It was Thursday afternoon, and Melina finally didn't have to go to the blacksmith after work. Somehow, she had managed to scrub off all those blasted tools from the soot. It was like the blacksmith had been avoiding cleaning them for years on purpose. Perhaps, he was planning to torture his would-be apprentice with it, but sadly, Melina got there first.

But the tools were clean, so Melina was free from the blacksmith until Sunday. With today's pastries sold and the majority of the dough for the next day prepared, Melina finally could return to her experiments.

"Master, how do I make waffles filled with caramel?" She asked before the old man could retreat for the day.

"Caramel waffles, you mean. That might be a bit tricky. You'd need a different type of waffle dough, and the caramel will need a more syrupy consistency so it doesn't drip out."

"Could you teach me, please?" Melina begged.

"I'm surprised you still have energy to spare despite all the work you've done today."

"Compared to working in the smithy, this is easy…" she said with a shudder.

"What is Etan exactly forcing you to do?"

"Cleaning… Lots and lots of cleaning."

"I did warn you. But fine, I'll teach you to make those waffles. Get some flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt, and yeast," he instructed.

Melina rushed to the storage and retrieved the needed ingredients. She was filled with excitement, wondering exactly how these waffles would be made. First, she'd learn how to make the regular kind with Gilbert's recipe. After that, she'll adjust to create the healing version with maximum potential.

The dough was easy enough to make. Melt some butter, warm a bit of milk, and add an egg to the dry mixture. After that, it was just a matter of combining it, which was easy using <Rhythmic Kneading>.

"This dough feels very solid. I was expecting something more like pancake dough," Melina said, covering the kneaded dough with a towel and leaving it to rise near the warm oven.

"Regular waffle dough is more similar to pancake dough, but I believe these will be more suited for your healing waffles. Especially if you want them to keep fresh for longer."

"How long will the waffles made from this dough last?"

"Approximately two weeks."

Two weeks is a long time for food, especially if I don't have to store it in our chill box. This is good news.

"The dough needs to rise for about an hour. In the meantime, let's make the filling. First, melt some butter in a saucepan."

"How much?"

"About six tablespoons."

After that, she had to stir in some brown sugar, honey, and cinnamon. She wondered which part should be replaced with her ooze caramel or if she should just add the crystallized ooze to the mixture. But she'd figure that out later.

She simmered the mixture for about six minutes per Gilbert's instructions and was left with a smooth and thick caramel.

"This caramel will harden once it cools, so you either have to keep it warm and reheat it before you apply it. As for the waffles, make the dough balls no bigger than this," he explained, forming a small circle with his index finger and thumb. "I think you can handle the rest by yourself. If you need me, I'll be with Knight."

Melina decided to use the time while the dough was still rising and try to make the caramel by incorporating the melon ooze. The first time, she tried replacing the sugar with the ooze, but the result was far too medicinal in flavor for it to be enjoyable. The second time, she replaced honey with the ooze, but then the whole thing began to burn.

Finally, she removed a bit of brown sugar and a bit of honey and replaced them with crystallized ooze. The result was much better—it was both tasty and retained a good deal of the healing properties. A few more adjustments and she'd have the right ratio nailed.

But the waffle dough had risen, so Melina turned her attention to it.

"Sienna, get the stove going," Melina said, removing three rings from the stove so she could comfortably fit the waffle iron over the open flame without the need to hold it all the time.

Wyrm obeyed, shooting a hot fireball into the belly of the stove, heating the cooled bricks instantly. Melina tossed in a few logs, and Sienna carefully lit them on fire so the stove would retain an even heat. With the fire going, she carefully set the waffle iron over the opening, checking if it would hold securely.

It held. There was only one thing left to do. She applied a light layer of butter to the pan and then put two small dough balls inside. Melina was grateful that Etan had made a larger pan that could cook two waffles at once. It would make the cooking process faster.

After a few minutes, the kitchen was filled with the wonderful smell of waffles. She flipped the pan over and then waited a few more minutes for the other side to cook.

"Sienna, I've done it!" Melina cheered once the waffles were ready. Perfectly golden brown disks of goodness. It was hard to resist just taking a bite out of one of them, but she managed to hold back.

Instead, she took the original caramel filling she had made and spread it on one of the waffles, then pressed the second one on top before it could cool.

[You've made <Caramel Waffle — Rank C>. You've gained + 15 exp.]

