Melina never thought that she would be relieved not to see Alistair first thing in the morning. Master Gilbert was eyeing her suspiciously the whole morning. He didn't know what grinding was or how it worked, but the look in his eyes told Melina that he wouldn't rest until he found out.

"Where is Alistair this morning?" Melina asked, thinking about his patrol schedule. He should have had an afternoon patrol just like the day before.

"He and Guildmaster are planning another mission to the Monster Realm. Multiple missions, actually," Remi said and then leaned over the counter, so only Melina could hear her. "Apparently, the Duke has ordered us to make as many trips to the Monster Realm as possible until the Church's expedition arrives. He's provided Guildmaster with a hefty sum."

Melina nodded. This was actually good news. There might be more ingredients for her to find and work with.

"If there is a mission sometime outside bakery work hours, I'd like to join," Melina said.

"Is Sienna healthy enough for that?" Remi asked, nervously looking at the wyrm. She was hanging on the window pane, right above the writing Sunglow. Some people walked past her, none the wiser that she wasn't a decoration. Those who recognized her laughed at her antics.

"She can't take her large form quite yet, but I think she'll be fully recovered in about a week. I wouldn't join any mission earlier than that."

"Okay, then I'll pass this on to Guildmaster. Although I wonder if your beloved will be alright with you going to the Monster Realm. He is quite overprotective," Remi grinned.

"I'm sure we can come to an agreement," Melina replied.

Last time, he didn't let her go because she had collapsed from exhaustion. This time, she was in top shape. Although if she wanted to do some grinding, then he might be opposed.

"Hehe, I'm sure you will. You got that man wrapped around your little finger. How did you even do that?" Remi asked.

Melina frowned. She couldn't exactly say that they spent a decade travelling together, slowly developing feelings for each other, but not showing it because Alistair was married.

"I didn't really do anything. It just… happened," Melina replied awkwardly.

"Alright, I see how it is. Keep your secrets," Remi chuckled and took the pastries she ordered. "I'll see you tomorrow, Melina."

"See you, Remi!" Melina waved her off.

She continued her services as usual. It felt like it was getting busier by the day, likely due to summer. More people travelled, and apparently more ships came into port during the summer. Most customers were clearly Sunglowers, familiar faces she saw quite frequently.

But there were also strangers. Tourists, who peered at the pastries with great enthusiasm, especially her shimmertarts and cloud muffins. Many asked what those were, in which case Melina honestly replied that they were pastries made from ingredients from the Monster Realm.

Many scrunched up their noses and ordered regular pastries instead, or left altogether. But there were a few brave tourists who let their curiosity get the better of them. Very often, they would return for more the next day.

But there was something odd going on this morning. A man dressed in dark clothes was hovering inside the bakery. He would look at the bread and the pastries, but never join the line. Melina wanted to ask him whether he had any trouble choosing, but she was busy with the customers, and by the time she freed up, the man was already gone.

"That was odd," she noted, wiping the surface of the counter clean.

"What was?"

"That man dressed in black. He just hovered around and then left without buying anything."

"Don't pay it much mind. Tourists tend to just wander around aimlessly," Gilbert said dismissively. "They come in, look around, and leave."

"I suppose that's true," she admitted. There was some unease in her stomach, but with the man gone, it wasn't like she could do anything. So instead, she focused on finishing the cleaning and prep work for the next morning. This evening, she would spend grinding.

"Guildmaster, how many people are we taking with us this time?" Alistair asked, sitting in the planning room of the Guild. Along with him, around the table sat Guildmaster, Barrett, Illitran, and Elowen.

"Good question. You all have been there before, you're the most familiar with the surroundings. I'd like to maximize our gains in our next expedition. We have to act with the assumption that the Church could come at any moment. Although the Duke assured that it might take another month before they are ready, we should assume that they might come at any time," Arianne said.

"I'm surprised it's taking them so long. To my understanding, it's been a while since the passageway was discovered, hasn't it?" Elowen asked.

"It's the bureaucracy mostly. The candidates sent into the Monster Realm are all screened and tested to make sure that they will act only in the interests of the Church and can keep their mouths shut. They don't want the knowledge about the Monster Realm to spread," Alistair explained.

"Won't they be mad if they find out what we've been doing?" Barrett asked nervously.

