I am a woman of the Demon Race, born in a village on the frontier.
However, I possess next to no magic power.
Without magic, one cannot use spells, which meant I was treated as a second-class fighter at best.
Furthermore, marriage was out of the question for me.
The people believed there was a high probability that any children I bore would also lack magic.
In frontier villages, life is a constant struggle against magic beasts and monsters.
Under those circumstances, I had accepted my lot in life... or so I thought.
I never imagined my own village would actually kick me out.
Gunu-nu.
Do those people not know the stories the bards tell?
They must have heard them!
In every tale, the side that drives away the protagonist always meets a miserable end!
Well, perhaps it is a bit of a stretch for me to insist I am a protagonist...
But everyone is the protagonist of their own life!
...Hah!
Could it be that they sent me away because they knew I couldn't shine in that village, and wanted me to find a place where I could?
No?
It was just because I was a picky eater who polished off three people's worth of food?
...
Fine, you idiots! Even if you beg me to come back now, I never will!
I drifted from place to place after that.
I wanted to settle down somewhere, but I could never keep a job for long.
The reason?
I suppose I was a bit too quick to pick a fight.
Since I had no magic, I had no choice but to train my physical strength.
Yes, I trained and I trained.
Thanks to that, whenever some man underestimated me because I was a woman, I was able to convince him to "donate" some travel funds so I could continue my journey.
It was a donation.
I didn't shake them down.
I’m telling the truth.
It was simply that after we finished trading blows, I would ask if they wanted to become my husband, and they would suddenly produce their wallets of their own accord.
I did nothing wrong.
Still, it was hard to live on donations alone.
Just as I was wondering what to do, I heard a rumor about a massive gambling venue.
The White Swan Races.
Now that sounded promising.
With the races as my goal, I set my sights on Village Five.
And it was there that I truly realized the meaning of the word "destiny."
Oh, wait—winning the race wasn't destiny; it was pure skill.
That white swan might have been an underdog, but she was overflowing with motivation.
My win was the result of my unwavering belief in her.
The payout was incredible!
The food was delicious!
Wait, no, back to the story about destiny!
I encountered it!
The cake I ate at a shop called Kuro and Yuki!
Yes, cake!
It was amazing!
What was this?
So sweet!
Incredible!
Sweet!
I had to have more!
Then I heard the news.
They were currently recruiting craftsmen to make these cakes?
I’ll do it! I’ll do it! Please, let me do it!
I was a complete amateur at cooking.
The most I had ever done was grill things to eat.
But my stomach was large!
I could eat as much as three adults!
Looking back, that wasn't much of a selling point.
And yet, for some reason, I was allowed to join the training as a craftsman candidate.
Thank you so much!
The training was grueling... and incredibly strict.
But I saw it through!
I still couldn't say with pride that I was a full-fledged professional, but I was officially hired to work at the new shop!
I was even allowed to live in the dormitory!
That was a huge help, as I had been staying at an inn for a long time.
In between my training sessions, I had been helping with serving and assisting the cooks at Kuro and Yuki, so I did have some income one way or another.
Village Five simply had too many shops serving delicious food.
I moved out of the inn and headed toward the new shop with the other craftsmen and sales staff.
Our guide was one of the senior craftsmen... the High Elf leader. She had gone ahead to confirm the location and led the way for us.
The shop was located at the Village Five Foothills.
...
Hmm. It was a bit far from the main hub of Village Five. It seemed like a difficult place to do business.
Would we be alright?
It would be a disaster if the shop went under.
I was a little uneasy, but I changed my mind the moment I saw the building.
What was this?
Glass doors?
And what did they mean by the stairs moving on their own?
I wasn't surprised by the magic ovens, refrigerators, or freezers since I had seen them at Kuro and Yuki... but the sheer number and size of them was staggering.
Especially the massive freezer.
If someone got trapped in there, they would surely die.
Ah, there was a way to open the door from the inside?
