Killing the Possessor - Chapter 72

Opening each wardrobe with glass doors as if searching for something, she soon pulled out a red dress boasting delicate vine patterns and stretched it toward me and murmured.

“Will this suit you?”

“……”

“It will.”

She seemed to be holding the dress against my body. From a distance, she twisted the fabric here and there, as if trying to judge properly. After a few moments of questioning herself, she handed the dress to me.

“Now, we’re officially in the business of lending clothes to each other.”

“……What?”

“You and I, we’re friends. Officially.”

It seemed like an answer to my earlier question about whether we should avoid meeting for a while. Josen, rather comically, applauded and congratulated me.

“Wow, it took me years to become friends with Bali, and you did it just like that. Impressive.”

“……”

Somehow, I felt I understood why Bali didn’t even acknowledge him as a lover.

Ignoring the man who looked perfectly normal but seemed a little loose in the screws, I turned my gaze back to Bali. She was already heading toward the call bell on the wall, saying she’d summon a maid to help with changing.

“Wait a moment.”

I urgently stopped her. There was still something I hadn’t said. Facing her puzzled expression, I clenched the dress tightly and spoke up.

“There’s something troubling I heard.”

“Something troubling?”

I hesitated a lot over whether or not I should say it.

If I were to recklessly spread uncertain information, an innocent agent might end up risking their safety by taking on the investigation.

But no matter how much I thought about it, I had a strong feeling this was related to possessors. Maybe Bali already knew.

“They said the execution date has been set.”

“…Who said that?”

I recalled a poised woman with black hair and crimson irises. Though she had a delicate porcelain-doll face, her expression was unusually rich with despair.

“The execution date has been set—is that true?”

“It’s the princess.”

It has been nearly ten years since executions of possessors were carried out in Harent. Despite possessors being treated as evil spirits, many bereaved families actually opposed the executions. They defied the imperial family, hoping that if the possession could someday be exorcised, they might reclaim their loved ones.

Although, according to the world’s lore, possession only occurs when the body’s original owner has passed beyond the river Styx, making such hopes a cruel torment. The persistence of those families despite repeated failed exorcisms was understandable.

The imperial family initially felt threatened by the unknown phenomenon and quickly executed the possessors, but over time, they postponed the executions. The reason was unclear, but perhaps since some possessors came from influential noble bloodlines, holding their lives as leverage strengthened the imperial authority.

“Did Shelyn say that? That executions of the possessor will take place?”

“She didn’t specify whose execution it was. But somehow, it felt related to the possessor… Of course, I might have misunderstood.”

“No, if the princess you saw was the second princess Shelyn, then it’s correct that it refers to executions of the possessor. Her husband is currently imprisoned as a possessor.”

“……”

Suddenly, I remembered what she had shouted at Ren:

“An investigation? You mean an investigation of the possessor? How many more innocent people do you want to drive to their deaths before you’re satisfied!”

So that must have been why she spoke as if siding with the possessors, unlike the Empress who was hostile toward them.

“This is new information not in Hongik Ingan’s network. The Emperor might have suddenly changed his mind, so we need to verify it carefully.”

Bali bit her lip and looked down at the floor with a troubled expression, then suddenly turned to me as if something had just occurred to her.

“What about Illui Hope? You met her earlier. Has she become a possessor?”

“…Not yet.”

“So that means she’s no longer a reliable ally.”

Whatever plan she was hatching, she silently paced the room. Even Josen, who usually fussed over Bali annoyingly, now quietly watched her with caution.

“Bali, there’s something I’ve wanted to ask for a long time.”

I broke the silence. Since I naturally had thoughts about mentioning Kim Heemang, the female lead who had not yet become possessor.

“Why did you create Hongik Ingan?”