Taste of Magic: General's Echo [Slice-of-Life LitRPG]

Suddenly an idea popped into Melina's mind. She plucked a single hair from her head and carefully wrapped it around the mana crystal.

"What are you doing?" Milo asked, watching her movements closely.

"I'm not sure if this will work, but I think it's worth a try," she said and began tightening the hair around the base of the crystal. It slipped off a few times before she managed to get a firm hold on it. Slowly she kept tightening her hair around the base of the crystal more and more. It felt like the hair would snap at any moment, but then the crystal popped out of its little socket—undamaged.

"Y-you did it!" Milo exclaimed, about to grab it but stopped at the last moment. Instead, he took a piece of paper and slid it underneath the fragile thing. "I can't believe you actually did it."

"How did you even think of that?" Remi asked with wide eyes.

"I used to remove ticks that way. It's essential to get them off together with their head, otherwise, it'd remain stuck in your flesh and keep releasing its poison," Melina explained.

"Ticks?" Milo and Remi both looked at her in confusion.

"Yeah. The crystal is about the same size," she explained. Milo looked at it and laughed.

"I suppose it is. Holy System, I never expected the solution to be so simple. Now I can keep working. I'd appreciate it if you two could leave me to my work." Milo said, then added after a moment of thought. "But would you mind supplying me with a few of your hair before you go?"

"A regular thread will do the trick, I believe," Melina said with a chuckle, and the young man blushed.

"Of course, of course. How silly of me. I'll get to work then. I promise to have the sign ready by tomorrow evening," Milo said and began rummaging through the drawers of his work table.

"It appears our job here is done," Remi said proudly.

"Seems so. Let's go back to the inn," Melina said and then turned to Milo. "We'll be going then. Good luck."

He waved them goodbye, not even lifting his head as he finally fished the thread out from the drawer. The girls chuckled at the sight and left the workshop.

"You think he'll succeed?" Remi asked.

"I don't know enough about magitech to say for certain. It seems simple enough—take some wires, connect them to the crystal, and done."

"Yeah, but it's too simple. Nothing is ever simple when it comes to magic, although I do hope it works out in the end. An illuminated sign could be visible even from the other side of town."

Remi is right about one thing. Nothing is ever simple where magic is concerned.

"Melina, you got the harnesses?" Master Gilbert called as he was securing the cart to Knight.

"I got them right here, Master." She held up the sturdy straps while looking over the contents of the cart. Bag of almond flour, three bags of sugar, more butter than one knew what to do with, and the basket of rare ingredients Melina had won from the competition.

It is a good thing I entered that contest. Even Master Gilbert was excited when he saw the rare ingredients I'd won. Although his reaction was a bit odd when he saw the feyfruit.

"Good. Keep those close. We'll need them to secure the door and sign to the cart," Gilbert instructed and made his way to the seat in front of the cart. "Is everything secure?"

"Yes, I double-checked." She nodded and laid an old sheet over the ingredients to protect them from both dust and any curious onlookers and would-be thieves.

"Let's get going then."

Melina moved to the front seat of the cart, and Gilbert signaled Knight to get going. Sun was beginning to rise, providing enough light for the street light to be turned off. Gilbert did not waste any time, heading straight towards the carpenter's workshop. The lights were on, and Melina saw Master Declan waiting by the entrance.

"You're right on time, my friend," Declan waved at them, as Gilbert stopped the cart right in front of the entrance. "The varnish just finished drying."

Declan pointed towards the fresh, new wooden door that sat on one of the worktables. Melina could already imagine how big a mismatch it would be when compared to the old bakery. She'd have to do something about the facade—freshen it up a little. A fresh coat of paint could be a good start.

"Is this it then?" Gilbert asked, hobbling up to admire the door. "It's almost too good."

"I made sure to put in a sturdy lock. Since you have a young lady in your house now, you should make sure she's well protected," Declan said and held out a set of keys.

"Thank you for your thoughtfulness," Melina replied and took the keys, putting them in the inner pocket of her sack.

