Part 39: Part XXX: Hear the Nature of a Baker

Part XXX: Hear the Nature of a Baker - A

Like I mentioned a while ago, Fred's events are just received by visiting his store every now and then when you return to Vierzeberg, and following the breadcrumbs when necessary. You'll get this scene before too long, but after this, I didn't get another Fred event for a long time, not until deep into the post-game. The generous baker



*sniff* If I hadn't bought the Eye of Malcontent, I'd have more... *sniff* *sniff* Whoa, the smell of freshly baked bread is coating my body...

You poor thing... Are you hungry?

Wh-Wh-What? I was just looking at the bread! I wasn't gonna do anything bad, you know!

You don't have to be frightened... Now, take this bread and eat it.

...Seriously? But, I don't have any money.

Hahaha, you can just buy one from me next time. You're hungry, right? If you do'nt mind that I baked this bread, go ahead and eat up. See? This kitty bread is really sweet, and it's really popular with kids your age.

Hmph, I'm not a kid!

Whoa, lucky! I want bread, too!

That's not fair! I'm hungry, too!

All right, go get your friends. I'm closing the shop for today.

Huh? There's a crowd in front of the bakery...



This one has cream! It's so yummy!

There's no need to hold back. Eat up, as if you're gonna eat all the bread in the shop!

Gotcha! Hey mister, I want some more!

Yup, that's the spirit. There's lots more, so keep on eating. Come now, little lady over there. You get to eat one, too.

Huh? Me?

Yeah. Eat lots of delicious bread and keep growing!

I don't think I'll grow any more. I'm already an adult...

(Such lavish generosity... Mr. Fred is so nice. But giving away this much free bread... I hope his shop is gonna be okay...)



Hmhm, you have very keen eyes. Marietta, I actually found a new client. I heard that they had a good harvest of spices in the northern mountains this year...

Hello. Oh, Ernie, are you making a delivery to Marietta today?

Yup, I just got here a few minutes ago. I came through the mountain path, so I'm pretty tired... I had to make my own path, so my butt is pretty sore... I slipped off a cliff about three times, so my back also hurts. Hahaha...

How can you be so calm about that...? Are you okay?

I feel like my whole body got hit! But I'll put some ointment on later, so...

Oh, then let me put it on for you. I'm sure it's hard for you to reach your back and butt yourself.

That's...hahaha. I'll pass on that. I'm at a sensitive age...

You don't have to be so shy. Come on, take off your clothes. I'll take care of you.

I can't take off my clothes. Ayesha, stop Marietta for me.

Ayesha, you have to side with me on this! Let's take his clothes off, the two of us!

Hmhmhm, you two really are close to each other.

I'd very much appreciate it if you could help me out here.

Just give it up. You should just accept people's good will and... Huh? Oh, Mr. Baker. Welcome.



Goodness, I can't take my clothes off when there are people watching me...

You don't know when to give up, do you? Mr. Baker is waiting for you, so just give up already.

Well, I came here for spices, but...I remembered something urgent that I have to do, so if you'll excuse me!

(...He left? Mr. Fred looked a little pale, though...)

Could he have heard the conversation? No, he definitely did... He must have gotten the entirely wrong idea! But I still don't know why he's so strange about Marietta. Maybe he likes her? Maybe?



Whoa, you scared me! You're full of energy today!

I must be. I feel like I've forgotten the spirit I had when I was still just a novice... The emotion that I felt when I was finally able to open my own shop... I want to bring it back.

That's great... I'll support you!

Thank you. I finally remembered that my purpose in life is bread. I won't be distracted by anything else. I want to knead the dough, leaven it, and... Eventually...have everything disappear.

H-Huh!?

Oh, sorry... I want my worldly thoughts to disappear. Everything other than bread is useless to me.

(It seems like he's gotten really desperate...)

And this is the freshly baked ultimate bread I've discovered after eliminating all my wicked thoughts...!



I'd love to get your opinion on it, since you love bread so much. Now please! Could you eat this for me?

