Usually, Melina didn't have much trouble waking up in the early morning. But since last night she kept thinking about the elves, the other non-human races that could possibly live in Sunglow, and also all the possible ways the master baker could show her the door. It was well over midnight when her tossing and turning stopped. If she hadn't left the curtains open, then she likely wouldn't have woken up in time.
Groggy, with half-open eyes she staggered over to the bathroom which was thankfully empty in the early morning hours, and quickly washed up. She cleaned up her appearance and dressed up as much as she could to leave as good of an impression as possible.
Perhaps I should have bought some new clothes. This dress has already seen its fair share of use and it isn't exactly pretty. But it'll have to do for now. Talking with the master takes precedence. After all, the longer I am not his apprentice, the more money I'll have to spend on lodgings and food.
She smoothed out the creases of her dress and headed downstairs. There was a different receptionist at the desk, however, the young girl was so sleepy that she didn't even notice Melina walk by. She decided that it was best not to bother her. The cafeteria was not open yet, although there was life in the kitchen as she heard the clatter of pots and pans.
I'll just have to eat later. It's not a big deal anyway since I had a good meal last night. Not to mention that I am going to a bakery. Perhaps, I could buy something there.
With that decided, she left the inn and looked down at the note she got from the receptionist in the Baker's Guild. Violet Street 137. That's where she needs to go. She checked the address sign which hung on the outside wall of the inn and saw that it said "Violet Street 21".
Well, that's convenient. Then again this place is so small. All the main businesses must be located on the main street or somewhere near it.
Without hesitation, Melina began walking down the street, heading towards the direction of the bakery. The streets were still empty aside from the few guards of the watch who were on morning patrol. No doubt the town watch was busier here due to the high concentration of monsters in the area.
As she kept walking through the street, her heart began to beat faster and faster. Her whole future would depend on whether she'd be accepted as an apprentice. She really wanted to be a baker just like Elenor. She wanted to create things instead of destroying them. She wanted to give something to the people who had to suffer because of her decisions. Even if that future would not come to pass anymore and they didn't remember it.
Before she even realized it, the scenery around her changed. Houses became more sparse, their state increasingly more run-down and old while the vegetation became more abundant. Soon one side of the street was replaced by a small forest and the yards behind houses grew larger with orchards, vegetable patches, and lush flower gardens.
It's almost like the countryside instead of a town. That's actually kind of nice.
Melina admired the beautiful scenery, feeling the refreshing morning air. However, it also felt odd. Like she was going to some farm instead of a bakery.
Why would anybody tuck away a bakery so far away from the town center? Any tourists who visited Sunglow would never find it at this rate. Then again Brock did say that Gilbert is basically a legend. Perhaps he is so famous that everyone just knows where his bakery is?
She looked intently at the numbers that were written either on wooden boards and put on the fence or nailed to the wall of the house. 134. 135. 136. All rather small houses with rather impressive-looking fields behind them. They were quite a distance away from each other too. When Melina finally reached Violet Street 137, her jaw nearly dropped.
The two-story building sat on the side of the street, old yellow paint peeling off the wooden walls. A cracked sign with a large pretzel hung on rusty hinges and squeaked terribly as the wind blew and moved it back and forth. A layer of dirt and grime hung onto windows making the view seem foggy. There was a light coming from the first floor with an old man bustling about.
Is this the right place?
Confused, she took a look at the number on the side of the building. 137. She rummaged around her sack and fished out the note she received from the receptionist. It clearly said "Violet Street 137".
For a supposedly legendary baker that the Queen herself wanted as her chef, this place sure doesn't look legendary. I would have thought it was abandoned if it weren't for the light. Okay, Melina. Maybe there's been some financial trouble or something and he can't afford the repairs.
But as she glanced over the building and the adjacent overgrown garden which clearly hadn't been cared for in years, she began to doubt that. But she had come this far. It'd be foolish to leave without even stepping inside.
Maybe the apprentices weren't rejected by Gilbert, but rather they ran away once they saw the state of his bakery. I honestly don't blame them. Legendary baker or not, this place certainly requires some fixing up.
"Good morning," Melina said with as much of a cheer as she could muster. The door screeched as she opened it, announcing her arrival as well as any doorbell would.