"Don't worry about that. Everything is under control," Arianne assured. "Let's return to the original question. How many people do you think you need?"

"I believe that we should keep the group small so it's easier to move around. I imagine we'd have to venture deeper this time, so we'll need supplies. The more people come, the more supplies we'll need," Elowen said.

Alistair listened to his every word intently, wondering what exactly he was planning. Melina said that she had a strong suspicion that he was up to something, but Alistair had no clue what it could be. What he said largely made sense.

"But with fewer people, you won't be able to bring back as much," Arianne said.

"Not to mention that the monsters in the Monster Realm are on a different level. Like that nightstalker and cragjaw drake," Barrett chimed.

"Barrett is right. I believe we need a larger party, even if it means that we have to move more slowly. There are too many unknowns. Even we elves cannot predict what might happen there," Illitran chimed.

"Captain?" Arianne looked at Alistair.

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"I agree that we need a large enough party, however, we need to split the group into two."

"In two? What do you mean?" Arianne asked, and others looked at him in puzzlement.

"One group would be responsible purely for the transportation of supplies and materials gathered. Their main focus is on the acquisition and transportation of resources. But the other group would be the guards, those who focus purely on protecting the supply group. The guard group should obviously consist of our best and strongest warriors, most experienced with combat against monsters," Alistair explained.

"That makes sense. It must be cumbersome to focus on two tasks at once. I approve of this. Any other suggestions?" Arianne asked.

"I still suggest keeping our group small. Three or four people on the supply group and double that on the protection team."

"That's fewer people than we had last time," Barrett noted.

"Exactly. I suspect if our group had been smaller, then the cragjaw drake wouldn't have even noticed us," Elowen explained.

"That is a strong possibility," Illitran agreed.

"Hmm… Although the bounty gained from that cragjaw was great, if it is possible to avoid such a monster in the first place, then I'd rather do that," Arianne noted thoughtfully. "Alright, we'll try to keep the group compact. Now, a suggestion for who to put on the combat team. You're taking the lead, Captain, as always."

Alistair nodded in approval. He hadn't expected it to be any different, although he would have preferred to travel in a larger group.

"I believe the three of us are good candidates, as well as the archer Remi," Illitran said.

"Melina and Sienna are a must. Without them, we'd be toast both of the previous times," Barrett said.

"Melina is not a warrior," Elowen frowned.

"I agree. Melina shouldn't go," Alistair concluded.

"I believe that Miss Melina wouldn't allow her wyrm to head into the Monster Realm alone after what happened during the festival," Illitran noted.

"Not to mention that she was the one who figured out who to spot that nightcrawler. Even if she can't fight, she should definitely be part of the supply team," Barrett added.

Alistair didn't want Melina to head into danger, but he knew that she'd be angry if he objected to her going. She was very knowledgeable when it came to Monster Realm, and in the worst-case scenario, she could channel magic through Sienna. No, he would have to make sure that she doesn't get hurt. As always, he would be her shield.

"I object. Somebody who can't even wield a sword shouldn't be part of the mission. It is too dangerous," Elowen said with a deep frown.

He objected to her attendance a bit too much, in Alistair's opinion. Why? He doubted the elf really was that worried about her safety. Their current relationship could be described as a tentative truce rather than an actual partnership. Something wasn't right.

"I don't like sending her either, but I think Sienna is a crucial addition. Captain, do you think it will be possible to convince her to send the wyrm alone again?" Arianne asked.

I know if I really wanted to, I could keep Melina out of this. Even if she would fervently object to it. However, I don't like how Elowen is trying to keep her away. Something isn't right.

"No, I don't think it will be possible. I shall make sure that Melina remains safe," Alistair said.

Elowen gritted his teeth—he didn't look pleased with this decision. This made Alistair believe that he made the right choice. But what was the elf plotting, and why did he want to keep Melina out of the Monster Realm?

"Do remember that you have to protect everyone, not just your beloved," the Guildmaster warned.

"I shall strive to protect everyone, but Melina will always be my priority," he replied.

"Beloved?" Barrett stared at Alistair in surprise.

"Oh, you're truly clueless in matters of love, aren't you, Barrett? Can't see it even if it's staring you straight in the eyes," Arianne groaned.

