Since I’m a Time-Limited Princess Who Has No Tomorrow - Chapter 118

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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 118
‘That charlatan shaman picking a fight turned out to be a blessing in disguise.’
Thanks to her, I could witness Baek Tam-sol’s shamanic dance firsthand, gained new insights into divine power, and even discovered a candidate to become my subordinate deity.
‘She’s done me quite the favor. I was about to strip her bare, but maybe I’ll show her some mercy.’
When I glanced back at the charlatan shaman with newfound appreciation, her face had gone pale, her mouth hanging open as she stared at Baek Tam-sol. She wasn’t foolish enough to keep spouting nonsense about proper shamanism while witnessing such a display.
‘She might actually believe her deity is the real Cheoyong… well, I’ll decide whether to spare her or not after seeing how this exorcism ritual concludes.’
Wrapped entirely in the crimson radiance of divine power, Baek Tam-sol approached the spirit pole with weightless steps. The man possessed by a vengeful spirit below it, who had been entranced like a devoted worshipper, suddenly began to glow with violent energy.
“Krraaaagh! Aaaaagh!”
A dark blue aura erupted from the man’s body in thick streams. The vengeful spirit dwelling within him was thrashing about wildly.
“Oh no!”
“Ugh!”
The servants restraining him recoiled in alarm at the ominous signs. Baek Tam-sol spoke to them.
“Step back—it’s dangerous.”
“Yes, Shaman!”
The servants retreated swiftly, as if they’d been waiting for permission.
Baek Tam-sol seized the long, wide muslin cloth hanging from the spirit pole and draped it over the glowing man. As the atmosphere shifted, the janggu drum and gong sounds faded while the deep boom of the bass drum grew louder instead.
Baek Tam-sol seemed to hesitate for a moment, watching the man writhe beneath the cloth.
‘It must be because the divine power dwelling within him isn’t from the deity I usually serve, but from an unfamiliar one.’
Had she recognized which deity’s power it was? Should I help her wield it properly? But how?
While I pondered, Baek Tam-sol moved first.
“The deity watches over you, so confess your sins. The deity comes to punish, so let all wickedness depart. The deity descends in person, so cast off defilement and receive the blessing.”
Chanting the ritual prayer in a soft voice, she circled the spirit pole. Flames of divine power blazed like footprints with each step she took.
“Kraaagh!”
The man bound to the spirit pole shrieked and thrashed about. The dark blue aura poured out with terrifying force.
“The deity comes to punish, so let all wickedness depart….”
Baek Tam-sol continued chanting without pause, leaving footprints of power in her wake. She swatted away the dark blue aura trying to escape outward with her fan. Every movement carried a rhythmic quality, and her flowing robes billowed so gracefully that she still appeared to be dancing. The sound of the gong ringing with each circuit around the pole and the urgent rhythm of the drum intensified this impression.
I could see people swallowing hard, their attention fixed on her every movement.
As she circled the spirit pole, the divine power blazing from the layered footprints grew higher and higher. The surging power formed a barrier like a fence around the pole, so complete that Baek Tam-sol no longer needed to swat away the escaping aura with her fan.
“The deity watches over you.”
Baek Tam-sol suddenly stopped before the man and raised her hand holding the bells high. Without ceasing her chant, she lightly struck his shoulder with the bells.
“Confess your sins.”
“…!”
The man beneath the cloth let out a silent scream. Something dark burst from his body as if fleeing the bells, then desperately clung back to him.
Seeing this, Baek Tam-sol raised the bells again. With a jingling sound, they glowed reddish with divine power.
“The deity comes to punish, so let all wickedness depart!”
This time the bells struck his forehead lightly. The dark aura shrieked and tore free from the man’s body.
‘So that’s the vengeful spirit haunting this household. A minor spirit… no, not quite even that. Still, it’s a fairly powerful ghost.’
The vengeful spirit tried to flee but was blocked by the crimson divine power surrounding the spirit pole. Like undulating flames, the power formed an impassable barrier. When escape became impossible, it attempted to climb over the pole itself.
But a spirit pole, like a jangseung guardian statue, was a sacred object protecting the village and bore the blessing of Mujangseung, the deity of such guardians. No wicked thing could simply climb upon it.
‘At the very least, not while being hunted by divine power.’
In the end, the only path left for that malevolent spirit was to flee skyward, clinging to the muslin cloth the man had draped over himself. As the spirit scrambled desperately up the cloth hanging from the pole, the pristine white fabric became stained with filth.
The moment the snow-white muslin turned black. The instant the wandering spirit fully transferred from the man’s body into the cloth.
Baek Tam-sol spun in place, sweeping the bell-adorned hand upward from below. The three-colored cloth attached to the bell fluttered like a tail as divine power shot forth like an arrow, severing the muslin from the pole. The soiled fabric dropped with a dull thud, and the man went limp.
Baek Tam-sol turned back, withdrawing the divine power she’d laid around the pole, and approached the muslin cloth. When she struck the fabric—which writhed unnaturally as if alive—with the end of her fan, flames erupted.
My divine power… even though it should be unfamiliar to Baek Tam-sol, she handles it remarkably well.
I found myself genuinely impressed.
“Kieeeek!”
With the grotesque spirit’s shriek, the cloth caught fire. The flames swelled rapidly, consuming the fabric, and within moments only blackened ash remained.
