Chapter 224: Big Brother

After this, the plan was to have the non-participants also taste the dishes.

Someone like Joel had completely failed, so I was curious to see how things would have turned out if he’d cooked properly.

“Sato-san, I’m sorry. I couldn’t win.”

“…Me neither.”

The ones who approached, looking dejected, were Sheila and Rose.

Personally, I had given both Sheila and Rose a score of 95—higher than Velvet, the actual winner.

I awarded Sheila high marks for her creativity and cooking skill.
As for Rose, I simply thought hers was the most delicious dish, so I had actually considered giving her 96—one point above Velvet.

But giving Sheila 95 and Rose 96 didn’t feel right, so I ultimately gave both of them 95.
If the order of presentation had been different, the results would likely have changed.
There was absolutely no reason for either of them to feel down.

“I genuinely thought both your dishes were delicious. There’s no need to be discouraged. In my scoring, you two were above Velvet.”

“…So in your mind, Sato-san, Sheila and I were the real winners?”

“That’s right. Depending on the order, Norman-san and Jacob’s scores might have been different too. It wasn’t a loss of ability at all.”

“Sato-san, you’re so kind… It really is frustrating, but the fact that you gave me the highest score makes me feel a little proud.”

“…Me too. Sato-san, thank you for inviting me. If you hold this again next year, I’ll join.”

“We’re planning to hold it again, so I’ll definitely invite you.”

Rose smiled and nodded.

Their dishes were well-received, and since I’d promised, I absolutely had to hold the event next year.

We should increase the scale next time—invite Ren-san and the others who couldn’t participate because they were away.

As I was thinking about that, someone called out from behind.

“Sato, got a minute?”

“Milagros-san, what’s wrong?”

“I wanted to talk about the cooking competition, but… there’s some movement at the warp gate. I think my brother—after reading my letter—is coming.”

“Really? Then we should go greet him.”

“Yeah. He probably won’t go on a rampage… but just in case, bring some guards.”

After saying that, Milagros headed toward the warp gate first.

I wanted to ask about her cooking contest impressions, but if her brother was arriving, that took priority.

The words “bring some guards,” though, were ominous enough to make me nervous.
I brought Lime, Mash, and Sheila along as we hurried to the warp gate.

Milagros was already standing there, but her brother hadn’t arrived yet.
Still, the warp gate—which had been ordinary just moments ago—was now glowing brightly. He could appear any second.

“A purple glow… it looks extremely suspicious.”

“Milagros-san, is your brother strong?”

“Mm-hmm. Strong, I guess. But compared to Yato-sama, he’s lower than trash, so don’t worry.”

Calling her own brother “trash” bothered me, but the real shock was hearing Yato described as that overwhelmingly strong.

The Yato I knew was the one who celebrated wildly after her curry was praised…

“…He’s coming. Sato, step back a little.”

The warp gate glowed even brighter, then burst upward with wind.
When the light subsided… a single demon stood atop the warp platform.

He had the same blue skin tone as Milagros, but was tall and extremely muscular.
And above all else, the horns protruding from his head were overwhelmingly ominous.

“Milagros. I read your letter and came… So that one behind you is the master of this place?”

“Yep. You know this already—his name is Sato.”

“My name is Sato. You’re Milagros-san’s older brother, right? It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“You look awfully weak for a human. You really okay leaving the Demon King’s army to follow someone like that? If that dragon you mentioned turns out to be nothing special, I’m dragging you back to the Demon King’s army—by force.”

“Do whatever you want. But first, return Sato’s greeting. If you’re rude to him… I won’t forgive you.”

“…Tch. My name is Zepaul Abascal.”

“Zepaul-san, then. It’s a pleasure.”

Though clearly displeased, Zepaul still introduced himself.

Milagros said she’d convinced him, but judging from his attitude, he didn’t seem convinced at all.

Sheila was tense, and Lime and Mash looked alert as well.

For now, I just needed to keep things calm and think carefully about how to handle what came next.