Stone

Sven and Lud returned to the bakery shop and opened it as the evening approached.

Sven cheerfully served customers as usual, and Lud silently baked bread.

The two didn't exchange a word.

They didn't know what to say to one another.

Very early the next morning, Sven was lying on the cot in the attic. She had spent the entire night thinking how to best approach Lud.

Among the hundreds of thousands of scenarios she thought up, the highest chance of success was still only fourteen percent.

"What should I do... I don't know..."

Ten days had passed since Lud had first said "Thank you" to her for bringing customers into the bakery.

She had been wrapped in euphoria then, but now she had no idea what to do.

Now it was time for work.

Lud was up and she could hear him working at the kiln downstairs.

"... I've got to get going."

Sven changed into her work clothes. It was an unforgivable crime to run away in the face of an enemy.

She couldn't abandon the field of battle.

But, her movements were sluggish, as if her legs were eaten away by rust.

As she opened the attic door and began to lower the ladder, she met Lud's eyes below.

"Huh?"

"Oh... M-Morning..."

Holding a tray of bread, Lud was standing aimlessly.

This was unexpected. Suddenly ambushed, Sven was unable to put up a proper resistance.

Lud called out to her.

"S-Sven!"

"Y-Yes!"

Sven's body jumped to attention. Was he going to fire her?

But he responded with a surprising question.

"I-I made something new, will you try it for me?!"

"Y... Yes."

Lud was forcing the edges of his mouth to twitch and convulse.

Was Lud trying with all of his might to smile?

Lud had also been agonizing over he could repair their relationship, and had mustered all his courage to speak to Sven.

"I tried baking regular bread dough with cookie dough around it. I thought that both textures would be fun and different."

Lud had come to the conclusion that if he kept the conversation on bread and work, then Sven wouldn't get offended.

"O-Okay, I see..."

She grabbed one of the new creations and took a bite.

The sweet cookie dough on the outside and the soft, fluffiness of the bread dough on the inside had a depth of flavor that Lud had increased by kneading butter into the dough.

Sven analyzed each component of the taste, compared it to the ideal chewiness she calculated based on data about human occlusal capacity, and arrived at the conclusion that the bread was delicious.

Sven observed, and was only able to judge the bread as being "delicious" based on her thorough calculations.

"... I'm sorry about yesterday." Lud said quietly.

"......?!"

"You were doing your best with everything you had, all for the sake of the bakery, and yet I slapped you... I am truly sorry. Will you... forgive me..." Lud asked.

Sven couldn't believe it.

She was his follower, his servant, and his possession.

She was frightened that if she offended Lud somehow, she would become unnecessary.

Yet, Lud was scurrying to repair his relationship with her.

It was a strange feeling.

She was confused, and at the same time, a loud and clattering sensation burst forth from the bottom of her heart.

"...!"

Without touching the upper section of her tongue in her mouth, and immeasurable amount of information rushed into Sven.

The sweet flavor of Lud's new creation suddenly spread through her mouth, and without thinking, she cried, "This is delicious!".

"Huh?"

"Th-this is very tasty! It's flaky, and fluffy, and soft, and flaky!"

She had said flaky twice. Sven never misspoke.

"That... and... yesterday I was the one in the wrong... I was overly assertive, and because of that I forced Master to experience something painful. If there is any way I can apologize, then.."

"That's not true! You did nothing wrong, Sven! It's because I'm a coward..."

"No, you're wrong, Master is..."

"No, you're wrong, I'm..."

The two stared at each other.

"It looks like we both screwed up, huh?"

A clumsy, wry smile appeared on Lud's face as he scratched his head.

"Master..."

It was strange. Earlier, Sven's heart had been frozen and her body felt weak and tired, but after seeing that Lud had forgiven her, strength surged through her body.

It was so much power that she could easily demolish an entire armored division.

"What have you decided to call this?" Sven asked.

"Well... I haven't thought about it. Since I made it to apologize to you, how about you think up a name?"

"Me?!"

It was an honor. Sven couldn't believe that she was being asked to give a name to something Lud had poured his heart and soul into.

"Umm.. well..."

The two different doughs rose at different rates, so there were lattice lines running over the bread's surface that reminded Sven of a fruit she had seen before.

"How does 'Pineapple Bread' sound?" she asked Lud.

"I get it... It does have that shape, doesn't it? But, I don't know, it kind of looks like an Mrk2."

The Mrk2 was a type of hand grenade that resembled the fruit of the South Seas.

"You don't like Pineapple Bread?"

"Not at all, it's interesting. Let's start selling it today!"

"Okay!"

