Chapter 51: The Wine God Soma Concedes
"Then, I hereby declare this match officially over."
As the judge, the main Goddess Loki announced the conclusion in a calm tone.
At that moment, the entire tavern erupted into cheers and heated discussion. Even though it was just an ordinary contest of alcohol and cuisine, the audience reacted as if they had just witnessed a fierce battle in an arena.
Meanwhile, after confirming the reactions of every diner and listening to their judgments, Loki spoke without hesitation:
"Based on the feedback from the diners, the victor of this contest between divine wine and cuisine is Shirou Emiya, with a total of five votes—an overwhelming win!"
"Ohhhhhhhh!!"
"Shirou Emiya! Shirou Emiya!"
"God of Cuisine!"
In the city of Orario, whether gods or mortals, everyone seemed to delight in a spectacle. They made a huge commotion, eagerly settling the conclusion of this astonishing contest.
"I... lost...?"
While everyone had already made their judgments, Soma still hadn't recovered from the shock. He stared blankly at the diners, who had immersed themselves in delicious satisfaction after tasting the dishes.
Clearly, he couldn't easily accept the outcome.
However, when he saw even Liliruca—once deeply trapped in the dreamlike allure of divine wine—clearly resisting its influence and wholeheartedly voting for Shirou, Soma realized he could no longer deny it.
This match was his defeat.
As Soma stood there, stunned by the unbelievable outcome, Shirou quietly walked over and said:
"Lord Soma, your divine wine is indeed impressive. A wine into which you've poured heart and soul—no human in this world could ever replicate it."
Why praise me now? Are you trying to pity me from a position of superiority?
Though Soma admitted his loss, he still refused to acknowledge Shirou. He looked at him coldly, clearly having, in the aftermath of the confusion, seen through Shirou's methods.
But the rules had been set from the beginning. So even though he now knew Shirou hadn't won purely through direct means, there was nothing he could do to overturn the result.
What truly broke Soma's spirit, however, was the realization that someone could actually use cooking to counter his divine wine. That thought alone was enough to shatter his will.
On the other hand, Shirou looked at the defeated wine god and quietly said:
"I'm not pitying you, Lord Soma. I just want to point out your weakness."
"...?"
"The reason I won today is because of a fatal flaw in you. If I hadn't exploited that flaw, I probably would've had no chance of winning this match."
Soma stared intently at Shirou, clearly wanting to know what that flaw was.
Shirou didn't keep him in suspense:
"Your flaw is that you're too obsessed with technique. Indeed, any craft requires mastery. Without refining skills to the utmost, no craft can reach its pinnacle. But skill alone isn't everything. There's something even more important."
"Something more important…"
"A certain god once told me that a true genius is someone whose talent makes people forget it even exists. Lord Soma, in the world of winemaking, you are undoubtedly a genius among geniuses. But everything you've done seems centered on showcasing your talent to its fullest. You're so obsessed with displaying your technique that you've forgotten—technique isn't created for its own sake. It's created to benefit people."
Staring into Soma's eyes, Shirou continued:
"In my duel with you today, I used less than one percent of my cooking ability. But I was the one who won. Do you know why? Because I understand this: the essence of cooking isn't to create the most delicious dish possible. It's to make the person who eats it smile from the heart.
And you, Lord Soma? What is the purpose of your wine? Have you been striving to create the most exquisite divine wine no matter the cost? Or have you been trying to bring smiles to the faces of those who drink it?"
"..."
Soma's eyes widened. Shirou's words struck him like a hammer, sending his thoughts into turmoil.
Once, long ago—he couldn't remember when—what Shirou said was indeed true. He had walked the path of winemaking to make wine that would bring smiles to people's faces.
But where had things gone wrong? Was it when his familia was too weak to develop, and its members lived each day in misery? Or when he tried to save them by creating divine wine and distributing it to them?
At what point did the gears go off track? Soma could no longer remember. But the result was clear: his once small but warm and united familia had collapsed into the corrupted, poisonous entity it had become—spreading darkness throughout Orario like a tumor.
His own goal had shifted—from creating wine that made people smile, to obsessing over the ultimate flavor, sacrificing everything to achieve it.
He had become a slave to wine.
Only now, with Shirou's words, did Soma finally awaken from the path of error and realize the depth of his mistakes.
Technology exists to benefit humanity. Its end is not some "ultimate" that surpasses ethics or morality. Its true purpose is to bring a simple smile to the faces of those who enjoy it.
Just like Shirou's simple yet moving fried rice. No fancy techniques—just enough to touch hearts. That is enough.
"I was wrong. I was completely wrong," Soma lowered his head deeply and, as a god, apologized to Shirou. "From now on, I will no longer make divine wine—no, I will no longer make such demonic wine. I will make wine that brings warm smiles to people's faces."
"Good. That's enough."
Seeing Soma's repentance, Shirou smiled. He had never wanted to punish Soma. The god was simply too obsessed with making divine wine and had lost sight of everything else.
As long as such dangerous wine no longer existed, that was the perfect outcome for Shirou.
Just then, Soma looked at Shirou again with a complex expression and said:
"Even so, I have a request. Would you listen?"
"What is it?"
Shirou was confused. More than anything, he found Soma's now-humble attitude rather strange.
"The match just now made me realize the limits of simply making wine," Soma said seriously. "So from today onward... would you let me stay by your side and learn how to cook? Please, Shirou—no, Master Shirou!"
"...Huh?"
