A Fortune-telling Princess - Chapter 276

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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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“What did you just say?”
Ravi, who had been wiping his face repeatedly, finally turned to look at Camilla.
“A murder case? Don’t tell me you’re involved again!”
“No, I said ‘if.’ Do you not understand the word ‘if’?”
“You said ‘if’ before too!”
“Did I?”
…Tch, his memory is annoyingly sharp.
Watching Ravi’s brow furrow deeply, Camilla hastened to add more.
“You know, like those detective types in stories—the ones where trouble follows them everywhere they go, no matter what. What if I’m cursed with that kind of fate?”
“Detective? What are you talking about?”
Ravi’s eyes grew even more suspicious. Hadn’t she said something similar before, only for an incident to occur?
‘Is she a fraud or what!’
It was you who caught that serial killer professor with your own hands and gave the entire family a fright!
“Just tell me honestly. What’s going on now?”
“Ugh, seriously. Why won’t you believe me? I said ‘if.'”
Camilla shook her head vigorously, denying Ravi’s accusation.
‘I could handle this quietly on my own.’
But I needed to ask Ravi for something, so I had no choice. I figured I should lay the groundwork first so he’d actually help.
“So, just in case, I wanted to ask our brilliant brother for a small favor.”
“…What kind of favor?”
At Camilla’s flattering remark, Ravi cast an even more guarded look her way.
“Brother, can you inscribe a different spell on this bracelet?”
“A different spell?”
“It would be perfect if someone came after me—something I could use to escape.”
It’s the essential equipment for handling this situation, you could say.
‘But that’s not all…’
Just in case, you know. Life doesn’t always go according to plan.
I’ll do my best to resolve this without anyone knowing I was involved.
‘But I should prepare for the possibility of being discovered, shouldn’t I?’
A little advance warning like this might mean less scolding later.
“I’m saying it again—if I somehow get caught up in another incident despite my best efforts, I want you to know it was absolutely not intentional.”
Got it? When I get in trouble, take my side.
“….”
Ravi looked at Camilla with even more suspicion. She was definitely plotting something.
“Sigh.”
But even if he pressed her, she wouldn’t give him a straight answer anyway.
Ravi exhaled a long sigh and stared at her intently for a while.
“Like I’ve said before, don’t get involved in unnecessary trouble. Just report it to the Guard. If you don’t want to do that, tell me. I’ll handle it.”
“Oh~ Suddenly acting like an older brother?”
“Of course I’m your older brother. What else would I be?”
“Sometimes you seem like a younger sibling… Ah… Aaah!”
It hurts!
Ravi grabbed Camilla’s cheeks from both sides and shook them vigorously. Finally breaking free from his grip, Camilla cradled her face and glared at him.
If my skin gets damaged, you’re paying for it!
At Camilla’s fierce, indignant gaze, Ravi merely scoffed dismissively.
“I’m telling you again—don’t get involved in anything dangerous.”
“Tch. And I’m telling you again, things don’t always go according to plan.”
Ravi cleared away the shattered mana stone and returned to his workbench.
“I don’t want to become an orphan either.”
“An orphan? What’s this sudden talk about orphans…?”
At Ravi’s casual remark as he pulled out a fresh mana stone, Camilla’s eyes widened with growing realization.
The tips of Ravi’s ears had turned slightly red as he fiddled with the mana stone. Seeing this, a smile played across her lips.
“Oh my, our big brother is scared of becoming an orphan, isn’t he?”
Poke, poke.
“…Shut up.”
Where did that lisp come from!
Camilla poked Ravi’s slightly reddened cheeks with her finger repeatedly, and as his face grew increasingly flushed, she broke into quiet laughter.
“Didn’t I tell you before? I’m going to live far longer than you. I’ll make absolutely sure you die first, so don’t worry.”
“Hey!”
“I promise I won’t make you an orphan.”
“….”
Finally, a long sigh escaped Ravi’s lips.
“Hand over your bracelet and go.”
“Really? You’ll do it?”
“What kind of magic do you want?”
“Well, it’s like this…”
Camilla briefly explained the magic she desired.
“It’s not particularly difficult. I’ll have it done by today.”
