Pretending to Be Human Is Exhausting Again Today - Chapter 69

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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 069

Tears welled up in Princess Chloe’s eyes once more.

Unwilling to let me see them, she lowered her head and fumbled for words.

“Am I… allowed to live?”

“Just as death was your choice, so too is life. But at least I…”

“You wish for me to live?”

“Yes.”

“May I ask why?”

Her composure had steadied considerably. I released her hand and stepped back.

“Before I answer, there’s something you should know first. I’m neither righteous nor do I know you well. This is merely the perspective of an outsider…”

“I’ll listen with an open mind. Please, tell me.”

“…Very well.”

I answered lightly.

“To be honest, I sympathize with the kingdom’s people. I believe their rebellion was justified. What I despise is death dealt by blind arrows—senseless, indiscriminate death.”

“Blind?”

‘Perhaps that metaphor was too war-like.’

I smoothed over the phrase with different words.

“I despise death that comes without reason—death that is unjust or sudden.”

“But I know why I should die.”

“No, you know nothing.”

I counted off on my fingers, voicing the doubts that had lingered in my mind all this time.

“The true nature of that dark magic, the veracity of the oracle bestowed upon the Royal Family… nothing has been revealed.”

The madness that consumed the Royal Family was the catalyst for all of this, yet Princess Chloe herself remained ignorant of the reason.

It was infuriating to think that an innocent person who hadn’t even participated in the tragedy would ascend the scaffold before the King himself.

“I despise such circumstances. It may sound self-serving, but I would prefer that all deaths come justly deserved. Senseless calamities, sudden misfortunes—I find them utterly repugnant.”

“…Could it be, Your Highness, that you only read novels with happy endings?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“You dislike protagonists who become destitute, or those who suffer misfortune.”

“You know me well.”

“If the villain is the protagonist, they must be a righteous outlaw.”

“Do you have any works to recommend?”

At my successive responses, Princess Chloe fell momentarily silent.

Incidentally, this preference had remained consistent whether it was Asmodina or Deina.

“Puh, pfft.”

Then Princess Chloe suddenly burst into helpless laughter. Unable to contain herself, she covered her mouth while her shoulders shook with mirth.

“Ah, ahahaha! That sounds a bit… childish, doesn’t it?”

“I know. I’m childish.”

“I’m not mocking you. It’s just that Your Highness is remarkable. When I converse with you, worldly matters feel truly trivial, so surely you didn’t help me for such a reason… Aha, hahaha!”

Eventually, she clutched her stomach and surrendered to laughter.

After a considerable time had passed, she finally ceased laughing and straightened her posture.

She wiped away the tears clinging to the corners of her eyes, her complexion noticeably brighter as she spoke.

“I understand what you mean, Your Highness. I can’t die knowing nothing like this. I want to live a little longer.”

“I must emphasize again, my words are merely….”

“I know. I’m not living because of you, Your Highness. I’ve decided to live by my own will, with my own strength.”

Her voice was strong, unlike when we first met. With eyes that had cleared remarkably—it was hard to believe she’d been crying moments ago—she looked directly at me.

“To be honest, I still don’t feel at ease. The guilt and regret remain… but still, I’d rather worry about it after I’ve lived a little. Is that enough?”

“Admirable.”

There was nothing more for me to add.

Princess Chloe smiled brightly at my words, as if delighted.

It was a radiant smile I couldn’t have imagined when we first met.

* * *

After persuading Princess Chloe through all those twists and turns, I stepped outside for a walk. Perhaps because I’d concentrated so intensely on our long conversation, I needed a change of pace.

It was the dead of night, the hour when the moon hung high in the sky. I felt the crisp night air and surveyed my surroundings.

‘Now that I think about it, where am I? I don’t smell the sea, so it doesn’t seem to be Gilli Port.’

Just as I was considering calling Ivan again to ask, a man emerged from the darkness.

It was Grid, wreathed in the spirits of darkness.

“Good evening, Your Highness.”

“Did you lose sleep as well?”

“No, I’m working through the night. There are many places I need to visit.”

Grid smiled with ease, but looking closely, I could see faint shadows beneath his eyes. It seemed he’d been through quite an ordeal, given the amount of work he’d been assigned.

“Judging by your appearance, it seems you’ve completed the task I requested.”

“Half succeeded, and half failed.”

“Half?”

I narrowed my eyes, and Grid waved his hand dismissively.

“I don’t mean the Princess’s plan failed. On the contrary, it concluded flawlessly.”

