I Only Baked Bread, but I Was Mistaken for the Best - Chapter 119

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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 119. Twisted Faith (3)
“Thank you for your patience.”
I apologized for not being able to have a lengthy conversation while customers were present.
Only after the break time arrived and the sign was hung on the door could I finally face the two of them with drinks in hand.
“No, it’s not that… but everyone really was smiling, weren’t they?”
“It’s something to be grateful for.”
Seon-woong spoke first, having carefully observed the expressions of the customers who came to buy bread.
Perhaps because his mood had lightened somewhat, the sharp karmic debts that had been standing upright seemed to lean back a little.
“Could I… perhaps wear such an expression myself?”
“I’m sorry. I’m just someone who bakes bread.”
“I see. Sigh… I was just speaking out of desperation.”
Seon-woong wasn’t a fool, so he must have understood.
No matter how much Young-gu Chef and Tae-woong encouraged the remarkable taste of my bread, it was ultimately just bread.
And ordinary bread only possessed flavor and texture—it couldn’t transform a person.
Yet he was desperate enough to set aside that rationality.
“I’m not sure how much Tae-woong has told you…”
“I’ve heard enough. That you’re one of the elders.”
“Kim Ro-han. That’s my son’s name. You’ve probably heard of him.”
I’m sorry, but I hadn’t.
Perhaps it was because I’d never taken much interest in anything other than bread throughout my life.
It was only natural that I wouldn’t know who one of the country’s elders was.
But upon hearing this, Haeryang looked startled and asked back.
“Really? Is Elder Kim Ro-han truly your son, Seon-woong?”
“That’s correct.”
“I was quite surprised when my brother first told me this story too.”
“Is he a very famous person?”
“Ah… you wouldn’t know, Owner. Just a moment. Let me show you.”
Only after Haeryang, who knew my nature well, showed me the search results on her phone could I understand.
Name: Kim Ro-han.
Age: 27.
The youngest person to ever assume the position of elder in Korea’s religious community.
He had become known throughout the nation while consistently performing good deeds.
“Ah. So this person was the one who started the fundraising campaign for Gate disaster victims.”
“That’s right. In fact, he was essentially promoted to elder because of that work.”
“That’s not all. If you scroll down further, you’ll be able to see the real reason, Owner.”
Following Haeryang’s words, I scrolled down and examined it carefully.
Several articles in chronological order passed by, and then a special feature article appeared.
[The Emergence of Korea’s Only A-Rank Healer-Class Hunter! An Interview with 17-Year-Old Kim Ro-han.]
“A Healer-Class Hunter?”
“It’s common knowledge that the Church is aggressively recruiting Hunters of that class. You didn’t know that, did you?”
“Of course I know that.”
“But that’s not all. When he assumed the position of Elder, he took on a specific role. It’s written right here.”
I suppose you’d call it an inauguration ceremony.
In any case, the article announcing his elevation to Elder also detailed the position he would assume.
“Heresy Inquisition? No, what kind of thing is this in this day and age….”
“People often misunderstand, but the heresy referred to here means Gates and Monsters.”
“Ah. That makes sense….”
The Church had defined Gates—which threatened the safety and peace of humanity—and the Creatures dwelling within them as evil and heresy.
Because of this, they designated Heresy Inquisition as one of the Elder’s primary duties.
It was essentially the Church’s declaration that they would take the lead in resolving Gate-related issues.
So to summarize….
“Your son is an A-rank rare Healer-class Hunter who became the youngest Elder in a Gate-related position, is that right?”
“That’s the summary. And that’s the problem.”
“The Church’s Gate-related abuses are quite notorious….”
Seon-woong nodded calmly at Haeryang’s words.
What he had revealed about his son’s actions was quite shocking.
“I heard that because Healer-class Hunters are rare, small and medium-sized Guilds need the Church’s support to conquer Gates. And my son manages that support. The problem is the method by which support is approved.”
“The method of approval….”
“They approve support in order of which Guilds donate the most money.”
“What?”
That wasn’t all.
To protect the Church’s position, they didn’t just poach Hunters already belonging to other Guilds—the process itself was ruthless.
“Moreover, if Hunters who attend the Church have families, they apparently apply various forms of pressure.”
“But why hasn’t this become a problem?”
“It’s already taken root too deeply. Beyond the point of repair.”
Seon-woong spoke, saying it wasn’t just Kim Ro-han’s problem.
It appeared such issues had existed covertly even before Kim Ro-han assumed the Elder position.
But internal purification couldn’t occur.
Those backed by power used their weight to crush any resistance.
“The God I believe in would never do such things.”
“But why only in Korea….”
“They exploited the gap between the Hunter Association and the government failing to harmonize. My son told me directly.”
Seon-woong smiled bitterly and fidgeted with the coffee cup I had handed him.
It was a difficult topic.
Not something a mere Bakery Owner could ever resolve.
So I had nothing to say.
“I apologize for burdening you with such difficult matters. I just… wanted to talk about it.”
“No. It’s truly fine.”
“No, I’m sorry for troubling your heart unnecessarily.”
It seemed Seon-woong hadn’t come here with great expectations in the first place.
Yet I couldn’t help but harbor some hope.
That’s simply how the human heart works, isn’t it?
Contradictory emotions swirl together in a tangled mess, until you can’t tell what’s what anymore.
Normally, it would be better not to involve myself in such matters.
Yes, if I were just an ordinary Bakery Owner, that is.
Ding!
[The Pilgrimage Gone Astray]
▷ It is always possible to take a wrong turn along the way. However, one must not simply continue walking down the wrong path, for those who are lost require guidance. A small signpost, perhaps, to show them which direction to go.
▷ Deliver ‘???’ to ‘???’: 0/1
▷ Reward: 5,000 BP
“I’ll help you.”
