Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 131

Legendary Reincarnation #2

“Back in the days of King Charlemagne, there were many artifacts symbolizing heroes.”

“Like Durendal?”

“Exactly. But fairies, magic, myths… So much disappeared with the War of the Seven Sins. The era of craftsmen forging a single sword throughout their lives is over. What remains here are just relics of the past.”

His words sounded strangely lonely. Cainchel quietly nodded, listening to Bluemountain.

He hoped to find a hint about a weapon.

The armory was filled with enough weapons to equip several knight orders.

Among them were swords so dazzling they caught the eye, and others so rusted it was a wonder where they had been dragged from.

‘The older ones might be the real treasures.’

Cainchel drew a sword hanging on the wall. It was a masterpiece that seemed to be forged from gold.

He reflexively brought the blade to his tongue, wondering if his Gourmet skill might identify a good weapon.

But all he tasted on the tip of his tongue was the faint taste of blood embedded in the sword.

A sword that had tasted much blood, despite its glamorous appearance.

‘…It’s definitely a good sword, but not quite Durendal.’

A bitter smile appeared on Cainchel’s lips. His 5-star Gourmet skill could identify the name and ingredients of the person who made the poison.

However, the Gourmet skill only analyzed things that could be eaten.

Whether poison could be considered an ingredient was still questionable.

“Are you having trouble choosing something? Well, take your time.”

“Don’t you have anything to recommend?”

“Hmm, the boy’s trying to cheat. But it’s not like you’re asking for the entire armory, so I should grant you that much. Let’s see.”

Bluemountain scanned Cainchel’s armor up and down and nodded.

“It usually takes the form of a ring and materializes in response to the user’s aura. The armor seems sufficient. Then, how about this?”

He held up a golden bracelet. Unidentifiable patterns glittered in the torchlight.

“Draupnir [In Norse mythology, a magical ring that replicates itself every nine nights]. The first offering given to Deus [Latin for ‘God,’ likely referring to a deity in this world’s lore] thousands of years ago.”

“…How did you obtain such a great item?”

“That’s a secret. Anyway, wearing this will consume the owner’s aura and create eight identical items every nine days. Of course, only the original has the copying ability.”

Cainchel’s eyes widened.

He wondered why something like this was gathering dust in the armory.

With this, you could build not just a village, but a city.

“The reason is simple. Copying Draupnir requires at least the aura of a Sword Master. Moreover, when wearing it, even a Sword Master becomes an ordinary person.”

“That’s completely useless.”

“Ahem, ahem!”

Bluemountain scratched the back of his head, embarrassed by his own words, and cleared his throat.

A Sword Master was like a tactical weapon representing a nation.

The cost of giving up that power for a few gold bracelets was hardly worth it.

“Well, it’s also possible to copy three gold bracelets every 33 days at the cost of giving up the power of a Sword Knight…”

“No, thank you.”

It seemed better to just choose something he liked.

Cainchel narrowed his eyes and looked around the armory.

Ideally, a weapon that he didn’t already have, something that could fill his gaps.

Then Cainchel’s eyes widened as he saw something in the corner.

“No, why is that in the armory…”

No matter how he looked at it, it was a cutting board used for preparing ingredients.

The wide board was large enough to hold a big fish. What he particularly liked was the iron body. It wouldn’t get dirty easily even when preparing various ingredients.

‘Besides, it looks really sturdy. It doesn’t seem like even a mithril sword could scratch it.’

Bluemountain chuckled as Cainchel’s eyes lit up at the sight of the iron cutting board.

“Indeed, the boy has a good eye. That is…”

“It’s a very useful-looking cutting board.”

“…Aegis, the Shield of God. Wait a minute. What did you just say?”

Bluemountain and Cainchel were looking at the same object but thinking completely different things.

What, calling the Shield of God a cutting board?

It looked like a cutting board to him. This is the Shield of God?

“Haha! Right? Surely they wouldn’t put a cutting board in the armory.”

“Ahaha! Is that so? Then I’ll take this.”

“Boy, don’t forget. That’s not a cutting board, it’s a shield.”

Bluemountain emphasized several times, as if feeling uneasy.

Cold sweat ran down Cainchel’s cheek.

The Aegis looked like a cutting board no matter how you looked at it.

He couldn’t use it as a cutting board in front of Bluemountain.

He tried pouring aura into his mithril knife and striking it with all his might. Of course, not even a small scratch appeared.

‘I got a cutting board in addition to the knife with this.’

If he could cut as much as he wanted, the speed of preparing ingredients would increase even more.

Bluemountain took out a dimensional pouch and began to sweep up the items in the armory.

It seemed he was preparing to leave this place.

“So, where are you planning to go now?”

“I’m thinking of going to Edinburgh first. The Goodblood Auction House is the only place to sell this much weaponry.”

It was the name of an underground grand auction house run by vampires.

Everything becomes a commodity there. Expensive treasures, ancient books, precious swords, and even humans.

It was even said that the only difference between a guest and a commodity was the amount of money they had.

“If you need a place to stay, why don’t you come to the North? If you talk to Baron Mikelan of Mino Territory, he will surely provide you with a place to stay.”

“Hmm, the North… Certainly, that would be a good place to hide.”

“There’s a dungeon that was recently created in Mino Territory. A skilled blacksmith would be welcomed no matter how many there are.”

