I Only Baked Bread, but I Was Mistaken for the Best - Chapter 130

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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 130. Bearing a Dark Lantern (3)
[Mujiao Bread of Bonds]
▷ A mujiao bread that allows one to fully savor the natural flavors of its ingredients.
Touched by the skilled hands of a Witch, the subtle fragrance of Rosemary permeates every bite.
▷ Effects
① Consciousness Sharing: When those who consume the mujiao bread are near a certain space, they share thoughts and emotions through tactile sensation. Duration: 1 hour.
“Exactly the effect I was hoping for.”
It was an effect I could have anticipated, given that I had used Rosemary of Bonds.
And it was an effect that perfectly matched the sincerity I had poured into it.
“I’ll need to test exactly how it functions, though.”
“I heard about the effect through the Owner, but I’m not sure how it works. Meow.”
“That’s why we need to test it.”
The phrase about sharing through tactile sensation rather than direct sharing was unclear to me.
I would have liked to try it myself, but bread made by a Witch doesn’t produce effects for the Witch herself.
If I ate this, I would taste nothing but delicious bread.
“Well, I should verify that too, of course.”
No matter how important the effect might be, the essence remained bread.
And the most important aspect of bread was undoubtedly its taste.
The thin mujiao bread had a shape resembling naan.
Or perhaps it would be easier to understand if I said it felt similar to a pastry.
As I applied slight pressure while holding it, the mujiao bread snapped cleanly along the cross-shaped pattern stamped on its surface.
“Come on. Let’s taste it together.”
“Meow. To be honest, I’m not expecting much. Owner….”
“Gora gora.”
Noir, who already knew the taste of mujiao bread, and Gora, who had witnessed the straightforward preparation process, both wore skeptical expressions.
Surely it couldn’t be that bad.
The status window itself had mentioned that the fragrance of Rosemary permeated it richly.
While the two of them hesitated like that.
“Kyuuuu….”
“Chohong? You’re here?”
“Kyuu… kyuuuuu….”
Chohong flew into the kitchen with labored wingbeats, staggered, and then collapsed onto my head.
Or rather, it would be more accurate to say she spread out.
Lying prone with wings and limbs stretched out limply, she buried her face in the crown of my head.
“You must have had such a hard time.”
“Kyuuuu….”
Chohong answered weakly without even lifting her face.
It must have been exhausting.
The fuss I had briefly witnessed from Seung-hyun and Soo-min had exceeded imagination.
By now, she had likely been kneaded and massaged all over, subjected to burdensome gazes and words.
“I know all too well what that feels like. Meow.”
Misery loves company, as they say.
Noir, who had worked as the Bakery’s mascot and experienced countless hands and affection from people, nodded in agreement.
Even casting a sympathetic glance toward Chohong.
“The Owner would never understand this kind of hardship. Meow.”
“No, I know it’s tough.”
“Kyaaaah! It’s not just tough! It feels like I’m literally dying!”
“Squeak! Squeak squeak!”
Before the two victims of excessive attention could rush at me, I handed Chohong a piece of Mugyo Bread.
“Try this first.”
“Squeak?”
“I just baked it.”
“Squeak!”
Chohong seized the piece without a shred of doubt at my words and took a large bite.
Crackle!
The creature chewed the bread with a clear, crisp sound like a cracker shattering.
It was when the creature, tilting its head as if unfamiliar with the taste, swallowed what it had been chewing past its throat.
“Squeak!”
“Is it good?”
“Squeak! Squeak squeak! Squeak squeak!”
The creature flailed its limbs while still clutching the remaining piece of Mugyo Bread in its paws.
All the fatigue that had been visible moments before vanished, and seeing its face brimming with satisfaction, it seemed I had passed Chohong’s test.
“It’s… delicious? Meow?”
“Gora gora?”
“Squeak squeak! Squeak squeak!”
“I don’t understand what you’re saying, but even I comprehend that it’s an expression of deliciousness. Calm yourself. Meow.”
Chohong, who had been making a fuss about trying this delicious thing, soon became absorbed in eating its own portion.
Looking at that, it really must be delicious.
“Then I should try some too… Mmm.”
What I felt the moment it entered my mouth was, without question, the texture.
Neither hard nor crumbly, but somewhere in between.
Not crunchy, not crispy, but rather… I’d call it a delicate crackle.
Like biting into a well-made tempura coating.
“Mmm! This is delicious!”
“Meow! This is unbelievable!”
“Gora! Gora rara!”
The two of them exclaimed in admiration, having felt the same impression as me.
The flavor didn’t end with the texture.
From the Mugyo Bread crumbling in my mouth came the rich, nutty aroma of whole wheat.
As if a vast wheat field unfurled across my palate, a gentle breeze seemed to blow through the sensation.
Each strand carried a subtle floral fragrance.
Yet the breeze itself was refreshing and crisp.
“Ah.”
Rosemary.
The rosemary essence subtly yet decisively balanced the mujigwabread’s flavor.
“This would taste amazing dipped in honey.”
“My throat’s a bit tight, but it’s delicious. Meow.”
“Isn’t that just because you’re eating too much too fast?”
“Haaaack! I’m a Familier, not a pig!”
Yet there was Noir, with mujigwabread crumbs smeared all around his mouth.
I couldn’t fathom how he was eating through that icing-made mouth, but Gora was also savoring the mujigwabread with considerable interest.
“At this point, the taste is a success.”
“Indeed, Owner. The flavor was quite satisfactory.”
“Then the only thing left now is…”
To verify the bread’s effects.
* * *
“Ahh… that was so blissful!”