Soma's request left Shirou completely dumbfounded. He never expected the dignified god of wine to ask to become his cooking apprentice. His scalp tingled just thinking about it.
At that moment, the ever-meddlesome Loki ran over.
Throwing her arm around Shirou's shoulder, she arrogantly said:
"Hey, Soma, you idiot—what are you thinking? If you want to learn cooking from my little Shirou, then hurry up and bring out a few bottles of divine wine to treat me! Otherwise, I won't agree!"
"Who even are you?" Before Shirou could respond, Hestia had already shoved Loki away. "Shirou is my familia, not yours!"
"Meh, five years from now, he'll be mine anyway."
"Keep dreaming!!"
As Loki and Hestia quarreled and Soma humbly begged to be apprenticed, the chaotic scene finally brought the divine wine fiasco to a close.
But even after everything ended, Shirou didn't immediately leave the tavern. He sought out Syr, the waitress from the Hostess of Fertility.
"Just now, Syr-san—you seemed to see through my cooking?"
Shirou looked at her curiously. His dish had no remarkable features on the surface, and even the gods couldn't see anything special. Only Syr had understood it from the start. This puzzled Shirou, so he came to ask.
"Ah... that was just luck."
"Luck?"
"Or maybe... my eyes are a little different?" Syr seemed uncomfortable with the topic. "Anyway, congratulations on your win, Mr. Shirou. Should I start learning cooking from you too?"
"Uh... please don't…"
Soma begging to be his apprentice was already enough trouble. Shirou wasn't ready to handle another.
So he decisively parted ways with Syr.
Then, he ran into another girl.
"Lord Shirou, you were amazing." Liliruca smiled at him. "I never imagined that the divine wine I once feared so much could become so warm."
"Because that's what divine wine was meant to be," Shirou quietly said. "That was the kind of wine Soma originally intended to make."
"Too bad he lost his way…"
Lili's expression turned a little melancholic, but she quickly pulled herself together. "I'm going to turn myself in to Lady Loki and accept judgment from Babel Tower. Once that's over and I've served my punishment… could I join... could I join the Hestia Familia?"
"Join the Hestia Familia, huh?" Shirou was surprised by her request. He paused, then quietly replied, "Then you should ask Hestia herself. As long as she accepts you, it won't be a problem."
"Okay!"
Lili's face lit up with a radiant smile. With newfound hope and firm resolve, she left Shirou's side to meet with Loki.
Shirou intended to return to the Hestia Familia base after that, but unexpectedly, a blonde girl—Ais the Sword Princess—approached.
"Just now... that fried rice... I want to eat it too."
Seeing the anticipation in Aiz's eyes, Shirou couldn't refuse and nodded.
He had originally planned to cook just for her, but being in a tavern, the staff quickly noticed.
In the end, he had to cook for everyone.
Soma, Loki, Hestia, and many others joined in, turning it into a lively celebration.
.
.
.
Shirou's duel with Soma soon caused quite a stir in Orario. Though it was just a competition between two Level 1 adventurers, and only about food, to the diners it was no less than an epic battle.
Still, to high-level adventurers, it wasn't anything worth paying much attention to. So the storm passed quickly, and Orario returned to its usual routine.
Shirou resumed his calm, repetitive daily life. Every day, he trained in blacksmithing at the Hephaestus Familia during the day and returned to Hestia's base at night.
The only difference from before was that he occasionally worked as the chef at the Hostess of Fertility.
After all, he owed Mama Mia a favor.
And every time Shirou cooked, the tavern would become unbelievably busy. Countless food lovers would rush there, forcing the tavern to implement limits just to maintain order.
Even so, so many people wanted a taste of Shirou's cooking that they nearly trampled the place.
Manager Mia was both thrilled and distressed—experiencing the true meaning of "sweet sorrow."
Shirou's days should've continued like this for a while. But then, one day, Hephaestus unexpectedly approached him with a request.
"You want me to be a supporter for an adventurer party?"
Shirou was surprised by the suggestion.
Hephaestus calmly replied, "You're still Level 1, and you haven't awakened the [Blacksmith] skill, right? Hestia Familia doesn't have any high-level adventurers.
A blacksmith can't fight in the dungeon alone. If this keeps up, you won't be able to level up. So I found a familiar familia and asked them to let you join as a supporter to gain experience in the dungeon."
"What kind of team would I be joining?"
Unable to explain his situation, Shirou reluctantly agreed. But he wanted to know who he'd be working with.
Hephaestus answered without hesitation: "It's a team of rookie adventurers from various familias. The leader is a member of the Loki Familia."
"Loki Familia?"
Shirou was very surprised.
Hephaestus further explained, "She's a girl named Lefiya. She's strong—already Level 3 at a young age—but lacks the courage to fight monsters alone. Loki Familia wants to train her leadership, so they're organizing this activity. When I heard, I thought it'd be a good opportunity and recommended you."
"They actually agreed to that?"
"They weren't too keen at first. After all, Hestia Familia isn't famous and doesn't qualify for this kind of joint operation. But for some reason, the moment I mentioned your name, Loki immediately agreed."
Hephaestus, being obsessed with blacksmithing, didn't know about Shirou's history with Loki, or the recent divine wine incident sweeping Orario.
She just calmly said:
"In any case, joining a party with a Level 3 adventurer is a great chance. I hope you'll level up to Level 2 and successfully acquire the [Blacksmith] skill."
Seeing how much Hephaestus believed in him, Shirou—despite having many thoughts—quietly accepted the mission to enter the dungeon.