A Fortune-telling Princess - Chapter 203

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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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“Brother!”
It was Arsian. Standing at the doorway with a displeased expression as he regarded Jainer, he gave a light shake of his head at Rio’s call.
“You told me not to play here, brother.”
“The puppy is here.”
“That damn mutt… the puppy won’t be here anymore either.”
“Why?”
The child’s face fell at once. Was it disappearing again?
Arsian gently stroked the child’s head in a soothing manner.
“The butler was looking for you. Said you weren’t in your room.”
“Grandfather the butler?”
“He wants you to have a snack.”
“Oh! A snack! Sweetie!”
Rio’s expression grew urgent upon realizing she’d forgotten snack time—her favorite time of day!
Poke, poke.
“Huh?”
The one poking the child’s back was none other than Divine Beast Luna.
Luna slowly lowered her body toward Rio, who had turned to look at her—an invitation to climb aboard.
“Good girl. Our sweet puppy!”
Understanding the gesture, Rio climbed onto Luna’s back with a beaming smile.
“Let’s go! Puppy! To my room!”
[….]
Luna exhaled a short sigh at the nickname she’d grown accustomed to, then carefully left the room, ensuring the child wouldn’t fall.
The moment Rio departed, a heated exchange erupted.
“Is it really okay to treat a Divine Beast that way?”
“Mind your own business and get out of here.”
“Nothing to say about spying on others?”
“You’re talkative for someone I just saved.”
“Ha, I’m truly grateful for that. I’ll repay this debt without fail. I’m meticulous about such calculations.”
“Enough. Get out. And take whoever came looking for you with you.”
Arsian furrowed his brow and directed his gaze out the window. Jainer, already sensing the presence, gave a light nod.
Though the movement was as discreet as befitted an assassin, it was impossible to escape the notice of these two.
“Khan.”
The one who had been hiding, as if listening to their conversation, revealed himself at once.
“Are you unharmed?”
Store Manager Tay, who oversaw one Khan branch, regarded Arsian warily while carefully examining Jainer.
Though he had learned from the previous exchange that Arsian had saved Jainer, he could not lower his guard. He remembered all too clearly that this man had once attacked their branch.
“I have something to report.”
“Speak.”
When Tay glanced at Arsian’s expression, Jainer gave a light nod as if to say it didn’t matter.
“Camilla has come to the branch.”
“Camilla?”
“She was asking about Khan’s whereabouts….”
At the news that Camilla had been searching for him, a smile bloomed across Jainer’s lips. Meanwhile, Arsian’s eyes turned fierce.
“However, as she was leaving the branch, High Priest Daniel hurriedly took her away.”
“What?”
“Who took her?”
Both Jainer and Arsian reacted simultaneously to the words that followed.
Jainer had a rough understanding of Daniel’s true nature, and Arsian likewise knew well from Camilla’s reaction at the Papal See that she was wary of him—of Daniel.
“I’ve stationed someone to follow them. We’ve already determined their destination, but….”
After a brief hesitation, Tay carefully added his own assessment.
“It appears to be a trap. The way he took Camilla right before our eyes, and how he moved as if beckoning us to follow….”
Whoooosh—!
“Hey! Wait!”
Before Tay could finish speaking, Arsian had already cast a spell.
Since he had previously placed a tracking spell on Camilla, he needed no further guidance. Seeing this, Jainer desperately grabbed hold of him.
“What are you doing!”
There’s no time to waste!
Arsian’s killing intent crashed over Jainer like a wave. One more moment of hesitation and he would be slain where he stood.
“What he wants is me. If I don’t go as my subordinate says, she could be in even greater danger.”
“….”
Arsian, recognizing there was no time for further argument, swallowed his rage and immediately channeled his mana once more.
Whoooosh!
In an instant, both figures were engulfed in light and vanished from that place.
“…sigh.”
Tay, who had witnessed everything from the side, released a long, heavy sigh.
“I clearly said it was a trap.”
Did either of them even hear what I said?
Tay pressed his temples in frustration before swiftly disappearing from the spot.
* * *
Whoooosh!
A desolate space a short distance from the Capital.
Following the tracking spell he had placed on Camilla, Arsian materialized and quickly surveyed his surroundings.
But….
Crackle!
“…What is this?”
The entire area was an inferno. What appeared to be a building was burning fiercely.
Color drained rapidly from Arsian’s face at the sight. That was precisely where Camilla’s signal had last been detected.
“No…!”
Arsian bolted forward—toward the burning building.
“What are you doing!”
“Let go!”
That location was the only place she could be. But it was burning?
Arsian roughly shook off Jainer’s grip on his arm. Yet Jainer seized him again with fierce determination.
“Come to your senses! That’s no ordinary fire!”
The flames consuming the building and its surroundings blazed with tremendous power. This was no mere conflagration.
That was….
“….”
Arsian finally seemed to regain clarity, hesitating.
Jainer was right—this was not ordinary fire. This was an aura Arsian could never fail to recognize.
