Pretending to Be Human Is Exhausting Again Today - Chapter 82

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————

Pretending to Be Human: Episode 082

“P-please… stop.”

“How many times must I say it? I won’t stop. The only way I’ll abandon you is when the Princess takes me away.”

Until then, I would crush any dreams of revenge beneath my heel. Brilliant as she was, Atlas’s mind conjured dozens upon dozens of ways to punish Johan.

‘But if I inflict any more violence, it will disrupt the schedule after school resumes. This is the limit.’

From now on, I would calibrate my retaliation by this standard.

She rose from her seat, leaving Johan to weep. As the knee that had crushed his chest vanished, Johan could finally breathe freely.

“And Cocomo.”

“Y-yes!”

Atlas withdrew a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped the blood from her cheek. Then she spoke to the trembling Cocomo.

“What will you do? If you also interfere with me like this…”

“I won’t! I absolutely won’t! I’ll live as silent as a dead mouse!”

“You said you loved him?”

“No, I don’t! I never liked such a worthless man!”

Johan, covering his face and crying for her to stop, and Cocomo, who had abandoned him.

At the ruin of these two people—something unimaginable just half a day ago—Atlas murmured in a low voice.

“Love is trivial.”

What truly governed the world was greater strength, greater charisma.

She left the room, her mind turning to Deina—the symbol of overwhelming power that could even subdue her.

No one could stop her.

* * *

While Deina attended her first banquet, Grid made his way to Gregory’s Estate.

In the dead of night, when the streets lay silent and devoid of life, Grid stood before the manor, lost in contemplation.

‘Should I even enter? This place feels like a haunted house.’

Britz Jabok, who was possessed by Gregory, was a fairly renowned nouveau riche among merchants. As such, he owned a rather impressive modern estate—but ever since Gregory had taken residence, the atmosphere had grown progressively darker.

Though the exterior remained unchanged, an eerie gloom hung over everything, and an inexplicable chill emanated from within.

Grid turned to Coco, the spirit perched upon his shoulder.

“It’s safe, isn’t it?”

[Yeah, there’s no malevolent presence.]

To Coco’s perception, the atmosphere was merely dark—hardly a trap. Grid trusted the spirit’s instincts and knocked upon the manor’s door.

Not long after, Gregory opened the door himself.

“Come in.”

“I’m surprised you answered the door yourself, my lord. Do you have no servants?”

“I sent them all away. I prefer solitude.”

For an ordinary nobleman to live alone in such a sprawling estate without a single servant would have been scandalous—the sort of thing that would cause fainting spells.

Grid followed him inside, posing another question.

“Not even a butler? How do you manage when you need to go out…?”

“Whenever I need a capable servant, I simply hire one from the Black Market. They don’t ask questions, which is quite convenient.”

‘He’s adapting to society better than the Princess is.’

Grid had no interest in probing deeper into Gregory’s inner workings, so he simply shrugged lightly.

Shortly after, the two of them settled onto the sofa in the Reception Room. Grid began the conversation with the practiced smile of a seasoned merchant.

“Well then, what brings you to summon me in secret from the Princess? Is there perhaps a particular item you desire?”

This morning, Grid had received an unexpected message—a letter from Gregory requesting that he come alone, without informing Deina.

“….”

Gregory regarded Grid in silence. The emotionless quality of his gaze sent a chill racing down Grid’s spine.

‘That look… I truly despise it.’

Whenever I faced Gregory, I was reminded that he was not human. My instincts—honed by years as a merchant and spirit user—perpetually sounded alarms.

To say he regarded humans as mere tools would be an understatement. Gregory seemed incapable of recognizing humans as equals at all—as living beings worthy of consideration.

His gaze held the indifference one might cast upon insects crawling through grass, sheep grazing in a meadow, or vermin clinging to food. It was the look of one who ascribed no meaning to human existence whatsoever.

‘I cannot fathom how he could be of the same nature as the Princess.’

As the silence stretched on, my tension mounted.

In truth, my reluctance to come here stemmed from more than just the atmosphere of the Estate. There was a matter weighing on my conscience.

‘Could he have discovered that I sold information about the Princess?’

Since returning to the Capital, I had noticed that information brokers were desperate to acquire details about Deina. It was only natural—the return of the cursed Princess and the emergence of a new Imperial faction were sensational developments that would shake the political world.

Of course, the information I had sold contained nothing of great consequence.

