A fortune-telling princess

Bang! Bang! Bang!

“Open the door! Open it now!”

Fists pounded against the tightly shut door, desperate to break through.

“A child is sick! Open up immediately!”

The worst had happened. His frail younger brother had finally fallen ill.

I found the limp child and began hammering the door even harder. My hands felt as though they were splitting open, but I didn’t care.

Bang! Bang!

“Open up!”

Crash!

“Please, just open the door…”

“Bro… brother…”

A faint call, weaker than usual, made me turn my head slowly.

For the first time, I felt grateful for the darkness. At least in this pitch-black space, the child wouldn’t see the despair written all over my face.

I carefully grasped the small hand reaching out to me. Just a short while ago, it had been burning hot with fever, but now it felt ice cold.

My heart dropped, and I gripped his hand even tighter.

“I’m glad.”

“…Glad about what?”

What in this situation could possibly be worth being glad about?!

I wanted to shout, but the words wouldn’t come.

“Now, you can leave, brother.”

“Don’t be ridiculous!”

“I’m sorry, brother.”

“Shut up.”

“I’m really sorry.”

“Stop wasting your energy talking nonsense. Help will come soon. Just stay still.”

“Brother.”

A sense of unease made my entire body tremble. The child gripped my hand firmly.

Was it my imagination, or did I see a faint smile on his lips even in the darkness?

“Brother…”

“…”

“You… Brother, you…”

The boy’s small body suddenly went limp.

“Sier?”

I called his name softly, but there was no response.

“Sier!”

It was the last time I ever spoke his name.

“…Sier.”

And now, ten years later, I was saying it again.

***

“Hey, what’s he saying?”

A touching reunion between siblings. Fine, sure. Reconnecting with a brother after ten years must be emotional. I get it.

“What’s he saying?”

I get it, but why am I stuck in the middle of this?!

“…Candy.”

“What?”

“He wants more candy!”

Damn it! Now I have to play ghost interpreter too?!

Camilla glanced sideways at Arsion and his brother, feeling both irritated and helpless.

She glared at Arsion, though not openly. As much as she wanted to give him a piece of her mind, she swallowed her frustration, suppressing the anger brought on by his past brutish behavior.

“Candy?”

Arsion searched his pockets frantically, but of course, no candy magically appeared.

As expected, his gaze turned to her.

“Got any candy?”

Shameless jerk.

‘The only reason I’m giving him this is because the kid’s cute.’

It’s not because I’m scared of you, okay?!

Camilla pulled the remaining candy from her pocket and handed it to Sier. Almost immediately, the candy disintegrated into smoky particles and disappeared.

Sier sucked on the remnants of the candy, a smile spreading across his face. Ever since Arsion had acknowledged him, the boy’s face had been lit with smiles.

‘He really is adorable.’

When he smiled, he looked even cuter. Too bad ghosts couldn’t be fattened up. If his cheeks were chubby, he’d make the perfect child actor.

“Can I go now?”

“No.”

Rotten jerk!

“I’m out of candy!”

“I’ll buy some.”

Camilla quickly grabbed his arm as he moved to leave.

“Let’s talk first.”

“Talk?”

“Yes, talk.”

“About what?”

“Sit down, sit down.”

He was too tall to stand over her like that. Camilla tugged on his arm, motioning for him to sit.

“…”

After a brief silence, Arsion sat back down.

“When did it start?”

“When did what start?”

“When did you begin seeing things like this?”

Arsion hesitated briefly, then glanced toward Sier.

“After he died.”

From that point on, his father’s abuse had stopped. Feeling the presence of the dead was exactly what his father had wanted.

“Hmm.”

Camilla nodded.

“So, you’ve always known ghosts were around, and you just ignored them?”

It was surprising. Unlike her, Arsion couldn’t fully see or hear them, yet he had just let them be. He didn’t seem the type to tolerate such things.

‘He was more than ready to obliterate Amy last time.’

The image of him reaching out toward the ghost with killing intent was still fresh in her mind.

Yet somehow, he hadn’t done the same with the presence hovering near him.

“Is it because you didn’t know how to get rid of it?”

It’s not like just anyone could deal with ghosts.

“I know how.”

“What?”

“All direct descendants of the Sephra family can eliminate such entities.”

As rulers of darkness, it was in their nature.

