༺ I’m the Only One in a Different Genre (2) ༻
The act of consuming monsters was a new concept, only incorporated into human culture 300 years ago.
Monsters are usually grotesque creatures, with hideous forms, and most times their flesh exudes a pungent stench.
Before new culinary techniques were invented, monster meat was usually processed into compost to feed livestock, or it was simply treated as garbage.
But all changed 300 years ago.
A great famine struck the continent, entire villages starved while the nobles only sought their survival. Faced with such a dire situation, a starving person might even resort to eating dirt.
That was the turning point.
For the sake of survival.
Many brought monster carcasses onto the chopping block.
For the sake of survival, they endured the disgust, tolerated the stench, and tried numerous forms of cooking monster meat.
At the end of those dark days, monster meat became a valuable source of food.
Of course, for most nobles who had never experienced the famine, it remained a vile and unpleasant food source, consumed only by the poor or desperate.
Therefore,
“It looks truly appetizing.”
This only made Elden’s words more unbelievable.
Yet, unlike the others who struggled to hide their horror, his eyes were clear and genuine.
He even licked his lips as he stared at the swine-like monster’s leg.
It must be a lie.
He must be faking his reactions. He must be acting.
A competent actor he may be, but as soon as he eats it, his horror will be revealed and he will join the others in their suffering.
He, the man who took pleasure in force feeding her spiders, ants, and even…caterpillars must have a taste of her suffering!
So, with a desperate wish, she said.
“……Then, won’t you take even a single bite? I promise it won’t lead to any misunderstandings.”
It was an absurd situation.
Truly ludicrous.
That the avenger must beg for their target to accept the torture.
But she couldn’t help it.
His declaration of withdrawal was something unprecedented in the history of the Betrothal Contest, and there wasn’t a single rule dictating how to handle it.
Lumia couldn’t enforce her will onto someone who abstained during the final round.
She would not be able to accomplish her plans should he flee.
Thus, there was no choice but to delay the decision about his withdrawal as much as possible.
“……”
Fortunately, it seems her words moved him.
Elden reached out towards the dish.
After all the fake kindness and favoritism she had shown, he finally moved as she had planned.
He was an unsolvable conundrum.
But now, she may snatch a clue to understand this variable.
With such hope, Lumia eagerly watched Elden’s every move.
The revulsion and contempt of tasting this dish couldn’t be covered with a facade.
Deron, Kyle, and Blund.
There was solid proof behind such belief. Seeing that those three couldn’t conceal their gag reflex and other signs of revulsion as they tasted the dishes.
Of course, she had no desire to revel in their suffering.
She wasn’t like them.
Lumia wouldn’t become a villain who took pleasure in the suffering of others.
But she hoped.
That they would remember the evil deeds they had committed.
That they would remember the faces of those whom they had oppressed.
That they might comprehend, even if just a little, the pain and sorrow they had caused.
Indeed, Lumia hoped that by the end of the Contest, they would be able to repent sincerely.
And for those who don’t repent. Well, they would walk towards their doom with their own feet.
So…
For the sake of her goal, even Elden Raphelion needed to eat the monster’s meat and suffer from it.
Even if his barbarian nature had changed, he still had to atone for the sins of his past.
However,
“It was excellent. Your culinary skills are truly impressive, Your Grace.”
Elden praised her for it.
There was not a single shed of falsehood in his eyes.
It was a look of pure admiration as he praised her cooking skills. That couldn’t be faked.
Moreover, he even licked the grease from his fingers as if savoring the aftertaste! The way he looked at the dish was no different from a hungry man looking at his most beloved food.
Tap-.
Tap-.
From the information she had gathered about him, she knew this man didn’t even consider monster meat as ‘edible’, and he even seemed to hate certain dishes made with less known parts of livestock.
He should have shown, at least the slightest trace of disgust.
There should have been, at least a hint of displeasure or harsh words leaving his mouth.
He was supposed to become her victim, not a gourmet!
What in the blazes is going on….?!
During their past argument, Lumia had been completely defeated, and this ignited her desire to understand the ‘truth’.
So, she retreated and sharpened her blade, preparing for the next battlefield.
And this time she was determined to emerge victorious.
Just as they once forced her to eat disgusting things, she would do so as well, and she would rip those deceitful masks off of their faces.
With such resolve, Lumia prepared her weapon for the next confrontation, the ‘monster meat’.
“Ugh.”
“Hurk.”
“Gulk.”
The sweet sound of her victory echoed from Deron, Blund, and Kyle.
But when Elden’s turn came, she was greeted with the sound of defeat once again.
Lumia was being driven mad.
The humiliation of her consecutive failures was absurd.
