"I'll Catch Up Later, So Go On Ahead!" I Said, and Stayed Behind in the Dungeon for Five Years. When I Returned to the Royal Capital, for Some Reason, I Had Become a Great Criminal, So I Decided to Retire. But Outstanding People Keep Gathering Around Me Though... - Episode 28: Champion
Episode 28: Champion
Finally, the day of the Royal Confection Festival arrived.
We had come to the venue of the Royal Confection Festival in the royal capital.
Lisel was acting separately from us and had already entered the venue ahead of time.
The Royal Confection Festival was held on one floor of the royal capital’s top-class hotel,〈La Granze Palace〉.
Upon entering the venue, a luxurious chandelier sparkled. And thanks to magical air conditioning, both temperature and humidity were perfectly maintained.
The interior was already busy. It had staff and participants coming and going.
The three of us—me, Sharo, and Luster—had arrived a little early at the venue.
“What a luxurious venue.”
“Mhm. It smells nice.”
“Yeah. They’re putting a lot of effort into this.”
It was my first time at the Royal Confection Festival. But the energy was intense.
There seemed to be a fair number of general visitors too. They were already chatting about the Royal Confection Festival.
“Who’s going to win this time, I wonder?”
“No idea. The Four Heavenly Kings are evenly matched.”
“Well, someone from the Four Heavenly Kings will probably be the champion again.”
“Yeah. Their skills are incredible.”
“Fufufu… I’m looking forward to it.”
Such rumors reached my ears—but, what are the Four Heavenly Kings?
“What are the Four Heavenly Kings, I wonder.”
“No idea.”
“If we take the phrase literally, I guess it means there are four top-level competitors…”
I see. Since this is the 10th time it’s being held, it makes sense that such famous individuals would have emerged.
How far can Lisel go against such competitors?
I didn’t know the actual skills of the Four Heavenly Kings, but I believed Lisel could go pretty far.
“Ah! Everyone, you came!”
Lisel ran over with quick steps. She was looking somewhat nervous.
“Lisel. Are you ready?”
“Yes. I was able to enter without any issues. Now it’s just waiting for the judges to see it──that’s the flow.”
“Lisel, I’m expecting great things.”
“Mhm. Lisel-chan will definitely be fine.”
“Yes! Thank you very much!”
And then, finally──the Royal Confection Festival began.
First to be exhibited were the works from the Craft Division.
One after another, the pieces were displayed. Spectators and likely other competitors came to view them.
“Ohh. As expected, the level is high.”
I murmured as I looked at the works.
A dome-shaped sweet modeled after a temple.
A sweet shaped like a black rose.
A dynamic sculpture of horses pulling a carriage.
Many kinds of works were lined up.
Since this was the Craft Division, every piece was intricately made.
The audience buzzed, and the craftsmen critiqued each piece.
Finally, the judges went around each work. They were assigning scores.
“Lisel’s hasn’t shown up yet.”
“Uuu. I’m nervous…!”
Lisel’s piece hadn’t come out yet──but finally, we laid our eyes on it.
“Wha…”
“What is that…”
“A phoenix…?”
“That dynamism──isn’t it one of the finest in the past ten years?”
The once-busy room gradually fell into silence.
What entered our vision was a sweet in the shape of a golden bird.
It was probably modeled after a phoenix. But the craftsmanship was just too precise.
Each feather was made of thin, baked sugar work. It was so delicate it looked like it might flutter with the slightest breeze.
The head was embedded with jewel-like fruits. And the tail feathers were likely colored using pie crust mixed with tea powder and red berries…
The flame-like gradation was splendid—already closer to a “sculpture” than a “confection.”
Its colors were still ominous. Yet, that only made it feel even more impressive.
There were also thorns on the wings. But even those served as an accent.
Though there were slightly odd aspects, Lisel’s work was so meticulously crafted that it overwhelmed all of that.
“Amazing, Lisel!”
“Honestly, it’s kind of terrifying… That’s really a sweet?”
“Looks tasty.”
“Ah. Um. Since this is a contest, I gave it my all. Eheh.”
Lisel looked a little bashful. But that was not something to say “I gave it my all” about. That was already beyond the realm of confectionery.
I had always thought Lisel’s talent was amazing. But this was beyond even that.
“Is that your work?”
“Kukuku… well made.”
“Nicely done!”
“Haha! Looks like an interesting rookie has appeared!”
Four artisans appeared before Lisel.
I wasn’t certain, but these must be the Four Heavenly Kings.
“Where did you train, miss?”
“Um. I’m a baker. I work at a bakery in Rothen called ‘Boulanger Rothen’.”
In that moment, shockwaves ran through the crowd.
“Wha…!”
“*The* Boulanger Rothen?!”
“Tch…! What a ridiculous rookie to show up…!”
