Pretending to Be Human Is Exhausting Again Today - Chapter 65

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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 065

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Princess Chloe of Jins Kingdom couldn’t comprehend the spectacle unfolding before her eyes.

People were flying through the air.

Each time Deina swung her fists and feet, mercenaries launched skyward like balls kicked by children, their trajectories gloriously arcing through space.

The man who had pressed a blade to her throat soared a second time, and the one who had raised his voice demanding a counterattack flew a third time.

‘Were people always this light?’

The absurdity of the thought struck her with full force.

The Princess’s movements were so graceful that it seemed as though she were dancing across the sandy beach.

‘Princess Deina was this powerful? I thought she was just a dark mage….’

As her understanding of reality crumbled, Princess Chloe sat collapsed on the ground, unable to gather her wits.

And then, finally, her true thoughts spilled out.

“This can’t be happening. This wasn’t supposed to go like this. My plan….”

Hearing those words, Deina’s brow furrowed.

“What did you just—ugh!”

In the moment Deina’s attention wavered toward Princess Chloe, a mercenary who had been waiting for an opening launched a counterattack. Fortunately, Deina dodged by the narrowest of margins. In the same breath, she struck the mercenary’s face with a vicious backhand.

“Aaaah!”

As yet another mercenary flew backward, Deina asked with unmistakable exasperation.

“Princess Chloe, what exactly are you trying to accomplish?”

“That’s what I want to ask you! Why did you come back? If you had just left, no one would have gotten hurt and this would all be over!”

I regarded Chloe with exasperation as she grew indignant instead. Soon enough, I let out a short sigh as if surrendering to the situation.

“That’s enough. We’ve achieved our objective anyway.”

I forcibly seized Chloe’s arm and pulled her to her feet, positioning her beside me. The message was clear: no more foolishness.

“L-Let go! I absolutely must stay here and——!”

“Be quiet. I’m restraining myself from smacking the back of your head.”

“Gasp——!”

Such vulgar language from a Princess! Who would have thought?

Chloe’s face drained of color as she covered her mouth, drawing in a sharp breath.

With blood caked across my face and clothes, my words carried a weight that made her tremble with fear.

Muttering that peace had finally arrived, I called out to my Subordinates rushing toward us.

“Round them up.”

“Yes!”

Like soldiers obeying a commander’s orders, they swiftly apprehended the Mercenaries. Overwhelmed by my display of power, the Mercenaries seemed incapable of even attempting resistance.

One Mercenary, his arms bound by Ruslara, looked at me and spoke.

“Who… who exactly are you?”

“A Princess.”

“Don’t lie! There’s no way a Princess could be this strong!”

Chloe wholeheartedly agreed with that sentiment.

At that, I tilted my head with a slight smirk and replied.

“Then believe I’m not a Princess.”

“What….”

“You weren’t attacked by a Princess—you were attacked by an unidentified monster. That works, doesn’t it?”

What kind of insane nonsense was this?

The aggrieved Mercenary soon lost consciousness under Ruslara’s hand.

Once all the Mercenaries were dealt with, Deina finally deemed it safe and released the grip she’d been maintaining on Chloe.

Then, with exasperation flickering in her eyes, she fixed Chloe with a sharp gaze and spoke.

“Princess Chloe, do you have any idea what kind of crisis you nearly dragged us into?”

“I, I clearly told you to leave me behind.”

“Do you think that’s an excuse? Consider your position. If you are a Princess, then you should conduct yourself accordingly….”

“I never asked to be saved! Princess, why are you even interfering with me in the first place!”

Perhaps from the strain of enduring one chaotic situation after another, Chloe’s voice rose without her realizing it. Deina, who had been patiently soothing her until now, furrowed her brow—clearly angered by this insolence.

Watching her slowly raise her hand, Chloe squeezed her eyes shut. She braced herself for the sting of a slap.

“…?”

But the pain she’d dreaded never came. Cracking open her eyes to check, she saw Deina gently stroking her neck instead.

It seemed that when the Mercenary holding the necklace had been sent flying, it had left a wound on her neck.

Noticing Chloe staring at her with confusion, Deina asked.

“What is it?”

“Oh, no. I thought you were going to slap me….”

“I’m not going to hit you. You’re simply not important enough for me to deal with the consequences that would follow.”

“….”

For Chloe, raised like a delicate flower in a greenhouse, such harsh words were unbearable. Her face drained of all color as she stammered to speak.

“I-I know the Princess dislikes me. But I must….”

Just as she was about to bare her true feelings.

“Cough!”

Deina erupted in a violent fit of coughing.

“Huh?”

