This is the perspective of a newbie apprentice saint.
My name is Nina.
I am a newbie apprentice saint serving in the Royal Capital.
Ever since I was little, my family always told me that my only redeeming quality was my sharp eyesight, but my life changed forever when I was ten years old and my talent for Light Magic was recognized.
I was whisked away to the Cathedral—the training facility for apprentice saints—not knowing what would become of me, but I’ve managed to pull through somehow.
Even so, it feels like a dream that someone of commoner birth like me could be assigned to the same Cathedral as the real Saint.
Speaking of dreams, there is one unforgettable event that I still remember clearly to this day.
It happened just one week after I entered the Saint Cathedral.
I was only ten years old at the time.
Separated from my family and unable to endure the unfamiliar lifestyle and harsh training, I was huddled in a corner of the Cathedral's backyard, crying all by myself.
That was when someone called out to me.
She had golden eyes and long hair of a similar, beautiful pale gold color.
I think she was about five years older than me.
The woman used her own pristine white handkerchief to wipe my face, which was soaking wet with tears.
It was a lovely thing, edged with lace.
What’s more, she used that high-quality item—the sort only a noble might possess—on a commoner like me.
On top of that, she used Light Recovery Magic to restore my swollen face to the way it was before.
That was the first time I experienced firsthand just how incredible the Light Recovery Magic of an apprentice saint could be.
The woman spoke to me with such kindness.
"What is your name?"
"…Nina."
"My, Nina, you have such beautiful eyes."
"My… eyes?"
"Yes. I feel as though you have special eyes, blessed by the Goddess of Light. You possess a unique power that the other apprentice saints do not."
Even being told I was special didn't really click with me.
My parents had always said my only redeeming quality was my vision; I couldn't believe I possessed such a grand power.
If anyone was special, it was the senior apprentice saint standing before me.
She treated me with a gaze full of mercy and affection, looking for all the world like a real goddess.
After a while, several noisy voices drifted over from the direction of the Cathedral.
"I must go now."
The senior apprentice saint began to step away.
"You are a newcomer, aren't you, Nina? Training to be a Saint is difficult, but please keep doing your best."
"Um… please, what is your name?"
The senior apprentice saint came to a quiet halt and slowly turned back toward me.
"I am called Iris."
After introducing herself as Iris, the senior apprentice saint hurried away as if she were in a rush.
"Lady Iris…"
I whispered her name to myself as I clutched her handkerchief, as if trying to commit it to memory.
I had a premonition that my painful life at the Saint Cathedral was about to become a little more enjoyable.
It was only a few days later that I learned Lady Iris wasn't just any apprentice saint—she was the real Saint, hailed as the greatest of the era and the pinnacle of all generations.
Knowing that the senior I admired was the Saint beloved by the entire nation made me so incredibly happy.
I resolved then and there that I would become a splendid Saint one day, someone worthy of standing by Lady Iris's side.
And there was one more important thing.
I had to return the handkerchief I had borrowed.
However, I rarely had the chance to speak with her.
Even during our few brief conversations, I would always get so nervous that I completely forgot to return it.
So, I decided that the next time we met, I would definitely give it back.
I would tell her then that I was the person I was today only because I had met her that day.
But the day for me to return that handkerchief never came.
One day, when I was eleven, the news of Lady Iris's death arrived.
The exact details seemed to be a classified matter handled by the country's top brass, but I knew this much:
As the Saint, Lady Iris had gone on a journey to defeat the Demon King alongside the Hero.
Since she lost her life during that journey, she must have surely fallen at the hands of the Demon King's Army.
The Saint could be a bit airheaded at times, but even that was part of her charm.
She was strong, kind, and so very beautiful.
Countless apprentice saints looked up to Lady Iris.
She was so popular that I suspect the entire nation wept for her.
The day I learned of her passing, I cried until my tears ran dry.
When I pulled out the handkerchief I had borrowed from her to wipe my eyes, the tears only overflowed faster.
I would never be able to return this to her.
And I would never be able to tell her how much I appreciated our first meeting.
