I Only Baked Bread, but I Was Mistaken for the Best - Chapter 102

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 102. The Potato Bread of Truth (1)
Bread of truth.
Just hearing the name made it seem like any lie would be exposed, but this bread wasn’t created from a mere flash of inspiration.
It was only possible because of my long experience and research accumulated over the years.
“That experience and research—surely you don’t mean rummaging through the warehouse, Owner?”
“…I would say that counts as research.”
….
“…Truly.”
The Witch’s Cottage was a place where the dimensions of space twisted dramatically between inside and outside.
The warehouse was where this distortion was most severe.
It couldn’t be otherwise.
Countless witches who had passed through this house over the years had accumulated materials here in abundance.
“Stepping into this place feels like entering another world entirely.”
An enormous space revealed itself upon opening an ordinary door (though in the Witch’s Cottage, “ordinary” meant one made of pastries and bread).
Towering shelves stretched skyward in neat rows, each compartment brimming with ingredients—exploring this place alone constituted research, didn’t it?
“Anyway, that’s how I found it.”
“Found what?”
“A decent ingredient. Wait a moment… ah, it’s this way.”
Deep inside, turning right at the dragon’s shinbone as a landmark, then continuing straight—the shelf that appeared there.
On one side of it sat a single burlap sack.
From within the aged, discolored sack, what I pulled out was….
“Potatoes, Owner?”
The dust-covered sack was filled with ordinary potatoes, seemingly freshly harvested from some unnamed farm.
Dried mud clung thickly to their surfaces, with marks and blemishes scattered across them—a thoroughly unremarkable appearance.
When I first saw them, I’d even suspected, ‘Who would stockpile worthless potatoes with no commercial value here?’
“Until I checked the status window. That’s when I saw this.”
The moment I reached out and picked up one particularly ugly potato wedged in the corner.
Ding!
[Lumiere’s Eye]
▷ A crop bearing the legend of having purified the tongue of an evil god that once sought to devour all the world’s falsehoods, burying it beneath the earth. Though unremarkable in appearance, its core contains the pure ‘essence of truth’ condensed together with ‘the petty lies of malice’.
When I first discovered this, I nearly let out an involuntary cry of joy.
Lumiere.
A word meaning light.
That alone pleased me, but what pleased me even more was none other than the description itself.
“The essence of truth, it says.”
Considering the crops I’d used until now, there was no chance this was false.
Moreover, with the status window guaranteeing it, there was no reason to doubt further.
Even Noir nodded upon seeing this potato.
“If it’s Lumiere’s Eye, there’s certainly potential. Meow. There was even a time before, when witch hunts were in full swing, when this potato saved a woman who had been falsely accused.”
“Falsely accused?”
“That’s right. He was a human who lived next door to the Witch, and he was in danger of facing a witch trial unjustly.”
Just as the crazed villagers were about to hurl stones at the woman, the Witch at that time helped by using Lumiere’s eyes.
It’s quite remarkable that she cleared the Witch’s name by actually receiving the Witch’s aid.
“But how did you use this potato?”
“Fed it to them.”
“Huh? Fed it?”
“Meow? Then you eat the potato—what else would you do with it?”
The method was simple.
Feed them this potato.
According to Noir’s explanation, this potato, which bears the alias Lumiere’s eyes, possesses a peculiar property.
“Those who speak the truth and eat this potato experience exquisite flavor, but….”
“But?”
“Those who tell lies die. Meow.”
“What?”
Die?
No, where in this world does such an extreme potato exist?
Yet Noir continued speaking as if it were nothing, licking his paw.
“Using that, the Witch suggested everyone in the village eat soup just before the execution. After finishing the meal, only the Witch and that human woman survived. The rest clutched their bellies and died in agony.”
“….”
“Isn’t that a happy ending? I believe we can resolve this situation similarly. Meow.”
I need to make a point of not listening to Noir’s ideas going forward.
Who would have thought that mere words about “malicious lies” would have such an effect?
Of course, potatoes do actually contain a toxic substance called solanine.
Why, isn’t there a saying about it?
Never eat sprouted potatoes.
It’s all because of this solanine.
It tastes extremely bitter and acrid enough to sting the tongue, causing nausea, diarrhea, and abdominal pain.
But it’s not enough to kill a person.
“Then I can’t use this….”
Bread exists for people to eat, after all.
But if I use this potato, wouldn’t those who speak lies inevitably face death?
“That’s not bread.”
“True, my Owner doesn’t like making bread like that.”
But I couldn’t simply ignore this remarkable potato either.
From my position of suffering from lies, it was a material that could produce excellent results if used properly.
“Is there no way… Ah!”
“Did you think of something good, Owner?”
“I know someone with extensive knowledge about such matters. We do.”
“You know them, Owner. I don’t think I know anyone like that. Meow.”
That couldn’t be right.
Noir, myself, and that person had shared the experience of performing Chohong’s debut stage together.
I immediately pulled out my phone and made a call, and after several rings, a voice came through.
– What’s going on?
“Nuri, do you have a moment?”
– Oh, I’ve got plenty of time! But… oh no! That thing, I told you not to put it there, so why do you keep doing it! My heart’s about to jump out of my chest!
Though Nuri claimed to have plenty of time, it seemed he was constantly working on something.
Before I could even ask what was happening, Nuri answered with a chuckle.
– Oh, my brother moved it to a strict area again and caused trouble. But what did you need time for?
“It’s about potatoes, actually.”
– What potatoes…?
“That’s exactly the problem.”
