Zeke’s Sword (3)
‘This girl… Was she going by Elise within the academy…?’
Zeke felt a sense of relief, as if something had clicked into place.
Even if he was juggling seven romance fantasy novels, it felt strange that he couldn’t remember a female protagonist with such a unique name.
That’s why, when he first heard the name Soi Spoon, he felt like it was her, but he couldn’t be sure and gathered the other students.
“Since you seem to like being called Soi Spoon, or rather, Elise, I shall address you as such.”
“Eh…? Ah, a…”
As if embarrassed by her shameful name being revealed, she bit her lip and lowered her head.
‘That damn author, why did he have to twist the name like that?’
He didn’t remember because he possessed the body mid-serialization, but it was probably used as a gag later in the story.
Or perhaps a villainess would appear, discover her name, and use it to humiliate her.
“Soi, who is he? Don’t tell me… Your boyfriend?”
“He’s so handsome!”
“D-Don’t say that! He’s an instructor at the academy!”
At her words, her older sister and younger brother looked at Zeke with surprised expressions.
Perhaps thinking this wouldn’t do, Soi Spoon stepped forward.
“Um, Instructor, what brings you here…?”
“This is a bakery, isn’t it? I came to buy some bread.”
“Ah! Bread! Ye-Yes! Please come in. But the only bread left is a bit old…”
Soi Spoon said, looking as if she were wondering if it was okay to serve this to a noble.
“That doesn’t matter.”
‘I was just going to buy some bread and go back because I’m hungry… But since we’ve met here by chance, it wouldn’t be bad to get a little closer to the female protagonist. If possible, let's lay down some groundwork to draw her into swordsmanship class.’
“I originally came here just to buy bread, but… It seems fate has brought us together. May I have a moment of your time?”
Soi Spoon's eyes widened slightly at his words, and then she nodded, remembering how Zeke had pointed at her during the entrance ceremony.
“Th-Then please come inside and have a cup of tea.”
“Yes, and some bread, please.”
Zeke entered the bakery with Soi Spoon.
Cling
The interior was a modest space made of wood.
There were traces of repairs here and there, and the smell of bread permeated the air, making it feel warm.
A few candles dimly illuminated the interior.
It wasn’t luxurious, but it was a bakery that showed signs of being lovingly cared for.
Seeing Zeke looking around, Soi Spoon scratched her head, embarrassed.
“I’m sorry it’s so humble…”
“Why apologize?”
“Huh?”
“There’s no need to apologize. It’s a lovely bakery.”
While Zeke ate and slept in a nice house every day, his body was comfortable, but at the same time, he missed this kind of rough charm.
Especially on days like today, when he had been tormented since dawn by attendants washing him, touching his face, and styling his hair.
Growl
‘Ah, I’m so damn hungry.’
“Th-Then please have a seat inside!”
“Alright. Thank you.”
* * *
Soi Spoon was the daughter of a poor commoner.
Her father had passed away when she was very young, so she had no memory of him.
Her mother, older sister, younger brother, and herself - these four were her entire family.
She had hated her name since she was very young.
‘Soi’ - If it were just that name, she would have accepted it gladly.
Her mother said it meant to be as steadfast as the earth, but…
But combined with the surname Spoon, it became ‘Dirt Spoon.’
Living in this world without wealth as a commoner was quite a struggle, so even though her mother and sister worked tirelessly at the bakery, they couldn’t escape poverty.
While her mother and sister worked, Soi did housework and sewing as a side job during the day, and studied at night.
She wanted to escape poverty by any means.
If you were a commoner in the capital city who could read and write, there were ways to earn a decent living.
Then one day…
While running errands for her mother to the grocery store, she happened to see a notice for the Ramielli Academy entrance exam posted on the wall.
‘Oh, even a commoner like me… can go?’
It was like a bolt from the blue.
Ramielli, the best academy in the Empire.
Graduating from this place was as good as a guarantee for the future.
Not only could she escape poverty, but she could also live a life of abundance.
‘If I graduate from here, my family won’t have to suffer anymore.’
With that determination, she put on a brave face and told her mother and sister that she wanted to take the exam.
Her mother and sister looked at each other and smiled sadly, then took out the money they had been saving diligently, even with their meager income.
“Soi, we knew you were studying. We had a feeling this day would come, so we saved up a little bit of money.”
Soi was touched by her family’s consideration and her eyes welled up.
“Mom… But instead of Soi, call me Elise…”
“Right, Soi. It’s not much, but if you use this money, you can make it work. Use it for tuition and let’s open a shop near the academy. We don’t know if it will do well, but we’ll manage until you graduate.”
“…Thank you so much, Sister. But, call me Elise…”
With the money her mother and sister had saved, the money she had saved, and adding a hefty loan on top of that…
They were finally able to secure a shabby place at the very edge of the academy district, bordering the old city.
It was a cheap place because of the constant clanging of metal throughout the day and night, but…
Even that was far more expensive than they had anticipated.
It would have been better to just send money from the village.
Even if they bought this place, Soi’s tuition was a problem.
It was their mistake for not considering the cost of living in the capital city at all.
