Results Announcement
The next day was the final day of the exhibition.
Voting for the popularity awards closed at noon, sales ended at two o’clock, and the results announcement and closing ceremony began at three.
Princess Rinaluna and her companions wanted to attend the announcement in person, so they came dressed in merchant-style clothes. But even so, their aura couldn’t be hidden—people naturally kept a respectful distance around them.
Since my brother Chris and the others were there too, the townsfolk had realized they were nobles and refrained from approaching.
The vice–guildmaster of the Merchants' Guild acted as host and announcer for the event.
First came the announcement of the items officially selected for the souvenir category.
They were read out in order, from the lowest entry number upward: the entry number, item name, and shop name.
Each time one was announced, cheers erupted from the crowd, and the vice–guildmaster had to call for silence again and again.
Some shops even had two items selected.
Each selected item earned two gold coins, so when a shop got two picks, the cheers were even louder.
When the host finally said, “That concludes the selections,” some participants visibly slumped in disappointment.
Representatives of the chosen shops were called to the front.
“Although these next items were not chosen for the official souvenir lineup,” the Vice–Guildmaster continued, “the Westland Company has decided to enter into separate sales contracts with two of them. These will be announced as special awards.”
The hall immediately buzzed with excitement.
Lately, it seemed that signing a deal with our trading company was seen as a guarantee of success.
“In the food category—Entry No. 38: Nuts and Dried Fruit Cereal Bar from the Kuran Village shop.”
A man standing near the front suddenly collapsed.
People rushed to help him, and he came to quickly—it turned out he was the representative from Kuran Village.
“Next, in the crafts category—Entry No. 113: Wooden Calendar from the Howl Workshop.”
Shouts of “We did it!” and “Yes!” rose from somewhere near the center of the hall—must’ve been their group.
From there, the announcements for each division’s awardees began.
The Vice–Guildmaster read out the eighth- through fourth-place winners all at once. Each representative came up to the stage to receive a certificate and a prize catalog directly from Father.
You could tell how nervous they were, but as Father handed over each award with a few kind words—“That was an excellent piece,” or “It was delicious”—the recipients would break into grins, raise a triumphant fist, shout “Banzai!”, or wave to friends in the crowd.
Carlos and Lux Village had both placed as well.
Since the crafts division was decided by popular vote from the townsfolk, they must have been thrilled.
From third place upward, the prizes grew more substantial.
Each third-place winner—four people across all divisions—received a certificate, a prize catalog, and a commemorative plaque.
Second-place winners—again, four people total—received the same plus an additional plaque of a different design.
Each plaque bore the inscription:
Westland Exhibition – [Division Name], [Category Name], [Rank],
along with the date and Father’s name as the event sponsor.
I had originally wanted to include the product and shop names too, but we didn’t have enough time, so I went with Father’s name only.
Starting from third place, I decided to make plaques instead of medals—something they could display proudly.
People said, “You’re going that far?” but I insisted that plaques looked much nicer than medals.
“And now, the top prize winners of each division.”
“In the Souvenir Division—Food Category: Entry No. 23, Honey Sweets from the Miel Village shop.
In the Crafts Category: Entry No. 169, Flower Candles from the Fleur Flower Shop.
In the Culinary Division—Dining Hall Category: Entry No. 201, Cocotte-Fried Chicken and Baked Potatoes from Emily’s.
And in the Street Stall Category: Entry No. 275, Breaded Cocotte Chicken from Hans’s Stall!”
The Honey Sweets were firm but not hard—softer than cookies, a bit denser than sponge cake. Simple, rustic, and delicious, with a gentle sweetness that never got old.
The Flower Candles used dried flowers embedded inside the wax rather than stuck onto the outside. Each one was unique, the price reasonable—a perfect keepsake.
The Cocotte-Fried Chicken and Baked Potatoes were basically fried chicken and hash browns—an overwhelming favorite.
Some said it was a waste to limit sales to the new district, but two years seemed fair for an exclusive period; after that, we could ask the creators what they wanted to do.
As for the Breaded Cocotte Chicken, it resembled chicken nuggets—bite-sized pieces, great for eating on the go, especially served in simple paper bags. No doubt it deserved first place.
The only disappointment for me was that one of the items I’d voted for didn’t take first place—the second-place winner in the souvenir food category.
It tasted exactly like Kapp○ Ebi Sen!
I never thought I’d get to eat something like that in this world.
I’m absolutely going to visit that village and buy them in bulk.
All the first-place winners climbed the stage in tears—tears of joy, of course, though it made for quite a sight.
After Father finished presenting the awards, everyone returned to their seats.
“Next, those whose names I read now, please come to the main office after the closing ceremony. There are matters we’d like to discuss.”
He began reading off a long list of numbers and shop names. The crowd grew restless, but the vice–guildmaster calmly finished reading.
Then Father gave closing remarks—expressing gratitude to the participants, to all those who had helped, and to the townsfolk who had made the event such a success.
With that, the exhibition came to an end.
What do you think about this chapter?
