Last Minute Translations

Chapter 2

Anna Wirth is unnecessarily kind.

After the war, she continued to bring home stray, wounded soldiers, feed them, put them to work on the communal farm, and even help them plan their return home once they had recovered. Some had settled in the village. That was something people did right after the war when hands were short, but now?

Therefore, some people looked at her strangely.

Such as her childhood friend, Dieter, for instance.

“Anna! Have you lost your mind? Did you pick up some strange guy again? One day your future husband is going to hate you for this!”

Of course, the door of the restaurant didn’t answer him.

Someone passing by glanced at Dieter, who was muttering to himself at the door, and sighed.

But Dieter was too busy rehearsing to care.

“...Maybe mentioning a future husband is too much,” he thought. “Okay, I’ll just say ‘someone’ instead.”

Dieter took a deep breath.

As soon as he walks through the door, he's going to shout it out to Anna, thinking about how he's going to propose to her one day!

After rehearsing three more times, Dieter finally pushed the door open with sweaty hands. Seeing Anna, who was serving customers, he straightened his shoulders and called out: “Anna! Have you picked up some beggar again? You can’t just keep—”

Then, he lost all his words.

He’d expected Anna to pick up some skinny beggar, but the one sitting at the corner of the restaurant looked like a giant wolf, lapping up a bowl of soup.

Dieter stuttered.

“U-uh, Anna... is he safe?”

Upon hearing that, the wolf, no, the big, dangerous-looking man, raised his face.

He was cloaked in dark fur, so he looked like a wolf at first glance. His deep blue eyes beneath his dark hair were just as threatening.

Dieter took a nervous step back.

Anna, on the other hand, raised an eyebrow.

“What’s with you, Dieter? Picking a fight?”

“N-No, I just thought he looked suspicious hanging around inside your restaurant!”

“Well, if you’re so worried, come say hello properly. Mister Bertram, say hi too.”

Anna ran over to the big man, grabbed him by the head, and turned him toward Dieter, treating him like a dog.

The cold eyes fixed on Dieter, who shivered as he spoke.

“H-hi. I’m Dieter. My parents run the tailor shop, and I’m Anna’s childhood friend.”

“Hello. I’m Bertram. I’m repaying a debt to Hans Wirth. Cutting onions. I’m not close with Anna.”

His voice was deep and steady.

The oddity of what he had said didn’t register with Dieter right away.

“B-Bertram...? That name rings a bell.”

“Dieter? I’ve met seven Dieters so far.”

“Of course. It’s a common name! But wait… debt? Mr. Hans Wirth was hardly someone with money to lend.”

Anna smacked him on the head.

“He might’ve! And there’s an IOU to prove it. Right, Mr. Bertram?”

Bertram nodded.

“Yes. I owe a debt that cannot be paid with money, so I’m repaying Anna however I can.”

That last part, “repaying however I can”, made Dieter’s gaze waver. Anna grabbed his cheek.

“Don’t take it the weird way. It’s just kitchen work. Onion peeling, mostly.”

“Onions? That’s all?”

“That’s what he’s good at. Since you’re here, would you like some onion soup?”

Bertram had apparently decided the introduction was over and went back to his second bowl of soup, with onion bits bobbed on its surface.

Dieter’s appetite vanished.

“Is there anything else?”

“Onion pickles. Onion omelets. Onion steak… without meat,” Anna added, sounding a bit too proud.

Dieter belatedly noticed that the restaurant smelled strongly of onions.

“Is that all you have?”

“Yup! Get this, I had him chop a whole sack of onions without shedding a single tear. Even rubbed his eyes and everything. It was so amazing that I told him to do two more sacks... and, uh, this is what happened.”

“You’ve got some weird hobbies!”

“Hmph. Coming from someone who’s never chopped an onion in his life. See if you can last even a second peeling them! And with the skins on too!”

“That’s enough nagging. Who would want to marry you at this rate?”

Dieter had meant to add “except me,” but Anna ignored him entirely.

“Oh, Mr. Bertram! Don’t wash the plate! I’ll get you more!”

“I’m full. No need for more.”

“Oh my, are you going to clean the plate because it was so delicious?”

“No. It’s easier to wash if you do it before the food dries on the plate,” Bertram replied flatly.

“Oh... right,” Anna mumbled.

That single word, “no”, left Anna and Dieter at a loss for a comeback. Bertram was already up and heading for the kitchen.

Dieter whispered in Anna’s ear. “Look at those hands. Do you think he might crush a plate?”

“…We just have to trust him.”

“More like, look at those scars. Clearly, he had seen things. Peeling onions probably doesn’t even make him blink.”

“He might have been a soldier,” Anna murmured.

“Are you sure he’s not some criminal?” Dieter lowered his voice. “Keep an eye on him. If there is anything suspicious, you tell me!”

“Oh, relax. Dad wouldn’t lend stuff to just anyone.”

“Oh? Does your mom know?”

Anna’s mother was at the market in the next village and wouldn’t be back until nighttime.

If she were here, this suspicious fellow wouldn’t be allowed a foot inside. Dieter thought but said nothing. Meanwhile, Anna handed him a dull spoon.

“Since you’re here, go peel some potatoes.”

“But you already got him working!”

