The busy stream of customers died down just as abruptly as it had started. Merely a few hours later all of the bread and pastries were sold out.
"Is it always so fast and intense?" Melina asked Gilbert as she looked at the empty shelves. Only crumbs remained. It had seemed to her that they managed to prepare many breads and pastries, but thinking about it carefully the amount of work she had done was no larger than aboard the ship. While the crew aboard "Searay" had been large, it obviously could not compare to a whole town.
"Yes," Master Gilbert grumbled in response and began cleaning the crumbs off the counter with a cloth. Melina quickly ran into the kitchen, retrieved a clean cloth, and began cleaning the shelves.
"Does everyone have enough?" she asked.
"There's no way I can prepare enough bread for the whole town. It's first come, first serve."
She frowned. His pastries were truly great, yet by the time most of the town woke up, everything was already sold out.
That's such a shame. If there was a way of increasing the output of pastries then surely more people could enjoy them. Not to mention that the income would be larger as well.
"Do you earn enough to sell just this amount?" she asked curiously.
"It's enough to live by," the man grumbled. "Enough yappering. Clean up this place."
Master Gilbert shuffled back into the kitchen while Melina was left alone to ponder. It appeared she had touched on an unpleasant topic.
I'll leave the matter alone for now. Better focus on the cleaning.
"Don't forget to clean the kitchen too," Master Gilbert called out, and she groaned. This would take some time.
By the time every surface and the floors were sparkling clean again, Master Gilbert was nowhere to be found. She checked everything on the bottom floor, the second floor—most of which was covered in a thick layer of dust and cobwebs—and even outside. The nightmare was missing as well.
I guess he must have gone somewhere. To buy more ingredients perhaps? There were still plenty in the storage but maybe there's a specific thing he needs.
With nothing better to do, Melina decided that she might as well clean the second floor. It was on her to-do list anyway, so might as well get it over with. The second floor consisted of three rooms, a bathroom, and a spacious hallway. Two of the rooms were bedrooms, well, one of them was definitely a bedroom. The other should have been a bedroom but clearly hadn't been touched in years.
The third room, which by Melina's estimates should be the largest one, was locked. The door was also sturdy unlike the one she broke—there was no way for her to open it. It struck her as odd that this one door was sturdier than all the rest, but she figured that might be the place where Master Gilbert kept his valuables.
So she left the locked door alone and got to work—chasing spiders and dust bunnies around. It was tedious and the amount of decade-old dirt was amazing, but seeing everything transform was very satisfying. Especially in that empty bedroom.
It looked like it was being prepared for someone to move in, but the preparations stopped mid-way. The bed had an unused mattress but no sheets or pillows. There was a large empty wardrobe in the corner and a table, but no chairs. The toughest opponent was the dusty mattress—Melina had to give it a hearty beating with the other end of the broomstick to get rid of all the dust.
"Phew, now that is much better," she smiled looking at the completely clean room. This room had required most of her attention as Master Gilbert had kept his room spotless. It just appeared he didn't care much for spaces that he didn't use much, neglecting the hallway and the bathroom.
The lack of use in the bathroom had initially worried her, but then she remembered that this house didn't have warm water. Sunglow likely didn't have a centralized system for pumping hot water like larger cities. It wasn't really surprising knowing how much it cost to implement it.
Just as Melina headed downstairs to put away all the cleaning supplies, she heard a whistle resound from the backyard. Curious, she put down the supplies and hurried outside. Master Gilbert was there, taking the reins off the nightmare. There was a large bundle packed onto it, confirming that the baker had gone shopping.
"You're still here? Good. Managed to clean the kitchen?" the man asked.
"Yes. I cleaned the second floor too," she said pointing toward the open window of the previously dusty bedroom.
"Good, good. Then you might as well remain here for the night," he said and something akin to a smile appeared on his wrinkled face.
"Stay here?" Melina cocked her head quizzically, excitement slowly rising in her chest. "Does that mean…"
"Yes, I'm going to take you on as an apprentice. Not like I have much of a choice anyway. Youths these days are lazy. Most would never take the initiative to do anything they're not asked to do," he grumbled.
"Thank you! You won't regret this!" she cheered, a bit surprised by her own outburst. It felt somehow odd—unseemly almost—for her to do something like that. But she felt genuinely happy to find a place for herself. Somehow it felt more significant than the time she lived in an actual castle. "I'm going to go get my stuff from the inn."
