Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 166

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51. Thought It Was a Breeze, But It Was a Typhoon

Black mist erupted from somewhere, enveloping Adolf’s body.

It contained Walter’s unwavering will, who had sacrificed everything to protect his lord.

Adolf narrowly escaped death.

However, he showed no gratitude.

“Why are you so late? Look, thanks to your incompetence, my body is… Walter? Are you listening, Walter!”

The black mist was composed of Walter’s aura. But Walter Keitel was nowhere to be seen.

Kainchel swung his sword at Adolf, relentless in his pursuit.

However, Durendal only sliced through empty air.

The Bishop explained the phenomenon, which Kainchel couldn’t understand.

― He escaped to the Astral Dimension.

“The Astral Dimension?”

― It’s a space beyond the material world, accessible only to spirits. He performed a miracle at the cost of his life. Though a knight of the enemy, his loyalty is admirable.

Kainchel frowned.

Adolf continued to spew harsh curses, oblivious to his subordinate’s sacrifice.

“You useless bastard! How dare you, how dare you!”

Finally, Adolf vanished, dissolving into the black mist. Elizabeth, arriving a moment too late, grabbed Kainchel’s shoulder.

She asked about Kainchel’s well-being, her voice filled with worry.

“Kid! Are you okay?”

“Yes, thanks to you.”

Elizabeth lowered her head, looking deeply apologetic.

“…I missed Adolf because of my mistake.”

She ruffled Kainchel’s hair.

“But thanks to our kid, we achieved a great victory. Let’s just say we saved face, okay?”

“So, does this mean I’ve earned a favor?”

“Are you going to be petty with me? Well, if you insist, should I give you a kiss on the cheek?”

“…I’m fine.”

Thus, the bloody battle involving five Sword Masters concluded with a resounding victory for Britannia.

The news of the young lord of the North being the key to this victory would quickly spread throughout Britannia.

“With this, Friedrich is all but confirmed as the next king of Deutschland.”

Thanks to Kainchel’s performance, Adolf lost both arms.

More importantly, Deutschland lost a Sword Master.

The national situation, previously a tense stalemate, began to shift dramatically.

Elizabeth, with her arm around Kainchel’s shoulder, nodded.

“You could say that. Plus, we captured a Sword Master as a prisoner. To get him back, they’ll have to accept some very humiliating conditions.”

This placed Britannia in a highly advantageous diplomatic position.

Elizabeth snuggled closer to Kainchel’s shoulder, a satisfied expression on her face.

“You mentioned that your teacher taught you the ‘Booster’ technique? He’ll be incredibly proud when he hears this news.”

@

Loengrin had suffered a severe injury, his intestines partially exposed.

To aid his recovery, Kainchel prepared a T-bone steak, known for its restorative properties.

A T-bone steak includes both sirloin and tenderloin, separated by a T-shaped bone.

The subtle differences in texture between the sirloin and tenderloin make it challenging to grill perfectly.

Therefore, it’s often used to assess a chef’s skill.

Kainchel grilled the T-bone to a perfect medium-rare, making it look incredibly appetizing.

“This is a T-bone steak. Eating it with 식전 [sikjeon, pre-meal] bread and salad will help heal your wounds.”

Loengrin’s face lit up at the delicious aroma of the meat.

“It looks delicious just by looking at it. Maybe I should get injured more often to eat this.”

‘That’s not right! That’s why Elizabeth calls you an old geezer!’

Juices dripped from the steak on the hot iron plate.

They sizzled and burned, releasing an incredibly enticing smell.

Loengrin swallowed 침을 [chimeul, saliva] and picked up a fork.

He ran the knife across the surface, feeling the texture of the grill marks.

슥억, 슥억-! [onomatopoeia for slicing]

The reddish flesh was revealed with a satisfying sound.

He put it in his mouth and chewed, the rich flavor of high-quality meat and fat spreading throughout his mouth.

It was an unbelievably delicious steak.

“The sirloin has a firm texture, while the tenderloin is as soft as butter. This is a truly exceptional steak.”

Loengrin devoured the entire T-bone steak in moments, looking at the empty plate with disappointment.

“But Kainchel, how was the 무도회 [mudohwe, ball]? Elizabeth is making a fuss because she wants to go with you.”

As news of the victory in the North spread, the nobles of Britannia were in an uproar.

Kainchel had triumphed over a Sword Master of the enemy nation.

Invitations to attend 무도회 [mudohwe, balls] and various social gatherings poured in by the dozens in a single day.

