Melina stood silently, trying to come up with something to make Alistair less suspicious of her. Dozens of options went through her mind, but none of them seemed convincing enough. Just as she opened her mouth to respond, Gilbert's distinct footsteps could be heard on the stairs.
"Oh, Master Gilbert is up!" Melina said, dropping the topic entirely and running up to the baker. "Did you have a good rest?"
"Yes…" He eyed her suspiciously and then looked at Alistair, who greet...
2025-05-02 11:44:24 +0000 UTC
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"When it rains, it pours," Melina said with a sigh, picking up the last bits of the glass from the floor.
"So it seems," Gilbert nodded ruefully, looking over the scene.
"I'll pay for the damages," Alistair said resolutely and prompted up the remains of the broken door against the wall. Unfortunately, the top was completely broken, with splinters sticking out in every direction. The hinges were in an equally dreadful state—one of them broken clean in half while the other h...
2025-05-01 06:20:01 +0000 UTC
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When Melina turned on the sign that morning, indicating that the bakery was open, her hands were shaking a little bit. It felt odd because she never was one to care much for public opinion as an [Archmage]. Then again having all of the world's strongest magic at your fingertips made one feel they were above it all.
Although, now that I have Sienna I'm not as helpless anymore. I can use fire magic, although I'm not sure to what extent yet. Not to mention, that Sienna is certainly the...
2025-05-01 06:15:00 +0000 UTC
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Seeing Alistair in pain, Melina quickly set down the soup and bent down next to him, putting her hand on his shoulder. "What's wrong?"
He breathed heavily and clutched at the side of his neck, exactly where his scar used to be before the time was rewound.
Oh, no… Is he perhaps remembering the time when he got that scar from Sienna?
Melina's heart was torn as she looked at the pained expression on Alistair's face and then at the sleeping Sienna, complet...
2025-05-01 06:13:00 +0000 UTC
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After her long talk with Master Gilbert, Melina returned to her bedroom utterly exhausted both physically and mentally. Her mind was racing at the possibilities of what townspeople would do to her and Sienna, but her heart was pounding with excitement. In short, her emotions were completely all over the place.
Which reminded her that she urgently needed to visit the bathroom. It was a good thing that she had managed to go to the apothecary's before Sienna decided to attack the town. The...
2025-05-01 06:09:01 +0000 UTC
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"Miss Melina, are you sure that's a good idea?" Alistair asked, his expression distraught as were those of other adventurers.
I am absolutely certain that it is not a good idea. It will most certainly scare the townsfolk and I honestly can't claim that I'll be able to contain this monster. It is even likely that the rumor of a baker's apprentice taming a wyrm might even reach the Church's ears.
But when a System notification appeared after the ember wyrm touched her foreh...
2025-05-01 06:06:01 +0000 UTC
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The lines on the ember wyrm's body began to glow and the ice around it began to crack. Alistair and the others watched in horror how more and more cracks spread through the ice until it finally shattered.
"Don't give it time to recuperate! Attack all at once!" Guildmaster Arianne shouted and charged into the clearing towards the wyrm. Other adventurers who had brought out the barrels, charged in alongside her while the archers began shooting arrows from all sides.
Alistair activat...
2025-05-01 06:03:01 +0000 UTC
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Update! We've reached 100 patrons! Thank you all so much for your support. Never thought I'd get so far with a story about baking. There will be an extra chapter tomorrow and a new milestone. Next milestones will come every 20 new members since... I don't think I keep up with your speed.
New Milestone:
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The day is finally here! Taste of Magic is now offic...
2025-05-01 06:01:00 +0000 UTC
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Panting and gasping, Melina ran through the Sunglow back to the bakery, clutching her purchase from the apothecary close to her chest. But her approaching monthly visitor was nothing more than a mere afterthought. Instead, her thoughts were filled with Alistair.
The monster currently attacking the town must be an ember wyrm. I remember how Alistair told me how he got his scar fighting one. The battle had been so brutal that he had barely survived and several people fighting alongsid...
2025-05-01 06:00:07 +0000 UTC
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"Sound the alarm! Evacuate the townsfolk away from the wall!" The Guildmaster ordered, standing on the wall with the town watch and Alistair. It was his time to patrol, but when his <Danger Sense> went off, he retreated to the town immediately. The skill gave him a clear indication that this was not an opponent he could defeat alone.
A loud bell rang through the Sunglow, and Alistair could hear the nervous mutterings of people as they emerged from their homes. The town watch insta...
2025-04-29 06:00:21 +0000 UTC
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Some of you might have already noticed, but I've replaced most images for Taste of Magic chapters. I recently ran across a new AI which I believe is much better at making coherent images than the last one I used.
