Taste of Magic: Ambassador's Voice

Panting and gasping, Melina ran through the Sunglow back to the bakery, clutching her purchase from the apothecary close to her chest. But her approaching monthly visitor was nothing more than a mere afterthought. Instead, her thoughts were filled with Alistair.

The monster currently attacking the town must be an ember wyrm. I remember how Alistair told me how he got his scar fighting one. The battle had been so brutal that he had barely survived and several people fighting alongside him died.

He never mentioned their names but those were without a doubt people from the Sunglow's Adventurer's Guild. What if it's Leon or Remi who die? I can't let that happen. I have to hurry!

Melina pushed her body to run as fast as it could, ignoring its protest and how her lungs burned each time she took a breath. It was through sheer willpower that she managed to make it back to the bakery in a record-short time.

It was already cleared of customers, the alarm bell forcing everyone to run for their homes. Master Gilbert was pacing around the shop when she came running inside.

"Oh, you're back! Thank the System," the old baker breathed a sigh of relief.

"Master! Help me out in the kitchen!" She said, gasping and wheezing for air.

"Calm down, girl! Catch your breath first."

"There's no time!" She shook her head and hurried into the kitchen, tossing her purchase on one of the chairs and then rushing into the storage room. There she reached down to the lowest shelf and pulled out the large basket which contained the rare ingredients she had won in the competition. Without hesitation she grabbed three of the feyfruit and a tub of sweet dough she didn't get to use of the pear rolls that morning.

"Melina, what are you going to do with those?" Gilbert asked as she rushed into the kitchen and laid the ingredients on the counter.

"An ember wyrm is currently attacking the wall. I intend to subdue it," Melina said and hurried to wash her hands. She was about to return to the worktable when Gilbert blocked her path and grabbed her firmly by the shoulders.

"Girl, are you even hearing what you're saying? You? Subdue an ember wyrm? Have you gone insane?"

"Master, people will die if I don't do this!" She snapped, still gasping for air.

The old man gave her an incredulous look. "Die? Melina, you're in a state of shock. You don't know—"

"No, Master. I wish it was as simple as a state of shock and everything would be fine if I left them as they are. But I know for a fact that people will die in this attack. Please, help me before it's too late!"

The old baker released his hold on her, considering her words, and looked into her eyes, assessing whether she had simply gone insane. But her gaze was clear and resolute, not a shred of madness in her eyes—only desperation.

"I feel like there's a long explanation for how you know that exactly, but we'll talk about it afterwards. What exactly do you plan to do?"

Melina sighed in relief. With Gilbert's help, she was sure to succeed. "I need to dilute the feyfruit and turn it into an enticing enough snack for the wyrm. Monsters are crazy for feyfruit, but most can't eat it raw because it is far too potent. However, if I could dilute it so it could be consumed while retaining its pleasant aroma that the monsters love so much, then I'm sure I'd be able to calm even a raging ember wyrm."

Gilbert arched his eyebrows and opened his mouth, but then closed it again and shook his head. "I don't know how you know that, but you are right. If we could dilute it properly, it might be enticing enough to stop a raging beast. However, ember wyrms are clever creatures. It might choose to ignore the treat."

"I know, but I'm going to try it anyway," Melina said, looking into the old baker's eyes. "Master, please! We have to hurry! Every second is crucial."

"Alright, fine! But this dough won't do. Start by peeling and cutting the feyfruits," Gilbert commanded. Melina nodded and peeled the fruit in record time, revealing the soft, pale inside. It seemed unimpressive at first glance, however, if one took a closer look one could see the pulp shimmering ever so slightly under the light, magic coursing all through it.

Then she grabbed a cutting board and activated , quickly and easily dicing up the fruit while Master Gilbert got a bowl and began mixing flour, butter, and water.

"Master, we don't have time to let the yeast do its work with the dough," Melina said, nervously eyeing how he kneaded it.

"Don't worry! This is shortcrust pastry, it doesn't need yeast. If you're done with the cutting, then throw the fruit into a pot, and add a little water and honey. Heating the fruit should reduce the amount of mana in it."

Melina nodded, and quickly threw the fruit pieces into a pot. Thankfully, the fire from the morning was still burning in the stove, so she didn't have to waste any time getting it going. She found some honey and added it to the fruit as well as a little bit of water, just enough so the feyfruit wouldn't burn.

As she stirred the fruit, watching it slowly turn into a mush, Master Gilbert wasted no time, getting the tartlet molds ready by buttering them. Melina was mesmerized by the speed at which he moved—expertly taking the dough, rolling it out, and then cutting it into perfect circles which he laid into the molds.

