Chapter 3
“Uh….”
Why is he just standing there in a daze?
I rolled my eyes slightly.
This seemed like a very dangerous situation, yet instead of running away, the boy—despite holding a sword—didn’t look like he had any intention of swinging it.
His listless 모습 did give him a certain atmosphere, though.
Did he freeze up because he’s scared?
I glanced at the boy, then turned my head.
That wasn’t what mattered right now.
“Grrrraaah….”
A monster that looked like a black slime squirmed as it slowly stretched out its arm.
I wanted to stop it before it was summoned, but I was too late.
Black magic was magic that summoned monsters, and because of its danger, it was forbidden throughout the Empire.
Luckily, monsters can be eliminated with divine power.
Still, it took far more effort than simply stopping black magic from activating in the first place.
I poured divine power into the temple insignia I was holding. The amount was on a completely different level from the showy bit of power I’d used earlier.
“Don’t bully the weak!”
I threw the temple insignia at the monster.
Whoosh!
The monster struck by the insignia was engulfed in white flames and quickly vanished.
“Phew….”
Letting out a sigh of relief, I picked up the insignia and turned to look at the boy.
And at that moment, I doubted my eyes.
Jet-black hair. Deep crimson eyes glinting in the moonlight. A sharp nose bridge and defined facial lines that were striking for someone so young.
His hair was slightly tousled by the wind, but at a glance he was clearly a beautiful boy.
Isn’t this the protagonist?!
He looked exactly like the protagonist as a boy in the novel’s illustrations.
There was a strangely subdued, heavy atmosphere about him, but I was sure.
“Are you Young Master Cain Argent?”
I tightly grasped my trembling hand with the other.
The boy, who had been silently staring at me, finally spoke.
“That is correct… Who are you?”
“!”
It’s real. It’s really him!
My mouth fell open on its own.
“Hello, Young Master! I’ve really, really wanted to meet you!”
My eyes sparkled as I took a step closer to Cain.
Cain flinched and stepped back.
Ignoring that, I launched straight into my explanation.
“My name is Winiel, a saintess candidate! I came because there’s something I absolutely must tell you, Young Master Cain, but—”
I couldn’t finish my sentence.
Huh? Why does Cain look like there are two of him…?
Suddenly, my vision spun.
All the strength drained from my body, and I collapsed to the ground.
“…!”
Cain hurried toward me, then stopped short.
I’m dizzy… I can’t stand…
My stomach churned. My body trembled.
My condition had been bad, and now it finally blew up in my face.
Why did it have to be now…!
But I didn’t even have time to feel wronged.
“There! It was detected over there!”
“Wait, it’s not glowing anymore. Is this thing broken?”
“Still, check it! If it’s really a monster, this’ll be a pain!”
Voices came from deeper in the forest.
“People….”
Cain even turned toward the sound, as if they were people from the ducal house.
It seemed like he was about to call for help.
That can’t happen!
I still hadn’t explained anything—I couldn’t lose Cain like this.
On top of that, I was a suspicious person who’d already been chased away from the gates of the ducal estate.
If someone like me is with the young master, that’s even more suspicious!
If things went wrong, I might never get another chance to talk to him.
That absolutely can’t happen! I have to do something—anything!
Grabbing onto a tree trunk, I barely managed to pull myself upright.
“Young Master Cain…!”
At my thin call, Cain turned back.
Somehow, I had to make my sincerity reach him…
Summoning every last bit of strength, I spoke.
“I just saved you.”
“…….”
“I’m your lifesaver. If you don’t repay me, you’re the kind of person with hair growing on their conscience—”
Unfortunately, I lost consciousness before I could finish.
Around the time I turned three, after even our mother passed away, my brother and I were left out on the streets.
Perhaps because it was such a harsh and overwhelming time, I still remembered it clearly despite my young age.
There was no one who would help us as we wandered.
In the end, we were sent to an orphanage.
But life there wasn’t good either.
There were hardly any days when the orphanage gave us enough food.
Especially for me—they said I was young and wouldn’t eat much anyway, and gave me even less.
“Winie, you’re hungry, right? Here, eat my share.”
My brother handed me his portion, even though it wasn’t enough for him either.
“I’m sorry, Winie. I’ll try to get more next time.”
He apologized for not taking better care of me.
Around that time, I vaguely realized something.
That I was a burden to my brother.
“That silver-haired girl is becoming more and more worth looking at. She’ll sell for a high price. It’s about time to start looking for a buyer—”
One day, my brother and I accidentally overheard the orphanage director saying that.
My brother immediately took me and secretly left the orphanage.
“Winie, from now on, you’re going to see the world with your big brother.”
He probably thought I wouldn’t understand anything, but five-year-old me wasn’t as naive as he thought.
“Yeah, sounds good! Brother, look over there—there are lots of flowers on that tree!”
Even so, I always pretended not to know and kept smiling.
Because there was nothing I could do—I was weak and powerless.
Because I didn’t want to make things harder for my brother.
But inside, I always thought this:
If I hadn’t existed, my brother could have stayed at the orphanage and been adopted.
He could have eaten all the food he begged for by himself.
I was the heaviest home in the world—my brother’s burden.
“I sense an enormous amount of divine power from your younger sister.”
Then, finally, a chance came for me to stop being a burden to my brother.
While we were living as beggars, the High Priest we met by chance said he wanted to take me to the temple.
At those words, my brother’s face turned pale. But after speaking privately with the High Priest, he brought me to the temple.
