We continue from the perspective of Nina, the newbie Saint.
I was Nina, a newbie Saint.
I had traveled to the Holy Capital of the Kingdom of Myrte Holy Light to be officially ordained, only to run straight into the Saint of Lamplight, Zelma—the woman who had actually murdered my beloved Lady Iris.
This strawberry-blonde woman had been a constant thorn in my side ever since my days as an apprentice. She likely knew how much I adored Lady Iris. Having been a target of her bullying many times before, I was, quite honestly, terrified of her.
But I couldn't just run away anymore. To repay my debt to Lady Iris, I refused to lose to such a wicked woman!
"I apologize for the delay in my greetings, Lady Zelma," I said, bowing my head.
Zelma swept her hair back with a dismissive huff. "I don’t particularly care for your greetings. Besides, the fact that you’re even here in the Holy Capital means you’re becoming an official Saint, doesn't it? Honestly, I’m quite enough on my own to represent the Kingdom of Gardenia."
Zelma didn't even try to hide her displeasure. Despite her attitude, I couldn't talk back. She was a Saint of the Kingdom of Gardenia and the wife of the Hero, the Second Prince. In other words, she was royalty. Furthermore, depending on how things shook out, there was a high probability she would one day be the Queen.
By contrast, even as a Saint, I was a commoner. I lacked a powerful backer, and our social standings were worlds apart. As frustrating as it was, I had no choice but to keep my head down and stay silent.
"Even if you’re still half-baked, I suppose having two Saints for the country will be convenient," Zelma continued with a smirk. "I’m far too busy protecting the Royal Capital, so I’ll need you to head to the front lines and work your hardest. You supposedly have experience defeating one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King’s Army, so that shouldn't be a problem, right?"
Her expression was patronizing, clearly treating me like an obstacle to be cleared away. I was certain that the moment I returned to Gardenia, she intended to ship me off to the war front.
The problem was that I was weaker than the average Saint. The one who had actually defeated the Heavenly King was Lady Iris in her Alraune form. I didn't have the strength to survive a fight against an Executive of the Demon King's Army. If I were sent to any front line other than the Tower City, my life expectancy would be short indeed.
"Of course. As a Saint of the Kingdom of Gardenia, I shall fulfill my duties to the best of my ability... By the way, Lady Zelma, who might these people be?" I asked, pivoting to the group that had been bothering me for a while.
Standing behind Zelma were people I didn't recognize.
"Oh, right. Since you’re a Saint too, I suppose an introduction is in order. This is Lady Hakanaki, the Third Consort of the Empire, and her attendant."
I shifted my gaze to the woman in the wheelchair. Even though there was no breeze, her translucent Golden Feather Robe swayed gently. I realized this person draped in such obviously extravagant fabric was imperial royalty. I had already heard that Zelma was traveling with an imperial delegation, so that part wasn't a shock.
But something was wrong.
Growing from Lady Hakanaki’s right eye was a very familiar plant. It was the Mistletoe—the same parasitic plant Lady Iris had used against the Witch Queen, Kirke. There was no way I could be mistaken.
I could see Lady Iris’s Aura of Light overflowing from that plant. Staking my life on these eyes that could perceive the Aura of Light Magic, I knew for a fact that the plant growing from the woman before me was identical to Lady Iris’s.
That meant the Third Consort of the Empire was actually the Witch Queen.
It seemed impossible—and yet, her hair was white, and her features were a match. If she had lost her mana to Lady Iris’s parasite, then her Transformation Magic must have unraveled.
"Lady Hakanaki was treated by that person in the Moon Goddess's Tower," Zelma added.
That person in the Moon Goddess’s Tower. I had only recently learned of their existence, and just hearing the title made my heart hammer against my ribs.
"Regrettably, even that person could not break the curse of this plant. We weren't even granted an Elixir," Zelma lamented.
The Elixir was a panacea said to have been created by the Goddess Selene a thousand years ago. It was the first I’d heard that such an ancient, divine medicine even still existed.
