Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 40

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“Kuaaaaaah!”

Before he knew it, Cainchel was surrounded by more than ten Ghouls.

Baalzebub, the King of Gluttony, who tormented humans until the very end of the Seven Deadly Sins War.

He was among the weaker ones compared to Lucifer, the King of Pride, or Satan, the King of Wrath.

However, he could increase his forces through the curse of gluttony.

Baalzebub’s undead legion literally ravaged the entire continent.

‘But why is a ghoul that should have disappeared ten years ago rolling around in a place like this!’

“Ugh… Ughhhhhh…”

Two ghouls reached out their arms and approached Cainchel.

Slow, sluggish movements that didn’t seem to have any will.

‘I see why the Fallen Star isn’t detecting anything. These guys are moving solely on their appetite for the living. Damn, these creepy bastards…’

Cainchel swung his sword and muttered quietly.

“Onion Swordsmanship!”

Then, the blade extending forward split into two.

Slash! Thwack!

The ghoul’s half-rotten arm spurted pus as it was severed.

Even though its arm fell to the ground and rolled away, the ghoul’s charge didn’t stop.

‘I’d better disable them one by one.’

This time, he swung his sword in reverse, cutting off both legs.

Then, the ghoul lost its balance and fell forward.

Cainchel felt nauseous.

‘Damn it. That’s undead! A ghoul!’

“Gueok! Gueeeeeeeok!”

Cainchel tightened his grip on the sword. There were still plenty of ghouls left to deal with.

There was no time to hesitate just because he had cut something that resembled a human.

First, he would cut off the fallen one’s head to completely disable it, then aim for the legs of the ones charging at him.

Ghouls are slow, and their attack method is simple: charging at anything that moves.

All he had to be careful of was being bitten by one that popped out from an unseen angle.

The scary thing about them was that they were born from a curse, making them contagious.

However, Cainchel still had the blessing Saint Germain had given him.

‘It’s okay if I get bitten, but it’ll feel disgusting, so let’s finish this without getting hit as much as possible!’

Cainchel turned his body and launched a middle kick at a ghoul that was charging at his neck.

Thwack!

The ghoul’s body flew up and slammed into the wall with the sound of dry firewood cracking.

Half-rotten limbs hung limply.

Horror flashed across Cainchel’s eyes.

‘When did my strength get this strong?’

He recalled that his Strength and Agility stats were 36.

Even though ghouls are slow, that’s only compared to other undead.

There were countless cases of people being bitten by suddenly attacking ghouls and becoming undead.

‘Leveling up and having all stats increase at once is really a cheat [an unfair advantage].’

When others’ abilities increase, their level increases accordingly. In other words, one ability increases per level.

However, Cainchel, who had gained the Gourmet ability, could gain experience by eating food.

His stats, which were below average, had grown to the point where he could stand shoulder to shoulder with Kundam, the genius of swords.

‘If my abilities continue to rise like this, something amazing will definitely happen.’

Cainchel swallowed hard.

He couldn’t feel it just by looking at the numbers.

However, when he actually faced an enemy with a sword, he realized how amazing ‘Gourmet’ was.

‘The food coming out of the training center isn’t giving me much experience anymore. If I want to keep gaining experience, I need to eat more delicious food.’

Before he knew it, Cainchel was surrounded by a mountain of ghouls that were no longer moving.

Only one remained.

But there was a problem.

“…Tch. The blade is completely ruined because of the pus.”

The most important thing when cooking is to always keep the kitchen knife sharp.

If the blade becomes dull, the ingredients won’t cut well, which will reduce the flavor. In addition, it requires more force, which increases the risk.

‘If I had ingredients like that, I would have to sharpen my knife every hour.’

It seemed like he would have to work quite hard to maintain the knife after the battle.

‘Anyway, if I want to deal with the last one, I need some other sharp object.’

Cainchel remembered that he had another knife.

The kitchen knife that would be responsible for the Yellow Knights’ meals for the next three days.

‘No, that’s a knife for cooking, not for slicing up something like that! Let’s just finish this with this, even if it’s a little difficult.’

Cainchel took out a cloth from his pocket and tried to wipe off as much of the pus on the blade as possible.

It was sticky and wouldn’t come off easily.

“Tch. In this case, I’ll just think of it as a club and beat it to death!”

Cainchel smiled bitterly and activated Onion Swordsmanship.

If he kept hitting it, it would eventually stop moving!

Anyway, there was plenty of time. It was still a long time before dinner.

@

“…Hoo, finally done.”

Cainchel was about to wipe the sweat off with the cloth, but frowned when he saw what was on it.

It didn’t seem like it could be used even if he washed it.

Cainchel muttered as he looked at the completely chipped knife.

“That’s why everyone says Aura Sword, Aura Sword.”

Using an Aura Sword allows you to coat the blade with aura, enhancing the sword’s characteristics.

Besides, as long as you replenish the aura, you don’t have to worry about the blade becoming dull like this.

There’s a reason why it’s treated as a basic skill for Sword Knights.

‘And if I have an Aura Sword, it’ll be more convenient when cooking, right? It cuts well, and I don’t have to sharpen it. After this training, I should immediately start researching how to fill the Aura Sword slot.’

A heart-moving dish is the key to manifesting an Aura Sword.

How can I make such a dish?

“Before that, should I grab a few ghouls?”

He needed proof to show that the missing corpses had become ghouls.

Showing the ghoul’s corpse would be the most certain way.

But they had all disappeared.

“What, what? Where did all the guys who were here go?”

Surely they didn’t come back to life after having their necks cut off, right?

