Afterward, as soon as the clock struck five, the host picked up the microphone and announced,
"It is now five o'clock. I hereby declare the competition officially over."
At last, it was time to announce the winner.
The crowd immediately burst into applause and cheers.
Then the judges all stood up and headed backstage. I had no idea what was going on, but considering how much they'd eaten and drunk, they were probably going to the restroom.
Quite some time passed.
The sun slowly began to set, and one by one, the judges finally returned.
Yep. Definitely restroom breaks.
The last person to return was the duchess. The moment she sat down, the host spoke again.
"Next, Her Majesty Queen Ainasse will announce the winner."
The audience burst into applause once more.
Then Queen Ainasse stood up and spoke.
"After careful discussion among the judges, the winner of this Food King Tournament is~~~"
She deliberately dragged out the final word to build suspense.
She really was enjoying herself.
The greasy handsome guy to my right was already practically unable to contain himself. He was grinning happily while stomping his feet excitedly.
After dragging it out for several seconds, Queen Ainasse finally announced the result energetically.
"...Karen, creator of Bubble Milk Tea!"
"YEAHHHHH!!"
The instant Queen Einashe announced it, someone shouted joyfully.
I immediately turned to the right.
Yep.
It was the greasy handsome guy.
He had both arms raised high in the air with a blissful smile on his face, like he'd won himself.
Seeing that made my heart panic.
(What do I do? Do I know this guy? Why is he cheering for me?)
But the contestants around him who heard his celebration were all staring at him like he was an idiot.
A few seconds later, the smile gradually disappeared from his face.
"...Huh?"
I understood now.
He'd been completely convinced victory was already his, so he'd assumed Queen Ainasse would naturally call out his name.
What arrogance.
Unaware of the situation happening over here, Queen Ainasse urged me forward.
"Karen, come here quickly."
Under Queen Ainasse's prompting, I stopped paying attention to the greasy handsome guy's blank, ridiculous expression and hurried toward the judges' table.
When I arrived, one of the staff members handed me a microphone.
Then Queen Ainasse spoke calmly into hers.
"Karen, congratulations on your victory."
"Thank you for Your Majesty's congratulations."
"The winner of the Food King Tournament is granted one wish. Go ahead. What is your wish?"
"Wait! I object!"
Before I could even speak, someone suddenly protested.
Who now?
Before I even had time to turn around, the host immediately put down his microphone and pointed behind me with his other hand while shouting angrily,
"How dare you! Who gave you permission to step forward? Return to your place immediately!"
Only after turning around did I realize it was the greasy handsome guy again.
What nonsense was he causing now?
I turned back toward Queen Ainasse to see how she'd handle it.
First, she raised a hand to calm the host down.
Then she lowered her microphone and asked the greasy handsome guy coldly,
"What dissatisfaction do you have with our decision?"
I looked back at the greasy handsome guy.
Seeing that Queen Ainasse was giving him a chance to speak, he immediately declared self-righteously,
"The purpose of the Food King Tournament is to create food that has never existed before. He himself admitted he learned it from a book, meaning his drink isn't original—it's plagiarism. He should already be disqualified."
Wow.
That actually sounded incredibly reasonable.
But I already knew fate, timing, and circumstances were all on my side.
Since they'd chosen me as the winner even after hearing that, it naturally meant the situation favored me.
Then the general suddenly joined the conversation in a vicious tone.
"Hey, kid. You've been living a pretty comfortable life, huh?"
"...Y-Yes."
The greasy handsome guy's voice cracked from fear.
"Well, your comfortable days are over. Guards, take him away."
"Yes, sir!"
Two soldiers obeyed the general immediately and moved to seize the greasy handsome guy.
But he still refused to give up.
"W-What did I do wrong?! I was only offering advice to you all!"
(Idiot. This isn't some matter of state. What kind of advice are you even talking about?)
"You don't have the right."
The general's expression turned terrifyingly vicious.
Honestly scary.
Then Queen Ainasse raised a hand toward him.
"Wait, Lord Arakeya. At least let him understand before he dies."
Before he dies.
So the greasy handsome guy was actually going to be executed.
Still, I didn't think killing someone without explanation was exactly a good thing.
The general replied in a tone that clearly meant do whatever you want.
"Then you explain it."
"Very well. ...Contestant, do you know that only dishes recognized through the Food King Tournament are permitted to be officially acknowledged and sold?"
Queen Einashe looked directly at the greasy handsome guy.
There was a long pause before she spoke again.
I guessed she'd forgotten his name.
Honestly, so had I.
The greasy handsome guy answered as though it were obvious.
"Of course I know that."
"Then do you know anywhere in this world where Bubble Milk Tea is currently being sold?"
"...I do not."
After hesitating for a long time, he finally answered shamefully.
Though honestly, it'd be terrifying if he did know.
"The answer is nowhere. And clearly, you did not listen carefully to the general's words earlier. The entire reason the Food King Tournament exists is because of Bubble Milk Tea. Now that the long-awaited Bubble Milk Tea has finally appeared, you wish for the general to let it slip away. That is disrespect toward the general. Take him away."
"Yes!"
The two soldiers mercilessly dragged the greasy handsome guy away while he desperately begged for mercy.
"I-I was wrong! Please spare me!"
Then Queen Ainasse added mercilessly,
"And even if I had disqualified Karen, you still would not have become the winner."