"Morning," replied the old man, not turning to look at Melina directly as he put the fresh loaves of bread onto the old shelves. She noticed that his arms, while looking rather large and strong, trembled a little as he put the bread down. As he walked to put down the tray, she noticed that he's movements were rather slow, almost unsteady.
Could it be that he's just unable to properly upkeep this place? The man himself and the inside of the shop look clean enough. His hair is neatly slicked back and tied into a ponytail while his beard is cut and groomed nicely. All the cleaning has been done, but any larger jobs that require more strength have been left undone.
Melina's heart clenched at the sight. It was almost like the time had been rewound everywhere except this place. Like this bakery somehow got excluded from the magic that saved the world, holding on by the sheer will of the master baker. But she could tell straight away that he was indeed a master, for his bread smelled just as good if not better than Elenor's.
"How may I help you?" the baker muttered after he was done with setting out the bread. Melina didn't hesitate and walked up to the counter.
"I have come to become your apprentice," she said resolutely and laid down the note she received from the receptionist. The man looked down at the note, then looked at Melina skeptically.
"Go home, girl. I got no time to waste on you," he grumbled, waving his hand at her in a dismissing motion.
"I wish to learn how to make bread," she said firmly.
"Anyone can make bread. Just go to some other baker," he shook his head stubbornly.
"The Baker's Guild rejected me. They do not accept orphans," Melina said, and the man paused. She took the opportunity to continue, "I'm not afraid of hard work if that's what you're worried about. I may look weak, but a bit of dust and grime isn't enough to scare me away."
"Yes, some others said that too. But a few days later they ran away without even looking back," the baker grumbled and then glared at Melina. "Leave. You do not belong here, girl."
"I do not belong anywhere," she retorted, her resolve to remain in Sunglow growing stronger with each word.
So what if this place is old and nearly falling apart? In the world I used to live in, a place like this was considered great. Besides, I don't have to learn any spells or fight monsters anymore, so I have plenty of time to turn this place around.
"I was told that when it comes to baking, you are a legend. I want to learn baking so if I'm going to do it, I want to do it from the best. A little bit of hard work on the side isn't going to scare me off," she said, looking the old man straight in the eye. He stared back at her, his eyes narrowed and skeptical.
"We'll see if you'll be saying the same thing in a few days' time," he grumbled in reply. Melina blinked a few times before finally, his words sank in.
"Thank you very much! How do I address you?" She slightly inclined her head towards the baker.
"I have not accepted you as an apprentice yet. But while you're around you call me Master Gilbert," the man said, stroking his beard as he assessed Melina from head to toe. It felt almost like his wise gaze could see straight through her. No, it was almost as if he could see into her past. She did her best to hold firm and nodded. "What is your name, girl?"
"I am Melina, Master Gilbert," she replied.
"We'll see if you'll be able to live in Sunglow. I've had tougher nuts than you crack and run away," the baker grumbled.
I doubt that.
"Where do I start?" she asked, unperturbed.
"Cleaning, obviously. You said hard work isn't going to scare you off. Time to prove you aren't all talk. The cleaning supplies are in the closet on the far end of the kitchen," Gilbert pointed towards the adjacent room.
"Understood. Should I start with cleaning the store?" she asked.
"Start with whatever you want," the man said dismissively and hobbled into the kitchen. She followed after him and was greeted by the most pleasant mixture of bready smells. There were sweet smells and savoury smells, and she could also discern something that reminded her of sourdough. As she looked around, she saw that there were trays of various breads and pastries which the Master Baker took and carried to the store.
There weren't any fancy desserts or cakes which Melina had seen in Elenor's shop, instead most of the bread looked rather simple and unassuming. She felt a twinge of disappointment at that, but it was quickly washed away as the heavenly scent of a cinnamon roll hit her nose.
Melina looked nervously as the baker carried the trays with trembling hands, looking almost like he was about to drop them at any moment. In a way, she was amazed that he was able to do this much work in his state as he must be suffering from some sort of illness. Despite that, the kitchen was kept in an almost immaculate state, with not a single piece of dust visible anywhere.
I'll have to do my best to convince him to keep me as an apprentice. This man clearly needs help but is probably too proud to accept any charity. I wonder if he has any family or not. Do they know about this?
