A Fortune-telling Princess - Chapter 349

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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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“Want something to eat?”
“Yeah.”
Without any particular hesitation at Camilla’s sudden question, Arsian began pulling out a massive quantity of food he’d stored in his spatial pocket.
Fried chicken, pizza, candy—before long, the space around them overflowed with an abundance of dishes.
Thanks to preservation magic, every item remained in its freshly prepared state.
“Come here, all of you.”
[….]
Camilla gestured again, calling back the Child Ghosts who stood transfixed, unable to tear their eyes from the feast.
Only then did the children shuffle forward hesitantly, approaching step by step.
“Come one by one, and I’ll feed you.”
[…You’ll feed us?]
“Yes.”
[Is it… really okay for us to eat this?]
“Of course.”
[….]
At the prospect of eating, countless emotions flickered across the children’s eyes.
All of them bore the gaunt appearance of the severely malnourished.
Camilla, who already knew well how these children had died, suppressed the ache rising in her chest and raised her voice with deliberate brightness.
“Let’s eat all of this together.”
Camilla approached the child who had spoken to her first and fed him a slice of pizza.
At first, the child had wondered if this was really edible, how to eat it—but the moment he realized through Camilla’s hands that he could truly consume food, his eyes widened in wonder.
Crunch, crackle.
Of course, the instant the food entered the child’s mouth, it turned black and crumbled away into dust in the air.
[Me too, please.]
[Me! I want to eat too!]
That was the beginning. The children, whose deepest resentment was bound to hunger, devoured the food endlessly.
Of course, since they could only eat through Camilla’s hands, the children waited their turn by bouncing on their feet with anticipation.
For over two hours, the children ate without pause—but gradually, their eating slowed.
Only after they’d consumed enough food to satisfy dozens of children did the Child Ghosts’ meal finally end.
Though Camilla had attended to the children for over two hours, she hadn’t complained once—unlike her usual self.
“So, shall we have some candy for dessert?”
[Yes!!]
The venom that had filled the children’s eyes had largely faded. With smiles now gracing their faces, they looked no different from ordinary spirits.
“Here you go.”
Camilla unwrapped hard candies one by one and popped them into the children’s mouths.
“…Huh?”
Then Camilla’s hand froze.
‘…Why are there six of them?’
Cheon Bosal had definitely been caring for five children—but now, as she counted those receiving candy, there was one more than before.
“You there—who are you?”
Camilla pointed directly at one of the children.
“Me?”
“Yes, you.”
Among the other children, there was one who stood out distinctly. Pale white skin, plump cheeks, an adorably cute appearance. What on earth are you?
“I’m a Reaper.”
“…A Reaper?”
“Yes!”
“…”
A Reaper, yet why does this one look so cheerfully innocent?
Watching the young Reaper introduce himself with his hand raised high, Camilla’s expression turned incredulous.
At most, he looked about ten years old. Could someone so small really be a Reaper?
“You’re really a Reaper?”
“Yes! I am.”
“You’ll be punished if you’re lying.”
“But I’m really telling the truth…”
“How long have you been working?”
No matter how I looked at it, something felt wrong. Were they really assigning Reaper duties to such a small child? Wasn’t this child labor? Shouldn’t I report this to the labor department?
“One month.”
“…One month?”
“Yes!”
So he was a rookie. Why would a rookie kid come to a place like this? Camilla’s brow furrowed slightly.
“Why did you come here?”
“Huh?”
“I asked why you came.”
“To take these children with me.”
“Ha!”
“…”
Camilla’s eyes grew fiercer.
“Whether it’s there or here, you all show up after the work is done. Are you joking? What have you been doing all this time before appearing now!”
At Camilla’s reproach, tears quickly welled up in the Young Reaper’s eyes.
“Why are you crying?”
I barely said anything, so why are you crying? I still have so much more to say!
‘Sigh…’
This is exactly why I hate children.
“I… the seniors told me to come…”
“So why did a rookie like you come? What are all the seniors doing!”
“They said I had to go because I’m the youngest.”
“Why?”
“Because I wouldn’t fit the shoes.”
