Baguette/Story

I. Past Files

II. An uninvited guest

III. Growing in the present

IV. Initial Reincarnation

V. Baguette

### I. Past Files

I am Baguette, and my Master Attendant was the Judge of the Empire. He held a high position but was upright and honest. He was one of those rare human ministers who were trusted by His Majesty the King. He was good at handling complicated class actions. During his years in office, he sentenced numerous “tumours” that were detrimental to the Empire, namely, the noblemen who had committed all kinds of misdeeds and abuses. I was proud to participate in those cases as his Food Soul, and to defend the sense of justice I felt in my heart.

However, Master Attendant always told me that as a judge, one should never indulge in having too many personal emotions. This is because a judge should always stick to the Code, unlike the general public, which relies on emotions and divides people into strong and weak based on class or wealth. Most importantly, one should not judge good and bad based on race.Therefore, although Master Attendant was a human, he chose to help His Majesty the King, who was a Food Soul but a good ruler, managing the Empire and revising the Code. He was impartial. As long as a case reached his court, whether the accused was a human nobleman like him, or a Food Soul Minister who was close to the King, he treated them all equally, and sentenced them all according to the Code.

But what I didn't expect was that my Master Attendant, who guided and taught me so much, would also fall into the hole himself one day. It happened about three months ago. It all changed when a seemingly ordinary investigation into a reported crime against a nobleman began. As the enforcement team escorted the hooded suspect away, sparks and smoke from tabloid reporters taking pictures illuminated the rich neighbourhood at night.

"Go and drive away those reporters without harming them."

Master Attendant glanced out the window and instructed me. I nodded, turned and went downstairs to carry out his order. But just as I walked around the corner of the stairs on the first floor, I vaguely sensed something moving. It was an old, vintage villa with old décor, and such houses usually had a well-hidden compartment under the corner of the stairs on the first floor. I took a couple of measures, and I knew what to do. First I went out and drove those reporters away, then came back and walked straight to that stairway corner. As expected, when I opened the hidden door, I saw a shivering woman looking at me in horror in the middle of a pile of junk. She clasped her hands together, her eyes filled with a desperate desire to live.

“Please… please, m-my husband did it…! I don’t know a-anything…! … Let me go…”

She assumed the most vulnerable posture for a human woman by instinct. Anybody who would have seen her right there and then, probably would have felt nothing but sympathy for her, and I knew that she was hoping that I would be open-minded. But none of that affected me. I looked at her for a long time and turned around to go upstairs.

“Master Attendant.”

“What is it?”

" I found Baroness Jessica. She was hiding under the stairs."

The second time I saw Jessica was in the interrogation room. I was acting as an investigator for the court and was tasked with conducting the mandatory interrogations of the suspects in that case.

“Name?”

I waited for a while, but she didn’t answer. I looked up. Sitting across the table, I noticed that she was different from the first time I saw her. At that moment, her eyes were empty, like a puppet without a soul. Only one day had passed since Jessica's arrest, but I could easily see that that day's detention experience was brutal for an aristocratic lady who had been pampered for decades.

"Please cooperate with the investigation."

I repeated.

“Investigation?”

That word provoked a reaction from her.

“Everyone knows what it means to be taken away by the Empire's Judge Reynas and his Food Soul. What else do you need to investigate?”

"Are you admitting that you did commit the acts described in the charges?"

I ignored her sarcasm and continued to ask.

"Of course not! I didn't do any of those things you're accusing me of!"

Her eyes went wide and she seemed to want to lunge at me if not for the shackles holding her in the chair.

“Then what are you afraid of?”

She froze.

"The Code is fair and cannot be violated, and it punishes only those who are truly guilty. At the same time, it protects only those who want to save themselves."

I looked her in the eye and presented the investigation request sheet to her again.

“If you’re not guilty, my investigation will confirm it.”

She stared at me blankly for a while, like a deflated ball. Then, she finally softened her attitude, and took a pen to sign the request. Staff from the Detention Division stepped in and took her away.

“Your Honor!”

She was being led to the door when she suddenly turned around and called out to me.

"I'm not a judge, I'm a trial investigator."

I patiently corrected her.

“If I really am innocent, you will let me go, right?”

