Upstart Pastry Chef ~Territory Management of a Genius Pâtisserie~

Chapter 15: A New Weapon and A Vow with Tina

“Tina, today’s sandwich is great. You don’t use fish often.”

“Yes, when we went to the main village, I exchanged some beef meat with smoked fish.”

“The salty fish works really well with the sauce.”

Tina’s sandwich is made by spreading butter on the bread, adding my fine sliced cabbage and lean part of smoked fish, then smearing handmade sauce in it. The smoked fish is made by dipping in water to make it soft at the same time with drawing out moderate amount of salt on it. Its great flavor from the salting, and the salty-sweet sauce that Tina made from the leftover vegetable and the meat scraps stimulates the appetite.

“This sauce is more delicious than usual. Oh, you used honey, didn’t you?”

“When I ate the monjayaki that Kurt-sama made yesterday, I tried adding the sweetness to the sauce since it seemed like it would become more delicious. It’s a big hit.”

Salty-sweet sauce really fits the briny smoked fish.

“Will you make this again for me?”

“Absolutely, Kurt-sama!”

Tina smiles happily. Seeing that kind of Tina makes me feel that the meal is even more delicious. Our happy lunch time passes like this.

After the lunch, I gripped my spear. From now on, the spear will be reborn into a new weapon. The earth magic could intervene the ore. I’m going to change the shape of the iron.

“Answer me, earth spirit.”

The attribute magic uses the power that fills the nature. By borrowing the power of the earth spirit, I’m dealing with the spear. However...

“As I thought, I can’t do anything when the iron is like this, huh?”

It’s an earth attribute magic that I worked so hard to obtain, but as I thought, changing the shape of iron by the earth attribute magic that I memorized doesn’t seem possible for me. Processing metal is too soon for my current self. I need to provide the ability to temper with magic. This current power level honestly won’t do, as I expected.

“Kurt-sama, is it no good?”

“The iron is a little too solid. If I could make it softer, I probably could do something about it.”

“Softer... I could manage something, I think...”

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Tina’s face looks enlightened.

“Kurt-sama, can you let me handle your precious spear? Perhaps it’ll turn bad, but I think I have a method to make it softer.” Tina looks at me straight in the eyes while asking that.

This spear hasn’t been touched by anyone other than me up until now. But I don’t mind if it’s Tina. Moreover, even if she turns it into something unusable, she’s the only one that I would forgive.

“Either way, it’s no good in its current state. I’ll gamble on Tina.”

“Kurt-sama’s spear. I’ve received it.” Tina receives my spear with both hands, gripping tight.

What could she possibly be doing? As I see her, I could feel the sudden influx of mana. Holding the handle with both hands, she closes her eyes.

“Kurt-sama’s spear will be heated up by my flame.”

A flame blows up, then it gets sucked into the spear. The iron tip becomes red hot. The air around it is warped. Tina’s flame heats the iron until it’s on the brink of melting.

The attribute magic is a magic that borrows the spirit’s power that fills the atmosphere. Tina is greatly loved by the fire spirits. Her power is tremendous even though she doesn’t have any Ability.

If the iron almost melts, my earth magic should be able to do something about it.

“Thanks, Tina.”

Not having flame attribute, I can’t do anything firsthand to the red hot spear. That’s why I put my hand above Tina’s hand.

“If the spear is already heated and soften by the flame, I could change the shape with my power. Really, Tina, you always manage to surprise me. I love you.”

“Kurt-sama, that, please stop saying something like that. I get too happy that I can’t muster any strength.”

I can’t see her face, but from behind her, I can see her nape blushes red.

“We’re going to begin. Tina, continue the heat it up with this current strength of your flame.”

“Yes, Kurt-sama!”

Borrowing the power of the earth spirits, I’m working on the spear by using the earth magic. As I do so, the red hot spear starts to move in twists and turns. I try to imagine a brand new shape. The spear starts changing shape following that image.

Moreover, I don’t just change the shape. I forge it under pressure, take out the impurities, give it sharpness and tenacity. Tina melts it with great effort. This opportunity improves its basic performance. The spear is reborn. It’s reborn together with me.

Hey, pal... Lend your strength to me from now on as well. I hope that we can keep advancing together without any compromise.

“Tina, it’s good now. Please slowly cool the spear down.”

The flame attribute magic is controlling quantity of heat. It doesn’t only increase the temperature, it can also cool things down.

“Yes, Kurt-sama!”

Cooling the iron rapidly will put damage to it, so I ask her to be really careful. With cold sweat, Tina little by little takes away the heat.

Then, finally it’s completed. My new pal.

“Thank you, Tina. We made it. My new spear.”

“That is Kurt-sama’s new spear.... Is it all right to use spear, though?”

“Yes, I’m sure it’s all right. This is as much a spear as it it a sword. A weapon with two facets.”

