On the vast continent where people now lived—the continent of Arcadia—stood the mightiest empire, the Brushel Empire, known for its immense national power.
If you headed just slightly south from the central plaza of Lunemire, the capital of Brushel, you'd find the bakery of Damian , a man already being hailed as a legendary hero despite being in only his early twenties.
Damian 's background was... quite unique.
Normally, when one hears the word "hero," it brings to mind someone who goes on adventures with comrades—healers, mages, and the like—to defeat evil forces and earn the title of Hero through their deeds.
But Damian had no comrades, didn't go out seeking adventure, and didn't make it his mission to hunt down evil enemies of the world.
And yet, his resume was dazzling.
He had single-handedly wiped out the Demon King Bel and his entire army—those who had sought to plunge the world into terror.
He also defeated the infamous Black Dragon Kaideman, who had abducted the First Imperial Princess of the Brushel Empire and thrown the nation into chaos. Honestly, the number of notorious demons and dragons Damian had defeated was too long to count.
He wasn't a show-off—he didn't like flaunting his power.
But his accomplishments were hard to hide.
Why?
Because every time one of these monsters damaged the wheat fields Damian had cultivated with others, he got pissed and went out to crush them. Whether it was the Demon King, Kaideman, or any other rogue dragons invading neighbouring nations—he handled them for good reason.
In fact, many royal families and nobles whose countries had been damaged by such beings regularly held parties and banquets—where they would order large quantities of bread from Damian's bakery.
Of course, they had bakeries in their own countries, but they still insisted on getting their baked goods from him.
Damian deeply appreciated their loyalty and thus took great care in customer service.
It had been quite a while since Damian started running his bakery. Now 24 years old, he had earned his official continental baking certification at age 21 and started his shop, which meant he had been baking for three years.
He didn't become a baker after becoming a hero. It was the other way around.
Even though he possessed strength unrivalled by any other hero, he had realized early on that being a hero or mercenary was just a temporary gig, only really needed when the world was in chaos.
Fighting and killing? It wasn't sustainable work.
So, instead, he chose a stable career—honing his natural talent in baking and acquiring official certification to start a bakery.
The rewards he earned for defeating demons and dragons?
He used them to buy high-quality land and cultivate rich wheat fields. From that flour, he baked exceptional bread, and word of mouth spread fast—even royalty and nobles from neighbouring countries came to buy from him.
Once the bakery took off and became stable, Damian used the reward money from later battles to establish social adaptation and vocational training schools—designed for other heroes who, like him, might struggle to adapt to the peaceful new world.
Now, many former heroes were beginning new lives, thanks to his training schools.
By this point, Damian wasn't just a hero—he was a successful entrepreneur in his twenties.
He didn't just focus on personal gain; he gave back to society, actively engaging in public service and social projects.
A legendary hero and successful businessman. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say Damian had achieved everything.
If there was one odd quirk, it was his aversion to marriage proposals from royal families.
Even when the Emperor of Brushel personally came to his bakery with a princess to discuss marriage, Damian flatly rejected it.
He was content with the reward money and never entertained the idea of royal marriage. While most heroes dream of slaying monsters and marrying a beautiful princess, Damian had zero interest.
He took his payment and went back to baking. In short, Damian 's life was on a golden path.
A self-made successful man by his mid-twenties.
"HEY!! Carolla ! We've got customers outside!"
It had already been almost a month since Carolla , once the Demon King's top commander, started working as a bakery assistant under Damian.
Now, a former military general of the demon army was being scolded daily by Damian while working in a bakery.
But Carolla didn't resent her situation.
In fact, she greeted every day with a smile, happy to have been given a chance—grateful to Damian for taking her in when she had nowhere else to go.
Knowing there were others worse off than her, Carolla diligently studied baking without a single complaint.
When Damian saw a noble-looking girl stepping down from a carriage and browsing the sampling table and 50% discount rack outside, he immediately called out to Carolla.
"Got it, Damian."
"Always greet customers with a smile. Polite service always starts with a smile."
"Okay."
Despite being a giant, dark demon with black horns and a menacing build of over 2 meters tall, Carolla stepped outside wearing a white frilly apron to serve customers.
"Welcome! Aren't you the young lady from the Count Peresen family?"
"Hehe. Sister, that apron really doesn't suit you."
"Ahaha… well, this was the boss's idea, so… haha."
The young girl, probably in her mid-teens, wore a pink dress, her long brown hair dotted with freckles.
She laughed at Carolla, who returned the smile warmly.
At first, people were shocked and terrified of Carolla, even running away. But over time, they came to know her as kind and hardworking.
Now, some customers even came just to see Carolla rather than Damian.
Thanks to her, the bakery—which was already doing well—was booming even more.
"What would you like to buy today, young lady?"
"Hmm… Two freshly baked baguettes and… ten of the 50% off breads from the stand."
"Any preference on the selection?"
"Hmm... Three cream buns, three custard buns, three red bean buns, and one streusel bun."
"Got it!"
Carolla went inside and shouted, "Damian! I need two fresh baguettes!"
"On it!"
Damian quickly prepared the baguettes while Carolla carefully picked out the discounted buns based on the girl's request.
Soon, Damian stepped outside carrying the baguettes—wearing a frilly white apron, just like Carolla.
At 185 cm tall, with long golden hair and dashing looks, the apron looked comically out of place.
If he'd worn a maid-style dress instead of jeans and a T-shirt, someone might've fainted from the sight.
Still, they handed the bagged bread to the young girl.
"Here you go, young lady."
"And your baguettes, miss."
"Here's the money. I'll come again tomorrow! Good luck selling, Damian Brother, Sister Carolla !"
"Yes, thank you! Please visit again!"
The pair of bakers bowed deeply in thanks and watched her leave.
"Whew... Busy day again."
"Good job, Carolla."
By 9 PM, the bakery—Handsome Guys Bread—had closed for the day.
After cleaning up, Carolla turned to Damian .
"You said you'd teach me how to make cake today, right?"
"Yeah, I did. Let's start with sponge cake. You've watched me make it enough by now. You should pick it up quickly."
Damian stood up, ready to head to the baking room. Carolla followed.
But just as the two were about to go in, someone opened the bakery door and stepped inside.
"Uh… excuse me."
Damian turned around.
"Ah, I'm sorry—we're closed for the day…"
"Ah, I didn't come to buy bread. I came for this."
The short man who entered handed Damian a business card. Damian read it aloud.
"'A New Concept in Bakeries... Kingsman Bakery…
Sales Department Manager, Zach Dinky.'"
Damian looked at the small-framed, bespectacled man.
"Mister Dinky, may I ask why you've come to our bakery?"
Zach gave a sly smile.
"I'm here to present Mr. Damian Marcus with a very promising business proposal.
Please, hear me out."