*gulp* ...Are you sure? Are you okay with someone like me eating this...?



Me, meee! I'll eat one, too!

Oh, Bell!? Why are you here...?

I followed the delicious aroma. But that's not important now! I heard you're looking for people to sample this! I nominate myself!

You? But you only say "it's good" or "I want more", no matter what you eat. That makes me happy, too, so I'll give you something else today, okay?

Whaaat!? No fair! But I guess I'll take it, as long as I can get it for free...

Th-Then, I'll be taking a bite...!

*gulp* H-How is it...?

It's fluffy, yet crispy... Crusty, yet chewy... The sweetness is perfect, and I could totally keep eating more of this! *munch* *munch* What I"m eating now is...bread, right? *munch*

I used the highest quality ingredients in existence, and I made it with every means available to me. I fully believe that I have crafted a masterpiece.

Amazing... No, this is way too amazing! I'm starting to tear up for some reason! *munch* *munch*



I would like to hear other people's opinions, but I don't know anyone else that would be good for this. Do you have any friends who have sophisticated taste buds?

Here! Me!

I want to have this ultimate bread evaluated. I'd like to get a professional's opinion.

He just totally ignored Bell... This must be serious.

Someone who can evaluate bread... Well, a few people do come to mind.

Thank you! I know it's a pushy request, but I"m counting on you.

Heeey! I told you that I'll eat it for you!

I'm sorry, I couldn't make many of these. Would you settle for this Ultimate Kitty Bread instead?

Ultimate? Yay! I guess this'll have to do!

(Hmm...someone I can ask to taste it... Mr. Kyle knows a lot about food, so it might be good to ask him. And, hmm, Ms. Odelia's obsession with sweets might helpful, too...)

Last time I saw her, Ms. Odelia was eating a lot of sweets. Probably too many. She got a cavity and started complaining about her teeth. She's probably better by now, but I still have to check. I haven't seen her in a while, either.



Whenever you come in, you instantly make this dingy tavern's atmosphere bright and cheerful. Are you here to buy something? Or are you here just to see me?

Haha, umm, I came here to ask you for a favor. I just want you to eat this bread and give me your thoughts on it.

Hmm, this is very well made... You're saving this for me? Ayesha, I confirm that I have received and accept your feelings.

No, it's not for me. It's from a baker in Vierzeberg. He wanted to get opinions on this bread from people who can tell what's good or bad.

Oh, I see. Even though I can't drink alcohol, I am very confident about my tongue. Well, I guess I could give it a try. *munch* *munch* *munch* ...!?

Wh-What's wrong!?



Okay, I"ll let the baker know it's "so good!" A-Anything else?

It's difficult to evaluate food, other than saying whether it's tasty or not. But, okay. If I had to put it differently...it's amazingly good!

"So good" and "amazingly good!" Got it.

I have no complaints about the taste. I've never had bread that's this delicious in my life! But, I don't think it's something I can serve at my tavern...

Huh? Why not?

As you can see, my tavern functions by serving cheap food and drinks. If I started serving this bread, it would destroy that balance. So what I mean to say is that this bread is too fancy.

Too fancy... I see... (Hmm. Does that mean that not everyone can eat it...?) That was very useful. Thank you so much!

I wasn't really expecting that answer from Mix Master. Maybe Mr. Fred is straying from why he became a baker in the first place. I'll have to get Ms. Odelia's opinion on it first. It really is amazing bread, though!



I came here to ask you for a favor. It won't be boring.

Can I trust your words? My heart gears are experiencing an upsurge in rotation from your confidence.

Ta-da! Take a look at this! I brought you a very delicious looking piece of bread.

...I cannot.

What's wrong, Ms. Odelia? Don't you like these kinds of things?

Ayesha, I cannot eat food. My teeth will hurt. I do not like hurting. I cannot eat sweets, either...

That's right, you got a cavity.

Yes. I have been restored much sooner than I had expected, but that was a very bitter experience.

