Chapter 59: Ch 59: The First Day Of The Apothecary Saintess
Raidan had pushed himself hard all morning, hauling heavy crates of rare herbs and glass vials from the market until his shoulders looked tight with fatigue. I insisted he take a break, even if he grumbled about wanting to help more.
Now, he was finally resting in our new bedroom upstairs, letting his guard down for the first time in weeks. Before I turned to head down to the shop floor, I leaned over and pressed a bashful kiss to his forehead. His breathing was so steady and peaceful. It made my heart flutter just to see him so relaxed and safe.
Downstairs, the shop felt vast and quiet. I spent a few minutes adjusting the rows of vials on the shelves, making sure the labels were perfectly aligned and the colors were arranged by potency.
Outside, the afternoon sun was high, and the market road was buzzing with life. Through the large front window, I could see a steady stream of people walking past our entrance. They walked with purpose, chatting and laughing, clutching baskets filled with bread or colorful fabrics.
My eyes followed them, waiting for the bell to chime. I waited for the door to open. I waited for someone to wander in, curious about the new apothecary in the Central District. But the minutes turned into an hour, and the stream of people just kept flowing past, completely unaware of our existence.
I let out a soft sigh and leaned against the counter.
Why was it so quiet?
Then, I looked up at the facade of the building. The storefront was just bare wood and glass. There was no grand sign hanging above the door, and no painted letters telling the neighborhood that here, they could find the finest health potions in the city.
Without a name or a symbol, we were invisible to everyone walking by.
I recalled the sign makers who promised to arrive tomorrow with the final piece of our storefront. They were meticulous, they said, and needed extra time to gild the edges of the lettering. I suppose I should not be so impatient. Today was just a quiet introduction. We were barely settled in.
I straightened my apron, trying to calm my racing heart.
Tomorrow, the sign would go up, and the customers would find us soon enough. For now, I was just happy to be standing in my own shop, waiting for our new life to truly begin.
I was just about to step away from the front window when a loud dramatic yelp echoed from the cobblestone street outside.
"Ouchie!"
I blinked and leaned closer to the glass.
As I looked, a young girl dressed in an unnecessarily extravagant gown of layered pink silk was skipping backward. She was clearly teasing her exhausted maid, who trailed behind with an armful of heavy shopping bags.
Because she wasn’t watching where she was going, the naughty young miss tripped over a slightly raised paving stone. She tumbled gracefully through the air before planting her face directly into the wooden support post outside my shop.
"My nose!" the girl wailed as she sat up in the dirt. Her delicate hands flew to her face, and tears immediately streamed down her cheeks.
Without thinking, I hurried outside and knelt beside her.
Judging by the intricate gold embroidery on her sleeves and the expensive jeweled hairpins now scattered across the ground, she clearly belonged to a wealthy noble family.
"Let me see," I said gently, carefully trying to pull her hands away from her face.
Her nose was already turning an ugly shade of purple, though thankfully it didn’t seem to be broken.
"Do not touch me!" she snapped, swatting at my hands like an angry kitten.
She then glared through her tears at my modest storefront.
"Who are you? You don’t even have a signboard! Are you just a commoner? I demand a proper royal physician!"
"But a physician is much too far away," I replied patiently. "Come inside. I’m a professional apothecary, and I promise I can make the pain disappear."
With a little gentle persuasion and the frantic help of her maid, I guided the sniffling noble girl into the shop and seated her on a sturdy wooden stool.
She looked around the plain room with obvious suspicion, her lower lip trembling as I opened a small glass vial containing a pale blue salve.
"Endure it. This will feel very cold," I warned softly.
My hands moved with the precision born from years of treating injured villagers. I dabbed a small amount of the soothing ointment onto my fingertips and carefully spread it over the bruised skin.
The effect was immediate.
The girl’s pained expression softened as the burning ache transformed into a cool, refreshing sensation. Before her eyes, the angry purple swelling rapidly faded, leaving behind smooth, flawless skin.
The pain vanished completely, as though the accident had never happened.
She blinked in disbelief.
Slowly, she reached up and poked her nose, expecting another sharp sting.
There was nothing.
Only healthy skin.
The bratty arrogance in her expression melted away. The suspicion in her eyes was replaced by pure amazement as she looked up at me.
"You... You’re completely amazing. What is your name, Big Sister?"
The little girl stared at me with wide, starry eyes.
"My name is Naida," I replied softly, wiping the remaining salve from my fingers with a clean white cloth.
The frantic maid finally caught her breath and stepped forward, dropping her heavy shopping bags onto the floor.
"Oh, thank the heavens! The master would have had my head if you returned home with a bruised face."
The young miss stood up and smoothed out the wrinkles in her pink silk dress. She looked completely different now, entirely stripped of her haughty and demanding attitude.
"Naida," she repeated, testing the name on her tongue as if committing it to memory.
Then, she reached into a small, velvet pouch tied securely to her waist.
I fully expected her to pull out a lace handkerchief or perhaps a small hand mirror to check her reflection. Instead, she produced a small stack of gleaming silver coins and placed them proudly onto the wooden counter.
"This is for your excellent service," she declared, lifting her chin in a clear attempt to look mature and dignified.
I just stared at the shiny silver. Back in the outer district, I relied entirely on Grandfather’s earnings or the occasional barter of fresh herbs for my medicine. I treated everyone for free out of the kindness of my heart. I had never actually been handed physical money for my treatment.
"No. This is far too much. The salve only requires common frostmint and a tiny bit of mana. A few copper pieces would be more than enough." I said trying to shove the pouch back.
But he young miss interrupted by a loud shout
"Nonsense. My father says exceptional quality always demands a proper price. And your magic hands are definitely exceptional. I am going to tell all my friends about this hidden shop!"
With a bright, cheerful wave, she marched right out the front door, her flustered maid scooping up the bags and trailing closely behind her.
I stood alone in the quiet shop for a long moment. Slowly, I reached out and gathered the silver coins into my hand. They felt heavy and cold against my palm, but my chest bloomed with an incredible warmth.
My hands actually shook a little..
This was my very first real payment. I had earned it entirely on my own. I clutched the coins tightly against my apron, completely unable to wipe the wide smile off my face.
I absolutely could not wait for Raidan to wake up so I could show him.
---
Upstairs in the quiet, sunlit bedroom, Raidan was completely unaware of Naida’s joyful milestone. He was entirely submerged in a very weird vivid dream.
He found himself standing at the apex of a colossal, floating staircase made of pure white marble. Below him stretched a golden plaza so unimaginably massive it seemed to defy all logic and reason.
It did not just hold a few thousand subjects. It held billions.
An endless sea of bodies stretched all the way to the distant horizon. A myriad of races populated this vast gathering. He saw towering giants with skin made of cracked obsidian, ethereal entities glowing with soft celestial light, fierce beastkin with vibrant fur, and countless legions of human warriors clad in matching silver armor.
Every single face was turned upward, locked directly onto his figure.
They were not just looking at him. They were looking at him with absolute worship.
They began to shout in thunderous roars that shook the very earth. Though he could not make out the exact words, the reverence in their tone was unmistakable.
In this surreal space, he was no longer just a mortal warrior trying to survive and make a living. He was an absolute sovereign. He was the supreme ruler of a boundless empire.
Just as the towering masses lowered their heads to bow in perfect unison, the vision began to dissolve.
Raidan slowly opened his eyes, blinking against the afternoon light filtering through the bedroom window. His heart was beating wildly against his ribs, and a thin layer of cold sweat coated his forehead.
"Where was I? What was that dream?"