Jessica didn't pay any attention to what I said. She was so absorbed in some kind of joy that she curled her eyes in a smile. Just looking at her expression, I almost had the illusion that my investigation was complete and that she could return to the safety of her villa the next day. As a judge, one should never make any promises. But that day, I nodded unconsciously.

“Thank you! Thank you! When I get out, I'm going to hold a ball, and I'm going to announce that you are the best Food Soul in this country!”

To my surprise, Jessica suddenly shouted loudly. She laughed heartily and then was forcibly taken away with her arms held behind her back.

“What are you staring at?”

Master Attendant’s voice put an end to my brief moment of distraction. Only then I realized that I had been staring for a long time at the scales in front of my desk, a symbol of justice.

“It’s nothing, Master Attendant.”

I averted my eyes and continued to organize the information about the case I was investigating. Master Attendant glanced suspiciously at me, and then turned his gaze to the scales I was staring at. After a long silence, he took off his glasses and rubbed his eyebrows.

"Baguette, do you remember what I told you in front of these scales when you first came to me?"

“I remember, Master Attendant.”

“Then repeat it to me, now.”

I was taken aback for a moment, then obeyed and put down the case file.

“You told me at that time that there is a pair of scales in every person. One end of the scale is the result of doing something, and the other end is the cost of doing something. If you don't want to lose something precious, then don't actively put a chip on your scale that you can't afford to give up. For people like us who are responsible for maintaining the Code, emotion is the factor that could most easily influence our judgment. So in order to reduce said weaknesses, from the beginning, we must minimize our emotional interactions with people. Always use the Code to speak, so as to ensure absolute justice. We are the scales of justice in the world. If one day, even the scales in our hearts are tilted, then the world will lose its last layer of order.”

I treated it as a casual test and finished repeating in one breath what Master Attendant said at that time, only to see that he himself had fallen into deep thought.

“Master Attendant?”

He then snapped back to his senses and proceeded to wave his hand at me.

“Oh, all good then.”

He put his glasses back on and began to study the case file. I didn't think much of it and went back to work as an assistant, but after a while, Master Attendant suddenly called me back to him.

“Report the information you now have on the investigation of the case of Baroness Jessica.”

I was taken aback.

"Well, Your Honor, the evidence trail is now clear. Jessica's husband was indeed involved in the Black Street dealings and the murder. On the other hand, there is no evidence from the investigation that Baroness Jessica had any knowledge of or involvement in the actions of her husband and his estranged brothers."

"Okay, you will consolidate the case information for me."

“Your Honor, the court is not due to start until next Tuesday. Isn't it too early to consolidate at this time?”

“That’s enough.”

“…yes.”

The next Tuesday came quickly, and Jessica's family's mob-related case went to trial. As one of the few members of the jury present who knew what was going on, it was clear to me that the results of the deposition would be very favorable to Jessica and that she would most likely be released from custody. Jessica was brought in. She was wearing a prison uniform but looked to be in good spirits. She kept looking left and right, and finally she saw me. The moment we looked at each other, Jessica's eyes lit up. But I knew that that glory was not for me, it was for the Code that symbolized justice in my hands.

*The Code is fair, and the Code will not wrongly judge a good person.*

I was so proud of myself at that time. However, things went very differently from what I expected. I saw Master Attendant pick up a dossier, one I knew all too well. However, he then listed the evidence from the file one by one, but the evidence he presented felt overwhelmingly strange to me. I never had any access to the evidence that he was talking about and didn't know where it came from. All I could tell was that with each piece of evidence read out by Master Attendant, the faces of Jessica’s family in court grew paler and paler. What was most alarming to me was that the evidence, which I had not been privy to, pointed to incriminating evidence that not only included Baroness Jessica, but also, elevated the family's crimes to a higher level.

In other words… As Master Attendant’s hammer was struck, he announced that Jessica's family would be executed by hanging. For a few seconds, my mind went blank when that conclusion was reached. The group of prisoners passed by, and Jessica’s hands were tied behind her back as she was being pushed towards the door that led from the courtroom to the execution grounds. As she passed me, she gave me a sarcastic smile. It was noisy, her voice was muffled in a sea of clapping and cheering, and I only had time to see the shape of her mouth in the backlighting as the door opened and she said…

"…you liar.”

