Chapter 45
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: Rudelver's Unanimous Victory
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The audience was buzzing, everyone trying to predict the winner.
“How do you think it’ll go? Huh? Which one looks tastier?”“Just sniffing from here, it’s gotta be Louis, right?”“It does look a bit more appetizing, probably because it’s so flashy.”“Rudelver must’ve been out of practice from his hiatus.”“Why? People were raving about Rudelver’s dish too.”“Yeah. Most didn’t get what he was saying, but Mitulin called it perfect.”“Hmm, and Kreya’s comment was shorter on Rudelver’s side.”
Opinions were split, but since no one had tasted them yet, more people leaned toward Louis for his superior visuals.
In the meantime, anonymous ballots were collected in a container and handed to Riziev.
“Ah, now it’s time to announce the results. I’m positively trembling!”
Riziev plunged his hand into the container.
‘Who’ll it be…….’
Even Dane couldn’t call it confidently. Both dishes had shown exceptional skill, and the flavors had matched.
He hadn’t let one chef dominate but had gathered opinions from multiple judges because ‘topicality’ had to go hand-in-hand with ‘popularity’.
‘The right move is whatever draws more people and wins them over.’He was prepared to accept whichever way the results fell.
Louis’s braised shank had an exotic flair, a fresh sensation. The harmonious blend of diverse ingredients was impressive. It could even soften people’s aversion to monster meat.
Rudelver’s braised shank, on the other hand, evoked memories of classic beef tendon stew. It focused purely on the meat’s inherent flavor. You could sense the chef’s stubborn pride in every bite.
It felt like a bold declaration: ‘This is monster meat.’There was virtue in that straightforward approach, so it was impossible to dismiss its popularity potential.
Were the other judges thinking along the same lines? No one wore a look of certainty. They were simply curious about the outcome.
All eyes turned to Riziev’s mouth. He spoke.
“Rudelver Lake!”
“Wooo!!”
“Whoooaaa!”
Dane inwardly sighed in relief at the first name called.
“Then…… let’s open the second ballot. Ah…… this one’s a bit hard to read. It looks like the scribbles of a child just learning to write.”As he said it, Riziev brought the ballot close to his eyes.
The judges’ gazes swiveled to Bankers. He waved his hands emphatically, protesting his innocence. Dane’s gut twisted.
‘That’s mine…….’
Unable to read or write, Dane had copied the name from Rudelver’s nameplate. And the letters he’d painstakingly traced were.
“Rudelver Lake!”
“Woooaaah!”
“Again?”
That made it two votes for Rudelver. One more, and it was locked in.
The next announcement. Everyone’s eyes converged on Riziev’s mouth again. Sensing it, he stroked his mustache and paused dramatically. Fortunately, no ad break.
“Rudelver Lake!”
Called once more. 3:0. Even checking the last two wouldn’t change a thing.
“Woooaaah!”
Even the judges exchanged bewildered glances, surprised by the outcome.
“And so, the winner of the inaugural Mekardo Monster Cooking Contest is Chef Rudelver Lake!!!”Cheers and applause poured in. The judges rose from their seats, offering warm claps toward Rudelver. His expression remained composed.
“It’s rigged, isn’t it?!”“Rudelver for real?”
But there were reactions of disbelief. Grumbles erupted from Bortong affiliates and Louis’s fans.
Even among the general audience, some felt the same. It had seemed too plain at a glance.
That only made them more curious. What on earth did it taste like to claim such a decisive win?
“I can’t accept this!”Louis especially refused the result. He turned to the audience and shouted.
“The winner was decided in advance, wasn’t it? No matter how fair you claim it is, having family on the judging panel doesn’t add up! And it’s the family of one of your own team members, so of course the butchers all voted the same. This contest was never fair from the start!”Sympathizers jeered in agreement, as if they’d been waiting.
“Then…… let’s open the remaining two ballots as well.”Dane said. He was curious too.
As if he’d been waiting, Riziev revealed the last two.
All for Rudelver. The anonymous vote had become utterly pointless. Louis shook his head in stunned dismay.
“No way…….”
Riziev raised his voice to the audience.
“This calls for hearing from the judges who voted unanimously. What made Chef Rudelver’s dish stand out?”
Mitulin rose from his seat. He swept his frizzy hair behind his ear and spoke.
“With Chef Louis raising concerns about fairness, I, the president of the Mekardo Gastronomy Association, have no choice but to step in. You’ve always respected my opinions, haven’t you, Louis?”Louis stayed silent. Mitulin continued.
“Chef Rudelver’s dish was elegant classicism itself. Yet it was avant-garde and challenging in its own way. I’d forgotten: the unadorned tension of focusing on the meat’s true flavor captivated me. It was like a flavor map introducing the uncharted territory of monster meat. But it didn’t drag me forcefully—it guided me gently in a relaxed mood. Ah…… that deep resonance, ‘Wasn’t this just meat?’, spread secretly and effortlessly. Old-school yet trendy—that’s exactly it. An edgy dish perfect for new meats. Try it, Louis. As a fellow exceptional chef, you’ll understand.”