Peak lunch time was over, and Lud's new bread had been well-received, although it was time-consuming to explain over and over that there wasn't any pineapple in the pineapple bread.

"Chomp, munch munch munch, gulp."

Jacob held his free milk tea in one hand and stuffed his mouth with pineapple bread with the other.

"Yeah, this is good."

"Right?"Lud was taking a break and the two of them sat in the back of the bakery.

"It been three days since you've stopped by. Did something happen?"

"It's been busy at the shop, you know? My parents made me take a break from school to help out."

Recently there had been a large number of customers, in the repair shop and the young boy knew that the business wasn't in a position to turn down any work.

"It was awful. I can't believe there are still guys trying to pay with old Pelfe notes. That stuff is more worthless by the hour and they're trying to use? My mom had to run to the bank first thing this morning."

Just before the annexation, Pelfe had been experiencing an economic recession and was barely able to stay afloat by over-printing bills.

After annexation, Pelfe notes were exchanged for official Wiltia notes, but the exchange rate quickly spiraled downward, so unless you switched immediately, their value would keep plummeting. A Pelfe note that was enough to pay for lunch one day, wouldn't buy a coffee the next.

"Well, at least now crunch time is over, and you can rest a little--"

Crash!

The deafening sound of glass breaking came from the bakery.

"?!"

Jacob and Lud ran to the storefront, and saw that the front window to the bakery was broken, with shards of glass scattered about the inside of the store.

"What... in the world... shoot..."

The scattered pieces of glass had fallen on top of the bread on display.

A rock the size of a balled fist lay on the floor.

This wasn't an accident. Someone had thrown the rock through the bakery's front window.

"Wait, isn't that girl Milly from the church?"

Jacob pointed out the figure of a young girl running across the street.

He couldn't see her face, but there was no doubt it was her.

The distinctive way her long hair was tied behind her head was exactly the same as the girl who had showered Lud with abuse the other day.

"She's don something really nasty now..." Jacob was stunned.

Lud knew that Milly hated him, but he never thought she would go this far, and the realization made him feel more sadness than anger.

"......"

"Oh, Sven... You aren't hurt, are you? Could you please go get the broom and dust pan and --"

Lud had noticed Sven standing behind him, but his words were cut off.

"Unforgivable..."

It was a tone of voice that made those who heard it tremble, and even a former soldier like Lud, who had survived countless scenes of carnage and bloodshed, unconsciously stiffened up at the sound of it.

"Master... Pardon my request, but it would be alright if I took a break right now?"

"Uh, um, ah... Y-yeah. G-go ahead..."

Sven was an employee, and Lud was her employer.

Normally, he would have said no and asked her to stay and clean up, but the frightening power inside her made that impossible.

"In that case, please excuse me."

Sven flashed a sudden, beaming smile and, picking up the rock that lay at her feet, she headed out of the store.

"Lud... Lud?"

Jacob tugged at Lud's sleeve.

"Who's gonna serve the customers? If you're here the customers might run away again."

"Oh, right!"

Lud looked at Jacob with a pleading expression.

"Please, Jacob!"

"Don't ask a kid to help!"

Grabbing Jacob's shoulders, Lud begged him as though he was asking Jacob to participate in a life-or-death battle.

Masking her violent rage, Sven held the forced smile she had shown Lud until she left the bakery.

Unforgivable...!

A dark flame welled up from deep inside Sven.

She was now at her limit.

Tockerbrot was Lud Langart's sanctuary, and as his devoted servant, she now needed to defend it as she would a military position.

An attack had been mounted. Worse, it had made the bread which Lud had taken great pains to create, unsaleable.

Exiting the bakery, Sven immediately went after Milly.

The girl running away was already a pinkie-sized speck in the distance.

"Target sighted, locked... restricting all functionality to thirty percent power, duration: three hundred seconds."

Sucking in air lightly in a small voice, a countdown began.

"Drei... Zwei... Eins... Null!"

In an instant, Sven vanished.

Her movements were already faster than the human eye could detect.

She ran, and ran, and ran.

After throwing the rock through the window, Milly took off, weaving her way through town.

She had been born and raised in Organbaelz.

She knew the back streets and secret passages where someone like Lud would get lost.

There was no way he would catch up to her.

Serves you right, Wiltian military scum!

As she ran, a smile appeared on her face.

Milly prayed every day. She prayed with all her heart.

Every day, without fail, she prayed for Wiltia's annihilation.

Ever since she was taught that God had once destroyed an entire village of evil people in one night, she had prayed to God.

But, no matter how much she prayed, Wiltia wasn't destroyed. That bakery didn't go away, either.

In fact, customers had started to flock there.

