by SOW
“Where are Lud and the others?”
“Hm? They’re probably still baking. Lud said he didn’t need us anymore and we could go have fun.”
Jacob answered Marlene with his mouth still full.
Lud had even given the two some change as a “special bonus” for all their help at the shop.
“Milly hasn’t done anything but eat at all the food stalls!”
“Wh-Who cares!!”
Milly was a big eater, and her eyes were wide as she gazed at the colorful sweets on display.
“She also bought a bird-shaped hair ornament, so I guess she’s interested in girly stuff now.”
“How did you know that?!”
Milly had stopped at an accessory booth between all the eating, and splurged on some small items to dress herself up.
“Oh my... It looks like you’re enjoying yourself!”
Marlene looked happily at the children chattering away.
“By the way, how is Lud’s bread? Do people like it?”
Lud had worried over his bread right up until today. If the townsfolk didn’t enjoy his bread, he would be desolate.
“Well...”
Marlene’s face darkened.
“Yes?”
Milly, still gorging on meatballs, stopped eating and her face grew worried.
“Ha ha! Don’t worry! They love his bread!”
The bread was baked at Tockerbrot and then carried to the festival. Apple tarts, malasada doughnuts, cinnamon-roll pies, and cacao canela... Everything was a major success.
And Lud’s creations weren’t just popular among the women and children who didn’t drink. Even the men, young and old, who didn’t usually eat sweets, were now reaching out for more, and praising Lud’s bread.
“Especially the Maple Autumns! Those are a big hit!”
As far as Marlene could see, they were so popular that they disappeared as soon as they were displayed.
The Maple Autumns were made with fall fruits, such as apples and pears, lathered in syrup, wrapped in a thin dough, and rolled into a U-shape for baking. When biting into the crunchy treat, thick sweet sauce would spill out, eliciting indescribable bliss. They were a delicacy, each one providing a satisfying taste of autumn.
“That’s because we helped him all night!”
“He worked us to the bone!”
Jacob and Milly puffed out their chests.
“I get it, I get it... You guys worked really hard!”
Marlene praised their efforts with a wry grin.
“I’m happy for Lud. He’ll be pleased.”
Jacob, who knew how Lud had worked toward this moment, was relieved from the bottom of his heart.
“Of course! His baking is amazing! No one can say his bread doesn’t taste delicious!”
Milly was also pleased to see Lud’s effort pay off.
“Oh, my...”
Marlene gazed at the two with delight. They had their own problems, but their affection for Lud was pure.
He was large and imposing, but they were deeply happy that this soft-hearted, hard-working man was finally finding acceptance among the people in town. Marlene knew that if Lud could hear these two now, he would weep with joy.
“But it’s not just the taste. Lud also has a good eye.”
“Oh? What do you mean?”
Milly looked puzzled at Marlene’s words.
“It’s also—”
Marlene started to explain, but then the clock chimes interrupted her.
“Oh, no! It’s already time! I need to go to Hilde!”
As a member of the festival committee, Marlene had a variety of jobs. She had to assign booths, deliver the dishes, arrange the entertainment, and manage the stage performances.
“Hilde... Do you mean about her singing?!”
“Yes! So see you later!”
Marlene answered Jacob quickly and rushed off.
“She’s so busy!”
The boy stared after Marlene.
“That’s braten! I haven’t seen such a big hunk of meat in ages!”
Meanwhile, Milly’s appetite was as strong as ever. Her eyes were twinkling at the roasted horse meat that was just delivered.
A stage had been erected in the town’s central plaza. This was the center of the festival, and today many events were taking place.
Traveling entertainers performed, and plays by a theatrical troupe were providing plentiful amusement for this rural town that generally had little entertainment. Everyone was drinking and eating happily and their excitement was building.
Hilde was in a waiting room behind the stage, concealed by a curtain.
“I must carry out my role, right?”
The advice Sven gave her that morning echoed inside her.
Carrying out her own role... Defending her post at all cost... Carving out a space where she would belong... These were things she had always wanted. She had never found her place in society as a noble of the Hessens, or even among her own family.
She had wanted to succeed in war, but the fighting had ended before she could. And she was loyal to the Schutzstaffel only from a desire to get back at the people who had despised her.
Her hatred for Lud Langart was, in the end, jealousy of someone who started with what Hilde wanted for herself, and then found something of even greater value.
“I want to be accepted... Not by others, but by myself. I want to prove myself to myself!”
In the mirror, she saw a girl with blue eyes and blonde hair. It was the girl she had once wished to be. If she had been born looking like this, her father might have loved her and her mother wouldn’t have cried. She would have attained the patronage of a noble that day at the ball.
“But this isn’t me.”
Glancing aside, she noticed a jug.
She swallowed. She could never win against Lud Langart looking like this. Without accepting who she was, bearing it, and living with it, she could never win.
