I Only Baked Bread, but I Was Mistaken for the Best - Chapter 21

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

Chapter 21. Burning Thirst (5)
“They’re incredibly strong.”
“They seem to be more capable than they appear, Owner.”
I spoke these words to Noir while watching the spectacular display of colorful skills erupting from the distance.
They were the Azure Dragon, South Korea’s top-ranked guild in terms of military power, so I had anticipated something, but I never expected it to be this overwhelming.
“This isn’t some fantasy movie.”
With a single swing of the sword, a Salt Giant was cleaved in half and fell dead.
The Mages ceaselessly hurled fireballs from their hands, and those wielding cold weapons shattered the creatures’ limbs like broken dolls with each swing.
One of them even managed to grab that dangerous thing with their bare hands.
“I’m a bit envious, seeing it like this.”
“Didn’t you say you wouldn’t enter the Gate anyway, Owner?”
“That’s true, but it’s still impressive.”
Since ancient times, humanity has harbored fantasies about things they cannot physically accomplish.
All the myths and legends of the world proved this, and the remarkable achievements built under the name of science supported it.
“But all of that can be attributed to the Owner’s doing. Didn’t you see the effects of the Set Menu?”
“I did. Complete recovery for 24 hours.”
“Exactly.”
Noir continued speaking as she licked her front paw as if it were nothing special.
“Recovery isn’t simply about restoring the body to its original state. To be precise, complete recovery means bringing oneself to the best condition one can achieve.”
“What? Then those people…”
“Not only are their physical injuries being healed, but their mental trauma and even mana depletion are all being recovered continuously for 24 hours.”
What kind of insane efficacy is this?
If Noir was right, then for the next day, they would become warriors capable of constantly operating at full capacity, fully unleashing their potential.
All from eating just one Salt Bread and drinking one cup of Americano.
“Meow. Owner, you tend to severely underestimate the Witch’s power.”
“This is normal?”
“A Witch is infinitely close to fate itself, navigating upon it. That’s why I told you to keep baking bread and grow stronger. I’m tired of explaining this now.”
Noir, having lost interest after watching a horde of Salt Giants get obliterated, hopped down from the window to the floor.
The creature then looked up at me and made a suggestion.
“I think we’ve seen enough. How about we do something else now?”
“Hmm. True. There shouldn’t be anything to worry about.”
Why would I worry about a 24-hour limited immortal army that couldn’t die even if they wanted to?
I might as well do what I need to do until they return.
“So are we going to properly check out the Garden and the Apothecary now?”
“Before that, let me make some Salt Bread and Americano first.”
“Meow? Could it be that Owner… you’re preparing something for me to eat? I feel a bit touched…”
“I need to take care of those people.”
“Meow meow meow? What kind of nonsense is that? We’ve already fulfilled our contract!”
Noir leaped up like an electrocuted cat, meowing in protest.
“And didn’t you think those humans were dangerous? Why would you give them this!”
“That was the case until just now.”
Noir’s logical objection continued, but there was no reason for me to change my mind.
“Those people already seem to be misunderstanding me as something other than human….”
I was certain of it.
Before, I was too gripped by fear to think clearly, but as I carefully reviewed the situation, there was no other conclusion.
So they wouldn’t rashly attack me.
They knew better than anyone the dangers posed by intelligent monsters within a Gate.
Moreover….
“Clearing the Gate is beneficial for me too.”
“No matter how I think about it, there’s no benefit to it.”
“I can form a better image, that’s what.”
Think about it.
A mysterious entity possessing power that even S-rank Hunters couldn’t achieve.
But if they receive help from this entity, they could even solve a Gate deemed impossible to clear.
So how would the Hunters’ thought process work?
“Of course they’d want to seek help. For that, they’d need to establish a friendly relationship.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. And we can acquire more BP from there.”
This is what I meant by drawing a rather grand picture.
Of course, there was one thing lacking in this plan.
“For things to go as Owner says, Owner would need to truly possess great power, wouldn’t you? Honestly, right now if even one of them just moved a finger, Owner would die.”
“You said I get stronger by baking more bread. Then it’s just a matter of time.”
