Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 110

“―――!”

Antares wore an expression of disbelief as his head flew off, not understanding what was happening to him.

What? How did that little brat get so strong?

He seemed to be asking that very question.

Kainchel’s eyes reflected Antares’ body falling after losing its head.

‘Lucky me.’

If I hadn’t met Phiehllie, I wouldn’t have been able to use fifteen meringues [magical energy amplifiers] at once.

It was all thanks to the serendipity that started with a bowl of cooking.

But the state of the severed head was strange.

“Ehehe, ehehehe! This body has been implanted with immortal cells! I won’t die from this!”

Antares’ head continued to spew out unpleasant laughter as it rolled towards its body.

It was a sight so gruesome it was nauseating.

Immortal cells…

Was that the secret to Antares’ regenerative ability?

‘What! He doesn’t die even when his head is cut off? What the hell is he?’

“Ehehe, ehehehe! Satan’s wrath! Wrrraaaath! Will burn everything!”

Antares stuck out his tongue.

There, a very clear magic seal was engraved.

If he closed his mouth, his tongue would be destroyed, and a fire magic with tremendous power would be activated.

But in the end, Antares couldn’t do it.

Nimue, who had been watching his last struggle right next to him, stomped on his head.

Thud!

“Kkeuek! Kkeueueuek!”

“Head, I’ll ask you just one thing. Do you remember burning the World Tree in Britannia and killing countless elves during the War of the Seven Deadly Sins?”

Then Antares’ eyes softly curved, and he slowly shook his head.

It was as if he was saying, how could he still remember such a trivial matter.

“Is that so?”

Nimue put strength into her foot and kicked Antares’ head up. And she swung the bouquet of roses she was holding.

“Ehehehehehehehehe! Egek….”

Until the last moment, Antares left behind an ominous laugh.

He burned the World Tree of Britannia and massacred countless elves.

It was an event that happened more than ten years ago, but it was as vivid as if it had happened yesterday.

After that, Antares, who had committed numerous evil deeds, finally lost his tenacious life in Nimue’s hands.

And Nimue’s ears drooped as she realized what she had done.

“M, I’m sorry. I’m sure there would have been a huge reward waiting if I had taken this person’s head… I did as I pleased…”

Kainchel chuckled.

“It’s okay. It’s enough if Nimue-nim is satisfied.”

Besides, even without the head, Antares’ body still holds evidence of the numerous evil deeds he committed.

That would be enough to prove that he was defeated.

“Ah….”

Nimue looked at Kainchel with a gaze that was so sticky it was burdensome.

If Kainchel hadn’t been there, she wouldn’t have been able to avenge her clan with her own hands.

How on earth could she repay this favor?

“But first, we need to do something about that fire.”

Kainchel turned his body and looked at the burning forest.

Just because Antares was defeated doesn’t mean everything is over.

The wildfire was still spreading at an incredible rate.

The flames were so hot that it felt like he might become a steak cooked alive.

If this wasn’t resolved, not only Eldrad but also the World Tree would be in danger.

@

Nimue’s slender fingers grabbed Kainchel’s arm.

The soft touch made his body, already heated by the wildfire, even hotter.

“N, Nimue-nim?”

“Don’t worry, Kainchel. From now on, you’ll see why elves are called guardians of the forest.”

The wildfire had spread to the point where it was impossible to handle with human power.

To put it out, the trees, the forest, moved.

The branches of the trees that were not on fire wrapped around the flames.

Kuaaaaaah-!

It was as if the entire forest was wailing in pain.

“Ah, Eirene….”

Nimue looked at the forest with an expression as if she was about to burst into tears right now.

The trees that were burning themselves to put out the fire contained Eirene’s consciousness.

“Elves can transfer their consciousness to trees, and only the queen can move the entire forest through the World Tree.”

Kainchel stared at the sight that could only be described as majestic.

‘This is the power of the World Tree’s guardian….’

