Investing in My Crippled Wife: Every Return Makes Me Stronger

”...3, 2, 1!”

[00:00:00]

[Ding!]

”The Semi-Finals have officially come to an end!” Faris declared, his voice echoing through the arena. ”All the contestants, please step back from your stations.”

As instructed, the contestants moved away, their expressions either tense or calm.

”Now, let us explain the new rules for the judging process,” Layla added. ”This round will be scored differently from the previous ones. Each contestant will present their dish individually, explaining the inspiration, why they made it, and so on. The judges will taste and give their scores, but there is one more new rule this year.”

”That’s right, everyone!” Faris leaned forward with a grin. ”This time, contestants will also judge each other!”

The spectators let out exclamations while contestants had surprised looks on their faces.

”Wait, let me explain.” Faris raised his hand to calm them down. ”It is a bit different and separate from the official panel’s scoring.”

”Just like the official judges, you will get to witness their presentation and taste their dish,” Layla explained to the contestants. ”However, you will have to give points to them using scorecards from one to ten. The average will be added to the final score, so your opinions will matter too.”

”In fact, they might end up deciding the winners.” Faris let the words hang for a moment before adding in a solemn voice. ”However, I advise you to judge fairly and honestly. After all, countless eyes are watching this stage, and your reputation as chefs will be shaped by how you handle this moment.”

”He’s right.” Layla joined. ”And I trust you won’t let personal feelings or tricks influence your judgment. Because at the end of the day, this is a cooking competition, and the best dishes deserve to be recognized.”

”Mm, let’s see whose work truly stands out from the rest.”

Applause rippled through the stands as the screens lit up with the order of presentation. From the looks of it, it was decided based on who finished first. So, Grandmaster Tamimi’s apprentice, Damir, was the first to present his dish.

He stepped forward with confidence, a covered plate in his hands for the judges, while assistants followed behind him with smaller portions for the other contestants.

”SENIOR DAMIR!”

”BEST CHEF!”

”...”

Cheers filled the arena as he took his place on the platform. They were so loud that the organizers had to activate the sound-blocking barrier. Only then, perhaps realizing they were overdoing it, did they stop. Well, most of them.

As for Chef Damir, he calmly tapped the mic and checked it.

”Are you ready, Chef Damir?”

”Yes.”

”Good, then you can start.”

Damir took a deep breath and removed the cover from his dish.

A rich aroma immediately spread through the air, while its appearance drew murmurs from the spectators.

”Wait... Isn’t that?”

”Yeah, it’s definitely that.”

”But why?”

”...”

As if hearing their words despite the sound-blocking barrier, Damir spoke up. ”You are all right. This is my master’s signature dish, one many call Tamimi’s Special. However... It is also my own creation.”

Confused and curious expressions spread across the crowd and even among some of the contestants. Murmurs intensified.

”While it might look similar, the taste, the ingredients, and the techniques behind it are entirely my own. Its effects are much stronger and more refined than the original.”

He paused, letting the curious judges inspect the plates.

”A disciple must learn from their master. But learning doesn’t mean copying everything. It means understanding the foundation well enough to build something new on top of it. This dish is my answer to everything my master taught me... Respect for tradition, but without the fear of change.”

He inclined his head slightly. ”Please enjoy.”

The judges lifted their utensils, and the crowd watched in silence as they took their first bites. A few moments passed as they took a few more, with one judge’s eyes widening with each bite, while another nodded as if to confirm something to himself. The others, including the other contestants, had similar expressions, but it was obvious they all liked it.

Soren first used appraisal to check the dish and then took a bite.

’...’

As he chewed and swallowed, his lips curled up in satisfaction. In a few moments, he finished the dish, a thought settling in his mind.

’No wonder he sounded so confident.’

He had never eaten so-called Tamimi’s special before, but after eating this one, he wouldn’t be surprised if it was on the same level, or even surpassed the original.

