“We’ve arrived.”
Ten minutes was far too short a time to reflect on an entire year. She stopped thinking and snapped back to reality. When she reached out to open the doors to the chapel and lead the other two inside, her hands froze.
“What’s wrong?”
She sensed something beyond the doors. It was normal for someone to be in the church. The nun Marlene and the children of the church’s orphanage lived here. And Lud had summoned them, so he should be here. However, she could sense many others and clearly hear commotion on the other side of the doors.
“Don’t worry. It’s all right.” Noticing Sven’s hesitation, Sophia spoke.
“Major, what are you planning?”
“It’s all right. Just open the doors. After all, it’s a request from your master.”
Because of the letter from Lud, Sophia knew what awaited inside, so she spoke with a kind face, exactly as if calming a fearful, inexperienced soldier.
“All right...” With trepidation, she opened the doors. And inside was...
“Huh?”
For a moment, seeing the scene before her, Sven had no idea what was what. A large number of people were packed into the rundown church chapel that she knew so well. It was filled with the townspeople of Organbaelz, whose faces she recognized. They were the customers who came to Tockerbrot every day and whom she had served on countless occasions. Among them were friends like Jacob, Milly, Hilde and Laurel, the leader of the miners. They were all people she knew as Sven, not as Avei.
“What’s going on here?”
She thought there must be a festival or some special occasion. It was not solemn, as if for a funeral. They appeared to be waiting expectantly for someone and had gathered to celebrate that person.
Sven’s gaze fell on the five-tiered cake placed in front of the altar in the center of the chapel. It was gorgeous. A lot of effort had gone into creating it. And it was carefully decorated with a marzipan figurine on top. The figure’s hair was white. No... but it probably contained coloring that looked that way. The hair was silver and the eyes were bright red.
“Hey, um... is that...” She couldn’t believe it. Only one person was capable of baking this cake. There was no one else who would make this for her.
“Sven.” Lud was standing in front of the cake.
“Master... Uh... what is all this?”
Why was that cake here? Why had everyone gathered? It was exactly as if... exactly as if they were here for her. It looked like they were going to celebrate her birthday even though she wasn’t human.
“Happy birthday, Sven!” Lud’s voice was kind.
Her guess, which couldn’t possibly be, was true. Everyone broke into applause. They smiled and lavished her with celebratory words like “Congratulations!” and “Happy birthday!” Dozens of people made it clear they thought it was a good thing she was here.
“Why...?” As Sven stood stupefied, Daian whispered in her ear.
“Mr. Lud Langart asked me when you became Sven.”
Then Sven remembered. It had happened today—this very day. There was no way she could have forgotten. But she didn’t consider it a particularly important day.
The days that were important to her included the day she first met Lud, the day she was manufactured at the factory and switched on, and the day she began working at Tockerbrot as Sven. But Lud viewed the day she had turned from Avei to Sven as her birthday and had prepared a celebration.
“Please, understand why he chose this day.” And with that, Daian moved to stand by the wall. He was like a clown who had concluded his role to play.
Trembling, Sven walked down the aisle and faced Lud. Why today? With each step, she thought about the answer. Why today?
Before she could find an answer, she was standing in front of Lud. He gently held out his hand. “Avei...” And he called her by her old name, the name he had given her.
“Yes... Master?” Sven didn’t deny it. Because she saw that he already knew. “Sorry, I... I’m so unreliable. You came after me because you were worried.”
Lud spoke gently to his partner, his former trusty Hunter Unit who had changed her form to come and find him. “It’s all thanks to you. This event would have never happened if it weren’t for you.”
“That’s not—”
“Yes, it is true, Sven.” This time, Lud called her by her new name.
Because of his frightening face, no customers had come during the bakery’s first year, nearly forcing Tockerbrot into bankruptcy. They had cast abuse, saying the bread was baked by a murderer. Debt had accrued, and he baked bread every day that no one would eat. But this popular waitress changed all that.
“Thank you very much.”
Lud had been thinking about what he should do for a long time. No, he didn’t have to think. He realized long ago what he must do. But that wasn’t quite true either.
Sven herself had asked him over and over and over. She asked him to appreciate the present with her as Sven and to disregard her past as Avei.
Still wrong! That’s not it. Lud was a soldier who had earned his bread by killing, and she was a weapon made to kill. Their meeting was a part of them. And they were here now because of that. So he couldn’t reject Avei either. Rejecting Avei would be rejecting Sven.
“After much thought... I’ve finally decided.” Lud had wondered if he had the right to announce the conclusion he had reached out loud.
He was sinful and he was foolish. Nevertheless, he had made a choice. He had chosen a way of life in which he bore his sins and yet strove to be happy.
“Sven, I want to keep living with you, including your past as Avei.”
If he hadn’t made that decision himself, he wouldn’t have been able to speak these words. He accepted Sven, including her birth as a weapon. That was why Lud chose to celebrate her birthday today. It was the day that the combat weapon Avei became the girl known as Sven.
“Sven... Svelgen Avei... Happy birthday.”
Understanding the meaning of those words, Sven trembled.
Oh... He accepts it all...
Lud had decided to face his frustration, sadness, worry, regret and even his past... and to bear it all. His intense seriousness and inflexibility had exasperated her. That was why the shop had nearly closed and had racked up debt.
“Master... thank you!”
Those words were enough. This man thought her birth was a good thing. That alone meant there was no need to worry about—
“Sven? Um...” Then Lud asked a question that she could never have imagined. The words shocked everyone present.
“Will you marry me?”
“Hoowah?!”
Before, Sven was wrapped in happy feelings, blushing, and on the verge of tears. But now her eyes widened in surprise, her jaw dropped, her mouth opened wide, and she let out a ridiculous sound.