I think I know why elves weaken when they lose their forest.

It was like a part of their body disappearing.

As Eirene covered the wildfire with branches, Horizon jumped into it.

“Ancient spirits dwelling in the World Tree…!”

A whirlwind began to blow around Horizon. And through it, wind containing flames spewed out.

It used the power of the ancient spirits to create a vacuum inside the branches.

In the end, the fire that had been spreading at an incredible rate lost its power and subsided.

After repeating this dozens of times, they were able to put out all the wildfires that were about to engulf the entire forest.

But the damage was by no means small.

More than 1/3 of the forest surrounding Eldrad had disappeared, and countless trees had turned to ashes.

Nimue closed her eyes as she looked at the blackened Elven Knights.

Was she reminded of the faces of her fellow elves who died at the hands of Antares in their appearance?

Horizon, who had come close, comforted Nimue.

“Nimue-nim, please don’t be too sad. Their souls will melt into the World Tree and be with this forest forever.”

“…”

“It seems that the Queen’s condition is not very good, so I will go back first. Then….”

Horizon looked at the human standing next to Nimue with eyes mixed with various emotions.

Without his help, the World Tree, as well as all the elves living in Eldrad, would have burned to death.

Suddenly, Horizon recalled Kainchel blocking the magic used by Antares with one hand.

“That’s right. There was definitely a word in the human language that referred to such a person.”

And he muttered in a very small voice.

‘Hero,’ he said.

@

“Y, Your Majesty!”

“Ugh, ugh….”

When they returned to the place where the World Tree was, Eirene was collapsed and groaning.

Horizon held her in his arms.

Synchronization with the World Tree is the act of transferring consciousness itself. If something goes wrong, you may never wake up again.

Eirene jumped up and pointed to the food on the table.

“I, I thought I was going to starve to death! I heard you were having a cooking contest, so I couldn’t even eat!”

“I, I’m sorry, but are you okay?”

“I’m fine. You’ve worked hard too, Horizon.”

Eirene smiled as if nothing was wrong.

But her body was covered with unsightly scars.

This was because she had embraced the flames several times while synchronizing her consciousness with the tree.

It was something that left scars not only on the mind but also on the body.

Horizon knelt in front of Eirene and said.

It was a loving look, as if a father was looking at his daughter.

“You’ve done a great job, Your Majesty.”

“Then, thanks to everyone’s efforts, we’ve dealt with the uninvited guests who were destroying the forest, so let’s have a cooking competition again.”

“Wouldn’t it be okay if I just said I lost?”

If Kainchel lost the cooking contest, he was supposed to kick her butt [a playful punishment].

But now Kainchel was a hero who saved the clan from crisis.

Even Horizon, who hated humans, wasn’t so shameless.

“What, were you planning to just let it go? What about what I’ve been waiting for!”

“…”

In the end, in front of everyone, Eirene began to eat the dishes made by Horizon and Kainchel.

“Then, I’ll enjoy the meal!”

Eirene, holding a fork, first reached for the Mushroom Broccoli Pasta.

The trumpet mushrooms grilled over charcoal had an indescribably fragrant smell.

The flavor of the mushrooms is excellent, but the taste of the carrots and pasta fried in olive oil is also special.

The pasta, which combines the unique softness of carrots and the sweetness of Piagnol [a type of vegetable], was a taste I had never eaten before.

“Wow! Is this really the trumpet mushroom I used to eat every day? How can you grill it so chewy!”

Every time I chewed the mushroom, a thick juice flowed out, wetting my mouth sticky.

Eirene licked her lips as if even that was precious.

Mixing in the crispy Kemin leaves [a type of herb] also enhanced the taste of the pasta.

“Kainchel! This is so delicious that I hate to see it disappear!”

Kainchel smiled as he watched Eirene eating the food he made with relish.

Eirene, who had emptied a plate of pasta in an instant, rushed to the next dish as if she had been starving for days.

