Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 111

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“I… I… I’m sorry, Kainchel. I… I didn’t mean to deceive you…”

Nimuë stammered, clearly distressed.

Finally, Eirene, unable to watch her struggle any longer, intervened.

“I hope you won’t blame Nimuë too much. She had no other choice.”

The Elf Queen isn’t determined by bloodline.

Only those who can resonate with the World Tree and effectively manage the forest and its lands can become the Elf Queen.

“The World Tree, Yggdrasil, chooses the Queen to overcome its limitations as a tree. You could say she is an avatar of the World Tree.”

“Avatar…”

“All the Queen’s duties and powers exist to protect the World Tree. Think about it: what use are claws that cannot protect the body?”

A harshly truthful statement.

Because the Queen, who failed to protect her other self, eventually became a sword and embarked on a journey.

To find a new World Tree and continue her unfinished duties.

Eirene chuckled and said,

“Oh, right, Kainchel. You were quite impressive, blocking Antares’ magic with one hand to protect Nimuë.”

Apparently, she had been watching everything through the World Tree.

Cold sweat trickled down Kainchel’s cheek.

‘…I blocked Antares’ magic because I believed in my fire resistance, but Nimuë was behind me.’

Without realizing it, he had created an unintentionally cool scene.

Kainchel started to object but stopped himself.

He now understood the reason for Nimuë’s strangely intense gaze.

“Thank you for telling me. I’m glad a guest seems to have acknowledged me.”

“Guest?”

“Ah… it’s nothing.”

Joma Kyung called those who ate Kainchel’s food ‘guests’.

He had become too used to the term.

Eirene, amused, laughed heartily and said,

“Ahaha! As expected, Kainchel is a really funny person. I’ll have Nimuë make the mithril kitchen knife. In return, I’ll give you something else as a gift.”

Kainchel sighed quietly.

Ultimately, he still needed to rely on Nimuë’s ability to make the mithril kitchen knife.

Would she really make a kitchen knife for him?

‘Even if Nimuë dislikes humans, she did enjoy the food I made… Hmm, if she refuses, I’ll have to win her over with other vegetarian dishes.’

Kainchel looked at Nimuë, who was fidgeting, and said,

“Nimuë, it seems things have worked out this way. Would you mind making the mithril kitchen knife for me?”

“Yes, yes! Oh, I’ll make as many as you want!”

Nimuë nodded, her face like a puppy eager for praise.

She would grant him even greater requests…

He was slightly disappointed.

@

The process of purifying the mithril began immediately.

Nimuë gathered dew from the leaves of the World Tree and began to wipe away the impurities on the mithril with it.

Kainchel was momentarily mesmerized by her beauty.

“Did you know? Actually, Nimuë’s age is…”

“Eirene! P, please keep that a secret!”

“Ahaha! Sorry! The purification process will take a while, so would you like to come with me for a bit?”

Eirene led Kainchel to a small cave nestled among the roots of the World Tree.

Then Horizon exclaimed in surprise.

“Y, Your Majesty! You’re not thinking of giving him that, are you?”

“Yes, why not?”

“Even if he saved the clan from a crisis, that’s too great a reward!”

“Then should we offer Kainchel as a gigolo? There are plenty of young elves who like his cooking, so that might be okay too?”

“T, that’s also a bit…”

“Then it’s decided: Mimir’s Well it is.”

Horizon began to mutter, alternating between marriage and Mimir’s Well with a flustered expression.

“I’ve been worried ever since you started reading those human romance novels… I understand! But absolutely no more than two sips!”

“Don’t worry so much. I’ll take care of it.”

Kainchel swallowed hard.

What kind of treasure could it be that Horizon opposed so vehemently?

After walking for nearly five minutes, they reached their destination.

There, connected to the thick roots of the World Tree, was a very small well.

“This is…”

“You’ve come to the right place! This is Mimir’s Well.”

Eirene explained about Mimir’s Well with a more serious expression.

“The World Tree, Yggdrasil, is rooted in the earth and stores the memories contained within it. The overflowing power becomes Mimir’s Well.”

“So, this water contains the power to read the memories of the earth?”

“That’s right! They say that if you drink it all, you will become wiser than any sage. But don’t try it. No one can accept all the memories of the earth.”

Mimir’s Well is said to fill up by one drop a day.

It takes about two years to gather enough for just one sip.

Eirene filled a small bottle with water from Mimir’s Well, almost enough for five sips.

Then she came close to Kainchel and whispered in his ear.

The unique, fresh, and sweet scent of ripe fruit clouded Kainchel’s senses.

“If you sprinkle one drop of Mimir’s Well water on a seed, it will gain a strong vitality and be able to grow in any environment. And if you add it to vegetables, they will taste better than with any seasoning. But don’t waste it. This is really precious.”

“Y, you’re giving this to me?”

“This is a personal gift from me. Thanks to Kainchel, Nimuë was able to fulfill her mission. Oh, and wait a little longer for the clan’s reward.”

Kainchel stared blankly at the small bottle of Mimir’s Well water.

The spring water with the power to read the memories of the earth was a treasure that scholars would pay a fortune for.

And chefs too.

‘It enhances the taste of vegetables?’

Eirene smiled and held out the bottle containing Mimir’s Well water.

“If there’s any past knowledge you want to know, take a sip of this and listen to the earth. Then you can access the memories contained there.”

Kainchel swallowed hard.

He had lost his memories of when the Gistad Territory disappeared.

