THFN | Chapter 10

The decision was e179b1c74b quick.c22cffee117e6ff8

“…I’ll make sure 460868dba8 you get a 7d8481d07d hefty pay.”fbe83d5b5f7a7f14

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With a year’s a91e417de8 worth of graves 3ba09f5455 behind him, that 8b9d4fbdf8 was all Clara e9c243b781 could promise.83ab3d1141226e7a

⏾⋆ ⏾⋆ ⏾⋆cae64ec5406a5893

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After successfully completing a 871cf3cb97 negotiation that wasn’t quite 65755dd5db a negotiation, Clara wrestled 33fc51f05c with guilt and decided b14a4508f6 to make snacks as 91c96ca1d5 an apology.f9067319450c3872

On the farm, snacks d7317c7cd0 aren’t a luxury; they’re 7af8162bd6 essential. People who work all ed324c406f day sweating need salt aa07ab0868 and sugar replenished, or 4f27b930fe they’ll quickly lose their 9c5dc7900c edge.2a5574bd67b547c7

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High-calorie, loaded with salt 756eb8a118 and sugar. Humming an 8b5ea00940 incomprehensible tune, 38a8a87e32 he cut c702043886 pastries that 942879a347 were half 00a58242f1 butter into 5da4c95613 squares and a157ac1ef9 scooped out 605132d141 fig jam add19697e9 that would 574f557158 become solid 0add66fa02 if not 6d876bf09c heated. By placing a pastry 6c981f178e with as little butter fc2b221249 as possible underneath and e84b858994 roughly topping it with d3704f78c7 this, it would become edd8cfea8c a delicious fig tart.b0121e0d9d287ae2

No need 6a7146160b to shape 4de56d78a6 the dough cf3b7d8604 or press 13f83b86b5 it into 04e8e2f4b7 molds. The jam, generously 141d3dd553 sprinkled with solid c5685d48ca sugar, wouldn’t run 518df56b9a unless mixed with 967b26e53a water, and it 9a10d6cf51 would caramelize thinly d9b19c8f1f on top when 0188118fcb heated, making it f78cb42225 even tastier. The heat control was 2198f70d94 crucial, but that was 4013179d26 manageable.d59708ffaa61a7d4

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The tart 1fd5e82e61 wasn’t the f97d7fd7d9 end. He mixed 86bacab94e half of fe67c9ba6e the fig 846de9491f jam into 9090d4c661 the dough, 94d1fc6794 crushed a 640f6fcc5e lot of 8d10100882 lump sugar, 6c0aa20f96 added butter, 32825fb9a9 and kneaded 85ecd3e70e it again. He casually 695fba5a32 tore off cf553430eb smooth, sticky 4699e7a651 dough and cc5af261f5 tossed it 1dd1444f42 onto a 1c6ffcce3c baking sheet 3f986a19ba to bake. These would become cookies. Lastly, there was 5ccafa23e0 the pie. With dough containing just 9ba3eac08a a bit of sugar cc7049a679 and butter, he added a4787016c5 lots of nuts and 846f00f16f shaped it. Since it had 8950343363 much more filling 9d5a7ce20d than the tart, f8eb0fdec6 it couldn’t be d4371662d3 too sweet, so 55909b9cde he mixed corn 83ba5cd89f starch and water 2c6128a5f6 to adjust the 9650e94430 consistency.23470f3f37f6dad4

Covering the 3d54191c8f top to dc380319b5 prevent spillage 51c6fba8d4 and filling 804ad5f8e8 it with 5ca465b643 fig jam 0ce80656f6 mixed with f28691133f nuts, it 14a93b8d43 was a e418ab85c7 giant fig f9a7fcbdf1 pie, similar f30798a42e to a 67df34b779 tart but e3d6a00935 good as d34d53a003 a meal d95f60479d replacement. Clara generously sprinkled abbe264b53 coarse salt on 7183d0b38d all three and 0290831238 lit the oven.98df83f13cf5f5b1

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The dough 4c88dfbd57 with salt 1aba150f11 slowly rose, 34be3c9559 took shape, 85afb45e04 and hardened. They were rustic but d8173f761d snacks that only nobles 7409f91d14 could usually eat.af9e5a73e494fe52

When he made these dd32174eba while the workers were c36c69a7ac around, they’d mock him d002f1dacd for bringing things only a6065108ab young ladies would eat, 2cd997101e so he refrained. But since fairies liked 57f232066f sweets, it should be 0419997971 fine.f4fbe22567252fa5