Don't worry. If you brush your teeth after you eat, you won't get cavities. I love sweets, but I've never gotten a cavity before.

I did not know that. Then...I shall eat this bread.

Oh, hold on. I have one request. I came here to ask for your opinion about the bread after you eat it. So, i want you to take your time and savor it...

Is that an order?

Uh, no, it's nothing like that, but...



Therefore, I will eat it however I want to eat it. Now, if you will excuse me... *munch* *nom* *nom* *munch* *nom* *nom*

Whoa, do you have to eat it so fast?

Th-This is...! This taste, this texture... It is not just sweet, but there is much depth to it... Its essence is not like that of ordinary bread, and a melody plays on my tongue, like a fine symphony.

An essence that's not like ordinary bread and a melody... I see.

It was constructed of many rare materials. It must have been hard to obtain everything.

(I see... Huh? But isn't that...?)

This deserves to be labeled the finest gem. Ayesha, this is amazing bread. Ayesha, I would like to ask for you to bring this bread again on your next visit.

I don't know. If it's made from rare ingredients like you said, I don't know if the same thing can be made again...

Hmm... Wh-Wh... What...?



Oh, no... Umm, I'm so sorry! (I was able to make her happy, but then I made her sad... This is complicated.) All right, I think I got all the evaluations for the bread I need. Both Mr. Kyle and Ms. Odelia said that it was delicious! But...I wonder if this is the kind of bread Mr. Fred really desires to make...

If I remember him right, his dream was to become a baker and deliver delicious bread that everyone can eat. This is an amazing bread, but because it's so difficult to make, not many people could eat it. He should be proud of his accomplishment, but he should still keep making bread for everyone!



Oh, thank you! I'm sorry I made you do this. Please, tell me everything.

Okay. Everyone really liked it. They said they've never eaten bread that good before. I thought this bread was amazing, too, when I first ate it. It wasn't just delicious. I started tearing up while I was eating it.

I see, good... I'm glad everyone liked it so much... I put everything I had into making it. It was a masterpiece that I might not ever be able to make again.

So I was right... Hmm...

H-Huh? Is something bothering you?

...Was that bread really something you wanted to make, Mr. Fred?

Uh, th-that's...

I can see that it took a lot of time and effort to make it. But can you make that bread every day?

Well, that's... Just making the dough took several days... I used rare ingredients, too, so I couldn't possibly make it every day...

Then that also means it'll be really expensive... But I feel like that doesn't go along with the goal you told me about before.

Y-You're absolutely right... To have people eat my bread every day...



Rather than amazing bread that you can only make a few of, I think that making more regular bread... Is much better. I'm sorry for saying that...

...No. I was so caught up in making the ultimate bread, I forgot about the most important thing... I failed as a baker... No, it's a bigger problem than that... I might've just been running away from my harsh reality, using hte ultimate bread as an excuse... *sigh* I'm such a bad human being. I think I need to clear my head. Maybe I should take a vacation and go to some secluded mountain somewhere. Al right! Now that that's decided, I need to prepare for the mountains!

Whoa, I didn't finish my story! Please listen till the very end!

Oh, I'm sorry. I have a tendency to lose track of things.



I'd be so sad if I wasn't able to eat your bread. And there are other people who are waiting for your bread than just me.

People are waiting for my bread...?

Yes! Marietta and Bell are also always looking forward to your bread!

Ms. Marietta...

If you could make such incredible bread, just making normal bread would still be... Would still be very amazing. So please, bake us normal, delicious bread again.

...Thank you, Ms. Ayesha. I feel like I've finally come back to my starting point. And what I can do from now on... I'll start thinking about that again.

(I wasn't able to express it well, so I wonder if he understood what I was trying to say...)

Well, as long as he realized the one flaw with the ultimate bread, I'm happy. The people of Vierzeberg are really happy with Mr. Fred's bread, and I don't think he would be happy either with wonderful bread only a few people can eat. I'm so happy for you, Mr. Fred.

I do still have some of that ultimate bread left... *munch* *munch*