I'll never forgive them for taking my dad away!

So Milly made a move herself.

"Haa, haa, haaa..."

In a back alley, she stopped running and caught her breath.

It was strange but she didn't feel any better at all.

Her actions were just. it was divine punishment. So why did she feel so awful?!

"Ug... Ugh."

She knew the truth. What she did hadn't changed anything.

She knew that it wasn't the baker's fault, either.

But, if she didn't hate someone, she would fall apart.

"... Shoot."

Milly spoke as if she was suffocating.

It was frustrating. The world, fate, and her own powerlessness; all of it was frustrating.

"It looks like you forgot something."

"Huh?!"Milly whipped around and standing in front of her was the waitress from the bakery.

She was smiling. But her smile looked like it was painted, as if on some kind of elaborate doll.

"This is yours, is it not, Fräulein?"

The waitress raised her right hand, and she was holding the rock Milly had thrown.

How had she followed her? Milly had tried her best to use a path that someone new in town shouldn't be able to follow.

Pop... grind... snap...

Milly heard a grating sound.

It was the rock in the waitress's hand cracking.

Crack.

It broke apart like a biscuit.

"My, my, my, my, it seems pretty fragile doesn't it? I tried to hold it delicately, like an egg."

Sven played with the pebble fragments in her palm.

As she did, the pebbles were quickly reduced to gravel, as though by a drill.

"Oh... Eh?"

The waitress was smiling.

A bright smile, like she was enjoying herself, but it wasn't a smile that came from affection, nor did it express any benevolence.

It was the sort of smile a carnivore made after capturing its prey. Perhaps even the smile a carnivore made when trapped its prey, not to eat, but for torture.

"You need to apologize and pay for the damages. All. Of. Them."

While she scattered the remains of the rock in her palm, now nothing more than sand, Sven drew her face closer to Milly's.

"Eek!"

Sven looked at her with murderous intent.

She looked ready to kill another person.

And not only just kill. It was a rage that could only envelope someone ready to make the other person struggle even more, to torture and even make her opponent regret having been born.

It wasn't something that a fourteen year old girl could endure.

Milly was paralyzed with fright, and locking eyes with Sven, unable to even blink, she began to cry.

She couldn't stop her own trembling, shivering, and the chattering of her teeth.

Children are by definition immature, in both body and mind. They lack a sense of judgement and the ability to take responsibility for their actions.

But even when a crime is committed by a child, there are damages.

So how should amends be made?

Sven decided to demand it from this child's guardian.

"Excuse me!"

They were at Marlene's church, outside of town.

"hello, who is it? Oh, Sven... Huh, Milly?!"

Seeing Sven holding Milly by the collar like a captured cat, Marlene let out a small cry of surprise.

The suspended girl was terrified and didn't say a word.

Sven had inflicted no physical harm on her but Milly was clearly her prisoner.

Abusing prisoners was prohibited by international law. Sven had come to hand Milly over and demand an apology from Marlene, Milly's guardian.

"Please come inside."

While Marlene was calming Milly down, Sven waited in the chapel with tea that Marlene had prepared for her.

The tea leaves were cheap. They smelled musty.

And the way it was prepared was unacceptable.

Even dunking the delicious madeleines that Lud had baked in tea like this would not improve the flavor.

Sven took a single sip before returning it to its saucer.

Marlene joined her.

"I am extremely sorry for the trouble that girl has caused, I will... I will absolutely compensate you for the window and the bread she destroyed."

After Sven told her the details of Milly's behavior, Marlene promised to pay for the damages.

Sven knew that the church did not have much money.

"You don't need to do that. At any rate, I am sure that Master will simply overlook this."

Sven could easily imagine Lud saying that himself.

This was exactly why Sven felt that Milly's actions were unforgivable.

Lud was always considerate of others, and Milly had trampled all over his kindness.

"How exactly can I make amends for her actions..."

Marlene was thinking that while Milly had cursed at Lud before, this time her actions were malicious.

"In that case..."

Don't come near Lud ever again.Catching herself before she said it aloud, Sven stopped.

"Yes?"

"No, it's nothing."

Marlene asked her again, and Sven immediately evaded the question.

Lud wouldn't want that, Sven thought it would probably make him unhappy.

"I understand that this will sound like I'm making excuses for her, but... It's just, Milly has a complicated story--"

"I know." Sven replied, bluntly.

Lud had told Sven Milly's story two nights ago.

Milly's father was a militiaman.

Pelfe had been the victim of a long military invasion from the larger August Federation to the north.

Several years ago, August was an imperial monarchy but after the working people renounced the monarchy, there was a revolution.