"Hold your horses. There's still something I must give you," Master Gilbert called out before Melina could dart away. He removed the large pack from the nightmare's back and handed it to her. It was much lighter than she had expected it to be.
"What is it?" she asked, barely able to see anything beyond the bundle.
"Pillows, blanket, sheets, and everything else you might need for sleeping. I figured you'd need them."
"Thank you!" Melina said gratefully, smiling at the baker. "So the second bedroom upstairs–"
"Is now yours. Yes. Use it as you will."
"Thank you! Truly," Melina said, feeling herself getting emotional, but the man raised his hand to stop her.
"No need to get sappy. I did what any decent man would do. Now don't you have to get your stuff?"
"Yes! I'll go get it right now," she confirmed and dashed upstairs to the second floor. When she entered the empty bedroom, it felt completely different. This place was now her room. Her home. Before she even realized it, her vision blurred as tears filled her eyes.
When was the last time I actually had a home? Running from one place to the next was all I've ever done. I can't believe that I'm actually going to stay.
She brushed the tears out of her eyes and opened the bundle. Inside were two squished pillows which eagerly regained their shape once she pulled them out. There was a nice blanket just large enough for her small frame, and also a rather cute bedding with a pink flower pattern on it. Melina chuckled a bit.
Does Master Gilbert think of me as some child? It's quite cute but does something like that even suit me? It feels almost foreign. But I do like it. Maybe I'll get used to this cute aesthetic after a while.
Melina made her bed, admiring the fresh sheets and feeling their material. It was by no means luxury silk, but the material was still very pleasant to touch. She felt like she didn't deserve to sleep in something so nice. Haystack on the ship felt more appropriate.
This will take some getting used to. But for now, I need to go get my stuff.
The way to the inn passed in a blur as Melina's feet seemed to fly from excitement. The emotion felt just as foreign as the flowery bed sheets, and she wasn't sure what to do with it. But when she entered the inn and her eyes met with Erina's, the innkeeper instantly smiled.
"He accepted you as his apprentice, didn't he?" Erina asked smugly.
"Yes! How'd you know?" Melina asked, a smile still playing on the corners of her lips.
"Oh, it's written all over your face! We're going to celebrate," the innkeeper cheered. "I'll throw a big party and invite the whole town. I bet everyone will be excited to see Gilbert's apprentice."
"There's no need for that, really," Melina shook her head. Being in the center of attention was the last thing that she wanted.
"No, it is definitely needed. Give me a few days and I'll get everything ready. It'll be a great chance for you to get to know everyone in town," Erina said and quickly wrote down something in one of the smaller notebooks she had on her counter. It was clear that no amount of arguing would change the innkeeper's mind.
I guess I'll have to attend this event. There was no way around it—obviously, everyone would be curious about me at the start. I'm sure as time goes on, it'll all calm down. Especially when they find out that I'm an orphan.
"I'll leave it to you then. Thank you," Melina forced a smile.
"Don't mention it. Now go on and get your stuff. I bet you're excited to get back to your new home," Erina said, and Melina nodded. This was something she could not deny. With a few agile bounds, she was already up the stairs and unlocking the door of her room. There weren't many belongings for her to collect, just a few toiletries which she promptly threw into her sack.
Making sure that the door was open, Melina hurried back downstairs and returned the key to the innkeeper.
"I'll tell you the time of the party next time I come to get my order at the bakery," Erina said.
"Alright. I'll see you soon then," she waved goodbye, and the innkeeper waved back. The way back to the bakery flashed by in a blur as she nearly ran. Some people glanced curiously in her direction, but she was already gone before they could say a word.
As she approached the bakery, she slowed down and took it in its full glory. Well, glory definitely was not the right word in this case. It was an old building way past its prime. The paint was peeling off the walls, the roof had moss growing on it in places, and the backyard was a complete mess. But it was her home for the foreseeable future. Melina smiled as she got closer to the bakery.
I'll restore it to its old glory. It'll be just like Elenor's bakery in Tuvia—a place where people would come and enjoy a delicious pastry. A place where people would smile and feel happy.
Just as she thought it, the sign at the front of the store suddenly creaked. She stopped and looked at it suspiciously. The wind shook it to and fro, making the metal creak. But apparently, the sign had grown tired of it and the metal holding it in place snapped. With a loud crash, it fell to the ground and splintered into a thousand pieces.
