But instead, Heiliger had greeted her with a smile. The fact that she hadn't done anything was calming. But her smile was somehow more terrifying. The woman was definitely planning something. But what? Surely, she didn't think that a bit of nice attitude would be enough to change Melina's mind. Or the mind of Sunglowers, for that matter. Why distribute all those goods for free?
Was it really just so they could give out their System teaching along with them? But surely it would take more than a book or two to change the Sunglower minds. But then again, even a few people converted to their cause would be a good start for them. It could sow discord between the populace, divide them.
Suddenly, Melina felt a firm flick on her forehead. She looked up to see Gilbert looking at her. "Whatever is going on in that head of yours—stop. All those wrinkles don't suit your face at all."
"I'm just… worried about what is going to happen next," she admitted.
"Will worrying solve anything?" He retorted.
"Well… No, but—"
"Then stop worrying. Yes, the Church is here, but we've been waiting for them the whole summer. I'm actually relieved they're finally here. Means they have stopped scheming and we can see what they're up to."
"Aren't you afraid, Grandfather?" Melina asked.
"I'm too old to care," he said dismissively, earning a frown from Melina. "Just do what is within your power, and don't think about the stuff you can't influence."
Melina wished she could agree with that, but she always felt that there was more that she could do. But on the other hand, she shouldn't go and poke the metaphorical bear while it was sleeping. So after a moment of thought, Melina nodded.
"I'll focus on the pastries," she finally said.
"You do that, lass. Better check if you got any new Monster Realm ingredients in that shipment of yours."
Melina nodded and headed inside, while Gilbert remained outside, Knight remaining near the old baker. Before she went inside, Melina noted that the clouds had created a complete overcast, plunging a deep shadow over Sunglow. It felt strange, especially since most days had been sunny.
Almost as if the Church had brought the shadow with them. Melina glanced at it for a moment, then went to the storage where crates of the Monster Realm ingredients stood. More feyfruit, which Melina was grateful for. The siren was rather demanding in getting her fill of the fruit. There was scorchvine pepper, zephyr root, and more glassberry.
"Are you going to open that new ingredient?" Roxie popped up, curiosity written all over her face.
"Yes. Call Adrien down here. I'm sure he would love to see it too."
"He's been somewhat jumpy today," the girl noted.
"There's a reason for that. Be nice to him," Melina said, hoping that Roxie wouldn't press for an explanation.
"Oh… Alright. I won't pry," Roxie nodded and hurried upstairs.
While Melina hauled the box to the kitchen, Roxie got Adrien, and both of them came to the kitchen. He really did look jumpy, peering around the corner into the shop, as if expecting a priest to appear there.
"Remember that you two are completely safe here," Melina reassured. "Nobody could get past Sienna."
The wyrm nodded approvingly and Mango yipped, puffing out her little chest.
"Of course, you're the real scary one, Mango!" Adrien laughed, patting the fox on her head. "I'm sure you'll freeze any baddies with your cold breath."
Mango nodded and then tried to exhale a snowy breath in demonstration. Unfortunately for her, but luckily for everyone else in the kitchen, all she managed was a few snowflakes, which landed on the crate.
"There's no need to rush, Mango." Melina chuckled. "I'm sure you'll be covering whole areas in snow once you are older."
"Just please don't turn Sunglow into a land of snow. I quite enjoy the sun," Roxie complained.
"It's all for the greater cause of improving the abilities of your fox queen. We must suffer for a season or two," Adrien said with a mischievous smile, making the fox jump up and down in joy.
"How will we be able to grow strawberries?" Roxie gasped, deliberately mentioning Mango's favorite fruits.
Mango yipped in protest. It didn't take a genius to deduce that summer will remain warm for the strawberries' sake. They all laughed and turned their attention back to the box.
"Alright, let's check what our kind patron has sent us this time," Melina said, and opened the lid of the crate. Her eyes went wide when she saw the fruit.
"Oh, wow! These are so pretty," Roxie said, marveling at the fruit.
