Chapter 6: Thanksgiving

“There isn’t enough to fight over, but there’s more than enough to share.”

Long ago, a saint said this. When I heard that, I thought...

“What an utter idiot!”

I have a biscuit in my pocket. That won’t change no matter what I do. If it breaks in two, the original amount won’t change. It won’t save one person from starving for even one day.

There is a girl in front of me. She has hollow cheeks and her eyes are cavernous. It’s obvious that she’s ill from the cold and starvation.

I have one biscuit in my pocket. I’m starving, and I feel as if I might go crazy. I’ve already decided what I will do with the biscuit.

“Thanks, Big Bro!”

The girl takes the biscuit and thanks me with a smile.

“Gwaaah!!!”

Heidrig slept on the floor in Tockerbrot’s attic. Before dawn, he jumped up with a shout.

“HUFF... HUFF... HUFF...”

His shirt was soaked with sweat. He could have wrung drops of moisture from it. But it wasn’t hot. The nightmare... He hadn’t had it for a long time, and had thought he never would again.

“W-What the...? Hey, what’s wrong?”

Hilde asked him from the bed.

She was irritated to be awakened by a shout. But she was also amazed to see Heidrig sweating and out of breath. Ever since they met a fortnight ago, he was always calm, but now his face was white with fear.

“Oh, uh... it’s nothing.”

Heidrig’s face showed clearly that it wasn’t nothing.

“But...”

Hilde was still half asleep, but she could tell he was disturbed.

“It’s nothing. Sorry I woke you. Sleep a little longer.”

Heidrig lowered the ladder and began to climb down.

“Today is show time for you. You’d better sleep well or you won’t make it through.”

Heidrig turned his face away after speaking and climbed down the ladder.

At the small well behind Tockerbrot...

Heidrig drew water with a bucket, removed his shirt, and poured water over his head.

“..................!”

It was already the end of October, but not yet winter. At dawn, when the air was chilly, the water was especially cold and sent a shock through his body.

“Argh...”

Nonetheless, the vision from his nightmare wouldn’t go away. It was a dream he had hoped never to suffer through again. But, after almost ten years, it had returned as if to accuse him.

“She doesn’t resemble her that closely.”

Hilde was the reason he had the dream. But it wasn’t her fault. She was a young girl and a series of associations had jogged his memory. If there was another reason, it was...

“How long have you been standing there?”

Heidrig pulled his mind from his thoughts to address a man hiding in the shadows.

“I just got here. I’m impressed. Indeed, you are the Wolf Man.”

It was the masked corporal. Heidrig wasn’t sure what to think about this man. It seemed like Hilde trusted him, but it had been too easy for him to free Heidrig, a national traitor, from jail.

“What’s the matter? Is there something on my face?”

The corporal asked Heidrig with a flippant voice.

“That mask you wear is disturbing.”

“Oh dear, oh dear...”

Heidrig stifled his irritation when the corporal missed his sarcasm.

“Why are you here? Didn’t you say you would stay away because you’re too noticeable?”

The corporal always stood out, and he had encountered Lud before, so he offered to lend support from a distance. Hilde had suggested that he remove his mask, but he claimed he would be even more noticeable without it, so they accepted his offer.

Many soldiers had battle scars. Many were so horribly scarred that even their loved ones wouldn’t recognize them.

“Yes. But I told you I would be in contact, didn’t I?”

To avoid suspicion, Hilde and Heidrig hadn’t brought communication devices, so the corporal had to contact them in person. Indeed, Sven and Lud had confiscated anything that had looked like military equipment, so the corporal had been right.

“There’s a slight complication, so I came in a hurry.”

“What is it?”

“It appears that the higher-ups have discovered that the first lieutenant took you from the prison.”

“No way!”

There should have been another day until the inspection by the Legal Affairs Bureau.

“It sounds like something is happening in the royal capital. This is a problem.”

Even through the mask, Heidrig could tell that the corporal’s voice held no tension. And that made sense.

