A Fortune-telling Princess - Chapter 103

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

“Arsian?”
He must have come looking for me because of Rio.
Camilla, who had jumped to that conclusion, immediately rose to her feet.
Within a single day, rumors had spread like wildfire that Duke Sorpel was searching for the child.
Since the news would have reached the House Sephira as well, Arsian must have certainly learned that Rio had been kidnapped, not adopted.
“I’ve shown him to the Reception Room.”
“Understood.”
Camilla exhaled a brief sigh and made her way toward where Arsian was waiting.
The door burst open!
“Arsian—!”
She pushed through the Reception Room door quickly, only to find herself standing there with her mouth agape.
“Big sister!”
Arsian was not alone in that room.
“Rio.”
The child rushing toward me—it was Rio.
* * *
“Mm… mm.”
Pat, pat.
I gently patted the whimpering child’s chest. Having endured so much in a single day, the child had fallen asleep immediately after being washed.
I gazed silently at the sleeping child for a long while.
It had been such a brief time. There was no particular connection between us, yet when had I grown so attached?
When I heard the news that the child had disappeared, I felt anxiety for the first time in ages.
“Sigh.”
This is exactly why I dislike anything young and fragile.
‘They burrow into your heart far too easily.’
[Gyu?]
King, perched on my shoulder, gently licked my face as I sighed.
I couldn’t help but let out a small laugh, then set King down beside the child.
“Watch over him well.”
[Gyu!]
Leaving King to respond with a spirited affirmation, I quietly left the room.
Tap.
“Is the little one asleep?”
“Yes.”
As I emerged, Arsian, who had been waiting outside the door, approached. I headed outside with him to get some fresh air.
“What happened?”
After a moment, seated on a garden bench, I turned to Arsian, who had taken a seat beside me, and asked my question. There was so much I wanted to know.
“How did you find Rio?”
I hadn’t heard the full story yet. I had been too preoccupied caring for the child who had endured such hardship.
“I had placed a tracking spell on him.”
“A tracking spell?”
“Yes.”
Why on earth?
“Did you somehow know this would happen?”
“No.”
“Then?”
“I just took precautions.”
Arsian explained it casually, as though it were nothing. It was something he had done after the incident with the fake Lania.
When he learned that Camilla had disappeared, he deeply regretted not having placed a tracking spell on her beforehand.
Fortunately, she had returned safely, but there was no guarantee such an incident wouldn’t happen again.
“You placed a tracking spell on me?”
“Yes.”
While he was at it, he had also placed tracking spells on some of the people around her.
“People around me? Just how many—”
“Just Laila, really.”
“Laila? Truly?”
“When it comes to people around you, she’s the only one who matters.”
“….”
How irritating. Why could I never counter such remarks?
“Your family didn’t need it. Besides, we should be more concerned about those who tried to kidnap them.”
No fool would dare lay hands on the Master or the Magic Tower’s foremost disciple.
“That’s true, but… why Rio?”
He wasn’t family, nor did he have any particular connection with Arsian.
“That’s because you….”
“Me?”
“…Never mind.”
Arsian shook his head lightly. Did she truly not realize the way she looked at Rio, that child?
Whenever she went to the Orphanage, it was easy to see how her gaze naturally drifted toward Rio.
That look in her eyes was warm enough to kindle jealousy.
Though she grumbled on the surface, she had never once refused the child’s smallest requests.
‘And yet, what of it?’
Why had she acted that way toward Rio? Had she already forgotten how she had rushed home frantically upon hearing that the child had been adopted?
Arsian was genuinely grateful that he had placed a tracking spell on Rio.
“Where was the child taken?”
“The Underground Prison.”
“…A prison?”
Following the tracking spell, he had arrived at a rather expansive underground prison.
“Rio wasn’t alone.”
Dozens of children of similar age were confined together in the Underground Prison.
“They had all been adopted, then dragged away.”
“All of them?”
“Yeah.”
I’d suspected as much, but was the Orphanage really extracting children on a regular basis?
“Were there only children there?”
“There were some guards.”
“And them?”
“Dead.”
“What?”
“Just so you know, I didn’t kill them.”
Arsian had already heard from Camilla about the fake Lania and the organization she belonged to—those who dealt in soul-switching.
He’d intended to properly interrogate the ones who’d kidnapped the children, but they all took their own lives before he could even get answers.
“I only found out that place was an intermediate collection point for the children.”
The Underground Prison Arsian had discovered wasn’t the final destination. When he realized that fact, he felt a twinge of regret.
Would it have been better to observe the situation longer and wait until the children reached their final location?
But the moment he saw Rio trembling in fear and crying, he couldn’t think of anything else.
The instant he subdued the enemies, he scooped up the weeping child into his arms.