“Divine…!”
“Arsian?”
A voice reached his ears in that moment.
Arsian’s head snapped toward the sound.
A woman emerged slowly through the dense undergrowth, entering his field of vision.
“What are you doing here?”
It was Camilla.
“Oh! You remember I said I’d placed a tracking spell on you before, right? You found me with that? But how did you know I was in danger…!”
Whoosh!
Before Camilla could finish her deduction about why he was here, she found herself swept into his embrace without another word.
“Ar…!”
“You… really! Haa….”
Camilla, about to ask what was wrong, fell silent at the tremor in his voice and the long exhale that followed.
Pat, pat.
Camilla gently stroked his back in silence, as she had done before on another day—her apology for causing him worry.
“Step away! Right now!”
“Are you shouting at my daughter right now? Have you lost your mind?”
“You two—how much longer will you cling to each other?”
A familiar voice cut between the pair at that moment.
Arsian’s head whipped around at the sound. It was utterly unexpected.
“Why is your son clinging to that girl like that! Separate them at once!”
“An hour and a half? You’re quite late. Didn’t I tell you to guard her well? Yet you only now appear.”
Arsian’s eyes went blank for a moment, contrary to his usual composure.
“…Why are you all here?”
The three figures regarding him coolly were none other than the Three Grand Dukes of Faebler Empire.
Chapter. The Final Hour of High Priest Daniel
“This place is…?”
“A location that served as a Prayer Hall long ago.”
High Priest Daniel had brought Camilla to a secluded spot on the outskirts of the Capital. A fairly large building stood there.
“It was used by priests and clergy for their devotional practices and prayers.”
“The condition….”
“Yes, it’s quite deteriorated, isn’t it?”
The marks of time were etched into every surface, and it appeared to have received no maintenance whatsoever.
“We’re currently using a building located closer to the Papal See.”
“Then this place…?”
“It’s been abandoned.”
He meant it had been closed down long ago.
“Jainer is here?”
“Didn’t I mention it earlier? He appeared to have been attacked, so we needed a place to protect him discreetly. This location was perfect for that purpose.”
The explanation made sense.
Camilla nodded lightly and quietly followed High Priest Daniel as he led the way into the building.
[Should we go in now? Something still feels off about this… shouldn’t we draw our sword first?]
[What are you saying! We need to assess the situation before we kill anyone. Let’s put him to sleep first. Knock him out and bind him up tight! Leave it to me!]
[When there’s danger, the sword is the answer. How does putting someone to sleep solve anything?]
[How crude! We should at least interrogate him! We need to find out everything we can! This is why sword users are known for having poor judgment.]
[From what I’ve seen, not all priests are particularly intelligent either.]
[What did you say!]
Ugh, this is getting noisy.
Listening to Zeno and Arena bicker about who should possess her first, Camilla shook her head lightly.
‘Let’s observe the situation a bit longer for now.’
If this man truly had connections to the Eba Cult, there had to be a reason he’d summoned her here.
It would be better to assess the situation first before engaging in combat.
“This way, please.”
The interior of the building was surprisingly bright, contrary to its exterior appearance. Magical lamps were installed throughout, making navigation entirely convenient.
Apart from its aged condition, it was cleaner than expected and didn’t appear to be a place that had gone unused for so long.
[Camilla, the ceiling.]
[There are people swarming over there too?]
However, upon learning that people were discreetly positioned throughout the building, things began to make sense. This must be one of those places used for nefarious purposes.
‘So it was a trap after all.’
The trap itself wasn’t particularly concerning, but the infuriating part was that Jainer wasn’t even here.
Camilla clicked her tongue lightly. Since things had come to this, she might as well extract the truth about this man’s identity.
High Priest Daniel.
‘Since there’s no spirit following him, it doesn’t seem like his body was possessed.’
Did he join the Eba Cult of his own volition? He looked like such a decent person on the surface.
‘They say you can’t judge people by appearances alone.’
Looking at his face, he seemed utterly harmless, yet he claimed to be an Eba Cultist.
How disappointing. And yet he kept spouting on about the Chief Deity’s blessings every time.
“It’s rather shabby, I’m afraid? Please, have a seat over here.”
“Where is Jainer?”
The space he’d guided her to appeared to be a reception room.
He’d brought her here under the pretense that Jainer was in terrible condition, and yet…
‘Isn’t he revealing his true colors far too quickly?’
He’s making it painfully obvious that Jainer isn’t here.
“My apologies.”
A deep smile crossed Daniel’s face at Camilla’s question.
“I’m afraid I resorted to deception because I wished to have this time alone with you.”
“Jainer isn’t here, then?”
“No.”
Camilla exhaled softly to herself. Still, she had harbored some small hope.
‘Then where exactly is that man right now?’
Is he even still alive?
‘Should I have gone directly to House Sephira instead?’
No, that’s not it.
My gaze shifted back to Daniel. Did I really need to meet Divine Beast Luna after all?
“Did you attack Jainer?”

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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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