Taste of Magic: Ambassador's Voice

"M-Miss… A-Are you an e-elf?" The innkeeper stammered out, taking shaky steps towards Remi.

"She's a half-elf," Melina hurriedly said, trying to prevent a whole heap of trouble that could follow. As an Archmage, she had often witnessed what happened when an elf came to a human city. They either became aggressive and demanded that the elf leave or they began worshipping them like a god.

"Half-elf?" the butler seemed to relax a little, stopping his advance.

"Y-Yes, that's right. My mother was an elf, but I've never met her," Remi added.

"Oh, I see. Not that I have anything against elves myself. I was merely curious," he explained, smoothing out his thin mustache. It was apparent that he was more than "merely curious", but the lie about Remi being a half-elf seemed to have worked. Those were far more common and less interesting since half-elves didn't have the long lifespan, enhanced senses and otherworldly beauty as their parents.

"I get that a lot," Remi chuckled awkwardly, and the two women quickly made their way upstairs before the butler began to inspect her in earnest. The only reason they got away with this lie was because Remi was still young. Oddly enough elves only got more beautiful as they aged, so some really old individuals would appear ethereal in human eyes.

"I have already forgotten how jumpy humans are around elves. Nobody in Sunglow pays attention to us anymore," Remi sighed. "Nice thinking, Melina."

"You should wear a headscarf when you go out tomorrow—to hide your ears," Melina noted.

"Yeah, I'll do that."

I wonder why the Guildmaster even sent Remi on this mission. Is it really so easy to forget that elves are not the norm in human cities? Then again, I've already forgotten so who am I to complain?

"I'm honestly surprised, Melina."

"About what?" Melina asked as she opened the door to their room on the second floor. It was a decently sized room with two clean beds that had pleasant beige sheets and a more homely sort of feel to it. Everything was still rather sleek and minimalistic, but the colors were at least warmer than those in the lobby.

"That you're not peppering me with questions like most humans. When I first came to Sunglow, everyone was really curious," Remi said, closing the door behind them.

That's because I've traveled around with several elves in my time. One of them even helped me piece together the ritual. But I can't say that. Acting like a clueless girl is harder than I thought.

"You just don't seem that much different from humans," Melina said with a shrug. Remi paused for a bit, looking at Melina, and smiled.

"I'm glad to hear that. If only more humans would think like you and those in Sunglow then us elves wouldn't have to avoid the cities anymore," Remi said, rummaging through her bag. "I'll go take a bath if you don't mind. I'm pretty sure I can still smell burned goblins on me."

Melina nodded and watched as she went into the adjacent bathroom. With a sigh, she put down her sack by the bed closest to the window and fell into it.

This day was such a mess. I slipped up so many times.

She groaned into the pillow as Alistair's face flashed before her eyes. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

I can't believe he is in Sunglow. Why is he here? He should be in the Sinclair estate far to the North, gaining levels and unlocking skills under the careful watch of the Church. He has never once mentioned Sunglow. Was this part of his past something that he was ashamed to talk about?

Not like I can ask him now. He doesn't know who I am anymore. The feeling isn't exactly pleasant, but it's for the best.

Melina rolled over on her back and looked at the small lamp on the ceiling which covered the room in warm light.

But he's alive. That's all that matters. He'll be able to live his life to his fullest now and won't have—

An unpleasant memory filled with blood flashed before her, and Melina shook her head. There was no need to think about that. It wouldn't happen again. Melina would live her life as a baker, making cakes and pastries, while Alistair would walk his own path.

He won't remain in Sunglow for too long. Once he leaves there will be no reason for our paths to cross again. All I have to do is stay far away from him until he leaves, so he doesn't discover that I'm a System user. Easy, right?

Early in the morning, Melina heard a familiar knock on the door.

"Huh? Who'd knock this early in the morning?" Remi grumbled from beneath her blanket, only a few strands of her black locks sticking out from beneath.

"It's Master Gilbert. You can continue sleeping, Remi," she said to the elf who mumbled something incomprehensible and hid her head deeper under the sheets. Melina made her way to the door and opened it, seeing Master Gilbert standing outside.

"I'll be ready in just a few minutes, Master. You can head downstairs," she said. Gilbert nodded and left. Melina didn't waste any time, quickly discarding her pajamas, pulling on her blue dress, and combing out her hair in a rush. A few locks were sticking out in a slightly odd way, so she decided to put the comb in her sack and fix it on the road.

