A Fortune-telling Princess - Chapter 64

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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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“How on earth are you managing that? Does it really not bother you at all?”
I realized that drawing a bowstring toward a living creature required far more courage than I’d anticipated.
“…Forget it, forget it!”
After raising my bow toward rabbits and small birds dozens of times only to lower it again, I finally decided to abandon hunting altogether.
[That’s curious.]
“What is?”
Ghost Zeno tilted his head as he watched me set the bow down completely on the ground.
[You’re bold enough not to bat an eye when facing a ghost like me, yet you can’t bring yourself to kill something as simple as that?]
“Confronting something already dead is completely different from killing something alive.”
Imagine handing ordinary people swords or bows and ordering them to kill chickens or small creatures.
How many of them would actually be able to do it immediately?
I couldn’t speak for this world, but in the modern society where I’d lived for so long, people would typically recoil in horror.
[Is that so?]
“Yes.”
“…I’ve heard rumors that Duke Sorpel’s daughter has lost her mind, and it seems to be true.”
“When did I ever lose my mind—!”
At the sudden voice, I spun around with a sharp retort, but my body froze in place.
“…I suppose I did. It seems I occasionally lose my mind, just like now.”
“….”
My fierce expression and tone shifted instantly.
Crown Prince Edsen looked bewildered at the sudden change, but I remained composed.
‘What? Isn’t that obvious?’
Embarrassed? Embarrassment is something you only feel when you’re alive. Staying alive is what matters, isn’t it?
I bowed even more respectfully.
“Your Highness, what brings you to this place…?”
This is literally the Beginner Zone.
Anyone serious about participating in the Hunting Competition would naturally pass through without a second glance.
“Didn’t you say I had no chance of winning this time?”
“Do you believe that…?”
“Then are you saying you lied to me?”
“No!”
I quickly shook my head as I saw his expression shift dangerously.
“Your Highness absolutely cannot win. Not only that, you’ll suffer serious injuries—!”
“….”
…Damn it.
His expression turned cold, and I flinched, blurting out words I shouldn’t have.
“Injured? Me?”
“Please consider it mere nonsense from someone who’s lost their mind—”
“So I will be injured….”
This bastard! When did you start listening to me so carefully? I said it was nonsense!
“How amusing.”
I found nothing amusing about it whatsoever!
Crown Prince or not, I decided I needed to escape this situation.
If I claimed my rudeness stemmed from poor health, what could he possibly do about it? I was the Young Lady of Duke Sorpel, after all!
Wearing an awkward smile, I began backing away slowly, but Edsen grinned wickedly and stepped closer.
Don’t come near me, don’t you dare!
“What are you saying will hurt me?”
“It was nonsense—”
BOOM!
That was when it happened. A tremendous explosion echoed across the grounds. Both Camilla and Edsen turned toward the source of the sound.
Bang! Crash!
The explosions continued without pause.
“That’s coming from….”
The Middle Point of the Hunting Grounds. The place where the most people would be gathered!
Camilla and Edsen locked eyes for only an instant before both bolted toward the location without hesitation.
Bang!
“Ahhhhh!”
“Ugh!”
Explosions continued erupting from all directions. As if explosives had been planted beforehand, loud and small detonations burst forth relentlessly.
The Hunting Grounds transformed in an instant into a war zone, filled with the anguished screams of those caught in the blasts and the desperate shouts of those attempting to aid them.
‘Where is he?’
Pushing through the throng of people, I ran and ran.
‘Where could he be!’
I didn’t understand. Why was I running like this?
I should have been fleeing, should have run far away from this place, yet somehow I couldn’t bring myself to do so.
Only the face of one person kept surfacing in my mind.
“Ravi!”
I called out his name with all the strength I could muster, hoping for a response from somewhere.
Normally, whether he lived or died shouldn’t have mattered to me, but the moment those explosions sounded, all rational thought vanished.
The instant I realized Ravi was at that location, where the explosions were occurring, my body moved on its own.
“Ravi!”
I called his name again.
Damn it all, I was calling out the name of my true Older Brother!
“Ravi! Ravi!”
I screamed his name until my throat burned.
“Camilla?”
“…!”
And then I heard his voice.
I stopped in my tracks upon discovering Ravi, who was healing the wounded with magic.
“What are you doing here? Why did you come to this place!”
The moment Camilla saw him, she strode forward with purpose.
“Have you lost your mind! If you heard an explosion, you should have run first—what are you doing crawling in here…!”
Whoosh!
Ravi’s voice, filled with exasperation as he continued scolding, cut off abruptly. It was the sight of Camilla rushing toward him and pulling him into an embrace.
“Hey.”
Ravi called out to Camilla carefully, watching as she clung tightly to his clothes and released one relieved sigh after another.
“What’s wrong with you? What happened—”
“I hate it.”
“What?”
“I hate this…”
“…”
“I hate becoming an orphan again…”
“What are you talking about? When were you ever an orphan—”
“You know if you die, I’ll truly become an orphan, right?”
“…”
“So don’t die.”
Camilla gripped his clothes even tighter.
