Chapter 1
Beneath the clear early sumr sky, I sat in a carriage, swaying with the motion, and looked at the woman beside , swaying just the sa.
......She was completely pale, wrapped in an aura like the ash left after a fire has burned out.
Her gaze was fixed on the void, her well-shaped lips slightly parted, and aningless sounds leaked from her throat.
No...... that's not it.
I strained my ears.
"That damn prince that damn prince that damn prince"
Oh, I really shouldn't have listened.
Feeling a twinge of regret, I looked at the woman's face as she skillfully continued to weave those curse-like words with her half-open lips.
Her eyes, which once radiated a will strong enough to intimidate others, were now vacant; her well-shaped, sotis arrogantly firm lips were parted; and the beautiful line from her forehead to her chin, supported by her throat, continued to produce aningless—no, curse-like—words.
And yet, even so, she was still beautiful.
Erika Solnzari.
Daughter of one of the kingdom's most prestigious marquis families, and a prodigy of sword and magic.
A genius blessed by the heavens with not just two, but three gifts.
And also, soone who had been sentenced to exile just a few days ago.
Yes, this woman was to be exiled from the country.
Oh, and while I'm at it, she also happened to be my first love.
Huh? You didn't ask?
Yeah, I kinda blurted it out in the heat of the mont. Sorry, just pretend you didn't hear that.
*
It all started with sothing simple.
A single girl enrolled in the kingdom's academy, a place only noble children were allowed to attend.
The problem was that the girl was a commoner—and she was the Priestess of Light.
For soone like , the second son of a poor viscount family, it was just a "huh, neat" kind of story. But in the world of high-ranking nobles, things aren't that simple.
Coincidentally, that year the academy had an unusual concentration of top-tier marriage prospects—like the crown prince, the general's son, and heirs of powerful noble families.
The academy, under the pretense of nurturing the future leaders of the kingdom, also served as a matchmaking venue for noble sons and daughters.
Normally, social rank would naturally sort things out, and though upper nobles might bicker, everything would settle where it should—but not this ti.
Because the Priestess of Light was at the academy.
Being the Priestess of Light ant that her commoner background could be completely ignored.
After all, being the Priestess of Light is proof of being loved by the gods.
A country with a Priestess of Light would enjoy bountiful harvests, suffer fewer monster attacks, and even earn respect from other nations just for having her.
She becos the Priestess of Light because the gods literally chose her.
Precisely because she cannot be controlled by human hands, her authority is absolute.
If the conditions are t, the kingdom will forcibly enroll her in the academy—because, frankly, they want to marry her into so noble house.
And so, what was supposed to be a miraculous year filled with rare, high-quality marriage candidates turned into a nightmare, as all of them ignored the noble daughters and flocked to the Priestess of Light.
Naturally, the upper noble families weren't pleased and wanted to do sothing—but their opponent was the Priestess of Light.
Her status and even royal commands couldn't override her free will, which was protected by law. Forcing her—or worse, harming her—would literally endanger the nation.
Every country that had ever tried to force the Priestess of Light into an unwanted marriage or relocation had without exception fallen into ruin. Most were even destroyed.
Being chosen and loved by the gods as the Priestess of Light was no joke.
Not even the most powerful nobles could touch her.
And so, the noble daughters who usually laughed with elegant "Ohoho~" or "Ufufu~" or "Hahaha~" suddenly clenched their teeth with "Grrrr" and flared their nostrils with heavy breathing—hardly an elegant school life.
It was, I think, a rather chaotic school life.
Even I, the second son of a poor viscount family, was overwheld. Upper nobles sched to get close to the Priestess of Light, hoping for marriage, dragging lower nobles into their ss.
Outwardly, things stayed polite for the sake of noble decorum, but a clear rift ford between families who had sent daughters and those who had sent sons. It was only a matter of ti before this turned into a lasting grudge.
But then Erika Solnzari appeared.
With astonishing naturalness and speed that no one could counter, she beca the Priestess of Light's closest friend.
