Chapter 89
Four plates of appetizing food were placed on the table.
Franz had picked up a spoon and fork, but he wasn’t very confident about evaluating them.
To evaluate something made by others, one had to know the field very well.
He wasn’t a chef, and he certainly wasn’t a gourmet, so there was no way he could evaluate them well.
'I didn’t mean it like that in the first place.'
He had indeed said that his ideal type was a family-oriented woman who was good at cooking.
But that meant a woman who was good at making home-cooked meals like hearty stews or comforting casseroles, not that he wanted a master chef.
So as long as she knew how to cook to some extent, it really didn’t matter at all.
Anyway, since the situation had turned out this way all because of him, Franz decided to take responsibility and make an evaluation.
Clatter-.
Franz brought one of the plates in front of him.
On the plate was a salad made with variously colored vegetables.
It was accompanied by thinly sliced meat.
For starters, the appearance was a pass.
The diverse colors were pretty, and the flower drawn with the sauce was impressive.
Before eating the food, Franz glanced at the expressions of the four women out of the corner of his eye.
Among the four standing side by side as if undergoing an inspection, there was only one person wearing a nervous expression.
'Hera made this one.'
He felt he had guessed correctly as soon as he saw the dish.
He had suspected it might be made by Hera, and it was exactly as expected.
But an evaluation had to be fair above all else.
Who made it wasn’t all that important.
He should just view it as a minor amusement.
Poke-.
Franz put a generous amount of the thin meat and vegetables into his mouth.
The properly seasoned meat, the fresh vegetables, and the tangy fruit-based sauce combined their flavors.
Various flavors blended harmoniously in his mouth.
'It’s delicious…?'
Aside from his being hungry, it was an excellent taste.
The sauce in particular had a strangely addictive taste that kept his hand reaching for more.
If it were sold at a restaurant, he would have been willing to pay to eat it.
Soon after completely clearing the plate, Franz brought the next dish in front of him.
This time, the dish was stew, a food made by putting various vegetables and meat in one place and boiling them thoroughly.
'Who made this one…'
Thinking that, Franz glanced at them out of the corner of his eye and saw Arian swallowing her saliva with a resolute expression.
It seemed this dish was made by the Secretary.
Since the sandwich she had made was quite delicious, he was looking forward to it in his own way.
Without hesitation, Franz scooped up a large spoonful of stew and brought it to his mouth.
The carrots, potatoes, and meat were thoroughly cooked and very tender.
Moreover, the seasoning was just right, to the point where it could be called an excellent stew with hardly a flaw to be found.
As Franz emptied the entire plate of stew with that momentum, Arian let out a sigh of relief.
It seemed she had been nervous after all.
Since she had confidently proposed the cooking showdown, he thought she would naturally be confident, but it didn’t seem to be exactly like that.
The next dish Franz chose was cube steak, made by grilling appropriately cut meat and vegetables together.
Since Yustia was pretending to be nonchalant while stealing glances his way, she was probably the owner of the dish.
Franz immediately brought the vegetables and meat to his mouth with his fork.
'This is delicious too…?'
He was already well aware of Yustia’s cooking skills.
Because she was none other than the one who had been in charge of meals for the Hero’s Party.
Though it was his first time eating food she had properly made like this.
Back then, she had cared too much about bringing out the flavor with insufficient ingredients.
Anyway, Franz completely cleared the plate this time as well.
Because he had eaten two plates earlier, he was slowly getting full.
But even so, he couldn’t leave any leftovers.
If he left leftovers after completely clearing the first two plates, it would be nothing but discrimination.
He had to eat it all, if only for the sincerity they put into making it so diligently.
Then there was only one left, the one Yuna made.
Franz pushed the empty plate aside and brought the plate with food in front of him.
What was on the plate were small pan-fried meat fritters.
Pan-fried meat fritters are made by pan-frying finely minced meat and vegetables until thin.
However, compared to the other dishes, the portion was definitely small.
Did she perhaps make only a little, knowing he would get full?
He didn’t know for sure, but it was nothing but a relief for Franz, who happened to be full.
Franz cut the pan-fried meat fritter into an appropriate size with his knife and put it in his mouth.
He was already well aware of Yuna’s cooking skills, and the taste didn’t deviate much from his expectations.
To sum it up in one word, it was delicious.
Eventually, Franz finished his meal by eating Yuna’s food completely.
This was the cooking showdown between the Hero’s Party and the Secretary.
Honestly, just hearing the name made it sound like subpar food would come out, but the actual result was a meal that was satisfying beyond imagination.
Franz thought as he wiped his mouth.
