It was rather easy on cakes—Gilbert recommended that she start with a simple layer cake, using whipped cream and fresh fruits for filling and buttercream icing. She was skeptical at first—whether people would even be interested in something so simple. But after making her first proper layer cake, her doubts faded away.
It wasn't the prettiest cake by any means. The layers were uneven, resulting in the cake slanting to one side. The icing distribution was also wonky at best, with some parts containing too much and some not enough. But one couldn't argue about the flavor. Remi was ready to eat the whole thing by herself.
Thankfully for the elf, Melina continued honing the cake-making skills, which resulted in plenty of cake to go around. Remi took a whole one for herself. Illitran was also enjoying a fair share when it was his time to guard Melina. As did Barrett, who took two whole cakes to the inn to share them with Erina.
Melina didn't forget about her promise to Guildmaster either and delivered her most potent batch of healing waffles yet. At least theoretically, they should be the most potent ones—since Gilbert didn't have the System anymore, there was no way to check. But she infused the waffle dough with
She also made pastries specifically to strengthen the effects of the Monster Realm ingredients she had. Wyrm eclairs had a healthy dose of
Cloud muffins had been infused with the intent of recovering stamina and decreasing fatigue. Even without the System, Melina could tell that the effect was rather substantial—she often nibbled on cloud muffins herself to recover from an intensive day of work. Not to mention that she was developing a taste for blueberries.
Sparkleaf Pies came in two varieties. One was made for adventurers and regular customers. Melina used feyfruit and
"Melina, this pie is incredible. It almost felt like I had
She was surprised that the boost provided was so strong, but wrote it off on
Melina also made copious amounts of feyfruit glaze in hopes of ranking up
to Rank C as well. This would not only improve shelf life but also help attract customers to the new pastries. Part of her did worry that people might not return to the bakery after they've been closed for so long. She wasn't even sure if she could manage the bakery all on her own.
"How's your progress on preparations?" Gilbert asked on Friday morning.
"The menu is more or less ready, Milo should be bringing new shelves either today or tomorrow, so it seems like I'll be ready by next Tuesday," Melina said, poking at the pancakes on her plate.
"Why do you seem so glum then?" Alistair asked, and Mango yipped curiously, peering at Melina.
The little fox was becoming more independent by the day, exploring the bakery and desperately trying to get into the kitchen when Melina was cooking. But she wasn't able to go potty properly yet, so the kitchen was still forbidden for her aside from meal times.
"Not progressing with the System?" Gilbert guessed.
"No, it's not that. I'm making great progress, actually," she said and brought up her Status screen.
[Name: Melina Dufour]
[Level: 32]
[Class: Arcane Baker]
[Familiar: Sienna — Ember Wyrm Level 49; Mango — Ice Kitsune Level 1 (unique)]
[Intelligence: 22]
[Agility: 10]
[Strength: 10]
[Skill: 28]
[Charm: 15]
[Active Skills: 9]
[
,
[Passive Skills: 3]
[
"I'm almost jealous. You're leveling up and ranking up skills way faster than I am," Alistair said with a smile that showed he wasn't jealous in the slightest. "So what is bothering you?"
"I'm… not sure I can manage the bakery alone," she admitted.
"Where did all your confidence suddenly go?" Gilbert arched his eyebrow.
"It's not only about confidence," Melina said. "I could do it, but then I'd likely be doing nothing but making pastries all day. While doing things with magic does make things faster, I can't make multiple types of pastries at once. I can only focus on one at a time."
"Then you should just limit the amount you sell," Gilbert shrugged.
"Yeah, that's what I thought too, and I ran some calculations… We wouldn't be able to keep the bakery open."
"Is it that bad?" Alistair regarded her nervously. "Maybe you should raise the prices for the fancier desserts like cakes."
"I have. But cakes also take much longer to make. So I was considering another option, and you might not like it, Grandfather," Melina said.
"What option is that?" The old baker narrowed his eyes at her.
"We hire help."
"Help? Do pray tell where you're going to get a person experienced enough with baking at the drop of a hat?" Gilbert questioned. "And don't even say that I should teach them. There's no way I can teach anyone baking in a span of 3 days."
