This is the story of my experiences, told from the perspective of Nina, the newbie Saint.
My name is Nina, and I am a newbie Saint.
By following the instructions of Lady Iris—who had since become an Alraune—I had somehow found myself rising to fame as the Saint of the Yellow Wings within the Royal Capital before I even realized what was happening.
I lacked Lady Iris’s immense talent for Light Magic. I was nothing more than a commoner-born Apprentice Saint, yet I often wondered how I had ever ended up in this position.
Today, I was working diligently in the Royal Capital, covering the duties of Saint Zelma, the Saint of the Lamp, while she was away.
In this city, a Great Beauty Boom was currently sweeping through the streets.
Saint Hair Tonic had become a massive sensation among nobles and commoners alike. Furthermore, a Sister who had brought additional supplies from Tower City had pushed the trend in a rather unexpected direction.
"This Saint Hair Tonic was birthed by the Great Spirit of Tower City, the Goddess of Beauty herself—Lady Alraune!" she would cry out.
"It will allow you to maintain hair as beautiful as a spirit's for over a century!"
"If you offer your prayers to Lady Alraune, the Goddess of Beauty, the effects will double!"
Because the Sister incited and prodded the people of the Royal Capital with such fervor, a faith dedicated to the Beauty Goddess Alraune began to sprout within the city.
The foundation had already been laid, as Saint Nectar was becoming a staple for the commoners thanks to the Saint Nectar Dining Hall, but the Sister’s influence had elevated it to an entirely new level.
If Saint Nectar could be accepted by the people of the Kingdom of Gardenia, then perhaps one day Lady Iris, even in her form as a monster, might be accepted as well.
"I can't just stand by," I told myself. "I have to do my best too... Hello, Sister!"
"Oh! You are the Saint of the Yellow Wings, Lady Nina!"
"Please, let me help you with your speech."
Despite my humble beginnings, I was the newbie Saint famous for defeating one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King's Army. It was clear what would happen if someone like me began promoting Alraune’s Saint Nectar.
"This is no mere honey; it is a holy nectar blessed with a mysterious power. Everyone, you should drink it every day!"
When I appealed to the crowds, the citizens responded warmly, shouting back, "We understand, My Lady Saint!"
Even the orphans whose lives I had saved previously were doing their part to spread the word. Thanks to them, the hearts of those in the Slums had been completely transformed. To my surprise, they had begun praying to Alraune, the creator of the nectar, as if she were a second goddess.
Worshiping any deity other than Goddess Selene, the goddess of the Selene Sect and the protector of humanity, might normally be branded as heresy and lead to persecution. However, even those associated with the Church had become fans of the Saint Nectar. This momentum was not something that could be easily suppressed.
Furthermore, the dining hall run by my friend Merkel, the female merchant in men's clothes, had become something of a holy site for nectar enthusiasts. The Saint Nectar Pancake was now a signature dish of the Royal Capital, so popular that even nobles were rumored to visit in secret to taste it.
The Saint Nectar Movement that had started among the commoners eventually reached the ears of the high nobility. The spark that turned the Alraune faith from a mere trend into a city-wide phenomenon was a comment from a certain noblewoman.
It all began at a ball when a Great Noble lady known as Lady Butterfly remarked, "It seems the Saint Nectar has a rejuvenating effect."
Lady Butterfly had not only become obsessed with the Saint Hair Tonic, leading her to the Alraune faith, but she had also made the nectar her staple food upon the recommendation of a certain nectar-loving newbie Saint. She whispered to her peers that not only had her skin regained its youthful elasticity, but she felt as if she were growing younger by the day.
Lady Butterfly was a prominent trendsetter among the women of the capital. Influenced by her words, noblewomen began buying up every drop of Saint Nectar they could find, driving the price up to several times what it cost in Tower City.