‘Big brother! Sob… Waaaaah!’
The child, initially trembling from the sudden chaos, caught sight of his face and threw his arms around his neck, bursting into loud sobs.
Though he hadn’t found the enemies’ headquarters, seeing the child like that made him certain he’d done the right thing by acting immediately.
“What about the other children?”
“They’re being handled right now.”
After witnessing all the enemies take their own lives, Arsian immediately reported it to the nearby Guard.
With the heir to House Sephira making an appearance, the Guard set aside all other matters and focused intensively on this case.
“Those children will all return to their respective homes soon.”
The moment he confirmed the children had been moved to a safe location, he rushed here with Rio.
“Sigh.”
A long breath escaped Camilla’s lips as she finished hearing everything.
“Tracking magic, then.”
At her soft murmur, as if speaking to herself, Arsian flinched involuntarily.
He felt slightly uncomfortable about casting magic on her without asking for her consent first.
“That is, I didn’t tell you beforehand…”
“Arsian.”
“I know! I’ll remove all the tracking magic I placed on other people. But the one on you—”
“Thank you.”
“Huh?”
“You did well.”
If Arsian hadn’t placed that tracking magic, I truly don’t know what I would have done. Just thinking about it made me dizzy.
Without him, I’d still be pacing anxiously, searching for Rio.
‘Perhaps…’
I might never have seen the child again. I might have faced a child with a different spirit inhabiting it, just like Lania and Dennis.
Just thinking about it was horrifying.
“Sigh.”
I didn’t care about anything else. It didn’t matter that I hadn’t discovered the enemy’s headquarters, nor was I curious about who they were.
For now, the simple fact that the child—Rio—had returned safely was enough.
“The news will reach others soon.”
He seemed uncomfortable receiving thanks and changed the subject.
“The investigation into those who kidnapped the children will continue as well.”
“Yes.”
“The adoption procedures will likely become more complicated.”
“That’s right.”
“What was their purpose….”
His words trailed off abruptly.
Arsian’s speech stopped in an instant. A small weight pressed against his shoulder.
“….”
Her voice in response had been somewhat drowsy.
Arsian let out a short sigh as he looked at her, who had fallen asleep with her head resting against his shoulder.
“Ha.”
She really could sleep anywhere.
‘Should I take her to her room?’
Arsian gazed silently at her sleeping peacefully for a moment, then adjusted his posture slightly so she could lean more comfortably.
‘This much compensation should be fine.’
Arsian decided to simply enjoy this moment.
* * *
“The Sefra Family has made their move, I hear.”
“The one who rescued the children this time is the son of Duke Sefra.”
In a space shrouded in deep darkness, only a faint light flickered.
A man kneeling before the voice emanating from that darkness repeatedly bowed his head.
High Priest Daniel—his recent endeavors had all gone awry, and cold sweat poured down his entire body.
“One of the children had a tracking spell placed on them.”
“So someone has guessed at our movements.”
“I apologize.”
The voice from the darkness remained composed, devoid of any emotion, but Daniel bowed his head even lower.
“Obtaining materials will become difficult.”
“It seems….”
Due to this incident, the adoption procedures for the Orphanage children had become extremely complicated.
Under the leadership of the Three Ducal Houses, a massive investigation was launched into all orphanages, and everyone was holding their breath.
“I heard the infiltration into the Sorpel Family also failed.”
“I am sorry.”
At the mention of Lania, High Priest Daniel’s complexion turned even paler.
It was something he had prepared for so long. The result had ended so pathetically that he too was left speechless.
I had selected one of the cult members with decent survival instincts and placed my consciousness into their body….
‘Tsk.’
How pathetic—discovered so quickly.
Acting without proper authorization, that fool had captured Camilla and impersonated her, only to bungle everything in the process.
Clearly, the repeated failures had made them desperate. It seemed they had acted out of a foolish desire to achieve something on their own, but it was utterly contemptible.
“It would be wise for everyone to keep a low profile for a while.”
“But….”
“If there’s no tail to catch, everyone will soon fall silent.”
“The believers will resist strongly.”
“Hmm.”
“Especially those who will need new lives soon—their resistance will be….”
“Tell them if they want to live, they’ll prepare the materials themselves. The Cult will no longer supply them.”
“Understood.”
High Priest Daniel bowed deeply once more, and soon no further voice echoed from the darkness.
* * *
“Are you truly certain about this?”
Duke Sorpel asked with concern.
“About what?”
“That child.”
Only then did Camilla understand what he meant.
“Of all places, to go to that wretch’s home.”
Disapproving clicks of his tongue continued to escape his lips.

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