I Only Baked Bread, but I Was Mistaken for the Best - Chapter 80

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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 80. A Successful Reopening (1)
South Korea was in an uproar from the break of dawn.
All because of the incident that had unfolded in the heart of Seoul during the early morning hours.
Though it was early morning, there were those still awake, and through them, word of what had transpired overnight had leaked out.
[At approximately 3 AM this morning, a massive explosion resonated through Seoul. A Gate Break occurring in the heart of the capital is unprecedented since the establishment of the Hunter Association….]
[When the people’s last bastion was violated by a Gate! What was the Association doing!]
[The public’s reaction to this incident has been condensed into fear and terror.]
Beep beep!
“The current situation is as follows.”
The Secretary finished the briefing by turning off the TV with the remote.
Gyu-hwan, the Hunter Association Chairman who had received the briefing, wiped his face with his wrinkled hands.
At his appearance, the Secretary bit her lip.
He was surely deep in thought.
The fact that the Association, which existed to protect people, was being condemned despite doing its utmost.
And that the reason for it was merely the government’s excessive greed.
All of it was weighing down on his shoulders.
It was at that moment of realization.
“These incompetent fools. Hehehehe….”
“Ah… Chairman….”
“Kahahaha! Got them! You damned bastards! Kahahahahaha!”
Suddenly, he burst into laughter while pounding the desk repeatedly.
Perhaps it was from the stress he’d accumulated because of this incident.
With bloodshot eyes, as Geomseong continued to strike the desk as if to destroy it, the Secretary was seized with fear.
“Good. Now it’s time to pour out everything I’ve been holding back.”
“Surely… you’re not going to release all of that?”
“If not now, when?”
Everything held back until now.
Though it was merely a list composed of simple words, the Secretary, who understood the terrifying information contained within, could not comprehend the Chairman’s thinking.
The Association was already facing public condemnation.
Of course, this was due to the machinations of media outlets in league with the government, but still, wasn’t this a dangerous time?
“Chairman. If I may be so bold, that information is extremely dangerous for us as well….”
“Tell me. Do you know what we need right now?”
“Justification, isn’t it?”
“What is this? A person who understands so well?”
Gyu-hwan, who had laughed so much that tears streamed down his face, wiped his eyes and continued.
“In this incident and the last one, we didn’t release all the complete information. Do you know why?”
“It was to minimize conflict with the government….”
“Ugh. How small-minded.”
Gyu-hwan clicked his tongue and stretched his legs out long.
At his appearance, the Secretary still asked as if she didn’t understand.
Before I could even ask, Gyu-hwan beat me to it.
“There will be a use for it later. Which is why in a situation like this, you see.”
“A use for it? You don’t mean….”
“I was planning to use it in a situation exactly like this. Anyway… what happened to that friend?”
“That friend… ah, if you mean Yeom Da-yeon, we’ve completed all discussions on our end. She’s agreed to cooperate.”
“Really? Phew… thank goodness….”
Gyu-hwan exhaled deeply and murmured his relief.
It couldn’t be helped.
An S-rank Hunter who suddenly appeared in the world, and moreover, a victim of school violence who had every right to harbor immense rage against society.
“It’s already fortunate enough that we don’t have to deal with her, but the fact that she’s willing to cooperate is truly a blessing.”
“Yes. She’s scheduled to join Special Investigation Team 1.”
“Is that what Ria wanted?”
“No. It was Da-yeon’s own choice. She regained consciousness and the first person she saw was Ria, and since she’s the most familiar presence here, that’s apparently why.”
“Well… if it’s Ria, she’ll handle it well.”
Gyu-hwan nodded, recalling Ria’s warm and gentle demeanor toward everyone except when dealing with criminals.
He was confident that she would treat this wounded, newly empowered novice hunter with care.
“Make sure to inform the public of this as well. You did get the person’s consent, right?”
“Yes. She said she had no objections.”
“Good. Now the time has come.”
Gyu-hwan smiled as he watched his secretary trembling and breaking into cold sweat, dreading the silent war that was about to unfold.
“It’s time to sweep away everything that threatens peace.”
* * *
“So we need to get everything in order.”
I opened my mouth with an expression of grim determination.
Yes, this was something I had to do eventually.
I’d simply been putting it off until now.
The time has finally arrived.
“Meow! That can’t be! Why should I do that! Owner.”
“But you have to. It’s important.”
“Meooow! But… but!”
Noir began trembling, even extending the claws on his front paws.
But trembling like this wouldn’t change reality.
There was no escaping the harsh and clear truth of the world.
And that truth was none other than….
“Why on earth must I take photographs!”
“But you’re already practically the mascot of our bakery!”
“That’s not fair when Chohong and Gora exist!”
The creature lifted his head and pointed at his successors with his paw.
But that proposal was rejected.
“First of all, Chohong is a fairy. Gora is a pastry.”
“So what are you trying to say!”
“Fairies and pastries that move and talk can’t possibly exist in this world.”
“Meoooooow!”
Noir, who had been desperately trying to avoid the truth, finally sank into despair.
I didn’t miss the opportunity and eagerly snapped photographs.
The reason was simple.
My bakery, which would open tomorrow.
I was planning to use Noir’s photos for the reopening event of Treffle de Bonheur.
“No matter how I think about it, it’s such a brilliant idea. How could I resist.”
The comments that flooded the reopening announcement post on Byeolsuta.
Most of them were from regular customers longing for bread, but some were anticipating something entirely different.
-Will we be able to see Noir again?