I stood in the backyard of the Saint Cathedral where we first met, looking up at the sky and praying all alone.
Lady Iris.
Please, sleep in peace.
The year I turned thirteen, a new couple was born in the Kingdom of Gardenia.
It was the wedding of the Second Prince—the Hero—and the new Saint.
Lady Iris, the previous Saint, had always spoken kindly to me whenever we passed in the halls, despite my commoner birth. But the current Saint is a frightening woman.
Despite being Lady Iris's junior disciple, her personality is the polar opposite.
She doesn't even spare a glance for a commoner like me.
We have yet to speak even a single word to each other.
I’m certain the Hero is kept firmly under her thumb. That Saint has a nasty personality, after all.
More than that, I was fuming over the Hero’s behavior. How could he marry a new Saint so quickly? What was he thinking?
I couldn't forgive him for seemingly forgetting Lady Iris, who was supposed to be his fiancée.
I don’t know if there were political reasons behind the marriage, but I couldn't help but wonder how the Hero truly felt.
Not that an opportunity for me to ask him would ever arise.
In the winter of my fourteenth year, a once-in-a-century blizzard struck the country.
To make matters worse, the Fortress City fell to the Demon King's Army.
Despite this national crisis, the Hero—the kingdom’s hope and its strongest man—was utterly besotted with his new bride. He showed absolutely no intention of going out to slay the Demon King.
That newlywed wife had also become the most powerful Light Magic user in the country now that the previous Saint was gone.
The rumor was that the two of them, despite being the nation's greatest military assets, spent all their time cooped up in the castle acting lovey-dovey.
Just the other day, I happened to overhear the newlywed Saint at the Goddess Cathedral gossiping about how the Hero was "incredible at night."
It’s all well and good to prioritize the person you love over the state, but they are both people of high standing; I wish they would show a bit more self-awareness.
And frankly, I didn't want to hear those kinds of rumors.
Then, when I turned fifteen, I was finally entrusted with work in the field.
A personnel reshuffle was announced.
But my joy was short-lived when I realized my orders were to move to the front lines.
To be honest, the thought of going to a place that might become a battlefield was terrifying.
However, it is a Saint's duty to heal those wounded in war.
I had made my peace with that the day I decided to become an apprentice saint.
To protect my family back home, I will fight for my country, even at the cost of my life.
Besides, my post is in the city where the bishop's seat of the Church is located.
I'll be living in the city where the Goddess's Tower stands.
That is something to look forward to.
However, while I was traveling to Tower City by carriage, I saw something very strange.
I’ve always had good eyes.
That’s why I was able to see a small bird flying through the sky, curiously carrying a bucket in its talons.
I figured I was just broadening my horizons, seeing the strange birds that lived in the remote regions.
But then, I noticed something else.
A mysterious light was emanating from the bucket the white bird held.
That light, which was so reminiscent of Lady Iris, disappeared into the depths of the forest along with the bird.
I pulled out Lady Iris's handkerchief, which I carry as a lucky charm.
The name "Iris" was embroidered onto it in elegant, golden thread.
It has already been four years since Lady Iris passed away.
To think the day would come when I would remember her like this…
Come to think of it, I heard that Lady Iris died somewhere in this area.
Perhaps she turned into a bird and came to watch over me on my first assignment.
Thinking that she might be nearby, watching over me, gave me a sudden surge of energy.
Of course, I knew such a thing was impossible.
Even so, feeling as though I had seen Lady Iris for the first time in four years made me very happy.
But a few days later, I would lay eyes on that light once again.
Along with the mysterious nectar held by a mysterious nectar-selling girl.
This installment focused on the newbie apprentice saint in Tower City.
You also got a brief glimpse of our protagonist back when she was the Saint. Her former name, which had been kept under wraps until now, appeared quite frequently here. In fact, this is only the second time her name from her days as a Saint has been mentioned. Why is the protagonist’s name so rare...?!
Next time: The Newbie Apprentice Saint’s Work Struggle Chronicle — Part Two.