’Perhaps this is also his way of addressing all the others, as they always keep addressing him as Tamimi’s disciple first. Must have been frustrating, always being someone else’s shadow. Fortunately, it looks like he created it while still respecting his master, not out of resentment.’

He stole a glance at Damir, who was staring at the judges. Then, as if sensing his gaze, Damir turned toward him. Soren smiled, nodded, and received a small nod in return from Damir, along with the faintest hint of a smile before the chef looked away.

Soren also turned back, turning his attention to the floating status screen in his vision.

’Hmm... 7th Circle potential... S-rank Fire Affinity... Oh...’

Time passed, and just as he finished, it was time to score.

The judges ended up reaching a similar conclusion and gave him high points. One of them gave slightly lower, commenting that Damir was trying to outshine his master with this underhanded method and, as a fan of Grandmaster Tamimi, they didn’t like it. Surprisingly, Damir accepted the criticism calmly and made no comment.

Then it was the contestants’ turn. The scorecards went up one by one. There were two eights, one seven, four nines, and two tens. Soren was one of those who gave a ten.

They calculated the average and added it to Damir’s official score.

”Thank you all...”

Damir gave a little speech and bowed politely before leaving the platform and taking his designated seat below.

The main screen updated with his total score and the crowd buzzed with cheers. Thus, the first presentation was finally over, with the bar already set high.

”Next...”

”...”

The contestants were called one by one and presented their meals. As expected, none of them managed to surpass Damir’s score. And finally, it was the second-strongest candidate’s turn.

”Are you ready, Chef Nuelia?”

Soren watched as the mysterious candidate climbed to the platform.

”...Yes.” Her melodic voice echoed.

”Then, you may begin.”

Nuelia nodded gracefully and then raised her hand. With a snap of her fingers, the mana around her rippled, and slowly, her appearance began to change. Her long green hair took a vibrant, livelier shade, while her ears lengthened to elegant points, her features becoming much sharper. Even her aura changed, radiating a strong but gentle pressure.

”!”

A ripple of shock swept through the arena as the audience gasped.

”A-An elf?!”

”She was an elf?”

”Whoa!”

Soren widened his eyes, playing along with the crowd’s surprise even though he had known the truth for a while, all thanks to his appraisal ability. Beside him, some of the other contestants were openly staring, with even Damir changing his usual stoic expression.

”...” Nuelia smiled softly, her expression calm despite all the commotion she just caused. ”I chose to hide my race until now because I wanted to be judged solely for my skills.” She said, her voice carrying through the arena. ”I apologize if this startled any of you. I swear that I never meant to deceive you.”

”...”

”Oh, so that was the reason...”

”But did she really have to hide her race?”

”...”

The crowd’s initial shock began to settle. Whispers still spread through the strands, but the tone had already shifted from doubt and suspicion to understanding and curiosity.

”Now, now, everyone.” Faris took the opportunity to jump in. ”There’s no need to be surprised. We just received a message from the organizers. They informed us that she had registered with her real identity from the very beginning. It just wasn’t made public until now.”

The crowd nodded in acceptance.

”But I have to say,” Faris turned toward Nuelia with a playful grin, ”no wonder I felt so drawn to you this whole time. It was because you were an elf all along. And... you must have hidden it because you feared completely charming the entire arena.”

He leaned in closer, his expression becoming a bit embarrassed.

”But the truth is... I was already charmed long before I knew. And if I start forgetting my lines,” he turned to the audience, ”you all know who to blame now.”

”...Pfft.”

”Haha!”

In an instant, laughter rippled through the stands, the atmosphere becoming livelier once again.

Even Nuelia herself giggled at his shamelessness, shaking her head as if she couldn’t quite believe what she had just heard.

”Haha-o-ow!”

Faris’s laughter was cut short as a certain someone pinched him on the arm. He turned to the culprit with an ’angry’ expression, but when he saw their ’smiling’ face, he gulped and quickly turned back to the camera. ”Ahem. A-Anyway! W-What was I saying?”

”...PFFT!”

”Hahaha!”