CH 18

༺ The Pastry Club that Can’t Bake (4) ༻

If one person took a step forward, you could say that one person was standing out. But if two began standing out, everyone had to begin moving. Two would become three, and three would end up becoming four.

That’s why Lather entering the competition shook the race.

Erich, who was trying to obtain the title of the only one who shared the same hobby, wasn’t able to block Lather because it made no sense that he would stop a club member of the pastry club from baking. Erich had actually done well by preventing it until now, so he should at least be satisfied with having obtained points by himself up to this point. 

As Erich and Lather stood next to Louise, the other three were forced to participate. That’s how the club turned into a real pastry club.

Actually, even thinking such thoughts is a bit self-deprecating. While it can be said that the race was shaking up the pattern and evolving, in the end, it was a late start on something that should’ve been done earlier. 

‘The future of the continent is bright…’

What a bunch of idiots. To think that they are the most important people on the continent.  

I felt like the continent’s future was as bright as the bald head of the 3rd Manager.

As I silently watched over the six people, my eyes met with Lather’s. He greeted me awkwardly, so I just nodded in response. He then cleaned the plates and returned to Louise’s side. After our last conversation, Lather had been acting cautiously. 

He was also probably ashamed. After all, he’d asked me to stop advising my family member. At that moment, Erich had the advantage. Although that would make the competition harder, it was still an unpleasant sight. 

Lather was probably desperate to stop Erich, but after calming down, he probably realized that he looked pathetic.

Of course, I didn’t care. It was better for me that they were being obedient. The little peace I gained in exchange for his dark history gave me great satisfaction. 

“Is it really your first time?”

I turned my head around after hearing Louise’s voice. She was looking at the cookies that Tannian had made. It seemed like he’d even decorated the plate, so it looked quite good.

But do cookies even need plating? Isn’t leaving it in a jar good enough?

“Thankfully, I’m good with my hands. Not only that but since sister Lousie is so good at teaching, I was able to do it easily.”

Regardless of my thoughts, Tannian seemed to be in a better mood than usual as he replied with a faint smile, probably because of Louise’s attention. It was a small happiness considering he was a candidate to become a Saint.

Or maybe it was, considering that among God’s teachings, there was a saying that said that one must be humble. 

While I mulled this over, the other members also began putting their cookies on the table. Tannian had definitely done a good job. The appearance seems to be on par with Louise’s. Is this what you call talent?

It seems like the others were also thinking similarly to me, staring at Tannian’s cookies with disapproval. It was weird that they were getting jealous of the cookies, but at least it seemed like they hadn’t reached a point where they hated each other. So as an advisor, I was satisfied. As long as they didn’t fight each other, it was okay.

“Now let’s eat!”

Louise said after gathering the cookies they’d baked. Yes, this is what you call a club. Up until now, it was Louise’s one-person show.

While they were eating, I looked from a distance. There were many cookies on the shelf that I could eat, so I didn’t need to join them. After all, Louise liked to bake a lot to the point where it fills up faster than it decreases.  

‘You bastards.’

And my cookie jar, which had never become empty after the club was formed, would be filled today. Among the six’s cookies, only the ones Louise made weren’t decreasing. 

The guys that ate some of Louise’s cookies out of courtesy suddenly stopped touching her cookies as if they’d reached an agreement. At first, I thought that maybe I’d seen it wrong, but after seeing the other plates getting empty, I realized I’d seen right. This isn’t a food club, so why were they acting as if it were one?

I was starting to feel embarrassed, so I looked at Louise. However, she was busy talking with the other five, so it seemed like she hadn’t noticed. That’s good. I was worried she’d feel betrayed and embarrassed. 

“Did you leave these for me? To think that you care so much about your Advisor, thanks.”

Still, if left unattended, Louise might notice, so I sneaked up and took the whole plate. It’s a lot more than usual today… I’m going to be full after eating this. 

As I picked up the plate that everyone was avoiding, the five pairs of eyes looked at me as if I were their savior. Louise also became happy after seeing that I had taken her plate of cookies.

“I thought that oppa liked it, so I made more than usual!”

Yes, I noticed that…

“I think that Oppa is kind.”

“Why are you saying that so suddenly?”

* * *

As the club time ended and the club room began to quiet down, Tannian stayed behind and talked to me. Not only that, but he said something I wasn’t used to hearing.

