Since I’m a Time-Limited Princess Who Has No Tomorrow - Chapter 60

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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 60
And if I channeled divine power in such a manner… wouldn’t I be able to draw only as much of my excessive divine power as I could personally manage? And wouldn’t the burden of that expended power fall upon the healthy body of ‘Shaman Se-ru-hwa’ rather than my fragile celestial form, barely clinging to life?
‘If I could draw only as much divine power as I could handle and use it without straining my original body…’
This is incredibly advantageous!
Not only would I be able to use the Cheonmyeong Technique that I promised my parents not to use, but I could finally command my own divine power—something far too dangerous to properly wield before.
‘If I can just use divine power, I won’t need to struggle with tools like I did opening the gates to the Afterlife, and I could protect myself even without An-si.’
Through an indirect method, I would finally be able to wield divine power as naturally as other deities do. The mere thought set my heart racing with excitement.
There were concerns, of course—whether this was truly possible, whether it would further shorten my already dwindling lifespan.
‘But there’s potential, isn’t there? Shamanic techniques are called shamanism, right? I should start learning shamanism immediately!’
If I learned shamanism and experimented with various approaches, I could perform miracles with divine power just like normal deities…
While I indulged in such blissful fantasies, the Crown Prince and Princess Onseol’s atmosphere grew increasingly dark.
“Is there truly no way to avoid divine illness without becoming a Shaman?”
“Unfortunately not, Your Highness. Even at Hoguk Temple, where those most desperately in need gathered, no method to avoid divine illness was found.”
“…I absolutely cannot allow the Crown Princess to leave the palace.”
“You know as well as I do—the moment the Crown Princess becomes a Shaman, petitions demanding her deposition will flood in. Wouldn’t it be better for her to leave voluntarily beforehand?”
“The Crown Princess is a benefactor to the royal family. She saved me, awakened the Queen, and healed the King. Who would dare submit a petition to depose such a Crown Princess?”
“It will certainly happen. All the royal relatives will be in an uproar as well.”
“I will not accept it. Never.”
What? Why did things suddenly become so serious? Why is the Crown Prince looking so grim?
‘They’re saying I’d be stripped of my position as Crown Princess if I become a Shaman? Why is Shamanism treated so poorly? I need to understand this once and for all.’
I carefully interjected into the conversation.
“Excuse me, Princess Onseol.”
“Yes, Your Highness?”
“Is becoming a Shaman really such a grave problem? Shamans are Celestial Deities too. I’ve heard that all Celestial Deities are considered precious talents…”
“…It seems the Crown Princess still doesn’t fully understand.”
Princess Onseol continued with a bitter expression.
“In reality, Shamans are indeed treated as valued talents. The state-appointed Shamans selected by the court receive treatment equivalent to lower-ranking officials, and the Star Mansion Bureau, which oversees them, wields considerable influence.”
“Then… that makes it even stranger.”
I had seen information about the Star Mansion Bureau and state-appointed Shamans when learning about Yun Kingdom’s systems. I had read explanations of how the Observatory maintained close cooperative relations with the Star Mansion Bureau, and the court records documented regular shamanic rituals sponsored by the state.
Even if Shamans received somewhat inferior treatment among Celestial Deities, since Celestial Deities themselves were capable individuals and precious talents, Shamans were still far more privileged than ordinary humans.
‘What kind of custom is this that’s so strange and contradictory?’
As I stared with an expression of incomprehension, Princess Onseol released a deep sigh.
“The treatment of Shamans is not the issue. The problem is that a Shaman cannot hold any status other than ‘Shaman.'”
“Any other status…?”
“A princess who is also a Shaman. A prince who is also a Shaman. An official who is also a Shaman. A general who is also a Shaman… These are all impossible. A Shaman must be only a Shaman, and can only hold positions that are possible as a Shaman, such as state-appointed Shaman.”
“Why? Other Celestial Deities aren’t restricted like that. In fact, military officials are required to learn martial arts and become Warriors, and the physicians at the Royal Medical Office must learn medicine…”
And besides, being a princess or prince isn’t even a profession—it’s an inherited status. Yet if I become a Shaman, I’d have to abandon that too? Is that why Princess Onseol pretends to be a Buddhist nun while being a Shaman, to maintain her status as a princess? If I simply become a Shaman, I would no longer be a princess?
As I tilted my head in confusion, the Crown Prince suddenly interjected from beside me.
“It is due to superstition.”
Princess Onseol continued from the Crown Prince’s words.
“It’s not merely superstition… it has its own basis, so the roots run deep.”
“What sort of superstition is it?”
“The belief that if a Shaman emerges from a family, the family is ruined.”
“…What?”
“A Shaman is one chosen by the divine to serve them. If a Shaman—who must devote themselves entirely to the divine—has relatives or other social standing, the divine grows wrathful and brings ruin upon the entire household, or so they say.”
Petty gods like that actually exist? Of course, not all divine beings possess pleasant temperaments, but something feels off about this.
‘If a divine being were to harm innocent people around a Shaman for such a trivial reason, even a god couldn’t bear the karmic consequences.’