“Really? You’ll help me…?”
The moment a Quest window appeared, everything changed.
“I’m not certain it will be of use, but… I’ll try baking something for you.”
* * *
Though I only promised to bake bread, Seon-woong kept thanking me repeatedly.
He didn’t even know if it would truly be effective, but the mere fact that someone stood by his side seemed to provide him great comfort.
Of course, I couldn’t deliver the bread that very day.
I hadn’t even decided what effect it should have, and I couldn’t simply bake any bread at random.
So I asked him to return in a few days and continued with my business as usual.
“So what bread should I make?”
“What matters is not the form of the bread, but the sincerity within it. Owner.”
“I know that much.”
But humans are creatures with five senses, are we not?
The sincerity we can imbue changes depending on the information we receive.
To put it bluntly, it’s difficult to bake a luxurious, extravagant bread dusted with gold leaf while pouring in the sincere wish for a humble life.
“And I’m not even sure what Seon-woong truly desires.”
“Meow. That’s your task, Owner. How many humans have ever truly understood their own deepest longings?”
“Fair point.”
In the end, this falls to me.
Which is why I continue to ponder this even after closing the shop, here in the Witch’s Cottage.
“Chohong. Gora. Do either of you have any ideas?”
“Kyuuu?”
“Gora?”
“Sorry. There’s no way for me to tell you two apart.”
I stroked the two creatures as they tilted their heads and whimpered in confusion, then gazed out the window.
“How can a Gate I happened to find be like this?”
Should I call it good fortune, or is this also the intention of the Witch’s Cottage?
The Witch’s Cottage now stood in a peculiar corridor suffused with brilliant white light.
Massive columns of white marble rose majestically, forming grand arches, while warm light streamed through enormous stained glass windows adorning the walls.
“At first glance, it looks like a grand cathedral.”
“Should we venture out and take a look? Owner?”
“Are you insane? You see that and still want to go out there?”
Yet this place, for all its wondrous and sacred appearance, remained nothing more than a Gate.
A space hostile to those who entered it, employing every vile method imaginable to claim their lives.
This Gate was no exception.
“Grrrraaagh? Graaaagh.”
“Kiiiiirrrk.”
The clatter of bone and the nauseating sounds emanating from rotted vocal cords.
The space bathed in sacred light was filled with beings—dead yet undead, embodying a paradox of existence.
“How are there undead roaming about?”
“Kyuuuu. Kyuu kyuu!”
“So that’s why you’ve been so irritable.”
“Kyuu!”
Chohong, born from the Bread Maker of Life itself, was fundamentally a being most intimately connected to life itself.
Moreover, managing the Kitchen Garden outside, the aura of these morale-draining creatures would naturally be deeply unwelcome.
“Gora gora.”
“You feel the same way?”
“Gora! Gora rara!”
Gora, clutching at the nose drawn in icing, faced the same predicament.
Instead of the savory aroma of baking bread, the stench of decay from those creatures mingled with it—a complaint aired repeatedly.
The Ginger Man Legion, who had been making bread throughout this ordeal, had also ceased their work with heavy sighs.
“You said you’d protect us perfectly by separating inside and outside….”
“Meow. Protection is being maintained perfectly, is it not?”
Zombies, ghouls, and skeletal hordes rushing toward the Witch’s Cottage from the depths of the Gate.
Yet not a single one of them could set foot inside.
Flailing in empty space as if blocked by an invisible wall, snapping their jaws uselessly.
Yes, as Noir said, attacks were being defended against perfectly.
Attacks, at least.
“This stench—can’t that be considered an attack?”
“The Witch’s Cottage judges intent. If those walking corpses had intended to harm the Owner through their stench, no smell would reach here.”
“So that’s not the case, which is why we’re stuck with this.”
I covered my nose against the putrid odor seeping inside.
Nothing could be accomplished like this.
Who would buy bread tainted with the reek of death?
The stench was so potent that clear thinking itself became difficult.
“This won’t do. We need to resolve this.”
“Meow? How do you intend to do so?”
“There are ways.”
After all, there exists an ancient and venerable method passed down through the ages.
“Most of them can be dealt with using salt, if I recall correctly.”
I grabbed a handful of salt from the Kitchen and opened the front door.
The moment it swung open, those creatures stared at me with stupid, guttural cries of “Grraahhh.”
They twisted their entire bodies and rushed toward me as if delicious food had appeared.
But there was something I needed to endure first.
“Get away! You’re unclean!”
Whoosh!
Splat.
“Grraahhk?”
The creatures made vacant sounds as salt scattered across their bodies.
But there was one thing they overlooked.
There’s no way the Bakery in the Witch’s Cottage would use ordinary salt.
“I still have mountains of purifying salt left. You bastards.”
“Grraaaaaahhhhhhk!”
With crackling sounds, the creatures’ flesh suddenly ignited.
As flames erupted from those struck by the salt, their rotted flesh began to desiccate rapidly.
I’d heard it purified all impure things, and I was grateful it could be used this way.
Since the effect was proven, I’d have to keep using it.
“Vanish at once. Where are you spreading that filthy stench?”
“Gwaaahhk!”
“Kwaaahhhhk!”
As I scattered salt around and dealt with the nearby undead, I could feel the stench disappearing.
When I glanced back, I could see Gora and Chohong cheering.
I was lost in the satisfaction of protecting my home from the foul odor when—
“H-how are you defeating the undead so easily….”
A man stared blankly in my direction.
He wore clothes with various things dangling from them, as if he held some position somewhere.
And with that cross hanging around his neck, it looked exactly like….
Ding!
[From the Wayward Path of Pilgrimage]
▷ Deliver ‘???’ to ‘Kim Ro-han’ 0/1
Now I understood why the Witch’s Cottage had come to this place.

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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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