Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 316

25. Forever as Always

It had already been a year since Cainchel van Zistad left for the New Continent.

Gawain, who had accompanied him, had returned several months ago.

Yet, there was no news from Cainchel himself.

Elizabeth, the master of the Tower of Trials and the guardian of southern Britannia, was burning inside with worry.

Whether he knew it or not.

Gawain sat on the grass, leisurely picking up a cookie and bringing it to his mouth.

“Haa… The weather is so nice. Why don’t you stop running around like a puppy who needs to poop and have some madeleines, Sister?”

“Ugh, you beagle! Should I experiment on you to see where it hurts the most?”

“…Please, just this once. No joke, it really hurts when you hit me.”

“Anyway, I clearly told you to come back with the kid, no matter what!”

“But, as I said, the Eastern Continent was dangerous, so he went with Magnus!”

“Who would believe that? You must have left him with a ton of work and came back because you were bored!”

“Ah, I’m telling you, that’s not it! Ugh, this is why old maid hysteria is… Anyway, I’m a victim here too! He just ditched me and flew away! Do you know how much I suffered to get back to Britannia?!”

“…A victim? And old maid…!? Just because you have a mouth doesn’t mean everything you say is true, you little rascal!”

“Kk, kkaaaak! I surrender…! Give up! Th, that’s not how that part folds…! Uwaaaaak!”

The moment Gawain’s neck was about to fold in a way it shouldn’t.

A huge shadow descended from the sky with a thud.

It was Maia and Cainchel, transformed into a half-dragon due to exhausting their mana to the limit.

“We just returned from the Eastern Continent. Are we too late?”

“Ki, Kid?!”

“…Welcome back, Junior. You were almost invited to Deus’s banquet [a euphemism for dying], just five seconds late.”

Mia, perhaps tired from the long-distance flight, disappeared somewhere with a languid expression.

She would probably rest deep within the Zistad territory for a while.

Elizabeth muttered with an emotional expression.

“Not to Zistad, not to Britain, but coming straight to see me… As expected, the kid is…”

“I just stopped by to deliver something.”

“…Deliver something? Ehe, ehehehe! How embarrassing… I was just feeling like my left ring finger was empty, so this is perfect! Anyway, you should have said something sooner if this was the case. I would have reserved a nice restaurant…”

“…Elizabeth. I don’t know what you’re thinking, but you’re definitely misunderstanding.”

Cainchel said, taking out two weapons made by Kangseon Taebaek from his dimensional pocket.

A rapier with a thin blade and a crude greatsword.

“It’s not a wedding ring? Tsk…”

Elizabeth clicked her tongue, seemingly disappointed, and accepted the rapier Cainchel handed her.

However, the energy emanating from the blade was unusual.

Even a sword made of mithril wouldn’t emit such a sacred light.

“…But, Kid. What exactly is this sword? It’s like a holy sword… No, you could even call it a divine sword, right?”

“It’s made of a metal called Star Fragment. You could say it’s a sister to the evil-slaying sword, Fragarach [a mythical sword from Irish folklore].”

“Re, really? You’re giving this to me? This is the best gift… No, present. Aha, ahaha!”

“Oh, right, I thought of a name that would suit Elizabeth. How about Cleaver?”

“Clover? Ah, I really like that. If it has four leaves, it’s lucky, and if it has three, it’s happiness, right?”

“No. Not Clover, Cleaver. Like the butcher knife you use to cut meat.”

“…Ah, I see.”

A cleaver is a type of kitchen knife with a rectangular blade, mainly used for cutting thick objects.

Since the center of gravity is in the front, it can cut through hard objects with less effort.

It was the perfect weapon for Elizabeth, who was relentlessly slaughtering demons.

As Elizabeth received a new sword to fight demons, Gawain approached with shining eyes.

“Junior. Do you have one for me?”

“Of course.”

“Ooh…!”

Cainchel handed over a greatsword with a blade on only one side.

It was the perfect weapon for Gawain, who used ten different intermediate sword techniques.

“So, what’s the name of this one?”

“Frying Pan. Cool, right?”

“…Wait a minute. Isn’t that what you use to bake pancakes?!”

Hearing the name, it certainly looked similar. Elizabeth, who had been grumbling beside him, couldn’t hold back her laughter.

“Ahaha! Now, every time you fight, you have to shout, ‘Receive my frying pan!’ It really suits you, Gawain! Pfft, puha ha ha!”

“Ju, Junior! Even if I don’t care about appearances, this is a bit much!”

“If you’re not happy, I’ll give it to someone else.”

As Cainchel reached out his hand as if to take the sword back, Gawain desperately shook his head.

“Ah, no! Frying Pan… Haha. That’s a really good name. From now on, this body’s beloved sword is this Frying Pan!”

“I’m glad you like it.”

Frying Pan and Cleaver. It was the moment when the new divine swords that would represent Britannia were born.

Elizabeth explained to Cainchel what had happened while he was away from Britannia for a year.

“In short, the frequency of appearances of ‘Agents,’ contractors of demon lords, has increased dramatically. Well, that just means there are a lot of guys who have wishes they want to fulfill, even if they have to sell their souls.”

“I see.”

“Some of them are immune to physical attacks, so it was really hard to deal with them.”

Elizabeth said, bringing the blade of Cleaver to her cheek and rubbing it.

“Ahaha, but that’s only until yesterday. With this, I’ll just smack those annoying guys.”

However, even with a few more divine swords, the demons were still superior in terms of power.

7 VS 71.

The numbers alone were almost ten times different.

No matter how close you are to the threshold of transcendence, there is a limit to what one person can do.

When Cainchel explained this, Elizabeth nodded.