It appears a bit thicker than I would have expected. Still, it's not so bad. It doesn't take up too much space.

Melina cut the waffle in half and took a bite out of it. It was crunchy, it was sweet, and most definitely delicious. She loved it. But something wasn't right. She could barely taste the caramel.

"I'll go check with Master Gilbert," Melina noted, and went outside with Sienna following closely after her.

As Gilbert had said, he was outside, brushing out Knight's fur. The nightmare looked very satisfied by the attention, his eyes closed in bliss.

"Master, would you mind tasting it?" She asked, presenting it to Gilbert.

He instantly scrunched up his nose. "You put the filling in between two different waffles?"

"Yes?"

"It's too thick now, so you barely taste any caramel. You should cut each waffle in half while it is still warm and then smear the caramel in between the cut halves."

If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

"Oh, my bad…" Melina muttered.

"Don't worry about it. I forgot to tell you," Gilbert explained. Oddly enough, Knight turned his head towards Melina, sniffing curiously at the waffle.

"You want it?" She asked about the nightmare and extended the treat to him. He gave it an inquisitive snort, then gobbled it up. "Who knew that nightmares enjoyed sweets?"

"How do you think I tamed him?"

"Wait… you used sweets to tame him just like I did with Sienna?" Melina asked in surprise. She had thought that the man had overpowered the nightmare by brute force or holy magic. He had been a Holy Knight after all.

"The best way to a monster's or person's heart is through their stomach," Gilbert said sagely.

"I'll keep that in mind," Melina chuckled, and returned to the kitchen.

Armed with Gilbert's instructions, she returned to waffle making. This time she cut the freshly cooked waffle in half with a knife. It was a finicky process, and she had no clue how normal people could do it without the proper fire resistance that she had.

But for her, the heat wasn't an issue, and soon she had two perfect caramel waffles. She ate one of them herself and allowed Sienna to eat the other, after which she made a few more to enjoy as a snack later. The remaining dough she used to create her first batch of healing waffles.

Her hands shook with anticipation as she smeared the healing caramel between the waffle halves, wondering whether she'd achieve the desired result.

[You've made <Healing Caramel Waffles – Rank C. You've gained + 15 exp.]

[Congratulations! You've reached Level 15. You may now choose a new skill.]

Oh! I had completely forgotten that I was near Level 15. Let's see those skills.

[Ingredient Cleanse: Allows you to cleanse magical ingredients of their negative effects, such as poison, paralysis, etc. The effectiveness and degree of cleansing depend on the skill's rank.]

With this skill, I can remove the toxic effect from sapmelons and potentially increase the potency of the healing effect. But I'd have to rank it up several times for it to be useful on something as toxic as sapmelons. I'll take this skill if there is nothing better.

[Preservation Glaze: Coats pastries in thin mana-based glaze that extends shelf-life and retains the fresh flavor for longer.]

This would be perfect for my tarts and perhaps even cream puffs. I always have to warn customers to eat them the same day or they'll spoil. Depending on the skill's effectiveness, they could stay good for longer. I'm quite tempted to just take this skill right away.

[Taste Appraisal: Analyze any dish to determine ingredients, skills, and even techniques used to create the dish.]

Master Gilbert has this skill, doesn't he? It sounds useful, but I'm currently more focused on creating my recipes rather than copying others.

In the end, Melina chose <Preservation Glaze>. It would make it far easier to keep her tarts fresh. Perhaps, at higher ranks, she could even make them a day before, instead of always rushing to make them in the morning. It would certainly make things easier for her customers.

[Name: Melina Dufour]

[Level: 15]

[Class: Arcane Baker]

[Familiar: Sienna — Ember Wyrm Level 48]

[Intelligence: 18]

[Agility: 10]

[Strength: 9]

[Skill: 21]

[Charm: 10]

[Active Skills: 9]

[<Refined Edge – Rank D>, <Rhythmic Kneading – Rank C>, <Mask of Deceit – Rank C>, <Gilded Tongue – Rank E>, <Haste Bake – Rank D>, <Arcane Infusion – Rank E>, <Familiar Sense – Rank F>, <Ingredient Appraisal – Rank E>, <Preservation Glaze – Rank F>]

[Passive Skills: 3]

[<Archmage's Shadow>, <Chef's Intuition – Rank C>, <Food Manufacturing – Rank D>]

Satisfied with the results, Melina decided to tell Gilbert about it as well as have him analyze the effectiveness of the healing waffle.