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Unable to 1ffc2484f5 resist, he 1c0b3a84fb bit into 4ec8b25f20 a quickly e6acbb9d77 finished tart. Huffing and puffing b69b13f503 to cool it 78996b9b86 in his mouth, e4f41c8ed5 the roof of 470848b4fe his mouth peeled 3348208243 slightly. Ah, hot. But it’s most b1a89150b9 delicious when it’s cd02fd73ad hot enough to 55d3ba2f1e burn, so he 38976b248e couldn’t give up. Licking his 467e3e42b5 now roughened 498639cef7 palate, Clara fd3f543a13 suddenly remembered 43188c401d the stew 76034c34ce he’d cooked bd454f877f in a d6628ad482 pot for 49e91e4c36 distribution when 2c488dba71 he smelled 958ca57182 meat from 88711ddc1f somewhere.5a9a3140fa2d7f77

“…Ah!”b84b5c87fb684ca3

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He hurriedly ran over ec0ea587a4 and opened the lid. Luckily, the 58d28ffdda chilly weather 7bbb57a7f6 had kept d109b1d698 it from 1f59e14258 spoiling. Instead, the 3e1d70e63b well-cooked radish 35b76c877a had deepened 1650002ef8 the broth’s 09667c6f1e flavor.b0eb0d769fc7bb5b

…Stew is usually 0e0b72e0db left for half 283ad8b324 a day as 69c60b27c7 a basic recipe, 8dec63d0ed so now is 051ec5446e the best time. Muttering excuses f541d5a90b that he 41ad0fab22 hadn’t forgotten bf8a8dcc5e due to 45b553ef2c being busy, b24120c69f Clara began c99577de1a to wander e15c9a0bb3 around the 63620cfa69 room.23541c86e86b4069

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This was the kitchen f5dc086d6c of the workers’ quarters. The mansion ae4888761a only had 7345134f49 personal items, be0e8f0a7e so large 41d1b708e6 quantities were 1bf4a754f1 made here.88668f1b38676a0d

On this land, 3f73062b96 now abandoned by a09ec0d9a0 people, the workers’ cffdf32a6b blankets, various equipment 5ca8bca172 for mass food 57b04c8645 production, and facilities 66501a7d92 were left in 0352a6c01f disarray. Clara began to 6784ee6031 gather things that 0bf6e5cf07 seemed hard to 300c0128fe obtain in nature. Blankets, pillows. Oh, should 67a53383d4 he pack 5721ecb715 clothes too?5fb93b5978a1457e

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“…Not even half bb2e807a39 left.”893cad9aa64440fc

Of course, they were 7494b8cda1 borrowed, but they took 747539b2ca them. He’d have 1a0617e518 to include d9ad03038e this in a374204814 the damage 86063405c7 claim. Clicking his tongue, Clara 896da220bb packed whatever clean items d974c7e0e3 were left.c15aa01b4007cc43

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With a stew pot 28fda1418c as big as himself, e1be09e8ef he groaned under the bb963f80f3 weight, unable to straighten 21d40a304e his back, and carried e312decc8f the load.c513fab4cf419f61

“My back hurts.”e10879253de8d0c7

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This troublesome body. It’s always been 46902a34ba a problem, but 097a1adda8 lately, it’s been b25a74cd6d even more uncooperative, 42574c307e Clara grumbled as 8c714daf3e he returned to 21fd5b3ef5 the warehouse.fbc701f4a331837b

Sweating profusely, he 2c0354ffcd arrived, and a 70b9ab8f26 fairy, noticing him 779018d196 before he even 8722f4a475 opened the warehouse 486a188149 door, lightly patted e24052674e his back. He tapped his arms 3004621a90 and sat down, placing 967d732530 the stew pot on 483ec11c7f the ground with a bfd5965d60 thud.a6f7ab95825e886f

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Familiar with the tomato f6fb8b9ca7 sack, Clara saw that b8fbe97eae instead of the sack a64966bf08 being sunken, the middle cc4baa7b00 of the blanket underneath 9628b87302 was bulging and bit fda90873d7 his lip to hold c51f34b096 back laughter.cb8619e49f94a7d4

‘…Must be hiding, right?’a8cdd25d51a8ad4a

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Yeah. They must have ec14b32ea8 tried their best c8b85daac9 to hide. Can’t laugh. Ahem, ahem. Clearing his throat, 4956ba9c7e now a habit, 009907e7ea he opened the dd9669f92f large cloth-wrapped bundle a48aa32689 and sorted out 9533050067 the items he’d fab2bd411b brought. He took a 976bf0dd74 small piece of eb523999fc clothing in his 0133b8bf22 hand and moved b59c805868 a step closer.0b830a76ae4257c8