“Mr. Bertram’s hands are so big that he cuts the potatoes in half. Yours fit them perfectly.”

With that, she left him in the kitchen. Dieter watched her go, smiling to himself.

Perfectly sized hands for peeling potatoes? Sounds like you do care about me, huh, Anna?

***

The village's only restaurant doesn’t have a name. But everyone just calls it “Anna’s Place,” and that’s enough to get the point across.

Still, anyone seeing the restaurant for the first time would probably be amazed at its size. There are only three or four tables for customers, but the building itself is large enough to feed a company of soldiers.

It’s all a remnant of the war.

When the war intensified, the state requisitioned the entire village to use as a supply base. Anna’s tiny restaurant had been converted into a mess hall. After the war ended, Anna returned to her hometown and could not help but feel dumbfounded given the huge space as “compensation.”

Anna made good use of the large area as a restaurant and warehouse, and for a while, she even fed defeated soldiers.

And of course, soldiers weren’t the only victims of the war.

“Dearie, have you seen my son?” A frail old woman with hair as white as snow mumbled. 

Anna replied warmly. “I will tell you once you finish the soup.”

“But there’s too many onions.”

“Some people would drink soapy water if it were free! Eat up! It’s good for you!”

The old woman grumbled but drank the soup.

Every time she moved, dirt crumbled off her tattered rags. Clearly, she’d been digging in the dirt again today.

After finishing every last drop of the soup, she paused at the door to bow her head toward Anna.

“Thanks for the food. But… did you see my son? He’s not a bad boy.”

“Tomorrow, if you don’t go digging up the ground, I’ll tell you.”

“I need to find him before they take him to the army…” The old woman stumbled out.

Anna handed Bertram a broom.

“Clean up the dirt, please.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Bertram obediently began sweeping. Even if he was not one to take initiative, he was good at following orders. That was why Anna was caught off guard by his sudden question.

“Do you know where that woman’s son is?”

“Huh? Oh, uh, you mean me?”

“You told her you would tell her tomorrow.”

“Of course, I don’t know.”

“You lied.”

He didn’t sound accusing, but Anna still bristled.

“What was I supposed to do? Otherwise, she would just keep clawing at the dirt until her fingers wear to the bone.”

“Clawing at the dirt?”

“She is looking for her son, who went missing during the war. They say he was last seen fighting near here before losing contact.”

“It is a sad story.”

“Oh, you know the feeling of sadness too?”

“I do. I just can’t feel it myself.”

Anna paused, catching her reflection in the window.

While telling the old woman’s story, Anna had worn a face full of sadness and exhaustion, tired of dealing with this for so long. Yet the man who had just commented had a blank face, as unfeeling as a stone.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to her.

“Um… Mr. Bertram? Were you perhaps injured in the war?”

“I fought and was injured often. I’m sure my head was hit as well.”

“I see. That explains why you never seem to smile or get angry.”

Bertram turned his head abruptly. His face was still expressionless, but his reaction was surprisingly quick.

“Oh, sorry if that was rude. But there are lots of people here who came back wounded from the war. Some of them can’t smile even when they’re happy. Some can’t speak at all. So I thought maybe you were like that too.”

“That’s not rude at all. Although this might be: were you also injured during the war?”

“Me? I was hit in the face when we were forced to give up the village.”

Anna pointed to the bridge of her nose. It was a cute nose that looked like someone had set a clove of garlic on top, but there was a faint white scar running across it.

“After my nose was broken, my sense of smell never fully came back. Even though I can still cook from muscle memory, my food probably doesn’t taste as good as it used to. Not something a restaurant owner should say, I know, but you never hide it when my food doesn’t taste good, so I thought I’d let you know in advance.”

“In that case, I will say it tastes good from now on.”

“Huh? No, there’s no need to lie.”

But Bertram spoke unexpectedly.

“I cannot taste food at all. That’s why I have been honest up till now. But I can tell my honesty upsets you. My indifference is no excuse to hurt you. Please accept my belated apology.”

Bertram gave a polite bow before resuming his sweeping.

Anna was left speechless.

A man who neither tasted food nor felt emotions. Completely dense.

She had met all kinds of people in her life, but never someone this infuriating.

And yet he was also the first to immediately apologize and try to make amends. His manner of speech was strange too, different from most people in this countryside.

‘Could he have been some fallen noble?’ Anna thought, surprised even herself.

Before she could dwell on it too long, the restaurant door banged open. A familiar voice echoed through the restaurant.

“Anna, you fool! I heard you picked up some beggar again!”

It was Anna’s mother, Karla.

She had her hands full of bags from the trip to the neighboring market, which meant someone had tipped her off before she even arrived home.

Sure enough, a vicious glare was already being directed at Anna.

“I told you to stay away from fancy nobles, not bring home every stray you see!”

“Mom, please, let me explain!”

“You’re at an age to get married, and this is what you do?”

“Mom! He’s right here!”

Karla finally noticed the large man standing quietly with the broom — a big man with jet-black hair and clothes so dark that “pitch-black” was the first word that came to mind.

In the sudden silence, Bertram bowed gracefully to Karla.

“Hello. Let me assure you, I am absolutely not a noble. I am, as you said, a beggar.”