Once again, Melina was faced with the undeniable truth that she was weak. In fact, her body was so weak that it could not keep up with a girl of approximately the same age and build as her. After several hours of digging the soil and picking out rocks as well as revitalizing it with fertilizer, Melina was exhausted.

"You're weaker than you look," the redhead noted, leaning against her shovel. "You're like some city lady who has never done hard work."

"I've been working on it… and I actually am from a city," Melina said while trying to catch her breath.

"Really? Why'd you come here then? Who would deliberately move from a city to this System forsaken place?" Leliana arched her eyebrow. The girl was far more honest with her thoughts while working in a field apparently, but Melina preferred this over her pleasant facade.

"I was an orphan so the Baker's Guild in Tuvia wouldn't accept me. Master Gilbert was my only chance to learn baking."

"Oh. I see…" Leliana said, and heavy silence descended upon them. Most of their conversations ended just as abruptly as neither one of them was interested in keeping up appearances. "How about lunch? I think we've made enough progress for now."

Melina looked at the part of the garden where they had cleared the soil. It was a small portion, not to mention that the majority of it was actually cleared by Leliana. The girl didn't seem bothered by the hard labor at all—Melina had to admire her for that.

"That sounds like a good proposition," she nodded, and they headed inside. After washing their hands, Melina retrieved some pumpkin soup that Gilbert had made yesterday and put it on the stove to reheat. The coals had almost gone out while they were working, but after adding some kindling and fresh wood, the fire roared to life. She also got some pumpkin seed bread to go along with the meal.

"This sure is nostalgic…" Leliana suddenly said, making Melina turn towards her. The redhead looked a bit embarrassed, then added hurriedly. "My father and I used to come to the bakery to eat every day. Master Gilbert then served a different soup along with his bread for lunch."

"He used to serve soup?"

"Yes. The living room on the first floor used to be part of the shop. It had many tables, and people from Sunglow would come and enjoy warm soup for lunch. Master Gilbert would only sell one type of soup each day, but it'd always taste great," Leliana smiled at the memory. Melina was a bit surprised to see such honest warmth in this seemingly hostile girl.

Maybe she's not as bad as I initially thought. To think that our living room used to be part of the shop. It did seem quite spacious when I first saw it.

"How come he doesn't do that anymore?" Melina asked, and Leliana's expression darkened.

"There was an incident after which he got horribly injured," she said, then shook her head. "I'm not the right person to tell that story. Is the soup warm yet?"

"Oh, yes!" Melina hurriedly removed the pot from the stove and ladled some soup into bowls. She served it to Leliana along with some pumpkin seed bread. The red-head didn't say anything more but from her expression, it was clear that she enjoyed the meal. Their lunchtime was silent but oddly enough it was not an awkward silence, but a comforting one. There was almost a sense of camaraderie. Almost.

"Thank you for the meal," Leliana said once she was finished.

"I'll be sure to pass your thanks to Master Gilbert."

"Good. Now show me what you were planning to plant and let's get those seeds into the ground."

"Already?"

"You said it yourself—you won't be able to tend to the whole garden. So we'll plant the usable seeds right now and you can slowly clear and add to the garden afterwards."

Melina nodded and went into the storage to retrieve the many packets of seeds she and Gilbert had picked up in Pertia. Leliana took the packets, inspecting them one by one.

"Hm… tomato seeds won't do. It's already too late for that. If you really want tomatoes you'll have to purchase seedlings instead or wait until next year. But we can plant these beets, carrots, leeks, and lettuce."

"What about these strawberry seeds?" Melina asked.

"You could plant them, but you probably wouldn't get any fruit from them this year unless they're a late breed. If you want strawberries, you'll need seedlings," Leliana explained.

"Got it. Then I suppose we'll focus on the seeds for today."

"That's right."

The two girls went back into the garden, approaching the cleaned-up soil. Leliana showed Melina how to properly plant seeds, and instructed her how much space to leave among seeds and how deep to put them. Once all they were placed in the soil, they watered them and returned back to clearing out the remaining garden of weeds and rocks.

It was a long and difficult day, not to mention that Melina had to help Master Gilbert unload the cart once he returned with the ingredients. But at the same time, she felt like she had learned a lot about Leliana as well as Master Gilbert.

