Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 281

Kraken encountered at sea are incredibly difficult monsters to deal with.

For one, they have ten legs that move independently.

Moreover, each one is fast and powerful enough to sink a small ship with a single blow.

But, pitifully, their opponent was not a good match.

Using the Sword Ki Avatar [a manifestation of concentrated spiritual energy], I can perfectly block the Kraken’s main means of attack, its legs.

And the electricity that shocks its prey cannot penetrate the wall of Aglio e Olio [a defensive technique using Aura, named after the Italian pasta dish].

“Buhiiiiiik!”

Kainchel heard Gawain’s cry echoing from behind him as he leaped onto the Kraken’s head.

Then, the monster’s remaining three legs moved. It was an incredible speed that didn’t match its massive size.

However, Kainchel’s reaction was a little faster.

“Sword Ki Avatar…!”

At the same time, the seven Pragarakhs [manifestations of Sword Ki] that had multiplied became a shield to block the opponent’s attack.

To block an object with physical force, if not electricity, you need something to be the axis.

The Sword Ki Avatar, which moves freely according to will, was perfect for that.

Several layers of Aura intertwined, making the Sword Ki Avatar’s defense even stronger.

At that moment, the Kraken’s leg struck the Pragarakh coated with Aglio e Olio.

Kugugugung-!

The Kraken’s movement momentarily stopped as if blocked by an invisible wall.

Kainchel felt most of the Aura in his body disappear in an instant and muttered.

“Ugh, I’m starting to get hungry.”

He had tried to block the last blow head-on as a test, but it was still inefficient.

However, this allowed him to know for sure how much defensive power the Aglio e Olio had.

“Then shall we finish this up?”

The Kraken’s weak point, like an octopus, is at the connection between its legs and its torso.

To attack that spot, you have to break through the iron wall created by its ten legs.

But seven of its legs had already disappeared.

The rest were struggling to break through the wall of the Sword Ki Avatar. They were trying to kill the enemy in front of them, even exposing their weak spot.

‘―――Gleizers! [A technique to enhance Durandal’s cutting power]’

Using three types of completely different Aura properties, he pushes Durandal’s [Kainchel’s sword] cutting power to the limit.

At the same time, Kainchel’s body became a streak of meteor and fell downwards. Aiming for the Kraken’s heart, slightly above its eye.

Kwaddeudeuk!

The Kraken’s body trembled for a moment as its weak spot was pierced accurately, then drooped down.

Kainchel wrapped the Kraken’s body, which was sinking into the sea, with Ravioli [a binding technique using Aura] with a satisfied expression.

“Keugh. It’s finally over… Kainchel, this plan of mine. Wasn’t it perfect? Even I think it was a perfect combination that caught the monster off guard.”

Kainchel shrugged his shoulders as he looked at Gawain, who was smiling triumphantly.

‘That was the combination instruction.’

Without using lip reading, Gawain’s voice only sounds like a pig squealing.

“Help me move this.”

“Ah, right. Tcheop.”

The two struggled for a while, moving the Kraken to a small island quite far from the coastline.

Then Sedaniel, who had been waiting, waved her hand and greeted them.

“Kainchel, over here! By the way, Uncle Gawain seems to be completely used to his Orc form now.”

Gawain was breathing heavily, having used all his strength to drag the Kraken.

Nevertheless, he smiled and raised his thumb.

“Very good, Lady Mermaid. Now I’m starting to wonder if I was born an Orc from the start. But what about this bald head…”

“If your head feels empty, I’ll pick a few strands of seaweed. Do you want to stick them on and wear them?”

“…I’ll pass.”

Kainchel narrowed his eyes as he looked at the Kraken, most of whose legs had disappeared due to the fierce battle.

It was a shame, but it couldn’t be helped. Still, what was left was enough for hundreds of people to eat squid dishes until they were full.

The proof of defeating a monster is usually the head or eyeballs. The Kraken was so huge that the size of its eyeballs was also enormous.

‘It would be difficult to prepare this for cooking with a kitchen knife. Then shall I use Pragarakh this time?’

When Aura is infused into Durandal, tremendous cold air is emitted, freezing the flesh as it is.

So it wasn’t suitable for cooking.

As Kainchel pulled out Durandal to prepare the Kraken, Sedaniel waved her hands and stopped him.

“Wait a minute. We have to get the magic stone even if we eat the rest.”

“Ah. That’s right.”

