Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 222

Kainchel’s eyes widened with confusion. He never imagined he would hear his father, Payne’s, name mentioned in this context.

“What exactly happened at the end of the War of the Seven Deadly Sins?”

However, Hector shook his head, as if unable to answer.

Before they knew it, a large army of demons was charging towards them.

“Unfortunately, there’s no time. Kainchel, go. You need to be elsewhere.”

“There is time.”

Kainchel summoned Bishop, who had been dormant. As if waiting for this moment, a deep voice echoed in his mind.

— Shall we do it, partner?

‘Yes. Combine!’

Then, a thick tentacle sprouted from Kainchel’s right arm and wrapped around Hector’s body.

It was an easily avoidable situation, but Hector didn’t evade.

“What is this?”

“Accept it. Then we’ll have time to talk.”

“Hmm.”

Hector nodded with a strange groan.

Then, Kainchel’s large tentacle delved into his body.

Zhiiiiiing-!

Thus, Kainchel and Hector’s minds were connected through Bishop.

Hector’s eyes widened as he realized he could speak without moving his mouth.

However, he couldn’t move a finger, let alone his eyes, as he wished.

It felt as if time had stopped.

“What’s happening? Why can’t my body move?”

“It’s not that you can’t move, but your perception of time has been accelerated. Think of it as moving a thousand times slower.”

“Hmm, sometimes when I wield my sword, I hardly feel the passage of time. It seems to be a similar sensation.”

As expected of a Sword Master, Hector’s analysis was accurate.

Synchronizing with another person is a dangerous task that could potentially shatter one’s ego.

However, the situation was so urgent that there was no choice.

No matter how powerful Bishop is, he can only maintain this connection for less than a second in real-time.

But for Kainchel and Hector, whose minds were accelerated, it felt like they had about ten minutes.

“I’d like to have a leisurely tea time while drinking black tea, but I can’t even move my body. Still, we can talk, so let’s have the conversation we couldn’t have before.”

“…I understand. It wouldn’t be polite to my comrade if I didn’t speak after you’ve gone to such lengths.”

Hector began to speak in a distant voice, as if recalling something from decades ago.

“The Sven family, of which I am the head, is a prestigious family of swords that has produced Sword Masters for generations.”

“I know that. I heard it constantly during knight training.”

“Moreover, I possess an Aura Blade specialized in defense. So, as if it were natural, I became the commander of the direct guard protecting His Majesty the Emperor.”

That was over 20 years ago, when Hector was in his early 30s.

Hector paused for a moment and let out a small groan. Then, as if he had made up his mind, he opened his mouth.

“I met Payne there. When he was being called Hound… the Empire’s hunting dog, instead of bearing the Zistaad name.”

“H, Hound?!”

Kainchel had also heard the name through rumors during his time at the training center.

The Britannia Imperial Family has a veiled organization called the Dark Section [a clandestine intelligence and assassination unit].

It was said that they only handled tasks that the guard couldn’t, such as gathering sensitive information or assassinating key figures.

And the title for the head of the Dark Section was definitely Hound.

Where there is light, there is shadow.

Kainchel recalled that El Acard also had a similar organization.

‘Valter Keitel was definitely a member of that, right?’

“Payne dedicated half his life to the Imperial Family. He silently followed Emperor Aslan’s orders, performing any dirty work without hesitation. His loyalty was greater than mine, who was in the guard.”

“…”

“That’s right. I felt inferior to him. A man who wasn’t even a Sword Master solved any order he was given with incredible skill. It was as if he could see the future.”

That was when Payne clashed with Emperor Aslan for the first time.

About 20 years ago, Payne claimed that the king of the Demon World would ravage Britannia.

“Of course, no one believed such nonsense. So he independently searched for a way to stop the Seven Deadly Sins.”

Then Payne suddenly declared his retirement.

It was because his beloved lover was pregnant.

“Could it be…”

“That’s right. It’s you, Kainchel van Zistaad. But the Emperor did not allow Payne to retire. The Dark Section can be said to be Britannia’s disgrace. Payne knew all sorts of compromising information about the Imperial Family and noble families, so they were worried about its leakage.”

But Payne eventually succeeded in leaving the Dark Section.

In return, he made numerous oaths guaranteeing secrecy, but eventually gained freedom and a small measure of happiness.

“He went into a small territory in the north as a son-in-law. He probably abandoned the Hound name at that time.”

“…To hide his identity as a member of the Dark Section.”

“Perhaps that was the reason. I met him again nearly ten years later, when the Virtues gathered to face the Seven Deadly Sins.”

Even after retiring, Payne continued to investigate the Seven Deadly Sins relentlessly.

And he found a way to seal the Seven Deadly Sins, albeit imperfectly.

Hector’s voice was still monotonous and low, just as usual.

However, Kainchel, who was synchronized with him, could sense how much guilt Hector carried.

“So, in the end, what sealed the Seven Deadly Sins was…”

“…Do you happen to know that each Virtue has a corresponding sin it opposes?”

“I know.”

“The reason we were able to win the war was thanks to Payne, who dedicated his life to uncovering the truth.”

It was something that neither Loyalty, Patience, Charity, Diligence, Affection, Temperance, nor Chastity could accomplish alone.

“In the end, what was needed to seal the Seven Deadly Sins was ‘sacrifice.’ More noble than any virtue…”

Emperor Aslan of Britannia, as well as those present, sacrificed something precious to them for the seal.

