Since I’m a Time-Limited Princess Who Has No Tomorrow - Chapter 100

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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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Chapter 100
“The Palace is in an uproar over this matter, I hear.”
“Petitions demanding the deposition of the Crown Princess have been piling up like mountains.”
“What? The Crown Princess saved the royal family, yet they want to cast her out? Isn’t that the height of ingratitude?”
“They say a Shaman in a family brings ruin to that family.”
“So the Keonyang Cheon family would cast out their savior for fear the family might fall?”
“Good heavens, man. Is the Keonyang Cheon family just any ordinary house? It’s the royal family! The Crown Prince himself received obeisance from a dragon! Mind your words!”
“But the Crown Princess received her divine calling precisely while treating the Crown Prince, did she not? And now they speak of deposing her?”
“The royal family is certainly no ordinary house. But does that mean they can repay kindness with enmity?”
“Well, if she’s become a Shaman, the royal family has little choice in the matter. Alas, how did she come to receive such a calling?”
“But that divine calling was for the Crown Prince’s sake!”
“Moreover, it seems no ordinary spirit descended upon the Crown Princess! Have you ever heard of a Shaman healing not just illness but actual wounds? This is the first I’ve heard of such a thing!”
“Still, she’s a Shaman, a Shaman! Shamans must renounce the secular world! Before malevolent spirits bring harm to those around her!”
Public opinion was turbulent. Common folk debated the Crown Princess who had received her divine calling in gatherings throughout the land.
Meanwhile, among the Gwae-ryeok-nan-sin, another rumor was spreading.
“Have you heard? The Ki-ryeong Sword Family has been revived.”
“The Ki-ryeong Sword Family? Wasn’t Ki Ho-cheol, the Cloud-Piercing Sword Demon, a descendant of theirs? I’m certain that family fell a hundred years ago…”
“That Cloud-Piercing Sword Demon found the Ki-ryeong Sword Family’s secret records. In the genealogy—lost martial techniques, family treasures—everything was there! With bloodline legitimacy, martial prowess, and all the resources needed, the Ki-ryeong Sword Family has everything required to rise again.”
“Well, it seems the Cloud-Piercing Sword Demon encountered great fortune. Did his ancestors aid him?”
“Yes, truly his ancestors did aid him.”
“What?”
“The ancestors of the Ki-ryeong Sword Family petitioned the Princess of the Underworld, and that Princess happened to descend upon our Crown Princess and revealed information about the secret records.”
“Wait, the Crown Princess? The one everyone’s been talking about who received her divine calling? What spirit descended upon her?”
“The Princess of the Underworld. More precisely, a deity enshrined as a princess in both the Heavenly Realm and the Underworld simultaneously.”
“What? Such a deity exists? I’ve never heard of this. What is her name?”
“Ah, I heard it was Princess Cheonmyeong.”
“Princess Cheonmyeong?”
“Do not speak her name carelessly. As a Taoist Priest, don’t you feel the weight of that title upon your lips?”
“Princess Cheonmyeong, Princess Cheonmyeong… Ugh! It tingles. The dignity contained in that very title is so profound?”
“Indeed. Just as we replace the Jade Emperor with ‘Heavenly Lord’ and the Yama King with ‘Great King’ except during prayers or rituals, this is a title requiring such reverence that her name must be avoided in common speech.”
“Then what do people call this deity of such lofty station?”
“For now, they simply call her the Princess.”
“So this Princess of such towering dignity has descended upon our Crown Princess, is that what you’re saying?”
“Yes! And through the Crown Princess, she even helped the Ki-ryeong Sword Family find their secret records!”
“My, what fortune, what remarkable fortune indeed. The Cloud-Piercing Sword Demon’s luck has truly blossomed.”
“The important thing is this story doesn’t end there. You know the Paper-Flower Shaman of Hoguk Temple?”
“The Paper-Flower Shaman? Isn’t she of royal descent?”
“Yes, her. She’s obtained the secret teachings of Manshin. Those teachings that were thought completely lost after the Satgat War!”
“…Don’t tell me that was also…”
“Indeed it was. The Crown Princess, through whom the deity descended, revealed to the Paper-Flower Shaman where Manshin’s secret teachings were hidden.”