Let’s try its practicality. I get in the ready pose with the new weapon, then I wield it. The spear is speeding up. This world’s irrational power, [Sword Ability]’s power is working to perfection.

I’m glad. It is recognized as spear and sword.

“Awesome, it’s the first time I see such a sharp blow. More than Kurt-sama ever been, more than Jorg-sama. ...And even faster than Kurt-sama’s father than I’ve seen once.”

“I think so too.”

The power of wielding a spear doesn’t display both the Ability’s Skill and my own martial skill as additions, but as multiplications. If I don’t have the Ability, there’s nothing I can do about it, but it’s not like the martial skill doesn’t have any meaning either. From the start, the sharper technique used, the blow strengthened by the Ability would get strength and speed improvement. The Sword Ability III’s acceleration on top of my ten years worth of training, they become like this.

“But, Kurt-sama said that Kurt-sama couldn’t win in spear.”

“That’s why I made it this way. Even though it’s spear, it’s not.”

I show my newly reshaped spear in front of Tina.

“The blade is curved at the tip... This is a spear, yet it’s a slashing weapon, isn’t it?”

“True, this is naginata. Its other name is glaive.”

The altered spear doesn’t become sword. It’s naginata.

It’s different than spear as its tip is a blade just like Japanese sword. In other words, the reach is long, it can pierce like a spear, and it can cut like a sword. Perhaps, it’s the most excellent weapon in a pool of similar weapons.

“It looks just like a spear, but it’s actually a sword, isn’t it?”

“To be accurate, it is both sword and spear. That’s why, I could utilize both the spear ability piling up until now and my newly awakened sword talent. It’s that kind of weapon.”

The shape has changed. My spear. But it still fits in my hands just like always. With this guy, there’s no need to start tempering a new sword ability from zero. It’s great how I could just add slashing movement to the spear routine I’ve been doing.

“With this, it’ll definitely be your win!”

“That’s true, I’ll definitely win.”

I have confidence in winning. With the irrational power that comes from Sword Ability, with the intense training for the whole ten years, and wielding the weapon that could utilize them both, there’s no way I could lose.

“Ah, that’s right, Tina. Thanks. Tina is really the best.”

I hold and grasp Tina’s hand.

“Ku-kurt-sama.” Tina’s face become deep red as she becomes a little panicky.

“This naginata couldn’t be made without Tina. Thank you so much. Tina has helped me again, you are really my Goddess of Fortune.”

Whenever I was lost in my way, whenever I met a wall that I couldn’t surpass by myself, Tina never failed to help me. The fact that I could come this far almost makes me believe in occult stuffs. I’ve really come to see Tina as my Goddess of Fortune, my fated person.

“Th-that’s too much, Kurt-sama. I just wish to become useful to Kurt-sama. Because Kurt-sama awakened my mana, I could use the flame. Even so, if this power can become useful for Kurt-sama, I will always, always use it for Kurt-sama’s sake.”

While looking flustered, Tina still answered strongly.

Always, huh? It sounds wonderful.

Right now, it’s my first made naginata, but next, I could make whisks, cake knife, and other necessary utensils to make various pastries.

“I’m happy that you said that. Tina. I also hope that I can always be with Tina.”

Tina becomes bashful, grasping back the hand I grasp her with. I didn’t say that because I only wanted to use her Flame Attribute Magic. I sincerely love this girl called Tina.

“I want to show you my gratitude, what do you want?”

Tina makes a thinking gesture. Then, she opens her mouth nervously, “Then, I wish for Kurt-sama’s pastry... A special pastry that’s only for me. A pastry that only Kurt-sama and I will know.”

I laugh bitterly. What a difficult wish.

A pastry for Tina’s sake only can’t be something superficial. It shows an image in my head, a pastry made of Tina’s image. A pastry that is silver-colored, warm, covered with layers of veils, and with a precious gem-like center. It’d better be that kind of pastry.

“I understand. I’ll make a pastry that’s only for Tina. With my whole power... no, even more than that. However, I want more time allowance. If I make a pastry that’s worthy of Tina, I need more time. The base that will show Tina’s image in a glance, I want to refine that pastry until I’m satisfied.”

Tina flashes a smile, akin to flower blossoming.

“Yes, I’ll wait. Let alone ten years, I’ll even wait for twenty years!”

“No, I won’t let you wait that long, though. Right here and now, I promise you that I will make the best pastry in the world for Tina’s sake only.”

That is not something that I’ll do just because I have the recipe from Earth. No matter how long time passes, I will gift the greatest pastry, my unique recipe, just for Tina. I take out my pinky finger.

“Kurt-sama, you absolutely have to do it, you know?”

“Of course, I absolutely will do it.”

Looking deeply moved, Tina nods and entwines her pinky finger with mine. This is the seal to a vow in this world. We both laugh together and unwrap our fingers.