Chapter 140: I want to be popular (2)

No one noticed Sion’s misdeeds.

No one, except for the Holy Sword, who watched her like a hawk.

Exia, utterly horrified, immediately shouted through telepathy.

-“W-What are you doing?! That wasn’t salt you just put in, was it?! Are you insane?!”

-“So what? You normally put some salt in when making cookies.”

-“No, not ‘some’! You dumped in a whole cup! And you even used magic to secretly swap it in!

What exactly are you trying to do?! Are you making cookies that are just drenched in salt?!”

Exia’s voice rose in shock.

Meanwhile, Sion simply chuckled softly and replied.

-“And what if I am?”

-“Huh?”

-“Just as you said, my goal is to make terrible cookies. Not just bad ones—the absolute worst cookies in existence.

So, what will you do? Are you going to expose me in front of everyone?”

-“?????”

Exia was bewildered.

She did it on purpose? She deliberately put salt in the cookie dough?

Why?

-“I… I don’t understand.

Haven’t you always hated people messing with food?

Then why are you ruining your own cooking? Why?”

-“Because this time, I need to.”

Sion shrugged as she spoke.

-“Think about it—what do you think is my greatest flaw? What do you think made my popularity among men plummet despite this exceptional appearance?”

-“Uh… No idea. What is it?”

-“The answer is that my public image was too perfect.”

-“Your public image?”

-“Exactly.”

Sion glanced around at the other students in the kitchen.

Their gazes darted toward her, filled with curiosity about what kind of masterpiece she would create. Beneath that curiosity lay admiration and awe.

-“Perfection is generally a positive trait, but when it comes to romantic appeal, it actually works against you.

People find it difficult to be attracted to someone who is flawless and untouchable.

On the other hand, clumsiness, incompetence, and awkwardness—those imperfections make someone more lovable.

Especially for men. Just look at modern fiction.

When highlighting a female character’s charm, isn’t it common to emphasize her flaws to make her appear cuter?”

-“…Well, yeah, that’s true.”

Since coming to this school, Exia had read plenty of manga in her free time, so she could understand what Sion was getting at.

In fact, she didn’t even have to look far—her own popularity came from her slightly ditzy, clumsy image.

-“So, you deliberately chose cooking as the way to show your weakness?

To emphasize, ‘Even a hero isn’t perfect. There are things she can’t do’?”

-“Exactly.”

Sion nodded.

-“And to add to that, cooking is the safest area for me to show a weakness.

If I showed flaws in something like swordsmanship or academics, my enemies would pounce on the opportunity to tear me apart, saying I’m unfit to be a hero.

Likewise, I can’t suddenly pretend to have a bad personality.

I’ve spent seven years carefully crafting my saintly image, after all.

So, I had to find an area where I could clearly display a flaw without damaging my reputation as a hero.

And cooking was the perfect choice.

The idea that ‘I’m bad at cooking’ is simple and easy for people to understand. But it’s not a serious enough flaw to be a real problem.

People will just laugh it off as something unexpected and amusing.

Now, do you understand why I dumped salt into the dough?”

-“Hmm…”

Exia trailed off, her tone unsure.

-“I get the logic, but………

Will this really work? Won’t this just end in total humiliation?

The idea that being bad at cooking will make you more popular is kinda hard to believe….”

-“Heh, don’t worry. This isn’t just my personal theory.

It’s a well-established concept that’s been repeatedly tested in fiction and proven effective.
The technical term for it is ‘gap moe’ theory.

I’m not sure of the exact origins, but that’s what it’s called.”

-“Oh? Well, alright then.”

She didn’t fully understand it, but if it had an actual technical term, it must be legitimate.

And seeing how confident Sion was, there had to be some basis for it.

Plus, gap moe… The term itself sounded kind of sophisticated.

-“Just… don’t go overboard, okay? I feel bad for the people who actually have to eat it.”

-“Of course. I’ll keep it reasonable.”

Once again, to clarify—Sion was actually good at cooking.

