So, this boy, Carter, is he…

Stop acting so damn surprised with every new face. This is the origin of Saint Eleanor we’re watching here. She’ll obviously run into all the usual suspects at some point.

…Makes sense.

That woman is not a saint! She’s nothing but a fraud!

Yeah, duh, that’s her whole schick. Haven’t you been paying attention?

Tch!

“Doctor! Can somebody call a doctor!”

“Carter! Carter, I’m fine. I’m just tired.”

“But your blood—”

Eleanor tells Carter that she’s fine and she simply has a pre-existing condition. Carter takes Eleanor to a park to rest. There, they reintroduce themselves.

“So you’re not a real priestess yet.”

“I lied to get your absolute trust for the healing spell to work.”

“Then no harm done, miss.” Carter smiles. “If anything, I gotta thank you for saving my butt.”

“You wouldn’t be injured in the first place if you didn’t play hero.”

“What can I say, I saw a damsel distress and my better judgment went out the window.”

Eleanor chuckles.

“Ha! You boys… all the same. You know I knew someone just like you. Always smiling. Always played the hero. Always stick his neck unnecessarily.”

“Sounds like a swell guy.”

“Well, he’s dead. And you’d end up like him if you don’t stop leaping in front of every damsel you come across,” Eleanor says with a cold tone and looks at the stitches she made.

Carter follows her eyes.

“I see… Did you learn to do this for him?”

“No… There was another boy… Young. Reckless. Used to nod along to every word I say and do the exact opposite. Alway ended up getting cuts and bruises all over.”

Mama… you do miss me!

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

N-no, I didn’t—I mean, I don’t!

Mama, let’s make up for lost time after this case is done!

Don’t count on it, you snotty brat!

“I better go home before somebody misses me.”

“Ah, right, I’ll hail a cab for you.”

Carter helps Eleanor up a carriage and says goodbye to her. But before the carriage leaves, she bits her fingernail and asks him a question.

“Carter, what do you want to be when you grow up?”

“Isn’t that obvious, priestess?” Carter winks. “ A knight!”

Eleanor smiles and shakes her head.

“Boys and their dreams… Why is it always so cliche?”

The duke’s mansion is in chaos when they discover the young lady missing from her room. Then they have another surprise when she shows up in her room as if nothing happened.

The duchess is so angry she moves her things into Eleanor’s room and sticks with her like glue.

One day, Duke Ashton calls Eleanor into his studies.

“The king wanted to reward you with a title and land, but the other nobles prevented him from doing so due to your… background. So he asked what you would consider to be an acceptable compensation.”

“Money is a girl’s best friend, your grace.”

The duke laughs.

“Money it is. On another matter, I promised to entrust you to a good teacher to teach you in the ways of priesthood. We’ll be visiting them this afternoon.”

“May I ask who they are, your grace?”

“It’s a surprise.”

The duke smiles coyly and Eleanor simply nods. In the afternoon, they hop on a horse carriage and travel to a small building with blacked out windows. Opening the door, Eleanor is hit by the smell of medicine and sees shelves of chemicals and herbs.

“Nina?! Nina, it’s Ashton!”

The duke calls out and after a few moments the stack of papers on the desk moves and a woman slowly pops up.

“Yawn. What do you want?” she says sleepily.

“We talked about this last Tuesday. This is Eleanor, she’ll be your disciple from today.”

“Like hell she will.”

“Nina, you agreed to this.”

“I was probably tired out of my mind. No contract taken under influence should be taken seriously.”

Duke Ashton raises his brow and takes out a small package from his coat.

“I pulled a lot of stings to get a hold of this.”

“Is… Is that?”

“Exactly what you asked for in the letter.”

The woman jumps on her feet and rushes to grab the package but Ashton lifts it over his head.

“Gimme, gimme! Give it to me, now!”

“Not until you promise to teach the child. Swear an oath.”

“Yeah, sure, I swear, whatever! Now give it to me!”

Ashton smiles and hands the package to Nina. She immediately rips the paper, revealing a glass vial. She holds it like a treasure and observes the vial with starry eyes.

“For the love of god, don’t kiss it. You don’t know where it’s been.”

“Of course, I know! I wouldn't have asked you to acquire it if I didn’t! Do you know what this is?! This is the vial used by the genius of our time, Dr. August himself! The mysterious and devilishly handsome doctor who single handedly revolutionized medicine ended the worst plague in recent history before disappearing into the sunset. Every single item the man came in contact with is a clue to finding him! Oh, doctor… how I long to meet you. I want to pick your brain. Listen to your brilliant theories and caress your fabulous mustache!”

Nina looks at a framed scratch of Doctor August on the wall and showers kisses on it.

“Riiight… Eleanor, let me introduce you. This is Doctor Nina Norris, a… A-hem!—highly regarded doctor and priestess. And despite her appearance she is also…”

Judge, the protestors have selected their representatives!

Good, bring them in.

Yes, your honor, representing the Saint Eleanor supporters, A.K.A. the Pro-Devil party is Doctor Nina Norris, one of the five Elders of Man. On the other corner, is Knight Carter Cage, one of the six Sword Saints, and the hero who defeated the devil!