Chapter 34
Chapter 34
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: Victory!
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Victory!
Agent Jeong Tae-san had submitted a dish containing an entity.
I could feel everyone gathered here, including the judges, thrown into complete disarray.
Only Agent Jeong Tae-san, who had submitted the dish, and the Black Princess, who had no idea what was wrong, waited calmly for the judging.
'No wonder it didn't fit his nickname of entity cuisine expert, making only normal dishes until the end. Who would've thought he'd pull something like this at the last moment. He's completely lost his mind.'
Suddenly, the judges had to taste two entity dishes.
Director Kwon Sae-ron calmly savored both dishes.
"First, the Black Princess's dish. The natural sweetness of the vegetables infusing the clear broth is impressive. The umami is excellent too. It really brings out the inherent flavors of the ingredients."
But if the ingredients are entities, shouldn't you not be tasting their inherent flavors?
I swallowed the urge to object and held it back.
"And Agent Jeong Tae-san's dish. It has a very unique flavor. The variety of spices gives it an exotic taste. Especially this special ingredient—the texture is fun. Well eaten."
Surprisingly, the jelly-like entity must have been edible.
Before cooking, Agent Jeong Tae-san had picked it up and tasted it himself, so maybe he'd devised a plausible cooking method.
Truly, pointlessly devoted.
Director Hwang Ju-seung, like a picky child, carefully filtered out the entity from Agent Jeong Tae-san's dish and avoided eating it.
Afterward, with a pale complexion, he left a brief impression.
He then filtered the entity from the Black Princess's dish as well and cautiously tasted it.
"Uh, um?"
Director Hwang Ju-seung let out a strange exclamation and proceeded to eat more.
His pale face gradually gained some color.
"This is delicious. The seasonal wild greens flavor is just to my liking."
Whether it was because the princess's dish appealed to Director Hwang Ju-seung, he kept eating.
He didn't stop spooning as if intending to empty the plate.
Soon, the plate was nearly clean, leaving only the jelly entity behind.
The two judges finished their evaluation.
"Now, we will announce the winner of the 1st Ansong Research Lab Cooking Competition!"
The winner is obviously the princess anyway.
From the start, one of the goals of this competition was to give her a keycard.
"The winner is the Black Princess! Congratulations!"
As the winner was called, the princess tried to act serious but couldn't hide her beaming smile.
Clap clap clap clap.
Everyone, including the judges, applauded to congratulate the winner.
"The 1st place prize will be awarded directly by 6th Research Director Kwon Sae-ron. Winner, please come forward!"
The Black Princess smiled faintly and stepped forward with small, quick steps.
The 1st place prize was a Level 4 keycard.
Director Kwon Sae-ron had consulted with the other directors and decided to give the princess a Level 4 keycard.
Especially after a fierce debate with Director Hwang Ju-seung, she had barely persuaded him.
'Giving her a Level 4 keycard must be preparation for a new project.'
Keycards Level 4 and above grant access to the lab's core facilities.
From Level 4, you gain permission to access the underground facilities that even researchers can't easily enter.
Director Kwon Sae-ron stood from her seat and approached the Black Princess.
She took out an elegant small case from her pocket.
Click. The case opened, revealing the keycard.
'Huh?'
The color of the keycard was strange.
Everyone gathered held their breath, watching the scene.
Even the announcer seemed flustered, unable to continue speaking.
Only Director Kwon Sae-ron moved leisurely, handing the keycard to the princess.
"The victory prize is a Level 5 keycard. Congratulations, Black Princess."
"Waaah! Thank you!"
The keycard wasn't orange, the color for Level 4.
The Black Princess's photo was engraved on a red keycard, signifying the lab's highest security level.
The princess took the keycard and smiled happily.
Everyone except Director Kwon Sae-ron rolled their eyes, frantically gauging the situation.
Director Hwang Ju-seung stared at Director Kwon Sae-ron with eyes bulging wide.
"Ha, haha. With this, we conclude the 1st Ansong Research Lab Cooking Competition!"