'Now I have to give an evaluation…'
What they wanted was probably to determine superiority clearly.
And for that, they had no choice but to rank them.
But it was easier said than done; actually trying to do it wasn’t an easy task.
In the first place, it was because this damn tongue of his wasn’t all that discerning.
Hmm-.
The longer his contemplation continued, the deeper the furrow between his brows became.
How much time had passed like that?
Finally, Franz’s mouth opened.
“You all must have gone through a lot of trouble cooking, but thanks to you, I ate well.”
At Franz’s words, they swallowed their saliva as if they had made a promise.
“First, regarding the salad, Hera made it, right?”
“Y-yes. That is true, but…”
“It was nice to be able to start the meal refreshingly. The sauce in particular was really delicious. I hope I can eat it again.”
“If you wish, I will make it for you anytime, because you are my Master… after all.”
The title of Master felt subtly uncomfortable, but Franz decided to just gloss over it.
because he felt they would end up bickering again if he said anything to deny it.
“The stew I ate next was made by Arian, right?”
“Ah, yes. That’s right.”
“It was delicious. Even if it were sold at a restaurant, I think I would have bought it to eat.”
“Really? Thank you…!”
Arian bowed her head deeply.
Usually, the one who ate the food would be the one bowing his or her head, so it was a truly bizarre thing.
“Next is the dish Yustia made. I ate this really well too. Even though I don’t like vegetables that much, I ended up eating them all.”
“Well, I’m glad it suited your taste.”
Yustia said that and turned her gaze elsewhere.
It was because Franz’s praise made her feel needlessly embarrassed.
Franz, who couldn’t help but know her feelings, didn’t say anything more and shifted his gaze to Yuna.
“The last thing I ate was made by you, Yuna, right?”
“Right. I made it.”
“The portion was a bit small. Did you do that on purpose?”
“Yeah, because I thought you would eat everything we made. I figured if I, too, made a lot, you would get too full.”
“So that was it. Thanks to you, I survived. And I enjoyed the food very much. I hope I can eat it again next time.”
Having finished praising them by pointing them out one by one like that, Franz had only the final decision left.
Since there was no way they wouldn’t know that too, tension naturally began to show on their faces.
Only one person was an exception: Yuna.
Yuna was already satisfied with the fact that Franz had praised her.
After a moment of silence flowed amidst such tension,
“…Sorry, I really can’t choose. Let’s just say they were all delicious.”
Franz declared his surrender.
If they had been strangers, he would have somehow divided the ranks.
because he wouldn’t have to face them in the future.
But that wasn’t the case for them, was it?
They had a connection, and they were people he would continue to build connections with in the future.
He didn’t want to divide their efforts into ranks.
Having once known the drudgery of common toil, Franz knew all too well that there was nothing harder than having one’s efforts denied.
He was prepared to accept it even if someone who didn’t like this result reprimanded him.
But no one said anything to Franz.
It was understandable for the three of the Hero’s Party since they had been dragged along by Arian in the first place, but it was a bit unexpected that even Arian didn’t say anything.
Arian muttered in a small voice.
“Well, it can’t be helped…”
In truth, Arian was inwardly anxious.
Because the dishes made by the other three were so excellent.
She might have even come in last place.
The cooking competition led by Arian was safely concluded by Franz’s decision, like that.
If there was anything different from before, it was just that the three of the Hero’s Party had become a bit more favorable toward Arian.
“Lady Arian? Ducal Daughter Arian? What should I call you…? Anyway, you’re good at cooking!”
“Honestly, it was beyond my expectations.”
“I thought you would have been raised delicately because you’re a noble, but it doesn’t seem like that’s entirely the case.”
Yuna, Hera, Yustia.
At the words of the three, Arian felt confused.
She had only thought of them as romantic rivals until now, but with them actually approaching her favorably, the situation had become complicated.
“Ah, Arian is fine.”
“Arian, aren’t you hungry?”
“I think I might be…?”
“Then let’s eat! How about we all eat together?”
“Yes, well…”
In the end, Arian ended up being swayed by Yuna’s positive mindset.
At the sight of them like that, Franz was able to lay his worries to rest.
He had been full of worries when the cooking competition first started, but now things seemed to have gotten somewhat better.
Without anticipating what kind of repercussions today’s events would bring in the future, he was trying to just vaguely let it pass.
* * *
That night.
Having parted ways with everyone and entered the room she was guided to, Yustia familiarly finished preparing to offer a prayer.
Since it was something she routinely did as a Saintess, she didn’t have any particular complaints.
It was the moment she brought her two hands together with a candle in front of her.
'Child, it has been a while.'
God’s Voice was heard.