Yet, there was no sign of the craze slowing down. Rumor had it that the Saint Hair Tonic was even selling well in the neighboring Glanz Empire. Since it was something Lady Iris had created, it was only natural for it to receive such acclaim.
Then, things accelerated even further.
The news that the Glanz Empire had invaded Tower City, only for Saint Zelma to resolve the conflict instantly, became a major talking point. Saint Zelma, who had fortunately been performing healings in a village near the border, reportedly headed to the Empire alone as soon as she heard the rumors and brokered a peace. The King was overjoyed that no casualties had been reported in Tower City.
In the wake of this attempted invasion, the fame of the Saint Hair Tonic reached new heights, spurred by a statement from the Imperial Princess, Lady Freundliche, upon her arrival in the capital.
"If you would recognize my marriage to Lord Manfred of Tower City, the Empire shall become an even greater neighbor to the Kingdom of Gardenia than ever before. Besides, I simply adore this kingdom. I use the Saint Hair Tonic every day, and the Imperial subjects who follow my lead are actively embracing your culture of hair care."
Tower City was now a primary production center for both the nectar and the hair tonic. An Imperial Princess was seeking a marriage with its lord. It didn't take long for rumors to circulate that the Empire's true objective hadn't been the reclamation of the stolen Barometz, but the acquisition of the hair tonic.
The value of the Saint Hair Tonic became truly limitless.
"Let us pray to Lady Alraune, the Goddess of Beauty!"
In a corner of the Church, the Sister began her prayers. Joining her were not only commoners but scores of noble ladies. I even spotted several middle-aged men with surprisingly thick, lush hair among them.
The Sister handed out small wooden statues to the crowd. I accepted one from her to take a closer look. It was a small wooden doll carved in the likeness of an Alraune.
"If you hold this Statue of Lady Alraune and pray daily, the effects of the hair tonic and nectar will be doubled! Curing illness, enhancing beauty, anti-aging, hair growth, good luck, martial arts improvement, business prosperity, and even success in love—Lady Alraune grants it all!"
The Sister, selling these Alraune Dolls at high prices with such a sales pitch, certainly had a head for business. Commoners, soldiers, nobles, and even Church officials like Apprentice Saints and priests were lining up to buy them.
Under normal circumstances, praying to anything other than Goddess Selene within Church grounds was an unprecedented breach of protocol. I was a little worried that we might be pushing our luck. For now, we had only received a few warnings from headquarters, and I hoped it would stay that way.
A few days later, I visited the Saint Cathedral, the headquarters for the capital’s Apprentice Saints.
"A sudden summons from the Holy Mother... I wonder what she wants. What if she found out I was giving speeches about the nectar and I’m about to be scolded...?"
My body trembled with nerves as I climbed the Cathedral steps. On the landing, my eyes were drawn to a painting of a woman. It was the Portrait of First Saint Nemea, which I had seen many times before.
Lady Nemea had awakened as a Saint through the power of Goddess Selene a thousand years ago, and her descendants had founded the current Kingdom of Gardenia. Lady Iris had been called the second coming of this legendary figure. It was said that in the long history of the continent, Lady Iris was the only one who could truly rival First Saint Nemea.
But looking at the walls, I felt a sense of loneliness. If Lady Iris truly stood alongside the First Saint, it felt wrong that her portrait wasn't hanging here as well. I decided then that I would eventually have to petition the Holy Mother to have a portrait of Saint Iris displayed in the Cathedral.
"Nina, thank you for coming. Please, have a seat."
When I entered the room, the Holy Mother urged me toward a chair. She was alone today. As the supreme authority over the Saints of Gardenia and a former Saint herself, she possessed an intimidating presence. Her gaze was always so sharp that it terrified me.
"I have called you here for a specific reason. Actually—"
"Holy Mother, I am so sorry! Everything regarding the Alraune faith and the Saint Nectar is entirely my fault!"
