Chapter 4046: Lighting the Spark (Part 1)

The sanctity of the homes of the Lutians had been violated, and the protection the stone walls were supposed to provide had been tested and found wanting. The Lutians no longer trusted what had been built by the hands of men and placed what remained of their faith in what had been conjured by the spells of mages.

They didn’t say a word as they loitered the streets, waiting to receive a bowl of warm soup for breakfast. The Lutians kept their mouths shut and their children close, their eyes blank as they tried and failed to make sense of the events of the previous night.

The silence was as heavy as in the farmlands, but the despair it carried was suffocating. The reports about similar attacks taking place all over the Kingdom were of no consolation, they only made the future look grimmer.

At least, during the War of the Griffons, everyone knew the position of the two armies, where their battles would take place, and where to go to avoid the conflict. On top of that, Thrud did her best not to harm common citizens.

Even her alliance with the Undead Courts served to keep people compliant and scared, not to butcher them.

The Dead King was different. He could appear anywhere, his troops made no distinction between enemies and civilians, and seeing dozens of mages and soldiers struggle to hold back a single Upyr inspired only dread.

Nobody was safe. Nowhere was safe. There could be no victory against such cruel titans, only a swift or agonizing death.

Fear gripped the hearts of Lutia’s cattle, but it was hopelessness that plagued those of its citizens. The living Lutians envied the dead ones, fearing the Upyrs’ return and wondering if there was any point going on with their lives.

They had no future and no certainty but death.

"Come on, people. I’m alive and so are you. Act like it." Zekell sported his blacksmith clothes instead of the trappings of the All-Father’s high cleric. "Heck, even Vexal is alive."

"What do you mean, even Vexal?" The baker scoffed, his eyes moving from Zekell to the rubble of his house and shop, right next to the blacksmith’s.

"That if even a magicless, greedy bum like you survived the attack of a bunch of fake Divine Beasts, then there’s hope for everyone." Zekell scoffed back.

Even the usual squabble between the blacksmith and the baker failed to spark life back into the Lutians. Very few turned to look at them, and even fewer actually listened to a word Zekell said.

"We both know that if not for our personal miracle-"

"Dad!" Brina cut Vexal short. "Not here, and absolutely not now."

"Fine." The baker replied with an exasperated sigh.

"Thanks." Salman said, making Vexal blush in embarrassment at the ease with which he had almost exposed the secret of his savior despite the promise he had made just the day before.

"Thank the gods your daughter got your talent and her mother’s looks and brains." Zekell looked at the crowd, shaking his head. "As much as I hate to admit it, there’s something only the two of you can do."

"I-"

"Anything. Just say the word." Brina cut her father short again, drawing his stern gaze on her. "Please, Dad."

Vexal was a harsh and stubborn man, but after losing his business and almost losing his life and his family the previous night, there was nothing he wouldn’t do for his daughter.

"Okay." He replied, crossing his arms with an unconvincing scowl on his face.

’I don’t know how long we still have together. I don’t want to spend this time arguing.’ Vexal actually thought.

"Wait a second. I’ll be right back." Zekell bolted to Lith, who was discussing the timeline of Lutia’s rebuilding efforts with the mages of the Association. "I’m sorry to bother you, but I need something that I can’t ask one of your Demons."

Upon his return, Lith had conjured his Demons again and had tasked them to clear the rubble scattered across the city while Menadion used it to repair the still-damaged buildings.

"Don’t worry about that. Just tell me what you need." Lith replied.

Zekell’s house had been thoroughly flattened, and nothing of its many floors was salvageable. Vexal’s house, instead, had suffered only glancing blows. The damage was extensive, and many rooms had collapsed, but the building still stood.

Zekell asked Lith to light and warm the oven, secure the access to the underground jam storage, cleanse the remaining dough from dirt and glass, and whip up as much fresh cream as he could.

Lith understood the blacksmith’s intentions and did as requested, even putting Menadion in charge of the oven.

"This is a waste of my considerable talent, but I’ll do it." She sighed.

"More enchanting, less whining, Mo-enadion." Solus tapped her foot in annoyance.

In less than a minute, the bakery was up and running. Many tools were broken beyond repair, and only the large worktop was in decent condition, but it had to do.

"Gods, my shop looks worse than how my father left it to me." Vexal shook his head.

"That’s not true, Dad." Brina said. "Grandpa could only dream about an oven as big as ours."

"Let alone having it enchanted by me." Menadion grunted. "I’ve kept things simple. You can now light and put out the fire with the press of a rune. The oven temperature is always stable and even across its entire surface. There are no longer hot or cold spots."

"Thank you, Magus Menadion." Vexal gave her a deep bow, and a wide smile formed on his face at the thought of the profits he could make by advertising Menadion’s contribution to his bakery’s products.

Then, he remembered that Lutia was on the verge of collapse. He had no clients and no profits to make.

"What do you want from me, Zekell?" Vexal asked, his smile already gone.

"Bake the quickest and simplest things you can. Forget about your fancy pastries. The only thing that matters is the smell and taste." Zekell replied. "And the quantity. There are a lot of people out there."

"How are my daughter and I supposed to feed an entire city?"

"With a bit of help." Elina, Rena, and Tista joined the fray.

Lith also assigned a few Demons to assist the bakers.

They had no talent or experience in the trade, but they could clean, shape the dough, and perform every basic task with magic. Elina, Tista, and Rena took care of tasting and preparing what they could with their limited skills, leaving to Vexal and Brina only the crucial steps.

"Mom, I want to help too!" Leria pouted.

"And so do I." Solus whined. "But you have no experience in the kitchen, and I have enough to know I would only make things harder for everyone else."

"She’s right, little runt. Cooking is a man’s job." Aran had taken many standard cooking lessons from Elina and even a few magic cooking lessons from Lith. He only needed to conjure a dais to join the line. "Isn’t that right, mister Vexal?"

"Not at all, young man." The baker shook his head. "It’s only a matter of practice and skill."

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