Droplets of blood spattered across Chloe’s face, leaving crimson specks in their wake.

Bewildered and unable to comprehend what was happening, Chloe numbly touched her face with trembling fingers.

“Blood… blood?”

Every drop had come from Deina’s mouth.

“Cough, cough!”

Regardless of Chloe’s shock, Deina continued to cough up blood as she collapsed.

“Ah, this wretched body of mine….”

Even as she fell, she continued to mutter complaints most unbecoming of a Princess.

Only then did Chloe grasp the gravity of the situation, her legs giving way beneath her as she sank to the ground.

“What… what is this?”

Had Deina’s body always been so frail?

The metallic scent of blood pricked at her nostrils.

Unable to organize her chaotic thoughts, Chloe could only stare numbly at Deina, who continued to cough up blood in quantities that pooled around her.

* * *

When I opened my eyes again, the sun had set and the moon had risen.

Unlike the mana plague incident, my physical condition was clearly deteriorating. The mana within my body surged fiercely to restore my vitality, but it was proving difficult.

It was likely the toll of a body ravaged by mana overuse.

Just as Ivan had collapsed from exhaustion after pushing his physical strength beyond its limits through mana enhancement, I was now paying the price for exerting power beyond my body’s capacity.

Had I relied on magic instead, the fatigue would have been far less severe. The problem was that I’d chosen to resolve matters through sheer force out of an abundance of caution.

‘It’s amusing that my mana reserves are actually in good condition. If I repeat this method about a hundred more times, perhaps I could recover roughly ten percent of my previous life’s power.’

Of course, if I kept this up, my body wouldn’t survive intact.

I forced my aching body upright.

‘This is an unfamiliar bedroom. Must be in the Village near Gili Port?’

Deciding I needed to get outside, I slipped on my shoes and headed toward the door.

Just then, I heard voices from the adjacent room.

“…Do you truly believe that makes sense?”

“I’m… I’m terribly sorry. But if you could just understand….”

It was Ruslara and some man’s voice. In response to Ruslara’s fury-laden words, the man kept repeating apologies.

‘That voice… It’s Chloe’s Knight.’

The knight who had suggested they step back and observe the situation when Princess Chloe was captured—an utterly absurd proposal at the time.

Curious about what conversation could provoke such anger from Ruslara, I pressed my ear against the door.

“Did you not witness the sacrifice our Princess made? She threw herself directly into the Battlefield to save the Princess! And yet you dare speak of choosing death by your own hand!”

‘Death by his own hand? What is she talking about?’

In response to Ruslara’s cry, the knight answered in a voice barely above a whisper.

“W-well, what choice do we have? It’s what the people want…. Besides, we didn’t bring this up. It was Princess Chloe herself!”

“Are you seriously saying that right now…!”

Ruslara’s aura began to blend with killing intent. If I left this unchecked, the Knight might end up beaten by her.

I burst through the door to stop her rampage.

“Ruslara, that’s enough.”

“Your Highness!”

Ruslara jolted up from her chair in shock.

The room connected to my bedroom was a small living space, structured more like a private residence than an inn.

The Knight, who had been sitting across from Ruslara as if undergoing interrogation, brightened immediately upon seeing me.

“Y-you’re alive! Thank goodness. You coughed up so much blood, I thought you were dead….”

“I don’t die that easily. More importantly, what happened to the situation?”

It was Ivan, standing guard at the opposite door, who answered instead of Ruslara. Looking closer, I realized Liribel was also in this room alongside Ruslara and Ivan.

“Half a day has passed since you collapsed. We called this one in to interrogate them about the incident from earlier. And we still haven’t heard the full story.”

“You have time for that? I should have left a strategy to deal with the Third Mercenary Group in case I lost consciousness.”

“Well, don’t worry about that. Things worked out better than you expected.”

“…?”

The Third Mercenary Group was a tougher opponent than the Red Brotherhood or the Black Helmets. Yet the problem was resolved in just half a day?

Ivan waved his hand dismissively at my puzzled expression.

“Anyway, why don’t we hear Princess Chloe’s side of things for now?”

“I’m not really in the mood to listen.”

I was reluctant to refuse, but Liribel, who had quietly approached and draped a blanket over my shoulders, added her thoughts.

“Still, it might be worth hearing them out, Princess. If it’s a problem we can help with, we fix it. If not, we simply knock them unconscious, bind their limbs, and transport them to the Capital, yes?”

‘Treating a person like merchandise….’

Her phrasing was oddly detached from proper etiquette.

As I regarded her with a wry expression, Ivan, standing behind me, whispered to Ruslara.

“Sometimes she’s the scariest one of all.”

“I concur.”

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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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