Upstart Pastry Chef ~Territory Management of a Genius Pâtisserie~

Chapter 27: Quite An Escape Route

Because of the words flying out of my mouth, they cry in anguish and roar in anger. I am pierced with so many dangerous stares. It seems like I’ll be beaten up anytime.

In summary, it goes according to my assumption.

“Silence!”

Colt shouts out. He came to my side as soon as the commotion began. Chloe is here too.

Just with that, the crowd is hushed.

“But, chief, this guy tricked all of us!”

“Hear, hear! We can’t forgive this kind of thing!”

“We ate them because he said it was a delicious pastry.”

“To begin with, did you know about that?”

The commotion is heating up again in an instant. However, Colt doesn’t flinch.

“Yeah, I knew of it. Not only that, I also helped him out. Among us, there are those who have been infected by the disease, even if it’s light. How are you feeling right now?”

The villagers look into each other’s face. The villagers who have already been infected but not bedridden yet are in this place too. Among them, there’s a girl with fox ears who speaks up.

“My body became lighter. All the things that I suffered feels like a lie now.”

“Me too. It was hard for me to even stand up before.”

“Me too, me too.”

One by one, those who have their bodies cured speak up.

“You should understand now. Kurt’s power is real. That’s why I asked for his help. Come here, Aloe.”

Upon Colt’s request, a beautiful elf appears. She’s Chloe’s mother, the first elf that I healed in this village.

“Long time no see. I think all of you here already knew that I was bedridden and suffering heavily from this illness. However, just as you can see, I’m very lively. ……It’s because I received Kurt-san’s treatment one step ahead of you.”

Those words transmitted a huge stir in the area.

There’s no persuasiveness in telling them that I can heal the illness with just words. It’s better to show them the perfect example in this way. I want to show them, not only those mildly sick in this place, but also the patient who was on the verge of death, Aloe.

“That’s not all. I shivered when I heard the details of the disease. This disease is way more dangerous that we could possibly imagine.”

Aloe looked in my direction. She must have signaled me to start the explanation. So I explained the disease here.

1. It cannot be healed on its own
2. I’m the only one who can produce the medicine
3. The incubation period is long, even if it doesn’t look that way, there’s a high chance that everyone has already been infected
4. It spreads through coughs
5. Even if a single sick person remains, the disease will continue to spread

The area is enveloped by despair. It seems that all of them believed in what I just told them.

After waiting for the villagers’ understanding, Colt speaks up.

“That is precisely why I made everyone eat Kurt’s pastry, albeit forcibly. …….Also, from now on, we’ll let the bedridden patients eat them as well. The village is on the brink of destruction. The tradition is precious. However, this is not the time nor place to talk about it. If there’s a single sick person left, the village will perish.”

Everyone could feel the dread emanating from the words of the village’s destruction. They probably thought that the disease would disappear someday on its own. They all came to think so.

Without anyone realizing it, Chloe has stepped forward on the platform. She stands beside her mother, Aloe.

“Hey, everyone. Is it that important to refuse a human’s help? Is the village’s customs more precious than lives? I, for one, don’t think that way. My mother’s life is precious. Everyone’s life is precious. …….I violated the custom and borrowed Kurt’s help. That’s why, I will leave the village and live in Kurt’s village. I’ll be happier that way.”

Chloe calls out with tears running down her face.

“Hey, please wake up. I’ll say it one more time. If there’s a single person left with this disease, this village will perish. Even those who want to live through a human’s help will also die. Even those who are still healthy will die. Even though Kurt has cured us, even though he has helped not only me, but everyone in the village…… Hey, please truly think about it.”

Chloe’s eyes and the villagers’ reflect back and forth. Little by little, the opinion is tipped over to borrow my help. The biggest reason is that it involves others. Their stubbornness will kill their fellows. That truth must have been too heavy.

Let’s give the last push.

“I’m not a resident of this village, so I can’t understand the heaviness of the rules. However, I understand the heaviness of a life. Are you really putting everyone’s life on the same scale with the pride of the spirit village? That pride, is it more precious than your spouses, your children, your brothers, your lovers, and your friends?”

There’s no way it can be.

Everyone has someone precious. Just like how I think Tina is more precious to me than anything.

“If even that cannot give you determination, how about thinking of it in another way? This talk becomes difficult because it’s about receiving medical treatment. So let’s say everyone is suddenly healed after eating a delicious pastry. Because the pastry is delicious, you want to give it to the sick patients who cannot come to this village. Think about it that way?”

Huuh? Everyone’s eyes which seem to cry with that kind of voice are all gathering at me.

“The pastry is delicious, right?”

No one shakes their head to deny that question.

“In that case, don’t you think that you want the sick people to eat it too, now? That’s a gentle pastry that even the sick can eat.”

Both the kudzu and the peach are easy to digest. It will be delicious and easily consumed by even the sick.

The villagers face each other in unison. To begin with, they have already received the medical treatment. If this large number of villagers are considered to violate the rules, the village will be uninhabited. Then, with that fair reasoning, they prepared to take the escape route.

“Will you allow me to go and serve the delicious pastry to those who are sick?”

All that’s left, is,

“””We’ll be under your care!””

Simply this.

☘

Afterwards, I took a little nap to regenerate my mana, then I made my rounds to visit each and every patient in their houses. In that way, when I handed over the Light Snow Silk Crepes, I could do the [Recovery] operation over and over again.

When the sun went down, I already visited all of the houses, finally.

I’m deathly tired. I feel like I’ve casted a lifetime’s worth of [Recovery].

My power can save a lot of people’s lives, though. I’m also happy that I can see how delighted they are when enjoying my pastry.

Returning to the room I borrowed, I crash on the bed as soon as I arrive.

“Thank you for your hard work. Kurt-sama, have a good night’s sleep.”

I received those words from Tina. Then I bury my face in Tina’s chest. I feel terribly content. While feeling content, I slowly close my eyes.