Whether or not this move was orchestrated by her father, the Pri Minister, is unknown—but as the Priestess's best friend, Erika used her personality and her family's influence to drive off the swarming small-fry nobles.
The mid- and lower-ranking nobles who had hoped to approach the Priestess of Light, relying on her free will, were effectively eliminated by the wall that was Erika Solnzari.
At that point, the upper nobles were impressed—"As expected of the Pri Minister."
Since the Solnzari family had no sons, this allowed them to gain favor with other upper noble families.
The upper nobles thought, "Now that the pesky rivals are gone, we just need Erika to introduce us to the Priestess of Light and arrange a marriage..."
But no matter how long they waited, no such invitation ever ca from the Solnzari family.
They held parties, sure, but the Priestess of Light never attended, and there were no rumors of Erika introducing her to any noble sons at the academy.
Just as the upper noble families who thought themselves worthy of the Priestess of Light began to tilt their heads in confusion, a shocking rumor spread.
Apparently, the Pri Minister didn't know that his daughter was best friends with the Priestess of Light.
Many dismissed it as nonsense, but considering the situation, it was oddly convincing.
Regardless of the truth, once the upper nobles heard this, they sprang into action.
Until now, they had hesitated to act for fear of backlash, but now they had no reason to hold back.
After all, there were still many strong rivals.
And this is where a major miscalculation occurred.
The Priestess of Light showed absolutely no interest in any of them.
So noble sons thought, "She's just a commoner. Promise her a little luxury and she'll co around"—but they were quickly eliminated.
Others tried sincerely, inviting her to parties and outings, but she always found so excuse to decline.
More precisely, she always declined because of Erika Solnzari.
Noble families—and especially the prince, who was likely the most serious about her—began to wonder.
"Maybe the Pri Minister knows everything and has so grand plan?" That doubt began to spread.
Otherwise, there's no way Erika Solnzari would be such a convenient excuse every ti.
But that misunderstanding was soon cleared up.
Because the Priestess of Light was genuinely clingy with Erika Solnzari.
To her, a commoner, Erika was the only true friend she could trust in an academy full of nobles.
In normal tis, it might have been a beautiful friendship—but unfortunately, she was the Priestess of Light, and it couldn't be dismissed as sothing rely heartwarming.
If Erika had just acted as a bridge between the Priestess and other noble sons, things might have turned out differently—but she showed absolutely no intention of doing so.
In fact, she didn't even seem interested in finding a match for herself.
They were completely stuck.
They couldn't approach the Priestess directly, Erika wouldn't diate, and they couldn't use Erika's own marriage prospects as a way to get close either.
And to top it off, the Pri Minister didn't seem interested in using his daughter for anything.
As a result, the academy remained peaceful on the surface, but beneath that, it beca a hotbed of sches to separate Erika Solnzari from the Priestess of Light.
And for three years, none of them succeeded.
If Erika Solnzari had been just the daughter of a lower noble, she would've been eliminated long ago.
If she hadn't been the Pri Minister's daughter, she would've been eliminated long ago.
If she had possessed only average abilities, she would've been eliminated long ago.
Unfortunately, she was the daughter of a marquis, the Pri Minister's daughter, and possessed unmatched talent in both sword and magic.
And when that was combined with the Priestess of Light's free will, no ordinary sche could ever separate them.
That's why, with just one year left until graduation, they launched a sche that was far from ordinary.
Erika Solnzari was frad.
From the upper nobles to the royal family itself, they all joined hands to eliminate her.
At first, the plan was just to get her out of the academy for a year.
That was the original intention.
But sowhere along the way, things went off the rails.
No—soone deliberately twisted the plan to their own ends.
By the ti they realized the scale had grown and their plan was being exploited, it was too late—the damage was so widespread that fixing it would require a sche just as large.
If not for that, Erika Solnzari would've been sentenced to death.
She was accused by the Church of plotting to assassinate the Priestess of Light—and was ultimately exiled.
That's the reason Erika Solnzari was exiled.
Hm? Why does soone like , just the second son of a poor viscount family, know so much?
Well, our journey's only just begun—so I'll be explaining that too.
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