‘So, the reason why cooking released the curse of the Seven Deadly Sins is because of what’s contained within it…’

Hector finally expressed the emotions he had buried deep in his heart.

After more than thirty sacrifices, the unimaginable ritual ended.

“The only one who couldn’t offer anything there was this Hector! I, who killed my undead wife with my own hands, didn’t even value my own life!”

Thus, Aslan, the Seven Virtues, and Payne succeeded in sealing the Seven Deadly Sins.

But all that remained was a sense of loss that made the trembling of his whole body incessant.

“In the end, we buried what we had sacrificed deep in our hearts and erased it from our memories with the power of the oath. Otherwise, we couldn’t bear it… Humans need a reason to live, don’t they?”

“So, is that why nothing came up even when I investigated my father?”

“That was also part of the sacrifice. We couldn’t even mention the fact that an eighth virtue existed.”

The reason why Elizabeth couldn’t say anything in the end was also for the same reason.

“Vincent will be sad if he knows this.”

“…That was only for a very short time. Now he is the most precious, one and only son.”

Hector was the only one among those present who could not participate in the ritual.

In the end, Hector alone retained the memory of that time.

What emotions must he have felt seeing his colleagues sacrificing so much?

“I won’t ask for forgiveness. Payne would have felt the same.”

It was almost time for the mental acceleration to end. Even though he knew that his life was running out, Hector’s voice didn’t change much.

“Payne left these words for you. He said to tell his son if he became a Sword Master. I didn’t understand what it meant at the time. But now I think I know.”

It was information that could not be accessed even by using the waters of Mimir’s Well [a mythical well of knowledge], which reads the memories of the earth.

Hector continued calmly.

“Son, I knew you could do it.”

“…? !”

That one word contained so many feelings. The level and stats that didn’t rise no matter how much he swung his sword due to the curse of sloth.

Nevertheless, Kainchel did not give up and swung his sword.

And a bowl of cooking, passed down over ten years, caused a miracle.

It felt like he was being recognized for everything he had done so far.

A great hero who saved the lives of many people. To Payne Hound, the Sword Master of Sacrifice.

“I want to ask you the same favor as Payne.”

“…If Vincent becomes a Sword Master, I will tell him.”

“Thank you.”

At that moment, the second hand of the stopped clock began to move. The mind that had been accelerated a thousand times returned to normal.

Kainchel nodded lightly to Hector to say goodbye. As he said, he had to build the second line of defense with Gawain and Elizabeth.

Hector’s eyes narrowed and his lips twisted.

“Then I wish you good luck, Kainchel van Zistaad of Diligence. No, the Cooking Sword Master.”

With those words, he threw himself into doing what he couldn’t do 12 years ago.

* * *

Hector single-handedly blocked the path of numerous demons.

“Aura Field!”

A huge wall of aura rose in front of him. It was like looking at a steel castle that would never allow intrusion.

Bassago, whose advance was delayed, summoned the magic corps.

“That’s quite a solid-looking wall. But how long can it withstand the thousand-strong army that I lead?”

“Was there that many? You should have told me sooner.”

Bassago sneered and ordered the activation of the 7th circle fire magic, Volcano.

It was a powerful spell that thirty demons belonging to the magic corps had to work together to complete.

The ground cracked and lava and stones spewed out.

But Hector’s Aura Field was still intact. The majesty of the wall, created with the determination to give up even his life, was truly impressive.

“But the number of magic corps I have is three hundred! I wonder how many great magics it can withstand!”

“It’s quite hot. Keep them coming.”

At the same time, a huge explosion engulfed Hector.

No matter how strong the defense of the Aura Field is, there are limits. Eventually, the ultra-high temperature flame burned one of his arms.

Perhaps because he poured the aura protecting his body into the Aura Field.

Half of his body instantly turned to charcoal.

Even so, Hector began to laugh.

“Nameless demon. Let me tell you one very interesting fact.”

“My name is Bassago!”

“That’s not a very important thing, is it? In fact, my Aura Field has another use.”

“What?!”

“Using the aura remaining in my body as a medium, I can explode the energy absorbed by the wall all at once. I happen to have absorbed so much that my stomach is about to burst.”

“Th, then you too…!”

Bassago’s face distorted in embarrassment. He never imagined that the opponent would be the owner of an aura blade that absorbs magic.

The magic corps that Bassago boasted about became a liability instead.

It was truly a case of meeting his natural enemy.

But already in Hector’s eyes, the figure of Bassago, as well as the thousand-strong army, was fading.

As if coming out to greet him, his wife was waving her hand.

“…I’m sorry, Marie. Originally, I wanted to join you 12 years ago. It’s too late. I’m coming to see you right now.”

The red-stained Aura Field began to emit tremendous heat.

It was about to explode.

Bassago, panicked, ordered the gathered demons to retreat. But the activation of the nameless technique was faster.

Kukukukukung-!

A tremendous flame erupted, resembling the 8th circle absolute magic Prominence [a high-level fire magic spell].

That meant that the magic that Hector blocked at the risk of his life was immense.

In a single blow, more than 70% of the thousand-strong demon army disappeared without even screaming.

Of course, that was the same for Hector, who was at the center of the explosion. But he was smiling until the last moment.

“It might be too late and the coq au vin [chicken braised in wine] might be cold. But don’t worry. The food you made is delicious even when it’s cold…”