Since word of her defeat of the Mercenary Groups had already begun to spread, I had simply sold information laced with half-truths—claims that she was in fact a master swordsman.

It was information that would have been revealed eventually anyway, so I sold it without hesitation. Yet as someone close to Deina, it might well be perceived as an act of betrayal.

‘And if he has connections to the Black Market, he may have traced my movements.’

For the first time in years, I felt the cold grip of mortal danger, and cold sweat beaded upon my brow.

“Now that I think about it.”

After a moment, Gregory opened his mouth.

“The spirit has grown. Has it evolved?”

‘So that’s what he was curious about.’

Grid exhaled a breath of relief without even realizing it.

Coco, the spirit clinging to his shoulder, had grown to twice its former size. Of course, the spiritual abilities Coco could now wield had also become considerably stronger.

“Yes, the Princess helped me as compensation for our previous transaction. According to her, it’s a mid-tier spirit.”

“Remarkable. A human commanding a mid-tier spirit.”

Without a trace of surprise on his face, he continued calmly.

“Then, whenever I ask for something, I should provide compensation that benefits the spirit.”

“I’d welcome that. So what is it you wish to ask?”

“I want to take the place beside the Princess. Is there a way?”

“…Pardon?”

“I mean to become the Princess’s husband.”

Faced with this unexpected request, Grid froze with his mouth agape.

Then, in a manner unbefitting a merchant, he posed a brief question.

“All of a sudden? Why?”

“Does one need a reason to love a beautiful person?”

“The Princess doesn’t seem that pretty to me.”

Caught so off guard, his true thoughts tumbled out unfiltered.

“…?”

Gregory tilted his head in confusion.

“If you wanted to be buried beneath a tombstone, you should have said so first.”

“No, no, I apologize. I misspoke.”

Grid hastily surrendered.

“Ahem, in any case, you wish to close the distance between yourself and the Princess, yes?”

“Yes. It seems that lately, flies have been swarming around the Princess. I need to be by her side.”

‘So it was a sense of responsibility, not affection.’

Only then could Grid calm his mind somewhat. Gregory’s sudden confession appeared to be the result of his subordinate’s loyalty.

Pondering how the Demon’s bold expressions were always inscrutable, Grid continued.

“The Princess pushing you away is because….”

“Call me by my name.”

“Ah, yes.”

‘How particular.’

“The Princess pushing Gregory away is likely due to public perception. Officially, the Princess has no betrothed.”

Deina was doing her utmost to appear human. To do so, it was crucial to follow human law and culture.

Keeping a nobleman at her side who was not her betrothed would easily become a scandal.

“Then the problem would be solved if I became her betrothed.”

“That would be true, but… politically, it would be an unfortunate choice.”

“What do you mean?”

“There will be nobles who aspire to the position of the Princess’s betrothed in the future. Luring them into that position is likely the Princess’s strategy.”

Deina possessed the weakest influence among the Imperial Family and carried considerable notoriety. Yet the status of Imperial blood remained extraordinarily valuable.

As an instrument to check the other Imperial Family members, she was exceptionally useful—many candidates would abandon their own betrothals to compete for her favor.

Deina’s plan was to leverage them and reap the reflected benefits.

“In other words, acquiring a fiancé too hastily would be disadvantageous.”

“Precisely. The Princess didn’t enter High Society under the pretext of seeking a fiancé for nothing.”

“Then there’s no way forward?”

“If the goal isn’t a fiancé but rather a method to close the distance, there is a way. One simply displays connections within High Society—by placing one’s name among the betrothal candidates.”

‘I’m rather weak when it comes to political maneuvering.’

Unlike merchants bound together and scattered by pure self-interest, the nobility’s battles of prestige were difficult even for me to comprehend.

“So… the human becomes the Princess’s fiancé?”

“If we’re speaking purely of political advantage, yes.”

To be honest, Gregory’s station was somewhat lacking as a match for Deina. He was merely a Jabok, and he possessed no Domain to speak of.

“Hmm.”

Seeing him fall suddenly into contemplation, Grid felt an unexpected unease and asked,

“Surely you’re not thinking of killing the human who becomes the fiancé or something like that?”

“Unlike other Legion Commanders, I don’t resort to violence carelessly.”

“Ah, what a relief…”

“I simply take over his body instead.”

A far more sinister plan—to possess and steal the fiancé’s form.

Grid chose to pretend he hadn’t heard, erasing this conversation from his mind entirely.

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————