Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 257

9. The Moment He Held the Kitchen Knife, a Stroke of Luck Exploded!

The man was Hector van Sven, the Sword Master whom Cainchel had met for the first time, and the very person who single-handedly stopped the advance of the demon duke Vassago.

He appeared as a young knight, but his blunt voice remained the same.

The noble lady looked at the aglio e olio Cainchel had made with a strangely wistful expression.

“Do you perhaps remember, Hector? When I was sick in bed with a fever, you used to bring me aglio e olio that you made yourself.”

“How could I forget, Rose.”

At the name Rose, a tremendous commotion arose in Cainchel’s eyes.

It was clearly the nickname Hector used for his wife, Rosemary.

Hadn’t he obtained the ‘Aura Sword’ by recreating the coq au vin [a French braise made with chicken, wine, mushrooms, and bacon] she used to make?

“There was too much garlic in it, so it was a bit spicy, but it was delicious. I really miss it.”

“I’ve told you so many times that it wasn’t a mistake. Garlic helps to generate heat in the body, which helps you overcome illness. Anyway, I’m sure this will be delicious too. Cainchel, I’m sorry, but Rose seems very hungry. I’d like her to eat the aglio e olio first.”

Cainchel nodded with a stiff expression.

The Hector before him was different from anyone he had met in the Tower of Trials.

“Here is your aglio e olio. If you like it spicy, you can add a little more peperoncino [Italian for chili peppers, often dried and flaked].”

Rosemary clapped her hands and rejoiced. She seemed to have been waiting a long time.

“Wow, it looks really delicious…….”

Her expression was one of pure admiration that brought a smile to his face just by looking at her.

‘Hector. Now I understand why you fell in love with Rosemary at first sight.’

* * *

Rosemary grabbed her fork and looked at the plate in front of her.

Thin noodles were generously coated with high-quality oil that smelled savory and pungent.

Sprinkled on top were Parmesan cheese and dried peperoncino powder for a spicy kick.

It was in a separate small bottle, so she could sprinkle more according to her preference.

Rosemary unconsciously brought her nose to the plate and sniffed.

“Haa, the strong garlic smell……. I really like this. Then let’s eat, Hector.”

Hector nodded once and began to eat the pasta.

Olive oil has a good fragrance of its own, but it can also bring out the taste and aroma of garlic and spices in the oil.

Aglio e olio was a typical dish that utilized this.

Rosemary twirled the noodles with the pungency of garlic and the spiciness of chili peppers on her fork and brought them to her mouth.

“Mmm…….”

At first glance, it only had a little dried chili pepper in it, but it was so spicy that her mouth was burning.

But it wasn’t just spicy. The aglio e olio crumbled softly in her mouth along with the browned, fragrant garlic.

In addition, the parsley sprinkled on top, though not strong, exuded a clear presence.

“And the finely chopped cheese makes the savory flavor of the olive oil even more diverse. It’s a bit rough, but it tastes smooth.”

As she said, it was the high-quality olive oil that was bringing the various flavors together.

Even though it was oil, it wasn’t greasy at all and was so fresh that you could drink it straight.

That’s why it was able to evenly dissolve the strong flavors of the spices and combine them into one.

The pungent garlic and the spicy peperoncino peppers. And the fragrant parsley and savory cheese.

The noodles, coated with plenty of oil containing all those flavors, tasted amazing, contrary to their plain appearance.

Rosemary looked at the empty plate in an instant and made a sad face.

“I feel like I’m going to lick the oil off the plate……. I’m sorry to the other customers who are waiting, but can I have one more bowl?”

“I thought you might, so I made plenty. Would you mind waiting a moment, Lady Rosemary?”

Rosemary ate up the additional aglio e olio in an instant and gasped for breath.

“Oof……. I think I ate too much, Hector…….”

Hector chuckled and wiped the oil from the corners of Rosemary’s mouth.

Hector had also emptied his plate.

“Were you satisfied with the food I made?”