It was supposed to become a "Nation of Freedom and Equality" but instead it turned into a military dictatorship, and under the guise of "liberating" its neighboring countries, it began to invade them.

August's policy was that even the people are a resource for the country.

Citizens had no freedom of thought or belief, and they were prohibited from owning private property.

The adults and children of invaded countries were sent to the frigid edges of the north under under the pretext of land reclamation and development.

As this continued, not only were the adults sent, but even the children were banished to suffer that unfortunate way of life.

The people of Pelfe rose up against August, and Milly's father fought in the militia.

In order to make Pelfe a place where his child could live in peace, he went off to battle, and never returned. Then--

"You know the story, don't you? Pelfe could not maintain its independence and chose to become an autonomous region of Wiltia rather than be occupied by August."

If they were unable to keep up the appearance of a sovereign nation, at least they would protect their pride as a people.

But for citizens of Pelfe, it was a bitter decision.

Because they needed a buffer against the August Federation, Wiltia accepted Pelfe's proposal, brought them into Wiltia by annexation, and joined them to fight against the Federation.

"Wiltia gave format recognition to the Pelfe Militia. Since Milly's father was killed in action, he was mourned as a soldier who fought for Wiltia, and Milly should have been given a bereaved family's annual pension." Marlene's voice was soft and sad.

But, Milly was abandoned by Wiltia.

When Sven had heard the reason from Lud, she was stunned.

Her father's remains were never found. They didn't pay her the pension because he might have fled the front-lines, and was considered nothing more than a missing person. That was what Milly was told.

It was absurd logic. In a lengthy war with artillery fire from tanks and cannons, aerial bombardments from airships, and battles against infantry and Hunter units, it was rare for there to be remains of all the fallen soldiers.

But the truth was that after the war, amid budget cuts, Wiltia had a hard time providing insurance to their own soldiers, so money was too scarce to give to the militia.

"For Milly, it was as though her father had been declared a coward. They stole the money she was owed, and her father's pride as well."

So Milly despised Wiltia.

It was far too sad for her father to be treated as a deserter while body lay dead on a battlefield somewhere.

Her father was tricked and killed by Wiltia.

If she didn't blame Wiltia, it was far too cruel and heartbreaking for her to bear.

Sven understood, but it was still unfair for her to blame Lud.

And, Lud put up with this treatment.

On the way back to the bakery after visiting the church that night, Lud told Sven, "If that girl can find the willpower to continue to live by hating me, then that's fine."

He said it with a lonesome look on his face.

"Even still... if someday Milly eats my bread and tells me that it tastes good, nothing will make me happier."

Lud believed that day would come.

He believed that with time, even if the scars from the past could never completely heal, they would be able to help each other in some way.

"I understand how much hardship you have endured, however..."

Now, at the church with Marlene, Sven remembered what happened yesterday at the mine.

How hard it must have been for Lud to insist to the miners that there was no poison in his bread, and tell them that they could throw out what he had put everything into baking.

And then how painful it must have been for Lud to have the child he hoped to help throw a rock at his bakery.

"Does that give her the right blame someone trying frantically to keep his above water? He doesn't ask anyone for help... she is cruel... to him..."

If Lud said the word, she would massacre all of the people that would harm him.

But Lud definitely didn't want that.

He wouldn't even dodge a rock thrown at him.

As if that was his atonement for killing other people.

It was war and those were his orders. It was patriotism; killing for the sake of his homeland.

Now Sven laid her head down in sorrow, and made a weeping sound.

But tears didn't fall. Sven couldn't cry.

Even if she could exude water to moisten her eyes, Sven, couldn't secrete excess liquids in response to her emotions. Yet.

Marlene looked at her and asked, "You... You love Lud, don't you?"

"-- What?!"

Sven lifted her head up with a look of shock.

"Absolutely not! I could never be so insolent!"

Sven was Luke's shield, his armor, and his sword. The purpose behind her entire existence was to do what was necessary for him.

"Please don't say such things! I'm nothing more than the Master's tool..."

As Sven spoke, she realized her voice was shaking.

A tool should not fall in love with its owner.

But...

"You feel Lud's pain stronger than you feel your own because he's precious to you, isn't that right?"

Marlene's eyes seemed to peer into the depths of Sven's heart.

But Sven was sure that Marlene had watched her sincerely trying her best to help this awkward man, and believed Sven must have an abnormal amount of affection for him.

Her words stirred emotions in Sven that she wasn't aware she had.

"... I will be taking my leave."

Sven stood up but stumbled, grabbing the edge of one of the chapel pews.

"Are you okay, Sven?"

Marlene reached out to steady her, but Sven straightened quickly and moved away.

