Chapter 1

※This is the web version.

The book version has been expanded by about 80,000 words in the first chapter, and the second chapter is a completely different story. It also includes special chapters exclusive to the book. The comic adaptation will follow the book version, so please be aware of this in advance.

Everyone, I believe, has had the experience of acting as if they were the protagonist of a story.

Whether that story is a comedy or a tragedy varies from person to person...

My younger sister, Jill, was particularly prone to such behavior.

She always acted as if she were the heroine in a tragedy, never doubting it.

She would cry, making herself look pitiful, and was very skilled at eliciting sympathy from those around her.

That's why, I think, he suddenly said this—

"Leia, do you understand the reason for the engagement break? I never thought you would bully my sister, Jill, behind her back. Is being a saint so great?"

One day, Philip, the heir of the Gilbert Duke's family, called me in and said he wanted to break the engagement.

It seems he believed I was bullying my sister, Jill.

"Jill was crying and told me, 'My sister boasts every day about her contributions to the country as a saint.' She mocks me for not being able to become a saint and calls me useless... She also said that her heart races uncontrollably when she sees your face."

Philip recounted how I had been bullying Jill.

Indeed, I became a saint, and Jill, lacking the necessary abilities, did not.

However, I never boasted about it to her.

I did answer her questions about what it means to be a saint, but...

I'm sure in Jill's mind, even that was twisted into my boasting.

Jill's talent lies in distorting facts and interpreting them as if they were the truth, delivering them with such convincing acting.

Therefore, Philip must have believed without a doubt that I was bullying Jill.

"...I have never bullied Jill. I swear to the gods as a saint that—"

"Boasting again about being a saint! You seem to be very proud of your excellence, but that doesn't mean you can do whatever you want! If you're a saint, why don't you try to improve your character to match your title!?"

My explanation was dismissed as another instance of boasting about being a saint.

I never thought I could do whatever I wanted, nor did I ever boast about being a saint.

However, to Philip, who believed everything Jill said, I was already an object of hatred.

"Then let me rephrase. Please believe me. Believing only Jill's side of the story—"

"Are you calling Jill a liar! She was pleading with a voice that sounded like she was about to die, her face pale, tears streaming down! You're her sister! How can you do such a cruel thing to a family member! I can't understand it!! Ugh...!"

Philip, tears streaming down his face, pleaded with me about Jill's pitiful state.

In a way, my sister's heroine complex is contagious.

He, too, was intoxicated by the idea of himself as the hero protecting the heroine, Jill.

"Very well. If you cannot believe me, that is fine. —I will now go to set up the barrier."

I must fulfill my duties as a saint.

I need to set up a barrier in the eastern forest of the capital to prevent monsters from entering.

This is a direct request from the royal family of Elscheid, so I cannot be late.

"Hey, hey! This is about breaking the engagement! Aren't you accepting it too quickly!? Heartless!"

It seems more heartless to me that he refuses to listen to my fiancé's side, but I thought it would be better not to marry if we couldn't build a relationship of trust, so I have no regrets.

My father will likely scold me for ruining the engagement with the duke's family, but I suspect Philip will approach Jill. I can sense that much.

I got into the carriage waiting in front of Philip's mansion and headed for the forest on the eastern side of the capital.

Setting up a barrier is one of the most important duties of a saint.

"Hmm, there are signs that the barrier was damaged a long time ago. I need to expand the barrier's spell on a large scale—"

I knelt and prayed to the heavens.

This prayer serves as a catalyst to borrow power from the gods, which then fills my body with light magic, providing the energy source to form the barrier spell—

Now, it's time to set up the barrier—

"Are you Saint Leia?"

"—!?"

I was startled and turned around when someone suddenly spoke from behind.

Ah, you. From this country—

"Are you the saint who is said to be bullying your sister?"

The voice belonged to Prince Eric Elscheid, the crown prince of Elscheid.

With his beautiful silver hair and clear amber eyes that seem to draw you in.

Why did the crown prince speak to me—?