That’s not even a joke!

Cainchel swallowed hard, picked up the torch he had thrown on the ground, and began to examine the cave.

And he realized where the ghouls had disappeared to.

“…They’re returning to the soil.”

The last ghoul he had defeated was crumbling at an incredible speed.

The curse was lifted, and they were returning to where they should be.

‘If I had known this would happen, I would have kept one alive…’

The memory of scouting the goblin village half a year ago came to mind.

He discovered the Poison Goblins and reported it as it was, but no one believed him.

In the end, he was treated as a coward and a liar for a while.

It wasn’t until the Second Season that he could prove he was right. But there was no guarantee that the same thing wouldn’t happen this time.

Besides, it was a ghoul. A guy that should have disappeared ten years ago.

It was an even bigger incident than discovering the Poison Goblins.

Would others believe what he saw?

Cainchel’s eyes sank coldly. Although there was no remaining evidence, he had to report what he had seen and experienced.

But the Yellow Knights’ reaction was more enthusiastic than expected.

“C-Captain! Was it really a ghoul?”

“…Why are the guys who disappeared ten years ago in a place like this…”

“But then all the remaining mysteries are solved! We went around trying to purify the village, but there wasn’t a single corpse? If they all became ghouls, then the gears fit perfectly!”

Cainchel couldn’t say anything for a while.

It was completely different from when he reported seeing the Poison Goblins.

There was no evidence at all.

Nevertheless, the Yellow Knights completely believed in the existence of the ghoul that Cainchel had seen.

It was impossible without tremendous trust.

“You really believe me…”

“Of course! I can even believe that the Captain makes bread with flour!”

“Bread is made with flour, isn’t it?”

“Ah, that’s right. Hahaha!”

Avel, who had been listening quietly, gestured.

Avel opened his mouth only after arriving at a place far enough away that others couldn’t hear the conversation.

“…Cainchel. Was it really a ghoul?”

“I’m sure. It’s not like I saw it wrong because it was dark, and it’s not like I went crazy for a moment and saw things. First of all, my sword remembers it.”

“Okay. I’ll believe you. But if you report this to the higher-ups as it is, you’ll be treated like a madman.”

“But not reporting what I witnessed is dereliction of duty.”

Then Avel smiled brightly and pointed to his head with his finger.

“That’s why there’s a Meister [master or expert] to lend his wisdom. You forgot again.”

“…Hmm. Then shall we listen to the Yellow Meister’s noble opinion?”

“I’m also a Carters. My father is in a key position in the military. I’m thinking of using that position.”

“You’re thinking of putting pressure from above to force an investigation.”

“Yeah. It may seem a little cowardly, but we have to use what we can.”

Cainchel recalled that Avel hated his brother Cain, as well as the name Carters itself.

Yet, he was willing to lend that name for his sake.

He was grateful.

He felt like he was going to cry because he was so grateful.

Before he knew it, he had a friend who was willing to do things he didn’t want to do for him.

He had members who would believe anything he said, even that guys who had disappeared ten years ago had reappeared.

He wanted to become stronger for them.

‘If that’s the case, I have to draw an Aura Sword first.’

With that alone, he could fight Banshees and Death Knights, who are immune to physical attacks.

Thinking that, Cainchel smiled.

“What, what! Why are you suddenly smiling! It’s creepy!”

“No, I’m just grateful.”

“Then make us an amazing dinner tonight. Everyone’s been singing about wanting to eat the food you make.”

“…Okay. I’ll make something amazing that you’ve never eaten before.”

“I’m looking forward to that.”

Avel smiled. It was a sincere smile.

@

“Are you really going to be able to catch a bird with that kind of trap?”

“The simpler ones are usually more effective. How many did you set up?”

“About a hundred.”

“Then we’ll catch about six or seven. That should be enough.”

“Yes, Captain!”

Cainchel directed the members with familiar movements to secure the ingredients.

In Pelga, the vegetables and fruits that the people who had left in a hurry had been growing were left as they were.

In addition, the nearby forest was full of wild animals.

“First, Wagon, would you go to the nearby stream and get some mud? There are two types. The gray one tastes rough, so the one with the reddish color is better.”

“…Are you going to eat mud?”

“No. I’m going to use it for cooking. The people who went to check the traps are coming back. It looks like they caught a few?”

Several members were running over with a large duck.

“Captain! We caught a charismatic, super big duck!”

“…What’s a super big duck? It’s just a regular Muscovy duck [a large, colorful duck species].”

“Hahaha! Anyway, we also picked a lot of lotus flowers from the river! Can you really make an amazing dish with this?”

Cainchel just smiled silently.

That appearance gave a strange sense of trust, and the members’ mouths watered.

“Captain! We also have honey here!”

“There are a lot of walnuts here!”

“…Salt…!”

In that way, the ingredients began to gather one by one.

Ingredients and seasonings left behind by the residents of Pelga who had fled in a hurry.

Wild animals and ducks caught by setting traps.

If Cainchel’s cooking skills were added to that, a dish that you couldn’t even imagine eating outside would be completed.

The main menu made today was ‘Wild Duck’.

The second 5-star creative dish made by Cainchel. A fantastic dish that can only be eaten outside.

That dish, which had made the picky Gordon exclaim in admiration, was preparing to make its first appearance in front of guests.

A smile appeared on Cainchel’s lips.

How many times would the people who ate the Wild Duck say it was delicious?

Hoping for that, he swung the kitchen knife he was holding.

“Onion Swordsmanship!”

With the doubled speed of the knife skills, the dish began to be made at an incredible pace.

Omen #3