"However, the trip wasn't a total waste. It seems that person’s power managed to halt the curse’s progression. At the very least, we’ve prevented Lady Hakanaki from being consumed by the plant and dying."
In that moment, everything clicked. Zelma likely had no idea, but the "Consort" was the Witch Queen. The Queen was using her public identity to secure treatment from the most powerful healer in the world!
I looked at the woman in the wheelchair. With half her face swallowed by the parasite, she met my eyes and smirked. I never dreamed the Witch Queen would be bold enough to walk right into the heart of the Selene Sect.
Witches hunted Saints. This was a truth hidden from the public but known to everyone in the Church's upper echelons. It was unthinkable that the leader of the Witches—the Saint’s natural predator—was receiving medical care from that person. Clearly, neither the Church executives nor that person had realized her true identity.
It was a perfect chance to eliminate the Witch Queen, but if I shouted that the Empire's royalty was actually a monster, everyone would just think I was insane. Still, I had to try.
"Lady Zelma... it’s difficult to say, but that person is—"
The moment I tried to speak, a wave of pure bloodlust erupted from the person pushing the wheelchair. I flinched, my throat locking up.
I recognized the man. He was the one with the shaved head who had been with the Witch Queen in Alraune’s Forest! I hadn't noticed him because he had grown his hair out into a massive afro. I felt a chill; if I revealed the truth, this man would kill me on the spot.
Even if the Witch Queen’s magic was sealed, her physical combat prowess was an unknown, and with an elite guard protecting her, telling Zelma the truth right then was impossible.
"Well then, see you later, Nina," Zelma said, turning to leave. The wheelchair-bound Queen and her Afro Guard followed.
This is bad, Lady Iris!
The Mistletoe hadn't been removed, but the Queen no longer looked like she was at death's door. I had assumed she would wither away on her own, but she showed no signs of dying now. And to think she had been saved by that person...
I suppose being the Third Consort of the Empire opened doors to the highest heavens. I had lived a life far removed from such power, but after joining the kingdom’s inner circle as a Saint, I was starting to understand how the world worked.
Once the tension finally broke, I grabbed my black water bottle.
Gulp, gulp.
Ah, Saint Nectar really was the best. After such a nasty encounter, I couldn't have kept my composure without it. I really wanted to share its glory with the people of Myrte Holy Light; anyone who hadn't tasted this was missing out on half of life's joy.
As my heart settled, the memory of the scene returned to me.
"That Golden Feather Robe the Witch Queen was wearing..."
It had radiated the same aura as the 'Hero's Helmet' I had seen during our battle with the Dryades’ Heavenly King.
Ten days passed since I arrived in the Kingdom of Myrte Holy Light. His Holiness the Pope had told me to wait, and I had been doing exactly that ever since. At this rate, winter would be over and spring would arrive before I was called.
While I was stuck waiting at my inn in the Holy Capital, Zelma’s delegation finished their business. Even though I hated it, Zelma was my senior, so I went to the city outskirts—past the Holy Magic Barrier, the Dämonenwand—to see them off.
Zelma was preparing for departure with Lady Hakanaki and the Afro Guard. Aside from me, only Church officials were present. One of them, a Holy Knight, approached the wheelchair. He was a frail, hunched-over old man. Though he looked as fragile as a withered tree, he radiated a strangely potent pressure.
"Cough, cough... Now then, as promised, might we have the item returned?"
"Nyahaha, a deal’s a deal," the Queen replied.
She slipped off the Golden Feather Robe. As the fabric emitted particles of light, she handed it directly to the old knight.
"I have it. However, from this point forward..."
"I know, I know. My mana is still sealed anyway. Honestly, you should be thanking me for recovering such a precious item from the Demon King’s Army."
I couldn't follow their conversation, but the Golden Feather Robe definitely shared the same aura as the Hero's Helmet. It was a beautiful light—a true Holy Relic of the Goddess.
Zelma’s party departed in their carriage. If that woman really was the Witch Queen, they were letting a monster escape. As a Saint, and for Lady Iris's sake, I knew I shouldn't let an enemy of humanity go free. I opened my mouth to tell the knight—and then I stopped.