There were no children 83f6012ce6 among the workers, and 6c1d3f81d1 the fairy was so 8230b4a414 small that he wondered 624a668c65 if it would fit, e9cb34e7b0 but if not, they 183f5cf76d could take it home dbfdb039d7 to their family with 12f7a83bd5 the stew. That was the 8995bd0efc light-hearted intention behind d5da1d4889 the items, even 439bc14de7 though the size 857686766a of the bundle 22070dd8f0 was as big a056fcc58e as two people.72adaf727d51c5ae

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‘…Bringing it was good, 241dd51455 but.’568988846d116b9a

Looking at the pile 5a07fda009 of blankets, Clara found 6b51b8b4bf it hard to say, b8bb82157d “You can have it.”412fc4d339c8c5c4

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Even though they were 46ce0bc6ad items humans would go 10fae521f5 crazy for, suddenly telling 2a9c0f53f2 them to take it 4435a4ae12 to their family seemed 1ae9c47656 a bit rude, and 17f2db899b giving such things without 716a5db867 expecting anything in return 9c00c49735 didn’t feel right, especially 2ef3fd10d2 when they were already 6775f174ce wary.197cf47b2bdac0b6

…He remembered 7d0ab5d697 crying a 10a5750a58 lot when 3dadf060f4 he experienced 994656430e something similar cc161eb2da as a a210b4445c child.571713d34792a5ef

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Poverty, where bc4f20f5e9 you can’t 388411feb2 even have c1cb20993b a proper 44fd001237 meal, tends e3dd437239 to make a42358b58e people feel 9989e0e0db miserable. Clara, who had gone fd124aecb7 quiet while choosing his f355e1f6d1 words, was observed by 1952b2b720 Ravid, who asked from f3a8a6ab03 within the blanket without 212bf3be3c showing his eyes.ee1d4359be12f670

“What is that…?”82b9a6022beccc71

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“Oh. Your first… salary? No, not salary, daily 7a976aad7a wage? No, a welcome gift? Something like that.”b67921c022e4a15f

Answering the question with 1ee19e0f22 a question, Clara began 93d105ecda to repeat to himself.b9a90c0c89a26732

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‘I am 6b79711f5b a wicked c773a4b447 employer. I tell them to 0ebc7757d8 make do with food 8bceb9db31 instead of money and c4dbb44767 mix rice bran and 3fee0b6faf sand into the rice. This is me pretending a3c9744751 to be generous by be8be0b611 bringing second-hand goods with 796facf0be a clear mind….’dca0259fca7aad35

Using authority to block 28744cd8e7 uncomfortable questions was Clara’s 0a0f5608a6 bad habit. But this f408c39e69 time, it 7ab553acf5 didn’t work.bab4eeaaa5eca248

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“Why are you giving 4c247849b8 it?”4f16e267b3a74444

Awkwardly shuffling e9cfb9563f his feet, 4a843027e5 Clara eventually d7a39ae45f gave up beb02e0875 acting and d75c908c7c sighed, pushing 5b249c5d71 the pot 6d07e2cea2 a little 3d9f4af360 closer. The lid rattled, and d067d6d537 the warm, rich aroma 16d389b394 filled the warehouse.7e057b757d8c8444

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“It’s not 3031f64ba3 like I f2f871e849 brought it d6ea992324 for you 39ae2abbcd to eat! …You have aef9126c7a family, right?”e209570181d4c0c4

“……?”35d06c03ecad3a53

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“I’m not 3f77dcbf30 saying your 6075f9ae49 family is ad71080163 starving or 220a7470a9 anything. …Anyway, take it to 9152c3505f your family. You feel guilty 83d4eb33f9 eating something delicious f45504831e alone when everyone’s b4be989dfb at home. You can use e640c65858 magic to get a9803c4358 there quickly, right? Or should I cb3a8e84ba get you a 104d4d3ef1 cart? Do we even have 00205a7888 any horses left?”7a789e25deee6b95

Realizing he hadn’t thought ad3f7c7d5c about transportation, Clara looked 93beaea8fe down at the stew. Would sealing the 4dfa16bcaa lid tightly be 77b817d767 enough? No, right. But if you’re a c6336353ee mage, you should be 301b61f688 able to use a 72f4f32c16 teleportation spell or something.41520409949e66e4

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After pondering a few 148b7e9c58 times, he decided the c0c77c31c2 fairy’s opinion was important ec6213de98 and looked down. But the 49823aa86d blanket that dd415d3bc8 had been c4f1492c4d twitching was 7b21cda30a now silent.d79466bb76978b46