***

"No! You have to stop rolling now. It's getting too soft," Gilbert reprimanded as Melina was about to start rolling out the puff pastry.

"Is it?" Melina asked, lifting up the dough and seeing how it was beginning to droop instead of holding firm. Gilbert gave her a meaningful glance, and she placed the dough on cooking paper and wrapped it up. She then took it to the storage and retrieved a large, metallic container that sat underneath the shelves.

It was an old magitech refrigerator of sorts, although calling it that was rather generous. The old thing was extremely crude and it could barely keep the inside of it cool. But this chill box was the best thing they had.

"Master Gilbert, would it really be so bad if I rolled out that pastry one more time?" she asked, feeling a bit annoyed. They had been working on this puff pastry for half a day, and sadly she was not even exaggerating.

"If you want to lose all the progress you've made so far, be my guest. I suppose you didn't want to learn how to make proper puff pastry."

"No, I don't want to lose all the progress, but I do want to understand why exactly am I doing this," Melina persisted.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"It's because the butter will melt into the dough and then you'll lose the layers. It won't be a puff pastry anymore but rather a regular pastry."

"I suppose that makes sense, but that refrigerator isn't going to be enough to make any meaningful amounts of puff pastry. I mean, I've been folding these dough and butter layers for half a day, and we're still not done," Melina noted.

"No, it really won't. Anything made from puff pastry will have to be sold in small quantities," Gilbert agreed. "Although if you improve <Rhythmic Kneading> then it will help with puff pastries too."

Melina nodded, put the puff pastry away to chill, and began making a batch of sweet dough for her pear rolls. She was determined to make enough pastries for tomorrow to push herself past that Level 20 threshold and unlock the <Food Manufacturing> skill. She really needed something to help with quantity, so she could do something besides kneading dough all day.

"Master Gilbert, have you written a reply for Lord Sinclair yet?" Melina asked as she warmed the milk over the stove, stirring it slowly. Gilbert in the meanwhile was preparing beef stew for dinner—cutting meat into pieces and chopping onions.

"Not yet."

"You should."

"It's only been a week," he said and threw the meat pieces into the hot pan, stirring it along with garlic and diced carrots.

"It's already been a week," Melina countered, gingerly lifting the pot off the heat and pouring the milk into the dough tub. She then measured out the right amount of yeast and added it to the milk.

"Letters do not travel that quickly."

"One week should be enough for the letter to travel from here to the other side of Alemahria."

"Yes, but it also needs to travel back. Why are you so impatient?" Gilbert asked and threw an accusatory glance in her direction. She pointedly stirred the milk, watching the yeast mix with it.

"I just wanted to get it done and not worry about it anymore…"

In reality, I was hoping to snatch the letter and rewrite it with some extra information.

"You don't have to worry about it. I'll give the boy the letter and the matter will be settled. Perhaps, he'll even stop coming to the bakery every morning," Gilbert grumbled, tipping the contents of the pan into a large pot where vegetables were already cooking.

"I somehow doubt it'll be that simple," Melina mumbled as she poured flour into the milk.

"Things are never simple where nobles are involved. But you were the one who started it."

I do not regret that part. If I hadn't, I never would have found out that Alistair is remembering the time before rewind. Now I have a chance to stop it. He cannot remember what I've done… He cannot…

***

"Finally the puff pastry is done!" Melina cheered watching the neat square pastry she had made after folding it so many times that she had lost count.

"You could still fold it a few more times if you want it to be extra puffy," Gilbert noted, wiping his hands in a towel. Everything in the kitchen was already cleared down, and all the dough and pastries were moved to the storage for tomorrow morning. Melina looked at him in horror.

"I jest. It should be fine for the first time. I suspect you let the dough sit in the warmth for too long at a few points, but it should still qualify as puff pastry."

"That refrigerator wasn't cooling it down too well," Melina retorted and took the finished pastry back to the storage and placed it in the aforementioned metal box.

"If you want a new one, you'll have to work harder and earn more money, because currently we can't afford it."