I doubt anyone would break into an old bakery just because I'm there, but a sturdy lock could never hurt. I wonder how strong the one at the shop's entrance is…

"I appreciate it, Declan. How about the sign?"

The carpenter's face soured and looked at the door of Milo's workroom. "Not sure about that one. Milo has been tinkering with it all night and wouldn't let me help no matter how many times I asked. He's never been late with an order before, so let's trust that he'll finish this time too."

"Let's get the door ready for transportation," Gilbert said, and Declan nodded, taking long pieces of thick cardboard from a pile that sat in the corner of the workshop. He began wrapping them around the door while Melina passed him the thread that he used to secure the cardboard. In the end, they got a door cocooned in a layer of cardboard—an odd sight—but it was necessary to avoid scratching it.

With that done, Declan loaded the door into the cart, being careful not to damage any of the already-bought goods. Melina handed him the harnesses, and he used them to tie the door to the cart.

"There, that is done. Now where is that apprentice of mine? Milo! We need that sign," Declan yelled across the workshop.

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There was a sound of something falling within, some sort of scuffling, but then the door opened and Milo's head peeked out. His hair was a complete mess and from the large bags underneath his eyes, one could easily tell that he hadn't slept. "Just give me five more minutes. It'll be finished by then."

The door slammed shut as Milo disappeared back into his workroom. Declan shook his head and tapped his foot. "What has come over that boy? I never thought that a simple sign would give him such trouble. Young miss, what design did you two come up with?"

"I don't think the design was anything too difficult. Just some writing along with a multi-tier cake as a design element," she explained.

"Multi-tier cake? We don't even sell those. I only make cakes if someone specifically orders them," Gilbert grumbled.

"Master, you did say you'd leave it up to me. We can always start selling cakes and more colorful pastries. I believe it'd do wonders to attract new customers," Melina retorted, putting her hands on her hips.

"You're rushing ahead of time, girl. We can't even meet the demand of our current customers," the old baker shook his head and crossed his hands over his chest in clear disapproval.

"Once you teach me how to properly prepare everything then I'm sure I'll be able to match those demands."

Not to mention that my new skill will make cooking times faster.

Declan suddenly let out a boisterous laugh, breaking Gilbert and Melina out of their argument. "I see you have a headstrong apprentice of your own."

"She didn't seem quite so headstrong at first," Gilbert grumbled.

"I don't believe you would have taken me on if I wasn't headstrong," Melina noted.

"True…"

The door of Milo's workroom burst open, and Milo staggered out, clutching the large sign in his hands. It was covered with a cloth so nobody could see how it looked.

"I've completed it!" Milo announced, the corners of his lips twitching upwards.

"Took you a while. Go on then. Show it to us!" Declan urged him.

"Of course, just let me turn off the lights first."

"How are we supposed to see it in the dark?"

"Trust me, Master!" Milo urged him and hurriedly turned off the light in the workshop. Declan exhaled dramatically but said nothing more instead waiting in the dark along with Melina and Gilbert.

There was a shuffling noise as Milo removed the cloth from the sign and then it suddenly lit up. There was light four-tier cake decorated with flowers and a cherry on top on a dark wood background. Underneath it were large letters saying "Sunglow Bakery".

"I can't believe my eyes," Declan gaped as did Master Gilbert, both of their mouths hanging open in shock. Melina walked up to the sign, inspecting where the little mana crystals hid.

"You put them along the sides?" she asked, noticing the slightly thicker edge which allowed to put the mana crystals into the ridges.

"Yeah. It didn't look good when I tried to put them around the letters. I mean this isn't perfect either, but it's much better I think," he explained, shifting his weight from one foot to another.

"It's an illuminated sign. Who cares about the nitty-gritty?" Master Gilbert exclaimed, true amazement on his face. "I never even asked for anything so elaborate."

"I just got the idea to try it when Melina mentioned that the sign would be hard to see in the dark mornings," Milo pointed out.

"Well, now the whole town will see it. Declan, you have a real talent on your hands here," Gilbert praised.

