Chapter 24 – If You Dare Eat, I Dare Hit
Erika’s appearance undoubtedly drew the attention of everyone present.
Palo Village was a small settlement, and the children here were those of mountain villagers—plain in appearance and dressed casually.
Although Erika hadn’t particularly dressed up either, her breathtaking face beneath her head of silver-gray hair made her the most eye-catching one on the field.
Her petite figure stood on tiptoe, waving her little arms, her crimson eyes locked on the food atop the stage. Her delicate, upturned nose had a rosy tint, and two tiny tiger teeth peeked from her mouth as drool involuntarily dripped down.
“Who… who is she? She’s so pretty…”
“No idea. Never seen her before…”
“Must be an outsider…”
“Look at her! She looks like a princess!”
“Forget ‘like,’ she’s definitely more beautiful than any princess.”
“What do I do… I think I’m in love. I want her to be my future wife.”
For a moment, a bunch of boys in the crowd looked at Erika with admiration, while the girls cast her glances of envy—and a few, with hints of jealousy.
Erika heard all the whispers, but she wasn’t interested in these little brats. She quickly dropped her adorable demeanor, narrowed her eyes, and glared fiercely at the boy who’d just claimed he was in love.
What a joke. You brat, your mouth has no filter. Who’d fall in love with you? Keep dreaming!
Unbeknownst to her, that glare only made the boy more smitten, his heart fluttering.
Disgusting…
She clicked her tongue and quickly averted her gaze, turning toward Caroline on the stage and calling out, “Sister, I have a question!”
“Oh~ What a cute little girl. Ahem… but you should call me ‘Auntie.’ I’ve got a kid your age,” Caroline said with a smile.
“A-auntie, um… outsiders can join too, right? You said earlier that all kids can join!”
“Of course! Palo Village welcomes outsiders—especially such a cute little girl like you.”
“That’s great!”
Erika licked her lips eagerly—she couldn’t wait.
In no time, all the sumptuous meats were brought out by the staff. Half were delivered to the drinkers in the back, while the rest were portioned out to the children participating in the food contest.
The kids sat around in circles, with dishes like roasted piglet and roasted pigeon placed in front of them. There were also some desserts and cakes displayed nicely.
Everyone was given utensils, waiting for the signal to dig in and try to win the contest prize.
The rules were simple: whoever finished their plate first would win.
While everyone grabbed their utensils, Erika didn’t even touch hers. Twisting her fingers playfully, she figured a contest like this didn’t need utensils—you just ate.
“Alright, children, begin!”
With Caroline’s shout, the contest started.
Every child sprang into action—Erika included.
When it came to meat, Erika had absolutely no resistance. The rich aroma had long been teasing her nose.
No way could she hold back. At Caroline’s signal, she was practically the first to grab a piece of meat and start devouring it.
One bite, two bites…
Munching noises echoed from her mouth.
She already loved meat, and with the tavern’s chef cooking so well, her speed was simply unmatched. None of the other kids could keep up.
Gradually, her eyes narrowed into slits, her cheeks filled with satisfied smiles, and her mouth and little hands were smeared with grease. Even the new dress she had just put on was stained with oil.
Unsurprisingly, Erika won. She was the first child to finish all the food on her plate.
But she wasn’t satisfied.
Licking her lips, her little tiger teeth flashed as her eyes locked onto the roasted meat in the hands of some nearby kids.
Well, it’s a food contest. If I help them eat, they should thank me, right?
Thinking this, Erika didn’t hesitate.
She reached over and snatched a freshly cut piece of meat from a boy beside her, shoving it straight into her mouth without a second thought.
“No worwies, I’ww hewp you eat!”
She mumbled with her mouth full of meat.
One piece wasn’t enough. She reached out again and took another piece from the opposite side.
As time passed, the once lively food contest grew eerily quiet.
Everyone was frozen, staring in dumbfounded silence at Erika. Her messy, greasy little face looked hilariously dazed.
“She… she can really eat…”
“My god, has she not eaten in days? Why is she so hungry?”
“That can’t be right. Look at how pretty she is… she doesn’t look starved. Could she just have a huge appetite?”
“‘Huge appetite’ is putting it lightly. Who could compete with that…”
Murmurs spread. Everyone had stopped moving.
What’s the point of continuing? The white-haired girl had eaten everything!
As everyone froze, Erika swallowed the meat in her mouth and sucked her fingers clean.
“Why are you all looking at me? Do I have something on my face? Are we still playing or not?”
“???”
No one knew how to respond to Erika…
“You’re too much!”
Suddenly, a sweet but stern voice called out. A young girl nearby—also a contestant—stood up.
She looked about twelve or thirteen, her eyes filled with anger as she pointed at Erika and shouted, “It’s one thing to eat your own, but how can you steal from others?!”
Where did this brat come from?
Erika couldn’t care less. She snapped back, “Isn’t this a food contest? Can’t I just eat more?”
“The rules said the winner is whoever finishes their own plate first! You stole from others—that’s cheating!”
“Did you make the rules?”
Erika scoffed, shrugging. “Don’t act all grown-up and lecture me, you brat!”
“You… you’re not even older than me! You don’t even have anything on your chest—it’s flat like a field!”
“???@#&X!!!”
That comment made Erika explode. She snapped, “What’s it to you!? I’m eating! So what!?
I’m not just eating mine—I’m eating yours too!”
As she spoke, Erika stood up, snatched the girl’s plate, and shoved the half-cut meat into her mouth.
The other girl hadn’t expected such audacity and was momentarily stunned.
After finishing, Erika wiped her hands, put them on her hips, and struck a provocative pose.
“I ate it! What now? Bleh bleh bleh~”
Her antics pushed the other girl to the edge. She stood up, slowly walking toward Erika.
“If you dare eat it, I dare hit you!”
“Huh?”
Before Erika could react, the girl lunged forward without hesitation.
Thump!
Right in front of everyone, she tackled Erika to the ground.
But Erika wasn’t one to take it lying down.
You dare push me?
She immediately grabbed the girl’s hair and arm—And just like that, the two of them started brawling.