A Fortune-telling Princess - Chapter 191

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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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Why was everyone so certain about it?
I couldn’t understand it at all. The Eba Cult wasn’t merely extinct—it had spread so widely that the Emperor of the Empire himself currently belonged to it.
As if that weren’t enough, now the Empress had her soul stolen by them as well.
‘It seems there are Eba Cult members even among the Temple organization.’
And among the upper echelons at that.
There’s no way the Eba Cult’s sacred relics would circulate so freely otherwise.
‘How is this possible?’
How could no one know that a religion supposedly erased from the world had spread so deeply and widely everywhere?
In the first place, did it even make sense that a single soul had occupied the Emperor’s throne for such an extraordinarily long time?
‘That’s right, it doesn’t make sense.’
By observing the number of souls whose bodies had been stolen by that entity, I could roughly estimate when he had first assumed the Emperor’s position.
No matter how I looked at it, this was far beyond the level of an ordinary believer.
Perhaps, just perhaps… he…
“This is driving me insane.”
Could he be the center of the Eba Cult itself?
It might be going too far, but there’s no other way to explain it.
They wouldn’t have placed just anyone on the Emperor’s throne, and the number of souls bound to him is absolutely staggering.
‘The Eba Cult, of all things.’
I wasn’t sure whether to be relieved at discovering the truth or devastated by it.
Honestly, my sense of reality had completely shattered. The cult leader of a heretical religion mentioned only in history books was lurking right around me?
‘Are you asking me to accept this right now?’
It was more absurd than hearing that a serial killer who murdered hundreds lived next door.
“Camilla? Are you alright?”
As I laughed vacantly, Petro asked with concern. What book could make me suddenly act like this?
“Could you… bring me a glass of cold water?”
I needed to drink something cold and regain my composure. My stomach felt like it was burning. I couldn’t think clearly at all right now.
“Just a moment.”
Petro hurriedly left the Library without calling for the Attendant—he went himself.
I stared blankly after him, then turned my gaze back to the book.
Staring at it so intently wouldn’t change the contents, yet I couldn’t tear my eyes away.
“Zeno.”
After a long moment, I quietly called to him standing beside me.
“I think it’s correct.”
[Hmm.]
Zeno, who had followed me, seemed to have skimmed through the book’s contents as well—his usual composure had completely vanished from his expression.
[This doesn’t seem like something you can handle alone.]
“I think so too.”
If they truly were the Eba Cult, this wasn’t something to agonize over in solitude. This was the same Eba Cult that had once consumed the entire Empire.
‘I only wanted to avoid it.’
Whether it was the Lania incident or the various events I’d experienced since, my singular thought remained constant.
I must avoid getting entangled with them at all costs! That’s the only way to stay safe! As long as the people around me don’t suffer, that’s all that matters!
Others? Why should I care about them!
‘But what if the other party is the Eba Cult?’
This isn’t something that will simply pass by just because I close my eyes and avoid it. Especially when they’re setting up right before my eyes like this.
I’ve finally realized that I can’t keep pretending not to know, constantly hiding everything from people and keeping silent.
“But how?”
[How what?]
“Would anyone believe what I have to say?”
The Emperor of the Empire himself, no less.
If I pointed at him and claimed, ‘That person looks human on the outside, but inside is a ghost who should have died hundreds of years ago!’ would anyone actually believe me?
I’d be fortunate if I wasn’t immediately accused of treason and had my head cut off.
[You’re a saint, aren’t you?]
“I’m not a real saint, though.”
A saint… yes, I’ve thought about it before.
Even when I didn’t know the other party was the Eba Cult, I tried to tell people around me about the fake holy relic and the Emperor whose soul had been stolen.
The method was always the same—pretending to be a saint, pretending to receive divine revelation.
But here’s the thing.
“What if they discover it’s fake?”
Again, the problem is who I’m dealing with. Let me repeat—the person I’m trying to make into an enemy is the Emperor of this Empire!
“He would never admit it.”
A man who has lived as Emperor for all those long years… no, a monster. He’s absolutely not the type to reveal his true identity over mere words.
What if people like those from the Sorpel Family or those who dislike me sided with the Emperor and pressured me instead?
What if I brought the Sword of Judgment that I handed over to the Temple and thrust it at them, demanding they prove whether I’m truly a saint or not? What would I do then?
‘I absolutely can’t do that!’
I don’t want to die like that! Couldn’t the Priest Ghost just enter my body?
‘How would I know if the sword would accept that?’
Either way, that would also be a form of deception and falsehood.
It’s not something I can test beforehand, and you’re asking me to stake my precious life on something like that?
Have I lost my mind? I should just abandon everything and run away.
