Awakening(??) (1)
Friday. With the mock class over,
The weekend had begun.
Zeke's classes were scheduled for Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays from next week.
He was guaranteed three days of free time.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
“Zeke Clayman, you have a visitor.”
“Who is it?”
“Ms. Yuri Gilbert.”
“Yuri. Ah. The First Prince. I'll let Selena know later.”
“Yes, sir.”
At the butler's words, Zeke headed to the drawing-room.
Yuri bowed his head to Zeke with a tired face.
“The First Prince sent me.”
“Yuri, we meet again.”
Sigh. Yuri let out a short sigh.
“The magic stones, sir.”
“Ten, correct?”
“Yes, here.”
Yuri handed Zeke a small package.
“Ten magic stones, delivered.”
‘Why is it so light?’
Zeke opened the pouch to check.
“…….”
“Then, I'll be on my way.”
Yuri bowed his head.
However, Zeke still didn't move, his hand still in the pouch.
“Hold on.”
Zeke stopped Yuri from leaving.
“Yes?”
“Is this the average size of a magic stone?”
Zeke held up one of them.
It was the size of a grain of millet.
“Hmm. Is it too big? The First Prince wouldn't mind something like that. Ah, but he did ask me to request more stories like yesterday's.”
I really hate those kinds of jokes.
She mumbled to herself, then bowed her head again and went out.
Creak.
Thud.
‘This is… a magic stone…? Too big…?’
Magic stones. Like the core of a monster.
It was the energy source that monsters used to accumulate mana from the atmosphere and crystallize it in their bodies.
Their strength was usually determined by the size and quality of the stone.
Back in his dark fantasy days,
Whenever Zeke ran out of mana,
He would kill a monster, take out the magic stone and use it, and when it ran out again, he would take it out and use it again.
He used it like a disposable battery.
The magic stones he used back then were about ten times bigger than the one in front of him.
‘Ah, damn it. There’s no mana in the atmosphere, so even the magic stones are crap.’
Still, he had expected something decent since it was given by the First Prince,
But the quality was truly fantastic.
‘It's fantastically trash. I can't make a filter with this. I need at least ten more of this size.’
If it were a proper high-grade magic stone, he could use one large one to create a limited space overflowing with mana,
And then use another one to carve a filter, leaving him with eight left over.
He had been dreaming of a happy future.
But these were too small.
Stingy bastard, even this is small.
Tiny Prince.
Mini Prince.
Small Prince.
A prince as small as this.
Smaller than the Second Prince… No, that's too much.
‘Tsk, what a pain.’
Zeke ran his hand through his hair.
“I'll have to go myself.”
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Zeke went to Selena's room and knocked on the door.
Thump! Crash! Bang!
From inside, he could hear the sounds of something being frantically tidied up.
A moment later.
Selena, her face flushed red, opened the door in her pajamas.
“Ins, Instructor!? What brings you here?”
“Well, I'm going out for a bit.”
“Out? Then I'll come too……”
“No, I'm thinking of leaving the mansion for about three days.”
“Staying out…… for three days……”
Zeke nodded.
“Yes, there’s something I need for our future lessons.”
Selena didn't want to let Zeke go and be alone.
‘I wish he’d give me another massage…….’
She was trying to think of a way to stop him when she remembered a line from the novel she had just read.
She cleared her throat.
“Ahem, lessons? Is that something money can buy? How much would that be?”
She asked, tilting her head up slightly.
“If you can get me ten, no, twenty magic stones within three days.”
“…….”
Her tilted head returned to its original humble position.
‘Ma, magic stones! Those are really, really expensive!’
To think he’d ask for something so expensive!
Twenty was absolutely impossible.
If she scraped together all her remaining allowance, she could probably get ten.
But within three days? If she had to get them that urgently, the price would skyrocket.
Still, in the novel she had just read,
The black-haired male lead was torn between two rich women!
Selena couldn’t possibly say she couldn’t afford it.
She clenched her fists.
“Even if I have to go into debt!”
Oops, her inner thoughts had slipped out.
“Selena, don’t do that.”
‘Oh my. I’m scared to think what would happen if someone asked her to be their guarantor.’
“Anyway, it seems I’ll have to get it myself. I’ll be back soon, so don’t worry too much.”
“Bu, but!”
“What is it?”
Selena fidgeted with her fingers and asked in a small voice.
“A, are you going to Iriel……?”
Zeke frowned.
“Why would I go there?”
***
Zeke went straight out and headed to Hillaise Bakery to get some baguettes.
Today was a day off. So the dirt-spoon delivery that came every morning was also off.
"It's strangely empty."
It was always crowded,
But for some reason, it was quiet today.
Judging by the murmuring voices coming from inside, there seemed to be people there.
“So, make a bread that doesn’t make you gain weight.”
“Uh, well, that’s a bit difficult.”
“No, you can do it. I’ve never seen a talent like yours before.”
Clink.
‘Huh?’
Ignoring the sign that read [Closed Today! ♥ Hillaise Bakery], he opened the door and went inside,
There, he found the brown bob and the red hair enjoying tea time with bread between them.
“Oh! We’re not open today……! Instructor!?”
Soi jumped to her feet, then her eyes widened as she saw Zeke.
At her words, Iriel also turned her head.
And she jumped to her feet.
“Zeke…? What are you doing here……?”
“That’s what I want to ask you.”
‘Are they close? Why? Since when?’
Zeke couldn’t understand it.
A dirt-spoon commoner and a ducal lady.
