Volume 24 - CH 36

The fourth trial――

It's a cook-showdown by nature, but the King's little brother, Baan has suggested betting on the winner for the prize of virgin.

Of course, I would never bet against my friends.

But..... if the other party agrees, I can take it one way or the other.

「Saki, do you think you can win this game?」

I ask Saki about the odds.

「Of course. You know how good the another world heroes are, don't you darling?」

「That's for sure.」

There may be many delicious foods in the Middle Ages, but the destructive power of new foods can temporarily surpass their original flavor.

Besides - Saki, whom I trust, said that she can win, so I don't have any doubts about that.

「Hmm, you're very confident, King of Vernia. Of course, I have no intention of losing either. Right, head chef!」

「Of course, Your Royal Highness.」

「Then the loser will give the virgin girl to the winner! In the name of my name, Baan, I shall add a prize to this contest!」

「「「Oooh! 」」」

The crowd became even more cheering, probably due to the fact that there were many male soldiers from this country mixed in.

「Hey, Alec, what are you thinking!」

Serina was getting angry with me, but oh dear, it was going to be hard to calm her down on the bed again.　

「Don't worry, Serina, you're not going to become a prize.」

You're not a virgin.

「That'sー notー what I'm talking about!」

「Just focus on the match. It doesn't matter if one of you wins.」

Yes, it doesn't matter if we win.

The four of them in the Vernia camp, including Serina, Ione, Saki and Fianna, are making their own sweets and challenging each other to a match. On the other hand, the Toran camp has only one head chef. He has the look of a seasoned veteran. ...... No, we can win. People always have a strong impression of the first dish they eat.

「Now, It's going to be a tough one. Whose virginity is going to be taken! How about a commentary, Hannah-san?」

「Ahem, No comment, please.」

「What? Isn't your guard a little too tight? Hannah-san!」

「U-Uhm, Letty-sensei, this is Nene from the on-site report! Over here, Saki-san is putting eggs and sheep's milk into a new bowl!」

「Oops, looks like we got some new activity in the site. Let's see, ...... what is she making? Is it additional cake batter?」

「No, I'm going to add flour, and if it's cream, I'm going to make a meringue with just egg whites, so it's probably the second item.」

「Ohhhh, Saki, you're already working on the second item at the same time! Serina glanced over at her and suddenly sent a flame magic into the pot! This is dangerous! I hope the ingredients don't get burnt.」

「Hmm, now Serina-san's method is a questionable move. I guess she wanted to speed up the process by increasing the heat, but unless you're making caramel, the burning will give it an unnecessary bitterness and messy taste.」

The live audience was anxious, but she was confidently cooking the pot with a fearless smile on her face.

「Oops, Chef Toran is protesting something to the judge. Apparently, the logic seems to be that Serina's magic earlier is a dangerous threat or sabotage. But the referees, they do not approve of this! We continue!」

「Of course. It didn't look like she was intending to threaten or interfere, just throwing fire on the pot, and righteousness-loving Serina-san wouldn't do that!」

「Letty-sensei, this is Nene. Ione-san finished cutting the dough and put the griddle on the hearth.」

「Now, Ione, she's the first one on the heaaaarth! This is going to be the fastest! Ione is smiling and showing off her victory. But, ohhh, Chef Toran has raised his hand. He's done! The traditional Babilsaak fried bread is ready first! We'll taste it right away!」

The chef's subordinate took a plate of it and brought it to our desk.

「Oh, it's here-it's here. Here you go, try it, King Vernia. I like to eat it with a lot of sugar and honey.」

said the King's little brother of Toran, rubbing his hands together and licking his tongue.

There was also powdered brown sugar on the plate, which they sprinkled on top. There was honey in a small teapot, so I poured some on top and took a bite.

「Hmm.」

The unique aroma of the fried bread spread in my mouth, and the fresh yogurt flavor overlapped with it.

It looks simple, but it's quite delicious.

I chose six out of the ten points on the wooden card that I had prepared. The King's little brother of Toran proudly gave it a perfect score of ten, which I guess is because it's his favorite food.

But would this be a disadvantage to the Vernia side if I gave it too severe a score?

「Mmmm, yep, this is delicious! I want another helping! What? You don't have anymore? Tsk. I'll give it an eight. Too bad, if I had another helping, I would have give it score nine point.」

It looks like the judges are going to be grading too, so Letty give an eight.

「I'll give a seven」「 I'll give a ten!」

Hannah and Marilyn also put up wooden cards, so he got a total of thirty-one points. That's an average of almost eight points, but I think we can win.

「Now, on to Ione's cookieees!」

These cookies were die-cut into heart shapes and squares. It looks like she used two kinds of dough, with different colors. This looks promising.

「Houh, this is a brilliant ......」

The king's little brother of Toran were also impressed.

I picked one up and took a bite of the cookie.

In addition to the crispy texture, the savory cookie flavor spreads moistly on my tongue, and Ione is indeed a good cook.

「Murhhh, this is!」

The King's brother of Toran was also surprised with his eyes wide open, but it seemed to have quite an impact.

I think we can win this.

I gave it an eight, and the King's little brither gave it a nine. The others scored high as well.

「Mmmm! This plate is pretty good too!」

One of them even ate something else, but I don't care.

「I'm next! I made an apple pie.」

The sweet that Serina confidently brought out was an elaborate apple pie. The reason why she used fire magic was probably because she was concerned about the cooking time. In this match, it's advantageous to take the lead while everyone is hungry. In addition, it seems that she's trying to cut off the rest with a generous portion, and you, the only ones left are the Vernia group, do you know that?

「Hmm, ohhhh, this aroma is baked apples!」

The king's little brother shouted excitedly, apparently apples are his favorite food. He seems to have a sweet tooth, so an apple pie would be a perfect score for him.

With the knife and fork provided, I elegantly sliced the apple pie and brought it to my mouth.

The pie crust is crispy and crunchy to the touch, but it looks like Serina used some skills to make it. And the apples, still hot and melted, burst in my mouth with a slight sourness that I can only describe as brilliant. I hate to compliment Serina, but this is a well-made dish.

「It's delicious! The harmony between the bread and apples is exquisite!」

The King's little brother also gave it a perfect score of ten. I'm annoyed, but I'll give it a nine as well.

「Well then, please take the next pastry.」

Fianna, the white-robed priest, brought a plate.