“As things stand, the first lieutenant is in a very bad position.”

Hilde had ordered Heidrig’s release from jail without permission, albeit at the corporal’s instigation.

In the military, a superior officer’s orders are absolute. Even if that officer were to order something illegal, it must be obeyed. In a case such as this, all responsibility lay with the superior officer. So the corporal would not receive punishment because he had simply followed orders. However, it meant serious trouble for Hilde.

“She’s sure to lose her military rank. In the best case, they’ll only arrest and imprison her, but I’m not sure what will happen if they suspect treason. It’s certain that she will lose her family name.”

Hilde would lose everything she had. Possibly even her life.

“This is terrible!”

The corporal addressed Heidrig, who was biting his lips.

“This may be cold comfort, but they won’t charge you with a criminal offense.”

Heidrig was already a felon, but the nation didn’t want to turn dissidents into martyrs, so they wouldn’t execute him. He had been sentenced to indefinite imprisonment, so he would just go back to jail.

“Is there anything we can do? Should I just turn myself in now?”

The corporal shook his head at Heidrig’s question.

“It’s out of the question. Suppose you got caught stealing from a store. They wouldn’t forgive you if you returned the item, would they?”

“I suppose not.”

That brought back memories.

His apologies hadn’t mattered. When the shop owner discovered his crime, Heidrig had been unable to avoid his blows.

And this was the military. With the government’s backing, it could do anything. Heidrig knew that, too.

“Well, if this is solvable, I see only one way.”

The corporal’s tone suggested he was casually speculating, so that if someone tried to pull it off, the corporal would be safe from blame.

At last, Thanksgiving morning arrived. Everywhere, preparations were in the final stages, with people busily double-checking and reviewing plans. And it was no different at Tockerbrot.

“Finally, the day has come!”

Lud watched the sunrise with deep emotion.

“That’s good... MUMBLE MUMBLE...”

“Yeah, it really is. It’s great.”

Jacob and Milly looked sleepy.

“Are you all right? Why don’t you use my bed to rest?”

They didn’t appear to have the strength to return home, so he suggested they rest in his room in the back of the shop.

“Okay... Wake me up just past noon... for the dancers...”

“Wake me up after lunch... for the puppet show...”

As drowsiness overcame them, they reminded him about the performances they didn’t want to miss, and then stumbled to the back.

“Well...”

Lud considered what to do next. He had finished the difficult preparations, which left only the baking.

“You’re up early.”

No sooner had Jacob and Milly left, Heidrig appeared.

“No, I never went to sleep. I worked all night.”

Lud had worked and reworked his ideas for the bread he would serve at Thanksgiving. Yesterday, he finally decided, and then he had worked all night to prepare.

“You could have asked me to help you.”

Heidrig looked perplexed.

All night, Jacob and Milly helped Lud.

“No, now it’s your turn. Baking is heavy labor. The right man is necessary for the right job. Isn’t it the same in the military?”

“I guess so...”

A big part of a soldier’s work was heavy labor. Working overnight this once wouldn’t hurt Lud.

“For now, I’m thinking about baking some biscuits to hand out to the kids in town.”

“Biscuits...”

Heidrig’s face clouded slightly at Lud’s words.

“Don’t you like biscuits?”

Lud noticed a slight change on Heidrig’s face.

“I don’t like or dislike them.”

Heidrig answered without making eye contact and walked toward the oven room, but the door opened before he got there.

“I’m back!”

Today, Tockerbrot was closed for the first time in a year. It wasn’t a customer who spoke. It was Sven, who had also pulled an all-nighter.

“Good job! Have you made you-know-what?”

“Yes. It was a crash course but also a piece of cake!”

Sven’s hands held a dress with a cover over it.

“Is that for my superior officer?”

“Yes.”

Hilde was going to sing on stage at the Thanksgiving festival. Sven had made her a dress for the occasion.

