Lake.”

The Temple of the Lake referred to one of Jins Kingdom’s most prominent religions. Unlike the Empire, which had established the Sun God as its state religion, Jins Kingdom recognized a diverse array of faiths.

Among them, the Temple of the Lake was the most popular.

‘A lake… for some reason, that feels ominous.’

I had seen countless deities in the Demon Realm, and when someone mentioned the Lake God, one particular figure came to mind.

At the very least, he was someone who had every right to call himself a deity.

‘No, this is the Human Realm. Even if I’ve been baptized, there’s no reason to wage war here.’

Just as I was pushing the fierce battle I’d fought with him to the back of my mind and about to ask my next question.

“Your, Your Highness!”

Liribel rushed toward me in a panic. Without even glancing at Loreil, she hurried to my side and spoke urgently.

“There are so many wounded! The medical supplies in our carriage won’t be nearly enough….”

“Wounded?”

Confused by this revelation, I turned to Loreil, who tilted his head slightly as he spoke.

“I did mention that we were attacked by the fake bandits.”

“You only said the carriage was destroyed?”

“That was the most pressing concern.”

“What—of course the injured people are more important!”

Yet Loreil’s eyes betrayed no emotion. Instead, he seemed to question why I was so upset.

“I already called for rescue. We only need to move those who are able to travel.”

“No, I mean if you’d explained from the start that there were wounded….”

“Given the size of Your Highness’s carriage, transporting the wounded would be impossible, would it not?”

His logic was sound. The number of injured that Liribel had reported was far too many to fit in our carriage, and without a physician, we couldn’t treat their wounds.

As he said, our resources only allowed us to repair the carriage.

But if he had mentioned the wounded first, we could have at least provided them some comfort—protecting them from further attacks, for instance.

At the very least, I could have eased the minds of those suffering from wounds and pain.

Of course, it wouldn’t have made much difference to our survival….

“…No, you’re right, Loreil.”

I could already predict his response would be something like ‘as long as we’re alive, that’s what matters,’ so I sighed and stepped back.

“You seem like you were born to be a soldier, Loreil.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

The fact that he took that as praise spoke volumes about the kind of man he was.

Now that I thought about it, Gregory had given off a similar impression back in the day.

‘Then there’s no point in arguing with him.’

I instructed Liribel to care for the wounded as much as possible. Our schedule would fall behind slightly, but that was within acceptable limits.

“It’s getting late, so Loreil, perhaps you should rest for a while….”

I was just about to prepare a camping spot for Loreil when—

“…Take cover!”

An arrow suddenly flew through the air.

Loreil urgently grabbed my arm and forced me to crouch down. For the record, I had already determined the arrow’s trajectory wouldn’t reach me, so I hadn’t planned to dodge.

“Enemies, Your Highness!”

Loreil calmly surveyed the surroundings.

“They appear to be the same ones targeting my carriage. Let me gather the guards…!”

He seemed to be trying to assess the situation, but I had already grasped everything.

‘About twenty enemies. Given that I didn’t sense them approaching, they must have come from a distance. Armed with bows and swords, and their formation is disciplined despite lacking a clear leader… They’re soldiers. Someone’s private army.’

My strength surpasses the assassins Ivan brought, but falls short of Ivan himself.

In other words, I was mediocre at best.

‘Ivan… he sensed the danger and evacuated Liribel.’

Turning my gaze, I caught sight of Ivan ushering Liribel and the other servants to safety in a carriage.

He seemed about to head toward me afterward, but I gave a subtle shake of my head.

‘Stay there and protect the servants. I’ll handle this myself.’

He hesitated for a moment, then nodded in understanding.

I turned to Loreil, whose hand was raised protectively toward me.

“Loreil, our guards are already stretched thin…”

“There’s no helping it. Don’t stray from my side.”

He drew his sword as he spoke, then asked:

“Will you help me?”

“Surely not. You’re placing far too much faith in someone as fragile as a princess like myself.”

I spread both hands to show I carried no weapon.

Yet he glanced at me with cold eyes before turning back to face the enemies.

Clearly, he didn’t believe a word I said.

“Then, do your best to stay out of harm’s way.”

“I’ll try my best.”

As if soldiers of this caliber could ever touch me.

‘You may get hurt, but I won’t.’

I wanted to say that, but I held back.

Soon, the soldiers launched their attack.

They ignored the Servants and rushed straight at us.

Without any signal indicating who to target or orders on how to fight, they wielded their weapons against us as if they moved in perfect synchronization.

‘Their coordination is impressive for their skill level. As soldiers, they’re quite competent….’

That assessment meant they were likely soldiers from a prestigious house.

Then, several arrows flew toward me as I observed the situation.

Apparently not expecting me to remain still, Loreil, who stood before me blocking the attacks, spoke urgently.

“Your Highness, you must evade—!”

I feigned fear and nodded. An arrow grazed past my head.

“Oh my, how frightening.”

Arrows always travel in a straight line anyway. As long as I stayed off their trajectory, I was safe. I subtly shifted my body to evade the next few arrows that followed.

“….”

Loreil looked at me with an expression of disbelief.

I pointed ahead of him and spoke.

“Lord Loreil, do you have time to be distracted?”

Ten armed men are charging at you right now.

“Ugh…!”

He seemed to have much to say, but ultimately gritted his teeth and turned back to face the enemies.

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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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