“Not one, but two of them?”
“And it doesn’t end here. Isn’t the court trying to revive the Jagyogapsa recently?”
“Because of that Doo-eok-sini? They’ve only found traces of him, not like he’s launching direct attacks or raiding villages yet. Why are they already…”
“Because they found him early, they want to prepare in advance and minimize damage, don’t they? Anyway, what’s important is!”
“What’s important?”
“If you enter that Jagyogapsa, the Crown Princess will undergo spirit possession through the princess and reveal the location of the lost secret techniques of our ancestors.”
“What?”
“Isn’t this an absolutely tremendous opportunity?”
“No, but the Jagyogapsa is… I don’t want to die like Kim Satgat the way my ancestors did.”
“If you don’t become Kim Satgat, do you have any way to survive when Doo-eok-sini comes? Haven’t you heard how that demon a hundred years ago relentlessly hunted the Gwae-ryeok-nan-sin? He grew stronger every time he tore off a Gwae-ryeok-nan-sin’s head.”
“That’s…”
“Entering the Jagyogapsa now doesn’t mean you’re immediately fighting for your life, and eventually when Doo-eok-sini appears, you’ll have to fight anyway. If you go in early, you can live off the state’s money, prepare for the future, and gain precious secret techniques. It’s a golden opportunity.”
“…So you’re saying you’ll become Jagyogapsa?”
“I’m thinking of going, though I’m not sure if I’ll make it. I heard the competition has already begun.”
“What? Competition? Have they gathered that many?”
“Of course people are flocking. The more prestigious families are, the more their eyes glaze over at the mention of lost ancestral techniques, aren’t they? And what about the greed of wanderers who never properly learned any real techniques?”
“…”
“Didn’t Yun-jung Sword Ghost and Paper-Flower Shaman already obtain the secret techniques? Once word spread, all the Gwae-ryeok-nan-sin hiding in the Deep Mountain Valleys came pouring out and are rushing to the Palace.”
“Heh…”
“So I need to head to Wun City before it’s too late. You should give it serious thought too.”
The man finished speaking, rose from his seat, and departed with hurried steps. Left alone, the Taoist Priest sat on the wooden platform, gazing silently at the spot where the man had gone, then suddenly opened his mouth.
“Heo Gye-gyo.”
“…”
“I know you were listening. Come down.”
A rustling sound came from atop the thatched roof. The Taoist Priest didn’t even turn around, tilting his wine bottle to fill his cup alone.
Soon a boy spread his wings atop the roof and flew down gracefully, perching on the wooden platform. He had skin so translucent it was nearly transparent, and hair of thin, wispy gold like pampas grass—a beautiful youth.
The boy folded the wings sprouting from his armpits and looked up at the Taoist Priest with eyes the color of pale green leaves.
“Heo Gye-gyo. Heo Gye-gyo.”
The Taoist Priest called the boy by his name, then drained the wine in his cup in one gulp. As he set the cup down, he asked.
“You heard?”
“…Heard what?”
“That the Crown Princess will undergo spirit possession and reveal the location of the lost secret techniques.”
“…”
“If that happens, perhaps the Crown Princess might also find a way to lift the curse flowing through your blood.”
“There is no such curse.”
“No curse? A hundred years ago, during the Kim Satgat War, several of your ancestors fought as excellent generals, didn’t they?”
“And they all died.”
“They died honorably in battle! In any case, if the curse hadn’t been lifted, that wouldn’t have been possible!”
The boy called Heo Gye-gyo pressed his lips firmly shut. The Taoist Priest clicked his tongue and gazed at the wings attached to the boy’s armpits.
“Your ancestors didn’t suffer the cursed fate that you and your father do. Otherwise, how could so many of them have survived to participate in the war?”
“…What does that have to do with me?”
“That’s exactly why there must be a curse-breaking method somewhere! It was simply forgotten during the war.”
“A curse-breaking method?”
Heo Gye-gyo swept back his silvery hair with an irritable gesture, then twisted his lips as he spoke.
“No such thing exists. My ancestors all survived by killing their own parents, just like I did.”
“There you go again with such harsh words. You didn’t kill anyone. Your mother is alive and well, isn’t she?”