Perhaps he could use Mimir’s Well water to find out the truth about the tragedy that occurred in the Gistad Territory.

He wanted to run there immediately.

Why did he wake up in the middle of an empty territory, having lost his memory?

The gastronomy and cooking skills he gained from eating Chicken Soup for the Soul…

Perhaps the secret remained in the Gistad Territory?

“You seem eager to use the spring water right away, but try to be patient. You need at least 100 intelligence to be mentally stable after accepting the memories of the earth.”

“Intelligence stat? Do elves also have something similar to Joma Kyung?”

“It’s similar. The World Tree can read the memories of the earth. You can see how much experience has accumulated there. Don’t you think it’s similar to expressing abilities as numerical values?”

“……”

“Perhaps that Joma Kyung is a replica of the World Tree.”

Kainchel took out the Joma Kyung hanging around his neck and checked his intelligence stat.

Intelligence (59).

If it exceeds 100 and he drinks Mimir’s Well water, he will be able to find out the truth about the tragedy that occurred 10 years ago.

It seemed he would have to focus on leveling up for a while.

Fortunately, he could raise all his stats at the same time thanks to his gastronomy skill.

Otherwise, he would be stuck in the library for the rest of his life.

‘…But they said that vegetables taste better when you add Mimir’s Well water, right?’

Perhaps he had obtained another ultimate seasoning, following the jewel salt.

“Oh, and keep it a secret from Horizon that you treated Mimir’s Well water as a seasoning!”

Kainchel smiled and nodded.

He might really be killed if he did that.

@

“Kainchel, here is the purified mithril. I don’t have the skills of a blacksmith, so I couldn’t make a kitchen knife.”

Nimuë held out the mithril, which had been transformed into a round sphere. It was the first time he had seen pure mithril ore.

Kainchel thought of the blacksmith he had met in Weimar. It seemed he would have to ask him to make the kitchen knife.

“Then let’s go see the prisoners.”

“Yes!”

The followers who had magical imprints on their bodies were mostly alive but had lost their minds.

They were now imprisoned in a building on the outskirts of Eldrad.

When he opened the door and entered, he heard the wailing of the followers.

“S, save us!”

“We were just doing what we were told!”

“T, th, that bastard planned everything!”

Horizon, who had arrived earlier, held a knife to their necks and shouted.

“Tell me everything you know! Don’t forget that the reason you haven’t been turned into fertilizer is thanks to Nimuë here!”

“W, we really don’t know anything! We just heard that it would make us stronger…”

Horizon quietly sheathed his sword.

The followers were just thugs from the back alleys. They knew nothing about the Church of the Seven Deadly Sins.

“Any gains, Horizon?”

“It seems we can’t learn anything by interrogating them.”

However, he couldn’t just let them go. The magical imprints engraved on their bodies were dangerous and could explode at any time.

Horizon asked,

“Human, can’t you erase the magical imprints?”

Kainchel recalled the magical imprint on Gilbert’s body. He had tried various methods to erase it.

However, he couldn’t erase the magical imprint with either divine power or magic.

And if he tried to destroy the tattoo itself, the magic would activate.

“This isn’t a simple tattoo. Antares called it the mark of a forgotten god. It’s both a blessing and a curse…”

At that moment, something flashed through Kainchel’s mind.

Nimuë used the power of the World Tree to purify the aura contained in the mithril.

Perhaps that could be the key to eliminating the magical imprints?

Nimuë nodded after hearing Kainchel’s thoughts.

“It’s worth a try. They aren’t good people, but they were only following Antares’ orders because of the magical imprints.”

She took out the branch of the World Tree she had been carrying.

Since she had already completed the purification ritual, no other preparations were needed.

Nimuë closed her eyes and focused her consciousness on the branch of the World Tree.

“♩~♪~♬……”

Then, a song like the chirping of birds echoed.

The trees in Eldrad resonated with her song.

A fresh green light rose from the bodies of the followers.

“Oh! Oh oh!”

The magical imprints, which seemed impossible to remove, gradually blurred.

The Elfen Lied [Elven Song], the song of the fairies that only the Elf Queen can sing.

The purification using it returns everything to its original state, regardless of good or evil.

The branch of the World Tree, having exhausted its power, turned gray and shattered.

“…Fortunately, it seems to have succeeded.”

The followers prostrated themselves before Nimuë. She had not only saved their lives but also erased the magical imprints.

“Great fairy of the forest, thank you sincerely…”

“Thank you, thank you…”

“Give your thanks to Kainchel here. If Kainchel hadn’t asked, we wouldn’t have brought you here alive.”

“Oh… Oh…”

Kainchel quietly left the building.

The treatment of the followers would need further discussion.

However, discovering that Elfen Lied could erase magical imprints was a great gain.

‘If Algedi, Antares’ collaborator, finds out that Antares is dead, he will make a move.’

He was a Britannia nobleman who had accumulated enormous wealth through war. He likely knew how to use magical imprints.

To deal with him, he would need Nimuë’s Elfen Lied ability.

‘Perhaps the attempt to destroy the World Tree is also…’

It felt like the pieces of the puzzle that had been invisible were coming together.

But there were still crucial clues missing.

Kainchel organized his thoughts and returned to his lodging.

Eirene was waiting there.

“Kainchel! Tonight, I’m gathering the entire clan to hold a banquet to celebrate the birth of a new clan. Will you come?”

“…Is it okay for me, a human, to attend?”

“Of course! What are we supposed to do if the main character is missing!”

World Tree Guardian #5