Pretending to Be Human Is Exhausting Again Today - Chapter 57

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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 057

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Upon arriving at the Castle, I bathed in warm water and returned to my Bedroom, holding up the stone to Ivan and Liribel.

I summarized the stone’s identity in a single sentence.

“This is a stone that came from the cosmos.”

Both of them blinked, clearly not understanding.

“The cosmos… you mean?”

“That dark world where the moon exists. A stone that fell from there—a meteorite, in other words.”

Liribel tilted her head in confusion.

“Do meteorites contain such magical power?”

“It depends on the type. But they generally contain far more than this world, where magic is extremely scarce.”

Meteorites and stars hold magical power within them.

It was a principle that was obvious from a magical standpoint. There was even a saying about wishing upon stars—stars were miraculous substances brimming with magical energy.

It was precisely why even the most significant ceremonies were conducted beneath the full moon. People believed that was when the moon’s magical power reached its peak.

“Of course, it’s extremely rare for such abundant magical power to persist for so long. Normally, once a meteorite falls to the ground, the magic dissipates and fades. But this stone was exceptionally fortunate.”

I brushed away the rough sand clinging to the stone’s surface. As the particles scattered onto the table, Liribel gasped.

“Gasp—could it be!”

“That’s right. Gold.”

What surrounded this stone was placer gold mixed with soil.

“There must be a Gold Mine hidden beneath that Lake. The meteorite fell onto the Lake by chance, disturbing the gold vein, and as a result, gold particles clung to its surface.”

Gold possesses the inherent property of preserving and amplifying magical energy. It was no accident that mages wielded ornate staffs.

By chance, the gold and meteorite that had been buried together caused a reaction, saturating the Lake in the Garden with magical power.

“Of course, this effect isn’t infinite. To continuously emit magical energy, you’d need an equally vast amount of gold and magical power. Even if the magical energy were replenished, gold typically becomes the limiting factor…”

“So the Gold Mine beneath the lake is extraordinarily massive.”

“Exactly. Even a rough estimate would place it among the largest Gold Mines ever discovered in the Empire.”

The discovery of a Gold Mine was certainly fortunate. Yet the fact that it had led to such calamity could not be easily accepted as mere coincidence.

I wasn’t alone in feeling this way.

Liribel and Ivan both wore expressions of deep suspicion.

“So what you’re saying, Princess, is that by pure chance, an extraordinarily powerful magical meteorite fell into the Lake in the Garden, and it just so happened that an immense Gold Mine lay beneath that very lake, and as a result, the meteorite met the gold and caused all of this…?”

“That’s right.”

Ivan twisted his mouth as he spoke.

“What are the odds of that actually happening? I’d sooner believe the residents’ claim that a Deity inflicted this punishment.”

“I don’t believe it either. But what else could possibly explain it?”

Yet I couldn’t imagine that someone had orchestrated this situation deliberately.

Humans could never easily move a meteorite imbued with such overwhelming magical power. How could anyone have known of a Gold Mine that even Viscount Gorden, who had made The City of the Baron of Golden his home for decades, was unaware of?

Neither the intent nor the mechanism was comprehensible.

‘Yet for mere coincidence, it feels too contrived. As if some mysterious will had orchestrated this misfortune… Wait.’

This assessment and experience—they felt familiar somehow.

“Ivan, step outside for a moment. I need you to gather some information for me.”

“What? All of a sudden?”

“Ask Viscount Gorden when the meteorite fell on this city and when the decision was made for me to pass through here.”

Ivan read the gravity in my expression and left the bedroom without asking any questions.

Shortly after, he returned with exactly the answer I had anticipated.

“He wasn’t sure if it was a meteorite, but he said a shooting star did shimmer across the sky. And the date that shooting star appeared… was the same day the Princess decided to visit this place.”

Only then did Liribel seem to grasp the gravity of the situation, her face draining of color.

“Wait, Your Highness. Now that I think about it, the date the plague began spreading was also…”

“Five days ago. The day I departed from the Imperial Palace.”

On the day I decided to pass through the City of the Baron of Golden, the meteorite fell.

And on the day I left the Imperial Palace, the mana plague began to manifest.

‘Could it all be mere coincidence, utterly unrelated and ordinary?’

There was no way.

The situation had already far exceeded the threshold of dismissing it as nothing.

A perfectly timed misfortune, as if designed to make me suffer.

Unfortunately, I was all too familiar with such experiences.

