Chapter 46

It had been a month since the last visit to the haunted house, and it looked completely transformed.

"Wow... This is amazing...!"

"It's beautiful... Incredible...!"

The moment Jill and Carol stepped inside, the scent of new wood tickled their noses.

The door frame that Karappa had accidentally broken was neatly replaced, and the floorboards, reflecting the sunlight, shone brightly.

On the other hand, a meticulously polished walnut table sat at the back of the room. Its substantial and seasoned presence exuded a charm that would make it suitable for a café.

"Master, thank you very much!"

"Hehe, this renovation of the haunted house has really boosted our reputation."

A sturdy, buzz-cut carpenter smiled proudly.

"But, Master... Wasn't it because you boasted at Roland's place, saying, 'I'll take on the haunted house!' when you were drunk? You were pretty down on the first day, weren't you?"

"Besides, the ghosts were exorcised, so we didn't really do much, did we?"

The carpenter's apprentices muttered with exasperated faces.

"Ugh, shut up! The other carpenters were scared too, you know!"

In fact, when they planned the renovation, they encountered the problem of not being able to hire any carpenters. Surprisingly, many carpenters were superstitious, and no matter whom they asked, they would refuse, saying, "I don't want to touch a haunted house."

That's when Matthew came up with a plan. The carpenters who frequented Roland's place often visited. Matthew deliberately let it be known that "modern carpenters are too superstitious and troublesome," "no one will touch the haunted house because they're afraid of ghosts," and "brave craftsmen like in the old days are really rare." The carpenters, as Matthew had hoped, took the bait and boasted that they weren't afraid of ghosts.

The next day, when the carpenter was sober and more level-headed, Jill, Carol, and Roland visited him. Jill offered a higher reward than the market rate and assured him there were no evil spirits, while Carol earnestly explained her predicament. Roland added, "It's a favor for someone who has helped us a lot," and the carpenter had no choice but to agree.

(I feel a bit guilty, like we tricked him...)

When Jill whispered this to Carol, Carol smiled wryly.

"The stove, the counter table, and the prominent scratches have been fixed, but not much else. The original structure was solid, and I thought it would last longer if we didn't tamper with it too much. However, almost everything else has been renovated."

"Understood."

"By the way, the stove is an older type of magical device. It has functions to make the 'Ignition' spell last longer and to adjust the heat, but you have to provide the fire source yourself."

"Okay, got it."

"If there are any issues, feel free to come anytime."

"Thank you so much. Here, have a cake. Please share it with everyone later."

"Ah, always a pleasure!"

Carpenters, due to their physically demanding work, often have a sweet tooth. Jill had been bringing pastries to the construction site regularly as a gesture of gratitude. The carpenter and his apprentices, who looked forward to Jill's pastries, happily took them back.

"Alright, Carol, shall we take a break?"

"Ah, is that okay?"

"Yes. I have something to show you. I'll make some tea, so please sit down."

With that, Jill started preparing everything efficiently. She unpacked the items she brought from the house and began setting up.

"I'll help!"

"No need. I'll make some tea while I'm at it. Please wait a moment."

Jill took out a paper box from her bag and placed the contents on a plate. In no time, she set the pastries and tea on the counter table.

"Here you go."

"Th-this is...!"

What Jill presented was a cake from Andromarius, officially named 'Gâteau Magic.' However, the plate it was served on was peculiar.

The pure white plate had golden lightning-like streaks, and the teacup and saucer also had similar golden streaks.

"These are the plates and cups you entrusted to me before. I fixed them like this."

"Amazing...!"

Jill's goal was to restore the plates and cups to fit the town's culture and the island's traditions. However, she judged that simply using the kintsugi technique would be hard to accept.

The island's aesthetic did not favor imperfections. So, Jill came up with the idea of combining the imperfect patterns with the food to create a 'landscape.'

"A cake without a clear boundary and a plate with a clear boundary. I thought it would be interesting to put them together."

Carol examined the cake on the plate. It was cut to show the layers: pudding, custard, and sponge. However, the boundaries between the layers were not as distinct as in a regular cake.

The mysterious cake on the mysterious plate, together, created a delightful visual experience.

Simultaneously, it was a symbol of revival.

The forgotten cake.

The broken plate.

These two elements, now united, reappeared before Carol's eyes.

"Oh, that's right... That's why I forgot..."

Carol, realizing this, was in tears.

"I told you I was entrusted here when I was young, right?"

"Yes."

"I said my parents were busy, but that was partly a lie... They divorced."

Carol spoke about her childhood hesitantly.

When Carol was three, her father made a significant mistake at work and became an alcoholic. Her mother, who had a strong personality, would mercilessly scold her father, and physical fights were frequent. When her mother decided to get a job and file for divorce, the café owners took Carol in temporarily.

"Compared to my home, which was always filled with fights, this place was like heaven. Even after my mother took me back, she was always busy... I understood, but it was hard. It was painful to remember the good times, so I tried to forget that I grew up in this café."

"...I see."

