The Possession-Spoon Chef Feeds the Empire - Chapter 34

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 34
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As if a tempest had swept through, the forest fell silent in an instant.
Many of the competitors leaned against trees to rest, or, having apparently abandoned the hunt entirely, were busy butchering their catch.
Only four competitors were still bringing down prey at a rapid pace.
Theo, Celine, Dale, and Bael.
In the heart of the Primordial Forest, catching their breath over three badgers they’d just taken down, Celine and Dale’s expressions carried a hint of bewilderment.
“……It must be because of the stew, right?”
When Dale spoke carefully, Celine nodded.
“Probably. Osborn sacrificed Isolde for it.”
No matter how much you floated a Crystal Sphere, there were things that remained invisible from outside but could be sensed within the Tournament Arena.
Theo was moving alone while his companions grew listless, and he showed no sign of confusion.
It was obvious.
To avoid suspicion, he’d eaten Lenar’s stew along with the others and privately consumed an Antidote or something similar.
“Then we two nearly…….”
“Yeah. It’s Luciel’s stew that’s keeping us energized.”
The two fell silent for a moment, their eyes meeting.
In their well-matched minds, the same thought flashed.
The taste of that stew.
Rich, substantial, soothing to the stomach after eating, free of any gamey meat smell and leaving only a deep, savory depth on the palate—a taste that warmed you from the inside with every bite until finally strength surged through your limbs.
“……Fortunate stew.”
Celine murmured.
Even as she said it, she couldn’t believe it.
Her—the daughter of Melina Bellion—believing in something like fortune.
But wasn’t it the truth?
The taste alone was extraordinary.
And those who’d eaten that stew managed to place among the top four without resorting to Theo’s dirty tricks.
“Let’s finish the hunt first.”
When Celine spoke, Dale nodded in agreement.
“Do what we need to do, then go back and…….”
“Right, finish the stew left in the pot. I saw there was still a ladle’s worth from earlier.”
The two mounted their horses again and began riding, scanning their surroundings.
One pheasant. Then another rabbit.
At some point, Celine lifted her gaze upward.
Above the forest, a bird with black feathers was flying between branches.
A Red-Winged Bird—a small Magical Beast with vivid red streaks along its wing tips.
It changed direction rapidly and sharply, making it difficult to hit with ordinary arrows.
“Now. Aim ten degrees to the left.”
The moment Dale calculated the direction and timing, signaling with his finger, Celine drew her bowstring.
The feeling was good.
Ever since she’d recalled the taste of the stew, strength had surged through her arms and her aim had grown more precise.
Thwack—
The Red-Winged Bird, its neck pierced, dropped straight down.
Both of them grinned widely at the same moment, clenching their fists.
“Ooooh!”
Gasps erupted from the spectator stands.
“They rarely catch Magical Beasts, do they? For that size, that’s quite something.”
Dale’s parents murmured excitedly, and Melina nodded with gleaming eyes.
The plan had come together.
Even if Theo had taken seven of the lesser branch, Dale was the truly exceptional hunter.
Dale’s role was to drive the prey; Celine’s, to deliver the killing blow—a combination that Melina had envisioned from the start.
The Duke folded his arms, regarding the Crystal Sphere with a satisfied expression.
“…….”
Osborn said nothing.
He seemed untroubled, his brow unmarked by even a single furrow.
Then.
In one corner of the Crystal Sphere focused on Dale, Theo’s figure began to appear as well.
It was from that moment that the corner of Osborn’s mouth rose.
Step—
In the middle of the hunting ground, Theo, mounted on his horse, took another step closer toward the direction where Dale was.
They wouldn’t have noticed while catching the Red-Winged Bird, but Theo had been tracking the two of them for quite some time.
He moved carefully toward Dale, who stood alone deeper in the forest, gauging the distance between them while keeping his separation from Celine.
As if searching for his next prey, his eyes fixed on the center of the forest.
Theo slowly rode toward Dale’s back and drew his sword.
Clack—
“What, what is it? Why are you going after me…….”
Swoosh—
The moment Dale spotted him and hunched forward to dodge, Theo’s blade flashed, cleanly severing the strap of Dale’s Quiver in one stroke.
“What, what?”
“You fool! What’s the point of watching only for prey? You should be watching people too.”
