Killing the Possessor - Chapter 91

“The house is so beautiful that I unintentionally committed a faux pas while admiring it. I apologize.”

I chose to offer a quick apology. Though it was hardly a sufficient excuse, there was little else to say once I had come out this way.

And my prediction was right. The Count smiled warmly and didn’t ask further. He even offered to personally show me around later if I wished.

When I followed him back to the game room, it seemed he had gathered even more people than before. As I arrived with the prince, whispers spread around, and each time our eyes met, a tightening tension gripped my chest.

Because I already had a rough idea of what was about to happen here.

What worried me most was…

“Camilli!”

Seeing Ilui’s bright smile as she spotted me felt like a stone dropping in my chest.

Without even meeting in person, I already knew from letters exchanged before the party that Kim Hee-mang still hadn’t been possessed.

Still, since today marked the start of a new chapter, I had a sliver of hope. But that expression told me it wasn’t happening after all. Why on earth was our female lead dragging her feet so much?

“I was looking for you for so long! Where were you?”

“Oh, just looking around a bit.”

Ilui smiled sweetly and stood beside me, her gaze lingering on the blonde woman nearby. It was ironic how close we had become, considering these two had been bitter rivals in the original story.

Maybe the few kind words she’d heard on her nerve-wracking debut day had comforted her more than I realized. For reasons unknown, Ilui genuinely liked me—she asked about my attendance at every banquet and followed me around quite a bit.

Ilui’s eyes, already sparkling as if studded with jewels, gleamed even brighter as she pointed to the central table.

“See those orbs? They say those can identify possessors.”

“…”

In the direction her finger pointed sat a crystal orb that radiated an overwhelming presence.

So it has finally come.

I exhaled deeply, resigned to the expected situation.

The chapter’s title was ‘Witch Hunt’.

The meaning was obvious—it was literally going to be a witch hunt.

Soon, some poor soul would be wrongly identified as a possessor by one of those scam orbs and get into trouble. In the original story, Ilui would step in as the female lead to save them.

“I hope there’s no possessor here… that thought scares me a little.”

“…”

Since the woman standing beside me was the original Ilui Hope and not Kim Hee-mang, such an outcome seemed unlikely.

I wondered how this would all play out.

“Thank you all for coming.”

Having gathered everyone he wanted, the Count stood before the orb and focused attention. He gestured to the orb, about the size of his face, resting on a velvet cushion.

“For distinguished guests who’ve traveled far, it’s only proper to show you a rare item. This orb is a biological magic power detection orb stolen from the Grand Temple over twenty years ago. It can identify possessors, and we recently purchased it at auction for the price of a townhouse in the city.”

In the original story, the orb failed to reveal Ilui as possessor, meaning it was just a flashy fake.

But Count Midas was wealthy and renowned for his excellent taste in collectibles, so the attendees trusted his presentation without much doubt. Of course, that trust would reverse the moment they themselves were accused.

“I’m sure you all know I have extensive connections—even within the Public Security Bureau. Today, I received some rather interesting news.”

The moment he mentioned the Public Security Bureau, an ominous feeling filled the air. As my expression stiffened, his face lit up with delight.

“Well, it seems there’s someone suspected as a possessor among the guests on my invitation list.”

A murmur spread at the suggestion that a possessor might be here. Naturally—many citizens believed possession was equivalent to evil spirits, as heavily promoted by the Emperor himself.

“Since it’s confidential, I can’t name names. But what that person doesn’t know is that I have this orb.”