"Your Majesty, I was wrong! Please spare me! I—!"
Eventually, the greasy handsome guy disappeared from everyone's sight along with his pleading voice.
So my guess about why I'd won really had been correct.
Then Queen Ainasse looked toward the host.
The host immediately understood and picked his microphone back up.
"Everyone, we apologize for the brief disturbance earlier. The issue has already been resolved, so please pay it no mind. Now then, let us return to the main topic. Lord Karen, what is your wish?"
"I want the free for food."
I picked up my microphone and stated my wish for free meals.
But Queen Ainasse immediately explained the drawback.
"Karen, in the past, winners often requested free food for life. However, wishes like that caused economic decline. Yet we also could not refuse the winner's wish. Therefore, the previous queen established a rule limiting such wishes to only one month—until the next Food King Tournament."
Just as I thought.
The economy had literally been eaten into collapse.
Then Queen Ainasse continued,
"If you do not plan to stay here for an entire month, you should choose another wish. Otherwise, it would be a waste."
We were leaving tomorrow.
Insisting on a wish that only lasted one month would absolutely be a loss.
It'd be better to choose something with long-term value.
Ethefelis would probably understand too.
Since Ethefelis's wish couldn't be fulfilled anymore, then I'd fulfill my own instead.
After all, I was the one who won.
And honestly, there was only one thing I really wanted.
So I told Queen Einashe my wish.
"Then I want a vacant plot of land in the capital. At least ten thousand square meters. If there isn't empty land, then a house without an owner is fine too."
Owning a house in every country was one of my dreams.
In the future, we'd probably go on spontaneous trips whenever we felt like it.
And the reason I chose the capital was simple—it was the most prosperous city. Festivals were lively, entertainment was plentiful, and we'd probably stay several days whenever we visited.
So having a place to relax would be perfect.
Staying at inns worked too, but inns lacked security. There were always noisy people outside the rooms, the soundproofing was terrible, and you constantly had to watch your volume.
Having your own house was best.
"Very well. Come to the royal castle tomorrow and see me."
Queen Ainasse accepted immediately.
Thank goodness.
I quickly thanked her sincerely.
"Thank you very much, Your Majesty."
With her role finished, Queen Ainasse sat back down.
Then it was the host's turn again.
"Everyone, do you remember that before the competition began, the duke, duchess, and viscount each promised prizes for the winner? First, let us invite the viscount to present his prize."
I'd completely forgotten there were prizes too.
I think it was mayonnaise and five-day travel tickets for the territory.
The young viscount stood up after hearing his name called.
As he walked toward me, he pulled a paper bag containing five jars of mayonnaise from his storage hole and handed it to me.
I accepted the bag with both hands.
Then the young viscount extended his right hand for a handshake.
I shifted the bag to my left side and shook his hand.
"Mr. Karen, I truly enjoyed your Bubble Milk Tea. I think I'll end up drinking a cup every day from now on."
"I'm honored that it suited your tastes. I also really enjoyed your mayonnaise. It's an incredibly delicious sauce."
"That's wonderful to hear."
Our conversation went smoothly.
Even though I'd never actually tasted his mayonnaise.
Then the young viscount returned to the judges' table, and I stored the prize in my storage portal.
"The viscount has now presented his prize. Next, please welcome the duke and duchess."
Now it was the duke and duchess's turn.
They handed me five tickets.
Then the duke shook my hand as well.
"Mr. Karen, congratulations on your victory."
"Thank you very much. Though I would like to ask something. Will these travel tickets still remain valid even after several years?"
If there was a time limit, they'd be useless.
The duke smiled warmly and replied,
"Of course. The Blair Territory will always welcome you, your family, and your friends whenever you choose to visit."
After receiving confirmation, I smiled happily as well.
Then it was the duchess's turn.
But instead of offering a handshake, she presented her hand palm-down in the traditional gesture for a hand-kiss.
So I grabbed her hand and turned it into a handshake position instead.
She immediately stared at me in shock.
Meanwhile, I smiled politely and told her firmly,
"A handshake is enough."
It wasn't that I didn't understand the etiquette behind hand-kissing.
I just personally hated that form of greeting.
Sure, technically you didn't actually need to kiss the back of the hand. Just pretending was enough.
I had no issues with gentlemanly or ladylike etiquette in general. Different people had different personalities.
But I simply disliked doing things like that with anyone other than Lina.
It made me feel weirdly guilty, like I'd betrayed something.
"...Very well. Though I must apologize for earlier. I never imagined sucking through a tube counted as drinking."
The duchess reluctantly accepted, and we exchanged polite conversation.
"No, it was my fault for not realizing that method looked improper from your perspective."
"But I still believe it's an improper way to drink."
"And I still believe enjoying your food matters more."
Holding opposite philosophies while shaking hands, we smiled lightly at each other like rivals exchanging blows.
"Hehehe."
"Hahaha."
"Hehehehehe."
"Hahahahaha."
"Hehehehehehehe."
"Hahahahaha..."
"That's enough."
Before I could finish laughing, the duke interrupted us.
So our strange battle ended there.
"The duke and duchess have now presented their prizes. All events have officially concluded, and I hereby declare the Food King Tournament over!"
After hearing "it's over" so many times, it was finally truly over.
And at last...
I could finally go back and rest.