"Alright, Sienna, we have finished all our work! It is time to grind Arcane Panacea. No poison will ever harm you again!" Melina nodded at the little wyrm who was sitting on the counter and staring at her in confusion.

Melina had borrowed Knight to go to the shop and bought a whole bunch of ingredients. She didn't want to use the ingredients they had in the storage, as there was a chance of her creations not turning out too well.

Quantity and quality both were crucial for raising skills ranks. She would have to make a lot of pastries, and the better their quality, the higher the chance of her rank increasing. Variety also mattered. She couldn't do the same thing again and again. Just like it was with her regular cooking, when it came to skill grinding, new creations provided more experience.

"This will be a long evening, Sienna, but I promise it'll be worth it. There will be lots of new stuff," Melina said, pulling out a pastry recipe book she borrowed from the library.

Ideally, she would have liked for Gilbert to provide her with the recipes, but the old baker refused. Said that if Alistair didn't approve of this, then he wouldn't either. Likely, he would come and check on her every once in a while, but it wasn't like she was doing anything bad. It was just training to improve her skills.

Part of her did worry whether her training method would work with the [Arcane Baker] class. It was easy with her [Mage] class. Just throw fireballs until you have no mana left while varying their size, intensity, and speed.

With ingredients ready, cookbook open, and apron on, Melina began making pastries. She just followed the recipes in the book and applied Arcane Panacea to every part of the recipe she could. Every crust had a minor poison-removing ability. Every filling could cure from weak paralysis, every glaze could remove mild confusion.

She didn't stop with just Arcane Panacea either. She used Arcane Infusion whenever she could and would even fold pure mana into the dough, occasionally supplementing Sienna with a feyfruit.

The wyrm was absolutely over the moon, along with Knight, who at some point began poking his nuzzle against the kitchen window. The result was very greedy monsters, eating every pastry they could get their paws and hooves on.

"What is going on here? Did the oven explode?" Gilbert hobbled downstairs, looking at the kitchen in shock.

Melina couldn't blame him. There were various types of dough littered in bowls, as well as jams and fillings of different sorts. Not to mention all the half-cut ingredients. The time so far has been very productive. Arcane Panacea reached Rank E and was likely very close to Rank D.

Refined Edge and Rhythmic Kneading breached into Rank B, which was a big win for Melina. The cooldown for Rhythmic Kneading was reduced to 2 hours, which meant that she'd be able to use it twice in the morning for 20 minutes each time. She couldn't wait to improve even more of her skills.

"No, I'm grinding skills," Melina said with a smile.

"In this mess?! This is not how you keep a kitchen. I can't even tell what's cooked and what isn't! There's flour on your face," he growled.

"The cooked stuff has been mostly eaten already. These two are quite the eager taste testers. Don't worry, Master. Once I'm done, you won't notice a single spec of flour out of place," she said confidently.

"Oh, I'd better not or I'm throwing you out!" He said and went back upstairs, stomping his feet angrily.

In retrospect, she could have been a bit tidier. But time was of the essence. She had to make as many pastries as possible before Alistair discovered what she was doing.

"Alright, we should have a few more hours before he returns from his patrol. Let's do our best," Melina said to Sienna and Knight. Both looked eager for her to continue. She wondered whether the little monster in the icy egg would be just as eager to eat her pastries as these two.

Melina was about to check the book for the next recipe when a knock sounded on the back door. Knight hurried away from the window and went to greet the person at the door.

Uh-oh… Knight would only be happy to see Alistair. Maybe he won't be angry if I explain myself.

She went to open the door, hastily wiping flour off her hands. Obviously, it was Alistair who stood there. His face turned to one of shock when he saw her.

"Did something happen?" He asked, hastily looking over her.

"No, I'm fine. Just… practicing," she said sheepishly, and motioned him to come inside. "Your patrol ended early?"

"No. I was planning the mission to the Monster Realm," he explained.

Melina looked at him pleadingly.

"Yes, you're coming along too," Alistair chuckled. He opened his mouth to say something more, but then gaped as he saw the state of the kitchen. "What happened here?"

"Nothing, I'm just trying some new things," she said nervously.

Alistair looked around in horror, his expression very similar to Gilbert's expression. Then realization dawned on his face. "Are you grinding skill ranks?"

Busted…