“Winie, the High Priest says you could become a saintess one day. He says it would be good for you to become a saintess candidate and train your divine power at the temple.”
“A saintess?”
“Yeah. A wonderful person who brings peace to the world.”
Bring peace to the world? Me?
I didn’t really understand what that meant.
But I understood after hearing what my brother said next.
“But to do that, I can’t stay with you. So I’m going to travel the world alone from now on.”
Ah. So he was finally abandoning me.
I thought it was the right choice.
And conveniently, I’d already thought about what I should do if this situation ever came.
I’ll let my brother go.
But for some reason, I couldn’t let go of the hand holding his. It felt like something sticky was clinging to it.
“So you’ll be able to live well here, right?”
“…….”
I should have answered “yes.”
But my throat felt blocked, like I’d swallowed a huge stone, and no words came out.
No—I couldn’t. Without my brother, I wouldn’t be okay.
Strange thoughts kept surfacing in my mind.
This isn’t right. If I make a fuss, my brother will be unhappy.
With all my strength, I forced myself to let go of his hand. My fingertips ached.
But just like always, I smiled as if I knew nothing.
“Yeah, I’ll be fine!”
A smile spread across my brother’s face.
I hoped that, after all the trouble I’d caused him, he could finally be happy.
On my first day at the temple, I earnestly prayed to God.
“Ugh….”
When I lifted my heavy eyelids, a white ceiling came vaguely into view.
Where am I…?
My mind was hazy.
I sat up and looked around. Medical magitech tools and medicines were laid out.
Did the temple have a place like this?
I wasn’t sure—but even if it did, I doubted they would have brought me here. Unless the High Priest was present.
Ah! Right—I’d arrived at the Argent ducal estate. I even met the protagonist.
Memories from just before I collapsed came rushing back.
Being chased away by the gatekeeper, meeting the protagonist in the forest by chance, defeating the monster.
“Then this place is….”
Click.
Just then, the door opened without a knock.
“…! You’re awake.”
A woman dressed as a maid entered, then gasped when she saw me and bowed deeply.
“I apologize. I didn’t realize you had awakened.”
“It’s—it’s okay. I just woke up.”
I calmed my startled heart.
“Um, but… who are you? And where is this?”
“Pardon my rudeness. This is the Argent ducal estate, and I am a maid here.”
The ducal estate? Really?
I’d expected it, but hearing it confirmed made my heart race.
I did it! I got into the protagonist’s house!
I quietly exhaled, trying to calm myself.
“I—I’m Winiel, a saintess candidate.”
“I’ve heard from Young Master Cain. He said you saved him from a monster. Thank you very much.”
The maid clasped her hands together and bowed politely.
“And I also apologize, on behalf of the household, for driving you away earlier with the blasphemous accusation of impersonation when a saintess candidate had come to visit.”
So that had been conveyed too.
Thankfully, it seemed I didn’t need to separately explain that I wasn’t an imposter.
Well, someone saw me defeat the monster—there’s no room for doubt.
And that someone was the young master himself.
“Young Master Cain said that, as repayment, you may ask for anything you wish.”
“…Repayment?”
“Yes. He said he will grant whatever you ask.”
I blinked blankly, then gasped.
Anything he asks!
Once things started going well, they unraveled smoothly, like a loosened thread.
Then I can just ask him to take down the villain organization quickly, right?
I no longer needed to beg desperately with long explanations.
My heart began to pound again.
Is it really okay to get this so easily?
I had told Cain to repay me before I collapsed, but I’d only meant something like “don’t throw me away.”
And even without me, Cain wouldn’t have died.
The original story didn’t start until three years later. Cain was perfectly fine then.
So in that situation, he probably would have only been injured at most.
But there’s no need to say that. This way is easier.
This wasn’t the time to spit out food that was being spoon-fed to me.
“I see. Well, I am his lifesaver. Then may I meet Young Master Cain right away? I need to tell him what I want.”
“…….”
“Is something wrong?”
“…No. Understood.”
The maid made a slightly troubled expression, tilted her head, and left the room.
Click. As soon as the door closed, I sat on the bed and swung my legs back and forth.
Wow, this is going so smoothly! This is great!
The protagonist’s personality was far better than I’d expected.
Then he’ll probably listen well when I ask him to take down the villain organization quickly!
In that case, I needed to prepare properly!
I stopped swinging my legs and thought hard.
To move as quickly as possible, I had to give Cain accurate and useful information.
And it was also important that I didn’t sound suspicious while saying all this.
So what should I say? I can’t just blurt out that I read a novel in my past life and you were the protagonist.
I’d definitely be kicked out as a crazy person.
But I also can’t easily say that my brother is a villain.
That would mean revealing that I’m a villain’s sister.
No matter how much of a lifesaver I was, no one would help a villain’s sibling.
Hmm. Then should I just say I saw the future?
If I said the villain organization would harm him in the future and needed to be stopped in advance, it wouldn’t sound too suspicious.
And since I was a saintess candidate, claiming to see the future wouldn’t raise too many doubts.
Saintesses were mysterious beings, after all—so saintess candidates carried that image too.
Alright, let’s do that!
Hehe. The corners of my mouth lifted on their own.
Just as I was finishing organizing what I wanted to say, the maid returned.
“You’re back? Can I go now?”
“I’m sorry, but…”
At my question, the maid bowed her head.
“Young Master Cain said he does not wish to meet.”