“I’m not a black dog. I am Hildegard von Hessen!”
She steeled her resolve and took off her stage dress.
“I’m coming in... Huh? Hey, what’re you doing?!”
Marlene came in.
She raised her voice in surprise as she saw Hilde removing her dress when she was about to perform on stage.
“Uh... um...! I know that in olden times a shrine girl would appear naked as she offered up a dance and prayer! But, the girl was also physically attractive, so it pleased the people, too!”
“You don’t understand... Wait, did you just slip in an insult?!”
Hilde was fifteen. Her body wasn’t as childish as Milly’s, but it was still developing.
“It’s not what you think. I just don’t want the dress to get wet.”
“Wet?”
Marlene cocked her head in confusion.
Hilde swiftly raised the jug and poured the water over her own head.
“What?!”
In that instant, Marlene received two surprises. One was that Hilde had unexpectedly dumped water on herself, and the other was that her blonde hair was quickly turning black.
“This hair dye... It’s easy to add the color and even easier to wash it out.”
The hair dye, created to disguise intelligence operatives, was still under development at the Royal Weapons Development Bureau in Wiltia. It wasn’t water resistant, so one cup of water could easily flush the color out.
Running her fingers through her hair had removed all the blonde dye.
“Is that all right?”
Marlene questioned Hilde, who was not only revealing her true hair color, but also removing the blue contact lenses.
“I don’t mind. I must live with this hair and my real eye color. If people want to laugh, they can!”
Determination shone in her eyes. Like a knight before battle, she glowed with pride.
“That’s good!”
Marlene felt very proud of this brave girl.
“The Polpora must be a superstition, be
cause they would never pass over such lovely black hair!”
Hilde smiled widely as Marlene said this with a laugh.
“Master, please hurry!”
“I know... I am, Sven!”
Sven and Lud ran through town, which was crowded because of the Thanksgiving festivities. They were eager to make it in time to hear Hilde sing. Lud had been baking since early morning, while Sven made deliveries, but they stopped work to watch Hilde’s performance.
“I didn’t know you were looking forward to this so much, Sven!”
“Ngah?!”
Sven was running ahead of Lud, but when she heard what he said, she stumbled.
“I’m not! But she’s a staff member now! If she causes any trouble, it’ll be our responsibility! So...”
Although she had made a plausible excuse, it was obvious that Sven was concerned about Hilde.
“I see, uh-huh...”
Lud appeared to find this funny, because his mouth curled, but he didn’t press any further.
Sven deeply loved Lud and was dedicated to him with her heart, mind, and strength. However, she was often surprisingly cold toward everyone else. She was gentle to Jacob, but that was only because he was Lud’s friend.
If someone crossed Lud, she would show no mercy, even to women and children. To be precise, she couldn’t. Lud appreciated the purity of Sven’s affection, but he also feared the danger her devotion sometimes posed, and the combination was immensely pleasing.
After running down the main street, they arrived at the town plaza. Hilde stepped onto the stage right on time.
“Oh!”
Sven raised her voice in surprise.
Hilde appeared without her disguise—with her own black hair.
“She...”
Hilde was publicly revealing the dark hair and eyes that had once caused her to be laughed at as a “child of Polpora” and a “black dog.” It was an act that a Schutzstaffel soldier, obsessed with her pride as an elite, would never commit, even under threat of death.
“Huh? Isn’t that the girl who works at the bakery?”
“Oh, it’s the one who’s always frowning and surly!”
“She must have dyed her hair!”
A buzz arose among the people gathered in the plaza.
“.....................”
Hilde, standing in front of the microphone, seemed nervous and her shoulders shook.
“Ahh...”
She tried to sing, but she was too nervous. Her body tensed and her throat constricted.
Marlene had assured them that Hilde’s singing was absolutely the real thing. However, being a good singer and being able to sing in public require different skills and degrees of courage.
“What is that dimwit doing?!”
Sven’s voice was raised. Her face looked as dismayed and irritated as if she herself was on that stage, and she seemed ready to jump up, kidnap Hilde, and make a getaway.
“Just keep watching...”
Lud rested his hand on Sven’s shoulder.
“Hey, what’s with her? When is she gonna sing?”
Mocking laughter began to rise from the crowd.
“Hey, kid! If you’re not gonna sing, let someone else take over!”
“Maybe I can sing for you?!”
Drunken men called out mockingly, and the people around them began to laugh along.
“Ungh...”
Hilde made a pained sound.
“Master, maybe I should shut them up!”
“No, don’t!!”
Lud quickly stopped Sven, who was rolling up her sleeves and about to confront some drunkards.
Just then, another voice rang out.
“Pipe down! You’re makin’ it harder for her to start singing!!”
The yell resounded throughout the plaza. The crowd spun around to see miners arriving. The person who was yelling was Laurel, their leader.
“Don’t you got the manners to listen to someone sing?!”