┗Noir is the best
┗I can already picture her meowing in front of the shop and swishing her tail around
-Noir merchandise petition, approximately day 15,972,140
Were you praying for this even before opening?ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
┗But seriously, I’d love it if you made them
┗Owner, you gotta do business, right?
The last comment was rather forceful, though.
Regardless, I could gain certainty from this.
“Since Noir has already become our bakery’s mascot, this is inevitable.”
“Didn’t I just make Jinjeonyang! And I made so many of them just moments ago!”
Noir, now shrieking in protest.
She was right.
Just moments ago, I’d been churning out Jinjeonyang like a factory.
I never could have made that quantity alone.
It was only possible because Gora created her subordinates and worked alongside me.
“Still, that’s not enough. When you do something like this, you have to do it right.”
“Since when have you been so serious about business… Owner… You weren’t like this before…”
“I learned it all from Nuri.”
When I mentioned Jinjeonyang, Nuri had given me ideas.
It wasn’t just about releasing a new menu inspired by Noir, but various events were necessary.
One of them was taking photos of Noir and giving them out like merchandise along with the pastries.
“This wretched farming human!”
“And tomorrow, I need to take photos with customers who buy lots of bread too. This is also Nuri’s idea.”
“I’ll kill you! How dare a mere human subject a noble Familier like me to such humiliation! Meoooow…”
Noir, tired of being angry, stretched out and sprawled across the floor.
The way light poured down on her was quite striking, so I eagerly captured it in photographs.
Chohong sprinkled green energy over Noir, telling her to hang in there, while Gora, seemingly uninterested, was absorbed in checking inventory.
“Meoooow! This can’t be! I can’t just accept this helplessly!”
“Hey! Hey! Where are you going! I haven’t finished taking pictures yet!”
“Owner! I must depart! For freedom! To become a Familier of greater pride!”
With those words, Noir sprang to his feet and bounded away.
Of course, he hadn’t truly left.
He’d simply hidden himself somewhere in the shop to avoid having his picture taken for a while.
There was nothing I could do about it.
I’d have to be satisfied with the photos I’d already taken.
“Still, I got plenty of shots.”
Noir scowling, Noir’s whiskers twitching, Noir extending his paw, Noir baking bread loaves, Noir throwing a cat punch, Noir sitting still, and so on.
With at least thirty different photos of Noir, I could print several copies and place one in each frame—that should make the numbers work out nicely.
“Now we’re really opening.”
I took a slow look around the shop, which would soon welcome customers in just a little while.
The interior was far more spacious than my previous shop.
Display cases for bread lined the walls all around.
Different sections were designated for breads requiring refrigeration.
And in one corner sat the beverage station I’d prepared exclusively for Haeryang.
“She was so delighted when I showed her this.”
Her specialty was in barista work, if I recalled correctly.
When I made the decision to install a coffee machine and various other equipment, I remembered how brightly Haeryang had smiled.
Perhaps she’d create and showcase all sorts of menu items.
“This is the counter.”
Right beside it was the counter itself.
Beyond that lay the kitchen, equipped with modern appliances.
Of course, I’d have help from Gora and Cookie at the Witch’s house, but there would be times when I’d need to bake ordinary bread without using my abilities.
“And I really put effort into this part.”
One wall I’d deliberately left bare and empty.
On it, I’d painted a large mural using non-toxic paint.
A three-leaf clover.
Drawing the three-leaf clover that symbolizes our bakery right there filled my heart with pride.
“And I painted it myself, at that.”
“If I’d spent that time researching bread recipes instead, I would’ve become a stronger Witch.”
“You’re here? Want me to take your picture?”
“Meowwwww!”
After Noir, who’d come by only to suffer for it, bolted away in a panic, I finally sat down in a chair.
I’d worked hard all this time—I deserved a little rest.
With that thought, I turned on the TV mounted on one side of the shop, and the news began to play.
[Recent investigations have revealed that the cause of the gate break that occurred in Seoul’s downtown area was a mana runaway triggered by the awakening of an S-rank hunter…]
[Without the swift response of Special Investigation Team 1, this incident could have led to a national catastrophe…]
[Considering the special circumstances, the Association has made an unprecedented decision: rather than pursuing legal action against Yeom, she has been incorporated as a trainee member of Special Investigation Team 1 under Team Leader Kim Ri-a’s guidance, to properly learn to control her abilities.]
“That worked out well.”
So that’s why there was no contact—it seems all these incidents were unfolding.
Kim Ri-a as a team leader wouldn’t be untrustworthy, would she?
She received word that very dawn and rushed over immediately, and from what I observed, she appeared quite formidable.
Under someone like that, Dayeon should be able to establish herself as a hunter.
“But who would have thought she was S-rank?”
I’d heard that the Witch’s Fondant au Chocolat dramatically altered a person’s destiny, but I never imagined it could change things to this extent.
A high school girl becoming an S-rank hunter.
“The Association must have handled it well. There’s barely any talk about it.”
The best they could do was explain it as a Gate Break caused by mana runaway during her awakening.
Of course, public opinion wasn’t particularly favorable.
It happened in the heart of Seoul, after all, and while there were no casualties, there were certainly people who suffered property damage.
But the Association seemed far more meticulous than I’d given them credit for.
[According to the Hunter Association’s investigation team’s detailed findings, Yeom has been suffering from severe school bullying over an extended period.]
[It was confirmed that in the early morning hours when the incident occurred, Yeom was forcibly summoned outside her home under coercive orders from her bullies….]
[When extreme psychological pressure and fear exceeded the critical threshold, the latent S-rank mana that had been dormant erupted in an abnormal form. It’s quite a rare situation.]
“Huh?”
Public opinion shifted in an instant.

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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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