A dull longsword and a heartbroken villager

Admittedly, maintaining a good relationship with one's younger sister is a significant matter.

But life goes on, especially with two... no, three freeloaders in the family.

Bray can't afford to neglect accepting commissions.

Punish, punish, punish.

Bray had taken on countless raiding missions, as they were the easiest and most rewarding for him.

The title "Demon Hunter" gradually spread.

Originally, only a portion of the adventurers in the capital would jokingly call Bray the "Demon Hunter".

But later on, adventurers from other places also began to hear about the "Demon Hunter".

Bray was demonized as always.

However, contrary to previous accounts, some say that the "Demon Hunter" is surprisingly easy to talk to.

The person who provided this account is a receptionist at the Royal Capital Adventurers' Guild who wishes to remain anonymous.

"Mr. 'Demon Hunter,' are you taking on another extermination request today? Or perhaps a guard job or something?" The receptionist asked Bray with practiced ease.

The one who made the statement was, of course, the receptionist.

The Royal Capital Adventurers' Guild only has one receptionist.

Of all the adventurers in the guild, she was probably the one Bray talked to the most.

The adventurers sitting at each table in the Adventurers' Guild were all stealing glances at Bray.

I want to see for myself what kind of guy the legendary "Demon Hunter" is.

Originally, "Demon Hunter" was a nickname, but it later evolved into a real title.

People generally associate Bray with brutality.

But the receptionist knew that this was all just a rumor.

Bray looks a bit brutal, but if you look closely, he's actually a handsome young man in his early twenties.

Ignoring his tattoos, Bray is actually quite a model young man.

It's just an extra eye patch; these days, which adventurer isn't missing an arm or a leg?

After looking at them for a while, even the receptionist with dead fish eyes seemed pretty.

"Are you looking for a task that's not on the bulletin board?" She handed Bray a thick notebook.

Generally speaking, Bray prefers to work on projects that haven't been completed for a long time.

Such commissions would be much more expensive, and there would be far fewer competitors.

Because the tasks listed on these dust-covering commissions are generally extremely difficult.

It's labeled as a B-rank request, but even an A-rank adventurer might not be able to complete it 100%.

All these requests would be compiled into one notebook, the one she handed to Bray.

Not many adventurers would be so bored as to flip through this book looking for quests.

Often, those commissions are thankless tasks.

The rewards are certainly higher, but the difficulty is A-level. Even if the task is labeled as B-level, the final reward, even if it's the pinnacle of B-level tasks, is still slightly lower than that of A-level tasks.

If you have the ability, why not take on A-level commissions?

For example, the night watch in Knight Town last time was a good example.

Despite being a C-level commission, Bray's reward upon obtaining it was close to the peak of a B-level commission.

But only those who have tried it know how difficult it is.

"Hmm, I'll just take a look." Bray took the notebook and casually flipped through it.

Some of the authorization forms were yellowed, indicating that no one had completed them in a long time.

Those requests that have exceeded their expiration date will eventually be torn out of the book.

"..." Bray's hand, which was flipping through the notebook, suddenly froze.

His gaze fell upon a power of attorney.

—"Fran's Bakery".

"There's breadgrass on Dragon Mountain near the capital; I hope someone can pick a bundle for me."

"A bundle would contain about 30 pieces."

—“Reward: 7000G, Client: Duncan Fran”

This commission seems simple, and the reward is quite substantial.

However, this is only what appears to be simple.

Longshan is teeming with dragons; without considerable strength, one simply cannot ascend the mountain.

Not to mention going to gather herbs.

Generally, when it comes to commissions involving Longshan, no one will take the job even if the reward is 20000G.

"What kind of guy is this Duncan Fran?" Bray was very curious. Why would a baker use herbs from Longshan Mountain?

"Ah, him? He's a famous pastry chef in the capital."

"Of course, he's famous among commoners, but nobles and the like wouldn't even look at him."

"But seriously, his pastries are really delicious." The receptionist licked her lips, apparently having tried them herself.

"Someone once said that the former emperor, Will XII, loved his pastries."

“Pastries, huh?” Bray seemed to be thinking about something.

“I’ll take this commission.” Bray tore the commission form from Fran’s Bakery in his notebook.

This means that Bray has taken over the commission.

"Oh, are you really going to do this?"

