The following continues from the perspective of Nina, the newbie apprentice saint.
A week had passed since my second summons by the Holy Mother. I nodded to myself as I walked through the interior of a dining hall located on a certain street in the Royal Capital.
"At this rate, we should be able to open the shop almost immediately."
I spoke to Merkel-san, the female merchant in men’s clothes, who was checking the interior alongside me. She gave an enthusiastic nod, her expression bright.
"The location isn't as good as the previous place, but being able to buy an entire dining hall that just closed down is a blessing. This allows us to preserve the funds we originally set aside for preparation."
Though Merkel-san had originally been cheated out of her intended shop by a noble family, she had somehow managed to secure another property this time. It was all thanks to the Holy Mother. I had petitioned her to use the Church’s connections to secure the rights to a recently shuttered establishment. Thanks to that intervention, Merkel-san was finally able to realize her dream of opening a dining hall in the Royal Capital.
"Nina-san, I truly don't know how to thank you... You've gone so far to arrange all these conveniences for me."
"Don't worry about it. Besides, this is for my sake as well. You remember our promise, don't you?"
"Of course. I just need to provide meals for the children of the slums."
After gathering our things, Merkel-san and I headed toward the slums. As soon as I was spotted, the young pickpocket boy waved his hand and shouted a greeting. His little sister stood beside him, their hands firmly joined. The girl, who had once been ravaged by illness, looked completely healthy now.
It was all thanks to Lady Iris’s Saint Nectar. Even though she had been transformed into a plant monster, it was incredible that she could still perform the same miracles as a Saint. Since she was able to manifest the effects of Light Magic without even being present, she might have actually become more powerful than she was during her Saint era.
Once word of our arrival spread, children came swarming out from the narrow alleys.
"Thanks to you, Big Sis, everyone’s sickness went away!"
Today marked my seventh day of visiting the slums. At first, the children were all pale and sickly, but now they were energetic enough to shout at the top of their lungs while begging for nectar. I began distributing bread coated generously with the sweet substance.
Providing meals to orphans in the slums—this was undoubtedly a legitimate charitable work. I had used that logic when making a proposal to the Holy Mother: I requested to buy a dining hall at a deep discount with extreme urgency for the sake of the orphans, and I asked for the associated food expenses to be facilitated at a low price.
The Holy Mother had accepted my proposal. She immediately utilized the Church executives and their noble connections to find a recently closed shop. By having Merkel-san buy the shop and prepare the meals for the orphans, I managed to solve all my problems at once. It was a brilliant plan, and I was relieved it had worked so well.
The only issue was that the number of children seeking nectar bread was growing every day. The amount of Saint Nectar bread consumed per person had doubled. At this rate, we were going to run out!
I decided I would have to write a letter to Lady Iris and ask for an additional shipment. I was starting to worry about my own personal stock of Saint Nectar anyway, so I figured I might as well ask for a massive amount while I was at it. Just thinking about it made me look forward to the delivery.
And so, throughout the winter, I went to help Merkel-san almost every day. Thanks to those efforts, Merkel’s Dining Hall successfully opened for business.
The charitable work proceeded smoothly as well. By distributing Saint Nectar bread to the orphans daily, my name began to reach the ears of the Royal Capital’s citizens. The attacks I had feared from those jealous of my position never materialized; it seemed the Holy Mother had handled things behind the scenes, securing a noble to serve as my backer.
Later, thanks to the additional Saint Nectar sent by Lady Iris, the dining hall was fully on track by the time spring arrived. It was now a popular establishment with lines forming the moment the doors opened. Most of the customers were regulars, with almost all of them visiting Merkel’s Dining Hall every single day. Word of mouth was even drawing in new faces.
The most popular item on the menu was the pancake. In fact, I was the one who triggered its popularity. It all started when a regular saw me eating a pancake I had ordered with my own personal Saint Nectar spread on top. They said it looked delicious and asked to try it.
Essentially, the "Saint Nectar Pancake" that had become the shop's signature dish was my invention! We sold them at quite a high price, yet the flow of customers never dwindled. The demand for Saint Nectar was increasing by the day. Currently, we had a merchant from Tower City regularly transporting Lady Iris’s nectar to the Royal Capital, so I was relieved that everything was running smoothly.
Speaking of Lady Iris, customers would occasionally say to me, "Nina-sama, please grow up to be a splendid Saint like Lady Iris someday!" It had been five years since Lady Iris passed away. It made me happier than anything to know that there were people besides myself who hadn't forgotten her.
Of course, I could never bring myself to tell them, "The Saint Nectar on the pancake you're eating right now actually came out of Lady Iris's body."
Then, one day, while I was busy with the charity work and helping out at the dining hall, I received a summons from the Holy Mother. Upon arriving at the Saint Cathedral, she spoke with me in private.
"The charitable activities for the orphans seem to be going well, Nina. The number of residents praising you as a 'true Saint' is on the rise."
I had actually received praise from the Holy Mother, who was famous for her severity! I was overjoyed. It had been worth distributing all that precious Saint Nectar.
"However, the reason I called you today is different. I have two pieces of bad news."
"Two...?"
"Yes. First, a new member of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King's Army has risen to replace the one you defeated."
She was referring to a replacement for Golden Birdman Garuda-Hraesvelgr, whom everyone believed I had killed.
"The demons of the Demon King's Army are actively spreading word through the human cities that a new Heavenly King has been born. If we take their claims at face value, this is an entity with a profound malice toward humanity, much like Beast King Marticoras."
The Holy Mother spoke with great gravity, but the truth was that Lady Iris had already defeated two other Heavenly Kings: Spirit Princess Vergissmeinnicht and Beast King Marticoras. This meant the Four Heavenly Kings had been backed into a corner with only one member left. Since their most powerful demons were disappearing one after another, I figured even a "new" Heavenly King wouldn't be much of a threat to Lady Iris. I didn't think there was much to worry about.
"Second, it appears that Tower City has been occupied by this Heavenly King."
"...Eh?"
"That is not all. According to reports from those who fled to the Royal Capital, this Heavenly King appears to be a Dryades."
The new Heavenly King was a Dryades? Don't tell me the Dryades of the East Forest had defected to the Demon King's Army! I couldn't hide my shock at this turn of events. However, considering the Dryades's own sister was one of the Four Heavenly Kings, the possibility was actually quite high when I thought about it.
Then, the realization hit me. If Tower City was occupied by the Demon King's Army, the supply of Saint Nectar to the Royal Capital would be cut off. I wouldn't be able to eat Saint Nectar anymore!
But more than that, I was worried about Lady Iris. To be betrayed by the Dryades she had considered an ally... the kind-hearted Lady Iris must be devastated. Furthermore, there was no way the Demon King's Army would leave her alone after she had defeated three of their Heavenly Kings. She was undoubtedly a prime target for retaliation.
I had to return to Tower City and go to her rescue!
Lady Iris, please stay safe...!
And so ends the perspective of the apprentice saint, Nina. It seems she’s been doing her best in the Royal Capital, far from the Alraune's Forest!
Next time: The second winter.