We are continuing from the perspective of the newbie apprentice Saint, Nina.
My name was Nina.
I had recently shed my apprentice status to officially become a newbie Saint.
But I wasn't happy about it. Not one bit.
My promotion was driven entirely by political motives.
It felt incredibly unfair to be forced into the role of a Saint just so they could put me in charge of the Four Heavenly Kings Subjugation Party.
They had even saddled me with the arbitrary title of "Saint of the Yellow Wings."
That being said, it wasn't all bad news.
After all, the member of the Four Heavenly Kings in question was almost certainly Lady Iris—or what she had become: an Alraune.
I hated being tasked with her subjugation and had zero intention of actually carrying it out, but the position did allow me to pull some strings in her favor to ensure she didn't suffer.
A few days after the council meeting, we began selecting the members of the party that would confront the member of the Four Heavenly Kings.
The council had decided to form a small, elite unit for the task, modeled after the Hero’s party.
Technically, the Hero was the strongest person currently in the Royal Capital.
However, since he had no intention of leaving his seclusion, that left us with only one other option to rely on.
That was the Magic Swordsman, Lord Wolfgang, a man said to be the Hero's equal.
Lord Wolfgang had a penchant for wandering and had been missing for some time, but someone had apparently managed to track him down over the winter.
Besides Lord Wolfgang, who was recalled to the Royal Capital, other exceptional individuals were gathered from the surrounding areas, regardless of their lineage.
By the time my new title as the "Saint of the Yellow Wings" was making the rounds in the capital, it was time for the Four Heavenly Kings Subjugation Party's first official meeting.
I entered the Royal Palace Guest Room to find a grim-faced man with a shaved head sitting alone.
He was someone I had never seen before.
I mentally reviewed the documents I had worked so hard to memorize for this day.
According to the files, he was a mercenary hired by the Saint of the Lamp.
He was apparently quite skilled, and I had heard that a staggering sum of money had been paid to secure his services.
Shortly after, the Kingdom Knight Commander's eldest son arrived.
A former member of the Hero's party five years prior, he was rumored to be the third strongest warrior in the land, trailing only the Hero and Lord Wolfgang.
Finally, a pair entered the room.
My eyes went to the petite girl of the two.
Armed with a pair of slender twin swords, she was the granddaughter of the Great Sage, Otfried.
In truth, she hadn't been our first choice for the subjugation party.
When we sent word to the Great Sage requesting his aid, his granddaughter showed up in his stead, claiming he was away.
Her strength was an unknown variable, and I was a bit worried about whether it was wise to include such a young girl in the party. Though, to be honest, I was the one I was most worried about...
Then, I turned my gaze toward the final member.
The man in the hat standing beside the Great Sage's granddaughter was Lord Wolfgang himself—the "Lone Wolf of the Court Mages."
As a former member of the Hero's party, he was the most capable of the five gathered and, from what I had heard, the most reliable.
My plan was to appoint him the leader of the Four Heavenly Kings Subjugation Party.
Once everyone was present, I explained that by royal decree, these five individuals would form a party to subjugate the member of the Four Heavenly Kings.
To ensure their cooperation, I played the part of the ideal Saint, carefully mimicking Lady Iris's poise and mannerisms.
I knew that having me in charge was unfitting, so I decided to do my best to at least look the part.
Once the general explanation was finished, I still had the most important task of the meeting left.
I had to convince Lord Wolfgang to take the lead!
Even if I was technically the one in charge, there was no way I could lead an actual field unit. I wasn't strong enough to lead anyone, nor did I have any real combat experience.
"Lord Wolfgang. We require your strength. You, who were once called the Hero's equal—I ask that you lead this Four Heavenly Kings Subjugation Party."
"Then what about the Hero? Bring him and that Saint he married. Those two would be the immediate assets you're looking for."
As I thought, that was the natural reaction...
I desperately wanted the Hero and the Saint of the Lamp to join, but since they had flatly refused, there was nothing more I could do. I hated being caught in the middle.
"The Hero and his wife, the Saint, are both... indisposed. They are currently in poor health and cannot accompany us."
"I don't buy it. They're likely faking it."
Wolfgang was sharp.
Having been their comrade, he clearly knew exactly how they operated.
Then, a terrifying realization struck me.
Lord Wolfgang had been a member of the Hero's party five years ago.
That meant he was an old acquaintance of Lady Iris.