“Meow…. Do as you please.”
Noir let out a deep sigh and shook his head as if fed up.
After patting the creature’s head, I rummaged through the Warehouse and pulled out a small spade.
A spade made by joining together a famous chocolate bar and dalgona.
“Why did you take that out?”
“I want to try using some good salt for making Salt Bread.”
After confirming safety, I cracked open the Main Gate and scraped at the earth beyond it.
Immediately, chunks of salt from the ground began grinding away.
When I moved one of them inside the house, a status window appeared.
Ding
[Purifying Salt]
▷ Bathed in the scorching sun, the purifying salt left by the primordial sea has been processed by the Witch’s power. It imparts a flavor far deeper than ordinary salt, so use it well!
Whether it was because the spade touched it or because I’m a Witch, it seemed to have been automatically processed.
Thinking I could make Salt Bread with this, I was busily gathering up the salt chunks.
It was then that I felt a shadow cast over my head.
“Oh? You’ve arrived already?”
The Hunters who had somehow reached the Pastry Shop each had a burlap sack slung over their shoulders.
Inside those sacks was probably the purifying salt I had requested, packed full.
However, their gazes were fixed solely on me and the small spade I held.
Seeing their bewildered expressions, I found myself answering without thinking.
“Ah, this? I had it at home.”
“At home… I see. In any case, here is the salt you requested as payment.”
The moment they set down ten heavy sacks of salt—I couldn’t fathom how much they’d gathered—onto the ground.
“Wait a moment.”
“B-but wasn’t salt the agreed payment?”
Sky’s lips trembled as she spoke, clearly tense.
Just as I’d anticipated, she was definitely misunderstanding my intentions.
This meant I’d secured a certain level of safety for myself.
“I didn’t expect you to bring this much. The balance isn’t right.”
“No… we’re fine with—”
“Please wait a moment.”
I hurried into the Kitchen and placed the salt bread dough I’d prepared beforehand into the Oven.
Truth be told, balance and all that—it was merely an excuse.
What could possibly be more valuable than a human life?
But the real reason I had to say it this way was different.
“Owner. You seem to use your head well only in foolish ways.”
“What do you mean?”
“Isn’t this what you’re doing to avoid making another contract?”
This is why I can’t stand perceptive little—no, Cats.
If I accepted the salt, the contract we’d just made would be fulfilled.
And if I then gave them Salt Bread, we’d have to make another contract.
“Even so, I don’t like it.”
“Didn’t you just confirm your safety?”
“They say even a cornered mouse will bite a cat.”
If I added unnecessary stress and they snapped with “This is it! I’ll take you down with me even if I die!”—the one who’d suffer would be me alone.
And for the sake of my future reputation and securing BP, I needed to maintain a good relationship.
“So you’re not foolish then.”
“You’re foolish. Only the Owner doesn’t realize it. Meow.”
While we exchanged banter, the Salt Bread and Potion Americano were finished, so I brought them outside.
They still held the sacks in their hands.
I handed them the well-packaged bread and coffee while speaking.
“You’ve already confirmed the effects, so please accept this.”
“Pardon?”
“It will be effective for 24 hours. Simply come back after a full day has passed.”
“Ah. Yes. I understand—”
I couldn’t hear the rest of Sky’s words as her expression went blank.
After they set down the salt sacks and received the packaged items, their forms began to fade from view.
There was one more sign that the contract had been fulfilled.
[Quest Complete!]
[You have obtained the ‘Special Salt Bread Recipe’.]
“Now that I think about it, the rewards have always been recipes tied to Quests.”
“Do you want a different bread?”
“It doesn’t matter. Any bread is delicious beyond compare.”
This special recipe, infused with the Witch’s history, was truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me.
Any Bakery Owner would be eager to make this bread, given how delicious it is.
So I’m happy no matter what recipe appears.
“But did you read that correctly?”
“Read what?”
“There’s more than one recipe.”
“What?”
[Additional Reward: You have obtained the ‘Potion Americano Recipe’.]
Noir was right.
What I obtained wasn’t just the Salt Bread recipe—I also received the Potion Americano recipe.
