Chapter 332

The tasting time for the dish Shail made came to an end.

“What an excellent taste!! What more needs to be said? A perfect 10 out of 10!”

“I agree. There’s no room for any other opinion. 10 points!!”

“I also give it a 10!”

The result was, of course, a perfect score.

“Thank you for your generous evaluation.”

*Hahaha. It’s only natural. Sorbet is a luxurious dessert enjoyed even by nobles in the empire. To arrange it into a three-layer structure like this, any ordinary citizen of Astram would have no choice but to give it a perfect score.*

Shail secretly smiled to himself as he glanced at Kurt.

Although it was shocking that Kurt could recite the recipe after tasting his sorbet, that was all.

If you think about it, it’s only natural that someone who has reached the level of a master would have a sense of taste sharper than that of an ordinary human.

It was just that the common belief that Lizardmen have no sense of taste made him overlook this.

However.

Having a sharp sense of taste and being good at cooking are two different things.

Just as a critic being able to deliver sharp critiques doesn’t necessarily mean they can write well.

Even if someone can deduce a recipe after a few bites, that doesn’t mean they’re good at cooking.

Shail forced a humble smile at Kurt and said,

*Hahaha… What should we do? I’ve received a perfect score. Honestly, it seems like the next round is pointless… Why don’t you just give up now?*

“That’s something we’ll only know after trying. Let’s talk about the theme of the next dish.”

“Ugh… So you’re saying you won’t give up until the very end?”

“Of course not. You shouldn’t give up just because you’re scared before the match is even over.”

“Hoh… I see.”

*What nonsense. A person with such a strong competitive spirit resorts to copying someone else’s dish and deliberately chooses a dessert with a recipe few know? If you’re going to be this cowardly until the end…*

“Fine. Then I’ll decide the theme of the dish. The theme will be limited to the same dessert as mine.”

“A dessert… Got it.”

Kurt nodded as if it were an easy request and headed into the kitchen.

*Hmph. Acting all confident as he heads into the kitchen. It’s nothing but obvious bravado.*

Shail watched his retreating figure with sharp eyes, determined to secure his victory this time.

…

…

…

And then.

“Wha—what is this dish?! What kind of food is this?!”

“Ah, this is called gelato. It’s a type of dessert made by freezing fruit and various spices with sugar. It’s not much different from sorbet, but the addition of egg yolks and cream gives it a much smoother and chewier texture.”

“This cold yet smooth texture! I’ve never had a cold dessert this delicious before! I can’t even remember the grainy texture of sorbet anymore!”

“And the five layers of different flavors! I’m overwhelmed by emotions I never felt with sorbet!”

“…Huh?”

The judges were completely blown away after just one bite of Kurt’s dessert.

This was not the reaction Shail had imagined.

“This is a no-brainer! 10 points! Ugh…! I wish I could give more than 10 points!”

“I also give it a 10! If anyone doesn’t give this dessert a 10, I won’t forgive them!”

“Ugh…! If I had five lives, I’d spend the first life eating the first layer of this gelato, the second life eating the second layer… and so on until the fifth life! 10 points!”

“…Huh?”

This was not the reaction Shail had imagined.

…

…

…

And so, the match ended in a draw.

Although the two matches ended in a draw, they couldn’t just shake hands and call it a day.

Thus, the match inevitably went into overtime.

And the result…

“How can such a dish exist in this world?! I can’t believe my tongue! Is this even cooking or magic?! This is magic! The magic of the Magic Tower!”

“Ahhh! No way! This can’t be real! If this is real, then what have I been eating all my life?! Ahhh!”

“Ugh… This dish…! It’s too perfect! This is the pinnacle of gourmet! The peak of gourmet! Yes. Today, I have become the woman who has tasted the most delicious dish in the world!”

With the judges going wild, Shail’s dish once again received a perfect score.

“This is pig feed!! Pig feed!! Everything I’ve eaten until now was pig feed!! Hahahaha! I was a piglet!! This is real food, and everything I’ve eaten before was fake!!”

