Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 155

Hearing Cainchel’s answer, Elizabeth clutched her stomach and laughed, saying,

“Did you hear that? He figured out their stealth skill while learning to grill steak. *Pfft*, *hahaha*!”

“Tsk.”

Walter glared at Cainchel and Elizabeth.

*To think I would meet a Sword Master from another country in a place like this.*

A list of Sword Masters that Britannia possessed flashed through his mind.

“Only two of the Seven Virtues are women. That means you must be Elizabeth, the Sword Master of Charity.”

“Correct.”

However, he couldn’t figure out the identity of the black-haired man no matter how hard he tried.

A sword aura that could freeze dozens of monsters at once.

That was impossible with the aura of a Sword Knight.

Besides, he was young.

*Perhaps they had discovered a Sword Master that Britannia was secretly raising.*

Sweat dripped down Walter’s chin.

“It seems I’ll have to overhaul the intelligence department when I return. To not know such important information.”

If things went wrong, the balance between the two nations, which was being maintained so precariously, might be broken.

Although he hadn’t found any traces of the dragon, he had to report that fact to his home country without fail.

However, that would only happen after he returned safely.

“…Can’t we just pretend we didn’t see anything?”

Elizabeth smiled at Cainchel.

It was a signal to prepare for the enemy’s surprise attack.

“I don’t want to.”

“Then at least I’ll take an arm with me.”

*Whoooooooong…!*

A black aura began to emanate from Walter’s body.

Even though not a single breeze was blowing, the cloak he was wearing fluttered.

The aura that naturally flowed out from every pore of his body instantly darkened the surroundings.

Cainchel was impressed.

Sword Knights use aura to enhance the abilities of their body or sword.

But Sword Masters use aura in much more diverse ways.

Walter was synchronizing his body with the surroundings by spreading a very diluted aura.

At this rate, it would be impossible to know his exact location.

The black energy writhed and emitted huge tentacles.

“Be careful. Each one of those is an aura blade.”

Cainchel nodded and activated Meringue [a defensive skill].

The tentacles were unable to penetrate the five layers of Meringue and bounced off.

Walter’s voice flowed out from within the black energy.

“Don’t be happy just because you blocked that. My attack is just beginning…!”

Walter took out a small glass bottle and sprinkled it into the black energy.

Elizabeth screamed in surprise.

“N, no way! Using poison in a fight between Masters!”

“Didn’t I say I would take at least one arm with me? But if possible, a head would be better, right?”

Elizabeth tore off a piece of her clothing and covered her mouth.

The lung capacity of a Sword Master is enormous. They can hold their breath for at least 10 minutes.

However, the poison Walter used was the type that poisoned the opponent through the skin, not through breathing.

In an instant, Elizabeth’s face turned pale white.

“If it’s this type of poison, then that guy too…”

“From a family where poison flows instead of blood, you say. This much is nothing to me.”

Walter had a resistance to potent poisons of over 30%. And he manifested the aura blade in a form that could utilize it best.

“Now, draw your sword, Sword Master of Charity. I will teach you that you cannot win a war with hypocrisy alone.”

*Gogogogogo–!*

The black energy emanating from Walter’s body became even denser.

He sprinkled another bottle of poison.

Crimson blood flowed from between her tightly closed lips.

He used a poison that exceeded the limit she could withstand in order to kill Elizabeth for sure.

Elizabeth staggered and said,

“K, kid, you…”

But Cainchel’s condition was strange. To be precise, he looked strangely fine.

Walter was also aware of the anomaly.

“N, no way! What on earth did you do to not even change your expression in this poisonous fog!”

However, Cainchel didn’t have the余裕 [leeway/composure] to answer that. First, he had to do something about Elizabeth, who was poisoned.

“I’m sorry, Lady Elizabeth. Excuse me for a moment.”

“E, excuse me for what…”

Cainchel wrapped his arms around Elizabeth’s waist, who looked like she was about to collapse at any moment, and muttered.

“Meringue!”

Then, a barrier of aura rose around Elizabeth’s body.

There was nothing he could do about the poison that had already been absorbed into her body. But he had to prevent any further infiltration.

And he held out a small pouch.

“A skilled chef should be able to cook even with ingredients that contain potent poisons. Eat this first. It will neutralize the poison to some extent.”

It was garlic and ginger. Both ingredients have detoxifying effects.

“Then, was that why you were putting this on the meat earlier? Because of the poison?”

“Yes. It’s best to cook and eat it, but this will put out the immediate fire.”

“…Just wait a little. Once I detoxify to some extent, a guy like that is nothing.”

“I’ll make you medicinal cuisine with detoxifying effects when we get back.”

“…Okay.”

First, he had to deal with the black energy surrounding them.

*But those Deutschland [German] guys use a lot of poison.*

Cainchel had made medicinal cuisine for people poisoned while traveling in Deutschland.

Even then, most poisons couldn’t penetrate Cainchel’s resistance.

And after that, he cooked dishes using herbs like crazy. As a result, his resistance to potent poisons had increased even further.

*This much is bearable. But first, I need to do something about the poisonous fog.*

Cainchel activated Flambe [a fire-based skill].

Then, blazing flames erupted from Cainchel’s left arm.

It instantly burned away the black fog and the poison that was dissolved within it.

“What, this time it’s the Flame Emperor?! How many skills does he have!”

