I Only Baked Bread, but I Was Mistaken for the Best - Chapter 118

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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 118. Twisted Faith (2)
‘I used to think that all those organizations masquerading as churches and spouting nonsense were nothing but cults….’
At first, it had been good.
The Church had emerged, unifying various denominations under a single doctrine.
And within this newly reorganized system, my son climbed steadily upward.
First as a deacon, then as an ordained deacon, and eventually as a pastor.
‘It should have stopped there….’
But perhaps it was because my son possessed such a brilliant mind and exceptional talent.
At every position he ascended to, he achieved remarkable results.
The congregation marveled at his sermons, and his charitable works appeared not just in local newspapers but even on television.
In particular, the “Housing Construction Movement for Gate Disaster Victims” garnered support from the political sphere regardless of party affiliation.
‘I never imagined he would rise to the rank of elder….’
The position of elder—a rank that existed in only five places throughout Korea.
From the moment my son ascended to one of those positions, everything changed.
Or perhaps the entire Church had changed.
At the same time the world transformed.
“Seon-woong mentioned that the positions within the Church were never meant to signify hierarchy. He said they were merely task assignments given to serve God.”
“That’s what I understood as well.”
I had heard as much during my time abroad.
There was an elderly professor who had shared stories relevant to me.
What had he said?
That a pastor was not a position of authority, but rather a place of heavy responsibility—to serve the congregation and proclaim God’s word.
I didn’t know all the details, but I had understood it to be a position quite distant from worldly power.
“It seems that’s not actually the case.”
“It appears not.”
In any case, the work undertaken by Sun-woong’s Son after assuming the position of elder was to save the world.
Grandiose as it sounded, he claimed it involved cooperating with Hunters to close Gates and bring peace.
Upon hearing this much, unease began to creep in.
I recalled Han Yul’s lament about the Church’s corruption when I had visited Gongju before.
As expected.
“He operates a group primarily engaged in protective spells for Hunters, defense, curse removal, healing, and various support operations.”
“Ah….”
“It seems you’ve heard of this before, so the story moves quickly. After that, your son changed completely, he said.”
There had been signs, but afterward, Sun-woong’s Son fell into complete corruption.
At least, that’s what Seon-woong must have felt.
Controlling the livelihoods and lifelines of Hunters and residents, conducting transactions.
Yet he genuinely believed he was doing it for the world’s sake.
“Upon hearing all this, something suddenly came to mind. That bread which transformed my wretched life. If only we had that, wouldn’t something change?”
“It’s coincidence. That was something Tae-woong….”
“No! It was a miracle! I know it! My past self was absolutely beyond redemption.”
A precise assessment.
I apologize for saying this, but at that time, he was utterly irredeemable trash.
If it weren’t for the Mugwort Sponge Castella, it would have been impossible to see Tae-woong in such a state.
But in the current situation, it’s meaningless, and honestly, it’s not something I can say aloud.
“I’m grateful that you felt such emotions after eating my bread, but….”
“That’s right, Tae-woong. No matter how incredible the teacher’s bread is, could it really accomplish something like that? It’s not magic, after all. I’m certain that such resolve must have existed within you all along.”
“That can’t be right….”
Both Haeryang and I, who were listening, couldn’t help but swallow hard at the perceptiveness of these two in such an odd moment.
As we struggled to respond, Tae-woong pressed on without giving up.
“Then… would it be alright if I came back here with that older brother again?”
“Here?”
“Yes. It seems right to come directly with Seon-woong.”
“…Customers are free to visit whenever they wish.”
“Thank you.”
After securing the promise and bowing deeply at a ninety-degree angle, Tae-woong left the Bakery.
Following him, Young-gu Chef also called out, “I’ll visit again later, teacher!” before leaving the Bakery.
Only after the door closed and the bell hanging there chimed softly did I finally exhale the breath I’d been holding.
“Phew… they’re all quite perceptive.”
“Well, it’s only natural. People don’t change easily, after all.”
Haeryang answered with a shrug.
Indeed, there must be a reason the saying goes that people aren’t things to be fixed.
“Should I hide my power?”
“You, Owner? Is that even possible?”
“Meow.”
“Even Noir seems to agree with that?”
….
I want to deny it, but that’s the truth.
If people came with stories like this, I’d have no choice but to make bread for them without hesitation.
Usually a Quest appears anyway, and it’s not like I’m losing anything.
Of course, people who’ve lost their humanity are out of the question.
I changed the subject, not wanting to invite any more of Noir’s pitying glances.
“By the way, it seems the Church has quite a few problems.”
“It’s only like that in Korea. My older sister came home a few times and cursed about it.”
“Yu Ha-neul Hunter?”
“Yes. My older sister. One day she came and pulled out the soju from the fridge, then drank straight from the bottle. It happens sometimes.”
Who would have thought that Yu Ha-neul Hunter, known for being cold and aloof, had such a side to her.
According to Haeryang, her younger sister, she even downs entire bottles in one go quite often.
“And she says all those fraudsters should be sent to the Lord’s side….”
“Ah… yes….”
She must have been under considerable stress.
True, I’ve heard that they demand all sorts of special favors under the guise of helping with Gate conquests, so from a Guild management perspective, it’s hard to blame them.
“So, you’re handling this one too?”
“This one too?”
“But up until now, you’ve kept… um… never mind. I’ll just do whatever you want, Owner.”
