Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 104

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Fhidely stared blankly at the pufferfish sashimi.

“My goodness… such a beautiful dish…”

Thinly sliced pufferfish sashimi was arranged on the plate in the shape of a crane, so thin that the pattern was visible through it.

Even as a child of the concubine, Fhidely was royalty. He had eaten all sorts of delicacies since he was young.

But this was the first time he had seen a dish decorated like this.

“It’s a bird I’ve never seen before.”

“It’s a bird called a crane in the East.”

“A crane. Are the flowers blooming between the cranes also made of pufferfish? It’s so beautiful. It’s like looking at an elaborately crafted work of art.”

The sauce next to it also looked special. A subtly sour scent emanated from the black sauce.

“Hmm. Yuzu [a type of Japanese citrus fruit] and tangerine juice are in it. But why is it black?”

Fhidely dipped his finger into the black sauce and brought it to his mouth.

Then, the rich aroma of fruit spread throughout his mouth, and a subtly salty taste followed.

And a deep, rich flavor. Even Fhidely, who had eaten countless delicacies, was tasting something for the first time.

Eventually, Fhidely looked at Cainchel with a defeated expression.

“Benefactor. What on earth is this sauce? How did you make it so flavorful?”

“That’s a sauce called soy sauce made in the East.”

“Kaanjang? [Korean word for soy sauce]”

“It’s made by fermenting beans, then boiling it with sour fruits and dried squid. If the name is difficult, you can call it ponzu sauce [a citrus-based sauce commonly used in Japanese cuisine].”

“…Ponzu sauce. You even know Eastern cuisine, just who are you, benefactor…?”

The ponzu sauce had a surprisingly deep flavor that astonished Fhidely.

Britannia had been trading with the Eastern power, Ming 明 [Ming Dynasty of China], for several years.

They enjoyed a black seasoning made from beans, which was soy sauce.

‘I’m glad I brought it, thinking I could use it for vegetarian dishes.’

The salty and rich flavor of ponzu sauce goes well with the light taste of pufferfish sashimi.

It was a foreign taste that even Fhidely was experiencing for the first time.

‘I couldn’t get dried bonito flakes [dried, fermented, and smoked skipjack tuna], so I replaced them with dried squid, but isn’t this a success?’

“The fragrant and salty taste makes me want to keep eating it. Sigh, to see such a delicious dish in front of me and not be able to eat it.”

Fhidely kept eating the ponzu sauce with a regretful expression.

Eventually, Erich, unable to watch any longer, stepped forward.

“I’ll try it to see if the poison has been properly removed.”

“Oh, Erich. Are you sure?”

“We must trust the benefactor’s words that he has removed all the poison.”

Erich picked up a piece of pufferfish sashimi with a fork.

Originally, it was a dish to be eaten with chopsticks. But this was the limit.

“Well then…”

The sight of him bringing the ponzu sauce-covered pufferfish sashimi to his mouth was almost dignified.

Is that the expression of the generals who sacrificed their lives to protect their lord?

Eating pufferfish was such a daunting task.

Cainchel, who knew that the pufferfish poison had been completely removed, gave a bitter smile.

Erich, who had been chewing on the pufferfish sashimi with his eyes closed, suddenly groaned.

“Keugh…”

“Erich! What’s wrong! Su, surely not pufferfish poison?”

“It’s not that, it’s so delicious that I bit my tongue…”

“Delicious? Really? The poison?”

Erich nodded with an indifferent expression.

Before he knew it, the hand holding the fork began to move so fast that it left afterimages.

When he came to his senses, about half of the pufferfish sashimi that had been filling the plate had disappeared.

“Benefactor! Give me a fork too!”

In the end, the prince and his right-hand man pounced on the pufferfish sashimi like children fighting over food.

Fhidely said, chewing on the pufferfish sashimi.

“It’s as chewy as eating horse meat.”

Moreover, the light taste of the pufferfish sashimi and the flavor created by the mixture of the sour and sweet taste of the ponzu were considerable.