I know some people are not fans of AI generated stuff, but these are meant mostly for fun, to help readers imagine the characters in the story. Let me know what you think. Do you like them? Would you prefer not have them posted along with the chapter? Would you like more? Let ...
2025-04-28 06:41:04 +0000 UTC
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It was four in the morning. Darkness and silence still covered the world so when Melina's alarm clock went off, it felt like a magic spell had been broken. The grating noise scraped against Melina's ears, and she grabbed the clock, shutting it off and setting it down on the nightstand with a bit more force than necessary.
Irritated, she bundled up under the blankets again, unwilling to move away from the bed's warmth and comfort. Approximately five blissful minutes passed before she hea...
2025-04-27 06:00:03 +0000 UTC
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Once again, Melina was faced with the undeniable truth that she was weak. In fact, her body was so weak that it could not keep up with a girl of approximately the same age and build as her. After several hours of digging the soil and picking out rocks as well as revitalizing it with fertilizer, Melina was exhausted.
"You're weaker than you look," the redhead noted, leaning against her shovel. "You're like some city lady who has never done hard work."
"I've been working on it… an...
2025-04-25 06:00:17 +0000 UTC
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Melina set the bread and pastries on the bakery shelves, her stomach tingling from excitement. She felt foolish and nervous, but apparently, even with experience, one couldn't help but worry about others' thoughts.
This morning, Master Gilbert showed her how to make proper pear and ginger jam by adjusting the ratio of fruit to sugar and adding lemon juice and zest. So with the jam perfected, she could make a ton of her pear rolls, earning her another level and also ranking up her <Ha...
2025-04-24 06:00:09 +0000 UTC
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Melina kneaded the dough, preparing one of the many batches necessary for tomorrow. <Rhythmic Kneading> kept her hands steady and precise, helping her exert less energy on the arduous task. But the whole time she was working, her mind went back to Alistair's letter which Master Gilbert currently held. She wanted to know what was written there and to see whether she could help.
[Your skill <Rhythmic Kneading> has ranked up. It is now Rank D.]
[R...
2025-04-22 06:00:00 +0000 UTC
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How did this even happen?
Alistair suppressed the urge to groan. All he wanted to do was to drop by the bakery to deliver his letter to Master Gilbert and maybe buy himself something to eat before his patrol began. Yet somehow he ended up with this Leliana girl sticking to his hand like glue while Leon on the other hand followed her like a love-struck puppy.
Melina and Gilbert regarded them with dubious surprise, and Alistair had the strongest urge to shake Leliana off hi...
2025-04-20 06:00:05 +0000 UTC
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Melina carefully tiptoed towards the shop, trying to remain as quiet as possible, when another knock resounded. She peered over the threshold and saw that behind the glass door stood… that red-haired girl she met at the party.
What was her name again? Le… Leila… No. Laila? No. Leilani? No. Oh, right—Leliana. What is she doing here?
Melina opened the door, looking curiously at the visitor.
"Hello," she greeted the redhead.
"Hi, Melina! It's so nice to s...
2025-04-18 06:00:16 +0000 UTC
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"Girl, what were you thinking?!" Master Gilbert growled at Melina as they finally arrived home, stopping the cart by the still-broken backdoor. "Why would you deliberately give that noble brat a way to discover us?"
Melina winced when he called Alistair a brat but remained calm. She had expected him to be angry. "I believe I am actually making it harder for him to discover us."
"By having him ask this "friend" questions? Clearly, you want me to look into the problem that the brat ...
2025-04-17 06:00:05 +0000 UTC
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Alistair couldn't believe what he had seen. This wasn't like those previous flashes of scenes he had before. Those had been so brief, so vague that he had dismissed them as mere hallucinations. Images conjured by his sleep-deprived and tired mind. But this time the vision was clear.
He was kneeling before Melina and pouring potion over her injuries. Alistair felt how much the sight had troubled him. Her injuries seemed to hurt him more than his own ever could. Yet she claimed that she d...
2025-04-15 06:00:08 +0000 UTC
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Nothing major, but I decided to make a post so nobody is surprised. I've changed the price of Fan tier from 9$ to 8.99$ and Admirer tier from 13$ to 12.99$. Starting next month, everyone gets to pay 0.01$ less. Why the change?
It's a preparation for when I release Taste of Magic on RoyalRoad. I believe we all know that for some reason 8.99 looks more attractive than 9.00.
No changes for the Supporter tier since I am unpublishing it. Those in the tier can remain there, but no new...