I promised myself I would never forget that.
And this equipment...
Just how much money had been poured into this place?
I could see exactly how serious the owners were.
A shop like this wouldn't go under easily.
It seemed I had been hired by a very good employer.
Oops, I mustn't forget my manners.
First, I had to greet the Shop Manager who hired me... or rather, the Acting Shop Manager?
Lady Yoko of Village Five and Lady Kinesta of Kuro and Yuki were the same, but was it a trend in the city for important people to go by titles like "Proxy" or "Acting"?
I didn't mind.
I would go with the flow.
Yes, I didn't dwell on trivial details.
By the way, Acting Shop Manager?
She looked quite young.
Ah, so she was indeed younger than me...
As for her species, she was clearly of the Beastman Race.
Hmph.
Would this be alright?
The craftsmen and sales staff here, myself included, didn't decide seniority based on age or species.
I had heard that anyone who judged people that way was filtered out during the recruitment stage.
However, we did look at skill.
Pure skill.
And skill wasn't limited to making cakes.
It could be anything.
Trading blows or using magic.
If you didn't have some kind of talent, you would be looked down upon.
Since she was the Acting Shop Manager, she likely had money... but having money often just made a person a target for envy.
Just as I was hoping there wouldn't be any trouble, five Angels arrived, identifying themselves as assistants to the Acting Shop Manager.
They listened to her instructions and carried them out with absolute discipline.
...
We didn't decide seniority by species, but we certainly decided danger levels by them.
Angels were incredibly dangerous.
And the Acting Shop Manager was the one who commanded them.
I see.
I must never defy her.
What in the world had I been thinking?
It wasn't about who was above whom anyway.
We were comrades.
Yes, comrades.
We were the team that would run this shop together!
The other craftsmen and sales staff seemed to have reached the same conclusion.
That was a relief.
I would do my best!
I was assigned a room of my own...
Wait, this room had magic lighting and even a magic air conditioning box?
Was I in the wrong room?
They assured me there was no mistake.
H-Heh.
The bed was brand new.
The sheets were pristine.
The table and chairs were... very sturdy.
There were shelves, and... a safe?
It was the type where I had to set the combination myself. I was warned to be careful, because if I forgot it, the safe would have to be broken open.
I-I would be very careful.
The employees' dining hall was on the second floor, so we were to eat our meals there.
They were going to hire a cook?
No, no, no, no! We would make the food ourselves!
We could cook plenty of things besides cake!
Y-Yes.
Please, just watch us.
I beg of you.
And next... the bath?
Eh?
This place actually had a bath?
She said we were expected to bathe before work... No, no, it wasn't small at all.
Five adults could easily fit in there.
It was separated by gender... I had wondered why there were two baths in separate locations, and that was the reason.
Yes, so this one is for the women, and men are strictly forbidden.
The bath over there is for the men, and women are forbidden.
Laundry was to be done in the yard.
Yes, that was fine.
I could handle laundry.
She said the well worked the same way as the ones in Village Five.
I promised to keep everything clean.
Yes.
Thank you for the tour and the explanation, Acting Shop Manager.
Um, let's see—first, I suppose I need to memorize how to use the magic doors, the moving stairs, and the boxes for moving between the floors.
I would work hard at it.
A question?
Ah, more of an observation, really. I noticed there are quite a lot of outhouses inside and outside the building?
No, it's wonderful that it seems we won't have to wait in line.
It's just that cleaning them all will be quite a chore.
That's right, we would have to decide on a cleaning rotation.
We employees would discuss it among ourselves and report back.
...
The Acting Shop Manager shouldn't have to clean!
Please!
Leave the cleaning to us!
Phew.
One way or another, I settled into life at the shop.
I think I’ve truly gotten used to it.
It's not that I escaped into my work.
I simply adjusted.
Ah, the pudding I made myself was delicious.
