A Test of Luck Called a Qualifier

Before I knew it, the number of participants had ballooned.

I had only intended for this to be a simple Big Eating contest. Maybe the people were just starving for a festival that involved the entire territory. I supposed doing something like this once in a while wasn't such a bad thing.

"Hmph. I’ll win this and show you all who the true number one is," Al declared.

"I’ll be satisfied as long as I get to eat lots of Meat, baa," Ram added.

Meat Skewers were placed in front of the two overconfident contestants.

"Is this all?"

"It’s not enough at all, baa. Bring more, baa!"

With an air of effortless composure, they shoved the Meat Skewers into their mouths. In that instant—

"Guha… no more, baa…"

"Gaha…!"

Whatever happened to their bravado? The moment they tasted the Meat Skewers, the two of them vomited and collapsed.

"The two favorites to win have been taken out early! Can they possibly make a comeback from here?" Sasha shouted, providing enthusiastic commentary.

Still, for those two to get hit by Fee's Cooking on the very first round… they really had no luck.

…No, wait.

Is it possible she’s targeting us with pinpoint accuracy?

I glanced at Fee, and she flashed me a bright, beaming smile. Though she was just grinning, from my current perspective, it looked like the smile of a Demon. Her eyes were the eyes of a predator, sizing up her prey to decide who to kill next.

Since our eyes just met, doesn’t that mean I’m in the most danger?

She started waving her hand at me, making an exaggerated show of cheering me on. A Meat Skewer was then placed before me. It should have been a perfectly normal snack, yet I felt a distinct Poison Aura radiating from it.

No matter how I looked at it, this was a trap. This was supposed to be a Big Eating contest, but it had turned into a test of luck. Seeing as there wasn't a single trace of Fee's Meat Skewer (poison) near Al or Lucille, it really did seem like she was sniping specific targets.

In that case, the target was… me.

As a quick poison test, I tossed one of my Meat Skewers into the mouth of the already collapsed Ram. Her body suddenly gave a violent twitch, and she began foaming at the mouth.

As I thought. It’s Fee’s Cooking.

I didn't feel like I’d be safe if I ate this as it was. However, if I let Luna or Elu eat it, their lives might actually be in danger.

If that was the case…

I waited for an opening and swapped my Meat Skewers with Lark’s. Since we were competing based on the amount consumed, swapping the food before it was eaten didn't technically affect the score. Even if Luke noticed the swap, he didn't say anything. Besides, nobody would ever dream that I’d swap my food for Fee's Cooking (poison).

"Gaha…! W-why is there poison…?"

The moment Lark bit into Fee's Meat Skewer, his face turned a sickly shade of blue and he collapsed.

That was close…

To think it really was Fee's Cooking.

But finally, the real show was about to begin. I started eating the Meat Skewers I had taken from Lark. They were perfectly normal. At this rate, I could eat a decent amount—though maybe not an infinite amount.

As I was lost in thought, Marina approached me with a smile.

"As expected of Yuri-sama. It looks like you’ll catch up to those two in no time."

"I wouldn't say that. It’s a very close battle…"

"But everyone else has already eaten their fill and collapsed. You really are amazing."

I looked around and realized she was right. Everyone else was down for the count; the only ones still eating properly were me and the other two. Luna and Elu were still going, but they were eating so slowly that they weren't really a threat.

"I’m already full myself, so if you’d like, would you take these off my hands?" Marina asked, handing me her Meat Skewers.

She timed it perfectly, right as my own plate had become empty. It would certainly be a waste to leave them.

"Thank you. That helps."

I offered my thanks and immediately tossed one of her skewers into Ram’s mouth. Once again, Ram’s face turned pale and her body gave a violent jerk.

I turned a flat, suspicious stare toward Marina. She didn't let her expression slip for a second, maintaining her pleasant smile.

"I suppose such a scheme won't work on God Yuri after all. I shall gracefully surrender."

Marina gave a polite bow and went over to Sasha to announce her withdrawal from the contest.