2025-04-14 07:33:51 +0000 UTC
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"System user?" Remi asked curiously. Melina clenched her fists tightly, doing her best not to show her nervousness. Alistair trying to find other System users was bad news for her. He could start looking for clues or even try to acquire a skill that would let him identify individuals.
"Yes. I am ashamed to admit that I've been having some trouble figuring out one of my skills. I had hoped that a more experienced System user could help me," Alistair explained. Some of Melina's nervousnes...
2025-04-13 06:00:12 +0000 UTC
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Suddenly an idea popped into Melina's mind. She plucked a single hair from her head and carefully wrapped it around the mana crystal.
"What are you doing?" Milo asked, watching her movements closely.
"I'm not sure if this will work, but I think it's worth a try," she said and began tightening the hair around the base of the crystal. It slipped off a few times before she managed to get a firm hold on it. Slowly she kept tightening her hair around the base of the crystal more and mo...
2025-04-11 06:02:56 +0000 UTC
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The contest was moving forward in full swing as Melina transferred the risen dough to the work surface which she had generously covered with flour. She did not notice the audience around her, nor did she care about Curt's or Felipe's piercing gazes. Her only thought was to make the bread rolls as quickly as possible—time was not her friend.
She took a rolling pin and began rolling out the dough, spreading it out until eventually almost her whole workspace was covered with it.
2025-04-10 06:00:04 +0000 UTC
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"We have our four contestants, so here are the rules. I believe they are rather simple." Auden announced to the crowd gathered around the market plaza. "You have to make a baked dish and present it to me within an hour and thirty minutes."
"Hour and thirty minutes? But that's hardly enough time to make anything," Felipe, the bakery owner, complained.
"But it's part of the challenge. I wouldn't want to give away these fine ingredients without you putting any effort into it," Auden ...
2025-04-08 06:00:04 +0000 UTC
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"This is absolutely amazing!" Remi flitted from one merchant stall to the next, Melina barely able to catch up with her. Yesterday, the elf girl had remained inside the inn all day, too worried about humans reacting to her elven ears to go out. When Melina found that out in the evening, she promised to take Remi shopping the next day.
What Melina had not anticipated was the fact that the elf would have so little self-control. She ran after Remi, grabbing her by the hand. "Calm down. The...
2025-04-06 06:00:03 +0000 UTC
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With Melina's apprenticeship settled, Master Gilbert and Melina headed back to the main street in search of breakfast. Many wonderful smells wafted through the air, and her stomach growled in response, eager to feast on any of the delectable-smelling dishes.
Much to Melina's surprise, she saw Alistair standing by one of the vendors, holding what looked like waffles together with fried chicken. The weird combination of food perplexed her, and for a moment she considered walking over to h...
2025-04-04 06:00:06 +0000 UTC
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Alistair could not sleep a wink, instead tossing and turning in his bed for most of the night, until he finally got up. He got dressed and left the inn before dawn. The chilly night air instantly clung to his skin, bringing clarity to his thoughts.
That girl… Melina was her name. When that hobgoblin picked her out as his target, I… saw something. Like a vision. Could it have been a vision of the future? I know that some high-level bishops have a skill that allows them to see bri...
2025-04-03 06:00:08 +0000 UTC
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"M-Miss… A-Are you an e-elf?" The innkeeper stammered out, taking shaky steps towards Remi.
"She's a half-elf," Melina hurriedly said, trying to prevent a whole heap of trouble that could follow. As an Archmage, she had often witnessed what happened when an elf came to a human city. They either became aggressive and demanded that the elf leave or they began worshipping them like a god.
"Half-elf?" the butler seemed to relax a little, stopping his advance.
"Y-Yes, that's ri...
2025-04-01 06:00:05 +0000 UTC
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No, stop…
The scene was so horrifyingly familiar to Melina that she wanted to scream. Why was Alistair always protecting her like this? Why has fate deemed that he needed to risk his life to protect hers? She couldn't even help him with magic.
Hobgoblin roared, continuing his onslaught. The only thing Alistair could do was defend, holding his shield desperately while his arms threatened to give way with each hit. But how many more blows could he take? Occasionally...
2025-03-30 06:00:04 +0000 UTC
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This truly is quite a blessing.
Alistair was nearly humming with delight as they traveled through the rather narrow, uneven road that led to Pertia. He had honestly thought that it would take much longer than this for him to get to the city, but luckily the local baker had some important business there.
Best of all, he'd apparently stay in Pertia for a few days which would give Alistair plenty of time to find somebody who could know about his mysterious new skill. H...
2025-03-28 07:00:06 +0000 UTC
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