Elizabeth was eager to attend 무도회 [mudohwe, balls] as Kainchel’s partner.

‘Obtaining the Aura Blade as quickly as possible is more important than 무도회 [mudohwe, balls] right now.’

Aside from Adolf, who fled with his arms severed, Merlin’s whereabouts were concerning.

The 육전형 [yukjeonhyeong, ground combat type] Chimera Tartaros he created was incredibly powerful.

Even the Sword Knight had perished without putting up a fight.

Ultimately, it could only be defeated after Elizabeth and Loengrin joined forces.

‘But even that was considered a failure.’

Perhaps the real Tartaros was a monster capable of fighting even dragons, as Vega had suggested.

The reason he was able to defeat Adolf was thanks to Jelly, who was capable of 변칙적인 [byeongchikjeogin, unconventional] attacks.

‘I still need the Aura Blade.’

Kainchel recalled the moment he acquired the 8th slot.

When he made 요리 [yori, food] for Elizabeth, who was 배고파하다 [baegopahada, feeling hungry], 조마경 [Jomakyung, name of the skill] suddenly reacted.

Since then, Elizabeth had been acting unusually friendly. Could there be a connection?

‘But after that, no matter how much 요리 [yori, food] I made, there was no reaction.’

It seemed that as the slots filled up, additional conditions were being added.

The reason he made a T-bone steak for Loengrin today was to see if he could find a clue.

The Bishop, sensing Kainchel’s 고민 [gomin, worries], spoke.

― Partner, perhaps it’s not what 요리 [yori, food] you make, but who eats it that matters.

‘That’s right. I made curry for the people who moved in because of the curse every day, but the slot didn’t change. Maybe someone special to me… No, someone who thinks of me as special? Ah, what is the condition!’

However, Kainchel’s 고민 [gomin, worries] didn’t last long.

The restaurant door opened, and Abel entered with a flustered expression.

“Kainchel, I thought it was a breeze, but it seems to be a typhoon.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Cola. Right now, 상단주 대행 [sangdanju daehaeng, acting heads of merchant guilds] are flocking to buy it.”

Abel was in charge of distributing Cola. It was almost time for the second batch to be released.

@

“To think that 상단주 대행 [sangdanju daehaeng, acting heads of merchant guilds] would come in person…”

Until now, most of those who came to buy Cola were 행수 [haengsu, managers].

However, 상단주 대행 [sangdanju daehaeng, acting heads of merchant guilds] were on a different level.

They typically operated under the direct orders of the 상단주 [sangdanju, guild heads].

Kainchel handed Lorenzo, who sat across the table, a cup of hand-boiled black tea.

Lorenzo was the third son of the Medici Viscount family, whom Kainchel had met at 무도회장 [mudohwejang, ballroom] and assisted.

Lorenzo smiled and said.

“The 향 [hyang, aroma] is wonderful. Thank you for the tea. By the way, Kainchel, I heard you cut off the arm of the Sword Master who invaded the North. You’ve truly become a hero of the North.”

“Thank you for your help at the 무도회장 [mudohwejang, ballroom].”

“크, 크흠! [sound of clearing throat] I simply did what was necessary. Oh, and you can consider everything I say from now on as the 상단주’s [sangdanju, guild head’s] words, as I’m here as 상단주 대행 [sangdanju daehaeng, acting guild head] this time.”

“…It seems you didn’t just come to say hello. It’s about the Cola, isn’t it?”

Lorenzo scratched the back of his head, looking embarrassed.

“Yes, that’s right.”

Thanks to Goethe’s 평론 [pyeongron, review], Cola enjoyed immense popularity as soon as it went on sale.

Merchants lined up daily to purchase it.

However, the 상단주’s [sangdanju, guild heads’] reaction had been lukewarm.

“I’m ashamed to admit that I initially considered Cola a passing fad. Even with Goethe 선생님’s [seonsaengnim, teacher/honorific] praise, I thought people might only try it out of curiosity.”

In short, they were unsure how long the popularity would last.

Lorenzo pulled an empty Cola bottle from his coat and placed it on the table.

“Besides, Cola is 담겨 [damgyeo, contained] in such a transparent and beautiful glass bottle. It also has value as an 장식품 [jangsikpum, ornament]. So, I assumed that no one would buy two bottles. Wouldn’t all the Cola bought with expensive money then become 악성 재고 [akseong jaego, dead stock]?”

That was the difference between daily necessities and 기호품 [gihopum, luxury goods] that needed to be consumed or worn every day.

