Chapter 316: Another Acquaintance

"...They must have decided it yesterday." Ethea voiced her guess as she looked at the Golden Ladle. "The other two must have met the City Lord, or he learned from his subordinates."

"...Yeah," Soren whispered, still not entirely sure how to feel about it.

He turned his attention back to the spatial ring and inspected its contents more carefully. Inside, he found everything he had requested: the rare ingredients, neatly packed and labeled, along with a few extra supplies Lord Asad had mentioned. But there was more.

Tucked beside the ingredients were several items he hadn’t asked for. A large amount of high-grade mana stones, a set of finely crafted cooking tools, and a sealed envelope with the official seal of Bagdad City. He opened it and found a formal certificate declaring him the winner of the Golden Ladle Championship.

But what caught his eye was something else entirely. A golden card and a golden ticket, each with unique emblems embossed on its surface. The card likely contained the prize money. The ticket was more elaborate, its design featuring a ladle crossed with a whisk inside a laurel wreath.

Soren stared at it for a moment before muttering, "This must be the entry ticket to the Grand Magic Chef Tournament."

"...Will you participate?" Ethea asked curiously while calculating the timeline in her mind.

They were planning to stay here for at least two months, and then head to the Tower of Apocalypse. They had researched this tournament out of curiosity a few days ago, and it would be held each year in October. The host nation would be announced a month in advance, giving participants a month to travel and prepare.

Soren thought about it for a moment. "I’m not sure yet. It depends on where it’s held and how our schedule looks." He glanced at the ticket again. "But having the option is nice."

Ethea nodded in agreement.

If the tournament were to be held on another continent or somewhere too far from their route, it would be difficult to attend without disrupting their plans. But if it happened to be nearby, or along the way to the Tower of Apocalypse, then it might be worth considering.

"We’ll figure it out when they announce the location," she said.

"Mm." Soren put the ring away and picked up his spoon. "Let’s take care of what we can for now. It’s not that important anyway."

If anyone else had heard him, they would have thought he was insane. After all, the Grand Magic Chef Tournament was a worldwide event. Chefs spent their entire lives dreaming of earning a spot, and some never even got close. To brush it off so casually was unthinkable for most.

But Soren wasn’t most people. It wasn’t that he didn’t understand the value of the opportunity. He did. He simply had other priorities. Ethea’s safety and health came first. If the tournament happened to align with their path and didn’t put her at risk, he would consider it seriously. If it could even help in finding a cure for her curse, then it would be worth pursuing. But until he knew that, it remained a distant option.

He shook his head, clearing the thoughts away. "Should we contact the academy today?"

Ethea nodded. "...It’s better to get it done early. The sooner we handle the formalities, the more time we have to settle in."

"Alright." Soren stood up and began clearing the table. "Let’s get ready and head out."

"Wait," Ethea said, stopping him. "Let’s contact my acquaintance first. We should learn the current situation and make an appointment before showing up unannounced. And while we’re at it, we can ask about your sister too."

Soren paused at the mention of his sister. A brief flicker of something crossed his face before he nodded. "...Alright. Let’s do that."

He then picked up her phone and helped her connect with her acquaintance. The contact was saved simply as "Zura".

The line rang twice before a lively female voice answered. "Ethea?! Is that really you? Oh my goodness, it’s been so long! How have you been? Where are you? Wait, don’t tell me you’re actually in the city?!"

"It’s me," Ethea replied shortly. "I arrived yesterday."

"Seriously?! Why didn’t you tell me earlier? I would have-"

"I need to ask you something." Ethea cut her off calmly. "Are you free today? I’d like to meet."

There was a brief pause on the other end, then a warm laugh. "Straight to business as always, huh? Some things never change. Do you remember? Back when we were still students, you used to do the same thing. Everyone was too afraid to appro-"

"Are you free or not?" Ethea cut her off again, colder this time. But from the blush on her cheeks, Soren could tell she was just embarrassed and didn’t want her friend to spill her ’dark’ past.

Zura laughed again before replying. "I’m sorry, but I only have time after lunch. Is it alright with you?"

"Yes..." Ethea paused and, recalling that she hadn’t visited Ademary for a long time, added, "You can pick the place and time."

"Deal!" Zura said cheerfully. "Any preferences? Wait! Let me guess... Peaceful and quiet, right? And private too!"

"...Yes."

"Hehe, I knew it. Some things really never change." Zura laughed. "Alright, leave it to me. I’ll text you the address. And... Let’s meet at six. I’ll treat you to dinner." She paused. "By the way, are you coming alone?"

Ethea fell silent for a moment, glancing at Soren. Then her eyes suddenly lit up, her lips curling up as if she was scheming something.

"No," she replied, her tone a bit playful. "I’m with my husband."

"..."

The other line went completely silent for exactly ten seconds. And then-

"W-WHAT?!"

"..." Soren could hear the shout through the phone even from where he was standing.

"H-HUSBAND?! YOU? ETHEA? THE ICE EMPRESS?" Zuhra sounded completely dumbfounded. "You really got married? Since when?! Who is he? Why-"

"We’ll talk later." Ethea cut her off again and hung up quickly. Almost immediately, her phone rang again. She stared at the incoming call, then laughed softly. "Hehe."

Soren watched Ethea and noticed the way her eyes crinkled at the corners, the way she laughed without holding back. There was a lightness to her expression that he rarely saw. It became clear that Zura was more than just a simple acquaintance. She was definitely a close friend, someone Ethea trusted enough to tease and be teased by.

’...It’s good to see her like this.’