In Novalis, there were two kinds of people who were, by today’s standards, “worlds apart.”
But they had once, in the same era, defended the same city together—Ironpivot City.
After the war against the Demon King subsided, some of the warriors sent by the Church chose to stay and become part of Novalis.
They preached the faith, got married, and had children here.
Some of their descendants still maintained the customs and beliefs, taking up work related to the Church.
During the period when the war’s aftermath had yet to dissipate and everything lay in ruins waiting to be rebuilt, factory owners, merchants who controlled the mines, and inventors who held patents rode the convenience of technology and continuously solidified their positions.
In the end, they even stepped on the corpses of the former nobles, gradually becoming the new ruling class.
They feared that today’s docile masses might overthrow them tomorrow.
They feared that the hard-won throne of power would slip away before they could even settle into it.
Because they had never possessed it before, their fear was even greater.
They constantly emphasized their similarities to the common people, insisting that they were all Novalians—while remaining utterly silent about the vast disparity in wealth and power between them and the masses.
But that wasn’t enough.
They feared that the masses would eventually wake up—just as they themselves had done.
They were afraid, so they needed to set up a hypothetical enemy.
They turned their gaze toward these comrades from the Holy Capital, even though they knew that right now, these people only wanted to settle down in this city.
These people were both a blessing and a curse to them.
The people from the Holy Capital had safeguarded their current peaceful life; with the Church’s protection, Novalis could truly develop without restraint.
But these knights, with their noble conduct, had also won the love of the masses, causing the tightly held grip on power to begin to loosen.
Still, they couldn’t drive these people away.
Without these people to draw fire, the masses might turn their resentment toward those in power at any moment.
Coming from the Holy Capital and belonging to the Church—this was the most perfect “target.”
Thus, the revolutionary camaraderie forged against the Demon King ceased to exist.
So they maliciously hinted at their Church origins.
So they tampered with history books.
So they distorted past facts, taking most of the credit for themselves—showing no mercy for the blood and tears of the knights and clergy.
And so, the chivalrous knights of Novalis gradually faded from memory.
Conservatism became their image. Stubbornness became their label.
Sometimes, they were even accompanied by insults like “lapdog” or “henchman.”
The two typical families of Novalis were perfectly embodied in a boy and a girl.
No one had foreseen it.
No one had imagined it.
That the two of them would come together.
…
Lucas had been raised with what was called an “elite education,” which meant he was much more mature than his peers.
He was greedy—wanting to know more about An, yet unwilling to let go of his connections with others.
He knew that getting close to An was dangerous.
It would harm his standing at school, the position of being sought after.
But he was also acutely aware that he couldn’t change the minds of Novalis’s people.
He couldn’t convince all the students to treat An kindly, as he did.
So he could only quietly approach this pitiful girl, offering her his insignificant comfort.
He also knew that coming home late every day wasn’t a solution.
From that day on, Lucas told his family he had joined a school club activity and would be home late every day.
…
Now, it was time for school to be dismissed.
The child in the classroom had gone from one to two.
An would unabashedly lie on the desk, her eyes fixed intently on an extracurricular book.
Lucas would quietly move closer.
If she didn’t react, he would also drag a chair over, shamelessly lying down too—so he could casually catch the scent of flowers in her hair and get a better look at her beautiful, lively eyes.
The girl would generously share the book, letting him read along with her.
It seemed to be a magic book about “Mana.”
Lucas had always been the top among his peers.
As a child, he’d spent every day in his father’s factory, becoming familiar early on with all kinds of instruments, as well as the principles and structures behind them.
He had heard the term before.
Mana… a word Lucas had overlooked.
He had always considered mana merely an auxiliary to machinery.
Just like in many of the books he read—inventions and finely crafted machines always took the lead.
Mana was generally just a substance stored in minerals, used within machines.
But now, the book An had brought showed him a completely different world.
Mana, Magic Circuits, Magic, Mages—all sorts of novel words flooded into his head.
Mana could also take on countless strange forms.
There was even something called magic, which could make mana display mesmerizing power…
“These things… I’ve never heard of them before…”
The boy stared blankly at a page covered in a drawn Magic Circle.
“So… there are Magic Circuits inside our bodies too?”
Just like how people who love machines might later take up related jobs—mechanics, inventors, and so on…
‘So what do people with mana do in the future?’
Lucas’s little head couldn’t help but wonder.
“An…? Do you want to work in this field someday…?”
“Yes, I do!”
The girl puffed out her chest proudly.
“I want to become a Saint—the very first Saint from Novalis!”
A Saint, huh…
Lucas had heard that word before.
Once, it was the Saint and the Hero who saved this city from peril.
A Saint—a pure and beautiful existence, synonymous with kindness and compassion.
Even the Novalis history books, which slandered the Church to the utmost, did not deny this.
They only said the Saint was “kind but conservative in thought.”
“Why?” the boy asked curiously.
“Hmm… because I want to be like my predecessors… to lead everyone and make everyone happy—”
Everyone, huh…
Lucas had always been taught by his father to constantly improve himself.
Because only then would he have great skills—better than everyone else—so he could earn a lot of money, be superior to others, and be happier than anyone else.
But now, this girl in front of him suddenly told him that she wanted to make everyone happy.
Such a strange feeling…
“Well… it’s just a dream after all… I know it’s unlikely…”
Under Lucas’s gaze, An shyly turned her head away.
“If I can’t become a Saint, then I’ll become a Paladin, or a Mage, or a Nun…”
“As long as I can help others, any way is fine!”
Her evasive eyes met the boy’s earnest gaze.
Lucas said nothing.
He quietly stared at An’s flushed cheeks.
The boy felt like he understood the girl a little more.
What a strange person…
She was completely isolated by the class… yet she still thought about everyone…
Why would she think about those who ignored her, discriminated against her, even hated her?
Lucas didn’t understand.
If it were him—when he became successful later, he’d tell them all to get lost, right?
Compared to other kids, Lucas had read many, many books and was more mature.
He knew there was always a difference between ideals and reality.
Leading everyone, making everyone happy…
What a hollow, disconnected idea…
Seeing the girl’s attention drift away, the boy curiously studied her earnest expression, tinged with a trace of unwillingness.
She was serious…
If it were any other kid, shouting in front of him about how they were going to become the greatest inventor ever—Lucas would definitely cringe with secondhand embarrassment and stare down at that naive fool with contempt.
But the girl’s words didn’t spark even a hint of disgust in him.
He could feel her sincerity—her utterly pure, true heart ready to put effort into this ideal.
“This page is done… turn to the next one…”
Lucas reminded her carefully.
“O-okay!”
An’s movements became flustered.
The sudden reminder made her a bit clumsy, even flipping past the page.
But this amused Lucas.
A childish smile spread across his face.
This time, there were no expectations from his parents, no sense of superiority over others, no premature smile reserved for elders.
Just a simple, pure, sincere smile.
One that belonged solely to a child—a smile that should have belonged to his age.
The boy had finally “read” the girl.
An was just An.
She was actually simple and pure.
She was just that kind of special girl.
Otherwise, why would she have caught his attention?
He felt that An was the right candidate.
An could definitely become a Saint.
Those words, Lucas always kept buried in his heart.
He never said them out loud.
……