I'm sorry. I'm sorry to see you in such a bad mood.

We had lost the spearhead match.
Unusually for my father, he wasn't his usual aloofness, but apologetic and apologetic.

Don't worry about it. Anyway, if my dad couldn't win, the result would have been the same no matter who we were.

That's the true feeling of all of us, and my father gives his usual aloof smile in response to our consolation.
But in any case, this first victory or defeat is huge. This could take the flow of the game to the next level.
You'll want to get the flow back to us in the next game.

Now we will disclose our opponents and their assigned food for the next round of the second round.

And so, the order, which was announced at the same time as the gourmet master's pronouncement, sprays water on my thoughts.

This is the second round of "Amanes, the Warrior versus Spin, the Holy Lion.
Designated dish: sashimi

Oh, this is a bad one.
That's what I thought at first when I saw the order.

"Hmmm...it's our turn. Leave it to me, Keiji. I will avenge you. Yes, by the crystal cleaver.

Then buzzing around and wielding the knife in his hand, Amanes .
So please don't do that because it's dangerous.
Your opponent is the usual brown-skinned, eagle-winged, lion-tailed, half-beast man.

I never thought I'd be honored to meet that war hero outside of the battlefield. Anyway, I hope you'll be gentle.

"Hmm, I don't know. Even outside the battlefield, I won't skimp. You may wish to do the same.

Contrary to the fiery Amarnes, the demon called Spin was treated as a gentleman and smiled.
I'm sorry to say this, but is there a two-loss flag coming?　Are you okay?　Isn't it bogged down?






I see. But maybe sashimi is just a blessing in disguise. There's a small chance, if not other dishes, that Amanes here has a chance of winning.

We had three days to prepare for the next showdown, so we returned to Amarnes' castle and called up Kasarina, the "wise man's hero," who is a specialist in seafood cuisine, for advice.

I think this Amarnes here is quite talented," she said. It's amazing to see how she's improved her cooking skills in a short period of time. Perhaps with a few more years of training, she could make it to the top of the culinary world, let alone me.

Oh, you are quite proud of Amanes' abilities. Mr. Kasarina.

However, they are more than humanly possible. I've heard that the demon king's cooking skills are quite good. Then I'm sure that the Four Heavenly Kings under his guidance are also quite skilled. Then you'll lose a lot of water if you oppose such people with elaborate dishes. But there is a dish that can compete with them on the basis of the flavor of the ingredients.

Kasarina's hints led me to the answer.

Oh, I see. Sashimi.

That's right. Sashimi is not so much the skill of the chef as it is simply the skill of the knife that enhances its taste. And, of all your members, Amarnes is the one who specializes in that skill more than any other.

Certainly, Kasarina's pointing out of this gives me hope.
If the dish here had been something that took a lot of effort to prepare, Amanes would have lost at that point.
For a chef who specializes in clever cooking techniques, a sashimi dish, such as elaborating on the art of cooking with just a knife, would be a headache for some people.
The other party was probably also aiming to block out such cooking methods, but this time it worked to our advantage.

"Hmm. I'm not sure, but there's no one who's better than me when it comes to cutting something. I'll cut that sashimi with my own brilliant hands.

Amanes himself nodded with certainty.

Well, in this world of culinary competition, good taste is not the only thing that can lead to victory. It's a matter of persistence and skill that only he can make. Or even the most innovative tricks. It's those things that have nothing to do with taste that make a difference.

So advises my dad.
Certainly. In fact, that's why I lost, and that's why my father's words carry weight.
Come to think of it, that's why I made it to second place in the grand cooking competition.
None of the dishes I made reached the simple taste of either Kasarina or Shin.
But I was able to beat them because of some tricks and a change in thinking that only I could make, and because of my cooking.

I was an amateur, but I was able to win that much, so sure, Amarnes has a chance.

That said, there is one problem with sashimi cooking. That would be what kind of monster to use for the ingredients. It's no exaggeration to say that the choice you make here will determine the outcome of the game.

Indeed.
In sashimi cooking, the flavor of the ingredients itself is directly related to the taste.
Then, the taste is determined by the ingredients you choose here.
Then what exactly should we choose?
Shall we go hunting for the Leviathan we used before?


No, no, no, sashimi doesn't have to be limited to fish and the like.
If it is literally sashimi, any ingredient can be used.
There is a good chance that your opponent will take you by surprise on this point.

For example, horse sashimi.
Sashimi, such as raw meat, also has a different texture and taste from fish, and is more expansive.
There are many other choices, such as beef and squid, but none of them will appeal to you.
As I was pondering this, my father, who had been quiet until then, opened his mouth.

How about the hydra?

Everyone in the room, including Kasarina, gasped at the name of the demon that the father gave.

"Keiji-dono. Are you insane?　Indeed, the Hydra is an S-ranked demon. They are as valuable as they are dangerous, but the Hydra cannot be used for sashimi.

"Huh?　Why is that?　Ms. Kasarina.

"Kyou. Don't you know?　The Hydra has the strongest poison of all the demons in its body.

I nodded my head when I heard Kasarina's story.
Indeed, the hydra is a mythical monster that appears in my home planet, but the most famous thing about it is the poison it carries within its body.
It's said that Hercules, the hero of Greek mythology, died from its poison.
I thought it was too dangerous to use such a monster for sashimi.

I see...I see. Cage, you are going to test me.

Hearing the demon's suggestion from his father, Amanes smiled amusedly.

Yeah, if it can do it, you have a better chance of winning. What do you think?　Are you confident?

It's a stupid question. Let me show you how to fight and how to use a sword that lives up to the name of warrior.

Saying that, Amanes flipped his cloak with a crystal cleaver in hand and said, "Let's go! I'm not sure what's going on, but I'm going to follow.
I don't know what's going on, but just as we were about to follow, a person who appears to be a soldier of the castle opens the door and enters in a hurry.

Oh, my God!　Mr. Amanes!

"What's the fuss. I'm on my way to hunt the hydra. Unless you're in a hurry, you can come back later.

That's the invasion of my country!

"What?　That can't be true. The demon king's army promised not to move until we're done with them. That demon king wouldn't break his contract with us.

"No, it's not. It's not a demon king's army!

The following words from the soldier cause tension among the people who have the title of brave men and women gathered here.
Because it is the name of a person who cannot be ignored by those who have the title of brave.

"The invading army of the Empire of Albrus, led by 'Emperor Heroes' Rostam!

It was one of the seven great heroes and emperors who ruled the neighboring Albrus Empire.