If she was touched right now, that alone would be enough to make her collapse.

Managing to walk alone, she left the church as quickly as possible.

"You're wrong... I'm only... For the captain..."

Sven muttered to herself in a daze as she walked down the street.

All she wanted was for Lud to be happy.

But she hadn't done a single thing for Lud, and she was seeking her own happiness instead.

It was impossible. Her priorities were wrong.

She staggered and finally collapsed, without the energy to stand up.

Sven didn't need sleep.

She was unconscious only during her maintenance hibernation and even then, she could control her on and off states at will.

But now Sven lost consciousness, as if she had fallen asleep.

When she awoke, in the middle of pitch-black darkness, her body remained asleep.

It's a strange feeling, Sven thought.This is what dreaming must feel like.

Nonsense...

She couldn't move her mouth to whisper, so she spoke inside her head.

Dreams were something that humans experienced. She wasn't human.

And yet, why was she in this situation? She wondered if her thoughts were abnormal and her brain was malfunctioning.

Then unexpectedly a person called out to her.

"Oh, this is a surprise. I had thought that girl's descendants disappeared from here long ago."

Sven's sense of sight wasn't working, nor was her sense of smell, touch, or hearing, but she definitely perceived the voice.

It was less like a voice, and more like a wave streaming through her.

As if the warm, bright light of the sun's rays has been converted into sound.

"Hm... but, it appears that you were created slightly differently. Humans do some outlandish things. Using such a method to give birth to someone with that girl's blood in their veins."

Sven had no idea what it was saying, and seemed to laugh as she thought this.

There was no blood inside her.

"No, no, that's not what I mean."

The voice admonished Sven, as it read her thoughts.

There was no malice in the voice. It seemed to be trying to explain the situation.

"Well, that's alright. You still aren't aware of it. There's no need to talk about it now, is there? But, a contract is a contract. You have to that."

Right? Sven had no idea what the voice meant.

What exactly was this voice? Sven wondered if she was indeed malfunctioning.

"Sooner or later, you will know everything. No, it doesn't matter... I will be watching with great interest who you choose in the end."

The voice faded away.

Sven's consciousness once again began to sink back into the depths of darkness.

"Let us meet again, Far away my..."

Before Sven could make out the final words, she again lost consciousness.

Inside of Tockerbrot

The bakery had closed for the day and Sven still hadn't returned.

Customers who had come to see Sven left dissatisfied, but thanks to Jacob's sociability, Lud was able to manage until it was time to close the shop.

Jacob had gone home and Lud sat alone, staring at the broken window, now sealed up and covered with a sheet. He felt anxious as he waited for Sven's return.

Lud knew Sven, and although he didn't anything had happened to her, he knew that she had a hard time restraining herself when she set her mind on something.

She looks calm, but has an explosive personality. Kind of like...

He thought back to his favorite unit that he had piloted in the military.

All the Hunter Units in his squad were equipped with an on-board pilot-support AI, but Lud's AI, Avei, was quite the worrier. When he suffered and injury, it would loudly request to run vitals checks.

When Lud assured Avei that the wounds weren't serious, it would admonish him. "Human bodies can suffer severe damage without being aware of it." and list all such incidents in its records.

That's strange... I'm worried about Sven, and yet all I can think about is that AI...

A wry smile appeared on his face.

He glanced at the clock. It was night.

Lud didn't chase after Sven earlier because he couldn't leave the bakery, but now he had to search for her.

"Hm?"

There was someone standing at the door.

"Mister Lud Langart?"

It wasn't Sven. A middle-aged postman in a navy blue uniform opened the door slightly and called into the bakery.

"You have a letter."

The postman passed a brown envelope to Lud and left the shop with a bow.

Who could this be from?

No one knew where he was.

There were two pieces of paper inside the envelope.

"?!"

When he read the first page, he thought it was a joke.

He looked at the second page.

"... Haha, hahahahaha!"

Lud started to laugh.

He couldn't believe it, there was no way this could be true.

"Hahaha... ha... ha.. sniff, sniff..."

He was so happy, he was on the verge of tears.

Lud put the letter in his chest pocket and dashed out of the store.

He had to tell Sven immediately.

She would be delighted. He knew she would be even more ecstatic than he was.

He wanted to share his happiness with her.

Share? No! Together, their happiness would be doubled.

Although the Thanksgiving Festival was still a ways off, they might dance hand and hand in the streets.

Lud ran.

He had to find the red-eyed, silvered hair waitress of Tockerbrot.

Tockerbrot was on the main road in town, and three streets over was the repair shop that Jacob's grandfather ran.

