The Fortune-Teller Saintess - Chapter 87
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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“…Abandon the village? Why has it come to that?”
When I asked with a hardened expression, Jacad answered with a troubled sigh.
“There are two ways to remove a curse. Find and eliminate the caster, or break the curse itself. The former is impossible for now, and the latter is also difficult since the curse is scattered throughout the entire village.”
“….”
“Once we evacuate the residents, those curses will go outside the village looking for sacrifices. Before that happens, while they’re still gathered in the village, we have no choice but to seal the entire village.”
“But then what about the villagers?”
“Unfortunately, they’ll have no choice but to find a new home. I plan to provide maximum support for that using the Crown Prince’s authority.”
Even after hearing Jacad’s plan, I couldn’t brighten my expression.
Trivia Village had already suffered a disaster once in the past. Those wounds still remain….
And now they’re being told to abandon their village.
“Isn’t there a way to avoid abandoning the village?”
“I wish there was such a method too.”
Both Jacad and I sighed simultaneously.
Feeling troubled, I unconsciously pulled out my tarot cards from my pocket.
‘Is there really no way? A way to not take the village away from the villagers.’
I drew the top card seeking advice. With a small hope.
Perhaps responding to my hope.
Instead of a card meaning impossibility, a different card revealed itself.
“‘THE MAGICIAN’ card.”
“The Magician? But mages are already helping us, aren’t they.”
Jacad spoke with a puzzled tone.
Hearing those words, something began to surface in my mind.
What ‘THE MAGICIAN’ card means in tarot: creation, possibility, illusion….
And the young mage in the card’s illustration.
“Duke.”
“Duke? Who’s that?”
“A mage from the Mage Tower. Your Highness, perhaps….”
I spoke to Jacad, unable to hide my bursting excitement.
“There might be a way to eliminate the curse and protect the village.”
‘Why is she going this far?’
Moriel watched Holy Lady Ellia discussing with the Crown Prince to protect the village with a confused expression.
‘Why… is she going this far for people who have nothing to do with her?’
He couldn’t understand it. No matter how pitiful they were, these villagers were just strangers.
Even if there was a duty to help, there was no reason to help while enduring such trouble. The villagers should have been grateful for the Crown Prince’s proposal.
But the Holy Lady wasn’t satisfied with that. She was trying to help the villagers as much as she possibly could.
Why on earth?
‘I, couldn’t do that.’
A memory from the past surfaced. When Isabel was still alive.
Even when Isabel acted as if possessed by something, even when he knew something was wrong, he stubbornly pretended not to know.
He thought that was the better choice for both Isabel and himself.
Though he realized too late that it was wrong.
“What are you thinking about so deeply?”
Moriel snapped back to attention. Looking up, he saw the Holy Lady staring directly up at him.
When he shook his head as if it was nothing, the Holy Lady spoke with a bland expression.
“There will be Temple people at the village entrance. It’s dangerous here, so go there.”
“…By myself?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll assign a mage to you.”
“Th-that’s not what I meant… Wouldn’t it be problematic if I just ran away like this?”
It was an absurd question from someone who had wanted to escape, but he asked because he couldn’t understand.
At Moriel’s question, the Holy Lady blinked and instead said.
“Even so, I can’t keep you in a dangerous place, can I?”
“….”
“And don’t worry. We have the Mage Tower Master with us. There are plenty of ways to track you down!”
At those words, Moriel’s face contorted. Come to think of it, that was true.
But aside from being convinced, his heart still stirred.
‘Can’t keep you in a dangerous place….’
Moriel stared intently at the Holy Lady who had returned to the Crown Prince’s side.
His hands clenched into fists as strength entered them.
***
I asked a nearby mage to escort Moriel outside the village, then contacted Duke. I immediately conveyed the plan I had devised.
My plan was as follows:
1. Evacuate all villagers outside the village.
2. Someone acting as bait lures the Black Hands to the village center.
3. Use Duke’s ‘village protection device’ to trap the Black Hands with a barrier and pour attacks on them.
4. The curse disappears and the village regains peace. Solved!
Duke, who had been listening to my plan, fell silent for a moment then answered with a bright voice.
-It seems possible!
“Really?”
-Yes. I just need to slightly reverse the barrier’s characteristic of blocking external intrusion and attacks to work internally. That much is simple!
At Duke’s assurance, not only my expression but also Jacad’s brightened. The probability of protecting the village had increased.
-However, there’s one concern….
“What is it?”
Duke hesitated then carefully spoke.
-Who will play the bait role? Don’t tell me I have to do it….
“Don’t worry, I won’t ask you to do it.”
-Phew! Then will Your Highness do it?
“Why do you naturally assume it’s me?”
Jacad frowned at the impudent words.
I smiled awkwardly and answered Duke’s question.
“Not His Highness either. The Black Hands don’t touch His Highness.”
-Huh? Then….
“I’ll do it.”
-….
“….”
At that moment, the atmosphere turned cold.
I tilted my head in confusion, and Jacad cast a suspicious look from beside me.
“You’ll do it yourself? The bait role? Are you in your right mind?”
-Th-that, Holy Lady. I’d like to take your side if possible, but this is a bit…. If something happens to you, the Tower Master might kill us!
At both their objections, I furrowed my brow and said.
“But I can’t entrust such dangerous work to someone else either. Since it’s my plan, I should step forward.”
“Absolutely not.”
-You cannot!
Negative responses flew back immediately. Duke’s reaction in particular was so earnest I couldn’t even argue back.
“Then who will play the bait role….”
“I will do it.”
“Huh?”
The right person appeared from an unexpected place.
“Count Lucian? How did you get in here?”
“I just came in.”
Lucian tilted his head as he answered. I was momentarily speechless at his response.
‘He must have entered while the village was in chaos.’
Well, in such a chaotic situation, the villagers wouldn’t have been able to stop him anyway.
As I nodded in understanding, Lucian spoke again.
“I’ll take the role of bait. Please leave it to me.”
“Wait… Do you know what role the bait plays?”
“The plan is to lure the curse, then deploy a barrier to block escape routes and eliminate it all at once, isn’t it?”
“Y-yes, that’s right.”
I was speechless again at his fluent answer. But my thoughts quickly changed.
‘If it’s Count Lucian, I might be able to trust him with this.’
He had both the stamina to lure the Black Hands and the strength to avoid getting caught by their attacks.
After some consideration, I nodded.
“Then may I ask you to do it?”
“Holy Lady, I am the sword of the Temple.”
Lucian suddenly knelt on one knee and looked up at me with a serious expression.
“If it’s the Holy Lady’s word, I will gladly follow. So please don’t ask—give me an order.”
“But we’re friends, aren’t we? How could I give orders to a friend?”
At those words, a strange light appeared in Lucian’s eyes.
I grabbed his hand and spoke seriously.
“Just don’t overdo it.”
“I’ll try my best.”
“Then it’s decided.”
I turned my head to look at Jacad.
Jacad looked back and forth between me and Lucian as he summarized the situation.
“The Holy Knight Captain lures the curse, then the Mage deploys a barrier to trap the curse. And the Mages attack all at once. Is that right?”
“Yes.”
“That’s correct.”
“Then we just need to execute it.”
Jacad narrowed his eyes. His golden eyes, now even sharper, emitted an eerie light.
“Let’s go and crush the Seer’s plan.”
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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