Chapter 23 – An Outrageous Past

Unbelievable.
Possession was something that had to happen to a villainess.
How else would the surrounding people feel the charm of her change?! There was not a single thing good about taking the body of a saintess.
Hers was a life of giving prayer each day, sustaining herself on one meal daily that was no better than a fasting diet, and all in a remote land isolated from the world.

‘Goddamn, I just had to make the setting like this, didn’t I? I can’t meet anyone unless I escape this barrier!’

She could not meet Emperor Estian, nor Imperial Knight Commander Kane, nor Mage Lord Richard who was supposed to appear much later in the story, nor Imperial Prince Ruin who was in the far south of the continent.
She felt pained at the thought of being imprisoned in the holy kingdom, unable to meet the men of her dreams that she had created.

“No…” the saintess lamented.
She was supposed to possess the villainess’s body, change the tyrant’s ways and also enjoy some deep platonic love with the supporting male characters.
Yet all of that was flying away from her.
Far, far away.

“I won’t stand for this.” the saintess hissed the same words uttered by a certain somebody some time and somewhere else as she glared in the direction of the empire.
“He was mine…”

Her favorite setting included in Estian was that he was a virgin.
But Estian already got married? Moreover, according to her informants, the emperor had already slept with Cecile? The saintess’ breathing grew violent.

“Hoo… Fine.
I can give up one of my favorite tags.
I’m generous, after all,” she muttered, demoting the keyword ‘virgin’ in the ranking of her heart and promoted ‘vigorous’ in its place. 

‘I can just like a different keyword more instead,’ she thought.
The saintess recalled the character setting of Villainess Cecile.
A woman from a petty kingdom who was nothing but a pretty face.
A woman becomes intoxicated with the power given to her and indulges in luxury and wicked acts. 

‘Cecile has to die first before I can take her body.’

Fortunately for the saintess, she was the original author of this ‘story’ and thus knew of a method to jump into another body. 

‘She just has to die first.’

Only then could she take charge of Cecile’s empty husk.
The saintess clenched her fists again as she recalled that fact.

“Wait for me, Estian! My male lead! I’ll possess the villainess’ body and make you mine no matter what! I swear to return this world to how it should be!” She vowed and launched a tightly gripped fist at the air with all her heart, and a blue crack that was bigger than before appeared.

“Eh?”

The crack began to spread out—the barrier was breaking.
Now that she thought about it, all the previous saintesses had only safeguarded the barrier; there was no precedent of trying to break it.
The saintess feasted her eyes on the sight of the collapsing barrier, destroyed by the one it was supposed to protect.

“This is the power of love!” she shouted, excited.

The barrier would surely have called her out for her bull droppings if it had a mouth, but sadly that was not the case.
Immediately, the saintess leaped down the castle wall.
Her body was protected by holy power; she landed with ease on the ground.
The view of a white forest unfolded before her eyes.
She would have to pass through the forest as well as several countries to reach the Empire.

The saintess began to run with determination on her face toward the Empire, toward the male lead awaiting her.

“Love will save the world!”

A bird was disturbed by the saintess’ cry; it flapped its wings irritably at the noise and took off into the air.

* * *

“To gain enough notoriety to shadow my reputation.”

For a moment, Cecile could not comprehend what the emperor had said.
It was only a little later that she retorted with a solemn face.
“Not just anyone is capable of such a tremendous feat, Your Majesty.”

“…”

Estian could not figure out whether Cecile’s reply was a compliment or an insult.
Thus the two held a moment of silence, both not comprehending what the other said.
Estian asked again, “Is it something so difficult?”

“Yes.”

“I’m that infamous?”