In fact, she was skilled at anything that required delicate technique or refined senses.

And because she was good at cooking, she knew exactly how to ruin a dish in just the right way.

She used that knowledge to carefully tweak the cookie ingredients, ensuring they would taste horrendous—but without causing any physical harm.

Occasionally, she even used creation magic to mix in some ‘special seasonings.’

For the sake of world peace, the exact recipe will remain a secret.

After meticulously ruining the cookie dough, it was placed in the oven.

Fifteen minutes later—

“Alright, it’s done!”

Completely unaware of the horror lurking within, Isabella cheerfully took the tray out of the oven.

On the surface, Sion’s cookies looked… flawless.

No, they looked delicious.

The sheen, the texture, even the aroma—everything about them screamed perfectly baked, crisp cookies.

But Exia knew.

She knew that beneath that deceivingly normal exterior lurked a terrible secret so vile that even demons would flee in terror.

“Thank you, Princess. And thank you, Miss Mila and Miss Lavender.

Thanks to you, I was able to make these wonderful cookies.”

Sion gracefully bowed and expressed her gratitude to the three.

Then, she carefully wrapped the cookies in napkins and handed one to each of them.

“Here, it’s a small token of my appreciation. Please, enjoy them while they’re still warm.”

“””!”””

The three girls inhaled sharply.

This was the first time.

The first time Sion had ever made something herself.

And she was offering it to them.

Wasn’t this, in a way, like receiving her first?

Like leaving the very first footprints on untouched white snow?

Their thoughts didn’t linger for long.

Before anyone could hesitate, the three instinctively grabbed the cookies.

“W-We’ll try them now…!”

“U-Us too! Thank you so much for your kindness! We’ll never forget this!”

“? Alright then.”

Seeing the three oddly excited girls, Sion tilted her head in slight confusion but soon nodded without much thought.

As soon as she gave the OK, Isabella, Mila, and Lavender simultaneously popped the cookies into their mouths and took a bite.

And in that very moment—

“””!!?!!”””

A sharp jolt surged through their entire bodies.

How could they even begin to describe this taste? It bore no resemblance to anything they had ever eaten before.

But there was one thing they knew for sure:

These cookies were, without a doubt, the most—

‘Disgusting things ever!!!!!’

The three of them screamed internally as their faces turned ashen.

It was shockingly, overwhelmingly bad.

They had no idea how such a horrifying combination of flavors had come to be.

If anyone other than the Hero had given them these cookies, they would have assumed it was a poisoning attempt and drawn their swords on the spot.

They wanted to spit it out immediately.

They wanted to rinse their mouths with water until not a single trace remained.

No, if possible, they wanted to erase this entire moment from their memories.

That was how bad it was.

But they couldn’t do any of that.

Because…

“How is it? Do you like it?”

Right in front of them, staring with an innocent, expectant expression, was Sion.

The three girls instantly exchanged desperate glances.

If they spat it out now, the Hero’s delicate heart would be deeply wounded.

No, more than that, this could traumatize her so badly that she might never cook again.

They couldn’t let that happen.

As devoted members of the Secret Sion Fan Club, they had to protect her purity.

No matter the cost.

The first to make a decision was Isabella.

She squeezed her eyes shut and, with superhuman willpower, forced herself to swallow.

Her throat screamed in protest, but she ignored it.

There were battles one simply could not back down from, especially for the sake of a loved one.

Moments later, after finally swallowing a bite, Isabella forced a trembling smile.

“M-Mmm, delicious… Sis… You really did a great job… You’re the best…!”

“….!”

Mila and Lavender gasped.

As expected of their leader.

To make such a swift, unwavering decision in this situation…!

They couldn’t lose now.

If they gave up, Isabella’s sacrifice would be in vain.

Determined, the two girls exchanged nods and forced down their own cookies.

Then, with equally shaky smiles, they spoke.

“A-Amazing! As expected of you, Hero! It just melts in your mouth!”