### II. An uninvited guest

Jessica said: “…you liar”. That scene was like a slow-motion close-up, engraved deep in my memory. My consciousness has become like an old movie player since that day. Especially in my dreams every night. But one day, three months later, that dream happened a little differently. The doors of judgment that had swallowed Jessica's last words creaked and slowly opened to me. They were not supposed to make this wail of old rotten wood, nor were they supposed to blow a warm breeze from it. Not to mention the smell in the wind, which smelled like the strange tree under my dormitory building that blossoms like crazy when people come near. There was only one explanation for it. I left my dream, opened my eyes and looked into the real world at the uninvited guest on the windowsill.

“Good evening, Baguette.”

I don't know why Sachertorte appeared at my window, but he greeted me, and continued to climb through the window in front of me, the temporary occupant of the room, as if it was a normal thing to do.

“Your times for meetings are too inconvenient. I've been busy and had to come in through here at this hour. Did I scare you?”

Sachertorte had a straight face, and I could only shake my head in silence. Behind him, the window of my bedroom was open, and the moonlight with the fragrance of flowers spilled all over the room freely.

“Senpai, may I ask you how you got here?”

“Hmm?”

“... Article 7 of the Base Rules, all trainees are prohibited from going out during a full moon-night.”

“Except for S-class students.”

Sachertorte took it lightly. I was taken aback, subconsciously going to flip through the book beside the bed.

“No need to check.”

Sachertorte patted me on the shoulder and passed me by. He walked to the other end of the long, narrow single room, and on a small bar near the door, he delicately poured a glass of water and set it on the bar. I almost forgot that Sachertorte was my senior, and that he lived in that same single room when he was training under Gin some time ago.

“It won't be written in your rulebook because each student gets a different set of enrolment rules, it's an open secret at the foundation. But I guess you didn't know about it, did you?”

There was a hint of a smile in Sachertorte's eyes, and he waved at me, but I vaguely felt a sense of discomfort in that gaze.

“You're going to have to sacrifice a little sleep tonight. Come sit down, I have something to talk to you about.”

I walked toward Sachertorte and couldn't help but squeeze the rulebook that was still in my hand. Sachertorte slowly took out a confidential letter with a flyer attached to it, typical of the foundation, from his pocket. The sight of it sent jolts of thunder through my heart. The letter was so familiar to me that I even knew how the stain of blue ink on its envelope cover was thrown away in a moment of anger on the part of the letter writer.

“Senpai, how did this letter…”

“Chief Dunley received this letter from you marked with an urgent flyer just as we were in a meeting. After he read this confidential letter, he forwarded it to me because I was your base referral.”

“……”

“In your letter, you reported that your instructor was negligent in his duties and that discipline at the training camp was chaotic. Can you be more specific?”

I lowered my head and gripped the rulebook in my hand.

"...It's... Professor Gin, he always disappears after assigning tasks, and other students... they don't follow the rules at all..."

I had difficulty speaking and gradually lost my voice.

“You're smart enough to know what's wrong already, aren't you?”

I gritted my teeth, half-heartedly, and nodded.

“Their rules are different from mine. I was the one who misjudged without knowing the situation beforehand. I'm sorry for any inconvenience I may have caused you and the chief.”

“No, that's just the surface of the problem.”

Sachertorte said.

“What?”

I threw a puzzled look at Sachertorte. Sachertorte, however, was not looking at me. His gaze was focused farther away. I looked in the direction he was looking. He was staring at was the calendar on the wall aside.

"Speaking of which, it's been a month since I sent you here."

I couldn't understand what he was going to say, so I had to nod with my head. It was then that Sachertorte withdrew his gaze from the calendar and looked me back in the eye.

“Have you ever wondered why you were the only one who misjudged the situation and submitted an incorrect report letter towards the chief during this month?”

“Because… because…”

I really wanted to answer that question in a nice way, but after stammering for a long time, I was unable to say why.

“Let me tell you.”

Sachertorte looked at me quietly.

“Because you never had any normal interaction with other trainees other than training together.”

My heart skipped a beat and the rulebook in my hand slipped to the floor.