“It was certainly as delicious as I’d heard. Anyway, although it’s a bit late, I came to thank you on behalf of Rose for making the coq au vin. Thanks to you, Vincent was able to move forward into the future without being tied to the past. After all, there’s nothing better than homemade food to convey your feelings.”

“I was able to save my life several times thanks to the armor you gave me.”

“Was there such a thing? I’m very glad it was put to good use. Do you remember what I said when I fought Vassago?”

“……Of course. How could I forget that? The Aura Field you showed me then was truly the strongest shield.”

“I didn’t have time to talk about the future back then, so I’d like to ask you to do something for me in the future.”

Hector quietly got up from his seat and knelt in front of Cainchel.

It was an image that he could never have imagined in the past.

“Please protect His Majesty Aslan and Britannia. Demons lure humans with vile tricks and grant them tremendous power in exchange for their souls. The only way to counter that is the Fragarach [a legendary sword in Irish mythology] you possess.”

The holy sword Fragarach that destroys evil.

Although it is now more often used as a ladle, it has tremendous power against demons.

“There were times when I had to hide something to protect His Majesty Aslan, and I even had to give up something precious. But I want to applaud your efforts in solving all of that with a single dish.”

“…….”

“Therefore, Cainchel van Zistad. I want to entrust this to you in the hope that you will continue the will to protect. Britannia, His Majesty Aslan, I’m counting on you.”

A brightly shining sphere of light emanated from Hector’s hand and settled into Cainchel’s body.

At that moment, the rosary he was wearing around his neck vibrated with tremendous force.

It was the first time it had reacted like this since he had obtained the Aura Blade Signature.

[You have acquired the essence of ‘Aura Field’.]

“Wh, what is this!?”

“That is the embodiment of my will to protect, shaped by Aura. In simple terms, it’s a skill transfer.”

Skill transfer!

Among the martial arts families with a long history, there are those who pass on their family’s secrets to their descendants in a special way.

However, the price is so heavy that it is not easily passed on even among relatives.

But to think that he would get to experience it firsthand.

“It will take some time to fully accept all the feelings that are embedded in it. But if you make it completely your own, you will have the strongest shield in your hands. Oh, that’s right.”

Hector looked down at the now empty plate and continued.

“If it’s you, it would be right to call it by a slightly different name than Aura Field. As the former owner of the skill, I can allow you that much, can’t I?”

He was saying that he wanted to name the new skill himself. When Cainchel nodded, Hector’s lips twisted in a strange direction.

Cainchel could finally understand. That was Hector’s way of showing goodwill.

“Well, Aura Field is basically a technique like the oil that coats pasta noodles. So how about Aglio e Olio?”

Then a new message appeared before Cainchel’s eyes.

[A new form has been added to the ‘Aura Bubble’ skill.]

Aura Bubble was a cooking skill he learned while making meringue, which allowed him to spew out Aura like bubbles.

It was a skill that Cainchel had been using to reduce damage or to contain flames inside.

However, like bubbles, its defense was weak, and dozens of meringues were often broken in a single blow.

But now, a new form, Aglio e Olio, had been added to it.

Cainchel looked at Rosemary with a touched expression. To think that the connection that started with Coq au Vin would return as such a stroke of luck.

Everything was a gift from her.

“I have definitely received your will. But from now on…….”

“Your trial is over, so I’ll be disappearing soon. This is truly goodbye. Don’t make that face. I’m not just here to pass on my power to you.”

Hector reached out and gently embraced Rosemary, who was sitting next to him.

Rosemary closed her eyes with a pleasant expression, as if feeling Hector’s warmth.

“Although it’s a fabricated space created by the Soul Stream, I was able to have a good time with Rose, even if only for a while. I’m satisfied enough.”

“Me too. Cainchel. The aglio e olio you made was really delicious. Oh, and if you see Vincent, can you tell him that Mom doesn’t resent him at all?”

Cainchel nodded silently.