There was a large shack of sheet metal with a house attached, and in the storage lot next to it was a mountain-high heap of rusted steel drums and scrap.

"Anyway for now, just sit somewhere over there, I'll bring over some tea... wait, stop! There's oil spilling out, it'll get your clothes dirty!"

Inside the workshop that was permeated with the smell of iron and oil, sat Sven and Jacob.

Ten minutes earlier, on his way home from the bakery, Jacob ran into Sven.

He had planned to chew her out for running off like that, but when he saw her pale face and her dress covered in mud and leaves, he called out to her anxiously.

"What's wrong Sven?! Did something happen?"

As Sven turned to look back at Jacob, her movements were slow and lifeless.

"Jacob..."

After she woke up, Sven had tried to stagger back to the bakery.

But as she got close to the shop, her legs stopped moving.

"Lud's not mad at your for skipping out on work. Don't worry, if anything he's worried about you. Go back so he can relax, okay?"

Sven knew that was true.

"Sven... Did something happen?"

That's not it.

"I'm scared... To see Master..."

Marlene's words had caused her to malfunction. No, they had opened her eyes.

She existed to make Lud happy, and to help Lud realize his dreams.

She was Lud's servant, nothing more than a tool.That was the meaning to her life, her reason for existence.

In spite of this, she wanted to make Lud her own.

Sven didn't know what she might do if she saw Lud now.

She was terrified of herself, and scared to see Lud.

"Scared... You mean scared of his face?" Jacob didn't understand.

"That's not it!"

Sven unconsciously raised her voice.

"It's true that to someone else, Master's face might be frightening, but for me, a face that charming... no, never mind."

Sven realized that she was about to blurt out something strange again.

She didn't understand anything anymore. She felt dizzy.

"Hey, come over to my house if like. It's close by."

Still not ready to see Lud, Sven nodded her head.

Now, Jacob made them both coffee.

"Here. Unlike what you and Lud serve, this is the instant stuff, but think of it as medicine to warm up your body."

The coffee Jacob handed Sven in a chipped mug was very bitter, and although there was no medicine in the coffee, it gradually began to soak into Sven, and calm her down.

It appeared that this workshop had been used to service a piece of heavy machinery a few days ago.

"You know, I didn't trust you at first." Jacob began, sitting down next to Sven and taking a sip of coffee.

"I thought that maybe you were trying to trick or cheat Lud."

"Trick...?" Sven asked, not understanding.

"Isn't it normal to think that? I was the one who suggested hiring a waitress, but who knows what might happen in that bakery on the brink of collapse, with such a frightening looking owner? It wasn't certain that you'd even be paid."

Jacob laughed cheerfully, and there wasn't any contempt for Lud on his face.

he sounded like he was the delinquent older brother-figure talking about his partner in crime.

"Not only that, a beautiful girl like you shows up and even says that you'll take the job no matter how much it pays. Honestly... it would be impossible not to think that you were plotting something."

Sven had noticed that when Jacob thought she couldn't hear, he would pester Lud, asking, "Is there anything strange about that girl?"

"If that was the case, I'd never allow it to happen."

Some people might be confused about why they would need a young boy's permission to do anything, but Jacob was completely serious.

"But instead, you have been working yourself to the bone for that good-natured sucker. It looks like you're just a kind person... so, thank you."

Jacob bowed his head.

"What are you saying?! I'm just doing m job, that's all..."

It was strange. Sven was happy when  Lud thanked her, but when this boy bowed his head to her, a complex feeling rose inside her.

It was like she was fidgety and her whole body felt itchy.

This boy was Lud's friend and shouldn't have been anything more than a Class 2 Safeguard Target - a companion to Lud, the Highest-Priority Safeguard Target - whose existence and well-being had to be taken into account in order to prevent any negative impact on Lud.

On the battlefield, he would just be a civilian, one Sven would be coded to keep out of harm's way as much as possible.

And yet Sven's chest felt like it was burning.

"... Jacob, how did you become friends with Master?"

They were friends despite their difference in age and Lud's intimidating manner. It couldn't be just because they were both Wiltian.

"Hmm... We first met when he brought his hunk-of-junk truck to the workshop, I think. I thought he was crazy to drive a thing like that."

A foreign, scary-looking former soldier turned baker.

Jacob's first impression of Lud wasn't good.

"I didn't like him. You know, I didn't like Wiltians, or soldiers."

"Why... After all, aren't you..."

Jacob had blonde hair with blue eyes - a distinct trait of the people of Wiltia.

He might have been born in Organbaelz, but he looked Wiltian.

Because the two countries had shared a border, there were many Wiltian-Pelfish people.