Less than five minutes later she was already downstairs, where Master Gilbert was sitting on one of the leather couches and waiting.

"Sorry to make you wait, Master."

"Let's get going," he slowly got to his feet, his posture somewhat unsteady. Melina wondered whether she should help him, but got a distinct feeling that it would only make him mad.

"Where are we going so early in the morning?" she asked as they left the inn, heading towards the nearby stables. Sun was barely up and the streets were mostly empty aside from a few rare individuals.

"The Baker's Guild, of course. We need to get you registered as a proper apprentice," Gilbert said, hobbling inside the stables.

"Oh, of course," she said sheepishly. It still felt odd for her to be an apprentice. After all, she had already been a master of all magic who had pupils of her own at one point. But it wasn't a bad feeling, just might require some getting used to.

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As they made their way through the stables, Melina noticed that the horses seemed nervous, pacing back and forth in their enclosures as much as the space allowed it. The only one who was calm was Knight.

"What's wrong with them?" Melina asked, looking at the spooked horses. Gilbert frowned and glared at Knight who pointedly avoided his master's gaze.

"Was it you?" the baker asked and the nightmare lowered his head like a guilty puppy.

"What did he do?" Melina asked although she could already make an educated guess.

"He must have created some unsavory dreams for these poor animals and then eaten them," Gilbert said with a sigh, then turned towards his familiar. "We've talked about this, friend. You cannot do this kind of thing."

"He must have been hungry?"

"But he doesn't need to eat nightmares often, and definitely not so many of them at once. Knight is just a glutton," Gilbert glared at the nightmare who lowered his head nearly down to the ground, looking thoroughly ashamed.

"Good thing it was just horses," Melina noted, taking the necessary harnesses to secure Knight to the cart.

"He'd get more than a scolding if it were more than just horses," Gilbert noted, leading the nightmare. It was an amazing sight—the proud beast walking guiltily because an old baker scolded him. Not something Melina had ever expected to see in her life.

They secured the cart and then slowly made their way into the city as Knight pulled them at a slow, steady pace. They went down the main street where the keenest vendors were already preparing to open their stalls. There were meat vendors, fruit vendors, and even some who sold their clothes right there on the side of the street. Melina curiously looked at the various foods, her stomach grumbling.

"We'll have breakfast after we've done our business in the Guild," Gilbert said and Melina nodded.

I wonder why he is in such a hurry to get to the Baker's Guild so early. Normally, he seems adamant about me eating my meals, saying how small I am.

They made a turn into one of the side streets, and there it was—the Bakers Guild of Pertia. It wasn't as large as the one in Tuvia, and the building also seemed more worn. However, there was the undeniably pleasant smell of bread coming from it.

Leaving the cart at the side of the street, they headed inside. Melina was surprised to find herself in what was essentially a kitchen, with only a small counter separating the entrance area from the large stone ovens and stoves. About a half dozen bakers were already hard at work—kneading dough, forming loaves, and loading them into the hot ovens.

"Good morning," Melina greeted them politely, but not a single one of the bakers turned her way, completely oblivious to their appearance. Instead, a young girl with braided ginger hair and prominent freckles, about fifteen years old, peeked her head out from an adjacent room. Nervously, she came to stand behind the counter.

"G-Good morning. H-How may I help you?" she asked, first looking at Gilbert, but then quickly turning her gaze towards Melina.

"Call for your Master, child," Gilbert grumbled, looking rather annoyed. The girl flinched, twisting the tip of her braid and staring at the counter in front of her.

"I-I'm afraid that the Master is busy. I-I am supposed to handle the c-customers this morning."

Gilbert's eyebrows furrowed, and he opened his mouth no doubt to chastise the girl, so Melina hurried to speak before him. "Master Gilbert wishes to register me as an official apprentice, so I'm afraid we're going to have to speak with someone within the Guild who has the authority to do such things."

The girl relaxed a little while Melina pointedly ignored the annoyed look Gilbert was giving her. She just didn't want the poor child to burst into tears—she already looked stressed.

"Oh, I-I can't do that but…" she rubbed her chin thoughtfully, then muttered. "But Mum can do it!"

"Could you please bring her over?" Melina asked, and the girl nodded, disappearing back into the adjacent room.