Soi Spoon, the female lead, and Iriel, the classic villainess.
He thought the only time these two would be together was during swordsmanship class
Or when they were arguing over a man.
But here they were, meeting separately on a day off from the academy,
Having tea and chatting with bread between them.
‘They look like best friends?’
“Were you originally close?”
“We were talking yesterday and found a common interest.”
“Common interest?”
“Yes! Bread!”
Bread?
At those words, Zeke recalled Soi's talent.
Soi Spoon, the one with the hands of a drug lord.
Bread that stirs emotions.
“Zeke, you’re here to buy bread……?”
“Yes.”
“You, you still…… like bread……”
Iriel kept trailing off.
‘Hmm, so the body originally liked bread.’
One more useless piece of information.
But Iriel's condition seemed a bit worse than yesterday.
Even now, her energy was a bit up and down, and her eyes looked unfocused.
‘Iriel, did she eat the bread and something happened to her head? Maybe even the way to seduce the male leads!’
Soi Spoon, this scary child.
Drugs, hypnosis, brainwashing.
No matter how he thought about it, her talent was more suited to a dark and shady manga than a heartwarming romance fantasy.
“Well, whatever. Just eat in moderation. Anyway, Elise.”
“Yes!”
“I need some baguettes. Something that won’t go stale for about three days. But I’d prefer the crust to be crispier than usual.”
Soi thought seriously at his words.
“Three days…… Hmm. Should I make three then?”
“Are you the type to boil three packs of ramen at the same time and wait nine minutes?”
“Ramen?”
“Never mind. Anyway, one is enough. I need a bread that stays soft inside for a long time.”
Soi glanced at the baguettes in the basket.
“From the start, the soft bread……”
“It doesn’t really matter, but are you not confident?”
Flinch.
Provoked by Zeke’s words, her eyebrows twitched.
“Hmph, Instructor. I’m called the Genius Bread Girl in this industry, you know.”
Soon, she began to bite her nails and mutter to herself.
“So, the outside should be crispier than usual. Ah, should it be really hard? But the inside should be soft. If I make the crust so hard that no air can get inside? Then it’s just a matter of how long it lasts. The taste? Should I give up? No, there must be a way to have both. Should I try something with the flour……?”
Countless recipes were combined in her head.
Then, as if a good idea had occurred to her, she ran to the counter.
Tap. Tap.
She dusted her hands with flour and took a deep breath.
Then, she put water, salt, and other ingredients into a wooden bowl and mixed them to make a dough.
Soi began to knead the dough with both hands.
As she made the bread, Zeke could feel the flow of mana from her fingertips.
He watched as she gently kneaded emotions into the dough with her soft touch.
Colored mana slowly enveloped the dough, adding color to it.
Even while she briefly wrapped the dough in a cloth to let it rest,
She continued to infuse mana into it with a serious expression.
‘Oh, so this is the Berserker’s mana manipulation. She probably doesn’t even know what she’s doing.’
Of course, it wouldn’t have much of an effect with such a small amount of mana,
But it was very interesting for even Zeke to see this innate skill, which could not be used unless one was born with it, being used at such a slow pace.
‘Hmm, to make Soi consciously control this even during battle……’
Zeke also fell into deep thought as he watched Soi Spoon.
***
A tipsy feeling.
Iriel had eaten a lot of whiskey-filled chocolates in the morning and was a little drunk.
That was why she had come here herself.
‘As expected, bread is the best hangover cure.’
When she visited, Elise said she wasn’t open today.
After talking to her, she realized that Elise was a much nicer girl than she had thought.
Her wickedness melted away like a lamb in front of delicious bread.
‘As expected, there are no bad people among those who love bread.’
She popped a piece of bread into her mouth.
Then, she remembered what had happened the day before.
She was worried that Zeke would reject her again, but he had accepted her into his class.
And they had a normal conversation at the dinner table.
She tried her best not to show any emotion on her face,
But her gaze kept crumbling in front of him.
But now there was a little hope.
That she could bring him back to her side.
“Good……”
She gasped before she could stop herself.
Iriel quickly covered her mouth with both hands.
‘No. It’s just. Zeke is mine. That’s why……. That’s why I feel this way.’
Iriel didn’t see Zeke as a marriage partner or a lover.
She just couldn’t stand the fact that what belonged to her was in someone else’s hands.
It was obvious.
But why. Why did she feel so bad now?
‘Why did Zeke come here? And why does he look so close to Elise?’
Zeke was staring very seriously at Elise as she made bread.
Come to think of it, it was already a well-known fact that the baguette Zeke always carried around was from Hillaise Bakery.
Now Zeke seemed completely oblivious to her, lost in his thoughts.
‘Why won’t you look at me, Zeke? Why.’
Iriel pouted and glared at Zeke. Maybe she was a little too drunk.
‘Is he mad because I took his money? Is that really it? Stingy! I was going to give it back to him!’
“Zeke……”
At her words, Zeke turned to look at Iriel.
Gasp. He looked, he looked at me, what should I do?
‘……Wh, what should I do? What did I used to do? First, money! Yes, the money I took! I have to give it back first……! Money, something that’s worth money…….’
“This!”
Iriel ripped off the necklace she was wearing and held it out to Zeke.
“This is……”
“Ta, take it! Hmph! I, I’m only giving it to you because I feel sorry for you!”
Iriel thrust the jewel into his hand and ran out of the store.
Zeke looked at the Go stone-sized jewel in his hand.
‘This is……. a magic stone?’
“Instructor! The bread is ready!”
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