“Wow, so I’m getting a level up right away?”
“Le… what? Are you going to keep saying things I don’t understand?”
As Camilla handed over the bracelet, Ravi immediately set to work.
Camilla watched his focused figure as he became absorbed in inscribing magical formulas, then quietly left Ravi’s room.
‘Now I should hear that report.’
Along with the spirit Zeno, who had been staring at me with eyes full of things to say since earlier.
* * *
[That bastard was completely insane.]
Verification was necessary. I wasn’t foolish enough to believe a spirit’s words unconditionally.
Even if it was an innocent young ghost with bright, sparkling eyes.
‘Young spirits are so good at lying.’
Not that Rana was like that, but still, I needed to find out for myself to be certain.
So I asked Zeno to keep watch over that young boy Rana had identified as the murderer. I told him to report immediately if he noticed anything suspicious.
“Surely he hasn’t killed anyone else already?”
[He has.]
“…What?”
Camilla, who had posed the question lightly, flinched at Zeno’s response. Seriously? He’d committed another murder in the meantime?
[He’s been killing animals with extreme cruelty.]
“Animals?”
At Zeno’s continued explanation, Camilla’s brow furrowed slightly.
[Birds, dogs, cats—he kills them all.]
Though Zeno hadn’t observed for many days, what he’d witnessed was enough to leave him visibly appalled, his head shaking repeatedly.
‘Whimper…’
‘You don’t have a home? Then want to come with me, big brother?’
Watching the boy with an angelic face cradle an abandoned puppy from the street in his arms, Zeno concluded that Camilla had made a mistake.
Perhaps the young spirit named Rana had lied instead? Or mistaken the culprit?
To Zeno’s eyes, the boy showed no signs of being a murderer at all.
But then…
[He killed that puppy with brutal savagery.]
With that angelic face of his.
[And he smiled so brightly while doing it.]
Zeno shuddered at the memory surfacing anew.
Having existed as a ghost for so long, I’d witnessed countless villains. Yet it had been ages since my entire body crawled with such dread. Perhaps it was precisely because the boy was so young that the feeling cut deeper.
“People say it all the time—those who abuse animals are potential murderers.”
[That so? First I’m hearing of it.]
Well, wasn’t it obvious? Life is life, no matter how small. If someone mocks that life, why wouldn’t they kill a person?
[The strange part is, he only kills the young ones—dogs and cats both. Once they grow even slightly larger, he doesn’t touch them.]
“A typical coward, then.”
Preying only on what’s definitively weaker than himself.
[But here’s the thing.]
Zeno’s brow creased deeply, as if he had more to say.
[The boy’s family already seems to know about it.]
“His family?”
[Yeah. They looked very accustomed to it.]
When the boy’s parents discovered the dead puppy in his room, they were far more composed than expected.
They simply ordered the servants to dispose of it quickly, offering the child no reprimand or words of correction whatsoever.
“Tsk.”
Well, it’s a common enough story, isn’t it? Parents desperate to hide their child’s wrongdoings from the world.
‘All while oblivious that they’re creating a monster instead.’
I clicked my tongue repeatedly. Whether in that world or this one, such creatures don’t simply come into being on their own.
“Don’t tell me this place has some ridiculous law too?”
[Ridiculous law?]
“A juvenile delinquent.”
[Juvenile? What’s that?]
“If it’s not the case, that’s fortunate.”
I’ll have to look into it later. It’s infuriating to go through all the trouble of exposing and catching a criminal, only for them to walk free without proper punishment just because they’re young.
“For now, I should probably verify this myself.”
But using another young life as bait when they could be in danger doesn’t sit right with me.
‘So it only targets small creatures?’
My gaze, which had been lost in thought for a moment, slowly drifted downward.
[Whimper.]
There was precisely one small creature sitting on my lap, whimpering softly.
“Our King.”
[Whine?]
King, who had been resting with his eyes closed in a drowsy expression, lifted his head at my call and looked up at me.
“We’re going to go punish that wicked one. Will you help me a bit?”
[Whine!]
Though King didn’t quite understand the situation, he nodded his head vigorously at the warmth in my voice.

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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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