“Is there perhaps a better way?”
A way to naturally inform people of the Eba Cult’s activities while staying safe. Even better if I could pass it on to someone else and slip away!
[Didn’t you say before that you’d investigate the fake holy relic?]
“I did request it from Jainer, but I haven’t received an answer yet.”
If the Imperial Court wouldn’t work, I planned to investigate the Temple side, which was selling the red holy relic first.
Seeing the Pope wearing the red holy relic around his neck means he has no connection to the Eba Cult, right?
He wouldn’t wear it if he knew his body would be stolen.
‘But I can’t just go ask him directly either.’
The man who’s preparing to step down from his position as Pope because of me wouldn’t give me any information.
I was convinced that if I traced how the Temple came to sell a holy relic that steals souls, I’d find something substantial at the end of that trail.
But this too proved difficult. The Temple had walls just as high as the Imperial Court against outsiders, and as a place that heavily protected its own, obtaining information was not easy.
“Still, I thought it would be possible if it were Khan.”
Yet I had received no answer from Jainer thus far.
‘What is this?’
When I asked if he had discovered anything, he merely shrugged his shoulders in silence and smiled quietly—a response that struck me as decidedly suspicious.
“Hmm?”
As I racked my brain in frustration, my eyes suddenly caught upon a passage I had overlooked before.
The Mirror of Truth. It was the only means by which to identify Eba Cult members hidden deep within the general populace.
“The Mirror of Truth?”
The name sounded like something from an old variety show, and I furrowed my brow. Yet the contents it described were far from trivial.
In fact, it was quite intriguing.
“You’ve found a way to identify Eba Cult members?”
Could it be that when Eba Cult members were reflected in the mirror, the foreign spirit dwelling within their bodies became visible?
‘Or perhaps the spirits clinging to them would appear?’
The name itself suggested as much! It seemed like the most plausible explanation, didn’t it?
“Is there anything else?”
I hastily began searching through other books. But there were no further detailed mentions of the Mirror of Truth.
Only a few scattered passages described how all Eba Cult members had rushed to hide themselves before the Mirror of Truth.
“Ah, really!”
This was infuriating!
“There should at least be a drawing of what it looks like!”
If I had that, it would be remarkably easy to prove that the Emperor and Empress had already been possessed.
But how could I find it? The books contained no detailed information.
“It happened so long ago….”
Centuries had passed. Finding someone who knew the precise details of that era would be nearly impossible, wouldn’t it?
‘Even a ghost who wandered that age seems unlikely to exist.’
Even Zeno and Priest Ghost Arena, who had lingered in this world the longest, were from eras after that time.
“Sigh.”
The more deeply I came to understand my opponent, the more helpless I felt.
How bitterly true the saying “ignorance is bliss” rang in my ears!
‘I wish I didn’t know! Truly!’
After pouring out silent laments for some time, I returned to excavating the books in search of new information.
* * *
“What brings you here?”
High Priest Daniel felt bewildered by the unexpected visit of this particular person. It was Jainer, who had sought him out alongside Camilla before, now requesting a private audience.
‘We share no particular acquaintance.’
That day, we had not even managed a proper conversation.
If he had business with The Cult, he could have sought out someone else—why specifically request me?
“Thank you for welcoming me despite this sudden visit.”
Jainer opened his mouth with perfect courtesy, wearing the virtuous mask that Camilla always displayed.
“Rather, I should be the one thanking you for receiving me.”
Daniel was no different. Though his mind churned with questions, his eyes gleamed with warmth as he continued speaking.
“The Lord always awaits new encounters.”
At Daniel’s words, Jainer’s smile deepened.
But had Camilla been present in this room, she would have recoiled in horror. Only she understood the true meaning behind the smile Jainer had just worn.
The smile one wears when contemplating murder.
“Do you truly think the Lord welcomes me?”
“Of course. Why would you speak such words? Is something troubling your heart? If you wish to confess, I shall hear-”
“High Priest, do you believe in the Lord?”
At such a formulaic response, Jainer clicked his tongue sharply and cut him off mid-sentence.
“What do you mean by that?”
Daniel, who had been wearing a benevolent smile, finally sensed something amiss and hesitated. Asking a High Priest if he believed in the Lord?
“I was merely curious.”
“It is wise to be cautious with words that might invite misunderstanding.”
Daniel shook his head lightly, his tone carrying a note of reproach.
It was a warning of sorts—a reminder to guard one’s tongue.
“There is nothing more arduous and agonizing than being branded a heretic.”
“Is that so?”
Jainer smiled faintly and withdrew something from his robes, placing it upon the table.
“Then a true heretic being branded a heretic should matter little, yes?”

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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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