Louis Bortong approached Rudelver’s dish as if entranced. He scooped a large spoonful of tendon and lean meat into his mouth.
-Thud!
He dropped to his knees.
He cursed himself for perfectly grasping Mitulin’s bizarre words. It was a flavor beyond his reach. Tears streaming, he admitted total defeat.
After Rudelver helped him up, he wept even harder.
* * *
The contest organizers gathered at Kreya Merchant Company for a debrief. Members of Dane’s Butcher Crew, Kreya executives, and the winner Rudelver were all present.
Riziev meticulously wiped his tea-dampened mustache and said.
“It was truly splendid. We should hold events like this regularly. Don’t you agree, Representative Kreya?”“Indeed. The monster meat buzz alone guarantees it. Profits are sure to climb post-contest. Whew…… How’d you come up with such a brilliant idea, Captain Dane?”Kreya exhaled a long plume of cigarette smoke as she asked.
“Monster meat’s so unfamiliar, the aversion’s gotta be huge. Just putting it up for sale won’t conquer the market overnight. We can’t keep up with the Root’s weakening pace either. We needed to spread the word fast to as many people as possible.”No matter how good the product, ignorance dooms it.
The cooking contest had been the perfect event to introduce an alien ingredient to the masses. The spectacle and buzz far exceeded Dane’s expectations.
“With that kind of savvy, you could run your own merchant company. Lucky for us you’re not competition.”“Meat’s all I need.”“Nice to have a partner so passionate about meat. Quality’s guaranteed. Chef Rudelver won’t cook without top ingredients. Truth be told, I hesitated writing his name on my ballot. What if it bombed again? But, whew…… I couldn’t betray my tongue.”Kreya stuck out her tongue slightly with a grin at Rudelver. His gaze was fixed solely on River.
River, uncomfortable under her grandfather’s stare, shot back at Kreya.
“Then why’d you stop supplying Lake’s?”“If Kreya had anything to do with why Grandfather quit cooking, we need to address it now that we’re partners going forward.”
Kreya waved it off, scattering her smoke.
“Ah…… you’ve got the sequence wrong, Vice Captain. The supply halt wasn’t first.”“She’s right, River. It was my fault.”Rudelver interjected readily and continued.
“We had a supply contract with Kreya Merchant Company, but I refused. Shutting down operations was my decision too.”
“Why…….”
“Well…… it’s not exactly Chef Rudelver’s fault.”“This time Kreya jumped in to elaborate.
“With the Roots weakening and monsters rampaging, hunters couldn’t supply ingredients properly. Supply shortages were inevitable. Whew…… Sometimes we had to accept lower-quality stuff. Merchant companies like ours, symbiotic with hunting parties, you know.”Kreya explained that to secure mainline monster parts trades, they had to take on side meat sales. From a business unable to absorb endless losses, it was an unavoidable choice.
“But…… I’m a chef. I couldn’t cook with that.”Rudelver’s shutdown rocked Lake’s kitchen.
Even after River left, Louis—always compared unfavorably and sidelined—decided to go independent. Starting with him, all remaining staff departed.
Kreya Merchant Company suffered no loss since Louis took over the full supply volume.
Louis overcame the ingredient shortcomings in his own way, birthing today’s restaurant, Bortong.
“It’s not about assigning blame. Still……”Dane paused briefly before speaking again.
“If it’d been a long-term partnership, couldn’t you have worked something out? Seems both sides went to extremes.”Kreya replied.
“Monster parts for supply come first over ingredients. Even if hunting parties push meat, we have to take it. Can’t afford to piss them off, right?”“Which hunting party has Kreya Merchant Company so beholden?”“Oh, you didn’t know? Kemora Hunting Party, naturally. The biggest and strongest—how could we cross such a major client?”Kreya pouted.
Kemora Hunting Party. Foldtown’s top outfit, the ones who’d tried scouting Dane. It was only natural they’d be tied to the largest merchant company.
“Truth is…… that’s my concern. Exclusive contracts on monster meat and Yadus Ore are hugely appealing, but I worry it’d sever our Kemora partnership.”“Just drop them and deal with us.”Bankers said casually. Kreya looked troubled again.
“The justification’s a bit thin? They’re our most vital client, after all. But who knows. Whew…… If Dane’s Butcher Crew proves superior to Kemora as hunters……”Kreya trailed off suggestively. It read as a plea to create grounds for switching suppliers. Dane smiled inwardly and probed.
“Feels like there’s more. Spill.”“Got a late call from Kemora yesterday. They’re prepping a big monster hunt. We’ve already locked in the parts contract for it, so cutting ties now would be dicey.”“Big monster? What kind?”“An Elite’s appeared near Foldtown’s east side.”“Elite? The monster that drops Elite ore?”
“Yeah.”
River and Dane exchanged glances. They recalled the forge they’d visited before leaving Foldtown, seeking new weapons.
“Things are lining up nicely.”
Dane glanced at his cleaver with a faint smile.