She had made her own waitress uniform, and the uniforms for Milly and Hilde. Her skill at dressmaking, from measurement to sewing, was greater than even a professional dressmaker. For her, making a dress would usually be very easy, but creating a dress to wear on stage was a little more difficult, as one might expect.

Sven had borrowed space at a neighborhood dressmaker after closing the bakery yesterday, and finished the dress during the night.

“So it seems... nothing happened here?”

Sven asked after looking around the shop and staring at Lud for a moment. She tried desperately to avoid leaving her master in the shop alone with Heidrig and Hilde, who wanted to kill him.

“Please, give this to her.”

Sven brusquely handed the dress to Heidrig.

Lud had ordered her to leave the shop to work on the dress last night, and actually, she had agreed partly of her own free will.

Four days ago, she had made Hilde cry at the mine. She faithfully reported the whole incident to Lud and apologized for her thoughtlessness.

“My emotions got the better of me!”

Lud, however, had received her report with a look of satisfaction. He could see that Sven had grown, because instead of verbally abusing someone the way she used to, she just used strong words to scold Hilde for her poor behavior.

There was a yawn, followed by, “I’m sleepy...”

Hilde appeared.

“Geh!”

“What do you mean by that?!”

Frustrated, Sven snapped at Hilde, who looked troubled after seeing Sven.

“What good timing! Why don’t you give it to her now? She should try it on. It might need to be altered.”

“Y-Yeah...”

Sven looked uncomfortable when Lud suggested this.

Marlene had told her what Hilde had confided about herself. Now Sven knew the suffering and sorrow the girl had experienced, and that she wasn’t just a silly, proud girl with an overdeveloped sense of elitism.

Speaking to Hilde was hard for Sven now, and the two hadn’t even looked at each other over the last four days, which made work awkward.

“Here, this is your dress for today! I made it, so be grateful and try it on!”

Sven thrust out the dress but immediately rephrased her words.

“I mean... you don’t have to be grateful. I made it because Master ordered me to and because it’ll help make the festival successful...Yes, that’s why! This was just the minimum degree of cooperation for a temporary joint operation.”

“Um... uh...”

Hilde was confused as Sven struggled for words.

Over the last few days, perhaps because she was no longer hiding from her past, Hilde hadn’t spoken or acted aggressively as she had before. She had practiced her singing at the church with Marlene after work, and tried hard to do her best.

“Just try it on! If it’s too loose or too tight, I’ll fix it right now!”

“What are you so angry about?!”

Sven didn’t understand her own feelings. For some reason, she had a growing desire to cheer up this girl, even though she was perhaps still plotting to kill her and her master, whose life was more important than her own. That’s why she had offered to make a dress for Hilde.

“Well, we should make ourselves scarce. We mustn’t intrude on a girl trying on clothes!”

Lud left Sven in charge and told Heidrig to go to the oven room.

“Well, what do you think?”

A few minutes later, Hilde had put on the dress and Sven made sure nothing needed to be altered.

“Wow! You could become a dressmaker anytime!”

Hilde was honestly impressed. Sven had measured Hilde once, but not carefully.

This kind of dress should be tried on and refitted over and over until it fit perfectly. The dress Sven made for Hilde was perfectly designed not to constrict her chest and abdomen when she sang, but would still make a pretty silhouette.

“Aw, it was nothing!”

Sven answered without hesitation.

The dress featured a design that looked like what a shrine maiden would wear when standing before the altar, and resembled a folk costume native to Organbaelz.

The dress was so perfect that it was hard to believe that Sven had made it in four days. But for Sven, the design was the “optimal solution,” generated by collating a vast amount of data.

For example, you could fabricate a novel, if you took countless bits from existing novels and extracted detailed patterns from their common elements to create a template. However, the result would just be an approximation. It might succeed once or twice, but it wouldn’t make you a renowned author whose work would be remembered by future generations.

“I can’t sing. I can manage an approximation of singing, but no more than that.”

Although Sven was close to human, singing was beyond her powers.