Theo caught the falling Quiver as it dropped, cackling.
“You coward! Knowing I’d be catching up soon, so you resort to this kind of tactic……!”
“Save your excuses for later, won’t you?”
Holding the Quiver, he simply rode away and vanished.
“Damn it……!”
Dale’s face twisted in the realization that he’d been completely outwitted.
He had no other weapon he could wield besides his bow.
Without arrows, it was useless.
“Damn!”
He clutched his head and muttered curses.
Of all times, Celine’s arrows were nearly exhausted.
She, too, had been relying on his Quiver.
Without arrows, it was over. Neither of them knew how to hunt with a sword or traps.
The two counted the number and types of prey they’d caught.
It was substantial—enough that in any other year, victory would have been possible.
But unfortunately, this year was different.
Theo and Bael were advancing far ahead.
“Next year…….”
“Yeah.”
They spoke simultaneously, facing each other like kindred spirits.
“Next year, we’re eating two bowls of stew.”
Celine no longer harbored doubt.
Luciel’s cooking was like a blessing from the gods.
Of course, her own skill played a part, but the undeniable truth was that the girl’s stew had made a difference.
Among the countless prey she’d caught was even a Red-Winged Bird.
It was regrettable, but she was not the sort to dwell on what was done.
She always looks forward. Her mother taught her that way.
‘When I get back, I’ll see that girl first.’
At this moment, the ‘future’ Celine envisioned was filled entirely with Luciel’s cooking.
“I, like this, the two of them are already out…….”
The spectator stands stirred, and Melina’s face twisted with fury as she clenched her fist.
“There is no rule violation, Melina.”
Osborn spoke quietly.
“He inflicted no physical harm. Taking away a tool itself has no restriction, does it?”
“…….”
Melina made no reply, only glaring at him with a murderous look.
The Duke fell silent for a moment, then nodded.
“I concede the point.”
Melina sank back into her seat with a cold expression.
Under the watchful eyes of the spectators, Dale and Celine rode their horses to one side of the forest and disappeared from view.
* * *
Four hours into the hunt, Bael drew his bowstring once more.
Thwang—
A small Magical Beast bird fell from a branch.
It was not a Red-Winged Bird.
It was a relatively ordinary Magical Beast, far smaller than the one Celine had caught.
Bael paused and mentally reviewed everything he’d caught so far.
One black deer and one white deer, seven five-colored pheasants, two wild antelope, and the bird he’d just taken.
He’d caught everything he’d seen, but in terms of numbers, he was likely comparable to Theo.
If Theo had caught more prey in the last thirty minutes, Bael might be falling behind.
‘……Is this the limit of working alone?’
Whack— thud.
Just then, a sound of captured prey came from the direction where Theo was likely to be.
Probably a raccoon or something like that.
Bael’s brow furrowed slightly.
At this rate, securing victory was uncertain.
Which also meant he couldn’t give that Sapphire Box to Luciel as a gift.
Bael slowly pulled Estel’s reins and gathered his thoughts.
Since the Hunting Festival began, Theo’s movements had been strangely decisive.
As if he already knew where and what was located from the start.
Either he’d come to this forest many times before, or…….
Bael looked around the forest once more.
Had he released prey beforehand?
‘Did he predict his movements based on where they were placed?’
It was certainly something Theo would do.
He was someone who enjoyed stacking the deck in his favor before he even began.
Bael shrugged.
There was no point in thinking it underhanded.
If there was an area where Theo held an advantage, the best course was to exploit it alongside him.
As he touched Estel’s flank lightly with his Mana Control, the horse, without complaint, turned its body toward the direction where Theo was.
After following for a while, the Waterside appeared.
The calm surface of the water glittered, catching the forest’s light.
The moment he saw Theo’s back figure standing by the water’s edge in the distance.
That’s when Theo pulled something from his breast and brought it to his lips.
A low, eerie sound rang out.
The water’s surface trembled.
Slowly, and magnificently.
Something began to rise from within the water.
Splash—
Bael’s eyes widened.
What he saw were pristine white scales.
As a long body stretched out and rose above the water’s surface, his eyes narrowed once more.
A Frost Water Snake.
A large Magical Beast.
A dangerous kind that had no business being in this forest.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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