A fortune-telling princess Chapter 172

“There’s something else interesting.”  

 

Jaynor pulled something out from his coat.  

 

“They’ve been doing some ridiculous things at the temple.”  

 

What he took out was a necklace.  

 

“That’s…”  

 

Camilla recognized it. It was the red stone necklace that High Priest Daniel had given her before. But the one in Jaynor’s hand now was a different color.  

 

“A black stone?”  

 

Is it different from the relic I know? The shape is similar, though.  

 

Jaynor immediately cleared up Camilla’s confusion.  

 

“It’s the same stone that’s popular these days. The ones sold at the temple. Apparently, after a certain period, the color changes like this.”  

 

This was news to her.  

 

“This guy must have donated a huge sum to the temple since he was wearing this necklace.”  

 

Jaynor then briefly explained the indulgences being sold by the temple.  

 

“Divine pardon?”  

 

“Whoever came up with this idea… isn’t it brilliant?”  

 

“Hah.”  

 

Camilla was so dumbfounded that she couldn’t even speak for a moment. *Divine pardon*? They’d been selling something like that?  

 

“In the temple, of all places?”  

 

Does this mean that if you have this indulgence, even murder will be overlooked? So, money is all that matters?  

 

“That’s absurd.”  

 

Scamming people with a necklace was already ridiculous, but the indulgence was taking it too far. How could something like this be real?  

 

“Who decides whose sins are forgiven?”  

 

Frowning, Camilla picked up the necklace Jaynor had placed down.  

 

“Should I just wreck everything?”  

 

“Wreck?”  

 

“This thing.”  

 

Maybe I should actually make a fake product to sell. Lay out some high-quality magic stones, engrave a magic circle to boost energy, and sell it at a high price.  

 

And if I claim it’s completely incompatible with sacred objects, warning that the relic necklaces should never be used together with it… Wouldn’t that reduce the sales of the temple’s relics?  

 

“I should really—!”  

 

*Crackle!*  

 

Just as Camilla was pondering how to screw over the temple, her eyes widened in shock.  

 

The black stone she was holding displayed the exact same phenomenon as before. The moment it touched her hand, sparks flared, and the stone crumbled.  

 

“What the—? Why did it suddenly break?”  

 

Jaynor, also confused, asked her, but Camilla remained silent, her expression frozen.  

 

She was just as taken aback. Once might be a coincidence, but twice? Could the same thing really happen again?  

 

Her gaze remained fixed on her right hand, where the shattered remains of the necklace lay. Something flashed through her mind.  

 

‘You are a soul predetermined by the Reaper. No one else may touch you carelessly.’

 

She recalled what the Reaper Havel had said when they last met.  

 

The right hand stained with his blood.  

 

The relic necklace shattered every time it touched that hand.  

 

‘How am I supposed to interpret this?’

 

Camilla clenched the remains of the necklace tightly.  

 

Wasn’t it said that wearing this necklace would grant eternal rest?  

 

“Rest, huh.”  

 

…Well, would you look at that.  

 

“Hah!”  

 

A hollow laugh escaped her lips.  

 

This must be connected to that strange group again, right?  

 

“Damn it.”  

 

Just how far have their hands reached?  

 

The imperial palace, and now even the temple?  

 

It was beyond surprising at this point—it was downright chilling.  

 

“Uh, hello? Can I be included in this conversation?”  

 

Jaynor, who had been watching her closely, still brimming with curiosity, finally spoke up.  

 

“What’s so special about that relic necklace?”  

 

It seemed like she had figured out something important.  

 

“Is your hand okay?”  

 

When she still didn’t respond, Jaynor reached out to check her hand, which was clutching the shattered stone tightly.  

 

Swish!

 

But his action was abruptly halted.  

 

Someone grabbed his arm, stopping him in his tracks.  

 

“What the hell?”  

 

An all-too-familiar voice rang out, and only then did Camilla react.  

 

“Arison.”  

 

When had he arrived? He was glaring at Jaynor with clear displeasure.  

 

“This seems oddly familiar.”  

 

Jaynor smirked at Arison’s sudden appearance.  

 

Arison’s gaze narrowed at his laughter.  

 

“Hey.”  

 

“…?”  

 

“You’ve seen me before, haven’t you?”  

 

Jaynor’s eyes widened slightly, but he soon smiled as if amused.  

 

He shrugged as if he didn’t understand.  

 

“Hmm, maybe we passed by each other once or twice?”  

 

“Passed by?”  

 

“I have one of those familiar faces, you know.”  

 

“You—!”  

 

Arison was about to say something more, but—  

 

Thud! 

 

Camilla suddenly stood up.  

 

“Camilla?”  

 

“I need to go.”  

 

“Out of nowhere? Where to?”  

 

“I have to confirm something myself.”  

 

Leaving the two confused men behind, Camilla quickly walked out.  

 

****

 

Meanwhile, at the Temple 

 

“What is the meaning of this?!”  

 

“Please, calm yourself.”  

 

“How do you expect me to stay calm?!”  

