Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 77

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“Hehehe! You’ve arrived earlier than I expected.”

As he entered the mansion, Baron Mikelan of Mino greeted him with a bright smile. In truth, it looked more like a cabin than a noble’s residence.

Kundam and Percival were sitting at the table, chatting. Abel spotted Cainchel and waved.

“You’re just in time. We were just talking about you.”

Cainchel began by briefly explaining what had happened at Byron Castle.

Mikelan chuckled and replied.

“You don’t need to worry about me. Almost none of the northern lords support the Margrave anymore. Besides, no one is willing to risk their lives for him.”

His words carried a lot of weight.

To earn loyalty, one needs honor, conviction, or money.

Ludwig certainly seemed to be in dire financial straits.

It was only natural, considering he had been squandering his budget with no real income.

Cainchel recalled the Count who was after the dungeon.

“Could it be the same man who proposed to Emily, seeking the dungeon?”

“Yes, it’s Ludwig. He sent another letter just now, which I promptly burned. Anyway, please, have a seat. I’m afraid there isn’t much to offer, so I don’t know if it will suit your taste…”

On the table were freshly baked bread with rising steam, a salad made with fresh vegetables, and a pot of onion soup.

Mikelan scratched his head, looking embarrassed.

“Originally, I had a young lamb prepared for our honored guests… but my daughter took it to make a roast and ended up burning it all. I knew she was a tomboy, but I didn’t expect her to be this reckless…”

“So that’s what all the commotion was about earlier.”

“Did you hear? She’s so ashamed that she’s locked herself in her room and won’t come out.”

“But a main dish is essential for a gathering like this. If you don’t mind, may I take over the kitchen?”

“Huh…? You even know how to cook? But the ingredients…”

“I always carry ingredients with me, so it’s fine.”

“Even so, it would be too rude to have our honored guest cook…”

“Then how about you tell me about the situation in the North instead?”

“Hahaha. Yes, I understand.”

The North, swept by the storm of the War of the Seven Deadly Sins, had barely become a place where people could live.

But the disasters that befell the North did not end there.

The White Dragon, nesting in the White Mountains, had entered its active period. As a result, monsters flocked to the North to be under its protection, and several dungeons were even created.

“When I call in mercenaries to eliminate the monsters threatening the territory, they all hole up in the dungeons, hoping for a quick fortune. I managed to put out the immediate fires by hiring a reliable mercenary band, but…”

Moreover, the commander in charge of security was Ludwig.

“In such a situation, Edelweiss Merchant Guild’s interest is truly a godsend. For the North to develop, money needs to circulate first.”

Cainchel nodded silently.

During his two weeks working at the tavern, he often saw bartering because there was no currency for transactions. A low currency volume means isolation from other regions.

‘Currency volume, huh? I didn’t think of that.’

Baron Mikelan possessed a surprising amount of knowledge. He could work as a liberal arts instructor at the academy right now.

It was too dark to see clearly, but the room was filled with thick books. They were crudely made manuscripts, but the covers were tattered, as if they had been read dozens of times.

“Defeating the werewolves alone is something I can’t thank you enough for. And now you’ve even connected us with the Edelweiss Merchant Guild… I truly don’t know how to repay this debt…”

‘Count Wellride would be delighted if I introduced him.’

With that thought, Cainchel took out various ingredients from his two-dimensional pocket [a magical inventory].

And finally, he took out the jewel salt he had stored in a small bottle.

He remembered promising Abel to make a dish using it.

‘It’s not just for you, but this much should be okay, right?’

Emily’s laughter could be heard, as if she had come out of her room.

Everyone gathered here was essentially a protagonist in this event.

He was happy to be able to cook for them.

A happy smile appeared on Cainchel’s face.

First, he placed the meat on a plate for a moment to adjust the temperature. Most of the ingredients taken out of the two-dimensional pocket were cold.

He had never been inside, but it must be a space filled with *eumgi* [Yin energy, associated with coldness and stillness].

‘I accidentally grilled meat that wasn’t properly thawed, and the taste dropped significantly.’

When the meat’s temperature became somewhat similar to room temperature, he sprinkled seasoning on it.

He generously sprinkled jewel salt and pepper, and then topped it with half-burnt onions and coffee powder to infuse the flavor.

Coffee was something the Edelweiss Merchant Guild had started handling recently. It was an addictive ingredient with a unique bitter aroma.

He pressed down on the seasoning with his hands so that it would permeate the entire meat, then prepared the pan.

He drizzled olive oil and, when smoke began to rise, started grilling the meat.

Cainchel added garlic, rosemary, and thyme, being careful to grill them quickly so that the seasoning would adhere well to the steak.

Sizzle!

The pleasant heat and the smell of grilling meat filled the room.

Abel, who had been waiting for the meat to be grilled, widened his eyes.

The savory aroma that only well-cooked meat could have stimulated his nose. Even Abel, who had tasted Cainchel’s cooking quite a bit, had never smelled anything like this before.

“That smells incredibly delicious.”

Kundam, who was sitting next to him, nodded.

“…If it weren’t Cainchel cooking, I would have run over and grabbed it.”

It was by no means a joke. Even Kundam, who was known for his good nature, had to pinch his thigh several times to calm his excitement.

It was a steak he had grilled hundreds of times a month at the academy.

But today, something was different.

Cainchel felt a premonition close to certainty.

This would be a steak far superior to anything he had ever grilled.