"To be honest, this job is time-consuming and laborious, and there's even a risk to your life. Most importantly, the pay isn't very high," the receptionist advised.

If the reward were high, this commission wouldn't have been hanging here for so long.

"It's fine, this is fine." Bray waved his hand and then left the Adventurers' Guild.

---

"Hey, what kind of quest has the 'Demon Hunter' taken on this time?" an adventurer who had been drinking whistled.

Teasing is an essential part of this place.

"No." The receptionist didn't even bother to look at the drunk man.

"Huh? How is that possible? What kind of 'Demon Hunter' isn't someone who hunts down something?"

"He took on a commission from the bakery," the receptionist said, then ignored the drunk man.

"Huh?" Fran Bakery, really Fran, everyone in the shop has the surname Fran.

This bakery has been open for decades and is quite famous in the central district of the capital.

Of course, although it's called a bakery, it also sells cakes and other similar items.

People with average incomes love this bakery.

Unfortunately, the previous baker at Fran's Bakery, Duncan Fran, for some reason did not continue to run the bakery.

The person who took over the bakery was his daughter, Kaya.

Kaya's skills are far inferior to her father's, so apart from those who are nostalgic, Fran's bakery is far less popular than before.

Nevertheless, the bakery remained open.

Since there's no deficit, continuing operations shouldn't be a problem.

Kaya took the baking tray and placed the freshly baked bread on the shelf.

"Ding-a-ling—" Just then, the bell at the bakery door rang, startling Kaya.

Kaya glanced at the clock on the wall and realized it was seven in the morning.

"Has someone come to buy breakfast?" Kaya wondered, looking towards the doorway.

Then I saw a new noodle shop.

Most of the customers who come to the bakery are regulars, and Kaya knows them all.

Kaya can recognize anyone who isn't a regular customer at a glance.

Standing at the entrance of the bakery was a man wearing an eye patch; he looked very fierce.

The two girls following behind him seemed perfectly normal.

Who is this man? But if it's our Bray.

There may be quite a few one-eyed people, but only Bray has a one-eyed and dead-fish-eye look.

"What a scoundrel who ruins good girls," Kaya thought to herself.

However, Kaya still smiled and walked up to the man.

"What would you like to buy, sir?" Kaya's smile gradually froze.

Bray glanced at Kaya and thought to himself that her smile was truly terrifying.

“I’m not here to buy anything,” Bray shook his head.

But Bray thought that saying it like that would be stirring up trouble, so he quickly added a sentence.

"I'm here to find someone."

"Is Duncan Fran here?" Bray asked.

"You're looking for my dad?" Kaya was a little surprised. Her dad didn't have many friends, and usually no one would come looking for him.

“Yes, it’s a commission.” Bray took out the commission form and placed it in front of Kaya.

Mia stared blankly at the power of attorney.

"Wait a minute, I'll go call my dad," Kaya said, then jogged upstairs.

Duncan spent most of his time on the second floor, neither making bread nor managing the shop's affairs.

They simply enjoy leisurely drinking tea and basking in the sun on the second floor.

Bray waited patiently on the first floor, but a series of noises came from the second floor.

"Brave, you didn't take this mission because of what you said the other day, did you?" Naruko looked at Bray with suspicion.

Naruko remembered what she had talked about with Bray recently.

One of them is about cakes.

"But what exactly do you want to do?" Naruko sighed.

“What for…I don’t know.” Bray shook his head, staring blankly at the power of attorney.

In a moment of distraction, he accepted this commission.

Naruko was right; Bray accepted the request precisely because of the cake.

But after taking on this incredibly unprofitable task, Bray felt a bit depressed.

What am I doing?

Just as Bray was complaining about his inexplicable situation, someone finally came down from upstairs.

“Don’t help me, your dad is perfectly fine.” A middle-aged man refused Kaya’s offer of assistance.

The middle-aged man had a unkempt beard and gray hair, making him look like an old man.

He was thin and had sunken eyes, looking like a seriously ill person.

However, judging from his strong voice, he probably doesn't have too many ailments.

"Where's the guy who said he accepted my commission?" Duncan glanced around the first floor and spotted Bray, Naruko, and Levy.

"You guys are the ones who accepted the mission?" Duncan stroked his beard, a hint of doubt in his voice.