“She’s alive. She’s simply forgotten me entirely. And my father—I killed him.”
“Gye-gyo, your father—”
“I killed him. My father was killed by me. I killed him!”
The boy’s sharp retort was followed by a smile, his lips red as though stained with crimson dye.
“Sir, don’t try to deny that I killed my father. That would be far more terrible.”
“….”
The Taoist Priest silently refilled his cup and drained it in one gulp. Then he spoke again.
“Go to the Palace.”
“What?”
“Become one of the Jagyogapsa by any means necessary. No matter how fierce the competition, you’ll succeed because you carry divine blood. Then, even if you must prostrate yourself before the Crown Princess, beg her to help you find the curse-breaking method.”
“I refuse.”
“Heo Gye-gyo.”
“No such curse-breaking method exists. It doesn’t. I won’t go!”
“…If you don’t, I’ll tell your mother who you are.”
The table crashed over. The boy kicked it aside in one motion and seized the Taoist Priest by the collar. His delicate, feminine face twisted into something demonic as he glared down at the priest.
“What will you do to my mother?”
“….”
“Taoist Priest, do you want to die?”
“….”
“If I could kill my own father, what makes you think I can’t kill a complete stranger like you?”
The Taoist Priest quietly folded his hands over the boy’s trembling grip.
“It’s for your sake, Gye-gyo.”
“How is threatening to tell my mother for my sake?”
“If you continue as you are, you’ll waste away. Or you’ll go mad and die.”
“That sounds nice. I hope that day comes as soon as possible.”
The boy sneered. The Taoist Priest gazed quietly into the eyes of the boy gripping his collar and spoke.
“But you want to live.”
“Not really? Life isn’t enjoyable, and there’s no hope ahead anyway, so why struggle to survive?”
“You wanted to live even when you thought there was no hope. Now that hope exists, you must live all the more.”
“What hope?”
“The curse-breaking method.”
“I told you no such thing exists!”
“But what if it does?”
The Taoist Priest gently withdrew the boy’s hands and asked softly.
“What if there is a way, but you’re stubbornly insisting there isn’t? When you discover the truth too late, can you bear the weight of it? Will you have no regrets? Won’t doubts haunt you?”
“….”
“So at least try to find it. Go to the Palace and search. If it’s not there, then you can give up without hesitation.”
The Taoist Priest placed a gentle hand upon Heo Gye-gyo’s drooping head.
“Heo Gye-gyo.”
“….”
“No one can blame you for wanting to live.”
“…There are. Many.”
“There aren’t. There aren’t.”
“How can you be so certain, Uncle Taoist? What do you know?”
“At least I don’t blame you. So go to the Palace. Let’s try to save your life.”
“….”
“Try, and if it doesn’t work, you can always come back. I’ll be here waiting.”
Heo Gye-gyo gazed up at the Taoist Priest’s weathered face, then squeezed his eyes shut.
* * *
The reconstruction of the Jagyogapsa, which had been stalling due to difficulty gathering the Gwae-ryeok-nan-sin, suddenly accelerated once the Right Prime Minister took charge. It was thanks to him luring those who refused to join with the bait of my ancestor’s secret techniques, and then the Right Prime Minister binding them with unprecedented favorable conditions.
‘Now there are so many applicants that we’ve decided to hold entrance examinations.’
The Seongsul Academy construction plan also proceeded smoothly. So much so that I no longer needed to lift a finger.
Meanwhile, my deposition issue remained entangled with the Geu-seun-dae conspiracy and was being dragged out as the Jagyogapsa took priority.
The Right Prime Minister truly excelled at his work. Truly.
‘It’s almost complete now.’
The 10th day of the 9th month, Year 14 of Seo-gwang.
Now, approximately four months after the Geu-seun-dae attack, there was no one in Yun Kingdom who didn’t know that I was channeling Princess Cheonmyeong and bestowing karmic connections upon the Gwae-ryeok-nan-sin.
Rumors of the grand ritual that Princess Onseol had Baek Tam-sol conduct last month continued to spread.
The Seongsul Academy still required more preparation, but the Jagyogapsa had completed its initial organizational structure.
‘And I’m ready too.’
So today is the day of reckoning.

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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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