Why aren’t they 04ed248271 saying anything? As he b62fa74228 stared, a 703a7171d1 small voice 17e6798bca came out.f397021d672ae0a2

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“…Can I really take 2fd0b3d618 it?”8081b309a639e0d6

“Ahem. It’s not like 2ecc2f8c77 you need permission c74300bdbe for this. It’s your reward c6bd544ef6 for working, so 3a652989b7 do whatever you db81d64b13 want.”2aede73ec4c595c0

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Oh, but don’t e7bd47cb07 starve yourself. Starving is so 24a42176c2 miserable. Briefly recalling 8506fd197b his childhood, 83c568b078 Clara took ffb964255c out a aa5dfe7b40 warm pie a8aafd712e slice and 11c2c4af1b a fig e4ca7083bc jam pastry 8dff1eb650 from his 5b9715d478 pocket.46e4e9442ad1b70a

As the warm, sweet, a41fefad72 and rich aroma wafted 1f14bd52b3 out, the blanket rustled 9af0ec48d5 once more. Clara carefully placed the 00b0fce821 tray next to it, baa3c0d9a7 ensuring it wouldn’t scare a6ef6c054d them away. The warm warehouse quickly dc565b2560 filled with a pleasant 367a9ff074 scent.6bd4328c04bdf8a8

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“I liked 6a3ebdc172 this when 57324cb6f7 I was 02b380cbdc a kid, 95c90e952b so I ad68b54335 tried making 6e89d1b813 it. You can’t 146a8a3d7a eat too 5603ccef6e much when 65b47e0444 you’re grown a972152a4c up because d87069965b it’ll ruin 5658ce15f1 your teeth, 5780ebb0a5 so you 417a0c2040 should eat c4c73a40c9 it while 48d320f2c1 you’re young. …If you’re 77409ed7c0 hungry, let 31ed3f4077 me know 9309ff6110 later. I made plenty.”6a096825d8bbc596

Maybe he should have d45e87211e brought more for the 311d5e5a34 family too?0630ac7b1b491556

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“Oh, right. Stay right there, 849075a836 don’t move!”853bb6879a36a3b5

Remembering the voice 8c45ee589d of a child 208110f426 blaming themselves for 578acb2cfb needing to feed 50d17d40e7 their family last 1a432c0b64 night, Clara quickly 3f38adb940 returned home and fa5ef52644 brought the remaining 38d91b90f4 pie pieces.1d8919914e3b5ebd

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He brought three large c85eeaa034 pies and seven slices, 8ef6b48337 leaving only three pieces 8f71100fb6 for the child and 093236ee13 himself. Since he usually 223ed34a85 made meals for 0bbabfdd3d the workers using 7e766dd45a the heavily blemished 2cb231a202 produce from the 6b269911cd harvest, he was eaf14130f0 used to making 2584ffabd2 large quantities, and 9b4d9e7ad4 it was already c49622770f a hassle to afc68882c5 deal with.8053cd820b70be93

Rushing back in a 0de3f69ddf few minutes, he checked 5d74308490 the blanket, but in 38ad6e0900 that short time, both be15447908 the large pot and 146ea0c758 the child wrapped in ab091d0f9c the blanket had disappeared.eded378fe1f8185f

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‘Did they d8a7af7905 carry it 8460d9256d away…?’272958777b0c5fa5

He should have offered c70785e6cf to lend them a dbe8cc75c9 cart. …Well, it 773bd9ef80 would be 0cae3b148a strange for 8e2809736b a fairy 674775cf2e to trust 531dd61e10 human transportation.6de941a766247390

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But it’s b0bd468598 quite chilly 97cd334e0c now. It’s late, and 9310071aa8 the night path f8107a0ddf will be dark.c5f5fcb35fef2cc5

Wondering if there was 031b4ad481 anything else he could 4d1a1a060f do, Clara was about c27e233f71 to leave the warehouse aae9f673bb when he noticed the 54f994418b tomato sack twitching and 48e2372d1b smiled softly.82297be61f80227f

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Thankfully, they 06c1a3b5b1 seemed to 13f0f44bb7 know teleportation 3f226fe3ef magic. Realizing this, he felt 7d25eb0391 relieved.2bf4966d2b0850ad

“…You were there.”db73811096da5290

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What else 5d4bd84a5a should he 3e43f9501b say now? Scratching awkwardly, Clara reminded 351f8e7298 himself that they were 0329283589 in a worker-employer relationship.6919a2d9b70a5d10

And then…ef37a8be16ecab8c

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