“That’s why only you can do this, Hilde. Work at it.”

“But I’m... your enemy.”

Hilde’s desire to kill Lud was fading. She was already asking herself whether she could continue as a soldier.

But there was still something she couldn’t get past. Just as Sven couldn’t sing no matter how much she might want to, Hilde was unable to give up her feud with Lud and Sven.

“Do what you believe in from the bottom of your heart.”

Sven’s comment was casual. Sven would have secretly destroyed anything that posed a danger to her master.

“You don’t seem to have any actual experience fighting.”

“—!”

Hilde cringed at Sven’s truthful observation about Hilde’s weakness in combat.

“What do you think the most important thing is for a soldier?”

“To complete her duty, by carrying out orders to attack the enemy and—”

Sven interrupted her. “That’s only half of it.”

Hilde’s answer was correct if applied only to the military. However, the answer was different for a soldier.

“The most important thing for a soldier is fulfilling her role and that’s all.”

A great warrior once said that the military is like a living creature. Inside a living creature, the heart, lungs, stomach, intestines, blood vessels, and nerves each perform specific functions to support the animal. Likewise, soldiers safeguard an assigned location to support the living thing that is the military, thereby fulfilling their role.

“This isn’t just true for soldiers. Society works the same way. It functions correctly when individuals perform their roles.”

Some people cultivate fields to grow wheat. Blacksmiths make hoes and plows for the wheat farmers. Others transport that wheat, and still others refine it. A baker kneads that wheat into dough to make bread.

There wouldn’t be bread on the table unless all those roles were fulfilled.

“My master makes a living in the role of a baker. The role of a baker is to bake bread, not kill enemies.”

Sven thought about this as she spoke.

Lud hadn’t killed Hilde even though she had tried to kill him. If she tried to kill him again, most likely he would still choose not to kill her.

Eating is living and living is eating. A person would lose the right to make food forever if he were to kill someone. Lud had told her that.

It wasn’t about kindness or compassion. Lud, who had killed so many people that he became a war hero, made that oath so that he could keep on living.

“And the role I chose is to support my master. Therefore, this is also my role to bear.”

“I don’t get it... What are you talking about?”

“Well, I guess you wouldn’t.”

Sven responded to Hilde’s confusion with a bit of sarcasm.

“Not much for thinking, are you? First, just carry out the role in front of you. Then, you might be able to see something else.”

“Do you really think so?”

“That’s how it is for my master.”

Amid the roar of gunfire on the battlefield, the lofty causes of those back home meant nothing. Soldiers just did their best and grasped the slightest hope of surviving that day.

Sven had watched Lud live that truth for a long time.

“That’s all I can tell you. You’ll have to figure out the rest for yourself.”

Sven smiled as she spoke.

This time, her smile was lively and joyful, like a veteran patting the back of a frightened new soldier.

“............”

Hilde reacted suspiciously to Sven’s smile.

“Um, have we met before?”

“What are you talking about? You chased us like crazy in that Teepneuen!”

It wasn’t long ago that Hilde had played a high-stakes game of tag with them at the mine.

“No, it’s not that... I feel like you lectured me this way before.”

“You’re imagining things!”

Sven was quick to laugh this off.

When Hilde had tried to kill them in the mine, Sven had connected to a Hunter Unit and thoroughly “educated” Hilde on how to improve her clumsy battle skills.

This girl is smarter than I thought.

Sven felt a twinge of anxiety as she realized this.

While the girls were fitting the dress and starting to understand each other a little better, Lud and Heidrig were working in the oven room, where the atmosphere was complicated.

“Leave the biscuits we baked. Marlene and Charlotte will come later to help wrap them.”

“Charlotte? Oh, that pretty woman?”

Charlotte was Jacob’s mother. She helped with Tockerbrot’s out-of-town sales. She came to the shop a few times a week, so Heidrig met her before.

“May I ask a question?”

“What is it?”

Heidrig’s voice and face were serious as he asked permission.

