Sweetness in the Rain
They had just put the pie into the kiln to bake when it suddenly began to rain.
"It's raining again," Monia murmured.
"So it is. Fortunately, it's just a light drizzle."
"Yes. I think it will stop soon."
There was no need to retreat inside just because of a little rain. Sheltered beneath the overhanging eaves where the kiln stood, the two of them simply listened to the patter of the falling drops, quietly waiting for the pie to bake. Monia poked at the embers inside the kiln, her gaze drifting out toward the misty drizzle.
"Looking at the rain always reminds me of that day."
"That day?"
"The storm."
"Ah. Was that the first time you'd ever experienced a storm like that?"
"Hmm..." Monia closed her eyes, lost in thought at Chester's question. "Well..."
"What? It wasn't the first?"
"Actually, I think it rained like this when I first went to meet Jordy."
"When was that?"
"When I was five."
"Ah."
When Monia was five. That would have been around the time Chester reigned supreme as the undisputed leader of the village children. As a hunter's son, he had spent his early years roaming the mountains, forging a level of stamina, strength, and mental fortitude that made him a veritable one-man army. He had ruled over the local kids like an invincible general. Until a rival faction emerged a week later to spark a series of mock wars, the village had been Chester's personal empire. For the record, the rebels had been swiftly crushed.
"I was staying at our villa when I was five, and then I was suddenly forced to go meet Jordy just because he was turning five too."
"Really? That must have been annoying. You probably just wanted to play at the villa."
"Not really. Back then, I spent far more time studying with my tutors than playing. It was the same even at the villa."
The daughter of a Duke and the fiancée of a Prince. Naturally, Monia had been subjected to rigorous education from a very young age, leaving her with no time for anything else.
"Besides, as strange as it is to say now, I was basically a doll. Whatever my father commanded, I simply obeyed."
The Duke commands, and she obeys. There was no room for doubt or denial. Her life had been that of a marionette, suspended by strings. She had her own limbs, but they were moved by the master holding the threads. She had her own mouth, but the words that spilled from it were not her own thoughts, but the script written by her ruler.
"On our way back to the royal capital from the villa, we got caught in a massive downpour on a mountain pass. The rain was absolutely torrential back then, too."
"On a mountain pass? That sounds like a nightmare."
"The coachman and the knights were the ones who suffered. I just sat quietly inside the carriage."
As she spoke, Monia's expression grew somewhat somber.
"Thinking back on it now... when we finally arrived at the capital and I stepped out of the carriage, I think there were fewer knights than when we started... Yet, I never once offered them an apology or my gratitude."
"You were only a child. Your memory might just be playing tricks on you," Chester offered gently.
Monia merely shook her head at his attempt to comfort her.
"I'm actually very smart, you know."
"Pfft!"
Chester snorted, unable to help himself at her sudden boast.
"...What is it?"
"Pfft, haha! No, ha! Hahaha! No, it's nothing! Hahaha! Nothing at all! Pffft-hahaha!"
"How rude! Stop laughing!"
"Hehehe."
"Take this!"
Monia lunged at Chester, only to be effortlessly subdued.
Having been pinned, Monia naturally shifted from her spot opposite him to sit snugly right by his side. She looked up at him and asked,
"What about you, Chester? Do you have any memories of the rain?"
"Rain? Plenty. I spent half my childhood in the forests and mountains with my father."
Chester smiled, looking out at the falling rain. The drizzle had thickened slightly, but the overall intensity of the shower was actually beginning to wane.
It'll probably stop in ten or twenty minutes.
"I have a lot of memories, but the most memorable one has to be that time."
"What happened?"
"My father and I were sheltering from a storm in a hideout we'd built on the mountain. The rain was so heavy I knew it was dangerous, and sure enough, a landslide triggered and buried our shelter."
"Gasps."
Monia's face turned pale at his words.
"A-Are you alright?"
"Huh? Of course I am. Otherwise, how would I be sitting here?"
Chester patted her shoulder reassuringly to soothe her worries.
"The hideout we were using was actually a cave."
"Oh, I see."
"We didn't know the layout, but my father and I navigated through the tunnels until we found another exit and made it out."
"A cave..."
"Do you know how to escape a cave? You make a torch and read the direction of the wind. If the flame flickers and sways instead of burning straight, it means there's a draft—and a draft means an opening to the outside."
Chester went on to describe the strange creatures they had encountered underground and the terrifyingly massive swarms of bats they had to dodge. Monia listened, her fear melting into soft laughter.
Click! Click-clack! A man was trying to light a pile of gathered twigs.