After her private meeting with Elden, she spent the entire day thinking about him, neglecting her research and experiments.
The puzzle he represented was simply too intriguing and infuriating to leave unattended.
So, Lumia rummaged through countless books of black magic and forgotten sorcery, formulating numerous theories and plans to test her hypotheses.
Even her sleep was sacrificed by her thirst for answers.
Due to this, Lumia’s complexion, under her mask, had become haggard.
Shadows lay beneath her eyes while her mind was filled with absurd theories and conjectures.
“……?”
Why does that wild, fierce expression now seem so calm and tranquil?
Why is she having this absurd urge to keep staring at his eyes, when she couldn’t even look at him before?
It was annoying.
It was infuriating.
It was so incredibly vexing.
Lumia Winterfell gnashed her teeth in frustration.
There was no puzzle without a solution in this world.
No question without an answer.
They just appear to have none.
The greatest quality for any researcher can only be the strength of will to continue searching for those answers.
Bam!
Lumia stormed away from her seat.
This revenge wasn’t made to enjoy their suffering.
Had those names not caught her eye when Gelwood presented her with the list of finalists, this revenge wouldn’t have happened at all.
Her revenge was based on the principles of harsh guidance and penance.
With this, she could consider the lesson of this first day delivered.
And, above all,
“……?”
She just couldn’t stare at Elden’s innocent expression for a second longer.
That face seemed to call to her inquirer’s soul, it aggravated Lumia to no end.
During her time at the Academy, this man always tormented her when she wished to study, always interrupting her research. And now, he continues to bother her with such tricks.
How could he avoid her revenge so easily?
Lumia wouldn’t give up.
Elden wouldn’t be able to remain unpunished for long.
With such resolve, Lumia took a last glance towards the Regretful Trio gagging before she left the Grand Hall.
“Hmph.”
Leaving nothing but a snort of disdain towards Elden Raphelion.
And then,
As Lumia exited the Grand Hall, the Regretful Trio, struggling to hold back their nausea, also ran out.
However, Kyle Beallon, who had the weakest stomach, couldn’t contain his rising nausea as he moved.
“……”
All of sudden, the Grand Hall became empty.
Leaving only a lone gourmet, who looked at those curious dishes, and after sniffing the uneaten food, he helped himself.
Munch, Munch-.
Chew, Chew-.
“Hm-. As I thought, it’s all delicious.”
The moist meat of the Cotvos’ Picnic Roast tasted a little like chicken thighs.
The nutty taste of the Half Worm Stir-Fry was just like Beondegi1silkworm pupae..
The chewy Black Bat wings were almost the same as a delicious chicken wing.
Indeed, the lone gourmet couldn’t fathom why those three rushed off, leaving these wonderful dishes behind.
**
The gourmet, no.
Elden Raphelion left the Grand Hall with Rendler in tow.
As he followed Elden, Rendler, with a puzzled expression, asked.
“My Lord, where might we be heading to?”
This way was directly opposed to Elden’s room.
Moreover, this path leads to somewhere that Elden would never go to.
Indeed, at the end of this path stood the largest library in the North.
“To the library.”
“……Pardon?”
Rendler cleaned his ears for a moment, as he sought confirmation as to what he had just heard.
“The Library……My Lord, are you serious?”
“Yes. I’m looking for something to read.”
With their 15-day stay in the Grand Duchy, one needed to find ways to occupy their spare time.
And it wasn’t as if these 15 days were packed with evaluations.
In one day, they would meet with the Duchess, and the next, it would be a rest day with no scheduled events.
Of course, during these rest days, most candidates would find opportunities to pursue their personal agendas.
However, someone who declared his withdrawal could simply use these days to relax.
I couldn’t spend all my time training with Rachel.
One needed to do something enjoyable during their breaks.
In this boring world without a single gaming console, TVs, or internet, books were kings.
Especially for Jun-Woo who was an avid web novel reader.
So, his destination, the Library, was only natural.
“M-My Lord, you are even seeking to nourish your mind now……This old butler is so moved I could cry……”
“Enough.”
I just wanted to read this world’s novels.
I have no intention of reading anything of importance.
Before his tearful old butler could break into tears, Elden quickly entered the library.
It’s incredibly big.
The library was vast, it was indeed worthy of being called the largest Library in the North.
Moreover, the library was open for the nobles outside the Duchy and for the servants as well, so it was quite crowded.
“If you find a good book, bring it to me. I’ll look for something as well.”
“As you wish, My Lord.”
As he parted ways with Rendler, Elden roamed the library, humming a tune to himself.
He was filled with anticipation to see what the novels of this world would be like.