“I’m so happy that there’s still more food left!”

The salad with plenty of maple syrup was as fresh as if it had just been picked.

And the moment I put it in my mouth, I felt a sweetness that made my eyes widen.

And what about the enchiladas made by wrapping various vegetables and beans in tortillas?

The moment I took a bite, I came to my senses and realized that the food had disappeared from in front of me.

“How can you make such delicious food! Ah! It’s so delicious!”

Eirene twisted her body and screamed happily.

In the end, Eirene, who had eaten all the dishes made by Kainchel, patted her stomach and said.

“Ugh, I’m sorry, but I’ll eat what Horizon made next time. Is that okay?”

“…Yes.”

“The food you make is delicious too, but the food you make is the same every day. Sometimes I want to eat something different!”

Then Horizon began to glare at Kainchel with a terrifying look, as if he had never called him a hero.

If Eirene hadn’t been watching, he would have grabbed her by the collar and thrown her out.

Eirene called Kainchel’s name with a satisfied expression.

“Kainchel.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“It was really delicious. Ah, I like this man more and more! It’s hard to find someone who is so strong and good at cooking. Should I just take him and live with him this time?”

“D, did I hear you wrong?”

“I’m just kidding, just kidding. If I really did that, Nimue-nim would try to kill me.”

Eirene laughed and waved her hand, but in fact, she was half serious.

No one has ever been able to make food for elves this delicious.

Besides, he is even a hero who saved the clan from crisis.

That’s how the victory or defeat of the cooking competition between Kainchel and Horizon was decided. Horizon gnashed his teeth with a resentful expression.

“Even though I lost the cooking contest, don’t even think about laying a finger on the Queen.”

‘No, does this sound like a proposal? Why is he being like this?’

Even Nimue is twisting her fingers as if she is embarrassed.

“I’m sure if you win this cooking contest, Horizon will grant you one request, right? I have to repay you for saving the clan, so I’ll grant you that request. It’s okay if you want to be with me, so feel free to tell me.”

Then Horizon, who had been bowing his head, ran up and blocked the space between the Queen and Kainchel.

“Y, Your Majesty! You’re going too far with your jokes!”

“I’m not kidding this time?”

“…”

In the end, Kainchel took out the sword he was wearing on his waist and held it out.

To calm the situation, it seemed like he had to end the story as quickly as possible.

“It’s a sword made of Mithril [a strong and magical metal]. Would you melt this down and make a kitchen knife?”

“What, a kitchen knife?”

“Yes? A kitchen knife?”

The gathered elves stood up from their seats with shocked expressions. I can’t believe he’s asking for a kitchen knife in this situation.

“Ahahaha! To hear the words that the Elven Queen will grant you any request and ask her to make a kitchen knife… Ahaha! You’re the best!”

Nimue nodded as if she was relieved.

“Ah, I’m glad he’s just someone who only knows how to cook….”

Horizon grabbed Kainchel’s shoulder with a much more generous expression.

“Sorry for doubting you, human. The food you made was really the best.”

Eirene, who had been laughing while holding her stomach for a while, suddenly stood up from her seat and approached Kainchel.

“But I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can grant that request. I can’t perform the purification ceremony for a while because I’m forcibly synchronizing with the World Tree.”

“…Is that so.”

“But why are you asking me for that? There’s one more queen, right?”

“What do you mean there’s one more queen?”

“Ah, you really didn’t know? Nimue-nim is really bad. How long were you planning to hide it? I know. I’ll tell you instead. Nimue-nim over there is….”

“E, Eirene!”

Nimue, who was flustered, blocked Eirene’s mouth, but it was already the same as if the whole story was over.

Kainchel muttered with a blank expression.

“…Nimue-nim is the Queen?”

Maybe he had been going around for a long time, leaving the opportunity right next to him.

Guardian of the World Tree #4