“The divine that descends upon a Shaman destroys everything around them?”
“Yes, which is why Shamans must sever all worldly ties. They cannot hold any social status besides being a Shaman.”
“It’s all superstition.”
The Crown Prince interjected once more. Despite his fists clenching beneath the refreshment table, the young man spoke with measured composure.
“Becoming a Shaman results in loss of status, yet if one leaves the world to become a monk at Hoguk Temple, one’s status is preserved, is it not? Whether one becomes a monk or a Shaman, both receive divine descent, and yet the temple has experienced no such problems across generations.”
“People believe that by becoming a monk, one receives protection from Yeonhwa Buddha, and through the Buddha’s power, one can prevent the wrath of one’s tutelary deity.”
“You do not believe that account, then?”
“It is somewhat awkward to speak thus as one bearing the status of monk, but… most monks of Hoguk Temple have never experienced divine power. Yeonhwa Buddha is magnanimous and embraces even false monks like us, yet unlike true monks, the Buddha does not bestow divine power upon us.”
That is only natural. The monks of the Yeonhwa Order are those who cultivate Buddhist enlightenment like Yeonhwa Buddha himself, aspiring toward nirvana.
‘It resembles cultivating the Way.’
Though they employ a peculiar force called “divine power,” akin to that of the Gwae-ryeok-nan-sin, strictly speaking, divine power is merely a byproduct accumulated during the monks’ cultivation of Buddhist enlightenment. Naturally, those without such enlightenment cannot wield divine power. The notion that a Shaman could be protected from a tutelary deity’s wrath through Yeonhwa Buddha’s power is nonsensical.
“If they receive no protection through divine power yet the family suffers no particular calamity, doesn’t that mean receiving divine descent doesn’t necessarily harm those around them?”
“Yet because such cases have occurred, the belief that Shamans ruin families has become a deeply rooted superstition.”
As I continued listening to Princess Onseol’s account, it seemed there were indeed cases where family members were injured shortly after divine descent, or fires broke out in homes, or Shamans fell gravely ill until they abandoned other occupations.
And as I heard these accounts, I came to understand.
‘Impostors! The Shamans were deceived!’
If they were true divine beings, they would fear the principles and karma of the Celestial Deities far too much to harm humans for such trivial reasons.
‘Most divine beings are already occupied with their own domains of governance, delegating even the acceptance of offerings to the Incense Acceptance Officials. The notion that they would concern themselves with a single human Shaman—not even the Shaman themselves, but those around them—and wreak havoc makes no sense.’
Of course, exceptions exist, but generally speaking, the divine are not so idle. However, if we speak of malevolent entities—lesser spirits unable to enter the Celestial Realm or wandering ghosts haunting the Mortal Realm—that is another matter entirely.
‘If a lesser spirit impersonated a Heavenly divine being and descended upon a Shaman’s body, acting as it pleased, that would make sense.’
It is not strange for a Shaman to be deceived by a lesser spirit. Why look far? During the Yongryong Ceremony, Gwang-chul impersonated the Unryong Divine Official, and people nearly believed it entirely.
‘Humans scarcely understand how great a divine being truly is, so they often mistake powerful lesser spirits for great gods.’
Lesser spirits are ghosts that do not proceed to the Afterlife but wander the world, harming humans or consuming them to grow stronger. Lesser deities are those among such spirits that have lingered for ages and grown exceptionally powerful.
‘Some are relatively docile, but most are malevolent. Such entities deceive human Shamans and take up residence within them.’
A lesser spirit that would cooperate peacefully with a Shaman would never impersonate a divine being in the first place. Such entities would desire to monopolize the excellent vessel of a Shaman entirely, making it plausible they would wreak havoc around the Shaman.
‘Because of a few such creatures, all human Shamans and legitimate tutelary deities are being misunderstood. It’s rather pitiful.’
In any case, if that were the reason, I had a way to learn shamanic arts without fear of losing my status.
“Your Highness, ultimately one must receive divine descent to become a Shaman, yes?”
“Yes.”
“Then I wish to remain as Crown Princess without receiving divine descent. Nor do I wish to leave the world.”
“What? Your Highness the Crown Princess, divine descent is not something one can simply refuse to receive through unwillingness.”
“If the divine illness does not manifest, then one need not receive it, correct?”
“…Your Highness, divine illness is inevitable. An empty vessel cannot remain vacant forever.”
Princess Onseol gazed at me with a look of concern and spoke with conviction.
But I truly had no risk of divine illness manifesting.
‘I’m not an empty vessel—I’m already a vessel containing an immensely powerful deity: Princess Cheonmyeong.’
Since the deity dwelling within the vessel is me, and the vessel itself is me, it merely appears empty at first glance.
‘I can’t exactly tell her the truth—that I’m actually a deity possessing Se-ru-hwa’s body.’
In situations like this, there’s nothing for it but to resort to a universal excuse.
I lifted my silver hair, which I had braided so carefully, to show her.
“As you can see, I am a descendant of the Xue Tribe. That’s why divine illness won’t manifest in me.”
“…!”

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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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