Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 215

65. The End of the Secret Garden

Goethe was finally able to have a touching reunion with his editor, Ark.

Ark spotted Goethe’s face and darted forward with lightning speed.

He was so fast, he looked like an Aura user [someone who can manipulate their life force for enhanced abilities].

And with arms as thick as logs, he put Goethe in a headlock.

“Kuh-huh?!”

“Goethe, you bastard! It’s fine to have fun, but I told you to let me know where you’re going!”

“I’m, I’m dying! I’m dying! If you squeeze any harder, my neck will snap!”

“…Haa. Fortunately, it doesn’t look like you’re hurt, so I’ll let it go. But if you do this again, I’ll tie you up and make you write.”

“Please have mercy……”

Batory, who had been watching the two men’s passionate friendship from afar, let out a rosy sigh.

“Goethe… Mr. Ark… You’re both so wonderful…”

Goethe told Ark that he would be working with Cainchel for a while.

The link to the Demon World was, after all, the ‘Novel Faust,’ but only Goethe could handle it.

Besides, after being used as a medium, the very fact that he wrote the novel disappears.

“I think I’ll have to rewrite Faust. Is that okay?”

It was unlike Goethe, who was always selfish, to be so humble.

That’s because Faust was not a work written by Goethe alone.

Of course, writing the novel itself is Goethe’s job. But it was the editor’s job to help him write.

Without Ark, he would not have been able to come this far.

“Why is our Goethe suddenly like this? You can just say you don’t like it and scrap it with your usual confident expression.”

“It just takes too long to do that.”

Ark grinned and slapped Goethe on the back hard enough to make a sound. He seemed to think he was just tapping him lightly.

“Don’t worry. I’ll never die before you do. I hope you’ll write a novel that you can be satisfied with, even if it takes a lifetime.”

“Ark… I understand you want to say something cool. I’m not kidding, this really hurts…”

“Haha! I just touched you lightly, where are you exaggerating? Of course, if I catch you slacking off, I’ll tie you up and make you write, so be prepared.”

For some reason, Batory, who was very excited, screamed and waved her arms.

Ark bowed to Cainchel.

“Duke Cainchel, I’m just a useless guy who can only write, but please take care of him.”

And this time, he put his hand on Goethe’s shoulder and left a few words of advice.

“Don’t just eat meat and drink alcohol; you have to eat vegetables too. You’re almost forty now. You have to think about your health.”

“Okay.”

“Make sure to brush your teeth with salt after meals.”

“Of course.”

“Oh, and this guy snores really loudly when he sleeps. If that happens, just hit him on the head, and he’ll be quiet, so keep that in mind.”

“…Wouldn’t that knock him unconscious?”

It felt like he was looking at a guardian rather than an editor.

Ark, who had given Goethe a thorough lecture, got up from his seat, and Batory followed him.

“Mr. Arcreode, as a devoted reader of Goethe, I am impressed by your efforts for him. So, I would like to sponsor you personally.”

“Oh, is that Countess Batory?! This is a great honor.”

It seems that Ark and Goethe will have a new sponsor.

Cainchel looked at Calliope, who was eating a honey butter sandwich and drinking cola.

She was eating a sandwich and drinking cola, making munching sounds.

She was eating a huge amount of food every day to recover her lost mana [magical energy].

And it was about time for the results to come out.

“Calliope, do you still need more mana to transform into a dragon?”

Calliope still raised her index and middle fingers with a blank face.

“Huh? Are you asking me to make two more honey butter sandwiches?”

“…That’s not what I mean.”

“Then?”

“I have recovered most of the mana I lost. I can return to my original form if I want to. Cainchel’s cooking… Ultra perfect.”

It seems that she drew a V with her fingers.

It was a changed appearance that Calliope, who had little emotional expression, could not have imagined.

“Really? Then that means all the preparations are complete.”

Cainchel explained the upcoming journey to the three witches.

“First of all, we will use the gate to return to Britannia as quickly as possible. Marquis Beast said he would take care of the permission, so we should be able to leave by this afternoon at the latest.”

“Then we have about a week to spare.”

“Yes. But the condition of the gate is not good, so I think it’s better to go back as soon as possible.”

Zeke, who had finished his work, decided to stay here.

He was going to return to Britannia leisurely with his brother.

Cainchel took Asura out of the two-dimensional pocket and asked him to protect Goethe.

“Hmm. Is this an automaton [self-operating machine]? Except for the joints, it’s not that different from a human? Especially the skin is really smooth. How are the excretory organs set up?”

“…Help!”

For some reason, Asura’s voice echoed very plaintively.

The party included two Sword Masters.

Besides, most of the schedule was through the gate, so there was no need to worry about unexpected things happening.

“I’m glad we can shorten the travel time so much thanks to the gate.”

“That’s right. It would have taken almost a month otherwise.”

The gate was an innovative magic tool that could move hundreds of kilometers at a time.

Because of its convenience, most cities of a certain size have gates installed.

However, you cannot cross borders using the gate, so you have to transfer several times.

Still, it’s much faster than walking or taking a carriage.

Of course, it consumes a huge amount of mana stones at once, so the price is enormous.

But Cainchel didn’t have to worry about that. Even now, cola was earning him a huge amount of gold.