“Then I should have another bowl. I’ve been having a hard time because my mouth has been watering while I’ve been talking.”

“Then I’ll wait while drinking some wine, I can wait forever.”

Hector gave the same smile he had shown at the last moment.

At that moment, an enormous darkness poured down on Cainchel.

When he came to his senses, he was back in the original white room.

[Welcome to the Tower of Trials.]

[You are currently on the 17th floor.]

Then Iris’s booming voice greeted Cainchel.

― Oh, oh, oh my! How could this be?! Examinee! You’ve acquired the skills of both a Master Chef and a Master Defender in one trial! This is the first time this has happened since the Soul Stream was created!

It was a word he had heard from Hector’s mouth as well. When he asked about it, Iris’s innocent face instantly contorted.

― Ugh, did I just say Soul Stream? I, I’m sorry, Examinee. Could you pretend you didn’t hear that? It’s information that’s not allowed to mortals…….!

“Well, I will.”

She was so embarrassed that there was no need to ask her any more questions.

Cainchel shrugged once and continued.

“Then it’s time for the sword trial. It’s been about three months since I worked at Gordon’s restaurant……. I don’t know how differently time flows here, but I’d like you to proceed as quickly as possible.”

There were many people waiting outside the Tower of Trials for their turn to enter.

For their sake, he wanted to complete the remaining trials as soon as possible.

― Didn’t I tell you? The time axis here flows completely differently from the outside. It’s only been half a day since the examinee started the trial.

“That’s good to hear.”

― Aren’t you surprised?

“I’ve already experienced something similar. It was 30 minutes in 3 years back then, so the Tower of Trials is nothing special.”

― Ugh……. Anyway, I’d like to recommend that you avoid consecutive trials if possible.

“Why is that?”

― You should have checked the message I just sent you. It’s the same as the 1st floor, but this is actually the 17th floor. Naturally, the trials given will be much more difficult, and if you’re not careful, your mind could be completely destroyed.

The Tower of Trials is known to have a total of 20 floors. He had climbed almost to the top floor in one trial.

― Besides, you were lucky enough to get two new skills this time, but there’s no guarantee that will happen next time. If you leave now, you can try again in half a year, so I recommend that you come back after you’ve regrouped.”

“Are you worried about me?”

― N, n, no way! It’s just that my job is to keep the examinee safe……!

Cainchel smiled. He already knew that Iris was watching him take the trials. He could often hear her swallowing.

That’s why she was showing him such favor.

“I want to get stronger, even if it’s just a little bit. This is the only place where I can recall the feelings I’ve forgotten through trials. Thank you for your concern, but I’m going one more time.”

Iris, realizing the strong will in Cainchel’s eyes, sighed.

― Sigh……. Okay. Then we’ll move on to the next trial right away. You won’t be able to get what you want as easily as you did last time, but I’ll wish you good luck. Then open, the door of triaaaal……!

* * *

Before he knew it, Cainchel realized that he was in a place that seemed familiar.

A huge mountain range covered in white snow. But beneath it, countless somethings were gathered so darkly that they could be seen.

‘Could this be the White Mountain Range……!?’

Cainchel looked at the old, worn-out longsword he was holding in his right hand. It didn’t seem like he could even cut down a rotten tree with it.

The commander, who was running ahead, shouted.

“His Majesty Aslan and the seven virtues, the guardians of Britannia, will arrive soon! Hold on until then! No, survive!”

Only then did Cainchel realize what the black things filling the snowfield were.

It was an undead army of thousands.

‘The only one who can command that many undead, including the Demon Realm, is……. Does that mean Baalzebub, the King of Gluttony, is there?!’

The worst and most heinous enemy who killed the most people throughout the Seven Deadly Sins War.

And Cainchel realized that the commander leading the mercenaries looked strangely familiar.

‘I didn’t expect to see you here again, Percival.’

Cainchel gripped his sword.

The fiercest battle in human history, fought on the snowfield, was about to be recreated at this very moment.