Chapter 31
Chapter 31
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Match Fixing
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"Wh-what do you mean, let's order some food? What are you talking about all of a sudden?"
Park Cheolwoong, the squad leader, stammered in utter confusion.
He was a non-researcher, so I'd skipped too much in my explanation.
Time to explain it kindly.
"The Princess's new anomalous ability could be useful for lab operations. So we need to test it out, right? The best way to start is by having her cook up a bunch of stuff to get a handle on her powers."
"Ah, is that what you meant? Now that you explain it, it sounds like solid logic."
Park Cheolwoong nodded along as he listened.
The Princess was kneading an anomaly in the corner of the isolation room.
'An ability to alter the appearance and flavor of anomalies.'
The Princess's power was undeniably unique.
How to put it to good use could wait.
First priority: Pin down the limits, conditions, and all the fine details to fully characterize the ability.
'To get approval for experiments like this... Director Kwon Saeron is probably the only option.'
Running aggressive tests with other anomalies required director-level clearance.
I'd have to convince her to grant it.
'Project Ark's going smoothly, so I can leverage that in negotiations.'
Project Ark: Storing troublesome anomalies inside the Princess.
Thanks to her willing cooperation, everything was progressing without a hitch.
"Next dish is ready. Dig in, everyone."
The Princess lined up plates on the table one by one.
This time, it was something that looked like salt bread.
It resembled a lump of brown mud in shape, but close enough to pass for salt bread.
I picked one up with one hand and took a bite.
'This is genuinely amazing.'
A savory, salty salt bread flavor lingered in my mouth.
Time to praise the Princess.
"You're a great cook, Princess. This is delicious!"
"Hee hee. This is nothing."
Recently, we'd gotten directives to praise her a lot.
So I was showering her with near-worshipful compliments.
She tried to keep a straight face each time, but couldn't hide her upturned lips.
'Easy.'
The Princess seemed like a simple girl.
The lab's current theory on her rampage trigger: Realizing she was an anomaly.
That's why everyone was desperately treating her like a human.
'The problem is she thinks anyone can do everything she can.'
From observations, she viewed most things she could do as ordinary.
Like eating anomalies or regenerating her body—she figured normal people could do it too.
The silver lining: She knew her physical prowess wasn't normal; she just thought she was exceptional.
'Logically, there are more holes in that than I can count...'
Her believing she was human was bizarre in itself.
The lab had probably treated her like an anomaly countless times, subtly or not.
Yet she clung to her humanity like iron.
'Trying to understand an anomaly's thought process is pointless anyway.'
As long as she stayed calm thinking she was human, the lab was grateful.
Lost in thought, I'd finished the salt-bread-like thing.
I stood up quietly.
"Princess, I'll head out for today. Squad Leader, you're leaving too, right?"
I dropped the hint before exiting.
He'd been spectating, ignoring anything not involving him, but I figured he'd help a bit.
"Yeah, time for me to go. I'll take my leave, Princess."
Park Cheolwoong caught on and quickly decided to exit with me.
"See you all later. I'll prepare for the next tasting session!"
We said goodbye to the Princess and left the room.
Outside the isolation room, a few medical team members waited for us.
"Here's the rented anomaly item, returned."
Park Cheolwoong removed the necklace from his neck and handed it to the medical team.
A simple necklace with a miniature narwhal horn model.
Wearing it warns you by vibrating if toxic substances or deadly food is nearby.
Thanks to this anomaly item, we could eat the Princess's bizarre cuisine worry-free.
"Did the necklace vibrate at all?"
"No. Aside from tasting awful, it wasn't harmful to our health."
The medical team and Park Cheolwoong chatted.
I chimed in casually.
"But the later dishes were tasty, weren't they?"
"Huh? The food was tasty? Those anomalies?"
As we walked the corridor together, the medical team startled and asked back.
I flashed a sly smile and glanced at Park Cheolwoong.
"Uh, well... They were decently tasty."
In the end, Park Cheolwoong admitted the Princess's food was good.
The medical team looked skeptical, like they couldn't believe it.
"Come on, you're joking too much. Anomalies tasting good? No way."
"If you're doubtful, join the next tasting session."
I grinned mischievously at the medical team.
They recoiled, waving their hands wildly.
"Eww, don't say such horrifying things. I don't want to eat that stuff."
"Ahaha. So we're doing something horrific?"
"H-haha. You have our sympathies."
We bantered as we walked the corridor.
Eventually, I parted ways with the medical team and Park Cheolwoong, left alone.
I headed to Director Kwon Saeron's office.
Since taking over Project Ark, we'd been having occasional one-on-ones to discuss progress.
Today's tasting was set to end with a meeting there.
I knocked at the office door.
"Come in."
I entered at the sound of her voice.
Director Kwon Saeron, with her signature round black sunglasses, greeted me with a bright smile.
"Have a seat. I can't tell you how happy I am that Project Ark's going so well, thanks to Researcher Lee Sehwa."
"Ah, haha. It's not me—it's because the Princess cooperates so readily."
I sat down with an awkward laugh.
"So, how was the Black Princess's cooking? Did Park Cheolwoong eat well?"
"Squad Leader said the first anomaly tasted like a rag wiped with vomit. But the Princess thought it was delicious. Her sense of taste seems fundamentally different from humans'."
"Matches the previous reports."
"And... I discovered a new anomaly."
"A new one?"
I shifted in my seat before continuing.
Lowering my voice, I quietly shared the new finding.
"The Princess can alter anomalies' flavors and shapes. She calls it 'cooking'."
"Alters flavors and shapes?"
"Yes. I ended up eating some by accident, and while it looked weird, the taste and texture were just like normal food. Honestly, it was delicious."
"Ahaha! Ironic. Her taste buds are inhuman, yet her cooking tastes good even to normal humans."
Director Kwon Saeron chuckled like she'd heard a fun story.
Her smiling face soon turned serious.
"How can we use that ability...? Any ideas, Researcher Lee Sehwa?"
"I haven't thought of applications yet. I want to map out the details first."
"Hee hee. From your tone, sounds like you have a plan for testing."
"Yes, I do."
I swallowed hard and continued.
"Have her cook a ton of different anomalies to measure the limits."
"So you're here for my permission to use them?"
"Exactly."
Director Kwon Saeron froze mid-smile.
Was she pondering?
Her staring smile was intensely uncomfortable.
"Approved. Let's do it."
She finally spoke.
I inwardly sighed in relief—
"But let's scale it up a bit."
An unexpected follow-up.
"Scale it up how?"
"Might as well hold a cooking contest."
"A c-cooking contest?"
"It'll help the staff still wary of the Princess bond with her. And I've got the perfect prize for the winner—something for her."
"A prize...?"
"A 4th-grade card key. Hers is 3rd-grade now, right? Perfect for a grand prize. With it on the line, the Black Princess will cook even harder."
Classic Director Kwon Saeron.
She casually proposed something no one else would dream of.
"But if the card key's the prize... Doesn't she have to win to get it?"
"Exactly. It'll be a fixed match. In simple terms: match fixing. Hee hee."
Director Kwon Saeron smirked.
A rigged cooking contest with a set winner was about to begin.