“Come to think of it, I’ve been on the gate an awful lot in the past year, which is said to be difficult to use even once in a lifetime.”

“Well, that’s the last time. Once this is over, the gate to the Demon World will not open for the next thousand years.”

“And if we deal with the sealed avatars of the Seven Deadly Sins, the long war will be over.”

“…I’ll leave that to you.”

The clue to the 8-star dish was vaguely in his grasp.

But first, it was more important to strengthen the gate so that the demons could not escape.

Marquis Beast announced that the gate in Marseille was ready to be used.

He looked at Cainchel with a regretful expression.

“Now it’s time to say goodbye. Thanks to Duke Cainchel’s efforts, I was able to wash away Batory’s disgrace. If you ever need my help, contact me. I’ll jump out of bed and run to you.”

A Sword Master’s unsparing assistance was like gaining a million soldiers.

Cainchel smiled and replied.

“Next time I come, please introduce me to a good restaurant. After all, eating delicious food is the best way to improve your swordsmanship.”

“Hehe. I think I heard something strange. Anyway, when it comes to restaurants, I know a very good chef named Jaime. I’m sure you’ll like him very much.”

“Jaime is a chef whose name is known even in Britannia! I wanted to eat his food if I had the chance, so that’s great.”

Thanks to Marquis Beast’s help, Cainchel was able to use the gate in Marseille without delay.

But the moment he passed through the gate, a different feeling than before swept over him.

‘It’s like I ordered chicken and got fried pigeon…’

When he opened his eyes, it was the gap between dimensions.

* * *

‘Where is this…’

Cainchel looked around with a bewildered expression.

A bottomless abyss dyed in black was unfolding before his eyes. The hot heat and terrible stench made him want to vomit.

‘…Fortunately, my resistance to poison and fire is protecting me, so I’m fine.’

When he took a step, he stepped on something squishy. It felt like he was inside someone’s intestines.

He had used the gate nearly twenty times so far, but this was the first time this had happened.

“Flambe-!”

When he activated the cooking skill, Cainchel’s left hand began to burn red.

And in an instant, it drove the dark darkness far away.

Only then could Cainchel know what he was stepping on.

It was a piece of something unknown. Someone had eaten it and spat it out, and the tooth marks were clear.

Cainchel took a moment to sort out the situation.

The moment he passed through the gate, black light covered him. And when he came to his senses, he was trapped in a strange place.

Besides, Morgana and Goethe, as well as Calliope, who was holding his hand, were nowhere to be seen.

“Huh? It’s Asura?”

In one corner, an automaton with one arm twisted in a bizarre shape was lying down.

When Cainchel ran to him, Asura creaked and raised his face.

“Why are you alone?! Where’s Goethe?”

Asura dropped his head with a desperate face and replied.

“I couldn’t save the guests. I’m sorry, Chef…”

“…Asura, it’s not your fault. I couldn’t do anything either.”

The possibility of the gate malfunctioning was close to zero.

It had been operated thousands and thousands of times since it was first developed, but it had never fallen to a different place than its destination.

“That’s right! Bishop, the creator of the gate, must know something!”

Cainchel called the sleeping Bishop. But he didn’t wake up easily.

Bishop’s main body is in the Magic Tower in Citizen. What is parasitizing Cainchel’s body is only its clone.

It seemed that the place he was in now was a place where even that connection was blurred.

“Where the hell is this…”

At that moment, a large and beautiful tentacle popped out of Cainchel’s shoulder, as if the connection had finally been made.

― I don’t think I can talk for long. The place where my partner is now is the gap between dimensions. A place we call the Abyss.

‘Abyss?!’

― Can you understand if I say it’s a space where the material world and the demon world are half mixed? Anyway, time and space are arbitrary there. How long has it been since you entered?

‘I think it’s been about ten minutes.’

― Only 0.003 seconds have passed outside. It’s hard to match the consciousness even if I use acceleration of thought.

The gate was created by the alchemist of alchemy, Bishop.

Its principle was to use the astral dimension to move a certain scale of space to another place.

― But that method has a big disadvantage. An alchemist with knowledge equal to mine… no, more than that can induce the gate to malfunction. Damn it…! I thought he was only interested in chimeras, but when did he accumulate knowledge of alchemy!

Only then did Cainchel know who was hacking the gate and moving it to the Abyss.

‘Could it be Merlin!?’

― Yes. It seems that the crazy bastard wants to open the gate to the Demon World. Damn it… The duration of mental acceleration is running out! First of all, I’ll tell you how to get out of there in a hurry! Find those who have a connection to the Demon World. That’s the only way…

As if the connection with the main body was over, the tentacle lost its strength and drooped. Cainchel licked his lips, feeling strangely regretful.

‘I have to find the three witches who fell into the Abyss. That’s what I have to do anyway. First of all…’

Cainchel took out Durendal, which he had stuffed in his two-dimensional pocket.

Before he knew it, more than a dozen Tartaros [beings from Tartarus, the deep abyss] were gathering around him.

“I was wondering where you all disappeared to, but you were in a place like this. It’s been a long time, but I’m not happy to see you at all.”

Kuaaaaa-!

And an enormous storm of cold air erupted from Durendal.