The announcer awkwardly broke the tense atmosphere and ended the event.
I returned to the princess's isolation room with her.
As we left the venue, I glanced back and saw Director Hwang Ju-seung in a heated conversation with Director Kwon Sae-ron.
'She's starting something weird again...'
The princess clutched the Level 5 keycard tightly, smiling blissfully.
Was it a mistake to tell Director Kwon Sae-ron that the princess wanted a Level 5 keycard?
This had blown up way too big.
"Congrats on the win, Princess!"
"Hehe. This much is only natural!"
The princess puffed out her chest and strutted proudly.
Normally, I'd be thrilled along with her, but now I couldn't join in the joy.
As I lingered in the princess's isolation room, sure enough, the call came.
'Come to the 6th Research Director's office immediately.'
My bad premonitions never missed the mark.
I didn't give her the keycard, so why summon me?
"I have some business to attend to, so I'll head out first. Take care, Princess."
I said goodbye to the princess and left the isolation room.
I headed to the director's office and knocked. An immediate "come in" replied.
I gently opened the door and entered the office.
"Director Kwon Sae-ron. What on earth is this! I barely agreed to giving an entity a Level 4 keycard, and now you issue a Level 5 without any consultation!"
As I entered the office, I saw Director Hwang Ju-seung yelling in anger.
Director Kwon Sae-ron sat relaxed, looking up at him leisurely.
"There's nothing in this lab that can stop the princess anyway. Even without a keycard, if she sets her mind to it, she can go anywhere, right? Isn't it better to just give her one instead of letting her smash doors?"
"Even so, granting an entity the highest security level is absurd. It's nonsense!"
Why call me here just to fight among yourselves?
Feeling awkward to move, I stood awkwardly near the office door.
"Haa..."
Director Kwon Sae-ron suddenly let out a long sigh, and Director Hwang Ju-seung stepped back.
A strange tension filled the air.
"Director Hwang Ju-seung, you've been briefed too. What the Prayer Receiver said recently. You know, don't you?"
After a suffocating silence, Director Hwang Ju-seung spoke.
"So that's the reason for giving the Black Princess a Level 5 keycard?"
"Yes."
Director Hwang Ju-seung calmed down, sighed deeply, and sat on the sofa.
I'd heard rumors about the entity called the Prayer Receiver.
It was the most famous among those confined in the lab's underground facilities.
The Prayer Receiver prophesies the future.
"Sorry about this, Researcher Lee Se-hwa. We made you come and feel awkward. Please sit comfortably."
I sat on the sofa at Director Kwon Sae-ron's words.
From the situation, it felt like a new project targeting the Black Princess was about to begin.
"Researcher Lee Se-hwa. Everything from now on is top secret. It's not public knowledge yet."
I listened calmly to Director Kwon Sae-ron.
Director Kwon Sae-ron took a moment to breathe deeply before continuing.
"Do you know about the Prayer Receiver?"
"I've heard rumors. Just that it's an entity that prophesies the future."
"Correct. The Prayer Receiver does prophesy the future. Recently, it left a prophecy."
Director Hwang Ju-seung furrowed his brow in displeasure.
Director Kwon Sae-ron continued undeterred.
"The Prayer Receiver's prophecy was 'The end is near.'"
"The end is near...?"
An utterly simple phrase.
But a prophecy that couldn't be ignored.
"We're currently working with various countries to interpret the Prayer Receiver's prophecy. To figure out exactly what 'the end' means."
Do they not know what 'the end' signifies?
Normally, it means the conclusion or finale of something.
"Whether 'the end' refers to a phenomenon, a specific entity, or just a prank-like happenstance. We need to find out."
"I-I get that. But why tell me?"
To my bewilderment, a faint smile appeared on Director Kwon Sae-ron's lips.
"We're going to use the Black Princess to extract information from the Prayer Receiver."
I pondered her words.
Did I hear that wrong?
No matter how I thought about Director Kwon Sae-ron's words.
It sounded like threatening an entity.