I practically dove from my chair, pressing my forehead against the floor in a desperate apology. I was certain she was going to reprimand me for my public endorsements. After all our hard work to get the people to accept Lady Iris, I feared the Holy Mother was about to undo it all.
"……What are you doing, Nina? Raise your head."
"B-But!"
"I did not call you here to discuss the nectar. I am aware of your activities with the Sister from Tower City, but the faith of the Selene Sect is not so fragile that it would waver over such things. Besides..."
The Holy Mother pulled a small bottle from her robes. Now that I looked closely, her hair was far more radiant than the last time we had met. Her hair looked so youthful it was hard to believe she was fifty years old.
"I, too, am a regular user of this Saint Hair Tonic. Whenever I use it, I feel a strange sense of nostalgia. It reminds me of that girl’s Light Magic..."
The Holy Mother gazed at the portrait on her wall. It was another image of First Saint Nemea, whose face bore a passing resemblance to Lady Iris. The Holy Mother surely felt the same connection I did.
"That scrawny child who used to follow her everywhere has become quite the fine Saint. I am sure Iris is watching over you from the Celestial Realm."
That's right, I thought. Lady Iris was indeed watching over me, though her roots were firmly planted in the soil of Tower City. If I didn't stay strong, who else would be able to clear her name? I had to succeed.
"Therefore, Nina, I am sending you on an assignment to the Kingdom of Myrte Holy Light."
The Holy Mother fixed me with a piercing stare.
"This will be your official induction into the ranks of the Saints. Do not worry; it is a pilgrimage that every Saint, including Iris, has undertaken."
To be officially recognized as a Saint, an apprentice had to travel to the Kingdom of Myrte Holy Light, the heart of the Selene Sect. I was finally graduating from being a Saint in name only. Once I was certified there, my words would carry weight across the entire continent.
For Lady Iris’s sake, I had to climb higher. Higher even than Saint Zelma, the woman who had brought about Lady Iris’s end.
And so, I began my journey to the Kingdom of Myrte Holy Light.
I traveled north from the capital and took a ship from a port at the edge of the continent. After crossing the Holy Sea—a mysterious body of water said to purify all things demonic—land finally appeared on the horizon. This was the Kingdom of Myrte Holy Light, an ancient power rivaling Gardenia itself.
The kingdom was an island nation shaped like a donut, with a city floating in the lake at its center. This was the Holy Capital, the center of the world and the headquarters of the Selene Sect.
After passing through the Holy Magic Barrier (Dämonenwand) that protected the city, I was greeted by a stunning cityscape of pure white.
"So this is the Holy Capital... and that must be the real Moon Goddess’s Tower."
I looked up at the colossal structure I had seen since the moment we made landfall. It was a tower so massive it pierced the clouds. I realized then that the version in Tower City was merely a humble imitation.
Known as the 'Moon Goddess's Tower,' its peak was invisible from the ground. It was said to be the tallest structure ever built by human hands, and seeing it in person, I didn't doubt it for a second. The Selene Sect taught that Goddess Selene herself lived on the top floor after descending from the heavens.
I felt tears of emotion welling up, knowing I was so close to our chief goddess. I reached for my handkerchief to wipe my eyes but stopped myself. This was a precious gift from Lady Iris. I couldn't bear to get it dirty. It was a memento that connected us.
I tucked her handkerchief safely away and used a different one to wipe my tears. It was then that I felt a gaze on me.
When I turned around, I saw a person I never expected to find there.
"My, if it isn't Nina. To think I would run into you in a place like this."
Standing there was a woman with strawberry blonde hair. She was dressed in white ritual robes embroidered with gold—the unmistakable vestments of a Saint. I knew her name all too well.
"Is it not common courtesy to greet your senior?"
I could handle her condescending stare. What I couldn't stand was the sight of this woman walking boldly under the sun. This was the woman who had betrayed and murdered my beloved Lady Iris.
Zelma, the Saint of the Lamp and my sworn enemy, stood before me with a cold, triumphant smile.