"Actually, I've never seen my father but I do know he was Wiltian. So it's true that I'm a true-blooded Wiltian."

"Was he killed in the war?" Sven asked.

Sven feared the she was forcing him talk about something painful, but the reality was even more depressing.

"No, but I don't really know anything about him. My mom was a prostitute."

Jacob said this so lightly that Sven thought that there might be a different meaning to the word, but she had understood him correctly.

Man Pelfish people crossed the border and went to work in Wiltia to escape Pefle's long economic recession.

Jacob's mother was one of these people.

But Jacob's mother was a young girl struggling to survive, and began working at a brothel operated by the military as a licensed prostitute.

Then, she became pregnant with Jacob.

The town's people spread rumors when the girl returned with a large belly after having told everyone she was going to Berun to become a café waitress. Gossip continued after Jacob was born and he was teased by the other children.

"That's why I didn't like Lud. When I heard he was from the Wiltia military, I thought for sure that he was a cold-blooded, heartless man."

"Then, why? If that's the case then..."

Jacob continued his story.

One day, about a month after he met Lud, Jacob was bothered by his classmates at school and it grew into a huge Jacob-versus-all fight.

Jacob soon fell to the ground and was kicked and stepped on, unable to put up a fight.

Then, Lud appeared.

"Oh man, when Lud showed up, everything changed right away! Suddenly this expressionless giant was standing there glaring at us. The other kids were scared and ran off."

"Ohh. That was probably..."

Something came into Sven's mind.

For the most part, Wiltians are stout and sturdy, but Lud was particularly well-built. In addition, his long years of military service had given him a sullen look, and when he was nervous his face would stiffen up.

"I think he was trying to break up the fight..."

"I wondered what he had in mind making such a grisly face, but that's just his face, right? But I seriously thought he was going to kill me."

The only reason that Jacob didn't run away with the rest of the children was because he couldn't stand, so Lud took him back to his shop to treat his wounds.

Even then, Jacob still didn't trust Lud.

He was a Wiltian solder. Just like the guy who skipped town after knocking up his mother.

He hated even being touched by Lud,  but he was terrified that Lud might hit him, so he let Lud bandage him up.

While he did, Jacob scanned the inside of the shop and noticed all the bread on display. It looked so delicious that Jacob wondered if it had really been baked by the man in front of him.

"Want some...?"

Lud handed him a piece of bread.

Jacob was on the verge of stretching out his hand for the bread when his pride awoke.

Do you think I'd ever accept charity from the likes of a Wiltian soldier?!

Jacob took out his few precious copper coins and thrust them at Lud.

"I haven't sunk low enough to accept charity! I'll pay for it!"

He gathered up all the guts and pride he had in these words.

Jacob didn't care if he as going to get hit. It was the final line he had to prevent anyone from crossing.

"What do you think Lud did when I said that?" Jacob asked Sven.

"I don't know...""It was pretty unexpected you know."

Jacob bent over giggling to himself.

"They guy started to cry. And he grabbed my hand and said 'Thank you. Thank you. You're my first customer!'"

Sven was amazed.

That meant that Lud had not drawn in a single customer since the bakery opened the month before.

it also meant that Lud had cried in joy at his first customer, even though it was a young boy who was there against his will.

"Oh my..."

Sven placed her hand on her forehead, at a lass for words.

"Well I ate some. Some of the bread, I mean. And, man... the guy's bread is incredible. When I told him it was delicious, he started crying and thanking me all over again!"

The next day Jacob returned and peeked into the kiln area of Tockerbrot.

There he saw Lud covered in sweat, baking bread hour after hour for customers that might never come.

"You know, m mother won't tell me what type of person my father as. That might be why I thought all Wiltian soldiers were cold-blooded brutes, but I learned that there are guys like Lud, too. I thought maybe my dad might actually be a person like him. It's probably not true but..."

Jacob put the palm of his hand over his chest.

"Lud - he can be an idiot, but he's straight-forward and works as hard as he can."

The smiling young boy sounded proud and determined.

"I now know for certain that half the blood that runs through these veins also runs through someone like him."

Jacob's face had an air of nobility and grandeur.

The strength to overcome the wounds he suffered from his unfortunate birth and the pain of his early childhood had become his personality.

"Well in short, before he's a Wiltian, or a former soldier, or whatever, that guy's just a really kind idiot, right?... That's why I became his friend. After all, I'm a nice guy, you know?"

Jacob awkwardly scratched his head in embarrassment.

"Lud's foolishly good-natured and kind. That's why I'm sure he's worried about you. So go back and see him okay?"

"... Okay."

The mug in Sven's hands had grown cold but something warm started to grow inside her chest.