"That's easy, Grandfather. We search at a place where all bakers are—Bakers Guild," Melina replied.
"Have you forgotten what happened last time you went to the Bakers Guild?"
Melina did remember the rather unpleasant exchange with Guildmaster Beck. However, during the Festival, he actually seemed positively inclined towards her. Perhaps, since she had proved herself to be a talented cook, he's dropped his prejudice against orphans. At least to some degree.
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"I have not, but I do have a good excuse for Guildmaster Beck not to get mad over the fact that you didn't accept his daughter as an apprentice," Melina smiled.
"Which is?"
"I'm your granddaughter. Obviously, you'd pick your blood relative over a stranger."
"That is a strong argument," Alistair nodded.
"Okay, let's say that you manage to conveniently find this new hire—unlikely if you ask me, talented people don't just sit around without work. Where are you going to put them? They can't commute all the way from Pertia," Gilbert argued.
"That is a good point…" Melina admitted.
"I believe I might have a solution to that problem," Alistair said, giving Melina a significant look.
Melina looked at him for a moment and then realized what he was insinuating. He wanted her to move into his home.
"But what about Grandfather and Sienna's enclosure and the garden…" she stuttered.
"Girl, his house is a five-minute walk away from here. Why are you acting as if you're moving to a different town?" Gilbert narrowed his eyes.
"You're not against it?" Melina questioned.
"No. Why would I be? It's clear you're going to move in to live with him sooner or later," he shrugged nonchalantly.
"Then the new hire will be able to live in your room. Master Gilbert won't be alone. I believe it's a good arrangement," Alistair said with a satisfied smile.
"Let's not count our chickens before they are hatched. You need to find that new hire first," Gilbert noted.
"Indeed. I should head to Pertia post haste! Sienna, you don't mind running for a bit, do you?" Melina said.
The wyrm chittered in approval.
"You're not going alone. I'm going too," Alistair said.
"No horse will be able to keep up with Sienna. It'll be faster if I go alone," she objected.
"What if monsters attack? I hope you haven't forgotten that you have a large target on your back from the Monster Lord and the Church."
"No problem. I have my magic now. They're not a threat," Melina said confidently.
Gilbert leaned forward and flicked Melina's forehead. "Don't think everything can be solved with magic. Boy, take Knight and go with her. She cannot be left alone."
"Is that alright?" Alistair asked.
"Yes. He's quite attached to you anyway. Just make sure he doesn't start eating anyone's nightmares in the city," Gilbert warned.
"I'll keep an eye on him, and most importantly on Melina."
"I suppose I'll feel better with some company, but are you sure you can leave? I'll probably return only tomorrow evening at best," she asked.
"I'm sure I can arrange something with the Guildmaster," he nodded.
"Aren't you two forgetting about someone?" Gilbert said, pointing at the little kitsune who was trying to chew the leg of the table.
Melina pulled her away from it gently and instead offered her a bit of boiled egg.
"I was hoping you could watch her for a day," Melina said.
"Out of question. There's no way I can keep up with that little rascal at my age," he shook his head.
Melina frowned. He had a good point. Mango was rather quick on her feet. Not enough to outrun Melina and Alistair, but it would certainly give an old man some trouble. But then she remembered about a certain redhead.
"Oh, I'll leave her with Leliana."
"Leliana?" Alistair raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"
"She did offer," Melina shrugged. "I'm sure she'll be able to manage just fine."
"That's not a bad idea, actually. Leliana is a responsible girl. Then you'd best get going. The journey to Pertia is long, even on mounts," Gilbert urged.
Just as Melina had predicted, Leliana was delighted to have the little fox all to herself for the day. She diligently wrote down what Melina told her and assured her that she would be taken care of. Leliana's sisters also quickly took to the fox, not at all bothered by the fact that she was a monster. The power of cuteness was not to be underestimated.
With that settled, Melina collected everything she would need for the journey and prepared Sienna for the ride. She doubted she'd be able to endure Sienna's tough scales against her bum for the whole ride, so she tried one of Knight's saddles.