“It’s a taste unlike anything I’ve ever had before. Haha…”

They offered the most insincere compliments imaginable, all while suppressing the violent protests of their stomachs.

It was a truly noble sacrifice.

A display of devotion so profound that one might call it sacred.

However, to Sion, this so-called kindness was far from welcome.

‘What? Why are they saying it’s good? There’s no way it tastes good!’

She frowned in confusion.

She could understand Isabella forcing herself to endure it. After all, it was clear she had a crush on her.

But Mila and Lavender had only just met her today.

Why would they go so far as to suppress their natural revulsion just to protect her?

‘Wait… Did I accidentally make an actually good cookie?’

Doubt crept into Sion’s mind.

To verify, she reached for one of the cookies herself.

But just as she was about to take a bite—

“Wait, Sis! Hold on!”

Isabella grabbed her hand in a panic.

“Hm? What is it?”

“W-What are you planning to do with that cookie?”

“Eat it, of course. I made it, so I should try it myself. Is that a problem?”

“U-Uh…”

Isabella quickly turned to the other two, silently pleading for help.

Mila and Lavender immediately caught on and scrambled to stop Sion as well.

“A-Ahaha! Y-You know, Hero, you didn’t make that many cookies, right? Wouldn’t it be a waste to eat one yourself when there’s barely enough for everyone?”

“R-Right! This incredible flavor is too precious to keep to ourselves…! We should make more and share it with as many people as possible! We can’t afford to waste even one!”

Even they knew their excuses were flimsy.

But there was no other way to stop her in such a short time.

Luckily, their desperate pleas seemed to work.

Sion stared at them for a moment before nodding.

“Hmm… Alright, I don’t know why you’re all so desperate, but you do have a point about making more.”

“Phew…”

Isabella secretly sighed in relief.

Crisis averted.

“Alright, let’s get started on another batch. First, we’ll put the butter in the bowl—”

“Wait! Don’t move just yet! We’ll help you this time!”

“Huh? No, it’s fine. You must have your own dishes you want to make. I wouldn’t want to bother you—”

“N-No, really! It’s totally fine! We insist! Let us help! Please!”

Mila and Lavender clung to her, looking utterly desperate.

Their souls screamed in unison—

We must not let her create another disaster!

Seeing their intensity, Sion hesitated for a moment before sighing.

“…Alright, then. Could you pass me the sugar?”

“Yes, ma’am!”

Like soldiers on high alert, the two moved swiftly.

The atmosphere in the kitchen was heavy with tension.

As she watched them, Sion thought to herself.

‘So it really was terrible, huh?’

She wasn’t stupid.

In fact, when it came to reading between the lines, she was quite sharp.

Judging from their unnatural behavior and the nervous sweat on their foreheads, the truth was obvious.

But the real problem was—

She didn’t appreciate their kindness.

For her plan to work, she needed people to react to her bad cooking.

Whether they spat it out or choked in horror, it had to be obvious that it was inedible.

If they just forced it down and said, “Mmm, delicious,” the rumors wouldn’t spread.

And since her goal was to be known as a terrible cook, their unnecessary kindness was actually a setback.

‘Hmm… Or maybe modern people just have different tastes? Is this level of saltiness actually tolerable?’

Sion pondered.

After all, 500 years had passed between her previous life and now.

Maybe people’s taste buds had changed.

Maybe modern youth had a higher tolerance for strange flavors.

She had heard something about sweet and salty combinations being trendy these days.

‘Alright, then. For this next batch, I’ll make it three times worse.’

With that, she reached a decision.

She would remove the limiters she had placed after listening to Exia.

She would force them to react.

A completely rational and logical conclusion.

“Alright, let’s do this! Let’s give it our all! Fighting!”

“””Fighting!”””

Isabella cheerfully led the chant, and Mila, Lavender, and Sion followed.

And so, the four of them devoted themselves to baking a second batch of cookies.

That afternoon, Anatolia’s infirmary received three emergency patients.