However, they had already packed up and left the village with their entire family.
Just as they were wondering if they should return to the village…
Soi caused a stir.
She had topped the entrance exam!
“Mom!! Sister!!! I got first place in the entrance exam!!! First place!!!! They’re waiving the tuition!!!”
“Really!!? Elise!!!!!! Our daughter is amazing!!!!”
“Elise!!! I knew you could do it!!!”
“Finally, you’re calling me Elise!!”
That’s how she got her academy tuition waived.
They were able to maintain the store and create an environment where she could commute to school.
Even so, it wasn’t an easy decision to settle down.
However…
The thought of being separated from Soi for four years, and the idea that Soi, a poor village girl, would have no one to lean on among the high-ranking commoners…
The family eventually decided to open a bakery here.
Fortunately, the bread was delicious, and the prices were low, so word of mouth spread, and even some servants sent by nobles began to visit.
But then he came in person.
The man who had given the shocking and awe-inspiring speech at the entrance ceremony.
The swordsmanship instructor who had made even her, who had never given a thought to swords before, clench her fists.
She had acted calm in front of him, but now Soi’s mind was in turmoil.
‘Oh my god, what do I do, what do I do? The only tea I have is leaf tea? Br-Bread!? All I have is the baguette that’s gone hard from this morning!!’
What confidence had possessed her to invite him inside? Soi wanted to slap herself on the back of the head.
‘Tsk. To think I would defile my lips with this! Is that what he’s going to say before hitting me? …Will he at least offer to pay for medical expenses after hitting me?’
She racked her brains, but now that she had invited him in, she couldn’t just not serve him anything.
She heated up the hardened baguette and made the tea.
Soi came out of the kitchen and headed for the table.
Her hands trembled, causing the tray with the leaf tea and baguette to rattle.
“So, I heard your sister is top of her class.”
“R-Really!? She is? I thought it was a lie!”
“Don’t call her ‘she.’ She’s your sister.”
‘James! How can you sit there so casually and chat with the instructor!’
She looked over at her sister in surprise, only to find her plastered against the wall, her eyes lifeless.
Soi forced a smile and called her good-for-nothing younger brother.
“Ja-James?”
“Ah, Sister Elise!”
“It’s not Elise, it’s Soi! Huh?”
For the first time, she was flustered by the fact that her brother had called her Elise instead of Soi, and her words came out jumbled.
Ahem. Ahem. Regaining her composure, Soi spoke.
“James, will you excuse us for a moment?”
“Huh? But I want to keep listening to what he has to say.”
“James. Spoon.?”
Calling out his full name like that meant she was in a very bad mood right now.
In times like these, it was best to be obedient.
James got up from his seat and stood next to his sister, Silia.
Silia pinched James’ shoulder.
“Ouch! Why’d you pinch me?!”
“Shut. Up. Right. Now. James.”
Soi was embarrassed by her family.
She hurriedly tried to change the subject and spoke to Zeke.
“Um, Instructor, you said you had something to say…”
“Right, about the swordsmanship class.”
Soi placed the tea and the uncut baguette in front of him.
Then she tried to cut it for him with a bread knife.
“I thought about it after hearing you that time, but… can you really make money with swordsmanship? Like, actually?”
“Money, you say.”
“Yes, as you can see, our family’s financial situation is a bit…”
At that moment…
Crash!
“Hey!”
Five rough-looking men suddenly barged in, throwing the door open.
Seeing them appear out of nowhere, Soi, Silia, and even James stiffened.
Silia, who had been glued to the wall, was the first to step forward.
“Why are you back here!? We paid the interest last time!”
The man with the square jaw chuckled and said,
“Ah, we received it, but… it seems like it’s a bit short.”
“That’s impossible!”
“Oh, did we forget to mention? The interest increases by 50 silver every month.”
“That’s absurd!!”
Soi, who had been sitting in front of Zeke, also jumped to her feet and shouted.
“We signed a contract!”
“A contract? Was there such a thing?”
Soi stomped over to a corner of the bakery and pulled out a contract.
“It’s written right here! Clearly, at that time…!”
However, cutting Soi off, the man smirked and said,
“Hmm, but are you sure about this? We have your mother.”
“M-Mom!”
“Business seems to be booming these days. You know what they say, the more you earn, the more you share, right?”
At his words, the men who had come with him cackled and sneered.
“That’s right, that’s what you call human decency!”
“You shouldn’t be so afraid of money after borrowing such a large sum.”
“Well… there are other ways… if you don’t like it…”
Their gazes swept over Soi and Silia with a slimy glint.
Soi’s eyes wavered.
Her mother had left that morning, saying she was going to buy ingredients. It seemed like she had been caught by these men on her way.
‘These despicable bastards!’
When they first arrived in the capital city…
While they were looking for a place to open a shop…
These were the men introduced to them by a real estate agent.
With friendly smiles, they had offered to lend them money at a reasonable interest rate.
And with the sweet temptation of returning only the principal if they didn’t sign the contract for this land…
They had ended up borrowing a large sum of money.
They had used that money to open Hillaise Bakery.
But now they were saying they would raise the interest rate.