“It’s cut as thin as paper, but it tastes sweet when you keep chewing it. And before you know it, it slides down your throat…”

“It’s literally a taste you wouldn’t regret exchanging for death. And it’s even more enjoyable because the benefactor has removed all the poison.”

To cook pufferfish sashimi, the pufferfish with its internal organs removed must be soaked in running water for more than half a day.

Only after such meticulous work can you eat the poisonous pufferfish.

‘But it was worth making.’

Making a plate of pufferfish sashimi increased his resistance to poison by about 1%, from 45%.

If all the nobles invited to the ball ate pufferfish sashimi, wouldn’t it rise to almost 60%?

“Then, with this, we have finished preparing to lure the enemy. I’m looking forward to the ball in two days.”

Prince Fhidely, who had eaten all the pufferfish sashimi and had a satisfied expression, nodded.

“But can’t we just put out gazpacho [a cold, tomato-based soup]? I want to eat all the pufferfish sashimi myself.”

“Your Highness…”

The taste of the pufferfish sashimi was so fantastic that it was too good to be used as bait to lure the enemy.

@

Fhidely’s invitation fluttered the hearts of countless noble young ladies.

The prince, who usually didn’t show much interest in society, had sent out invitations to a ball.

Moreover, it was received by those suffering from mercury poisoning.

The news spread throughout Deutschland in an instant.

“It seems the prince has discovered a food that cures mercury poisoning. It seems he will be serving it to the young ladies at this ball?”

“As expected of Prince Fhidely. Even when he is competing with his brothers for the right to inherit the throne, he is thinking of the sick.”

Moreover, to prove that the pufferfish poison has been completely removed, he will even taste it himself.

The young ladies suffering from mercury poisoning even shed tears and shouted Fhidely’s name.

If this ball is successful, Fhidely’s popularity will increase even more.

The only ones who didn’t like Fhidely’s actions were the two princes competing for the throne.

Deutschland’s Third Prince, Gottfried, glared at Victor with heavy eyes.

“Things are turning out very interestingly. You said that if we ruined Catherine’s appearance, we could drive Erich out. But what happened in the end?”

“…I’m sorry, Your Highness.”

“Shut your mouth, Victor! Your Highness? Thanks to your failure, even my third-place ranking is in danger!”

Gottfried threw the glass he was holding. It hit Victor’s face and turned into sharp shards.

Red blood flowed down Victor’s face.

But his body didn’t move at all. Before him was the great man who would become the king of the Akkad Empire.

“A person who wants to leave behind disgusting places like the elf sanctuary should not become king. The Akkad Empire must be a country only for humans!”

Victor lowered his head even further and said.

“Gottfried, Your Highness. There is still a chance left. Fhidely will be tasting the pufferfish himself at the ball.”

Then, a gleam appeared in Gottfried’s eyes.

“Oh, I knew he was a fool, but I didn’t know he was that much of a fool.”

“It must mean he is that confident in removing the pufferfish poison.”

Gottfried stroked his beard. The situation was going as he wanted. It was as if he was telling him to poison the pufferfish.

“Perhaps he is trying to catch the culprit who poisoned his sister by aiming for the moment when the food is poisoned.”

Then, Victor’s lips twisted.

“That’s right. There is a way to poison someone without even touching the food.”

Gottfried chuckled. As soon as the battle for the throne began, he made more than half of the people working in the palace his subordinates.

He was planning to use them to get what he wanted very secretly.

“Everything is done to create an empire only for humans. This is the last chance, Victor. Don’t fail this time.”

Victor lowered his head even further.

The cooked pufferfish sashimi will be placed on a plate and taken to the ballroom.

Victor’s goal was to contaminate the plate holding the pufferfish sashimi with poison.

“If there is poison on the plate, most people will think it came from the pufferfish. The moment the dish is completed, the evidence that Your Highness used poison will disappear.”

“But wouldn’t the plan fail if someone else eats the pufferfish before Fhidely puts it in his mouth?”

