By Some Unbelievable Twist, I Became the Villainess’s Older Brother

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READ ONLY AT VANISHINTOFICTION.COM

The First Princess, wearing high-heeled shoes, climbed the temple roof with practiced ease and frowned irritably at the vast sky. She delicately wiped the sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief, then smiled bitterly at her master, who sat not far away leisurely fanning himself.

Once she felt she had cooled down somewhat, the First Princess began walking again. The Saint was humming as he watched white cumulus clouds drift slowly across the clear sky.

But only for a moment. As the First Princess approached, the Saint silently pointed to a chair off to one side once again.

The First Princess sat elegantly. Looking at the Saint, she continued at a measured pace.

“I met him today, Master.”

“Did you? What did you think of him?”

“Hmm. As expected, he didn’t seem particularly special.”

The Saint glanced at the First Princess as she tilted her head, then stroked the beard on his chin and answered listlessly.

“You mean he seemed ordinary.”

“Yes.”

Even as she answered, the First Princess carefully studied her master. The Saint rose from his seat and stood at the edge of the roof, gazing down.

On the ground below, people dressed in all sorts of clothes chatted as they walked through the streets or entered shops to buy goods.

The First Princess went to stand beside her master. She watched the laughing people without expression, then soon looked away.

Her gaze seemed to roam the surroundings briefly before settling on one spot. The Imperial Palace was visible not far away.

The First Princess stared meaningfully at the palace. Then it happened.

Rumble! Rrrumble!

Dark clouds swallowed the sky in an instant. Pure-white clouds had been floating there only moments ago, yet the sky had now turned black as though rain might come pouring down at any second, and lightning continued to flash.

Rumble! Rrrumble! Shwaaa!

“What is this? Why is it suddenly raining?”

“Argh! My clothes will be soaked!”

“Don’t just stand there. Hurry and take shelter!”

Several people fled in a panic from the sudden downpour. The First Princess watched indifferently, then abruptly flinched. Her eyes moved to the Saint.

The Saint’s expression was as serene as ever. But the First Princess stared at her master with wide eyes. His fingertips were moving little by little.

The instant he raised his hand once more, lightning split the clouds again and struck toward the earth. The flashing yellow light plunged straight toward a person.

Then it happened. The First Princess’s eyes widened in astonishment.

“……!”

At a single gesture from the Saint, everything stopped. The people fleeing in terror from the lightning, the bolt descending toward one of them, and every other living, breathing creature all froze. Only the Saint and the First Princess could move.

The Saint rotated his index finger, drawing a circle in the air. Tiny droplets of water formed the circle and floated around his finger.

Once the circle grew to the size of a finger joint, the Saint flicked the transparent droplet with his fingertip. The tiny bead descended toward the ground and flew swiftly to one man.

He was a heavily bearded, middle-aged man who had been running across the street moments ago. The clear droplet stopped behind him, then lightly pushed his back.

The man lurched several steps forward as though he had been shoved. A faintly puzzled look entered the First Princess’s eyes. She had no idea what her master was doing.

But the Saint nodded as though entirely satisfied. He snapped his index and middle fingers together.

—Snap!

The instant the sound rang out, frozen time began flowing once more. With a crash, the lightning that had pierced the clouds moments ago struck the ground.

A large crater abruptly appeared before them. The man who had occupied that spot moments earlier was so startled that he collapsed where he stood.

“Good heavens!”

“Sir, are you alright?”

People crowded around him. The First Princess stared at the scene, then looked at her master with an unreadable gaze.