Putting it on was a nightmare, and Melina had to do a few clever applications of magic to make sure that the saddle would stay in place. But in the end, the saddle was on, Sienna looking rather smug with it. She prepared Knight for the ride, although his snorting clearly indicated that he wouldn't be pleased if she got on his back.
Getting permission from the Guildmaster also wasn't an issue, and she gave Alistair's shift to Elowen. She was still mad about what happened in the Monster Realm.
With preparations done, Melina and Alistair both set out on the way. They started slow, running a rather brisk pace so as not to startle people passing by. Melina riding on Sienna's back was already enough to make everyone turn their heads and gawk at them.
But once they were a substantial distance away from Sunglow, Melina urged Sienna forward.
"Let's race! See who is faster," she challenged.
"How could I ever decline a challenge from my lovely lady?" Alistair said, and spurred on Knight's reigns.
The nightmare shot forward at astounding speed, moving much faster than any horse Melina had ever seen. Luckily, she wasn't riding on a horse. Sienna leapt forward, narrowing the distance between them in a few seconds and overtaking him.
"Keep up, boys!" She taunted, taking the lead.
This awakened the competitive spirit in Knight, who sped up even more. They rushed forward at this breakneck speed the whole way. If there were any monsters in the nearby forests, then they had no chance to attack them—they ran past so quickly, nobody could possibly hope to catch them. They arrived in Pertia at dinnertime—record time.
Sienna returned to her small form before they entered the city. Melina hid the wyrm in her dress pocket—she wasn't going to risk a confrontation. Pertians probably weren't as open to the idea of people carrying a monster pet around as Sunglowers.
"You think the Bakers Guild might still be open?" Alistair asked.
"No, that's unlikely. Bakeries usually open in the early morning and close in the afternoon."
"So I guess we should get to an inn and wait until tomorrow?"
"No… I think there's actually something we can do today," Melina said.
"What exactly?"
"Maybe we can find Adrien," Melina said.
"Adrien? I'm sorry, but I don't really know anyone with that name," Alistair admitted.
"Remember the lanky boy from the Church?"
"Which lanky boy?"
"Long, black hair, easily spooked, always carried a book around with him," she prompted.
"Oh! Yeah, I remember now. He was really good with magic but scared to fight even a goblin," Alistair nodded. "But why are we looking for him?"
"Elowen and I talked about how we should try to convince the previous [Archmage] candidates to join our cause," she explained.
"But wasn't he younger? Has he awakened to the System yet?"
"Not yet. But I was thinking that it would be good to just show our faces in front of him. So he would view us as a familiar presence. Once he awakens to the System, he'd be more willing to cooperate with people he has at least met before."
"That makes sense, but we can't exactly barge into his home."
"We don't have to. His father has a shop here in Pertia. We just go visit that," Melina said.
"Very well. We can certainly try," he nodded, and reached out to hold Melina's hand. "Let's try not to get separated."
She smiled at the gesture, feeling the warmth of his fingers. It was comforting. Together they went to the merchant street, which was filled with various small shops. She didn't know exactly which shop belonged to Adrien's father, but she knew he dealt with fabrics and the like.
They didn't find any such shop on the merchant street, so Melina decided to ask around.
"Excuse me, do you know any store that deals in fabrics?" she asked an older woman passing by.
"Why yes! You just keep going straight here and turn right at that street with the red house. The tailor store should be there," the woman explained.
"Thank you kindly!" Melina bowed.
"You're welcome. Be sure to buy your bride something nice," the woman chuckled, addressing Alistair.
"Only the best," he replied smoothly, and planted a kiss on Melina's fingertips.
She flushed and urged him forward, hoping to escape the overjoyed look on the woman's face.
"Do you have to do it in public?" Melina asked, trying to get her heart under control.
"I have to show everyone how much I love you," he hummed, shuffling closer to her.
Her heart was racing like crazy now. She wasn't sure how to respond to such an open display of affection. She opened her mouth to say something when Alistair suddenly pressed her against the wall.
"Alistair!" She exclaimed, wondering just how bold this man could be.
"Shhh! There are priests over there," Alistair said and pointed beyond the corner of the house.
Melina peeked around it and saw a group of priests entering a tailor shop. The exact shop that belonged to Adrien's father.