Monsters absorb the Mana around them and preserve it in a crystalline state within their bodies.

A giant monster like the Kraken would have a magic stone of considerable quality.

Sedaniel rummaged through the Kraken’s corpse and took out a large crystal that shone with a blue light.

“Huh? That’s weird. Why is the color so murky?”

“The color is murky?”

“Yeah. It’s like it’s contaminated with something.”

‘A contaminated magic stone…….’

A strange light flashed in Kainchel’s eyes. All monsters have magic stones in their bodies, large or small.

Andras’s ability to exert absolute control over all monsters.

Could it be that the medium is the magic stone?

It seemed like it was necessary to check.

“Ah, it’s back to normal. Wait a minute. I’ll make something good with this.”

“Something good?”

“It’s a magic tool that allows you to breathe underwater. Just wait a minute.”

Sedaniel took out an elixir that she had been keeping in a secret place and sprinkled it on the Kraken’s magic stone.

Then, a tremendous light was emitted and it split into dozens of small beads.

“Okay, it’s done. It’s the essence of the Kraken. I used the elixir to purify it as purely as possible. If you absorb the energy contained in this, you’ll be able to breathe underwater for an hour.”

Kainchel’s eyes widened. If you sell the magic stone, you can get a pretty good profit.

But that was worth more than that.

“I’ll gratefully accept it.”

“What. You took care of two large monsters that were a thorn in my side, so I have to do this much.”

“But I heard that elixirs are very precious, so is it okay to use them like this?”

“Hehe, it’s okay. I know how to make them shed real tears, so I don’t have to worry for a while.”

Kainchel narrowed his eyes as he looked at something Sedaniel was holding precious.

‘……That’s a first edition of The Sorrows of Young Werther [a famous novel by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe]. Surely that would be able to draw tears from the eyes of a mermaid with a rich sensibility.’

To think I would feel Goethe’s greatness in a place like this. As expected, he had the dignity of a great writer.

“Oops, I got caught. Ahaha……. But when will Goethe-sensei’s next work be released? The kids don’t cry as much with this anymore.”

Sedaniel fanned her palms incessantly, as if the scorching sunlight was too hot.

With the Kraken’s essence, they could return to Oakland right now.

But it was too early to say that they had caught a Sea Serpent as a bonus.

‘I should stay here for at least half a day before going back. By then, rumors about Gray and Green will have spread throughout Oakland, right?’

Then there is only one thing to do now.

Gawain and Sedaniel asked at the same time, their eyes shining.

“I’ve been waiting, Kainchel……! We can finally eat the Kraken.”

“So what kind of dish are you going to make this time?”

Kainchel took out the Mithril kitchen knife he was cherishing at his waist and replied.

“Since I have fresh arugula and cannellini beans, how about making a warm salad?”

Squid grilled savory over charcoal, topped with plenty of spicy chili sauce, and eaten with fresh vegetables and beans.

“Gulp…….”

Just thinking about it made my mouth water.

* * *

A small kitchen was instantly created on a small island almost 1 km away from the harbor.

Kainchel began to cook the Kraken in earnest there.

But just cutting it up to be edible took a long time.

‘It’s easier to prevent it from slipping by laying a cloth on the counter.’

He placed the Kraken chunks, cut as small as possible, on top of it and moved the kitchen knife.

First, he carefully started shaping the Kraken’s skin part upwards.

He wasn’t cutting it, just making incisions. If you repeat the same thing while turning it, a neat cross shape is created.

This allows the dressing, sauce, and seasoning to soak well into the Kraken’s flesh, making it taste better.

Kainchel filled a large plate with arugula. It was a vegetable with a savory, bitter taste and a mustard-like pungent spicy taste.

It is a vegetable very suitable for salad and is a specialty of the Argon Confederation.

“First, I’m going to make the beans to put on top. Cannellini beans taste very sweet and have a soft texture when cooked over low heat. So it goes well with chewy food.”

“Heu, heung…….”

He put plenty of cannellini beans in a hot pan and sprinkled salt and pepper. To add a sour taste, he crushed fresh lemons and sprinkled the juice.

This is to be simmered over low heat.

“Then shall we make the dressing now?”

He was thinking of making the dressing using fresh chili. Using a kitchen knife, he cut it in half and scraped out the seeds.

The spicy taste of chili is usually due to the seeds, but even if you remove them, the aroma remains.

Instantly, a huge amount of chili piled up on the counter. Sedaniel’s eyes widened.

