Chapter 240 The Bakery is Open for Business
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The magician who had left the square was asking pedestrians for directions to the mansion, and was heading towards it with an intense aura, as if she was about to launch a surprise attack. However, as she approached the mansion, her strides became shorter and shorter.
”Huuuuuuuuuu, Haaaaaaa…”
And eventually, she took a few steps, stopped, took a deep breath, and repeated this process, barely managing to take one step forward.
Because…
(Ugh, this is terrible! What kind of abnormal magical energy am I sensing from up ahead!?)
The magician sensed Neil’s Crimson magical energy from about 200 meters (�656 feet) away from the mansion.
Even though Neil’s Crimson was an extraordinary power, it shouldn’t be this easy to detect at such a distance.
However, this magician’s magical energy sensing abilities were also extraordinary, allowing her to detect Neil’s Crimson even from afar.
The problem was that this magician wasn’t intentionally using her magical energy sensing abilities–she was born with the ability to automatically sense the magical energy around her, and she couldn’t turn it off.
As a result, the magician couldn’t block out the intense magical energy she sensed from ahead, and it was making them her dizzy.
(Unbelievable, my weakness in magical energy sensing is being exposed like this… I thought the Atmiras prodigy was suspicious from the start, and I’m sure she’s conducting some shady research behind the scenes, but this is beyond my imagination…)
Thinking that the abnormal magical energy was definitely a result of some shady research, the magician took a deep breath, suppressed her nausea, and walked forward with determination, finally arriving at the street where the mansion was located.
”That’s, Atmiras’ genius kid’s mansion… ugh.”
On the left side of the street, there were buildings lined up, but on the right side where the mansion was, there was only one building besides the mansion, so it was immediately clear which one was the mansion.
By the way, the reason there were no buildings next to the mansion was because Neil wanted to leave space for something he might build later.
”Ha… I’ve calmed down a bit, I think…”
It took about 30 minutes to get here, and during that time, she got somewhat used to Crimson’s magical aura. The magician’s footsteps became more confident as she approached the mansion.
When she was about to reach the mansion’s front gate, the magician noticed a building next to the mansion that caught her attention.
There was only one building next to the mansion, and the magician couldn’t help but wonder what it was.
What she saw was a building with a transparent glass front, including the door.
The magician had never seen anything like it before, and she stopped in her tracks, mesmerized.
(Using expensive transparent glass like this without hesitation, that’s something only an Empire noble would do. So, in the end, this place is… a bakery?)
The magician looked back and forth between the sign hanging above the store and the glass interior, and finally understood that this was indeed a bakery.
She understood, but that only led to more questions. Why was there a bakery next to the mansion, and what kind of bakery was it that didn’t match anything the magician knew? The magician’s curiosity was piqued, and her stomach growled.
”I remember picking up some dried meat for breakfast, that’s all.”
During the journey to the frontier settlement, her stomach had emptied, and the hunger might have affected her mood.
At any rate, she’d better eat something, so she decided to enter the bakery in front of her.
She carefully opened the glass door and, with a nervous heart, stepped inside. The sweet aroma of freshly baked bread wafted into her nostrils, making her stomach growl.
Inside the store, there were glass showcases lined up, each filled with bread. The magical atmosphere made her feel like she was in a jewelry store.
From Neil’s perspective, the glass showcases were perfect for displaying bread without exposing it to the outside air, making it appealing to customers’ eyes. However, in this world, only high-end shops like jewelry stores used such display methods, which was unthinkable for ordinary people.
The reason the storefront was made of glass was so that customers could see the bread from outside, unlike other bakeries that couldn’t display their products outside. As a result, this bakery became an exceptional store.
Although this unusual bakery had opened, it didn’t attract many customers at first due to its unique layout and location next to a mansion. However, as word spread about the affordable prices and delicious bread, more and more customers started coming, especially those who hadn’t been using the dining hall.
”Welcome! Is this your first time here, customer?”
The shop girl greeted her with a smile.
”Huh, y-yes… this is a bakery, right?”
”Looking at the bread lined up here, does it look like any other store?”
”No, I can’t…”
She blushed, feeling embarrassed by her silly question, and cleared her throat before gazing at the bread in the showcase again.
There seemed to be many types, but she soon realized that the difference was due to the yeast liquid used in fermentation.
(Basically, there are 3… no, 5 types. I’m not picky about fruits, but this is when I get worried.)
”Shop assistant, do you have any recommendations?”
”Recommendations, you say? Well, our shop’s top pick is ‘Tennel’.”
”Tennel, isn’t that a word that means soft and fluffy or something?”