“That’s right. So, His Majesty Aslan is also considering countermeasures. Well, it seems like he’s come to some kind of conclusion. But who is that ‘bitch’ hiding behind you?”

Elizabeth began to glare at Sang-ah with the expression of a lioness looking at a wildebeest.

If Cainchel didn’t give a proper answer, she was ready to bite.

“Ah. I’m late with the introduction. This is Sang-ah, the White-Faced Golden-Haired Nine-Tailed Fox, one of the Eight Fairies representing the Jianghu Murim [a martial arts world in Chinese wuxia fiction], and the daughter of my cooking teacher, Jeok-un.”

“…It sounds like a long explanation. So, in short, it means that multiple souls are residing in one body, something like that?”

“That’s correct.”

Cainchel briefly explained his encounter with the Gumiho [a nine-tailed fox spirit in Korean folklore] and how he planned to use her.

Elizabeth’s eyes widened at the mention that the Eight Fairies were masters who would soon surpass the Sword Master’s realm.

“Does that mean that Zistad will have eight Sword Masters within at least three years?”

“That’s right.”

“At that point, any territory… No, even a country can’t ignore that kind of power, right?”

In addition, the Zistad territory had dwarves who could make top-tier equipment and elves who were guardians of the World Tree.

Moreover, even though it was conditional, there was also the existence of the guardian dragon, Magnus.

Even though he was using most of his power to maintain the gate to the Demon World, he would gladly lend his strength if Cainchel wanted him to.

“Wow… At that point, continental unification wouldn’t be impossible.”

“Well, if there’s only one chef, the quality of the food will drop if you expand the restaurant recklessly. We need to focus on strengthening the interior first.”

“That’s the right answer. Ahaha…! Oh, right, His Majesty Aslan told me to contact him immediately if I met you.”

“Surely he’s not going to ask me to teach him how to bake madeleines, is he? I’ve already personally asked Chef Geoffrey.”

“Ah, the cookies Gawain is eating right now were made by His Majesty. He bakes so well that he could become a patissier now.”

“Then why…”

“Anyway, go see him. At least you won’t lose anything.”

Aslan Pendragon’s summons order was issued to Cainchel, who had returned after a year.

Cainchel wondered why as he headed to the gate leading to Britain.

* * *

What greeted Cainchel upon arriving in Britain was Aslan, wearing a white apron and kneading cookie dough.

“Cainchel van Zistad. I have just returned from the Eastern Continent.”

“Hehe. Welcome. I’ve been practicing hard while you were away. How is it?”

“You’re doing very well now.”

Aslan cleared his throat a few times, seemingly embarrassed, and then his eyes lit up.

“But you have finally transcended the limits of humanity. You will be able to live for at least two hundred more years.”

“I was lucky enough to encounter a fortuitous event in the Eastern Continent. But how do you know when my appearance is the same?”

“I, too, once harbored the avatars of the Seven Deadly Sins in a human body. One of our kind recognizes another.”

In a sense, Aslan was also a transcendent.

Aslan nodded with a satisfied expression as he looked at the beautifully puffed-up madeleine dough.

“At this rate, I can invite Caroline to tea time today. I’ve made a lot, so I’ll give you a bag too. Take it back to the duchy and eat it.”

“…Duchy?”

“Ah, I’m late with the explanation. This is the last order and request I make as the Emperor of Britannia. Recently, a proposal was made at the State Council to make the Zistad territory independent as a duchy. And it was passed unanimously.”

“…!?”

The justification was the existence of El-Acad, which bordered the country.

Northern Britannia was El-Acad territory until hundreds of years ago.

It held the potential to become a source of conflict at any time.

If Zistad was made independent in the form of a duchy, it could be expected to play a suitable breakwater role.

“However, I would like to ask that all power not be concentrated on the Duke, but that you cooperate with Nimuë, the representative of the Elves.”

Elves and dwarves. And even dragons.

Aslan knew very well that the Zistad territory had become too big for him to handle.

“Besides, the continent will soon have to wage a full-scale war with the contractors of the demon lords. I have already formed an alliance with El-Acad and Gallia. Marquis Beast and Grand Duke Vlad were very pleased. But the Sultan of Osman rejected the alliance proposal, saying this: ‘I will only join hands with my friend Cainchel.'”

“Sindbad said that?”

“Well, to put it bluntly, this is it. Please protect the continent, Duke Zistad. Britannia will help you in every way as a blood盟国 [blood alliance].”

Aslan winked with one eye as he said that.

In the end, it meant that he was handing over the entire territory and asking him to take on the difficult task.

As expected, it was a decisive decision worthy of the man who led the First Seven Deadly Sins War to victory.

“But if it’s a blood alliance…”

“That’s the condition of independence. At least we need something to tie the Duke down, right? I hope you will marry a member of the Britannia royal family. At least a noble young lady. Of course, even a concubine is fine.”

“…!?”

“If you don’t have a young lady in mind, I know a very suitable woman. Ahem. Well, I’ve also received a personal request.”

Cainchel answered without a moment’s hesitation.

“No. I have someone.”

“Hehe, you do? I thought you weren’t interested in women, but I was wrong. If you don’t mind, can I hear who it is?”

Aslan’s eyes softened at Cainchel’s answer. It was someone he had expected to some extent.

Moreover, she was several times more suitable as the Duke’s partner than what he had set as a condition.

“So, have you proposed?”

“I’m planning to go do it now.”

“A gift?”

“…Um. Should I bake some potatoes?”

“Hey, you! This won’t do. Minister of Internal Affairs, listen! From now on, open the door to the warehouse where Britannia’s national treasures are stored!”

Aslan’s eyes sparkled. He had the face of a man who was determined to hold a wedding right away.