"These definitely are Monster Realm fruit. Nothing in our realm could ever look this glowy…"
Melina nodded absentmindedly. How did Auden get his hands on these? And so many of them to boot. She reached out and took one of the many Luminfruit. Their shape resembled that of a pear; however, the skin was translucent and emitting light. The insides shimmered with what looked like light purple, gold, and pink crystals.
Just to make sure that it really was what it looked like, Melina used her
[Luminfruit – Rank S]
Sweet, velvety fruit that will leave you craving for more. Many struggle to pinpoint the flavor as it seems to differ a little for every person, but most agree there are hints of citrus, honey, and something floral in it.
Effect: Evokes strong positive emotions, often making one remember their happiest memories.
[Warning: Overconsumption may cause addiction.]
Stolen story; please report.
"What's wrong?" Adrien asked. "Is it a bad ingredient? It's poisonous, isn't it!"
"No, no! It's not poisonous at all. But this ingredient is exceedingly rare," Melina said, turning the pear this way and that. Just like the dreamplum, it also gave her mixed feelings.
When cooked down and refined into a powder, it would give the users a feeling of euphoria. People who lost somebody dear to them or had gone through difficult times used it like a drug, reliving their happy memories and ignoring everything around them.
But that wasn't to say that the ingredient itself was bad. Eating one once in a while wouldn't do one any harm, merely serve as a delightful experience. Melina turned the Luminfruit this way and that, wondering what to do with it. It certainly shouldn't be used in large quantities, so perhaps it would be better to use it in a smaller dish. Like a cookie.
"Do you think it's alright if we sell cookies?" She pondered aloud.
"Yes! Some pastry shops in Pertia sell cookies and macarons along with their pastries. Could we make macarons? I love them. Always wanted to try making them," Roxie said excitedly.
"Macarons…" Melina muttered, trying to remember them. It must have been a good ten or even more years since she had actually eaten one. Delicate cookies made from almond flour, if she remembered correctly. "I wonder if Grandfather knows how to make them."
"I really hope he does," Roxie said.
"It would be a nice boost to the bakery. From what I know, macarons are treated like a luxury product of sorts," Adrien added.
"It's because they are so difficult to make, and they require almond flour, not regular flour," the girl explained.
"We do have some almond flour that I bought on a whim. Never had a place to use it."
"Then it's the perfect time!" Roxie said excitedly.
Melina couldn't help but feel infected by the girl's enthusiasm and nodded. "Let's give it a try later. But why don't we each try a bit of luminfruit first?"
"Yes, please!" Adrien nodded.
So the three of them shared the sweet fruit among themselves. Melina also brought out the translucent slices to Gilbert and Knight. It was an odd fruit. It looked like the innards should be juice, just like with glassberries, but no. It had actual firm pulp.
The taste was heavenly. Strong citrussy flavor, but not overwhelmingly sour, but rather as if a lemon had been candied in honey. Not to mention the pleasant floral aroma. While eating her slice, Melina forgot all about the Church and the trouble surrounding her. It was a good, blessed moment when her mind wasn't racing to solve one hundred and one problems. But the slice was eaten far too quickly, leaving a bitter taste of reality behind.
"I want more," Adrien whined.
"Me too…" Roxie agreed.
"No, that is enough for a taste. Eating too much might cause an addiction," Melina warned.
"I wouldn't mind being addicted to these," Adrien said cheekily.
"Are you willing to pay the price for them? These are some of the rarest Monster Realm fruits. I believe each one of these is worth at least a gold coin," Melina said, holding the luminfruit.
"A gold coin?!" Roxie gasped.
"For a single one?!" Adrien gaped in disbelief. "You know what… I'm good. Please don't charge me for that slice that I ate."
"I won't charge you, but we'll be using these sparingly," Melina said.
"You might consider tighter security on the luminfruit. Otherwise, somebody might just decide to raid your pantry," Adrien noted.
Melina thought about it. He was right. She hadn't thought about it much before, because who'd be interested in stealing anything from a bakery? But hers wasn't a normal bakery. Perhaps it was time to put up more serious wards on the storage room, especially with the lurking about.
Of course, the whole bakery warded, but the storage room and Gilbert's trophy room needed some extra protection. Especially Gilbert's trophy room. Even Melina didn't know all the artifacts that were hidden there. But if Gilbert had the Stone of Sacrifice in there, she wouldn't be surprised to find more rare desirables that shouldn't end up in Church's grasp.