”That’s right, you’re really knowledgeable, miss. Tennel is a bread that’s made to imitate the soft bread eaten by nobles. It’s our shop’s most popular item.”
”Wow… wait, how can the prices be so cheap? It’s unbelievable.”
”We’re targeting people who struggle to afford food, so we keep our prices low.”
”…and what’s with the store’s design?”
”…you should ask the person who designed the store about that.”
The girl turned her face away, looking embarrassed, at the magician’s sharp comment that using high-end glassware in a store for the impoverished was a clear mistake.
While it was Neil’s responsibility for not thinking this through, the result was that the shop was able to sell cheap bread and became well-known, so there was no problem.
”So, customer, have you decided?”
”Yes… since we were talking about recommendations, I’ll take that Tennel… the apple-flavored one.”
”Coming right up!”
The girl opened the showcase, took out the bread, and put it in a mysterious box behind the counter.
”What’s that?”
”It’s a magical tool that makes bread taste delicious. Thanks to this, our bread stays fresh even after lunchtime, and it’s just like freshly baked in the morning.”
”This shop really is full of surprises…”
As the magician watched with a mixture of fascination and suspicion, the magical tool started making a small noise and moving on its own.
And as soon as it started moving, the magician’s expression changed in an instant.
”Wait a minute! That magical tool, is it using Elptis?!”
”Elptis?”
”Magic tools with explosive power are too dangerous!”
Elptis is an extreme magic that generates immense heat inside the target and causes it to burst. Although it’s strictly forbidden to use it on humans, it doesn’t require a special license like mental control magic, and there’s no regulation on learning or using it.
The reason Elptis magic tools are restricted is because they could be used on humans, and some people think it’s too dangerous to make them easily accessible.
Even though the power was limited to just baking bread, a magician with extraordinary magical sensing abilities immediately discovered the true nature of the magic tool.
The shop girl responded to the magician with a carefree tone.
”Ah, don’t worry about it, I’ve heard that we got permission from His Majesty the Emperor.”
”Eh, permission was granted? You mean you applied for permission from the Emperor himself to use Elptis magic tools for baking bread?!”
”Yes, that’s what I heard.”
”……”
The magician was left speechless by the reply.
It was already unbelievable that Elptis magic tools were being used for baking bread, but the fact that permission was obtained from the Emperor himself was too absurd to comprehend.
The magician was at a loss, wondering what kind of thought process led to such an idea, when a light, cheerful sound rang out, and the girl took out a loaf of bread from the magic tool.
”What was that sound just now?”
”It’s the signal that the bread is done.”
”…I see.”
The magician, who had lost all sense of what was going on, paid for the bread and took it.
As the freshly baked bread emerged with a fragrant aroma, the magician’s empty stomach growled, and she took a bite, entranced by the smell.
”What is this, it’s so soft and fluffy?”
”Isn’t it?”
(I’ve been to a noble’s party a few times, and I’ve had Splend bread, but it was too sweet and I didn’t like it. However, this has a subtle sweetness from the yeast used in the apple, making it very easy to eat.)
She silently continued eating the bread, finishing the last crumb, and when her hunger was satisfied and she felt at ease, she saw the shop employee’s smiling face and suddenly came back to reality.
”I’m sorry, I got completely absorbed in eating here…”
”It’s okay, I’m glad you enjoyed Olga-oneechan’s bread. I was happy too. Wouldn’t you like to try some more? There’s still one more left.”
”Ah, then…”
Feeling a bit guilty for eating a whole loaf in front of the counter, she bought 2 more loaves and devoured them all before leaving the bakery.
”Thank you very much!”
As she left the shop, she heard the employee’s bright voice behind her, and she looked up at the sky with a refreshed smile, rubbing her now-full stomach.
(Ugh, I’m going to throw up, but in a different way than before.)
However, deep down, she didn’t feel refreshed at all. Instead of feeling sick from hunger, she was now feeling sick from eating too much.
If she went back to the mansion like this, she’d likely end up vomiting, but her pride as a magician wouldn’t allow her to retreat today.
(That’s right, I’m not just a magician, I’m…)
With a firm determination in her heart, she headed towards the mansion’s main gate.
There, 2 gatekeepers stood, gazing at her with suspicious eyes as she stopped in front of them.
”What are you doing here? Do you have business at the mansion?”
”Yes, I came to see the master of the mansion.”
And the magician wore an eerie expression to silence the gatekeeper, revealing her own name.
”I’ll have you inform the lord of the mansiona that I, Estelia Pordhail, have arrived.”
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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