“Because you deliberately avoided communication. So after finding out that other participants are behaving lazily and violating what you consider to be the rules, you are even more reluctant to engage with them because you are afraid of becoming like them and breaking said rules. Meanwhile, you hoped that your instructor, Gin, would act as the enforcer of the rules and discipline those who broke them. What you didn't expect, however, was that not only does Gin never punish those who you think are breaking the rules, but he even does things himself that are against the rules. So, you are infuriated by the lack of organisation in this foundation and believe that you have come to a place where things are not as they should be. In a fit of anger, you write this letter to expose the ‘‘dark side’’ of this place. Am I right?”

“…mmh-hmm.”

Under his stern questioning, I had to nod my head.

“In the end, you even went so far as to break the rules for this. Baguette, do you remember what the last entry in your rulebook says?"

His stern look reminded me of my Master Attendant. So, in my eyes, every sentence that Sachertorte said seemed like a closing argument to me, and the last sentence was like the sound of a gavel, which woke me up at once.

“…Article 10 of the Base Rules… do not report without prior approval.”

### III. Growing in the present

No lights were on in the dormitory, and the cold moonlight was still shining brightly in the room. A moment of silence fell over the room as I replied about what Article 10 stated. After a while, Sachertorte pushed the glass of water on the table towards me. His tone softened.

“Why do you refuse to interact with other students? I think you must have your reasons for doing so, can you tell me about them?”

"Too much emotion can cloud your judgment on legal matters."

I replied. Sachertorte sighed.

“As I thought… Baguette, interaction between reason and emotion does exist. But whether it ends well or badly depends on the situation in question. Everything has a degree. Don't give up on it just because of the individual case of your Master Attendant.”

I nodded seriously.

“Senpai, I understand. In the future, I will find out what the specific rules for the others are before I act according to the regulations.”

“... No, I don't want you to become some sort of proctor either ...”

“…?”

“Forget it, forget it. Just… get out and try to change a little.”

Sachertorte rubbed his temples.

*Ah yes,”get out” ...*

I suddenly remembered the matter, and the mood became heavy. I took a deep breath and stood up to bow and apologize.

“Senpai, this time it is me who has failed you, and I am willing to bear any consequences.”

Sachertorte lifted me up.

“Although I was your referral, you went against the rules of the foundation, so I can't keep you here at the facility. I'm sorry.”

“…Well, I understand.”

Even though I was prepared for the worst, my heart still plunged into the abyss when I heard the verdict of Sachertorte-senpai for me first hand. My eyes were tearing up, but I didn't want him to see it. If you show weakness because you cannot bear the consequences your actions, things will only get more embarrassing. I clenched my teeth, until this burst of emotions finally came back under control, and then I softly said.

“You came over here at this time only to inform me of this specifically?”

“You could say that.”

“So, am I leaving tonight?”

“Yes. You have to leave before dawn, and you can't let the other trainees find out.”

Sachertorte said while looking at his pocket watch.

“I see.”

I nodded and decided not to think about the future. My first priority was to adjust my mood as quickly as possible and pack the few bags I had stored in the dorm. In the past few months, Sachertorte had already done a lot of unnecessary work because of me.

*If tonight is the last goodbye, then, at least the last farewell will leave a positive impression. Although… although…*

I closed my suitcase in front of the mirror, and when I looked up, I saw Sachertorte-senpai leaning against the bar and catching some shut-eye.

*…although, I regret not growing up to work side by side with you.*

There was a crisp clanking sound as the metal buckle of the luggage closed. Sachertorte, who had been sleeping shallowly with his head down, then woke up. He rubbed his eyes, moved his neck, and when he spoke, his voice was slightly tired and hoarse.

“My, you’re all packed up already? You were quick.”

“Yes. All packed up, Senpai.”

I answered with my head down. And the next second, a powerful spiritual force enveloped my surroundings. It was like a warm river that helped me calm down my emotions. Although I tried very hard to cover up the sadness, Sachertorte-senpai, who has a strong spiritual power, still noticed everything from the beginning.

“Don’t be so down, Baguette.”

“Thank you for your comfort.”

“Let’s go.”

He got up and patted my shoulder. Just as he came, we decided to leave quietly through the window.

“… Let’s go.”

Sachertorte took the lead and climbed out of the window, picked up my suitcase, then pulled me along and helped me climb through the window. The moonlight outside was like water. That was the first time I saw the facility on a full moon night, and sadly, it was also the last. I silently said goodbye and turned around to close the dorm window.