She realized that Lud had an outstanding friend who saw his good side clearly.

"Hey Jacob, is someone here?"

Standing in the doorway was the owner, Jacob's grandfather.

The black in his hair was overwhelmed by the white, and he wore cross scowl. It was difficult to believe that any of this man's blood was inside Jacob, who always had a smile on his face.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Sven and I am the waitress at Tockerbrot."

Sven politely introduced herself, but as soon as Jacob's grandfather heard the name of the bakery, his face grew even more distorted.

"Jacob, have you been going to that store again?"

"Grandpa, you don't have to say it like that! What has Lud ever done to you?"

"Quiet!" He turned to Sven. "You can get out of here! This is my workshop!"

Jacob's grandfather hated Lud.

Considering his grandson's origins, it wasn't hard to believe.

"I apologize, please excuse me..."

Sven obediently got up to leave. As she did, a small machine part caught her eye.

Sven recognized it. It was a part from a cylinder joint, made of cheap aluminum, and a piece this shoddy could only mean one thing.

"Excuse me sir... What is this?"

Sven asked, picking up the part and showing it to Jacob's grandfather.

"That?! Don't go touching stuff you shouldn--"

"Answer the question!"

Sven cut him off with a cold voice filled with anger.

Both the old man and Jacob cowered.

"This is... this is the part from a T-3 II's transmission. Why is there something like this here? Explain yourself!" Sven demanded.

It was part for a weapon used by the August Federation that Sven had fought against many times called the "Beast of the North".

She knew it well. She had smashed and scattered these weapons and had seen what they looked like inside.

"T-3 II... Sven, what's that?"

"They comprised the main part of the August Federation's tank forces... Why would a town in Wiltia-owned Pelfe have something like this?"

"I-I don't know! Don't make false accusations!"

Sweat appeared on the old man's forehead. He wasn't really a bad man. He was just a civilian who didn't know anything. Even if he tried to hide the truth, he wouldn't be able to deceive Sven.

"I don't know... All I was told was that they needed maintenance for some heavy machinery"

Sven looked directly at the old man, but he wouldn't meet her gaze.

Sven's voice again grew violent.

"Stop your useless excuses! Even if it was brought here with all of its main armaments stripped off, there's no way you could mistake that for a simple construction machinery!"

Even a child being questioned about some mischief could come up with a better excuse.

"Grandpa, why are you servicing tanks? It can't be...?"

Jacob's voice shook as if he couldn't believe what he was saying.

When there is a dispute between two major powers, both countries exhaust their own resources, and a third country swoops in to reap the benefits.

They give weapons to those inside who are dissatisfied with current rule and teach them to fight. These dissidents believe they have justice on their side and are manipulated into becoming terrorists.

Jacob's grandfather was contracted to service a weapon supplied to terrorists in Pelfe from the August Federation.

This small machine part was an irrefutable piece of evidence. Claiming that he had no idea what he was working on would not help.

"You've done something quite foolish, haven't you? Aiding the enemy is a serious crime. The worst case would be the death penalty. Civilians should stay quiet and keep out of things that they don't understand."

"They raped my daughter! Is what I'm doing any different?!" the old man whined, sinking to his knees. But Sven was unmoved.

"That is something you'll have to settle with those who come to take you."

A person's feelings don't matter to the colossal beast that was the nation state.

But few people understood this.

A war can start with the firing of a single bullet. And yet, to end a war, sometimes many thousands of soldiers firing millions of bullets aren't enough.

"Sven... Is Grandpa going to be arrested? Me and Mom, too...?"

Jacob war near tears.

"I won't allow that to happen, Jacob." Sven replied.

If anything happened to Jacob, Lud would be devastated.

If the terrorists acted, it would also put Tockerbrot in jeopardy. That was something Sven had to prevent at all costs.

"Jacob, please call one of the military installations, give them this identification code, and act like you've been tricked. Play the victim any way you can."

Sven quickly jotted down a ten-digit number and passed the paper to Jacob.

It was the identification code Lud used when he was in the military.

Sven predicted that the military would believe the message came from Lud and respond leniently. There was no glory in taking the head of an old man who had been used.

And that wasn't the only problem.

"Alright then, Mister..."

Jacob's grandfather was aware of his own folly, and looked as if he had aged ten years as Sven interrogated him.

"Who introduced you to the people who brought the tank here?"

Sven pressed the old man for answer without her bright red eyes blinking once.

Jacob's grandfather had just been used, and he clearly wasn't a member of a terrorist group.There was someone who knew the old man's feelings; someone who had lived in town for long enough to take advantage of him without raising suspicion - an actual spy must be here in town.