“…Shoes?”
“Yes…”
Sniffling and wiping away tears, I let out a sigh as I handed the Young Reaper my handkerchief, watching him wipe his runny nose.
“Word’s already spread throughout the Other Dimensional Reaper World.”
The Young Reaper continued speaking as he dried his tears and nose with the handkerchief I’d given him.
“If you mess up… *sniff*! If you mess up and get caught, they say you get beaten with high heels. But they say it doesn’t kill you…”
“…”
So rumors like that were circulating in the Reaper Society?
“Hmph.”
I thought of someone, and my eyes grew colder. There were only two people who would spread such a rumor.
‘Dorman… Habel.’
Which one of them was it?
‘Did these two not get beaten enough?’
They had nothing better to do than spread such nonsense across other dimensions?
I made a mental note to purchase the highest-heeled shoes available once I crossed over to the Other World. I already knew exactly who would be wearing them.
“So, what’s your business here?”
“Taking those children with me.”
“…”
“…Will that not work?”
The Young Reaper stared at me with wide, reddened eyes—swollen from crying like a rabbit’s.
At that sight, I let out a short sigh.
“Not now.”
“Why not?”
“There’s something I need to hear first.”
I watched the children laugh, chatter, and play with the candy I’d given them.
Honestly, I wasn’t sure if I should even ask this.
‘How did you all die?’
Where are your bodies?
I needed to hear that. Only then could I properly punish Cheon Bosal for her crimes. Right now, I had no concrete evidence.
‘The video alone isn’t enough.’
The footage recorded at Chairman Choi’s residence.
If it’s claimed that no one actually died, or if it’s accepted that she didn’t intend to kill them as Chairman Choi alleged, then Cheon Bosal would likely avoid severe legal punishment.
‘Of course, she won’t escape public condemnation.’
But would that really be a problem for Cheon Bosal? Unlike Chairman Choi, her face isn’t known to the public, and she could simply disappear again as she did before.
‘To punish her properly, I need to find the bodies.’
I gazed quietly at the children, who for the first time in ages—or perhaps for the first time ever—were contentedly satisfied and happy with full bellies.
Could I really pour cold water on this atmosphere? Asking how they died felt so cruel…
“I can tell you!”
“You can?”
“Yes!”
At that moment, the Young Reaper raised his hand again with a snap.
“We verify where and how the spirit died, and where the body was last placed before we take action.”
Wasn’t guiding the deceased the fundamental work of Reapers?
Naturally, such information was essential knowledge they should possess from the start. Only then could they retrieve spirits efficiently.
“But these children….”
We found the place where the bodies lay, yet the spirits were nowhere to be found.
They had already come under Cheon Bosal’s dominion, rendering them invisible to Reaper eyes.
“You’re saying you know where all these children’s bodies are?”
“Yes!”
“….”
Camilla looked at the children again. By now, they too were listening intently to the conversation between her and the Young Reaper.
[We’re sorry.]
“…Sorry for what?”
The child who had first spoken to her bowed his head deeply.
[We… can’t remember anything.]
Where they died, where they were buried… nothing came back to them.
All they remembered was dying from unbearable hunger…. And that Cheon Bosal, she was the one who killed them.
“Don’t apologize.”
Dying like that was unjust enough without apologizing for something that wasn’t their fault. Camilla clicked her tongue lightly.
“Tell me everything you know.”
“Yes!”
Through the Young Reaper, Camilla was able to learn the locations where all five children’s bodies were buried.
“What’s going to happen to them?”
Camilla asked one final question. These children, used as tools by Cheon Bosal for so long.
There was a high chance they hadn’t acted purely. Would they be punished for their misdeeds?
“In heaven, there are particularly many children.”
At the Young Reaper’s answer, delivered with a bright smile, Camilla released a small sigh of relief.
Yes, unless the deity here was a fool, they would judge guilt and innocence properly.
Camilla called out to the children, who remained huddled together in one spot, still anxious about their fate.
“Want more candy?”
[Yes!!]
At that single word—candy—the children rushed back to her side in a flurry.

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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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