‘Did you hear? A chandelier suddenly fell during the Princess’s debutante ball…’

‘The Playmate was found in the Lake in the Garden! In a depth no child could reach!’

‘Such consecutive misfortunes—it must be the reincarnation of a demon!’

This pattern mirrored the misfortune that had haunted my childhood.

‘Whenever I did anything, inexplicable calamity followed in my wake.’

A cursed princess who brought misfortune wherever she went.

For a while, I thought the inexplicable coincidences had finally ceased, but it seemed they were beginning anew.

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The next morning, we departed from the City of the Baron of Golden. He desperately wanted to see us off in grand fashion, but he had no choice but to abandon the idea given the pressing schedule that awaited him.

He was already overwhelmed merely caring for the residents, and to make matters worse, it was because I had revealed the existence of a massive gold mine beneath the lake.

With an expression both joyful and sorrowful—peculiarly mixed—he gave us a brief farewell.

“Your Highness the Princess, I shall repay this kindness without fail, without fail.”

Leaving behind his salutation, which even carried the resolve of desperation, we took to the road once more.

The moment we left the city, the sight of residents swarming to the exit and bowing to me was something I honestly wished to erase from memory.

Especially when I heard the word “saint”—I felt chills run down my spine.

‘At least I wasn’t treated as the Princess who spreads curses.’

Yet the thought that such a title might actually be true weighed heavily on my heart.

‘I’m certain no curse is placed upon me. Then why does this misfortune continue?’

Even as I gazed upon the serene landscape through the carriage window, I could not shake thoughts of curses. I had always dismissed the misfortune that had followed me as mere coincidence, but suddenly the world felt as though it had been turned completely upside down.

‘If only the 3rd Division Commander were here beside me… he would have analyzed this far more precisely.’

I leaned my forehead against the window and exhaled a deep sigh.

To someone like me, who knew nothing beyond combat magic, this situation was far too complicated.

“Your Highness.”

Just then, someone knocked on the window from the opposite side.

“Emma?”

It was Emma, the head maid. After asking for my permission, she entered the carriage.

“It’s time for a rest stop. If you need anything, please let me know. I’ll bring it for you.”

“Ah, is it already that time?”

Lost in thought, I hadn’t even noticed the carriage had stopped. The next hour or so would be a rest period for the horses and the Carriage Driver.

“No, I’m fine as is. When the time comes, just depart without asking.”

“Then perhaps some refreshments….”

“I’m not hungry. Not thirsty either.”

“…I understand.”

Emma’s reaction seemed odd. Normally, she would withdraw after a single refusal.

‘Besides, why did Emma come instead of Liribel? Usually, this sort of thing is Liribel’s responsibility.’

Whether my doubt was apparent, Emma’s lips trembled slightly, her eyes troubled.

“Well, Liribel and Count Iwan called me. They asked me to… cheer you up.”

“Cheer me up? Me?”

“Since we departed from The City of the Baron of Golden, you’ve seemed listless, they said.”

‘Ah, have I been too quiet?’

Now that I thought about it, I hadn’t spoken a word during the entire journey since leaving the city. It must have been a trying time for the chatty Liribel and Count Iwan.

Unable to bear the silence, had they asked Emma—the most mature among us—to do something about it?

Emma studied my face carefully.

“I heard that misfortunes have piled up.”

“That’s right. And I’m certain it’s no coincidence.”

I laughed bitterly. Even though these were events I’d experienced, it was difficult to explain them clearly.

Emma fell silent for a moment, then opened her mouth to speak.

“Even if the misfortune that once followed the Princess has attached itself to her again, I don’t believe any of this is her fault. Not without deliberate intent.”

Her tone was clipped, yet it seemed she was attempting to console me in her own way.

“Of course. I have no intention of shouldering guilt for such matters. If there is fault to be found, it lies with whatever brought this misfortune into my life.”

I paused, then added as an afterthought.

“What irritates me is simply my own incompetence in failing to find it.”

Emma suddenly thrust her face forward and spoke.

“You are not incompetent, Your Highness.”

“Huh? What?”

“Just as Liribel said—you are being far too harsh on yourself, Your Highness.”

Then, as if a teacher were scolding a child, she spoke with her eyes narrowed.

“This excessive self-recrimination and passivity—that is a soldier’s habit. Remember that you are of the Imperial Family.”

‘Emma, are you a mind reader?’

I found myself momentarily speechless at her keen insight.

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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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