A truly amazing steak.

@

Some lucky mercenaries were able to stay in private homes. Most were in warehouses or stables, but it was much better than sleeping outside in a tent.

A mercenary lying on straw muttered.

“Doesn’t something smell incredibly good?”

“Yeah. I ate so much for dinner, but my stomach is still growling…”

“I-Is someone grilling meat? The smell is no joke!”

“Gulp…”

The mercenaries tried to toss and turn, trying to fall asleep. But eventually, they gave up and got up.

“I’ve never smelled anything this delicious in my life! Who the hell is grilling it?”

“If I were tortured with this, I’d spill everything I know.”

And they slowly walked outside. Then, they widened their eyes in surprise. They weren’t the only ones who had been drawn outside by the smell of grilling meat.

“What, are all these people…?”

“What kind of cooking is this?”

“Damn it, I want to eat it…”

The people gathered all had the same thought. Surely, whoever ate this dish would have secured at least a territory, if not a country.

As the meat finished grilling, Kundam, unable to bear it any longer, ran to the kitchen and asked for a taste.

And Kundam’s eyes widened as he put the meat in his mouth.

Abel, who was sitting at the table, asked.

“How does it taste?”

“Amazing! This is an amazing steak! H-How can meat taste like this…? Cainchel! Did you really grill this?”

He looked like he couldn’t believe it even after seeing it with his own eyes.

In fact, Cainchel felt the same way.

Although he had received help from the jewel salt, it was the first time he had completed a 6-star dish.

[The 6-star dish ‘Amazing Steak’ has been completed.]

[The guests are looking at you with respectful eyes at the completion of the masterpiece dish.]

Cainchel, with a flushed face, began to plate the dish.

First, he placed the potatoes fried in the oil from grilling the meat on the plate, leaning them against each other.

And underneath, he added mushrooms flavored with shallots and thyme to enrich the dish.

Then, he placed the steak on a cutting board and began to slice it into bite-sized pieces.

Slice, slice!

The sound of the knife cutting through the meat echoed, and Emily, unable to bear it any longer, lay down on the table.

“I can’t take it anymore… Please, hurry with the meat…”

“Please wait a little longer. It’s almost done.”

After generously adding barbecue sauce under the mushrooms, he placed the steak on top. Finally, he drizzled the remaining oil from grilling the meat over the steak to make it feel moist.

“…Sorry for the wait. This is the Amazing Steak with potatoes and mushrooms.”

“Hahaha! The name itself is Amazing Steak… But after smelling this, I can’t help but agree.”

The steak was placed in front of everyone.

Percival said.

“You must have used jewel salt. I’ve been cooking for decades, but this is the first time I’ve had a steak like this. But be careful when you make dishes like this next time. Look at the people gathered outside.”

The people who were peeking at them eating were startled and hid.

Cainchel quietly sighed.

A 6-star dish was more amazing than he had thought. He would have to be careful not to let the smell leak outside in the future.

“Then shall we eat? To Cainchel, who saved Mino!”

“And to the Amazing Steak!”

As the knives moved, the people who were peeking from outside swallowed hard. They were so envious of the people who were about to eat such an amazing dish.

Sizzle! Sizzle!

The sound of cutting the meat drove them crazy.

@

Mikelan had not expected anything when he heard Cainchel say he would cook.

At best, he thought he had only done it a few times in the field during his training knight days.

But his expression began to change from the moment he took out the steak meat and various vegetables from his two-dimensional pocket.

As he began to grill the meat in earnest, the desire to eat steak arose in his mind.

And finally, he was able to eat it.

“Then, let’s see…”

Mikelan, using his knife to cut the steak into bite-sized pieces, bit into the meat in one go.

“… !”

And he was shocked by the taste. The meat, with its rich juices, was incredibly tender.

It blended with the various seasonings infused in the meat, filling his mouth with a rich flavor as he chewed.

Moreover, the subtle scent of rosemary and mint. It was as if a forest was unfolding before his eyes.

The potatoes fried in the oil left over from grilling the meat were also superb.

When he took the steaming potatoes with a fork and put them in his mouth, they crumbled softly, releasing the flavor contained within.

Mikelan wore a dazed expression for a while after finishing his meal. Then, he was startled by the sound of knocking on the door.

There, a long line of territory residents living nearby had gathered.

“Lord… I’m sorry for the late hour. The smell of grilling meat was so delicious that I couldn’t help but…”

It was a tremendous rudeness, but Mikelan, who had tasted the steak, could fully understand their feelings.

Someone asked.

“What kind of steak is it that smells so delicious?”

“This, you ask? It’s literally an amazing steak.”

Then the people who had gathered nodded with understanding.

It was definitely an amazing steak.

@

After the commotion, Cainchel eventually decided to leave the North for a while.

Otherwise, he would have to deal with all the territory residents who would flock to him, wanting to eat the amazing steak.

‘This is the power of a 6-star dish…’

He would have to be especially careful when cooking in the future.

Cainchel챙겼다 [챙겼다 is Korean for ‘took’ or ‘packed’] the jewel salt he had mined from the deepest part of the dungeon. His cooking level was still stuck at 5 stars, but he could make 6-star dishes using jewel salt.

How exactly would that affect the Curse of the Seven Deadly Sins?

To find out, he would have to ask Frellia to taste the 6-star dish.

With that, Cainchel returned to Citizen. And there, tremendous news awaited him.

Amazing Steak #3