No matter how much of an expert Nuri was on Gate-origin crops, there was no way he’d know about Lumiere’s eyes.
So I vaguely mentioned mutant Gate-origin potatoes, and after a moment of thought, Nuri provided an answer.
– That solanine stuff is seriously terrifying. They say it doesn’t disappear even when you burn it?
“I’ve heard that too.”
Solanine is quite a peculiar poison—its composition doesn’t change even at temperatures around 170 degrees.
So even if you cook with sprouted potatoes, the toxin typically doesn’t disappear and causes abdominal pain in whoever consumes it.
In this case, it would probably be fatal.
– Grandi, if you soak it in vinegar, it gets a bit better.
“Vinegar?”
– Precisely, it’s acidity. That stuff slowly dissolves in acidic conditions.
Solanine is an alkaloid compound, so its structure becomes unstable under acidic conditions, Nuri added.
So if you soak it in strong acidic solutions like acetic acid from vinegar or citric acid from lemon, or heat it together, the molecular rings break apart and decompose into less toxic substances…
– If you’re still worried, what about deep-frying it in oil?
“Oil?”
– Yeah. If you fry it at over 170 degrees, some of it will escape into the oil.
Of course, Nuri also mentioned that in this case, the oil would be contaminated with solanine and would need to be discarded.
He additionally stated that using these methods wouldn’t completely remove the toxin from sprouted potatoes.
But in my case, I actually can’t completely remove the toxicity.
I need to maintain the toxicity, just at a level that isn’t threatening.
“That was really helpful. Thank you.”
– Well, I’m glad. I’ve got a mountain of work, so I need to get going. Hey, I’ll call you when I have some free time!
Nuri hung up, apparently busy with the new product launch.
But thanks to him, I’d obtained everything I needed.
“Strong acidity… and oil…”
There were countless ways to create acidic substances.
The Kitchen Garden alone was overflowing with berries that produced an intense sour taste.
And oil was no different.
“I have plenty of olive oil and oils made from nuts.”
“Are you conducting an experiment?”
“Yeah.”
“Let me help a little. Meow!”
*Ding*
[To Reveal the Truth]
▷ Revealing the truth doesn’t always require death as a prerequisite! To face the truth in the way you desire, a bit of preparation is necessary.
▷ Through the correct refinement process using ???, ???, craft ‘Lumiere Mousse’ 0/1
▷ Reward: 20,000 BP
“Huh?”
“Meow?”
The moment the quest window appeared, Noir and I couldn’t help but feel puzzled.
The quest window itself appearing wasn’t the problem.
Since the Witch’s Cottage presented quests for my wishes, it could certainly offer a quest to stop the malicious slander against the bakery.
The problem was the amount of the reward.
“Isn’t this level of reward usually only given when it’s related to fragments of the Witch?”
“That’s right. I suspect, Owner. Just as I mentioned before… fragments of the Witch are definitely involved in this matter!”
That was probably the case.
Otherwise, I wouldn’t have received a quest offering such a reward.
“It means I must succeed no matter what.”
Steeling my resolve, I went to the Kitchen Garden and harvested various berries I’d deemed sufficiently tart.
With Chohong’s help, I selected only the sourest ones among them.
“After that, I gathered various oils…”
*Ding!*
▷ Through the correct refinement process using ‘Berry Mixture’ and ‘Olive Oil,’ craft ‘Lumiere Mousse’ 0/1
The quest window updated the moment I obtained the necessary materials.
Since it mentioned a berry mixture, I should generously add all the berries I’d gathered.
“Let’s begin.”
First, I decided to use infusion with acidic berries as the initial step.
I crushed the berries that boasted such tartness they’d sting the moment they touched your lips, extracting their juice.
Then I thinly sliced the Lumiere eyes I’d prepared and soaked them in the juice.
“If I leave it like this, the solanine will be neutralized, right?”
Of course, simply soaking and removing them immediately wouldn’t solve the problem at all.
According to what Nuri told me, it would need to soak for at least a day to have any meaningful effect.
After spending a day as usual, something extraordinary had occurred in the bowl I retrieved.
“Something’s definitely changed, hasn’t it?”
“Gora, gora.”
I gazed at the Lumiere soaking in the bubbling berry mixture alongside Gora, who’d insisted on participating in the cooking.
The liquid had darkened in color, looking like something you absolutely shouldn’t touch.
[Berry Mixture Tainted by Falsehood]
▷ A berry mixture tainted by falsehood. If you wish to believe all the world’s truths as lies, close your eyes and taste it! However, I cannot take responsibility for what happens afterward. Even if I wanted to, you wouldn’t exist anymore anyway.
“I really shouldn’t touch this…”
“Gora….”
I carefully discarded the contaminated berry mixture and retrieved Lumiere’s eye from within it, washing it clean.
But this alone wouldn’t have completely neutralized it.
“The Quest window said I need to use olive oil for proper neutralization.”
I filled a pot with olive oil and brought it to a rolling boil over the flame.
Then I briefly and vigorously fried the Lumiere that had been marinating in the berry mixture.
Sizzzzle
With the sound of oil crackling and sputtering, it fried until crispy—let’s just call it a potato.
Anyway, after shaking off the fried potato to drain the oil and checking the result.
[Neutralized Lumiere]
▷ A Lumiere that has undergone the correct refinement process, with its toxicity neutralized.
▷ Effects
① Truth and Falsehood: Those who speak the truth experience a savory and smooth taste, while those who speak falsehood experience a sharp, sour, and stinging flavor.
“Perfect.”
The ingredient was now complete with exactly the effect I had desired.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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