Upstart Pastry Chef ~Territory Management of a Genius Pâtisserie~ - Chapter 53

Chapter 53: A Small Escape Route

After my bombshell statement, cries of alarm and shouts of anger erupt.

Several piercing gazes fix on me, filled with hostility.

It feels like they’re about to pounce on me any moment now.

Pretty much as expected.

“Silence!”

Colt shouts. He comes to stand by my side as soon as the commotion starts. Chloe is with him too.

Just that action alone brings back the quiet.

“But Chief, he deceived us!”

“Yeah, that’s right! We can’t forgive something like this!”

“He even said they were delicious sweets!”

“And Chief, did you know about this?”

In an instant, the uproar reignites.

But Colt doesn’t falter.

“Yeah, I knew. I knew and still cooperated. There were supposed to be some among us who were suffering from mild illnesses. So, how’s everyone feeling?”

The villagers exchange glances.

Those who haven’t deteriorated to the point of being bedridden from their illnesses are present here.

One of them, a woman with fox ears, speaks up.

“I feel lighter. It’s like the suffering I’ve endured until now was a lie.”

“Me too. I could barely stand up before.”

“Same here, same here.”

One by one, people who claim they’ve also been cured start speaking up.

“That’s right. Kurt’s power is real. That’s why I asked him to come. Come forth, Aloe.”

At Colt’s words, a beautiful elf appears.

She’s Chloe’s mother and the first elf I healed in this village.

“It’s been a while. I believe everyone here knows that I suffered from a severe illness and was almost bedridden. But as you can see, I’m perfectly fine now. …It’s all thanks to Kurt healing me first.”

Her words spread shock throughout the area.

I may have said I could heal illnesses, but words alone lack conviction. Showing examples of actual recoveries like Aloe, who was on the brink of death, is more convincing.

“But that’s not all. When I heard the details of the illness, I was shaken. It’s much more dangerous than we thought.”

Aloe looks at me.

She’s asking me to explain.

So, I explained about the illness right there.

“1. It never heals naturally.
2. The cure can only be made by me.
3. The incubation period is long, and even if you’re not aware now, everyone has a high probability of eventually developing it.
4. It spreads through coughing.
5. If even one person is infected, the illness will continue to spread.”

Despair engulfs everyone. It seems they’ve completely believed my words now.

Colt waits for the villagers to understand before speaking.

“That’s why, albeit a bit forcefully, I had everyone eat Kurt’s sweets. …And from now on, even those who are bedridden from illness will eat them too. The village is on the brink of destruction. Traditions are important. But this is not the time for such things. If even one person is infected, the village will perish.”

At the mention of the village perishing, everyone feels fear.

Perhaps everyone had assumed that the illness would eventually be contained.

Before anyone knew it, Chloe had also climbed onto the platform. She stands alongside her mother, Aloe.

“Hey, everyone. Is it really so important not to rely on human power? Are village traditions more precious than lives? I don’t think so. My mother’s life is important, everyone’s lives are important. …I broke tradition and borrowed Kurt’s power. That’s why I’m leaving this village to live in Kurt’s village. Because it’s happier there.”

Chloe shouts, tears welling up in her eyes.

“Hey, wake up. I’ll say it again. If even one person is sick, this village will perish. Even those who want to live by borrowing human power will die. Even those who aren’t sick will die. Even though Kurt can heal them, everyone in the village will be saved… Hey, really think about it.”

Chloe looks between the villagers and me.

Gradually, feelings start to shift towards accepting my help.

The weight of betraying others is significant.

To kill one’s comrades out of stubbornness. That fact weighs heavily.

Let’s give one final push.

“I’m not from this village, so I can’t understand the weight of your traditions. But I still understand the value of life. Are your lives less important than the pride of the spirit village? Is that pride more important than your partners, children, siblings, lovers, friends?”

That can’t be the case.

Everyone has something precious. Just like how I cherish Tina above all else.

“If you still can’t make up your mind, consider this. If you think of it as receiving treatment, the conversation becomes difficult. If you think you got better by chance after eating delicious sweets, and because they’re so delicious, you want those who can’t come here because of illness to eat them too. Can you think like that?”

“Huh?”

I can feel the accusing stares directed at me.

“Weren’t the sweets delicious?”

No one shakes their head in response to that question.

“Well then, don’t you think the people who are sick should eat them too? They’re light snacks that even sick people can eat easily.”

Kudzu and peaches are easy to digest. Even sick people should be able to enjoy them.

The villagers exchange glances.

After all, they’ve already received treatment.

If this large group is considered to have broken the tradition, people will start leaving the village.

And now, they’ve heard the logical argument and provided an escape route.

“Would you allow me to go and give the sweets to the sick people?”

That’s all there is to it.

“Thank you very much.”

It ends like this.

◇

After that, I took a short nap to replenish my magic power, and then went from house to house where sick people were present.

I handed out the Silk Crepes of Light Snow and repeated the process of casting Heal.

By the time the sun set, I had finally visited all the houses.

I was incredibly tired.

It felt like I had used up a lifetime’s worth of Heal.

But being able to save someone’s life with my power, and seeing them enjoy the sweets, made me happy.

As I returned to the room I was borrowing, I collapsed before reaching the bed.

“Good work, Kurt-sama. Please rest now.”

That’s what Tina said as she took care of me.

I buried my face in Tina’s chest.

I felt incredibly at peace. With that feeling, I slowly closed my eyes.