“Let's go out the back door, follow me.”

I turned my head and Sachertorte took me by the shoulders and led me towards the big tree under the dorm building. Strangely enough, the tree that usually bloomed profusely when people were near was unusually calm that night, and I had a vague feeling that it had something to do with Sachertorte. If he had not been there, perhaps the tree would have looked different on that full moon night. I followed Sachertorte around the big tree, he pressed it somewhere, and a dark door suddenly appeared behind it.

"Try pushing it open."

Sachertorte encouraged in one of my ears. I gathered my courage and pushed it open. A cold wind blew and I shivered. Behind the door there was a stunning snowy world.

*But isn’t it July now?*

I turned around and looked at Sachertorte suspiciously. He seemed to be surprised as well, and calmly closed the door again.

“I thought that if a newcomer opened the door for the first time, he would have a bit more luck.”

With that, he reopened the door again, and this time, a blazing flame accompanied by the low roar of some kind of vicious beast came out. But before I could see what was behind the door, Sachertorte quickly closed it again.

“…one more time.”

He frowned and pressed the doorknob again.

"Phew, it's right this time."

That time, outside the door was finally a normal-looking evening street, with an unoccupied carriage parked on the side of the road, and two horses waving their tails in boredom.

“Let’s go. The carriage is waiting.”

Sachertorte took my suitcase and walked out first. That’s when I suddenly felt anxious. That carriage reminded me of the day when my Master Attendant had first summoned me.

### IV. Initial Reincarnation

I will always remember very clearly what really happened that day. At that time, I appeared in this world for the first time and started observing everything around me. I instinctively understood that the young man with the green beard who was leaning against the chair was the one who had summoned me and was the one I had to protect. But before I could get a closer look at him, a dangerous aura swept through the door. It was a killer. More accurately, the attacker was a Food Soul like me. Realizing that Master Attendant was in danger, I fended off the killer's attack and fired the first shot from my gun. Master Attendant was awakened, he looked at the shattered glass window, and ran out of the office in a state of shock.

“Who are you?”

“I’m Baguette. I’m your Food Soul.”

“What happened just now?”

“Someone tried to assassinate you, but I fought them off.”

Master Attendant rubbed his eyebrows.

“Oh… luckily, it was a false alarm… wait!”

He seemed to have suddenly thought of something, his face instantly went pale like a white sheet, and immediately went out the door. I had no choice but to follow him and board the carriage with him, and the momentary turmoil caused me to smack into the carriage.

“Did something bad happen? Master Attendant?”

Master Attendant drove the carriage without looking back.

“No one knew I was here! Except my family! They must have gone to my house!”

His voice came through the night wind. And my heart clenched. Master Attendant was right; however we didn't make it in time in the end. I was in the carriage, and Master Attendant's bitter cries tore through the night. The horse that had just stopped was frightened by the them, and paced uncomfortably on the spot. I awkwardly comforted him. I could calm a frightened horse, but I didn't know how to comfort a Master Attendant who had just lost his dear family. I saw Master Attendant again a week later. He came out of the mansion with locked gates and let me in. When we met that day, I realized in a brief glimpse that the sleepy-eyed, scruffy-faced young man was gone, and that the Master Attendant in front of me made me feel a bit scared.

“Come in.”

He said.

*He is my Master Attendant… I shouldn’t be afraid…*

I said this to myself and followed him into the mansion. That was the first time I had walked into his daytime residence since the night I cooperated with the officers who came to investigate the scene for evidence. The blood was gone, and everything was intact as if nothing had happened. But I still remember the look of those mangled corpses lying in a pool of blood. There was one by the vase in front of the door and one in the kitchen. There were also two under the corner of the stairs on the first floor... But Master Attendant went past all those places indifferently and walked straight to the second floor. I kept pace with him and followed him into the study. Master Attendant handed me a thick and authentic copy of the Code.

“You were summoned by me. Then, learn the Code. Remember: human emotions are useless, so don't look at me with sympathy in the future. All you have to do is to judge and to be impartial, understand?”

I did not understand his words back then, but learning fast is an innate ability of Food Souls.

*“Act in accordance with the Code”… I can do that.*

“Baguette, what are you staring at?”