"Then the owner passed away, and the building became a haunted house... By then, I had left home and was living alone, working hard. I was often scolded and struggled to protect my life. I thought I was born under an unlucky star and gave up. I avoided thinking about the good memories here and the wonderful café. I even forgot that I was avoiding them. I thought it was better to forget and live in the present. I never imagined they would come back to life."

"...Carol."

"But, there are things that can be recovered. Things that can be revived."

"Yes. People who have passed away won't come back, but the traces they left behind don't disappear, I believe."

"Can I really eat this?"

"Since you're taking over this place, if you don't eat it, no one else should. It's only right."

"Ahaha, that's true. ...Thank you, I'll have some."

Carol wiped her tears and took a bite. Her eyes widened.

She ate the second and third bites in silence.

Before she knew it, the plate was empty.

"Oh... It was delicious... Definitely the owner's cake."

"I worked with the people from 'Rosinante' to recreate it. Everyone said the owner, Roger, was amazing."

"I'm sorry, I don't know how to make it... When I was a child, I often fell and broke plates, so I could only watch the kitchen from outside..."

Carol, with tears in her eyes, reminisced about the past. But she wiped her tears with a handkerchief and looked at Jill directly.

"Jill, I hope your antique shop does well! I'll support you!"

"Thank you."

"By the way, if you're going to display the plates in the shop, I'd be happy if you could keep one for me."

"Of course. I can't keep the ones with emblems, but a few would be enough for me."

Jill and Carol chuckled.

Thus, the preparations for the branch of 'Witch Hand Craft' were finally complete.

However, in reality, the problems were not entirely resolved yet.

◆

It was an especially hot day, and Garda and Matthew had come to the mansion in the Forest of Temptation to escape the heat.

The mansion is enchanted, and the dining room is always cool, providing a respite from the sweltering heat.

"Wouldn't it be interesting to fix this broken plate with kintsugi? I'm sure collectors would be interested. It might even fetch a higher price than its original value."

"Hmm, a plate with a picture of the hero defeating the demon king. Do you think such a rugged image is suitable for kintsugi?"

Jill held the broken plate and examined it, voicing her doubts. However, Matthew responded confidently.

"Exactly because it's rugged. Fixing the damage would add a new layer of meaning. The hero depicted here is famous for his indomitable spirit, rising again after every defeat. Fixing this plate with kintsugi would create a story in itself."

"Ah, I see... That does sound interesting."

"That's good, but why not make something more accessible? Ordinary people like us buy white porcelain only for special occasions like weddings or births. That's a story in itself, isn't it?"

"Ah, I'd love to do that kind of work too!"

The many broken dishes in front of Jill were all brought by Matthew and Garda. Both were deeply impressed by Jill's kintsugi skills and were convinced it would lead to big business. They were also genuinely excited by the technique. When Jill showed them the dishes with food on them, they were so enthusiastic that it was hard to calm them down.

As a result, they were discussing the possibilities of kintsugi, even though they weren't the ones doing it.

"Hey, it's up to the master to decide, not you two. Don't interfere too much."

"Sorry, I got carried away."

"Sorry, sorry."

Reprimanded by Maureen, Matthew and Garda chuckled and apologized.

"But, the master is... bold, isn't she?"

"Bold!?"

Jill choked on the unexpected word.

"Ah, sorry, sorry. I didn't mean it in a bad way."

"But it does sound like a strange word."

"Because no one else could have solved the haunted house problem that even real estate agents and the knight order couldn't handle."

"Well, when you put it that way, I guess it's true..."

"Aren't you afraid of ghosts?"

At Maureen's question, Jill tilted her head.

"Well, if they were there, I might be scared... But I never saw any, even though I lived in a place where they were supposed to appear."

"Oh, I remember you saying that before."

Matthew nodded in agreement.

"Yes... I never met any ghosts, whether I wanted to or not."

After hearing about the death of her uncle Conrad, Jill started a peculiar habit. She would go to graveyards at midnight or visit basements rumored to be haunted.

It started when she overheard the maids at the castle telling ghost stories. They said that the voice of a nobleman, wrongfully executed thirty years ago, could be heard from the graveyard. Or that a prince, poisoned a hundred years ago, had risen and was performing evil rituals in the basement.

If such vengeful spirits existed.

If the dead, with their unfulfilled desires, could remain in this world.

Surely, she would one day meet her uncle again.

But her hopes were dashed.

Most of the eerie stories were caused by rats or bats, or by old 'demons' or magical devices left by people. Some were even fabricated to cover up illicit affairs.

She never met any spirits.

At the age of ten, Jill realized that ghosts didn't exist.

Even if they did, they couldn't be touched or spoken to.

"That's why, if the spirit of a dead person is to be found, it must be in their will or legacy... in words or objects. That's why I want to cherish such things... Huh?"

While lost in thought, Jill heard a voice in her head: "A security alert has been triggered." It was the security function of the 'Book of Acacia.' A video of what was happening in the forest appeared only in her vision.

"Carol is here...?"

Jill tilted her head in confusion. The renovation was complete, and she was currently arranging the furniture. There shouldn't be any major issues, so she was puzzled as she welcomed Carol.

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