"It's about as effective as the cream puffs," Gilbert concluded.

Hmm… It's not a bad result, but I was hoping to provide adventurers with something more potent. Should I add more caramel in the middle? No, the sweet flavour would be too strong. But perhaps I could do something with the dough?

Idea in mind, she headed back to the kitchen, ignoring the approaching late hour, and began to make another batch of waffle dough. This time during the kneading process, she channelled some mana into it with the strong intention of healing.

Melina took a deep breath as she stood in front of the Adventurers Guild, a packet filled with healing caramel waffles in tow. It still felt odd to just openly admit to people that she could make unusual pastries. But so far, there have been no incidents.

The townsfolk were good at being secretive, and nobody openly asked for "healing cream puffs". They were just as intent on hiding her abilities as she was, which was a great relief.

Of course, Melina wasn't deluding herself. She knew that sooner or later, this decision would come back to bite her, and hard. The only thing she could do was prepare for that moment.

Nervously, she entered the Guild, where she was greeted with smiles.

"Good day, Miss Melina!"

"How are you doing, Miss Melina?"

"Miss Melina, please come in."

It was a pleasant feeling; she wouldn't deny that.

"I've come to meet with the Guildmaster," Melina said to the receptionist. The boy flushed at her arrival.

"G-Good day, Miss Melina! The Guildmaster is currently in her office, but she's in a rather bad mood today. P-Perhaps you can come back some other time. If it's not urgent, of course," he muttered nervously.

"I could. But I'm sure she'll be happy to hear about the news I bring," Melina said, pointing towards the packet in her hands. The receptionist took a deep breath, smelling the sweet aroma of waffles.

"I'd certainly be happy to try some of your news. I-I won't stop you if you really want to meet her. Just be careful," he noted.

Melina nodded and headed towards the Guildmaster's office. It wasn't ideal that she was in a bad mood, but surely she'd be happy to hear about her progress on healing waffles. Knocking on the door of her office, she heard a low growl in reply.

"Who is it?" The Guildmaster snarled.

"It's Melina, Guildmaster."

There was a brief pause before the woman replied. "Come in."

Oddly enough, the Guildmaster didn't look mad. Just very tired. "I hope you don't intend to call for another expedition to the Monster Realm, because currently—"

"No, it's not that. I've brought something," Melina said and set the packet on Arianne's table.

She took the packet and opened it, quizzically looking at the waffles. "Waffles?"

"Not just any waffles. Have you heard of my Sunglow Cream Puffs?"

"Of course. I was disappointed that you didn't bring them to me right away, but I was told they only stay fresh for a day."

"That's correct. These, however, will last for two weeks and have the same, no, actually, a better effect."

"Hmm…" Arianne regarded the waffle curiously, then pulled a small pocket knife and made a small incision in her finger. She watched it carefully as she ate the healing waffle. In less than a minute, the cut was gone. "Amazing! You really did it."

"I promised that I would."

"You have no idea how pleasant it is to have people I can actually rely on. We'll make a contract for these waffles. You make us a batch of let's say 30 each week and pay you a gold coin in return."

"That's too much, you're the ones who procured the sapmelons necessary for this recipe."

"It's cheaper than healing potions, so don't worry about it. I'm interested in seeing your business grow. I imagine you won't just stop at "Sunglow" waffles, will you?" Arianne prompted.

"No. I will not," she confirmed.

"Excellent! You may go now. I'll send somebody over to the bakery with the contract. Have Gilbert look it over, so he can't complain that I've cheated his apprentice."

"Thank you! I will."

Melina left the office with a wide smile on her lips. She actually managed to secure a contract for a whole gold coin. That would be a huge help for them. Perhaps, they could even afford some magitech. Or at least a new paint job.

Satisfied, she hurried downstairs, eager to return to the bakery. But just as she opened the Guild's door, she ran straight into somebody and nearly fell to the ground.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't notice—"

She stopped mid-sentence as she saw none other than Alistair. He had grabbed her by the hand, stopping her from falling.

"Melina!" He smiled at the sight of her. "I was hoping to find you."

A mixture of emotions welled within her. He looked no different from before, but had he managed to find the Architect? Was <General's Echo> gone now?

Then she noticed that Alistair was not alone. Behind him stood an elf with silver eyes and silver hair.

She looked at the elf in horror as her eyes met his. They were filled with surprise and recognition.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.