I was aiming to be a pastry chef, but if I only focused on that, my perspective would become too narrow.
I wanted to learn to make all sorts of things besides cake.
...
I wondered if I could make the texture just a little smoother?
I bet I could.
Alright, let's try another batch!
"Get in the bath before you set foot in the kitchen!"
"Also, it's the middle of the night! Go to sleep!"
You're awake too, aren't you!
"I took a break during the day, so it's fine for me."
"And don't you dare eat pudding right before bed!"
Eh?
How did you know?
"Anyone would know if they saw you holding an empty pudding cup."
"Besides, you still have pudding on your face."
...
As I was busy wiping my mouth, the Acting Shop Manager approached with a terrifying expression.
Yes, I’m going to sleep!
I’ll try again tomorrow!
At this shop, we underwent all kinds of training.
"Starting today, we are conducting security drills!"
Until yesterday, we had been doing disaster prevention drills, learning how to extinguish fires and evacuate the building safely.
I had wanted to spend that time making cakes, but the Acting Shop Manager barked at me, asking what kind of craftsman couldn't even protect their own workplace. That shut me up, and I tackled the drills with everything I had.
I would tackle the security drills starting today with the same intensity.
Hehe.
Based on the description, it was about how to respond to robbers, right?
I would punch them into next week.
Eh?
I should run away?
But why?
If someone tries to harm this shop, I'll let them have it!
I-I understand.
For now, I'll watch and judge for myself.
The scenario was that ten adventurers would attack the shop acting as robbers.
...
The adventurers were in full battle gear.
Okay, I definitely had to run away.
I could make that much of a judgment.
Ah, I see.
It was a drill to see what to take with you when you fled.
A test to see if we could grab the most valuable items in the shop as we ran.
That wasn't it either?
Life was the most important thing?
I should just run without taking anything at all?
Ehh.
But if those were the orders, I had no choice.
I would obey.
Even so, to let the shop be overrun without any resistance...
It would be fine?
For now, just watch?
I-I understand.
When the group of adventurers came swarming into the shop, the Acting Shop Manager stood directly in their path.
Acting Shop Manager?
Wait, she wasn't carrying a weapon, was she?
She didn't even have armor?
No, an apron definitely doesn't count as armor!
What were the Angels doing!
They had to protect her!
As I panicked, I saw a sword held by one of the adventurers swinging down toward the Acting Shop Manager.
...
The sword the adventurer was holding snapped clean off at the hilt.
The other adventurers' weapons did the same.
Swords and knives were snapping like twigs.
Did the Acting Shop Manager do that?
She didn't?
R-Right.
The Acting Shop Manager hadn't moved an inch.
It was something called security magic?
Through that magic, the adventurers' weapons were ruined one after another.
The adventurers then tried to challenge her with their bare hands, but...
The Acting Shop Manager completely overwhelmed them.
"At this rate, the goats are more of a challenge.
Perhaps we should call someone a bit stronger... Eh?
These are people whose names are quite well-known?
M-My apologies."
...
The Acting Shop Manager was terrifyingly amazing!
After the security drill ended and the adventurers left, I was introduced to the source of the "security magic"—the Snipe Spiders.
Heh.
So they were the ones who broke the weapons using their silk.
...
That's right.
It didn't matter who was senior or junior.
We were comrades.
No, we were family.
Yes, we were a family!
A family that loved this shop and this workplace!
Let's all work hard together!
...
Ah, so you have many siblings.
Well, I look forward to working with you all.
Let's get along.
And, as a condition for getting along, you must wash your legs before you enter the kitchen.
That isn't a request; it is an absolute rule.
Thank you.
I am a woman of the Demon Race, born in a frontier village.
Now, I am one of the craftsmen working at the Western Confectionery Shop Fairy Fairi in Village Five.
Many of my old common-sense beliefs have been shattered, but it is all for the sake of the cake.
I have no complaints at all.
I will continue to do my very best.