The déjà vu question snapped me out of my memories. I looked at Sachertorte in the carriage, who was holding out his hand towards me. At his feet, I saw that he also had a moderately large suitcase.

*So, I won't be the only one who leaves?*

With this in mind, my pace gradually relaxed and I darted ahead to the carriage that was about to leave for an unforeseeable journey.

### V. Baguette

At the dawn of Champagne's rise to power in his Empire, public opinion in the country was divided into two distinct factions. Supporters believed that a Food Soul ruler would make the Empire better, while opponents believed that the human beings in that country would sooner or later become the Food Souls’ slaves because of it. Baguette's first summoning occurred during that period, within Champagne’s Empire. The Master Attendant who summoned him at that time was a maverick human judge. Although he was a human judge from the "former Empire", he was a great supporter of Champagne’s ruling, and in his court, many human nobles and members of the clergy who had been on the wrong side of the conflict were brought to justice. That "extreme justice" approach, on one hand, allowed him to gain Champagne's trust, but on the other hand, he also made numerous enemies and was scorned by many nobles.

One night, the judge was sleeping in his office as usual because of his heavy workload, but he was awakened by the sound of a gunshot. When he opened his eyes, he saw a white-haired young boy holding a gun in one hand and the Code in the other, standing in front of him and repelling the killer who came to assassinate him. But the failed assassination didn't end up having a happy ending. In that act of revenge, the judge lost his wife and children, as well as his elderly mother. The murder of his wife, children and mother had dealt a severe blow to the young judge. He became increasingly harsh and unsympathetic in his enforcement of the law as a result and demanded that Baguette, like him, should become a pair "scales" that exists only for the sake of justice. Baguette bread seemed to understand, and began to learn the code as requested by the royal attendant, following him in his cases.

It was not until many years later that a case of "Baroness Jessica's Mob Involvement" caused a complete falling out between Baguette and his Master Attendant. Jessica was a noblewoman whose husband was accused of being involved in a Black Street ring. However, when Baguette came in contact with her, he found out that in the evidence collected, everything indicated that her husband was responsible for all the acts and that she had no involvement. But after Baguette submitted the evidence to his Master Attendant, he sentenced the noblewoman and her family to death by hanging.

Baguette was shocked by Master Attendant's actions. That woman was clearly innocent. Such actions not only violated the justice in his heart, but also violated the absolute justice that his Master Attendant had taught him. While Baguette and Master Attendant were arguing, Master Attendant excitedly told the truth: It turned out that in the case of the judge's family murder, his prime suspect was the noblewoman's husband, and some of his associates. At that time, he was acquitted because of insufficient evidence. The culprit was never brought to justice. Baguette reprimanded his Master Attendant for taking personal revenge based on suspicions and without evidence. But his Master Attendant countered him:

“You will never be human, so you will never understand that as long as you are human, you will never be able to resist selfishness.”

Baguette and his Master Attendant parted on bad terms. In order to save the innocent Jessica, he went to the "Black Street", where the various gangs mingled, to investigate any evidence of perjury committed by his Master Attendant. However, he was nearly killed because he was attacked by his Master Attendant’s enemies, who sought revenge. He was rescued by Sachertorte, a Food Soul working under the secret training foundation of the Empire, who was performing a secret mission in the Black Street.

Sachertorte took Baguette, who was guarding the evidence with his life, back to the foundation for treatment and, with his testimony, he presented the evidence of the judge's perjury to King Champagne. The judge was sent to jail and committed suicide shortly thereafter. At that time, Baguette, who was being led by Sachertorte and trained as a freshman at the foundation, sensed the departure of his Master Attendant. It was then that he suddenly understood the last words that his Master Attendant said to him.

*Human emotions, whether love or hate, are a hindrance to the implementation of justice and jurisprudence.*

His Master Attendant hurt those around him due to the loss of his loved ones and his piling up hatred, and became the one causing harm to others. Thus, he secretly vowed that he would never follow the same path.

## Notes

1. ↑ Baguette often calls Sachertorte "前辈 (Qiánbèi)", which is a noun younger stundets can be used to refer to an upperclassman or elder student they respect. A literal translation would be "senior" but that would sound... off. So I decided to use the Japanese term "Senpai" instead, given that it has a similar meaning and many people are already familiar with it. If any other translator has a better solution, please let me know!