Click-clack! The moment he pressed down hard, forcing the two crystals at the tip of the cylindrical tool together, a sharp shower of sparks flew out and struck the wood.
Click! It was a Matchlock Lighter. It was the most expensive item he had managed to acquire before being exiled to the Floating Island—a cheap, secondhand piece discarded by some noble family. Because of its poor condition, it didn't produce a steady flame but merely spat sparks like this.
Click-clack! Fortunately, the sparks were quite intense, allowing even a man who hadn't properly prepared tinder to easily start a fire.
"It caught!"
The man was currently inside a cave. While climbing the rugged mountain, he had spotted the cavern opening and decided to step inside for a brief rest.
He had snapped off some branches growing near the cave entrance to build his fire, and was now rummaging through his bag to pull out his meager remaining rations.
Ever since he lost his machete, hunting for food had become impossible. Consequently, his emergency rations were the only thing keeping him alive.
They were dry, bland, and utterly tasteless—the kind of desiccated food that made your mouth feel so parched you half-expected your gums to crack and bleed. Fortunately, a stream of clear water trickled along the side of the cave, allowing him to wash down his grim meal.
"I have no idea when this rain will stop."
Outside, the rain continued to fall. It was a light shower that would likely pass quickly, but even a small amount of moisture made the rocks treacherous, rendering the mountain climb impossible. There were no wide, established paths on this peak—only narrow, unstable ledges. Attempting to ascend while the stone was wet was a one-way ticket to a fatal fall. Even a novice explorer like him knew that much. After all, everyone had slipped on a wet rock in a creek and taken a tumble as a child.
"I want some real meat..."
He chewed on another piece of ration. The dry biscuit crumbled into powder in his mouth, instantly absorbing every drop of saliva.
"Ugh!"
The man hastily gulped water from his canteen. After quenching his thirst, he laid the canteen sideways in the trickling stream to let it refill naturally.
He took stock of his remaining possessions, but the inventory was depressingly short. He had lost almost all of his gear. All he had left was a single knife, his Matchlock Lighter, three days' worth of emergency rations, and a spare pair of boots. That was it.
It was a pathetic fall from grace compared to his grand arrival on the Floating Island, when his backpack had been bursting with pristine tools and abundant supplies. Of course, even in this state, he was still technically better off than Chester and Monia, who had been exiled with absolutely nothing but the clothes on their backs.
"Tsk, this tastes like garbage."
Having finished his miserable meal, the man pondered his next move. Should he climb back out into the dangerous, rain-slicked exterior? Or should he venture deeper into the pitch-black depths of this cave?
"..."
The man was blissfully ignorant of the dangers that lurked within caves. Thus, solely because the flat ground seemed easier to walk on and therefore "safer," he decided to head inside.
A moment later, his figure vanished into the absolute darkness of the cavern.
"Is it done?"
Chester cleared away the stones blocking the kiln's opening and carefully pulled out the pie.
The crust, which had been pale and white when it went in, had baked to a deep, rich golden brown. The bottom was slightly charred, with patches of black soot here and there.
Well, the bottom didn't matter much. The real masterpiece was the top. The tightly packed, salted sugar-fruits and the honey glaze coated over them had caramelized beautifully in the heat, deepening in color and glistening with a mouthwatering sheen.
"Ohhh."
"It's a pie! A real pie! It turned out perfectly!"
"Hold your horses. We have to taste it first."
Leaving the ecstatic Monia to her excitement, Chester used two sturdy twigs to lift the pie and gently set it down onto a broad leaf. He then drew his claw knife and sliced the pie cleanly in half.
As the blade parted the crust, the trapped heat rushed out, releasing a thick, fragrant plume of steam.
"Wow... it smells so sweet."
Chester and Monia each took a half in their hands and carefully took a bite.
To start, the crust was incredibly hard—less like a traditional flaky pastry and more like an overbaked cookie. But it wasn't completely rock-solid, so they bit down firmly, letting the flavors wash over their palates.
As they chewed, the tough crust softened, soaking up the rich juices oozing from the crushed sugar-fruits.
The subtle saltiness of the cured sugar-fruits, the rich sweetness of the honey, and the gentle tang of the fruit itself blended together, creating a wonderfully complex and satisfying flavor.
"Mmm."
"Mmm..."
They closed their eyes, savoring the taste for a long moment before finally swallowing and looking at each other.
"Not bad. What do you think?"
"It's delicious! If our farming succeeds, we can make things like this all the time, right?"
"Exactly."
"I'm going to work my hardest!"
Monia's motivation for farming instantly doubled.