"There was no need for you to interfere," the old baker grumbled.

"There's no need to make children cry first thing in the morning," Melina retorted. He just chortled in response, tapping his foot impatiently against the wooden floor.

A few minutes later a woman with the same kind of ginger hair as the girl appeared, smiling at them pleasantly.

"Master Gilbert, it's been a while since we've seen you," she said, and the bustle in the kitchen suddenly died down as the bakers stopped what they were doing and looked at them with curious eyes. As if mention of Gilbert's name had broken them out of trance.

"Yeah, let's just get straight to the business," Gilbert grumbled, and then a tall man rushed out of the adjacent room, a wide smile blooming on his face.

"I'll be damned! Master Gilbert has finally found a worthy apprentice. I never thought I'd live to see the day," the able-bodied man erupted into laughter, making Gilbert's forehead wrinkle up in annoyance. "Please, introduce us to your lovely apprentice."

"That's what I'm here for. I want to register her," Gilbert said.

"Right, of course. Dear, would you get the form?" the man said, and she hurried back into the adjacent room. He then turned to Melina and extended his large hand towards her. "I am Tobias Beck, the one in charge of this branch of Baker's Guild."

"I'm Melina Dufour," she shook his hand in greeting, and he hummed in satisfaction.

"A lovely name for a lovely young lady. I can't believe you're going to work with the grumpy old Gilbert here. Maybe you'd like to be my apprentice instead?" he winked.

Is this man… flirting with me?

"No, thank you. I want to learn from the very best," she retorted and noticed a satisfied smirk on Gilbert's face.

"Nice try, Tobias. Unfortunately for you, this one has a head on her shoulders."

"Here's the form," the woman returned, but the previously pleasant smile looked somewhat forced as she was eyeing her husband suspiciously. "I hope you're not trying to take any more apprentices, dear."

"No, no, no! I would never. I was merely joking around," Tobias scratched the back of his head. "By the way, this is my lovely wife—Darla. Darla, this young lady is Melina Dufour."

"A pleasure to meet you, dear," Darla said and extended her hand for a handshake.

"Likewise," Melina said, shaking her hand.

"How'd you decide to stick with this one, Gilbert? She must have some impressive pedigree," Tobias asked while Gilbert was already busily filling out the form, his old fingers moving with amazing speed.

"She's an orphan," Gilbert said, deadpan.

"What?!" Tobias and Darla both gasped at the same time and looked at Melina, their previously pleasant disposition gone. She just shrugged in response. Their reaction was to be expected.

Tobias leaned in closer to the old baker and whispered, no doubt hoping that Melina wouldn't hear him. But she could still hear him just fine since the whole place had gone completely quiet, bakers in the back listening in with keen interest. "Are you sure about this, Gilbert? Can you even afford it? I know you can't exactly keep delaying this but surely there can be someone better. Perhaps you can reconsider Roxie—"

"Your daughter has no business in the kitchen. The girl is a walking disaster. So yes, I am completely sure about this," Gilbert said and added his signature at the bottom of the form. "Melina, you sign here."

Melina felt a bit bad for the girl, who had flushed red and looked like she was on the verge of tears. Gilbert really could be a bit more tactful. With a sigh, she nodded and took the form, quickly signing next to Gilbert's name.

"Listen, Gilbert," Tobias appeared angry, but his wife grabbed his hand.

"If that's what he has decided then we are not allowed to interfere," Darla said.

"I trust you'll get this to the Main Branch as a proper Guildmaster should," Gilbert stared Tobias straight in the eyes, giving the form to him. Tobias stared at him for a moment, then sighed and took the form.

"Of course. Expect her official apprentice card to arrive sometime within the next two months," he said, resigned.

"Good. Let's go, Melina," Gilbert ordered, hobbling out of the bakery.

"Have a nice day," Melina said and left. But just as she was closing the door, she heard Tobias speak.

"The man must have lost all his marbles with old age."

That's a common reaction the orphans receive within guilds. Ostracized by no fault of their own. Unless an abandoned child is lucky enough to awaken to a System, their chances at a good life are slim.

I suppose I got quite lucky that Master Gilbert was willing to accept me. Then again… he knew I had a System from the start, so maybe it was my saving grace again. Let's hope it doesn't turn into a curse, like last time.