Editing Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume2 Chapter4 Draft (section)

===Part 4===

Just like that, 30 minutes passed.

The food the two of them were cooking was finished and the judges were lined before the table. 

Est, Scarlet and the worn out Kamito, were seated side by side.

The order in which the participants will serve meals they prepared was decided by drawing lots. Claire will be the first.

"...Ah, I have to at least ask, what is this?"

A black lump of something was laid down on Kamito’s plate.

He wandered if that was the cinders thing Claire always talked about.

"If I remember it right, it was called seafood curry... right? That was what you called it."

"...I...It looks a little overcooked."

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The thing before him was completely carbonized... It was no longer about the taste.

"Ehh, is it bad if I don't eat this?

"I...It's not about appearances, what's important is the taste, right?!"

"It's awfully bitter."

Est, who sampled a mouthful, muttered that expressionlessly.

"...Est, you betrayed me."

"Isn't that obvious? Est, you've done well."

"Wh...What, Scarlet is eating it eagerly."

"That's because it's a fire spirit. It probably doesn't even have taste buds."

That burnt-black lump was completely devoured by Scarlet, but Kamito had a feeling that rather than eating something, the hellcat was incinerating waste. After finishing, it puffed out a small fireball.

"...Isn't Est a spirit too?! I don't think she understands what delicate cuisine tastes like."

"Use of abusive language towards a judge. Claire looses a point."

Expressionlessly, Est raised up a point-deduction card.

"Guu..."

"After the black thing, there's no need to even taste what I prepared. My victory is obvious."

Fianna placed her hand near her mouth to cover a wide smile.

Well, it looked like the winner was already decided, but they had to at least eat and compare their cooking.

...*Gutsu*, *gutsu*, *gutsu*, *gutsu*, *gutsu*.<ref>simmering sfx.</ref>

They saw her carrying the dish over—

"Th..That's..!"

Kamito was at a loss of words. Est’s eyes were unusually wide, Scarlet purred.

It seemed to be a boiling...stew.

Its color was red. Redder than the last time Kamito saw it. So red, nothing could be seen under its surface.

"Ehh, what is... this?"

"This is the Ordesia royal family's special, the white stew."

"How is it white!?"

The surface was completely crimson. Suddenly he felt a dreadful smell invade his nostrils.

It was because of the subtle seasoning she used just now, Kamito was certain of that.

"Wh...What is this?! There's no way anyone could eat it!"

Claire pushed her own concerns aside to grumble. ...Well, at least she understood Fianna’s feelings.

"Ahh, the daughter of the Elstein family is complaining without even trying it."

The princess brushed her glossy black hair behind her ear and looked down at Claire.

"This isn't fair. I doubt that's something nobles, who are supposed to serve as an example to the masses, should do."

"Uggg....!"

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Unfairness aside, Fianna also did not eat Claire's burnt-black thing, but the red haired girl seemed to not have noticed it.


Or perhaps, a better way to put it was that she was easily reeled up when someone brought up her status as an ojou-sama. More so, when it involved her family name or her pride as a noble.

"I...I get it, it's alright if I eat a mouthful of that, right? I'm good with spicy things, after all."

The moment Claire nodded, Fianna let a wicked smile cross her face.

"Hey, Claire, that's seriously dangerous—"

Not giving Kamito time to stop her, she put the spoon into her mouth.

And immediately after that...

"Hyguu—!?"

......*Patan*.

She collapsed onto the table.

"Cl...Claire, are you alright?!"

Kamito worriedly tried to help her get up, but the girl’s vision was spinning and she couldn’t stand.

"...Sh...She's completely knocked out."

"It's my victory."

Fianna placed her hand on her waist and smiled.

"Err, it was that kind of match?"

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"Was it not?"

Fianna looked surprised.

At that moment he realized that the conditions for winning the match were not set.

"But you said all your rituals left the spirits satisfied, right?"

"Yeah, just a mouthful of my food was enough to make them return to Astral Zero completely content."

"Uh, I don’t think that’s why they went back."

"A cooking that even destroys spirit's sense of taste..."

Est muttered, unable to stop herself from trembling.