Inside the Game Arena.
Everyone moved quickly. Before long, all rooms had been chosen, and the group reconvened in the main hall.
Valerius glanced at the time.
It was nearly noon.
His gaze shifted toward Raiden Ei.
"Chef," he said leisurely, "aren't you going to start cooking? It's already twelve."
"I…"
Raiden Ei hesitated, fidgeting slightly. She really didn't want to admit—especially not here—that she couldn't cook.
In the end, she stood up anyway, steeling herself as she headed toward the kitchen.
The kitchen was surprisingly clean.
However, the neatly arranged row upon row of gleaming knives made her eyes ache just looking at them.
Too many.
Far too many.
Livestream Chat
[Asta]: Wow… this has to be intentional. Why are there this many knives?
[Qingque]: Those aren't kitchen tools—that's an arsenal!
[Xiangling]: Th-this… what are these things?!
Xiangling was completely dumbfounded.
In her understanding, kitchenware meant pots, pans, and maybe a cleaver or two.
But these?
Those long, slender daggers might not be great for chopping vegetables—but for stabbing someone? Absolutely top-tier.
And the bone-cleaving knife—
It was absurdly large.
Forget calling it a kitchen tool; you could tell someone it was an executioner's blade, and they'd believe you.
[Seele]: Confirmed. The killer is the Electro Archon.
[Bronya]: That's… a bit of a stretch.
After getting over her initial shock, Raiden Ei noticed that each utensil actually had labels and usage instructions.
That made her feel much more at ease.
As long as there's a manual, she thought, it can't be that hard.
She opened the rice cooker and did some quick math.
Seven people.
Two bowls each.
That made fourteen bowls of rice.
Without hesitation, she scooped fourteen full bowls of raw rice into the cooker and added water.
"Hmph," she muttered confidently. "Let's see who dares say I only know how to swing blades."
With that done, Raiden Ei felt increasingly assured.
Cooking really isn't that difficult.
Livestream Chat
[Xiangling]: Can… anyone actually finish that?
[Serval]: What kind of household cooks rice like that?!
[Yae Miko]: laughs As expected of Ei.
[Sparkle]: It's the Raiden Shogun's cooking—no leaving until it's finished.
[Zhongli]: It's already impressive she remembered to add water.
[Venti]: I can't—this is killing me.
[Yukong]: Let's hope General Jing Yuan can endure this.
[Feixiao]: Relax. It won't kill your general.
You're worried about Jing Yuan?
He was singled out by Bennett—if nothing goes wrong, he'll be the first one out.
After handling the rice, Raiden Ei turned her attention to a large barrel of cooking oil in the corner.
"Stir-frying means adding oil first," she said to herself. "At least I know that."
She lifted the oil barrel and poured.
Glug—glug—glug—glug—glug.
Half of the five-liter barrel went straight into the pan.
"That should be about right."
Next came washing the vegetables.
Moments later, everyone saw her toss still-dripping wet vegetables directly into the scorching hot oil.
"—HISSSSS!"
Water met hot oil.
Instant explosion.
"Ah—!"
Raiden Ei yelped and leapt straight out of the kitchen.
"Uh…"
"What are you doing?!"
The people in the hall jumped to their feet.
That didn't sound like cooking at all.
"You don't… actually know how to cook, do you?"
Furina narrowed her eyes, voicing what everyone was thinking.
"W-what are you talking about?" Raiden Ei stiffened. "Cooking isn't hard at all."
There was no way she was admitting this in front of a fellow Archon.
Turning on her heel, she marched right back into the kitchen.
Clang! Bang! Crash!
The sounds resumed—louder than before.
Everyone felt their scalps go numb.
"This… this really counts as cooking?"
Herta stared at the kitchen in horror.
She could see flames from here.
Was cooking supposed to look like this?
"Heh. Don't worry," Valerius said with a reassuring chuckle. "This place won't catch fire."
Though the amusement in his eyes betrayed his true thoughts.
Half an hour later…
Plate after plate of pitch-black, oil-dripping creations was placed on the table.
"I did my best," Raiden Ei said solemnly.
The others stared in silence.
Is this an assassination attempt?
Night hasn't even fallen yet—are you starting early?
"Sigh… I'm not hungry."
Jing Yuan gently set down his chopsticks.
He could feel it instinctively—
one bite of that, and he'd be meeting his ancestors immediately.
"I'm not hungry either," said Xiao flatly. "I'll go check elsewhere."
This wasn't food.
And imagining having to face this every single day?
He'd starve before the killer ever acted.
With the two of them taking the lead, the rest stood up one after another, quietly leaving the table.
It wasn't about disrespect.
They genuinely didn't know how to eat that.
"Is it really that bad?"
Raiden Ei pouted.
She'd put in so much effort—and none of them were even willing to try?
"How about you taste it yourself?"
With a casual motion, Valerius slid the nearest blackened dish toward her.
"Uh…"
"…maybe not."
Even Raiden Ei found it terrifying.
Seeing that no one intended to eat her masterpieces, Valerius turned to Jade.
"Lady Jade—wash the dishes."
"Me?"
Jade pointed at herself, incredulous.
Do you know who I am?
"You're the maid," Valerius said calmly. "Isn't that your job?"
"…Fine."
What else could she say?
With a resigned expression, Jade gathered the plates and headed for the kitchen.
"Ah, this is nice."
Raiden Ei smiled in satisfaction.
Having a maid really is convenient—no need to wash dishes myself.
The moment Jade entered the kitchen, her pupils shrank.
"Oh my god…"
She couldn't comprehend it.
How did cooking result in a blackened ceiling—with oil dripping down from it?
A horrifying thought struck her.
If Raiden Ei is the only one who can cook…
And every meal is like this…
"I'm not going to be murdered," she muttered.
"I'm going to starve to death."
At this point, who even needed a killer?