"What was that noise?" Master Gilbert ran out of the bakery, broom in hand.
"The sign fell," Melina pointed at the pile of splinters. The baker took a look at it, then looked up at where the sign used to be and sighed.
"So this broke too."
"There is a carpenter in Sunglow right?" she asked.
"There hasn't been a proper carpenter in Sunglow for more than a decade now. We'll have to commission the sign in Pertia," the old baker rubbed the bridge of his nose.
Pertia, Pertia, Pertia… that name is familiar… Oh, right! It is the city with the second-largest branch of the Adventurer's Guild. It is located north of the capital, near the border Grenardia Region. Now when I think about it Sunglow is in the Grenardia region, only so much to the south that I didn't instantly associate it with the frigid north.
"Wouldn't it take several days to get to Pertia?" Melina asked, trying to imagine Alemahria's map in her head and measure the distance between the two places. "Also wouldn't it be dangerous?"
"Just one day if we hurry and yes. But we'll need to be there anyway to register you as my apprentice. Otherwise, the committee would have a hissy fit if they came for an inspection and found an unregistered apprentice," Gilbert clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"What about the monsters?" Melina asked cautiously. Did the old baker rely on his familiar to keep him safe? Even if a nightmare was a strong beast, it was just one creature. If a horde of monsters attacked would it be able to keep them off Master Gilbert? Or could it be that the old baker was able to defend himself?
"We're going to hire some adventurers from the guild to protect us, of course. I'm too young to die," the man grumbled hurriedly back inside. "Clean that up once you've put down your things."
I guess hiring adventurers makes sense. I've never had to do it before so the option didn't really cross my mind. It's a good thing that there is an Adventurer's Guild in Sunglow otherwise the people here would be forced to trade purely through sea. Then again… with how eager people were when "Searay" came into port, that just might be the case.
I do wonder—can Master Gilbert really afford to hire adventurers? Even in a small place like this hiring them can't be cheap.
Melina sighed, then proceeded to clean up the broken sign, adding the broken wood to the growing pile of trash in the backyard. She wondered whether she should just burn what could be burned, but decided against it. At least for now. It was already getting late and fire could attract certain monsters closer to the town.
So instead she headed inside and decided to have a good wash. Melina hadn't had a proper bath in… who knows how long? Few years for sure. While Master Gilbert's house had no warm water, she could easily make a warm bath by heating the water on the stove.
Luckily for her, the kitchen had several huge pots which she put on the stove and filled with water. Then she swiftly got the fire going and went to her room to set down her bag. On her way up, she ran into Gilbert.
"What are you planning to do, girl?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.
"A bath? Can I not?" she asked cautiously. The man relaxed.
"Of course you can. Draw me a bath too once you're done," he hummed.
"Perhaps you wish to go first," she offered.
"I'll take you up on that then. Call me when it's done," the man nodded his head and returned to his room. Melina unpacked her meager belongings in her room—pajamas, an extra pair of shoes, undergarments, and toiletries. Then she returned downstairs and waited for water to boil.
Getting the water upstairs to the bath was quite a tiring process. Melina worked up quite a bit of sweat and was grateful for going second. While Master Gilbert bathed, she put on a second batch of water to boil and waited. The baker left the bathroom soon after the water began boiling, so she prepared her own bath right after.
"It's an actual bath," she muttered, staring at the large metallic tub filled with now warm water. It almost felt surreal. Melina knew that it was silly being worked up over something so simple as a bath. But it had been so long since she had one.
Carefully she dipped her toes in, then her whole leg, and before long her whole body was submerged in warm bliss.
"I missed this so much," she exhaled and eagerly began soaping up her hair. It was like years of grime were being washed off. She knew that this younger body was much cleaner than the one she had before the time rewind. But it felt like she was cleansing her very soul.
Who knew that living a simple life could be so fulfilling? A warm bath, a clean bed, and a home to call your own. I was an [Archmage]. I had gold and jewels and the most amazing power in the palm of my hand, yet compared to this… it feels like it was almost meaningless.
Melina looked down on her palm and imagined a flame flickering inside it. There was a sharp pang in her heart. While she was happy right here, there was still a heavy sense of loss within her.