“But you discovered that wasn’t the case.”

“Yes. In fact, those who have tried it are seeking it out even more enthusiastically. Just to be sure, I tried drinking it like this…”

Lorenzo suddenly grabbed Kainchel’s arm.

“This is truly the best 음료수 [eumnyosu, beverage]! A 톡 쏘는 [tok ssoneun, fizzy] sensation spreads in your mouth along with a 달콤 쌉쌀 [dalkom ssapssal, sweet and bitter] taste… I truly wondered if it was made by the devil! Ah, I don’t mean that Kainchel is the devil…”

The scary thing about Cola is that while some people haven’t tried it, it’s hard to stop after just one taste.

It was an 음료수 [eumnyosu, beverage] with tremendous 중독성 [jungdokseong, addictiveness].

That was slowly starting to show.

쾅쾅쾅-! [onomatopoeia for knocking]

A loud knocking echoed through the Gistad mansion where Kainchel was staying.

Lorenzo looked out the window, his face pale.

“윽 [euk, exclamation of surprise], that 문장 [munjang, crest] belongs to the 바로크 상단 [Baroque Merchant Guild]… And even the 에델바이스 상단 [Edelweiss Merchant Guild]…”

It seemed that all three major 상회 [sanghoe, merchant associations] had sent 상단주 대행 [sangdanju daehaeng, acting guild heads].

Lorenzo, in a hurry, took out 양피지 [yangpiji, parchment] and handed it to Kainchel.

“If you grant the Big Deer 상회 [sanghoe, merchant association] exclusive rights to Cola, we’ll give you 50% above the existing supply price… No, even twice as much.”

As much as 2 silver per bottle. In fact, it was a natural result considering Cola’s popularity.

“Twice…”

That wasn’t the end of it.

“Cola is an 음료수 [eumnyosu, beverage] that will be successful not only in Britannia but also in other countries. We’ll buy your entire production volume, even if you increase it by 5 times… No, 10 times.”

It was now a sum that couldn’t be measured in mere potatoes.

“Did you hear that, Bishop? How can we increase the production volume just a little more?”

Then, lips protruded from a part that was not visible from where Lorenzo was.

“Screw it, partner. It’s overtime again today.”

“…”

It seemed that the 2nd and 3rd production volumes were also limited to 10,000 bottles.

Abel, who had been listening to the conversation quietly, intervened.

“Isn’t it too easy to accept only twice as much? I heard they’re selling it for 5 silver per bottle.”

They were making a profit of nearly 5 times the cost.

Cold sweat trickled down Lorenzo’s forehead.

“윽 [euk, exclamation of surprise]. Th, that’s because there’s not enough 물량 [mullyang, supply], so I had no choice but to…”

“Certainly, if the supply is stabilized, 2 silver would be a 적당가 [jeokdangga, fair price]. However, if the supply is stabilized…”

“…”

The number of nobles staying in Britannia alone was close to a thousand. If you counted the entire Britannia, it was several times that number.

In the end, 10,000 bottles was an amount that allowed even nobles to drink only a couple of bottles a month.

Kainchel, lost in thought for a moment, asked Abel.

“We’re already short of 원자재 [wonjajae, raw materials], so how about receiving 현물 [hyeonmul, goods] instead of money?”

“Of course, the market price will be based on the local standard, right?”

“Of course. It’s not a bad deal from our point of view because we can save on shipping costs. Besides, they should continue to trade if they make a 적당히 [jeokdanghi, reasonable] profit, shouldn’t they?”

Lorenzo protested vehemently when he heard that.

The price of 밀가루 [milgaru, flour] was incredibly high in the North, where wheat barely grew due to the cold weather.

It was the mark of a skilled merchant to aim for 시세 차익 [sise chaik, price difference] in that way.

He was being asked to give up selling Cola instead.

“Besides, it’s not an exclusive right, and with 2,000 bottles per month, it’s impossible…”

“Then let’s ask another 상단 [sangdan, merchant guild]. If that doesn’t work, you can sell it yourself.”

Lorenzo’s eyes darted back and forth. In fact, there was another reason why he came to buy Cola himself.

The great nobles who had been trading with him for a long time had become addicted to Cola.

He needed Cola to avoid falling out of their favor.

“…I understand. Let’s do that. But please tell me if you ever want to sell more.”

Kainchel shook hands with Lorenzo, a satisfied expression on his face.

But the storm was not over.

Another 효능 [hyoneung, effect] of Cola was discovered.

Thought It Was a Breeze, But It Was a Typhoon #2