He was crossing his thick arms and glaring at them. And it wasn’t just Laurel. All the big, strong miners looked at the hecklers threateningly.
“Y-Yikes!”
The drunkards looked terrified and quickly went silent.
“Hey, girl! We came to hear you sing! So give us a good song!”
“You’ve got black hair today! Looks good!”
“We’re cheerin’ for you! So give it a go!”
One by one, the miners cheered for Hilde.
“The miners... But why?”
Sven was confused.
Hilde had met them once when she visited the mine, but she had refused to speak with them and had run off.
“Underneath it all, they’re good folk!”
Lud answered Sven, but knew that wasn’t the only reason they were here.
Most of the miners weren’t originally from Organbaelz. Some came from far away. Each of them had a past, but once they became a group, they formed strong bonds.
“But they were mean to you...”
“Well, that was...”
That was understandable. It wasn’t as true in Organbaelz, but many towns in Pelfe still bore the marks of war. If a former Wiltian soldier opened a bakery in such a town, the people would assume it was for amusement or just in poor taste. They might have been frustrated at what they believed was the haughty attitude of a rich Wiltian baking fine bread for the poor people of Pelfe.
“The miners aren’t hard to win over. They’ll offer a proper welcome to anyone who tries hard.”
They had recognized Lud’s desire to have people eat his bread, and when they saw the effort he put into it, they accepted him more heartily than others in town.
Now Hilde was trying to add some sophisticated entertainment to the festival that the people in Organbaelz had eagerly anticipated for a year. The miners accepted, appreciated, and applauded her.
“...............!”
Hilde looked surprised and confused, but then her face tensed with determination, and she bowed deeply.
However, being a good singer and being able to sing in public were still very different skills. Singing is a matter of technique, but singing in public requires confidence, and the desire for someone to listen.
The last piece fell into place for Hilde.
“Ahhh...”
Hilde sang out a long note, resounding and clear.
And that was enough. The raucous crowd now widened their eyes in surprise and quietly paid attention. Her voice was one they didn’t want to miss.
Long, long ago, when the world was still empty, God spoke unto the only two human beings.
“This world is yours, so you may do with it as you will.”
The two were a boy and a girl.
“But what can we do in an empty world?”
And God answered the girl’s question.
“How can you say that it is empty? Everything is there before you.”
Then there was sky in the world.
And then the sea.
And then the earth.
“Do as you will with all you see, for it is yours.”
If they cultivated the ground, they would reap fruit.
If they sailed the sea, they would know blessings.
At times, lightning fell from the sky.
Yet merciful rain moistened the earth and the sun brought warmth.
“This world is yours, so you may do with it as you will.”
Thus spake God as he passed beyond the Door.
When next the Door opened, God would fulfill the promise.
He left all in their hands.
He commanded them to live, multiply, and fill the earth.
And to enjoy the pleasures of life until they forgot about Him.
It was called the Song of Joy, and it had been passed down since the old days before the establishment of Wiltia or Pelfe. It was a supplication for blessings from God and a hymn of life. The song told of how God loves and watches over everyone who suffers hardship.
; “Phew!”
Hilde heaved a sigh after she finished singing.
A hush had descended over the audience. It was so quiet that the calls of distant birds could be heard. Silence, because everyone in front of her was quiet.
CLAP...
Someone clapped softly.
CLAP CLAP...
Joining in, one audience member after another began clapping. It was as if a tiny hole in a large dam had widened so that the whole structure collapsed. The chain reaction spread, and then...
“Hurraaaaahhh!!!”
The audience let loose a deafening cheer. The ovation was earsplitting. People whistled, waved their arms, and jumped to their feet. Every person, in their own way, bathed her in adulation.
“Th... thank you!”
Pleased from the bottom of her heart, Hilde bowed deeply. She thanked them for listening, and for being pleased by her singing, and for complimenting her, and for everything.
By choosing this for herself, she had succeeded without anyone forcing her. Her smile was happier than ever before, with the great satisfaction of achievement.
“What the...?”
Before Sven knew it, tears were gushing from her eyes.
“What... in the world?!”
This had never happened before. The tears of a humanoid Hunter Unit like her only functioned to moisten the eyeballs.
But Sven was growing a human heart, and she was now capable of crying from sadness and pleasure.
“I’m not sad, so why am I...”
The rezanium reactor inside her chest that served as her heart, brain, and core was pulsing irregularly.
“Is this how you feel when something is emotionally moving?”
It was the first time she ever felt this. Yet Sven was adrift in an odd sensation of nostalgia.
From the shadows of a back street near the plaza, Heidrig watched Hilde on stage. The audience’s applause hadn’t stopped. People were now calling for an encore.
Hilde responded with a pleased smile.
The gathering now included entertainers accustomed to being on stage themselves, and food stall owners who had left their businesses behind.