"Careful of the steam. It is filled with mana," Gilbert warned, and Melina leaned back, seeing that the steam had the same gentle shimmering that she earlier noticed within the fruit. It was invigorating seeing mana in its life form again. Part of her craved to breathe it in and make it her own. As an [Archmage] she had a skill that allowed her to do just that. But now…

No, focus! Don't think about who you were. Think about what you can do now!

Melina watched how the feyfruit slowly turned into a jam consistency. "I'm done, Master!"

"Good! Pour these baking beans onto the tartlets," Gilbert said, handing a little sack filled with what looked like little ceramic balls.

"What? Why?" Melina cocked her head curiously.

"It's so the pastry doesn't get soggy afterwards."

"This is for a monster. Do we need to worry about whether the pastry gets soggy?"

"We shall do things properly, even if it is for a monster!" Gilbert said sternly, leaving no room for arguments. Melina began pouring the beans into molds and then putting them into the oven one after another. In total, there were six tartlets.

"Don't use yet. Leave it for when we add the filling," Gilbert instructed, and Melina nodded. She paced in front of the oven, unable to keep still as the town bell rang somewhere in the distance.

Stolen story; please report.

"So tell me, while we wait, how exactly do you know that monsters love feyfruit and what makes you so convinced that somebody is going to die in this attack?" Gilbert sat down by the kitchen table, tapping his finger against it.

Melina stopped pacing, and contemplated how to answer him.

I can't exactly tell him that I used to be an [Archmage] and I reversed time to prevent the world from ending. He'll probably think I'm crazy. Even if he does believe me… no, somehow him believing me almost seems worse.

"I'll explain everything once everything is over. It's not something that can be told in fifteen minutes," Melina said, hoping that she'll come up with some believable excuse later on.

"I'm sure you can at least tell me the start of it," Gilbert crossed his arms over his chest, showing that he was not willing to back off on the matter.

Think, Melina, think. What could substitute for a believable excuse? Better to start with how I know about the feyfruit's properties. That'd be much easier to explain.

"Alright. I'll tell you as much as I can. You see…" Melina paused for a moment to gather her thoughts and activated . "While I still lived in the orphanage in Tuvia, the head of the orphanage would on rare occasions take us to the Grand Library to study and read. I've always had a—"

Gilbert suddenly raised his hand, his expression deepening into an angry scowl. "Don't lie to me, Melina. I thought I told you that I would not tolerate lies. I see that you've just activated .

Melina's blood ran cold as his gaze bore deeper into her.

A skill that tells him that I've used . Dammit! I have once again underestimated Master Gilbert. But what do I tell him?

"Melina. Just tell me the truth," Gilbert demanded. "Or if you insist on lying we might as well end our apprentice-master arrangement right now."

Melina felt like she was being crushed into a corner. Could she really tell Master Gilbert the truth? But then she'd have to explain everything that happened and if he found out what she had done—he'd likely kick her out anyway.

But what if he can accept me as I am with all the mistakes that I've made? Just like Elenor had.

"I… It's not something I can talk about easily…" she muttered.

"Yes, I can see that you're struggling talking about this matter, but I cannot just let this one go. If you want my help going forward, you need to tell me the truth. If the whole truth is too difficult for you, then at least tell me part of it," the old baker's expression softened a little bit. Melina looked at him, then she looked down on her hands as if the right answer could somehow be conveniently written there.

Finally, she clenched her fist and took a deep breath. "Alright. I cannot explain everything to you, because the story is extremely long, and quite honestly, I believe it is best if I am the only one who knows it. However, I promise to tell you part of the truth and not to lie to you anymore, Master."

"You've told me that once before," Gilbert grumbled.

"I know, but this information is something that I intended to take to my grave. You have to promise to not tell anyone about it. Not even your closest friends and allies. You cannot speak of it. Ever," Melina said resolutely.

"What kind of knowledge could a pipsqueak like you possess that's so important?" Gilbert scoffed.

"Please, promise that you will not reveal what I say to you to anyone!" Melina insisted. They looked at each other for a long moment, and then Gilbert finally nodded.

"I promise not to reveal it to anyone."

"Thank you. I shall tell you then," Melina said, looking down at her trembling hands. It was difficult for her to gather the courage to speak. How many times had she been betrayed in the past? Master Gilbert could easily tell somebody about the things she was about to say.