“I… How am I supposed to live from tomorrow onwards?! Do I have to live a life without this dish from tomorrow?! To have tasted such a dish and then go back to eating ordinary food… This is hell!”

“The dish I just ate was so delicious, and now this?! I’m scared! My common sense is being shattered! No! Does common sense even exist in this world?! Maybe there was never any common sense to begin with, and I was the only one who believed it existed?! At this rate, I won’t be able to trust my tongue or my common sense anymore!”

As the judges went berserk after tasting Kurt’s dish, Kurt once again received a perfect score…

“Why are you so good at cooking?!”

Finally facing reality, Shail let out a heart-wrenching scream.

…

…

…

Even though Kurt had shown his true skills without holding back, the match still remained undecided.

Because while Kurt’s dish received a perfect score, Shail also poured his heart into his cooking and continued to receive perfect scores.

The cooking duel repeated several times.

“Hmm… I think we need to replace the judges. They’ve eaten too much. They won’t be able to give a proper taste evaluation at this rate.”

“I agree.”

“I can still eat more! Please, just one more chance…!”

“No. We don’t need judges who only give perfect scores anymore. Thank you for your hard work.”

“Ahhh!!”

With the repeated matches, even the judges were full, and they were eventually replaced.

…

…

…

As the match continued, the cost of ingredients skyrocketed, and Mari began to glare at Kurt with a stiff smile.

…

…

…

The match that started at lunchtime had now stretched into the evening.

“Mommyyyy! The only thing I can do after eating such a delicious dish is cry like a lost child! Mommyyyy!”

“To think someone like me could taste such a dish… What an honor. I will pass down today’s events to future generations!”

“Ah… Time is passing. The time I have to enjoy this dish… It’s slipping away! With every bite, the dish disappears! Why does time move forward, and why does the dish disappear as I eat it?! Why!!”

The judges were now practically losing their minds as they evaluated the taste, and Kurt’s dish once again received a perfect score.

At this point, Shail’s poker face had completely crumbled.

In his heart, he felt a desperate need to catch up, but he also sensed the looming possibility of defeat.

No, in fact, both of them had been receiving perfect scores, but deep down, he knew.

It was a truth he didn’t want to admit but had no choice but to accept.

The reason both of their dishes kept receiving perfect scores was simply because the judges lacked the expertise to evaluate their cooking properly, and their taste thresholds were low, so they gave out perfect scores easily.

After tasting Kurt’s dish, Shail had no choice but to admit it.

That Kurt’s cooking skills were superior to his own.

Shail, who had prided himself on being better than most chefs, never imagined there would be a Lizardman who could cook at such a level.

It was something he had never even dreamed of in his life.

But it was too late to back out now, and there was no way to turn back.

“Hoo. Another perfect score, another draw. It can’t be helped. This time, I’ll cook first. Decide the theme.”

“Ugh…”

But he couldn’t just give up and accept defeat.

This wasn’t just a matter of his pride.

The artifact shaped like a crystal necklace.

They seemed to have realized that the artifact was important, but they hadn’t yet grasped just *how* important it was.

Of course.

Even Albert, the captain of the 11th Knight Order and a fellow imperial who had received the same mission before him, didn’t fully understand its significance. There was no way they could have figured it out.

It was a key item in the empire’s current plans.

Bringing it back to the empire was a mission assigned to him by the empire, and it was also essential for his own “plan.”

In the end, after much internal conflict, Shail made his choice.

He didn’t want to win in such a cowardly way, but…

At this point, it was impossible to save both his pride and secure victory.

“What’s wrong? If you’re unhappy with me cooking first, you can go first if you want…”

“No. You go first. I’ll announce the theme.”

And so, Shail decided to resort to a cowardly tactic.

It was the same method he had thought of when Kurt had requested a dessert earlier.

No, it was even more advanced.

“It is an egg, yet not an egg. It uses pork, yet contains no pork. It is fried in oil, yet is not crispy but soft and chewy, and it doesn’t stick to forks, knives, or plates.”

And so, Shail presented a dish that couldn’t possibly exist in this world.