“Don’t worry about that. Usually, putting the dishes that come out at a ball on a plate requires a lot of effort. Chefs call it plating [arranging and decorating food on a plate]. The pre-tasting will be done before the plating.”

“Perfect. So Fhidely will eat the dish that someone else has tasted and be poisoned. Very good. I’m really looking forward to tomorrow’s ball. Still, I should watch my sister’s last journey. Tell them I will attend tomorrow too.”

Gottfried nodded with a satisfied expression.

The plan to poison Prince Fhidely was that perfect.

@

So, the day of the royal ball arrived amidst the attention of many people.

The invited noble young ladies waited for Fhidely to arrive with excited expressions.

“Ah! I’m so nervous! What if the prince asks me to dance!”

“I like Sir Erich more than the prince. Although he is engaged, wouldn’t it be okay to ask for a dance?”

The servant announced the appearance of the protagonist in a loud voice.

“His Highness Fhidely is entering!”

The ornately decorated door opened and Prince Fhidely entered.

But instead of Erich, who he always went with, a man with an unfamiliar face was with him.

Judging by how friendly he was, could he be Erich’s disciple?

As Fhidely ascended to the head seat, the noisy ballroom became quiet in an instant.

“The reason I invited you today is because my friend has created a dish that can cure mercury poisoning. I hope that by eating it, the mercury poisoning that is tormenting you will be alleviated even a little.”

It was a short speech, but the repercussions it brought were enormous.

The word ‘friend’ came out of the prince’s mouth. The nobles gathered at the ball began to talk about the identity of the black-haired man.

Fhidely raised the curtain placed in the center of the ballroom. Then, the dishes made by Cainchel were revealed.

Pufferfish sashimi and gazpacho made with tomatoes in a large plate. Each and every one of them was a dish that looked so delicious.

“Is that really made of pufferfish?”

“My goodness… it’s so beautiful.”

“But what is that tomato soup?”

“Doesn’t it mean to cleanse your palate before eating the main dish?”

But no matter how much the prince prepared it, there was no one who could easily touch the pufferfish dish.

Fhidely smiled and picked up a piece of pufferfish sashimi with a fork and brought it to his mouth.

The eyes of the people around him were filled with shock at the sight of him eating the poisonous pufferfish.

“He’s really eating it…”

“…But it looks really delicious. Since the prince ate it, wouldn’t it be okay to eat it?”

There was a person who was quietly smiling as he watched this.

It was Gottfried, who knew that the pufferfish sashimi was contaminated with poison.

“Hehehe… Think of it as a happy thing to die surrounded by beautiful noble young ladies, Fhidely.”

But something was strange.

The person who ate the pufferfish poison should be paralyzed and collapse within a minute.

That was a fate that even the Sword Master with the strongest power could not avoid.

But what is the scene unfolding before his eyes now?

“This is pufferfish sashimi! It’s really delicious!”

“I’ve never tasted such a rich sauce before. It goes really well with the chewy pufferfish sashimi.”

“Who on earth made this?”

Now even the noble young ladies were eating the pufferfish sashimi so deliciously.

Clearly, the plate on which the pufferfish sashimi was placed was contaminated with poison. Then the pufferfish sashimi on it would not be intact either.

But why on earth…

A black-haired man approached Gottfried, who was clearly flustered.

“Your Highness Gottfried. Aren’t you going to eat pufferfish sashimi? Everyone is eating it so deliciously.”

“Yo, you are…”

“I am the person who cooked the pufferfish sashimi. And I am also the person who will solve Your Highness’s curiosity.”

“Curiosity?”

“Yes. Aren’t you curious as to why they are so fine even after eating pufferfish sashimi?”

Watching Cainchel smiling, Gottfried felt goosebumps.

If someone else heard it, it would just sound like they were talking about cooking poisonous pufferfish.

But no.

That guy knows that he put poison on the plate.

Come to think of it, where did Erich, who always went with Fhidely, go?

Gottfried’s back became wet.

A Dish of Cuisine #5