The knight was clearly making some sort of arrangement with her. This wasn't a personal whim; it was a decision by the Church itself. I could sense a deeper layer of politics that a common-born Saint like me wasn't meant to know. It terrified me, and the words died in my throat.
I’m sorry, Lady Iris. I couldn't do anything against Zelma, or the Witch Queen.
Even as a Saint, I was still powerless on my own. I hated how weak I was. I wanted to be strong, just like Lady Iris!
But I wasn't going to let this go. I would write everything I saw in a letter to Lady Iris. I would trust in her judgment.
Winter deepened as I spent my days writing. Just as I finished a full account of the events, I finally received a summons from His Holiness the Pope!
I left the inn and climbed into the waiting carriage. Looking out the window, I saw a massive stone dome—the Selene Cathedral. It was the holy palace of the Pope, the supreme leader of the faith that ruled the continent. I had visited it several times for sightseeing already.
I had come here to be officially certified as a Saint by the Pope. However, the carriage drove right past the Cathedral and headed toward the center of the city, where the Moon Goddess’s Tower loomed.
They said the tower was tall enough to touch the moon, and I believed it. Looking up at it made my neck ache. It was incredible that such a thing could be built. Legend had it that construction had continued for a thousand years, and it was still growing. The Selene Sect truly was a terrifying entity.
The Pope himself was waiting for me on the ground floor.
"It has been a while, Your Holiness," I said, greeting him. I had already paid my respects earlier in my stay, yet my certification had been delayed.
Publicly, the Pope was the one who certified Saints, but that wasn't strictly true.
"Shall we go, Saint Nina?"
The Pope looked upward. Realizing our destination was one of the highest floors, I let out an involuntary sigh. I wondered how many hundreds of flights of stairs I would have to climb. In the Selene Sect, the more important you were, the higher you lived. I wasn't sure my legs would make it.
We moved toward the central hall, but the other attendants stopped at the entrance. It was just the two of us. Then, the floor began to glow, and I felt a momentary sensation of weightlessness.
"We’ve arrived. Look outside, Saint Nina."
The Pope led me to a window, and my jaw dropped.
"The... the clouds are below us..."
Beneath me lay the Holy Capital, looking like a toy set. We had moved to the upper reaches of the tower in an instant.
"That was your first time using a Teleportation Circle, I gather? This, too, is the Goddess's power."
I was once again reminded that the world was full of mysteries beyond my understanding. Shaken, I followed him to the final door.
"Open it. That person is waiting."
The Pope was not the true leader of the Church. Above him was a being whose existence was a secret known only to the highest elite—the manager and ruler of this impossible tower.
"This is the Chamber of the Shrine Maiden. Your seniors, Saint Zelma and Saint Iris, both received their certifications from that person in this very room."
I pushed open the heavy golden doors. Beyond lay a hall of pillars with intricate carvings, and at the far end sat a woman on a throne of magnificent splendor.
The Pope, the most powerful man I knew, bowed his head deeply. I followed suit, pressing my forehead to the floor. Even the Pope couldn't speak to her as an equal. There was only one person like her in the world.
A few seconds later, the woman on the throne acknowledged us. She turned her head slowly, looking almost bored.
"So, you are Selene’s newest daughter."
The moment I heard that cool, dignified voice, my skin broke into goosebumps. My heart was pounding so hard I thought it might explode. My nerves were frayed just by being in her presence.
The woman before me held more power than any king or emperor. She was more influential than the Pope. She was the most powerful human being on the planet.
She was the Shrine Maiden of the Goddess—the spokesperson for the Goddess Selene herself.
It was the Great Sage Otfried who had transported Zelma to the Kingdom of Myrte Holy Light. Having delivered the party safely with his Wind Magic, the Great Sage had already returned to the Kingdom of Gardenia, remaining blissfully unaware of the Witch Queen’s true identity.
Next time: The Newbie Saint Writes a Letter from the Holy Light Country – Latter Part.