“Weren’t you once again considerate with sister Louise?”

Tannian’s words that were spoken with a smile were even more difficult to understand. Why am I not aware of what consideration I showed? If I didn’t know that, then what was the point? I’m not yet a senile person. 

“If you thought that’s being considerate, why didn’t you join me?”

You son of a bitch. Not doing it when you actually knew it is the worst.

With everyone gone, I could finally put down the plate after eating all of the cookies in it. How could I put it down, when the kid who said she made more because she thought I liked them was staring at me like that?

As I frowned because of the sweet taste that lingered in my mouth, Tannian lowered his head while smiling.

“I’m sorry, brother. Some things are harder than others, even with my best efforts. I’ll be more careful from now on.”

“I’ll be expecting that.”

“Haha. I wouldn’t call it a substitute, but if you don’t mind, can I tell brother’s future instead?”

I was organizing the plates when I stopped.

“My future?”

“If you’re okay with it.”

Tannian was saying that he would perform something similar to fortune-telling. However, since this was a world with a God and holy power, its trustworthiness was higher than my previous world’s. Only a small number of priests with strong faith and holy power could do it, so I had never received one before. 

“Please.”

But the future that a Saint sees? It was great, no matter how I look at it. It would be a perfect opportunity to check out my luck, which had gotten as twisted as possible.

After seeing my change in attitude, Tannian burst into a laugh. 

Was it because he told me he’d look at my future? His credibility increased as he seemed to see an expert who was faithful to his duties. I’m sorry for thinking you were a sly fellow.

“In reality, I could see brother’s future from the first moment I saw you. There are sometimes people whose future I can see just by looking at them.”

“I see.”

“In cases like that, even with a blessing, I cannot interfere with it.”

“…”

Why are you saying that? You’re making me anxious.

As I looked silently at Tannian, he shrugged and kept talking.

“There’s good news and bad news. It doesn’t matter which you hear first, so I will tell you in order.”

“It doesn’t matter. I’ll listen.”

“You won’t face any trials that are impossible for you to overcome.” 

“That’s good news.”

Even now, I was already struggling, so if a catastrophic trial were to come, I might really lose my mind. However, Tannian’s words gave me a little hope and eased my mind. 

“However, you may still face trials that are close to impossible to overcome.” 

Ah, fuck.

I almost cursed out loud. It seemed like Tannian felt a little apologetic for saying such things, and he continued before I could protest. 

“I was thinking about whether I should tell you this or not. After all, a blessing can’t help you with what will happen, and in the first place, the future isn’t set in stone. I’m just a creation of God. How can we, as creatures, see through what the divine has predicted? I was hesitant to say anything that would unnecessarily trouble your mind.” 

He was right because my mind had become incredibly confused. 

I wasn’t able to open my mouth. So instead, Tannian did. 

No, stop. I’m afraid of what you might say.

“I’ll say it again, but the future isn’t set in stone. We might be able to see the future, but we cannot guarantee that what we’ve seen is correct. In fact, there are records of Popes and Prophets who have seen the future incorrectly.” 

“I see.”

That’s really comforting… 

Tannian left, leaving me alone in the club room. 

“Even if a difficult trial comes to you, don’t be discouraged and go forward, as it is a trial that you can overcome with your own abilities.” 

Tannian’s last words lingered in my ears. He said encouraging me was his goal rather than telling me about my future. He said he was looking for the opportunity to tell me before, but couldn’t find the right time to tell me. 

However, according to him, the future could be wrong. So does that mean that there’s a chance that something worse could happen? If so, would I be able to defeat it without hesitating?

I sighed. I thought that today would be another normal and safe day, but suddenly, the Saint candidate told me, ‘Your fate is screwed. It’ll be tough, but there’s no way to help you. I’m sorry.’

Of course, just like Tannian said, the future wasn’t set in stone, so I can just take it as something unpleasant a fortune teller told me. However, that fortune teller’s identity was Nostradamus. Damn it.

I almost sighed again, but I closed my mouth and got up from my seat. Well, I never thought that I was lucky, to begin with. Thinking that I just heard something obvious made me feel better. Expectations are disappointing in the first place, so what was I expecting? 

After sorting out my thoughts, I returned to my lodging and finished the day. 

“Prosecutor. That…”

When the Vice Principal entered the club’s room the next day, I realized that what Tannian had told me would be happening soon.