Soren smiled back and thanked her before turning his attention back to the judges. Three of them were still whispering to each other, while the last was almost finished with the meal.
A few moments later, they finally looked at him, and the silver-haired woman spoke. "Candidate N128, you-"
"PASS!"
The plump judge cut in loudly, licking his lips as he set down his fork. The silver-haired woman and the other two looked at him in surprise, then exchanged glances and gave understanding nods. After all, they knew the man well.
The silver-haired woman sighed and turned back to Soren. "That's right. You pass. You are more than qualified, in fact."
Soren let out a breath and bowed his head. "Thank you."
He then walked back to Ethea's side and stood beside her as the last contestant's dish was evaluated and failed.