Camilla’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Then why didn’t you get rid of it?”

“Just because.”

“Just because?”

From the moment of Sier’s death, Arsion had been able to sense the energy of strange beings. If he saw them, he either destroyed them immediately or ignored them entirely.

“Yeah.”

But for some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to get rid of the presence that stayed by his side.

“I just… wanted to leave it alone.”

Perhaps, deep down, he had always wondered if it was Sier.

The boy had always followed him around in life, so maybe it made sense that he would continue to do so in death.

‘And now…’

It really was Sier.

“He’s hungry.”

If it weren’t for Camilla, Arsion might never have known.

“Go buy him something to eat.”

“…”

“Just wait a bit. Your brother’s going to get you some food.”

Her kind words to Sier caught Arsion’s attention.

For the first time, he felt a pang of envy.

‘I want to see him too.’

He longed to see his brother.

“What are you doing? Go already!”

At Camilla’s urging, Arsion quickly stood up.

***

Creak—

The students in Class 3-C turned their eyes toward the door as it swung open. Camilla strode into the room, immediately drawing attention.

Step.

Without hesitation, she walked straight to Arsion, the very person who had turned this class’s atmosphere into one of constant tension.

Thud!

She slammed her hand onto his desk, just as she had before. But this time, she held a piece of paper in her hand. She placed it in front of him with a grin.

“Sign it.”

“Cough!”

Was that… informal speech?!

The short demand sent shockwaves through the room. Her tone toward Arsion had become so casual!

“…”

The next moment shocked them even more.

Scratch.

Without a word, Arsion picked up a pen and signed the document Camilla had placed before him.

“What? You didn’t even read it?”

Even Camilla was taken aback. She hadn’t expected him to agree so readily.

“You said I could have whatever I wanted.”

“Oh.”

‘I’ll give you the highest credit rating.’

Camilla chuckled softly, amused by Arsion’s reminder of his own words.

The document wasn’t anything complicated. It simply stated that he would assist her in recruiting black magicians.

Even if it was just a piece of paper, having it ensured he couldn’t back out later.

“There’s something I want to show you. Let’s go outside.”

“Show me?”

“Come on.”

This wasn’t something she could take out in public.

Camilla grabbed Arsion’s arm and led him outside. She felt a thrill of excitement, thinking she had finally secured her golden ticket to a fortune.

She didn’t notice the classroom’s atmosphere had frozen solid, like ice water had been poured over it.

“Is that really Arsion?”

“Can’t be.”

“He’s gone mad.”

The students stared at Arsion as he was led out by Camilla, their expressions identical—utterly stunned.

“Did Arsion just let someone touch him and leave?”

“No way.”

Everyone in the room knew how much Arsion despised physical contact. One student, who had accidentally touched his shoulder once and had their arm nearly broken, let out a hollow laugh.

“Anything she wants?”

“Am I hearing things?”

Arsion Sephra, of all people, had said that?

As the classroom buzzed with confusion, one figure silently watched the space Camilla and Arsion had left. It was Petro.

***

“Hi there.”

[H-hi…]

Well, look at you. Didn’t see me for a day, and now you’re shy?

Arsion’s younger brother, Sier, peeked out from behind his brother, just as he had when they first met.

‘I knew this would happen, so I came prepared.’

Camilla pulled out a pouch filled with cookies she had baked with Ferrol’s help.

“I made these just for you.”

[Th-thank you.]

Sier hesitantly stepped forward, grabbing a cookie and nibbling on it. The boy marveled at the fact that he could still eat, even after death.

Crunch.

Like the candy before, the cookie crumbled into dark particles and vanished into the air.

‘I just want to keep feeding him.’

Was it because he was so thin, or was it the hamster-like way he nibbled on food? Either way, she found herself wanting to give him more.

“What did you want to show me?”

Arsion’s voice broke through her thoughts.

Right.

Camilla reached into her bag and pulled out the black mineral.

The moment Arsion saw it, his eyes glinted sharply.

“A mana stone.”

“Oh, you recognized it immediately?”

“Let me see it.”

“Here.”

Camilla handed the mineral to him without hesitation.

“The magic contained in it is weak… What?!”

His eyes widened as he held it. Camilla’s jaw dropped.

The instant Arsion touched the mineral, its color changed. The once pitch-black stone turned a shimmering shade of twilight blue, like the evening sky.