“Then what are you talking about?”

“Well, you see…”

Perhaps to excuse his own failure, Grid began explaining what had transpired after I lost consciousness, his tone rather grandiose.

First, after I collapsed, Ruslara and the others immediately moved to confront the Third Mercenary Group.

This was something I had prepared for contingencies—a plan designed so the rest could handle the mercenaries without me.

For that purpose, I had requested supplies and trap materials from Grid to use against the mercenaries, but…

“My supplies arrived on time. However, an unexpected situation arose. Two people, determined to return to the Princess’s side as quickly as possible, went berserk.”

“Two people?”

“Ivan and Loreil.”

Believing my condition was in danger, the two of them felt they couldn’t afford to spend prolonged time on such an operation. They ignored the traps we had set and engaged the enemy directly.

Though they employed the guerrilla tactics I had taught them, Grid said it looked like a crude frontal assault to him. Without a commander, the two of them charged recklessly at their opponents.

The Third Mercenary Group was a formidable organization, ranking among the top three in the Neutral Zone. Upon hearing this, I immediately had doubts.

“Wait, they won?”

“Those two destroyed about half the mercenary group’s forces.”

The mercenaries numbered well over a hundred. Yet Ivan and Ruslara had eliminated roughly half of them between the two of them.

Grid stroked his chin in admiration.

“It was extraordinary. Ivan handles enemies with invisible footwork, which is impressive, but Ruslara was on another level entirely.”

He knocked aside the enemy’s horse, sliced through an iron shield with his sword, and caught arrows mid-flight with his bare fingers.

Grid described the event as if he’d witnessed a heroic legend unfold before his eyes.

“And so the Third Mercenary Group retreated as well. No matter how formidable a mercenary group is, they couldn’t have withstood such a situation.”

The result was absurd. I recalled Ruslara, who had greeted me with such composure.

‘Even if he’s grown to the level of Baban Si of the Demon Realm, winning against a hundred mercenaries should be impossible.’

Grid chuckled, noticing my confusion.

“At that time, Ruslara was in a complete frenzy. He fought without caring about his wounds. It looked like he was venting his frustrations.”

“Wounds? He looked fine to me.”

“He must have hidden them. By rough estimate, his arms and back were slashed over ten times each.”

‘Ruslara….’

Had I known he was injured that badly, I would have shared my blood with him again. Why didn’t he say anything?

‘He ignored my orders entirely and still won. Should I be happy about this or not?’

I exhaled a short sigh.

“I understand Ivan acting emotionally, but I never expected Ruslara to fight with such passion. I thought he’d handle things with cold precision….”

Grid let out a hollow laugh at my words, muttering softly.

“Well, from what I saw, it was Ruslara who seemed to have lost his mind….”

Anyway, he suddenly changed the subject.

“The real problem came after that. Didn’t I mention earlier that I succeeded halfway and failed halfway?”

Now that I think about it, if the story ended like this, the word “failure” wouldn’t make sense.

Grid’s laughter faded as he continued.

“There was another Mercenary Group hiding. A fourth one.”

“…What did you say?”

“A fourth Mercenary Group appeared. This time, they were Domestic Mercenaries. We were so focused on the Free Mercenaries that we missed their movements.”

If they were Domestic Mercenaries, then naturally the one who hired them was also an Imperial citizen.

But hiring mercenaries domestically would immediately expose the culprit. What kind of fool would do such a thing?

“Ah, surely not.”

In that moment, the name of a certain idiot flashed through my mind.

“Prince Franz?”

The First Prince who was desperate to humiliate me—that man was more than capable of such foolishness.

“Likely so. They were actually the Mercenary Group that handled Prince Franz’s dirty work. They were targeting Princess Chloe just like the other groups.”

‘That reckless prince…’

His sudden targeting of Princess Chloe was obvious. He wanted to interfere with my mission and humiliate me.

Since he couldn’t target me directly, he went after Princess Chloe, my assignment.

“What happened to them?”

“We were outmatched. Loreil and Ivan were exhausted and couldn’t resist effectively, and all the traps we hastily prepared were dismantled. We were on the verge of defeat when…”

Grid continued reluctantly.

“Loreil appeared.”

‘Why is that man’s name coming up again?’

“You made quite the dramatic entrance, decimating the mercenary group in an instant… Are you perhaps dating the Princess?”

“Are you out of your mind?”

A curse escaped my lips before I could stop myself.

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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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