 

Pope Brisel, his face red with anger, raised his voice. His usual gentle demeanor was nowhere to be found.  

 

“You assured me that there would be no issues!”  

 

The concept of divine pardon had been proposed by the very man sitting in front of him.  

 

Brisel clenched his teeth at the sight of the utterly composed man.  

 

At first, even he had found the idea ridiculous.  

 

How could someone atone for their heinous sins simply by paying money?  

 

‘It’s no different from confession.’  

 

‘Confession?’* 

 

‘As servants of the divine, can we turn away those who seek redemption? Forgiveness is a virtue we must always uphold.’

 

‘Hmm… That is true.’

 

Upon hearing those words, everything seemed reasonable.  

 

If someone truly repented and offered a donation as penance, what was the harm?  

 

After all, simply sending sinners to prison wasn’t always the best solution.  

 

All the temple had to do was issue certificates. Even His Majesty the Emperor had agreed to cooperate.  

 

They had thought there would be no problems.  

 

Even though a portion of the donations had to be shared with the imperial family, that was a small price to pay.  

 

“What are we going to do now?!”  

 

But then, trouble struck.  

 

The crimes of Viscount Orleans—who had been purchasing indulgences several times a month—had been publicly exposed.  

 

“I never expected this to happen.”  

 

“‘I never expected this’? That’s your excuse?!”  

 

High Priest Daniel let out a short sigh.  

 

He had no idea who had exposed Orleans.  

 

No witnesses…  

 

The only witnesses had been children.  

 

And one of them had died while receiving treatment.  

 

The remaining two were in no condition to speak. They were barely alive.  

 

“At least, the indulgences haven’t been brought up yet.”  

 

The pope let out a deep sigh, furrowing his brows.  

 

This wasn’t the time for anger.  

 

They had to handle this quietly.  

 

“Are the children a problem?”  

 

Viscount Orleans had turned over fifty people into statues before killing them.  

 

Only two children had survived.  

 

The temple had taken them in under the pretense of healing them with divine power.  

 

But in truth, it was to keep their mouths shut.  

 

“You don’t think they overheard anything…?”  

 

If Orleans had spoken openly about the indulgences in front of them, things could get messy.  

 

“They can’t even hold a conversation.”  

 

“But still…”  

 

“They’re under strict watch, so there’s no need to worry.”  

 

Daniel spoke in a calm voice, reassuring the pope.  

 

He then lowered his voice even further.  

 

“Once the children disappear, everything will be settled.”  

 

“…Hmm.”  

 

“They’re only receiving minimal divine power. You needn’t worry.”  

 

Their organs had already begun to harden.  

 

Though divine power kept them breathing, they wouldn’t last much longer.  

 

There would be no problems.  

 

“People forget things quickly. This, too, will fade from memory in time.”  

 

“…If only that were true.”  

 

Only then did the pope’s expression relax slightly.  

 

“Make sure there are no issues.”  

 

“Of course.”  

 

“And once this is over, as promised, your promotion to High Priest will be finalized.”  

 

“Thank you.”  

 

Daniel bowed respectfully.  

 

His gaze naturally shifted toward the pope’s neck.  

 

“It’s still red.”  

 

The stone in the pope’s necklace remained bright red.  

 

“Speaking of which, didn’t Viscount Orleans also have one of these? Have you found it?”  

 

“We’re still looking.”  

 

“What? You mean it’s missing?”  

 

The pope’s voice rose again.  

 

“We must get rid of anything connected to us immediately! We can’t give people any excuses!”  

 

“Rest assured.”  

 

Just then—  

 

Knock knock. 

 

The door creaked open as a priest cautiously entered, bowing deeply.  

 

“What is it?”  

 

“High Priest Daniel, you have a visitor.”  

 

“A visitor?”  

 

“Lady Camilla of House Sorpel wishes to see you.”  

 

“…Camilla?”  

 

Both Daniel and the pope frowned in confusion.  

 

“What could she possibly want here?”  

 

“I’m not sure. She came unannounced.”  

 

The pope, already tense from the situation, clicked his tongue.  

 

“Send her away.”  

 

“Understood.”  

 

Daniel rose from his seat.  

 

“Where is she now?”

***

“Why are we here all of a sudden?”

“I need to check something.”

“Check what?”

“I’ll tell you later.”

Arison didn’t ask anything more. Since she said she’d explain later, that was enough for him.

“Hmph.”

Jaynor, watching them from the side, tilted his head slightly.

Though he was smiling out of habit, his eyes were filled with displeasure.

The way those two stood so close together was irritating to watch.

Click.

At that moment, the door to the reception room opened, and someone stepped inside.

It was High Priest Daniel.

A soft smile graced his face.

“Welcome, Lady Camilla.”

“I apologize for coming unannounced.”

“No need to apologize. An unexpected visit like this is actually quite a pleasant surprise.”

After a brief exchange of greetings, Daniel’s gaze naturally shifted to the two people standing beside Camilla.

For a moment, a flicker of surprise crossed his face.