Furthermore, according to the records, he was her cousin.
If Lord Wolfgang were to see Lady Iris in her Alraune form, what would happen?
Her hair color had changed, but her face remained the same.
If I could tell at a glance that she had the same face as Lady Iris, there was no way Lord Wolfgang would miss it.
He might even realize that the plant monster was actually Lady Iris herself...!
As her cousin, Lord Wolfgang probably wouldn't treat her poorly, right?
If it became public knowledge that Lady Iris, a former Saint, had become a plant monster, her life would change forever.
I had only one wish.
I wanted Lady Iris to live as a Saint again, just like she used to.
If that happened, she could return to the Royal Capital and live a human life.
There was no changing the fact that the Hero—her former fiancé—was already married, but he was royalty. It wasn't uncommon for royals to take multiple wives; there was still a chance they could be together.
But if, by some chance, a subjugation order was issued because she was a monster... No, Lady Iris was indispensable to the Kingdom of Gardenia.
Even if she had become a monster, surely everyone would eventually accept her!
Ultimately, Lord Wolfgang accepted the leadership role.
A few days later.
By becoming the Saint of the Yellow Wings, I finally gained the opportunity to have a private tea party with my fellow Saint, the Saint of the Lamp.
I had been requesting this through the Holy Mother for months, and I had been waiting for this moment.
I had two goals in meeting her.
First, Lady Iris had asked me to investigate the Hero and the Saint of the Lamp. A one-on-one conversation was the perfect way to gather information.
Second, I wanted to confirm how the Saint of the Lamp felt about Lady Iris.
If Lady Iris were to live among humans again, the cooperation of a fellow Saint would be essential.
As the maid finished preparing the tea, the Saint of the Lamp finally spoke.
"You seem to be working hard on the preparations for the subjugation, Nina. Wolfgang accepted the leadership, and His Majesty was quite pleased with your efforts."
"I am... honored..."
I had known her since she was an apprentice, but to be honest, I had always been uncomfortable around her.
Her eyes never seemed to smile.
When she looked at those she considered beneath her, her gaze was incredibly cold.
"I actually had something to discuss with you, Nina. You seem to harbor quite an admiration for the predecessor Saint, Iris."
"T-That is true, but what of it...?"
Beyond the fact that she had brought up Lady Iris, I couldn't hide my shock at how she addressed her without any honorifics.
The Saint of the Lamp was Lady Iris’s direct junior and a long-time disciple.
I never could have imagined her being so dismissive.
"Senior Iris is not a person worthy of the respect you give her, Nina."
"That's not true! Lady Iris was beloved by the people, and she was always kind to me!"
"On the surface, perhaps. But I wonder what she was doing behind the scenes."
The Saint of the Lamp gave a small, mocking chuckle.
"You have become a Saint representing this country, Nina. You shouldn't be fed false information like the commoners; you deserve to know the truth."
"The truth...?"
"Yes. Besides, Nina, I heard you once asked the Holy Mother about Senior Iris's final moments. Since I was the one who saw her to the end, I'll tell you myself."
My heart gave a heavy thud.
Instinct told me to stop. I didn't want to hear what came next.
I felt that the reason Lady Iris had told me to investigate those two was hidden in the words about to be spoken.
"It was announced that Senior Iris died in the battle against the Demon King's Army, but the truth is quite different."
How did she die, and why did she become an Alraune?
I had wanted to know the reason for so long.
But in that moment, I realized that there are some things in this world that are better left unknown.
"Senior Iris was in league with the Demon King's Army. While she was flashing smiles to the entire kingdom, she was secretly working with them, laughing about how she would sell out the country."
I realized then that for the first time, the Saint of the Lamp—the woman whose eyes never reached her lips—was actually smiling.
"That woman was no Saint," she said. "She was a Traitor who abandoned her kingdom and sold out humanity."
At that moment, I understood.
Lady Iris had asked me not to tell anyone in the Royal Capital that she was alive.
She had remained silent about her death and lived quietly in the forest, keeping her distance from the people she should have trusted most.
Everything she did... it was all because of this.
I finally managed to reach the part where the lone wolf appears. It took a long time to get here...! And because the volume expanded a bit, I've made this a middle part. The next part will definitely be the end of this sequence.
Next time: Newbie Apprentice Saint and the Bustling Royal Capital — Latter Part.