Baek Tam-sol exhaled a long breath, put away her fan and bell, and declared:
“It is finished.”
“Jae-sik!”
The Merchant Host rushed forward, calling his son’s name urgently.
“Jae-sik! Come to your senses! Are you all right?”
He untied the sacred rope and anxiously examined his limp son, supporting him. Baek Tam-sol picked up a bowl that had been sitting on the ritual table and approached them.
“This is a restorative medicine I obtained from the Royal Physician beforehand.”
“Th-thank you.”
The Merchant Host personally fed the medicinal broth to his son with a spoon. After just a few sips, the boy’s eyes fluttered open and he regained consciousness.
“Father.”
“Are you coming to your senses?”
“Yes… now my body feels like my own again.”
“Hmm?”
“Until just now… my body wouldn’t obey my will.”
“Good heavens, was it because of the spirit?”
“Yes. The moment I was bound by the sacred rope, the spirit seized control of my body. It was exactly as the Shaman predicted when we requested the exorcism. She said that if we tried to drive it out, the spirit would reveal its true nature and rampage…”
The man shook his head, rose to his feet, and bowed deeply to Baek Tam-sol.
“Thank you, Shaman.”
“Not at all. You endured much.”
Baek Tam-sol returned to her usual composure and answered matter-of-factly. Watching this scene, the Merchant Host’s eyes grew red with emotion. He suddenly sprang up and cried out:
“Servants! Bring more wine and food! We shall hold a proper celebration until sunset!”
“Yes!”
The servants answered loudly and began bustling about. The crowd cheered and applauded.
“Truly, she is a Shaman of the highest order!”
“Didn’t you just say a moment ago that you found her suspicious?”
“Ah! A mere misunderstanding, just a misunderstanding!”
“Wow, to witness the Shaman’s sacred dance…”
“I never knew a sacred dance could be so beautiful.”
The gathering descended back into festive chaos.
In the meantime, the Shaman in Navy Robes and her accomplices were completely forgotten. Baek Tam-sol’s sacred dance had been so overwhelming that they were entirely pushed from everyone’s attention.
Of course, the Merchant Host had not forgotten them.
“Leave at once! Before I report you to the magistrate!”
I’d prepared myself to step in if the Shaman in Navy Robes threw another tantrum or pushed further, but to my surprise, she withdrew without protest. Her expression seemed oddly confused, as though her spirit had fled her body.
The men and women who had been acting as her accomplices swarmed toward her.
“Mother….”
“Let’s, let’s go. We should leave, first….”
“Wait.”
Baek Tam-sol stopped them as they hurried to depart. The Shaman in Navy Robes glared at her with a face flushed crimson—whether from anger or shame, I couldn’t tell.
“What do you mean?”
“…The spirit that descended upon you is not Cheoyong. If something claiming to be Cheoyong has taken root within you, you must expel it at once. Should you require assistance, contact Hoguk Temple.”
Baek Tam-sol turned away, speaking with clinical detachment as though no lingering resentment remained. Her business was finished.
The Shaman’s face flushed an even deeper crimson. Trembling violently, she shrieked at Baek Tam-sol’s retreating back.
“Don’t presume to judge! My spirit is no mere charlatan!”
Baek Tam-sol paid her no further mind and approached the Merchant’s Son to assess his condition. The Shaman, left alone and stamping her feet, spun around in a fury.
“Let’s go!”
Her followers hesitated before trailing after her.
‘From her reaction, it seems she’s been deceived by a fraud spirit. Hmm….’
I pondered briefly, then rose quietly and followed them.
[Where are you going, Princess?]
[An-si, come with me.]
I sent a mental message to An-si, who had startled at my sudden movement, then pursued the group as they exited the Zelkova House.
As a young girl followed them, the Shaman’s party stopped at the corner of an alley and turned to look back.
[An-si, you’re following?]
[Yes, Princess!]
[Keep people away from this area, and make sure no sound escapes.]
The Shaman in Navy Robes recognized me and her expression darkened sharply.
“You’re the disciple of the Divine Priestess….”
I paid no attention to her reaction and untied the Cheoyong charm from my waist, placing it upon my palm.
“What are you doing?”
“Consider yourself fortunate. This….”
The word came to me suddenly, and I spoke it impulsively.
“…such an opportunity is precious.”
“What?”
The Shaman asked in bewilderment. Without answering, I clutched the Cheoyong charm and offered my prayer.
“I beseech you, I beseech you. I beseech the Calamity-Dispelling Spirit, the Honored Cheoyong. I offer this sacred object; receive it with grace and punish the false spirit that usurps your name.”
Normally, one must prepare an altar to pray to a spirit, but now I possessed the sacred object Cheoyong himself had created, which could serve as the altar in its place.
‘If I do this, the charm will disappear…. That’s why I didn’t use it when I was dragged away by Geu-seun-dae.’
It was a single-use charm anyway, and truthfully it had provided little benefit thus far. Besides, I could now freely employ the Eight Pillar Order and retrieve other protective items, so I decided to offer it without hesitation as an offering.
The response came swiftly, as expected. The Cheoyong charm in my hand rose into the air, ignited of its own accord, and crumbled to ash. The remaining smoke traced characters across the empty space.
Accepted.

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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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