"Boy, you put me to shame here. I couldn't even make something like that. At this rate, you'll soon be able to open a shop on your own," the master carpenter took the sign admiring the handiwork from all sides. "The carvings are impeccable as well."

"You mean that, Master?"

"Of course. We just have to build your confidence a little," Declan laughed then took a piece of cardboard, wrapping it around the sign.

"With skill like this you won't have a problem running your own workshop," Gilbert nodded.

"There's no carpenter in Sunglow right now," Melina added.

"Sunglow? No, with this skill, you can even go to the capital if you so wish," Declan laughed, then put the carefully wrapped-up sign in the cart and secured it with a harness.

Gilbert walked over to Milo and extended his hand towards him. Milo stared at it for a moment, then shook it. "If you ever need any help don't hesitate to come to us."

"Or even if you just want to stop by for some nice bread," Melina said.

"Thank you, I'll keep that in mind," Milo nodded.

"No, thank you! Here's your payment son," Gilbert said and pressed a gold coin in the apprentice's hand.

"What? No, I can't accept this much."

"Take it. Use it to buy materials you need for your next creation," Gilbert said and then made his way to the cart.

"Hey, what about me?" Declan called out.

"I believe you still haven't repaid me for that time we went out for drinks," Gilbert retorted, a mischievous smirk appearing beneath his beard.

"Oh, you… sly, old fox. Fine, take it then! But my debt is settled now."

Melina chuckled at the exchange and got into the cart. Knight began pulling it and she waved goodbye to Milo and Declan, who both waved back at her. There was a bit of a somber feeling in her chest. It felt like she had befriended the boy.

Really? I'm making friends now. Is it alright for me to do that?

A dark glob of memories gnawed at the back of her mind, threatening to snuff out the little ember of hope that glowed in her heart.

After retrieving their guards from the inn, Melina and Gilbert made their way back to Sunglow. The fresh morning breeze seemed to cleanse their very being while the wildflowers growing on the side of the road brought color to their lives.

Despite all that, there was a single thundercloud moving along with them, sitting proud and tall on his horse. Or at least he appeared that way from afar. Up close Alistair's scowling expression screamed that something was very wrong. But nobody dared to ask.

Remi glanced at Melina who shook her head. She had already made up her mind and would avoid any interactions with Alistair unless necessary. Although she desperately wanted to know what bothered him so badly, she held onto this resolve.

I must keep my distance. We are strangers now. He's a noble with a System and I am merely a baker's apprentice. I must know my place.

Remi sighed, realizing that Melina really wouldn't ask, and turned to Leon. The mage instantly averted his gaze, pretending to be interested in a flock of sparrows sitting in a nearby pine. The elf opened her mouth, ready to ask what everyone had been wondering, but when she saw that Alistair's scowl had deepened at some point, she closed it.

"What's got you so gloomy, little lordling?" Master Gilbert startled everyone out of the silence.

No, Master, why do you call him a little lordling? He might take offense to that and then we'll be in a heap of trouble.

Alistair, however, still seemed deep in thought, barely having noticed the baker's question. "Nothing. Just wondering what to do next."

Remi and Melina shared a look. What could weigh so heavily on his mind that he'd miss a rude remark like that? The elf once again motioned towards Alistair with her head, wishing Melina to prod further. She shook her head. Remi sighed.

"Nothing? If it were nothing, then you wouldn't be mumbling under your breath as if trying to cast a curse," Gilbert scoffed, and Alistair was finally brought out of his contemplation. Melina, Remi, and Leon all looked away, all three of them being interested in the wildflowers blooming along the side of the road.

"Oh, it appears I have caused you worry. I apologize." Alistair inclined his head politely towards them.

"Not me, but these youngsters don't have the guts to ask you. So what's all the gloom about?" Gilbert prodded. Alistair looked at Melina, who nodded at her master's statement hesitantly.

"Yes, you do not seem too well today," Remi confirmed.

Alistair hesitated, uncertainty filling his facial features, and he sighed.

"It's just that I had hoped to talk to a System user in Pertia. Unfortunately, they were unwilling to talk to me," Alistair explained. Melina's heart began to race.

Why would Alistair look for System users?