“W-What…!”
***
Growl
Zeke stared intently at the bread in front of him.
He couldn’t even pick up the bread knife, so he was waiting for Soi to cut it for him.
For him, someone who knew the agony of hunger all too well in the dark fantasy world, meals were a serious matter.
In fact, Zeke was so hungry that he wanted to just grab the bread in front of him and devour it whole.
He was only holding back because his body wouldn’t allow such uncouth behavior.
If it were his original body from the dark fantasy world, he could have easily ignored this level of hunger.
But now, in this different body, hunger visited him frequently, just like an ordinary person.
The outside looked hard, but the steam rising from it and the delicious aroma stimulating his nose…
It was clear that the inside would be soft and fluffy.
‘The tea… What is this… Leaf tea? Is it a specialty of the romance fantasy world?’
As he was salivating, these men suddenly barged in.
Zeke frowned and looked at them.
‘Damn it, I’m starving. And who are these guys?’
After observing the situation, he figured they were probably loan sharks.
‘As expected of our Dirt Spoon. Living up to her name.’
It was a common cliché in romance fantasy novels for the protagonists to go through such hardships early on, so it wasn’t particularly surprising.
Most likely, this incident would be resolved quickly with someone’s help.
However, Zeke realized that this was a good opportunity to put Soi Spoon in his debt.
‘But first, let’s eat and then think. I’m so hungry I could die.’
Honestly, if he intervened, they wouldn’t even last a single bite, so Zeke didn’t feel threatened at all.
Guys like them were no different from ordinary civilians in the dark fantasy world.
Besides, they were here to squeeze money out of them, so it didn't seem like they would physically harm anyone right now.
Even if they were holding her mother hostage, they would only release her after squeezing every last penny out of them, like wringing water from a dried squid.
They would probably make them sign a new contract and then let them go.
So, it wouldn’t be too late to intervene after he ate.
Zeke knew their tactics all too well, to the point of boredom.
‘Elise, I’ll help you after I eat this. Can you cut me some bread?’
He looked at Soi intently with that hope, but she seemed to have completely forgotten about him.
Zeke opened his mouth.
“Elise, please cut me some bread.”
However, his words didn’t reach Soi’s ears.
Soi glared at the square-jawed man with fire in her eyes and shouted,
“Where is my mother?!”
“Kekeke. Hand over that piece of paper first.”
“Elise, the bread…”
“You bastards!”
“Eli…”
“Release my mother!”
Zeke sighed.
It seemed like he had no choice but to do things the usual way.
‘Yohaiden was quite surprised by this too.’
Of course, no one was paying attention to Zeke right now.
But it was uncomfortable because his body would stiffen and refuse to move properly every time he tried to eat.
He pulled out a small, blunt wooden spork from his pocket.
Then, forcing his trembling body to move, he tried to hold the baguette in place with the combined fork and spoon and cut it with mana threads pulled from his fingertips.
Just then…
“Do you think we’re joking around here!? Huh!? You don’t care what happens to your mother?!”
Crash!
“Eek!”
One of the thugs picked up a chair and threw it.
The thrown chair flew through the air, heading straight for the table where Zeke was sitting.
Clatter.
Thud.
The bread fell to the floor. And the hot tea spilled everywhere.
The impact caused the spork, which he had been using with great effort since coming here, to break.
“…”
In that instant, Zeke’s body froze.
He stared at the baguette that had fallen to the floor, his eyes trembling.
‘If I eat it within 3 seconds…!! Ah, alright! You stupid body!!!’
Veins bulged on his forehead.
He naturally pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the spilled tea from his face.
These morons had interrupted his first meal in four days.
He had planned to deal with them after eating anyway…
“…Damn bastards…”
Zeke stood up from his chair and picked up the baguette that had fallen to the floor.
It felt surprisingly good in his hand.
‘Oh, oh? This… Isn’t bad?’
Whoosh.
Whoosh.
Whoosh.
Zeke swung the baguette in the air a few times.
Then he nodded in satisfaction.
The outside was appropriately hard, and the inside was soft.
It would probably hurt to use it without mana.
It wasn’t sharp, and it wasn’t made of metal.
And of course, it was incredibly light, being just bread.
And its size was similar to that of a sword.
‘Hmm. Can I make the handle a bit smaller? This… Dirt Spoon’s usefulness has increased yet again.’
Zeke grinned.
‘If I have this… Being a swordsmanship instructor might be fun after all? As expected of the female protagonist. She attracts opportunities.’
It seemed like he had found his weapon of choice for the foreseeable future.
“Y-You, who are you?!”
As if they had finally noticed Zeke’s presence, the thugs shouted in panicked voices.
Their leader quickly assessed his appearance.
Expensive clothes. Neatly combed hair.
‘A-A noble?!’
But what he was pointing at them was… a baguette?
“Zeke Clayman.”
“Z-Zeke Clayman…?”
“That’s right. And you will never forget that name.”
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LOL SO THAT IS A BAGUETTE ON THE COVER
ReplyDeleteJust realized it a fucking baguette
DeleteIt's a baguette sword!
ReplyDelete