Despite the many questions in Melina's mind, her body did not stop. She quickly located the closet with cleaning supplies. There were a few seemingly unused aprons, headscarves, and gloves so she put them on, and grabbed a broom, mop, bucket, and a cleaning cloth.
I'll start with the shop and then make my way around the bakery. Once I'm done with the inside, I'll clean the outside and then check the garden in the back. Perhaps there are surviving vegetables or fruit trees there that need tending.
So she headed into the shop, where Master Gilbert was carefully laying out his bread on the shelves. Most of the store was rather clean, including the shelves and the floor, however, Melina had already noticed the biggest offender before—the dirty windows. She glared at them, then grabbed the bucket and headed back into the kitchen to get some water from the sink. Unfortunately, it only had cold water, but she was not deterred. It was already great that the old bakery had easy access to water and she didn't have to draw it from a well.
With a bucket full, Melina grabbed a clean cloth, and one of the free chairs from the kitchen and was about to start cleaning when the old master spoke up.
"There is a solution in the closet for cleaning windows. Add a few drops to the water."
So he even has a special solution for window cleaning. The situation here is not as bad as I initially feared. All it needs is a bit of elbow grease.
Melina nodded and got to work.
Sun was already way past its zenith when Melina finally finished cleaning the first floor of the bakery. Not even the whole first floor since she didn't get to the storage room which Master Gilbert instructed not to touch. Her arms were screaming from exhaustion, muscles all over her body aching while her legs felt like literal jello.
This body is so weak… Before time was rewound I could travel over twenty kilometers a day. Now I can barely clean one bakery.
In her defense, there was a lot of work to be done. She had to clean all the windows which already took her half a day. She had to clean the rather spacious living room which had a thick layer of dust on every surface, not to mention that the furniture needed a good scrubbing as well. The toughest part was moving the large sofa and armchairs to clean underneath them.
"I'll be going for today, but I'll be back first thing tomorrow morning," Melina said to Master Gilbert who had been watching over her progress.
"Wait. Before you go…" the man held a paper bag from which came a delightful delicious smell. Her stomach grumbled as she realized that she hadn't eaten anything all day, so caught up she was with all the work. Melina gratefully took the bag, her mouth salivating at the thought of eating the delicious bread.
"Thank you," she said, and then staggered out of the bakery, slowly making her way back to the inn. Unlike in the morning, the surrounding scenery was now nothing more than a blur and the only thing keeping her grounded were the pastries in her hand. Initially, she had wanted to eat them once she reached the inn, but in the end, her hunger won out and she pulled out one of the pastries from the bag.
It was an unassuming round bun with a pleasantly golden crust that smelled absolutely divine. Initially, she thought that it was some sort of bread, but as she bit into it her tongue collided with a delightful warm meat and vegetable filling.
"W-What is this?! It is so delicious!" She called out in the middle of the street, attracting the attention of a few people passing by. They looked oddly at her at first, but after seeing the bun they nodded solemnly as if they knew exactly what she was feeling.
This filing is so tasty. The ground meat is flavored to perfection with a variety of spices and complemented with carrots, onions and what is this last ingredient? Is it cheese? There's not a lot of it but there is definitely some cheese in here. How can something so delicious be even contained in bread form?
She kept eating the bun, thoroughly enjoying its wonderful flavors and it felt like she was getting lighter with each step. As if the exhaustion of the day was slowly fading away. However, as she kept walking, Melina became suspicious. Her legs no longer felt like jello and her hands weren't aching anymore.
Something… Something isn't right. Show Status Screen.
[Name: Melina Dufour]
[Level: 4]
[Class: Cook]
[Intelligence: 5]
[Agility: 5]
[Strength: 6]
[Skill: 7]
[Charm: 5]
[Active Skills: 1]
[Refined Edge – Rank F]
[Passive Skills: 2]
[
[Status Condition: Regeneration (Minor) – 18 minutes and 43 seconds remaining]
Status condition?! How is it possible? Only magic, special skills, or special items can bestow status conditions. How could I have even…
Melina looked down at the remaining bit of meat bun in her hand. She put it in her mouth, chewed it, and swallowed while carefully looking at her status screen.
[Status Condition: Regeneration (minor) – 20 minutes remaining]
It went up! The meat bun was the thing that gave me the