“Certainly, the White Mountains have iron ore mines, and it’s a place untouched by Count Algedi, so it doesn’t seem bad. I’ll consider it, boy.”

Cainchel immediately wrote a letter of introduction on parchment.

“Haha, I feel bad receiving even this. You came with a letter of introduction in the first place. But rather, I’m the one who’s been greatly indebted.”

“No, I’m the one asking you to come to the North.”

“Is that so?”

For the reconstruction of Gistad Territory, architects and technicians with outstanding skills were needed.

If dwarves were living next door, it would definitely be a great help.

@

Cainchel, who left Iron Hammer, headed to Goldrush, famous for its mines.

He was sorry that he didn’t say a proper farewell to the Ingredient Trio.

But as long as they keep cooking, wouldn’t they be able to meet again someday?

It had only been a month, but Cainchel had changed dramatically.

’13-star beginner swordsmanship, dishes made with dragon meat, and Durendal… Plus, I got an awesome cutting board as a bonus.’

To be exact, it was the Shield of God, Aegis, but to Cainchel, it was just a cutting board.

After riding for nearly two hours, he arrived at a small tavern on the outskirts of Goldrush.

Opening the door and entering, he was greeted by the strong smell of alcohol. Half of the customers were miners, and the other half were merchants.

“Hehe! Where did this young punk come from! Bartender! Get me a glass of milk!”

Ignoring the person who was picking a fight while heavily drunk, he sat down. Then, the server who was carrying drinks asked.

“What can I get you?”

“Um, what dishes are available right now?”

“We have most things.”

“Then I’ll take everything.”

The surprised server asked again.

“Yes? What did you just say…”

“I want one serving of everything on the menu.”

“I’m sorry, but the menu includes a whole roasted pig. One serving of that is…”

“It’s okay. Give it to me.”

The tavern had over 10 items on the menu.

In an instant, a mountain of food was created in front of Cainchel.

“What, is that pale-faced guy going to eat all that?”

“He definitely won’t be able to eat it all and will leave most of it. Looks like he made some money somewhere. If he wants to splurge, he should go to a fancy restaurant, what’s he doing here?”

Cainchel grinned and began to eat.

He poured the stew in the large pot entirely into his mouth. He put the neatly arranged raw ham on half a slice of rye bread and swallowed it in one gulp.

People who were drinking next to him widened their eyes as they watched him eat at an incredible speed.

“Wh, what. He’s really eating it all!”

“And he’s eating so deliciously… Hey, give me a bowl of that too!”

“Me too!”

Suddenly, a feast broke out in the tavern.

The server who was carrying food moved faster.

“Hoo…”

Cainchel, who had eaten all the mountain of food, shocked everyone with a single word.

“Can I have one more serving of everything?”

“…”

Even after eating that much, Cainchel’s stomach was still flat.

It was a side effect of the sudden growth.

Cainchel already ate more than others thanks to his Gourmet skill.

But after eating dragon meat, that amount had increased tenfold.

‘I’m glad there was a whole roasted pig. Otherwise, I would have had to eat about 30 servings.’

Messages that experience was constantly increasing were flowing in the corner of his vision.

[You have tasted the 3-star dish ‘Whole Roasted Pig’.]

[You have tasted the 2-star dish ‘Salami and French Fries’.]

The experience increased by a tiny amount, but he leveled up once, perhaps because he ate so much.

At this rate, he would soon reach level 100.

After emptying 20 servings of food and the whole roasted pig, the server with a nervous expression approached.

“I’m sorry, sir. Can I ask you to pay first?”

“Sure. How much is it?”

“I’ll deduct 40 coppers and take only 4 silver.”

Cainchel took out a sparkling silver coin from his pocket and placed it in the server’s hand.

‘I still have a lot of money left, so I should eat hard and increase my experience for a while.’

After eating even the unidentified fruit that came out for dessert, the person he had been waiting for appeared.

“Brother! Did you wait long?”

It was Zeke, who had left Iron Hammer for investigation. He was carrying a mountain of parchment.

“I got hungry again while waiting. Let’s talk while eating something.”

“Shall we?”

The server who was passing by fell forward.

Did he really eat again after eating so much? It was as if he had a dimensional pouch in his stomach.

Zeke came closer to Cainchel and whispered.

“Your prediction was correct. The Curse of the Seven Sins is spreading throughout Krolltra.”

“How many types have been confirmed?”

The Curse of Sloth would only cause a deep sleep from which one could not wake up. But the Gluttony that turns one into an undead or the Wrath that turns one into a murderer would be dangerous.

“So far, only Sloth and Gluttony. And the only one cursed by Gluttony is that chef we saw last time.”

“Hmm…”

It was then.

A miner who was drinking suddenly stood up and threw his glass.

“Wh, what! Work hard and someday gold will come out! No matter how much I swing my pickaxe, nothing comes out! W, w, w! Wrath! Kik, kreuk, kiiiik!”

“H, hey, ca, calm down. Nothing changes by getting angry like that… Uwaaaak!”

The man, whose whole body had turned red, grabbed the leg of the table. He swung it at the face of the man sitting next to him.

Bang!

A scream filled with pain echoed along with the sound of something breaking.

It could be seen as simply causing a disturbance while drunk.

However, twisting a table leg with bare hands requires considerable strength.

That is only possible when cursed by Wrath.

Zeke chuckled and raised another finger.

“Ah, there’s also the Curse of Wrath.”