"Then at least we have a goal to work towards," Melina noted. Although there were still plenty of things that she had to do and never could find the time for. But on the other hand, there was no need to rush. One thing at a time, she could slowly restore the bakery. Who knows—perhaps one day she could even turn into a cafeteria-type bakery like it was before.

"Indeed. Since everything is sorted out for tomorrow, let's go and write that letter," Gilbert said, hobbling towards the living room.

"Really?"

"Didn't you ask about it earlier?" he grumbled, as he went towards one of the shelves and pulled out some paper, an inkpen, and an envelope.

"I did. I just never expected you'd actually write it today."

"Admittedly, I also want to get it over and done with. You'll write it for me." Gilbert gave the paper and inkpen to Melina. She was a bit surprised, but certainly would not say no to such a golden opportunity.

"What should I write?" She sat down by the old dining table and laid the paper in front of her, ready to write down what Master Gilbert told her.

"Write this—I have no clue what this weird skill of yours is, but if you wish to get rid of it, then you can try to find an architect."

Melina stared at him incredulously. "Master, you can't send a letter like that! It doesn't explain anything, not to mention that it feels rude."

"Well, if you are so good with words, then why don't you write it? You already know what needs to be told," Gilbert grumbled and hobbled out of the living room.

"Would you like me to read it to you afterward?" She called after him.

"No," he said, but then stopped and looked at Melina suspiciously. "Do not do anything stupid."

"I'm merely going to convey the message in a more pleasant manner," she said innocently.

Maybe, I'll add a little bit of information to it.

"I'll check that letter once you're done. You're a bright girl with a sharp mind but it seems to get clouded whenever that boy is involved. Bring it to my room once you're done," Gilbert said and left.

Melina stared at the blank page for a while then sighed. She should have known it wouldn't be so easy. Perhaps, she had shown her emotions too readily—Gilbert was rather sharp when it came to such matters.

No worries. I'll figure something out. Perhaps I can write two very similar-looking letters, but one could contain the information necessary for Alistair to find the architect.

She picked up the inkpen and was about to start writing, however, she realized that she didn't quite know what to write. Alistair's letter was eloquent although he clearly tried to make it more grounded than a noble would normally write, no doubt to hide that he was a noble. So how should she reply to a letter like that?

First, I should get into the role of the replier. It is an old and experienced System user who has no idea as to who sent him the letter, only that it came from their friend Gilbert. How would they react to a letter like that? Would they be confused? Or annoyed? Probably mildly surprised.

Since this mysterious young System user knows Gilbert then most likely they can be trusted right? So I would try to remain polite. But at the same time, I'd be cautious and try not to reveal too much about myself.

Melina nodded to herself, the character of the writer now clearer in her mind. She put the inkpen to the paper and began writing. She thought through each sentence carefully, trying her best to put herself in the shoes of Gilbert's non-existent friend. She often went back and pondered her words, rewriting them and trying to make them as legitimate as possible.

After her scribbled-up first draft was ready, she took two new pages and wrote a clean version of the letter—the one she would present to Gilbert contained a polite greeting, the recipient's surprise about Alistair's unusual skill and its effect, and vague information about architects.

She wrote the second one much like the first one–same greeting, same surprise, but she intended to add information about the location of the architect. She knew there was one in the Grenardia region for this was where she had encountered one. However, her inkpen faltered.

If I tell Alistair where to find the architect and he actually finds it and removes [General's Echo], he'll never remember what happened before the time rewind.

All the memories they shared together came to her mind—all the enemies they faced together, all the difficulties they overcame, and all the good times they shared. If [General's Echo] was removed then he'd never remember it, and this thought stung her.

Get a grip! This is no time for me to hold onto my selfish desires. Of course, I'd like nothing more than for Alistair to remember who I am. After all, he was the only person who stuck with me until the very end.

But I owe him so much. He doesn't deserve to be roped into this mess again. Alistair has the right to live his best life this time around. So I am going to free him from the shackles of his past. I'll free him from the sins he committed.

Resolutely Melina finished the second letter and then went upstairs. She hid the second letter in her room while presenting the first one to Master Gilbert. Once he had approved of it, Melina went back to her room under the guise that she left the envelope there and placed the second letter inside of it, sealing it closed afterward.

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