Chapter 2

"Haa... The bread is delicious... The soup is delicious..."

In the dimly lit prison cell.

I was devouring the simple meal served to me like a stray dog.

The bread was rock-hard, and the soup was cold.

But despite the appearance, it tasted pretty good.

"Because of the holy headband, I couldn't even taste the food. Still, the castle's bread is delicious, even if it's hard."

Muttering this, I then savored the soup with a deep appreciation.

Yeah.

It must have been simmered for a long time, as the vegetable flavors had seeped through, making it incredibly delicious.

Soaking the hard bread in it was also a good idea.

"For the past week, the soup has been different every day. Just that alone makes it the best."

It had been a week since the engagement break-up scandal.

Perhaps because I had been busy as a saint, life in the prison was unexpectedly comfortable and relaxing. The food was delicious, and no one complained even if I slept all day.

Well, the main reason might be that I no longer had the circlet.

Let me introduce myself a bit.

You might not understand what a saint or a holy headband is, right?

First, my name is Presia.

I am the saint of this country.

My job is to create a barrier between the demon world and the human world.

However, I was fired after the recent engagement break-up scandal.

I was chosen as a saint when I was around five years old.

"Around five" because I was an orphan and didn't know my exact birthday.

The orphanage director gave me the name Presia, which means "precious and irreplaceable," and a birthday.

Even though I was an orphan, I lived a relatively happy life in the orphanage.

But one day, priests from the capital came and said, "You are the saint of this generation."

Apparently, an oracle had been given at the temple, declaring that I was the saint.

The Orlassian Holy Kingdom has long been plagued by the miasma from the demon world.

The demon world is a place where violent demons, who possess magic power, live.

The demon world and the human world do not exist on the same plane, but they are said to exist in a relationship like the back and front, or light and shadow.

In the demon world, there is something called "miasma," which is like the air in the human world. When it enters the human world, it can turn animals into monsters, harm human bodies, and increase conflicts and criminals.

To stop this miasma, the "saint" exists.

A saint is loved by the gods and is born with a mysterious power called "holy power."

With this holy power, a saint can heal injuries and diseases and create barriers between the demon world and the human world to stop the miasma.

To protect such a saint and to connect her to the kingdom, it has been a tradition for the king and the saint to marry.

I, too, was no exception. I went to the temple at the age of five and took over the responsibility of maintaining the country's barrier from the previous saint, the queen, when I was seven.

The queen was frail and passed away at a young age.

Thanks to my training at the temple, I was able to maintain the barrier without any issues.

However, I had two major problems.

The first was that I had a vast amount of latent "magic power."

Magic power is the impure energy that demons possess.

Holy power and magic power are said to be opposites.

Therefore, when I wore the holy headband, which amplifies a saint's power, the magic power in my body would clash with it, causing intense pain.

Still, a saint had to wear it.

The "holy headband" is both a symbol of being a saint and a tool to amplify holy power for maintaining the barrier.

Thus, I suffered from the intense pain caused by the circlet for years.

The second problem was that I lacked support from the prince and the nobility.

This was due to my orphan background and my high magic power.

In the Orlassian Holy Kingdom, those with high magic power are despised and feared as potential criminals. In severe cases, they are imprisoned or executed.

Those with magic power can perform dirty magic, so most people fear them.

Moreover, those with high magic power have unusual hair and eye colors, making them easily identifiable.

In my case, my hair shone like scattered jewels, a bright golden color. This was already strange, but what was decisive was that my eyes were a deep magenta.

It was like, "Oh, you have magic power," and everyone knew immediately.

Because of this, I wasn't treated well.

A saint with such strong magic power was probably the worst in history.

Still, because of the oracle, I was made a saint.

I think there was also concern about finding a successor to the frail queen.

Even if I said I didn't want to, no one would listen. I was monitored by the temple and the palace and continued to fulfill my duties as a saint.

I tried to run away a few times to see the people at the orphanage, but all of them failed.

Because of the circlet, I couldn't show much expression, and the prince said I looked creepy.

But if I showed pain or discomfort, I would be scolded, and I couldn't laugh even when the pain was severe. Being expressionless was the best I could do.

I also couldn't properly receive etiquette training due to the pain.

So, I lacked manners and education, and the nobility looked down on me.

But the duties of a saint were so busy that I didn't have time to worry about such things.

Maintaining the barrier was already exhausting, but I also had to heal the injured, tour the regions, and attend various events.

I was so tired that I felt like I was dying every day.

So, when Himari came, I thought, "Maybe..."

I'm not sure of the details, but after an oracle was given at the temple saying, "The true saint will come from another world," Himari came from another world.

The elder prince became infatuated with the cute and powerful Himari.

It was as if their fates were intertwined.

Himari also naturally began to live a life befitting a saint, actively healing the injured and interacting with the nobility.

So, I thought, "Maybe I can quit being a saint!"

And it actually happened.

Even though I was blamed for some unclear crime.

Fortunately, Himari, being from another world, has no magic power.

So, she can use holy power without pain when wearing the circlet.

I hope she doesn't suffer from the circlet.

"Hmm, I want to eat more..."

In the prison cell, I rubbed my stomach.

It's delicious, but the portion is a bit small.

I feel like I'm only 80% full.

Ah, right, if there were some dessert or sweets, I'd be so happy.

I want to eat chocolate.

It was forbidden at the temple because they said it would make me spoiled.

Rubbing my slightly puffy stomach, I lay down on the dirty bed.

The reason I'm so relaxed is that I no longer have the circlet.

Thanks to that, I can now use magic and magic power.

"Well, let's do some flying practice today."

After a short break, I sat up and closed my eyes to concentrate.

I'm not sure if there are different types of magic, so I call this flying magic.

Fwoosh.

My body floated in the air.

This is the levitation spell.

I used to fly around the orphanage like this and get scolded.

"Hmm, still unstable... Oh no!"

My concentration broke, and my body shot up even higher.

Naturally, I hit the ceiling and let out a scream.

Then the magic cut off, and I fell onto the bed with a thud.

"Hey, what was that noise!?"

The guard must have heard my scream and rushed over, shouting.

"It's nothing... really..."

I said, rubbing my nose.

Oh no, my not-so-high nose is getting even lower...

"Have you gone mad from the fear of execution?"

The guard looked at me with pity as I had tears in my eyes.

"Here, have some sweets for your last meal."

Saying this, the guard slipped something wrapped in paper through the bars.

It's chocolate!

I forgot about the pain in my nose and pounced on it.

"Wow, thank you, sir!"

"...Eat it carefully."

Saying this, the guard left.

I sat in the prison cell, savoring the chocolate.

Mmm, it's delicious!

My cheeks hurt from the sweetness, but why do they hurt when I eat something delicious?

...Actually, I shouldn't be so relaxed.

"Ah, it's finally tomorrow. I wonder if this unstable flying magic will work."

Feeling a bit anxious, I sighed and lay down on the bed, nibbling on the chocolate.

"Execution is just too cruel."

That's right.

Actually, I...

Am going to be executed tomorrow morning...