No, he wouldn't do that. Has he not proven himself a trustworthy and valuable ally? He gave me a home, he already keeps the secret of me being a System user. If there is anybody in this world to whom I may reveal the truth then it is Master Gilbert.

"I have memories of things that are about to happen," she finally said. Melina knew that it was far from the truth that Gilbert wanted to hear, but this was all that she could force herself to say at that point.

"Memories of things that are about to happen? You mean like visions of the future?" Gilbert asked, dumbfounded.

"Yes and no. They are not visions but memories. Events that will most certainly happen unless something changes. That is how I know that if nothing intervenes, some people will die at the ember wyrm attack today and Lord Sinclair will be gravely injured."

"Memories of the future? Girl, you do realize that it makes no sense," Gilbert grumbled.

"I do. However, it is the truth. There is an explanation to how I know all this, but… I am not ready to speak about that. Not yet at least. Please, give me more time, Master," Melina said, looking earnestly into Gilbert's eyes.

His eyelid twitched in annoyance and for a moment, she thought that he wouldn't believe her. But then he let out an annoyed tsk and sighed. "Fine, fine! I'll concede for today. But I'll be waiting for more answers from you once this is over."

"Thank you so much for understanding, Master!" Melina bowed low.

"I swear, out of all the apprentices that came my way, I had to choose the most troublesome one," he grumbled then pointed towards the oven. "The tartlet shells are ready. Get them out."

Melina nodded, grabbed a peel, and swiftly pulled all the six tarts out, setting them down on the counter.

"Pour out the beans and add the feyfruit jam you made," Gilbert instructed.

Melina carefully poured the baking beans into a bowl, making sure that the shells would not fall out. Once that was done, she put the feyfruit jam inside the tartlets and then carefully placed them back into the oven to finish cooking.

"Activate !" she commanded the System, her heart beginning to pound again as she thought of the ember wyrm. Has it managed to kill anyone yet? What if she was too late already? Would this tartlet be enough to entice the monster?

"You pacing around will not make the tartlets cook faster," Gilbert reprimanded.

"Yes, I understand that, but… I'm just worried. What if this is not enough? Feyfruit is strong but as the tart is now, it's not specifically enticing to ember wyrm but rather all monsters. What do ember wyrms like specifically?" Melina muttered to her, biting into the tip of her nail as she tried to search her memory for the necessary information.

"I wish I could tell you, but the only monster whose tastes I know is Knight. And I doubt a fire lizard would like dried seaweed."

"No. Ember wyrms hate fish or anything too wet for that matter. Normally they wouldn't even eat fruit, feyfruit being the only exception. If I remember right, they prefer dry foods and…" Melina suddenly stopped and turned to Gilbert. "Master, do we have chili pepper? Or chili flakes?"

Gilbert blinked a few times in confusion, then nodded. "Yes, there should be some chili flakes in the spice cabinet."

Melina hurried over to the storage, grabbed a packet of peeled walnuts, then hurried back into the kitchen and retrieved the jar of chili flakes from the spice cabinet. She threw walnuts into a bowl and then added chili flakes to them, mixing them.

Once that was done, she carefully approached the oven, pulled out each tartlet, and sprinkled a generous helping of chili walnuts on top of each, before putting them back in.

"You think that will help?" Gilbert asked.

"Absolutely! There was… I suppose it is better to say that there will be an incident in the south of Alemahria where a pack of wyrm will go from one farm to another, eating all chilies and hot peppers in sight."

Some farmers were forced into bankruptcy after that incident, and I was sent to the south to dispose of the wyrms. I honestly felt a little bad for the beasts, they hadn't really attacked anyone, merely gorged on their favorite food.

"Will be? This is one of your future memories?" Gilbert asked skeptically.

"Yes."

Melina felt a strong surge through her chest, like a mild electric shock. But she didn't get to ponder what it was when six notifications appeared before her. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

[You've made . You've gained +20 exp.]

She hurried to the oven and pulled the tartlets out. Much to her surprise, there was a faint purplish, pink glow surrounding them. Master Gilbert hobbled over to look, and his face turned pale.

"What's wrong, Master?" she asked the distressed baker.

"Hmm… I feared you might be able to do this one day, but to think you'd create it so quickly…"

"Create what, Master?"

"Let me read out what my skill says about this tart," Gilbert said, looking at the System screen which Melina could not see.

[

Tartlet made with a sweet feyfruit filling and spicy chili walnuts on top. This treat is perfectly suited to the tastes of wyrms and other similar monster species.

Effects: Give this tartlet to a wyrm for a chance of taming it.]