“Perfect. I was thinking of trying beverages anyway.”
“As I’ve mentioned, the Witch’s Cottage always exists for the Witch. Owner.”
Out of curiosity, I suppose.
It was natural to check both recipes simultaneously.
[Special Salt Bread Recipe]
▷ Ingredients: Bread flour, cake flour, Purified Salt, milk, water, sugar, dry yeast, butter.
▷ Effect: Removes all status abnormalities upon consumption
[Potion Americano Recipe]
▷ Ingredients: Water, ice, Witch’s Espresso, Potion.
▷ Effect: The added Potion’s performance increases twofold
As always, the recipe boasted remarkable effects.
Fortunately, it seemed foresight had been at work—the special ingredient for the Salt Bread was Purified Salt.
“I won’t run out of salt to make bread.”
With ten bags at roughly 10 kilograms each, this amount of salt should be more than enough even with heavy use.
“The problem is this one.”
More concerning than the Salt Bread was the Potion Americano.
The very name ‘Potion’ Americano meant that potion had to be included.
“I have Elixir, but using it is impossible.”
“If you use something good, wouldn’t that be even better? You could sell it for more. And become famous. Owner.”
“That’s exactly why it becomes dangerous.”
It was only natural, considering what happened after the Miracle Guild announced the distribution of Elixir.
Despite having Maestro, an S-rank Hunter, as the Guild Master, people went mad demanding the Elixir.
“Miracle won’t know what he’s making anyway, so there’s no helping it.”
“Meow…”
“What now?”
“No… Owner. Just living happily would be enough….”
I stroked Noir’s head as she uttered those incomprehensible words, and my thoughts continued.
In any case, Elixir was out of the question.
It carried too much weight to be sold at a small Bakery with no connection to Hunters.
Then instead, I could obtain and use lower-tier vitality potions from Miracle.
“The real problem is this….”
The ‘Witch’s Espresso’ embedded squarely in the ingredients.
What could espresso be?
Wasn’t it just intensely strong coffee?
Yet the modifier ‘Witch’s’ was attached to it.
“Anyone would think it’s telling me to visit the Apothecary.”
“Are you finally going?”
“Yeah. Let’s go. There seemed to be plenty of coffee beans there too.”
There’s a saying that you should strike while the iron is hot.
The moment I made my decision, I stood up from my seat and entered the newly unlocked Apothecary.
“Looking at it again, it’s just a Kitchen.”
There weren’t any of the tools one would typically imagine when hearing about a Witch’s Apothecary.
On top of kitchen furniture with countertops laden with pastries baked to a walnut brown, there were familiar-looking coffee machines.
“There’s even a blender. Is the intention to sell fresh fruit juice later?”
Not only that, but there was also a blender for grinding fruits and a machine for making pearls used in bubble tea.
Of course, it wasn’t a design I’d seen anywhere before.
The Witch’s Cottage must have manifested these items for me.
“Of course, my attention is absolutely focused here.”
Do you remember what I said earlier?
That there were ‘no particular’ tools fitting for a Witch’s Apothecary.
That means some tools do fit, doesn’t it?
That was precisely the large cauldron positioned in the center of the Apothecary.
[Witch’s Cauldron]
▷ A cauldron capable of processing ingredients used in various Witch’s beverages and potions. Stir it to the right with a whoosh, to the left with a whoosh, and pop!
“The description really….”
This too, like the Witch’s Oven, would have magical effects.
Then couldn’t I make espresso through this as well?
“I hope you’re not thinking that just stirring it carelessly will produce espresso. Owner.”
“It’s not that. I just thought I should use this.”
“It’s good to see your progress. First, think of what you want and touch the cauldron. Then you’ll be able to understand how to make it.”
Following Noir’s words, I placed my hand on the cauldron while thinking of espresso.
Ding
[Witch’s Espresso]
Upon the High Mountains draped in night’s veil
Beneath the moonlight alone, the dew that gathers shall be harvested
Purified by ascending three times,
Trampled down with the earth.
“Isn’t it quite simple?”
At Noir’s casual remark, scratching behind his ear,
“This, what, you damn—”
I couldn’t help but curse.

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