Chapter 73 – Bear-san, Baker GET | Part 2
The King went back.
The trash outside disappeared too, and the calm of the room returned.
However, there was a strange atmosphere…
「Hmm…What’s the matter?」
It felt like their gazes towards me changed…
「Excuse me, Yuna-san, who are you really? Are you possibly a n.o.ble?」
Morin-san timidly asked.
Was it possible that she got scared, thinking I was a n.o.ble?
「You are wrong. I am a normal adventurer.」
「But, you seemed really close to the king…」
「It was just misfortune that led me to meeting him.」
「But for the King to come meet you in person…」
「That’s just because he wanted to eat pudding, right?」
「But…」
The two of them were really hard to convince, and even Fina began seeing me as a n.o.ble…
The king brought unnecessary trouble.
He suddenly appeared in front of people who had a difference in status that was like heaven and earth compared to him, and said that he knew one of the people there. It was normal for others to think that the person was someone abnormal too.
It was the same in both worlds.
Politicians knew many politicians.
Doctors knew many doctor.
Professors knew many professor acquaintances.
A performer knew many performers.
Authors, of course, knew many authors.
A Hikikomori knew many hikikomori (of course, they met each other through games).
I’m sure that in all occupations, people in a certain field know many people interested in the same thing.
「Argh! I am not a n.o.ble, nor someone with links to the royal family, so treat me normally!!」
I forcefully stopped this story for now, and decided to talk about making pudding.
「So, it’s earlier than I planned, but the two of you will help me make pudding starting tomorrow, okay?」
「Are you saying you will make us prepare a dish that will be served at the King’s banquet?」
「That’s right.」
「It’s impossible!」
「Why?」
「The King himself will eat it, right?」
「Well, he will certainly eat it…」
「I can’t do something so dreadful!!!!」
「It’s really not like we’re putting poison in it, you know…」
「If he ate it and had a stomache ache…. I can’t even think about it!」
「You won’t do it, no matter what?」
「Please forgive me!」
It was like…I was bullying her…
A typical commoner would have thought it was impossible to make a dish for the king, huh…
Well, if you asked me to make something for the Prime Minister or representatives for other countries, I would have refused as well.
It wasn’t good to pressure them too much, so Fina and I would make them.
「Then, Fina, the two of us will have to make them.」
「I can’t do it either!」
Fina shook her head vigorously.
Fina, you too?!
The next day, I made pudding all alone.
I couldn’t make the three of them do anything besides shaking their heads…
They were on the side, watching me make pudding.
I would have liked them to at least break the eggs, but they wouldn’t even do that…
My feelings didn’t reach them.
With no other choice, I broke 100 eggs alone…
Well, I already had experience doing things alone…
However, I really was sad that, even though there was people around, they wouldn’t help me…
In silence, I broke the eggs. In silence, I stirred the eggs.
I did it alone until the end.
I lined up around 100 cups of pudding in the big fridge.
I used all of the eggs I had taken time to replenish. Although I thought it would be sad for breakfast, it was decided that Morin-san would be baking bread for me before she went to Crimonia.
After I ate the freshly baked bread, I wanted to go out, but Ranzeru-san came to the Bear House.
I hadn’t seen him since he brought me the bonus reward for subduing the bandits.
The country’s soldiers had some trouble subduing the Zamon bandit group’s camp and freeing the hostages there. The treasures that the band had a.s.sembled were there, and a major part of it became mine. He told me there were a lot of adventurers, so I abandoned my share, and asked him to distribute it to the adventurers who had suffered.
I decided to keep the item bags, the only things that could have been of some use to me.
「What happened?」
「I had some things to discuss about Jorz, who was captured the other day.」
「Ah, that Toad, huh.」
「He committed the crime of using the King’s name, but we also found a lot of other crimes. One of them was regarding the people of the bakery you saved, Yuna-san.」
「Those two? I will call them.」
「Thank you.」
The content of the proceeding talk was:
The debt was erased and the bakery would go back to Morin-san.
「Is this true?」
「Yes, Jorz’s possessions were seized, and with what we found, he will be sentenced to death.」
「Death penalty…」
「The fact is that he used the King’s name, and staining the King’s name is a terrible crime. Furthermore, the King saw the scene himself. He won’t be able to escape from this.」
Well, it was true.
He threatened someone, saying he was the King’s acquaintance.
I was sure it wasn’t just Morin-san.
It wouldn’t be strange if he said that to lots of people, and now lots of commoners might think that the king is a companion of criminals.
「I will bring the official doc.u.ments later, so I will excuse myself now.」
Ranzeru-san bowed and departed.
A silence installed itself between those who remained.
「It’s great the shop your husband created has been protected!」
「Yuna-san…」
「Well, I really wanted you to come to Crimonia.」
「…Yuna-san, I…」
「Don’t worry about it! I am sure you prefer continuing to protect your husband’s shop.」
「I am so sorry! Even though you were so good to us!」
「Isn’t this a time to be happy about it?」
「Yes, thank you very much!」
The next day, Ranzeru-san came back and brought the official papers for the shop.
The bakery officially became Morin-san’s.
However, for some reason, she presented the papers to me.
「…?」
「Take it, please. And take us to Crimonia.」
「Why?」
「Yesterday night, I talked with my daughter. Yuna-san, you have acknowledged my…my husband’s bread.」
「We are not the only ones, right? The long line of customers who went to your bakery is proof, right? It’s just that the bread you make is delicious.」
「Yes, everyone said it was delicious. But when we were attacked by Jorz, Yuna-san was the only one who saved us. You tried to give us a new place to work, taught us how to make pudding that even the King himself came to ask for. After all this, even if my husband’s shop is returned, I won’t go back until my debt of grat.i.tude is repaid.」
「Don’t even stress yourself about it…」
「If I don’t, I would be like Jorz. Yesterday was sudden, so I was delighted, but then I realized I was really rude to you. Also it’s not like I’m giving my husband’s shop to a stranger, I’m giving it to you. I am sure Yuna-san will use it for something great. I don’t particularly want it to be a bakery anyways, so please, use it as you wish.」
「Is it really okay? I really am happy, though.」
「Yes. Please take care of my daughter and me from now on.」
Both of them bowed.
They will be formally working at my place from now on, so they went to thank those who took care of them.
Their departure had been decided to be the day after the King’s birthday party.
When the party finished, people would return to the places they came from.
Crimonia was not an exception.
Because there would be lots of people moving together, they could travel without being attacked by monsters or bandits.
They would both be going with the group that departed to Crimonia.
Me?
Of course, I would be using the Bear Transfer Gate.