However, Lud’s voice was cheerful. He usually grimaced when he wasn’t speaking but Lud’s friendly voice indicated that he was happy.

“What are you thinking?”

Heidrig repeated the question he had asked a few days ago when Lud had hired Heidrig and Hilde, who had come to kill him.

It was true that the bakery needed help. Everyone at the shop was busy over the last few days. Nonetheless, his decision to hire them was extraordinary. It wasn’t what one would expect a hero would do.

“Yes... No, um... How should I explain?”

As he checked the bread in the oven, Lud’s voice was relaxed.

Heidrig usually tried to hide his emotions, but his irritation was evident.

“Forget about that and look at these. I finally finished the new bread for Thanksgiving!”

“Forget about it?”

Lud casually dismissed a matter that affected his very life.

“Are these nussbeugel?”

The bread Lud pulled from the oven was rolled dough shaped into a ring.

“You know nussbeugel? It gave me the idea for making these.”

Lud thought for a moment.

“Let’s see... Shall I call it Maple Autumn?”

“Maple Autumn?”

The bread lined up on the iron tray reminded Heidrig of something.

“Surely that isn’t...”

As Heidrig was about to continue, Lud spoke first.

“You’re not him, are you?”

“—?!”

Because Lud had asked so casually, Heidrig was unable to hide his emotion.

“I knew it.”

Seeing Heidrig’s reaction was enough to confirm Lud’s suspicions.

Why had Lud made Heidrig work with him in the bakery for the past ten days? Now Heidrig understood why. So Lud could ask this question.

He wanted to shock Heidrig to elicit an honest answer, so that Heidrig would be unable to just respond with “What are you talking about?!” or “Hunh?!”

“How did you know? Did you suspect from the beginning?”

Heidrig could no longer stop his voice from trembling.

“Did you know right away that I’m not the Wolf Man?”

Thanksgiving at Organbaelz started in the afternoon. Today, people rested from work and celebrated by drinking and singing. The sound of musical instruments was everywhere, and fireworks were launched into the sky. Food stalls were set up end-to-end, providing drinks and food.

“It sure is spectacular again this year!”

“The puppet show was so much fun!”

Jacob and Milly had joined the celebration right after waking up, and both enjoyed the festival.

“Hey there, you two!”

Sister Marlene called to them as they walked along the main street, which was bustling with entertainment.

Marlene was working at the festival committee booth. The booth offered a new cocktail, and dishes made with vegetables and meat, fresh from the harvest.

“Wow, it all looks delicious!”

Milly’s eyes shone as she looked at the tasty food lined up before her.

“The wurst and klopse were just made. Would you like to try some?”

“You bet I would!!”

Jacob and Milly nodded in unison at Marlene’s question.

“Yum! These are crisp and juicy! I like the boiled one, but I love the grilled one!”

Jacob smiled with joy, his mouth stuffed with wurst.

Wurst was a type of white sausage. It was made of minced lamb and pork, mixed with onion, parsley, lemon, and cardamom. It was juicy and delicious, and difficult to stop eating.

“Y-Yummy! Yummy-yummy!”

The klopse was a meatball stew made with herbs and white sauce that Milly was happily eating.

“There’s also going to be roasted horsemeat, hamburgers and steak.”

“Yahoo! I can’t wait!”

“Mmph-mmph-mmph!”

Organbaelz wasn’t a poor town, but there was only one day a year when the town folk could eat so much meat. That luxury was out of reach for Milly and the orphans living at the church on the hill, and for Jacob and his mother. Milly and Jacob were both still growing, so they stuffed their faces now as if to store up a year’s worth of food.

“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, because 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.

“It turns out she really can smile,” Heidrig mumbled to himself.

He had believed this girl was just like him, yet she was capable of such a radiant expression in just ten days.

“Well, that leaves me no choice...”

Heidrig made up his mind. He would have to do it. There was no other way. He would do it and then he would truly become...

... the Wolf Man.