“Are you going to use all of that? It seems too spicy…….”

“You don’t have to worry about that. It’ll be pleasantly spicy.”

Sedaniel tilted her head. Pleasantly spicy. What kind of taste is that?

Kainchel began to chop the well-prepared chili as if mincing it. The dressing he was about to make was very simple.

Put in the chili and pour in plenty of olive oil until it is completely submerged.

Then, sprinkle with refreshing lime juice and it’s done. When mixed well and tasted, it had a spicy and sour taste.

‘Hmm……. I really like this tingling sensation that makes my nose tingle.’

Now it was time to cook the main ingredient of the salad, the Kraken. Place a grill on the charcoal and grill the Kraken meat on it.

Bajik bajik-

The Kraken began to cook, making a sound that would make the corners of your mouth rise just by listening to it.

Sedaniel’s legs were shaking as she sat next to him with an indifferent expression.

It seemed that the smell of the grilled Kraken was stimulating her appetite to the limit.

“Umm……. This is really no joke……. I didn’t know the Kraken was a monster that smelled so delicious.”

“Originally, the Kraken’s body is so elastic that it’s so tough that it’s hard to eat. So I marinated it in apple cider vinegar and lemon juice in advance. Then it becomes tender enough to eat.”

Perhaps because it had been marinated in advance, a subtly sweet aroma wafted from the cooking Kraken meat.

Sedaniel, who was smelling it right next to him, already had her mouth full of saliva.

“Warm salad should be eaten right away after it’s made. Even if a little time passes, the vegetables will cook in the heat and the crunchy taste will disappear.”

“……Heung.”

As he began to sprinkle salt and pepper on the cooking Kraken, the smell became even stronger.

If I told them to go back home from here, I could definitely get more elixir, right?

Thinking that, he also sprinkled lemon juice and olive oil on the beans cooking in the pan.

“The beans and Kraken are all cooked. Then shall we start mixing the salad in earnest?”

“Oooooh!”

A cheer erupted from Gawain’s mouth.

Now, cut the nicely grilled Kraken into bite-sized pieces. Place it on top of the arugula and sprinkle plenty of chili dressing.

“Haa…….”

If you only eat salad, it’s boring, so I also cooked grilled Sea Serpent breast meat.

Because it was marinated in seasoning and put in the oven in advance, all you have to do is take it out and plate it when it’s all cooked.

Soft beans are placed on top of arugula with plenty of chili sauce and a spicy aroma.

And above all, the nicely grilled Kraken that exudes a strong presence.

This is not the end.

When he took out the well-baked Sea Serpent breast meat from the oven, a rich meaty aroma wafted out.

It was so well-baked that every time he cut it, a huge amount of juice gushed out, making the plate soggy.

“Then try the hot Kraken salad first.”

Kainchel placed a plate of food in front of Sedaniel, who was holding a fork and knife in both hands.

It was then.

“Oh my, Chieftain. I was wondering where you were and what you were doing, but are you trying to eat such delicious food by yourself?”

Six dazzlingly beautiful mermaids were sitting around the table, wondering when they had arrived.

Sedaniel, surprised, stood up from her seat.

“You guys, what is it? Don’t tell me you were hiding here?! I told you not to move rashly and wait in the shelter!”

“Are you saying we should trust the Chieftain, whose senses have died to the point where she can’t even recognize the mimicry of her own kind?”

“Ugh…….”

I thought she had a strangely similar atmosphere to the Elf Queen Eirene.

It seems that Sedaniel was the representative of the remaining Mermaid tribe.

‘But I’m sure it was said that there were less than ten Mermaid tribes left, right? Then is it almost all of them?’

It didn’t seem like they had just come to deliver a message.

A mature-looking mermaid who was teasing Sedaniel bowed to Kainchel.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Lane, the head maid. You can think of me as Sedaniel-nim’s close aide. The reason I came here like this is…….”

At that time, Sedaniel waved her hands and blocked Lane’s path.

“I’m sorry, but let’s talk while we eat. Hot salad should be eaten right away.”

“…….”

Lane looked at Sedaniel with a dumbfounded expression. Then she smiled shyly and tucked the flowing hair behind her ear.

“Shall we do that? Actually, I’ve been watching from the side and I’ve gotten very hungry.”

Kainchel shrugged his shoulders and brought a plate of food to the other mermaids as well.

I’m glad I made plenty.