Of course, there are cases where people use multiple skills if they are only at the 1-2 star level, which is just imitating.

However, in order to use it in a battle between Sword Masters, it must be at least 8 stars.

A realm that is difficult to reach even if you devote your whole life to one or two skills.

The reason why Cainchel was able to increase the proficiency of various cooking skills was simple.

“Do you know how many skills are needed to make one dish? At least five. Sometimes I use as many as ten.”

“What nonsense!”

“Then, how long can you withstand the flames of Flambe?”

“*Keuk*…”

Walter was anxious.

It was good that he had incapacitated the Sword Master of Charity with poison.

But the black-haired man had turned the tables.

A man who wielded fire and ice and was unharmed even after being covered in potent poison. What on earth was his identity?

Walter engraved Cainchel’s face in his eyes. It was dangerous to continue fighting without knowing the opponent’s strength.

In the end, Walter chose a tactical retreat. He would deceive them with black energy while extracting only the main body and escaping.

Of course, it would turn into a diplomatic issue, but it was better than losing a Sword Master.

“*Kuek*…”

Besides, it was slowly becoming difficult to withstand the raging flames.

In the end, Walter chose to escape with all his might.

The remaining black energy melted away in an instant.

“…Sorry. It seems like this is the end for me.”

And Elizabeth’s body, which had barely been holding on, collapsed.

It seemed that the poison was stronger than she had thought.

“*Euek*, but kid. Why aren’t you chasing after him? You could get a huge reward if you catch a Sword Master from an enemy country.”

“That’s because the flames from earlier were a bluff.”

“A bluff?”

“It was originally a technique I created to cook without fire. If I kept shooting like that, my aura would have run out quickly.”

“So you’re saying you lied to a Sword Master?”

“I could feel that the other party was stalling for time. He wouldn’t have come alone to infiltrate an enemy country.”

Cainchel recalled the story he had heard from Calliope.

It was three Sword Masters who had inflicted a terrible injury on her. The other two must be nearby.

“The kid is definitely right.”

Elizabeth laughed for a while, clutching her stomach, as if she found something very amusing.

“Tsk, I was going to show you a cool side of myself, but I completely ruined my reputation. Just you wait. I won’t be so easily defeated next time.”

@

And so, the two returned to Mino territory.

Cainchel made a special gazpacho [cold tomato soup] to remove the poison remaining in Elizabeth’s body.

Elizabeth stared at the tomato soup with suspicious eyes. No matter how she looked at it, it was nothing special.

But eating this would cure the poisoning?

She tentatively took a small spoonful and put it in her mouth. And Elizabeth’s eyes widened.

Regardless of the effect, it was incredibly delicious.

“…It’s cool and easy to eat, so it goes down smoothly. It’s like my body wants it.”

Elizabeth quickly emptied the large bowl of gazpacho.

Then, sticky sweat began to flow from her entire body.

The poison that had poisoned her was being excreted through her pores.

“Oh? The poison is really disappearing? Ugh, the smell…”

Elizabeth sighed in relief and wiped the sweat that flowed onto the floor with a silk handkerchief.

“Kid, no, I guess it’s a bit much to call you kid now. Anyway, I’ll never forget this. If you ever need my help, just say the word. This has nothing to do with the deal.”

“I welcome the help of a Sword Master anytime.”

“You sure know how to talk.”

Elizabeth tapped the table with her finger.

A Sword Master from Deutschland, which could be called an enemy country, had crossed the border.

This was an issue that could lead to an all-out war.

“Well, the old geezers with nothing to do will take care of the troublesome stuff. I just have to fight when they tell me to.”

Elizabeth put her arm around Cainchel’s shoulder. Something big pressed against Cainchel’s face.

“But how long has it been since you received the title of Count that you’ve already made a contribution? It’s not enough to be promoted, but you’ll be able to receive this and that from Britain. So what are you going to do in the future? Keep hunting monsters?”

“I’m going to make some money first.”

“Money? Hmm…, you definitely need that.”

“I hunted monsters to get this.”

Cainchel took out the carbonated water and cola tree branches in the oak barrel.

When he poured the carbonated water into a glass, bubbles rose with a *psheek* sound.

“Ugh, it smells like stone powder…”

Perhaps because it was taken directly from a natural carbonated spring, it was full of dissolved lime powder.

It didn’t seem like he could drink it like this.

“So what are you going to do with the carbonated water and tree branches?”

“I’m going to make a carbonated drink called cola.”

“Cola?”

Cainchel quietly nodded. All the ingredients needed to make cola were gathered.

Now, all he had to do was make a prototype and go straight into mass production.

“…That’s a catchy name. But wouldn’t you need the help of an alchemist to refine this carbonated water so that it can be drunk? You don’t know any alchemists, do you? This older sister will specially…”

Cainchel recalled the face of the man wearing the iron mask and said,

“There is one alchemist I know. Bishop, I’ll ask him.”

“What, you’re telling me you know Bishop?”

It seemed that the alchemist Elizabeth was going to introduce was also Bishop.

“Yes, somehow.”

“He’s a guy who rarely meets other people, so it’s amazing.”

Until a few months ago, he and Bishop were researching ingredients together.

He had a strange interest in the food Cainchel made, so he would definitely be interested in cola too, right?

And that prediction was only half right.

A taste you can know without even tasting #1