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
“You don’t need to understand. Ah, then I’ll just do a final inventory check on the beverages and head out?”
Haeryang smiled faintly at my words and, true to her word, finished organizing the beverage stock before clocking out.
I had nothing particular to do either, so I prepared to leave early.
“Besides, Gora and the Ginger Man Legion are handling most of the bakery’s bread production now anyway.”
“Still, having the owner bake directly would be better for the Witch’s power growth. Meow.”
“It’s not like I’m doing nothing. I just wanted to take it easy today.”
Looking back, haven’t I been pushing myself quite hard all this time?
Both as a Bakery Owner and as a Witch.
As a result, the bakery that was falling apart expanded, I built many meaningful connections, and my Witch’s power grew stronger.
So surely taking one day off wouldn’t be unreasonable?
“Wait, Owner. If you’re taking it easy, why are you going into the Witch’s Cottage?”
“Because I’m resting, that’s why.”
“But why are you heading to the Kitchen if you’re taking it easy?”
“I said I’m going to rest, didn’t I?”
“Meow! You said you were resting, so stop putting flour in a bowl! Owner! That’s completely contradictory!”
Why was Noir suddenly acting like this?
Resting meant doing what I wanted to do, and what I wanted was to finally implement a recipe I’d been wanting to try for a while.
“Ordinary humans use the word ‘resting’ to mean taking a break, not starting something new! Owner!”
“Well, that’s what I’m doing.”
“Meow… meooow…. Get some sleep. Owner….”
“Just this one thing, then I’ll sleep. It’s an apple pie made by slicing different varieties of apples and stewing them together. It looks like a recipe left behind by a Previous Witch. Aren’t you curious?”
“M… meow…. Just that one thing.”
But I didn’t keep my promise.
After tasting the apple pie, I ended up staying up all night adjusting the apple ratio to find an even more exquisite flavor.
* * *
“Yaaaawn.”
“If you’d slept when I told you to, you wouldn’t be yawning like that. Owner.”
“But it was delicious, wasn’t it?”
“Meow… I suppose it was.”
Despite having stayed up all night, I had no regrets.
After all, I’d successfully discovered the perfect ratio for the apple pie yesterday.
“And the Witch’s Cottage acknowledged that effort too.”
“That’s truly a remarkable achievement. Usually, recipes created by Previous Witches are remembered because they’re perfect and special. Owner, you succeeded in making perfection even more perfect.”
Noir, displaying both front paws proudly as if it were his own accomplishment, looked genuinely pleased.
When I saw the status window appear yesterday, I’d celebrated in much the same pose, raising my arms in triumph.
[You have improved the Witch’s special recipe.]
[It has evolved into a more refined and delicious recipe!]
[You receive 5,000 BP as a reward.]
I realized I could acquire BP in small increments this way as well.
“From now on, I should research the existing recipes once more too.”
“Meow. Still, we can’t pull all-nighters like today. Owner. Or was it yesterday? Isn’t it today? If I didn’t sleep, then today… but the time is yesterday. Meow? Owner, something’s wrong with me.”
“You just didn’t get enough sleep.”
Noir had stayed up all night beside me watching the apple pie evolve, so I laid down the swaying cat and stroked her head, and she fell asleep purring immediately.
After getting an earful from Haeryang when she came in to work, I started the day’s business.
The bread sold as well as always.
And the bright smiles blooming on the faces of customers as they left with their bread bags.
In the midst of such fulfillment, fatigue and drowsiness simply melted away.
Ding~
“Welcome! Oh? Tae-woong?”
“Haha. I came earlier than expected.”
Tae-woong, who had visited after closing yesterday, appeared again.
And just as he’d mentioned, a middle-aged man who appeared to be Seon-woong stood beside him.
His expression was plastered with all manner of gloom and despair from the world, just as I’d heard.
But that wasn’t all.
“Owner. Be careful. His karma is extremely aggressive.”
“It does seem that way.”
Noir, awakened by the ominous energy, approached cautiously and whispered in my ear.
Powerful karma clung thickly to the man’s body.
I couldn’t be certain whether this was karma he himself had accumulated or if it was karma from someone close to him that had transferred to him.
After all, in Grandmother Man-ok’s case, the karma committed by her son Tae-woong had transferred to her.
By that logic, I suspected the karma of his son had transferred to him.
But what was peculiar was….
“It’s incredibly sharp….”
Until now, all karma had clung in a sticky, adhesive manner.
Like how dust becomes sticky when wet or soaked in oil.
But the karma clinging to Seon-woong was different.
It looked like a hedgehog with sharp, pointed spines, as if it possessed will of its own.
Perhaps the reason he was so prickly with everyone was because of the shape of that karma.
“Hello. I’m Kim Sun-woong.”
Instead of shaking hands, he greeted me with a slight bow.
Just as I was about to return the greeting.
“I’ve heard much about you.”
“Pardon? Heard? From whom?”
“From Tae-woong here and Chef Young-gu as well. They spoke highly of you.”
A chill ran down my spine.
What on earth had those two told Seon-woong?
What exactly had he heard?
My confusion was quickly resolved.
“I heard that you can change people with bread.”
“Pardon? Me?”
“With baking skills that have reached such a miraculous level, the flavors you create can sway people’s hearts, or so I was told… wasn’t that the case?”
“Let me first offer you something to drink…”
It was the moment I resolved to have a word with Heo Tae-woong and Han Yeong-gu without fail.

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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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