“If you die, I’ll resent you for life. I’ll curse you. I’ll make sure you regret it even in death, so figure it out yourself.”
“…You certainly know how to curse someone.”
Ravi, who had worn a bewildered expression for a moment, let out a hollow laugh.
His gaze shifted to Camilla’s hands, which were gripping his clothes tightly and trembling slightly.
“Don’t worry. I’ll live much longer than you.”
“Huh? That’s not right.”
“What?”
“I’m younger, so I should live longer… Aaaaah!”
Ravi stretched out Camilla’s cheeks. He lightly tapped her head as she glared at him in pain, then turned his attention back to the patients.
“Stay down there. It’s dangerous.”
Even as the two of them spoke, explosions erupted across the Hunting Grounds one after another. There was no way to tell how many explosives had been planted.
“What if I get caught in an explosion going down alone?”
“…Just stay here.”
“Okay.”
Camilla hurried over to Ravi’s side, rolled up her sleeves, and helped him treat the patients from beside him.
“Hmm.”
Crown Prince Edsen, who had rushed here with her, watched the two of them with an amused expression.
* * *
‘Was it this?’
There had been rumors that Crown Prince Edsen had been seriously injured at the Hunting Competition, but I never would have imagined circumstances like these.
‘This wasn’t something that could be written off as just the Crown Prince getting hurt.’
In the first place, I’d only heard by chance that the Crown Prince had been seriously injured… Sigh.
‘So this is what true isolation looks like.’
If she’d had even one close friend, she might have heard various rumors and gossip.
But when servants and maidservants alike treated Camilla as a burden, how could proper information have reached her ears?
“Older Brother, the explosion seems to have stopped.”
“So it has.”
No more thunderous blasts echoed through the air.
Camilla rose to her feet and surveyed the surroundings. Groaning figures lay scattered everywhere.
“Duke Sorpel.”
At that moment, Crown Prince Edsen approached the two of them. His golden eyes, unlike before, had grown dim and serious.
“I think it best to entrust the healing entirely to you. I ask for your assistance.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Send the wounded to the young Duke Sorpel, and have everyone else—those uninjured or those whose limbs are still intact and mobile—come out. Let’s assess the situation first.”
The wounded made their way to Ravi, who was casting healing magic, while those untouched by the explosion scattered in all directions, gathering survivors into one place.
Ludvil and Petro, and even Arsian, lent their hands to the effort.
Since Arsian could cast healing magic, he treated patients as he brought them in.
“Something’s odd.”
As Camilla observed the scene for a moment, she furrowed her brow.
“What is?”
“Why hasn’t anyone come?”
“What?”
“Such a massive explosion occurred, yet no one has arrived.”
Below the Hunting Grounds, numerous soldiers, mages, and Healers had been waiting since early morning to prepare for various emergencies.
Some of those who hadn’t been injured had even fled toward the entrance to spread word. By now, they should have already delivered the news…
[Grrr-]
“King?”
Camilla’s gaze immediately shifted to the bag slung across her shoulder at the sound.
Shinsu King, who had been quiet and unobtrusive until moments before, was now baring sharp fangs and growling fiercely.
Whoosh.
At that same instant, someone blocked her path.
“Ludvil Older Brother?”
Ludvil, who had just been helping search for survivors, suddenly took a protective stance in front of Camilla and slowly drew his sword.
Those around him ceased their tasks and tensed their bodies.
“What’s happening?”
“You should draw your sword, Your Highness.”
Before Ludvil’s words had even finished, numerous figures revealed themselves.
Dressed identically in black trousers and white upper garments, their entire bodies were already drenched in red—a most grotesque sight.
The red substance dripping from the swords they held soaked into the earth. A metallic stench lingered at the tip of her nose.
‘What is this?’
Camilla instinctively took a step back, her composure wavering.
It was strange that she felt no fear upon seeing these blood-drenched figures with expressions devoid of all emotion.
“What are those things?”
Arsian drew close to Camilla’s side at some point, his presence suddenly apparent.
“These don’t appear to be people who came to aid us.”
Even in this dire situation, Petro’s voice carried its characteristic levity.
“Ravi, stay by Camilla’s side.”
With those words, Ludvil bolted forward first, followed swiftly by Arsian and Petro.
‘What in the world is happening right now?’
Combat erupted.
I stood frozen, watching the chaos unfold before me.
Witnessing death dealt and received at such close proximity sent my heart into a frenzied gallop.
Every instinct screamed at me to flee, yet my feet remained rooted to the ground as though nailed in place.
“Hey, are you alright?”
Ravi, interspersing offensive magic to aid the others, called out to me with concern evident in his voice.
But I couldn’t muster any response. The horrific scene unfolding before my eyes had frozen me entirely, body and mind alike.
The metallic stench of blood spreading through the air made my vision swim.
[Hmm… something’s off about those guys…]
Ghost Zeno’s voice pierced through my numbness. I barely managed to turn my head toward him.
“…What’s off about them?”
[They’re not reacting.]
“Not reacting?”
My gaze returned to the battle unfolding before us, and then I understood what he meant.

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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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