“Kukuku. What terrifying talent…! I didn’t reach that level until my late twenties…!”
I didn’t know much about the industry. But it seemed our shop was somewhat famous.
Yeah… but the reactions from the Four Heavenly Kings were wild, I thought, like it was someone else’s problem.
Then the event shifted to the Creative Division.
Those works were also wonderful.
Unlike the Craft Division, these emphasized originality over precision.
And then, Lisel’s work appeared last──
The room fell into complete silence at the overwhelming quality of her piece.
“……This is”
A figure spreading a pair of wings—
One side depicted a pure white angel, the other a jet-black demon.
The face was intentionally vague. It had an empty smile that seemed to reflect the viewer’s inner self.
The angel’s arm gracefully held a halo (was it a donut?), while the demon’s arm held a twisted horn (probably chocolate bread).
The base featured Lisel’s signature “tentacle bread”. It wrapped around as if to embrace the whole creation, rising toward the sky.
It was a piece that, though a bit creepy to look at, more than that, powerfully expressed Lisel’s creativity.
“No way…”
“This also looks tasty.”
“Lisel… what incredible talent…!”
We were left speechless.
Other spectators were breathless.
The Four Heavenly Kings trembled at the work.
The judges examined Lisel’s creation intensely and thoroughly.
Afterward, the Practical Division was judged, and the Royal Confection Festival came to an end.
Finally, the closing ceremony took place. And rankings were announced for each division──
“Now then. This marks the 10th Royal Confection Festival. Amazingly, this time, we have someone who has won *two divisions simultaneously*.”
Everyone knew exactly who that must be.
In both the Craft and Creative Divisions, there was only one person who had produced overwhelming works.
“──Miss Lisel from Boulanger Rothen. She is the winner of both the Craft Division and the Creative Division. Everyone, please give a round of applause for this great achievement!”
Everyone applauded and praised Lisel’s accomplishments.
She climbed up onto the stage, shook hands with the organizer, and received two large trophies.
To think Lisel’s talent would be recognized like this…
Once again, I thought—going to a place where one’s abilities are appreciated really matters.
And as we were about to go home, a man called out to us.
“Hey, young lady over there!”
“Eh? Me?”
“Yeah! You’re amazing! I’ve watched the Royal Confection Festival for a long time. But I’ve never seen a work like that! May I shake your hand?”
“Yes. If you’re okay with someone like me.”
The man had a very large physique.
He didn’t match the elegant atmosphere here.
Well, I couldn’t talk either. But it was obvious he had trained intensely.
His arms were like logs. And the faintly visible part of his neck bore scars.
“I’ll be looking forward to next year!!”
With that, he left gallantly.
“She’s already got passionate fans, huh.”
“Mhm. Lisel-chan is amazing. They all looked tasty.”
“A fan… that’s a little embarrassing.”
“……”
Yeah. To most people, he’d just seem like a passionate fan.
But as he left, he glanced at *me*…
—
The Royal Confection Festival ended without incident.
We went back to working at the bakery as usual. But since the festival, our reputation had skyrocketed. We never lacked customers for a while.
“Phew. Things have been crazy lately.”
“Yeah, they really have.”
“It’s all thanks to Lisel.”
“No, it’s all thanks to you, Haru-san. Because you guided me to a place where I could shine!”
“Hearing that makes me happy.”
Since then, Lisel had apparently received offers to teach from famous shops in the royal capital. But she turned them down.
She said, “I still have a long way to go. I won’t settle with just this victory—I want to keep working hard.”
The path of “Artisan Lisel” had only just begun.
But…
Lately, she’s apparently been obsessed with the quality of her tentacles. And without using any magic, she managed to make moving tentacle bread.
No seriously, how *is* it moving…?
And its creepy appearance had gotten even more polished…
Well, Lisel looks like she’s having fun. So I want her to keep doing her best.
While I was thinking that, Lisel looked at me with a somewhat probing gaze.
“Um. Haru-san. Tomorrow is a day off, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Are you, by any chance, free…?”
“Well, I don’t have any particular plans.”
“Then, would you maybe go shopping with me…? It’s just for some daily necessities, and it’s a bit hard to do alone…!”
Lisel said it all in a rush, speaking quickly. But I immediately agreed.
“Sure. Leave the carrying to me.”
“Yay!”
“Yay?”
“Ah…! N-no, it’s nothing! Well then, I’ll see you tomorrow!”
Support "“I’LL CATCH UP LATER, SO GO ON AHEAD!” I SAID, AND STAYED BEHIND IN THE DUNGEON FOR FIVE YEARS. WHEN I RETURNED TO THE ROYAL CAPITAL, FOR SOME REASON, I HAD BECOME A GREAT CRIMINAL, SO I DECIDED TO RETIRE. BUT OUTSTANDING PEOPLE KEEP GATHERING AROUND ME THOUGH…"