A Fortune-telling Princess - Chapter 272

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

Chapter. Spring Has Arrived
“Ugh…!”
Thud.
“Kyaaaah!”
“Ahhhhh!”
“W-what is that!”
As the figure in the deep black robe collapsed with a heavy thud, those around him shrieked and hastily stepped back.
The fallen man’s body was decomposing at an alarming rate.
“H-he’s an Eba Cult member!”
At someone’s cry, the crowd recoiled further in horror, widening the distance between themselves and the corpse.
“Good heavens….”
“They say three people were found in the Neighboring Village just yesterday?”
“Don’t even mention it. Imagine the shock of watching someone you’d been close to suddenly rot away and die.”
“They’re saying it’s a curse from the Church Leader of the Eba Cult.”
“Nonsense! It’s not that—it’s that the Eba Cult members are losing their power and dying now that the Church Leader is dead.”
“How dreadful.”
* * *
“Oh? Is that a plum blossom?”
In one corner of the snow-covered Garden, a plum blossom with a reddish hue burst into full bloom. The crimson petals falling against the pristine white snow created a landscape worthy of classical Eastern painting.
Flutter, flutter.
A small object flew toward Camilla, who had been savoring the sight. It was the yellow Yongyong, the Spring Spirit King itself.
[How is it? Magnificent, isn’t it?]
“Yes.”
[Hehe, nature is truly this wonderful, you know.]
Well, nature is fine and the plum blossoms are lovely too, but….
“Why do you all insist on hovering around me like this?”
The red Yongyong that announced autumn did the same thing. Do you come to greet me each season in rotation?
[Hovering! How dare you! You should be grateful that I came to tell you about this magnificent season first!]
…Are you two perhaps twins? Your personalities are so remarkably alike.
Flutter, flutter.
Then a pristine white figure fluttered down. It was Aislah, the Winter Spirit King.
[Oh, A-Aislah!]
[….]
[I-I should be going now!]
The yellow Yongyong flinched and vanished hastily at Aislah’s appearance—a reaction no different from the other spirits. Was Aislah still that frightening?
“Winter is ending, it seems.”
[Yes, so I’m going back as well.]
“Pardon?”
Camilla’s eyes widened at the casual remark.
She had been by my side ever since helping me deal with the Church Leader of the Eba Cult, and now she was announcing that she would return to the Spirit Realm.
[The Eba Cult problem seems to be resolved now as well.]
“That’s true enough.”
Decaying corpses had been discovered throughout the Empire recently—the followers of the Eba god.
Just as Aislah had said, those who could no longer maintain the bodies they’d stolen were revealing their true forms.
There were believers making their final desperate stands, like those who had once tried to kidnap Rio, but most were destroying themselves of their own accord.
[What will you do about that child?]
That child—she meant Sena.
“It’s certainly a dangerous power.”
I never could have anticipated that the power the deceased Church Leader of the Eba Cult had clung to until the very end would be such an entity.
I’d assumed there was a special sacred relic granted only to the Church Leader.
“So that’s why we couldn’t find it all this time.”
Whether it was with Mars or now, I’d wondered why that sacred relic remained invisible—but it simply never existed in the first place.
[Will that child be able to handle it?]
“I’m not sure.”
After hearing the full account from Sena, I decided to observe the situation for now.
There was nothing I could do at this moment. While it was true that the power couldn’t be separated from the child, I couldn’t confine Sena somewhere or kill her simply because that entity was dangerous.
“Still, it seems to listen quite well.”
I’d heard she’d given it a name, and it appeared to regard Sena as its master—much like a hatchling imprinting on its mother bird.
‘Though calling that power a hatchling does stretch the metaphor somewhat.’
In any case, I had only one task ahead of me.
“I must watch carefully and guide her well.”
I would need to observe and protect her so that the child wouldn’t squander that power carelessly, and so that power wouldn’t endanger her.
[Yes, you’ll do well.]
Aislah, who had been perched on my shoulder, flew to one side and exhaled softly—a gentle breeze.
A small crystal of ice materialized before me. I’d seen this object before.
[You know how to use it, don’t you? Call upon me whenever you need my strength.]
As I accepted the crystal of ice, I smiled softly instead of answering.
“Thank you, Aislah.”
[I enjoyed it too. Thanks to you, I’ve had a proper conversation in a long time.]
Aislah fluttered closer and added her words.
[That’s probably why the others do it too.]
“What do you mean?”
[Why they hover around you. They’re simply delighted to have encountered another being who can see them and converse with them after so long. So don’t find them too bothersome. They do it because they genuinely enjoy it.]
So it wasn’t my imagination that they seemed to appear frequently around me.
I let out a short laugh and nodded.
It was just like her—always treating the other spirits coldly with sharp remarks, yet caring for them in her own way behind the scenes.
“See you again.”
[Yes.]
With one final circle around me, she simply vanished.
“….”
Left alone like that, her gaze drifted back to the tree with its blossoms in full bloom.
“Spring has arrived.”
* * *
“Arsian, what are you doing tomorrow?”
“That’s none of your concern.”
Petro’s question was met with a sharp retort, but they refused to back down.
“Do you have plans tomorrow, sir?”
“Nothing particularly urgent, I assume?”
“Even if you do, you should cancel them.”
Following Petro came Laila and Elisha, and even Jewela, all bombarding him with the same question.
“….”
Arsian’s brow furrowed at their persistent pestering. What on earth had gotten into all of them today?
“What are you trying to say?”
“We’ve decided to hold a small gathering among ourselves tomorrow.”
“A gathering?”
“Well, it’s a new year and all, so we thought we’d spend some time together in pleasant conversation.”
“It’s a sort of friendship party!”
…They’ve lost their minds.
Arsian turned away as if he’d heard enough. What foolishness were they planning to get up to—
“Are you busy tomorrow?”
He caught sight of Camilla standing before him with a gentle smile, and his expression softened immediately.
“No.”

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