“Affirmative…”
Seung-hyun nodded, feeling a profound satisfaction welling up from deep within his chest.
How could such an adorable existence even be real?
Each flutter of those small, delicate wings made Seung-hyun’s heart melt away.
And those tiny limbs!
Moreover, those exquisite features crammed into a face smaller than a single joint of Seung-hyun’s thumb!
“It feels like I’ve used up a year’s worth of happiness in advance!”
“Affirmative.”
Seeing Soo-min, who usually disagreed with him, also affirm as she savored the earlier experience, Seung-hyun realized something.
Cuteness truly was an absolute truth.
‘Strength. And cuteness. That is the truth.’
Seung-hyun, thinking such thoughts without hesitation—the kind that would make anyone question his sanity—turned his gaze toward the Kitchen.
‘But what could they be doing in there?’
Yeon-gi, his benefactor and fateful connection.
Seeing how he’d gone to the Kitchen without hesitation upon hearing their situation, he must have prepared another flawless solution.
‘That solution is definitely bread. Gulp.’
Just recalling it made his mouth water.
It was inevitable.
How could one not drool remembering that taste?
‘How could I have wanted more when it was that spicy?’
Even now, it made no sense to him.
It was painfully hot, yet somehow the taste lingered in his mind, and he wanted more.
Yeon-gi’s miracles wrought through bread didn’t end there.
The bread that Gyu-ri had brought back after meeting Yeon-gi at the Ninfa Gate some time ago.
The pound cake had also produced a flavor beyond description.
‘Ever since then, that taste kept haunting me, so I’ve been buying pound cakes diligently….’
I’d wandered through every bakery in the neighborhood indulging in pound cake, yet the craving never subsided.
If anything, it only grew more intense.
So for Seung-hyun, today was an opportunity.
A chance to encounter once more that enchanting bread that captivated the soul.
‘But they said they wouldn’t accept payment… what am I to do….’
Seung-hyun had always felt he could never fully repay the kindness he’d received.
So I’d been pondering what I could offer, but Yeon-gi had already declined, saying they’d received enough.
In this uncomfortable situation, all I could do was stare intently at the kitchen where Yeon-gi had gone.
‘Sigh. There’s no helping it. If we meet again, I’ll offer one of my friends.’
I hadn’t even considered whether Yeon-gi would want that, nor whether the expression “offering one of my friends” was even appropriate.
Just as I was thinking that.
“Thank you for your patience.”
Yeon-gi emerged from the kitchen.
Behind them, another Yeon-gi in animal form followed with a cry.
The two of them transformed the very atmosphere of the pastry shop with their mere appearance.
Seung-hyun swallowed hard amid the overwhelming tension and answered.
“No! I wasn’t waiting! It’s an honor!”
“….”
Of course, had that answer been appropriate, Soo-min and Yeon-gi wouldn’t have maintained their silence.
After a brief moment of quiet, Yeon-gi produced two pouches.
“Each of you take one.”
“Question. Identity?”
“A method to resolve the problem you’re facing.”
“Is this… what you mean?”
Seung-hyun asked, looking at the mysterious pouch now in his hand.
When I lifted it slightly, something light was indeed inside.
Just as I was about to open the pouch to see what it contained.
“Please don’t check here.”
“Oh. Yes. Understood!”
“Question. Why check after leaving?”
“Well… let’s just say there’s good reason for it. It won’t harm you in any way. It’s merely bread. However, you should consume it only after stepping outside the door.”
At Yeon-gi’s repeated emphasis, Seung-hyun and Soo-min nodded.
As if their task was complete, Yeon-gi turned and headed back into the kitchen.
Watching their retreating figure, Seung-hyun bowed in gratitude.
“Thank you! This kindness! I will surely repay it in the future!”
No answer came, but Seung-hyun steeled my resolve and walked toward the door.
Soo-min followed behind me.
When I opened the door, all that greeted me was a dim, hollow void.
A complete darkness awaited us both—one where nothing could be seen or felt.
“Are you ready?”
“Affirmative.”
“Once we step outside, your senses will be completely numbed, so it would be wise to prepare beforehand!”
“A method exists.”
At Seung-hyun’s words, Soo-min slightly opened her pocket and held its opening between her teeth.
“After exiting, open the pocket.”
“Oh! That’s a brilliant idea!”
Since all sensation would vanish the moment we stepped outside, the plan was to eat the bread with minimal movement.
There was no reason to disagree.
With the pocket held between his teeth just as Soo-min had done, Seung-hyun took a step beyond the gate.
At first, it felt only like entering water.
Though some sensation was lost, I could still perceive what was happening around me.
‘But this is all thanks to that Pastry Shop.’
Somehow, the Pastry Shop counteracted the Gate’s effects.
As I advanced further, my senses grew increasingly dull, until they vanished entirely.
My eyes, ears, mouth, skin, and tongue—none of them functioned.
A complete void where even my sixth sense did not exist.
I flailed about, but felt nothing.
Perhaps I hadn’t flailed at all.
I had no sensation to confirm it.
‘I need to eat now!’
Seung-hyun tilted his head and shook the bread from the pocket into his mouth.
Just to be certain, I chewed and swallowed repeatedly.
That was when it happened.
‘Huh? Something fragrant?’
A savory aroma spread through the space where nothing had existed.
And threading through it came the scent of flowers, the aroma of pine needles.
‘Rosemary. It’s Rosemary!’
As my senses gradually returned, what appeared before my eyes was….
“It’s delicious! So very delicious! Yum yum yum!”
Soo-min, still pretending her senses had vanished.

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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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