After putting the luminfruit away, despite Mango's and Sienna's protests, Melina warded the storage room and the trophy with extra protection. Anyone living in the bakery could enter, but any strangers would receive an unpleasant magical shock, and Melina would instantly know that they were there. The trophy room she sealed completely—only Gilbert and she would be able to enter.
Not that she didn't trust Adrien and Roxie. They were just kids and unlikely to have any nefarious plans. But they had no business being around potentially dangerous magical artifacts either way.
After everything was secure, Melina went to talk with Gilbert to figure out whether macarons were even something he could teach her to make.
"Macarons, you say? And you wish to incorporate luminfruit into it?" Gilbert said, thoughtfully scratching his beard. "I suppose it's possible."
"Really?" Melina cheered. "You could teach me today!"
"Out of question. It's too late," he shook his head.
"We definitely have a few more hours. Unless you're feeling too tired," Melina asked, concerned about her grandfather's health.
"No, I'm fine. In fact, my health has only improved since I've taken to tending this garden. I suppose the fresh air is better for me than the hot, stuffy kitchen air," he said. "But that isn't the problem. I guarantee that you'll botch your first few attempts. Especially if you're instantly jumping to your magical ingredients rather than sticking with the regular recipe."
"Really? But I've already made a lot of difficult pastries," Melina objected.
"Yes, and macarons are harder still. Have you ever worked with almond flour?" He asked dubiously.
"You already know everything that I've worked with."
"Exactly! So I know you'll need many attempts before you can do it right. Set aside a free day, then we'll experiment," Gilbert said.
Melina sighed. If he said so, then it was likely that the old baker was right. He usually was, so Melina didn't argue. In reality, she had hoped to distract herself with a new pastry to forget about Heiliger and calm her nerves. But she had no choice but to head back to her empty home.
"I hope he returns soon…" Melina muttered to her familiar as she turned on the light of the empty house. The fact that she needed light during summer when it's been light until the late hours of the night already gave her an odd feeling.
"Rise and shine!" Aeriganta sang from beyond Elowen's door.
Suddenly, he very well understood the human urge to groan. This siren made him want to do it despite the unseemly nature of the gesture. Judging by the cheer in the siren's voice, she'd already gotten her fill of food from Melina.
Frankly, he didn't believe the siren needed much supervision. She did everything Melina told her to do as long as she fed her. Which, obviously, the dutiful baker did.
Aeriganta even walked to places herself now, going from Elowen to Etrian whenever the time called for their switch to come. Always on time, too, but likely because she hated staying out in the heat for too long.
Begrudgingly, Elowen dressed up and walked over to the door, opening it and looking at Aeriganta's happy face.
"Good morning! Finally, the dreaded sun isn't shining. It is a wonderful day," the siren stretched out her arms like a satisfied cat.
"Don't get complacent. Today will be a busy day," Elowen said, remembering his conversation with the Guildmaster yesterday.
"How so?" The siren cocked her curiously.
"The Church expedition has arrived in town. Didn't Melina tell you?" Elowen said. He wasn't really surprised that the baker hadn't told the siren anything. Her thoughts were probably busy coming up with everything she could do to stop them.
"No…" Aeriganta said, her face becoming a few shades paler.
"Well, now you know. And people like us have a very important task," Elowen said.
"Wait… Me too?" The siren pointed at herself.
"Absolutely. You are currently just enjoying the free food and bed, I mean bath, without doing much. It's time to earn your keep."
"Listen, any hard work is out of the question. If it were raining, maybe, but it is far too dry for me to be doing any physical labor. I can barely force myself to walk so much on land," the siren protested.
"Don't worry, you won't have to do anything besides walk and talk," Elowen reassured.
"What would you have me do?" She blinked her eyes.
"We'll be diverting the priests away from important places," he explained.
"Diverting? How?"
"Quite simply, they can't stand residents of the Monster Realm like us. So we're just going to stand in their way."
"Wait… we have to see Church priests face to face?!" The siren exclaimed in shock.