Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 106

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32. What You Need to Cook a Dragon (1)

Inside the secret passage, a long, dark tunnel stretched endlessly.

Prince Phideli descended the stairs, relying on a small lamp.

“Follow me, stepping only on the stairs I step on.”

With a whoosh, his body disappeared.

Kainchel had seen something similar before.

“It’s as if the space is distorted, like a magic tower.”

“That’s right. Without it, you’d become lost in spacetime.”

An arm emerged from the darkness along with the voice.

Staring intently, he saw a ring with a large jade stone embedded in its finger.

It seemed to be the medium that prevented them from getting lost in the maze.

Kainchel followed Prince Phideli into the darkness.

After walking for about five minutes,

intense light, so bright it stung the eyes, blurred their vision.

A large space made of stone walls appeared.

Seeing the object in the center, Kainchel involuntarily gasped.

It was a section of a tail covered in thick scales.

And its size was enormous.

If it had maintained its complete form, it could easily crush a human to death.

There was only one creature that could exude such overwhelming majesty.

“…This is a dragon’s tail.”

Phideli stroked it with a gentle touch, saying,

“Throughout history, humans have never succeeded in hunting a dragon. But the first emperor of Akkad succeeded in hunting a dragon and ultimately built the empire.”

“Then, are you saying this is *the* dragon from that time?”

“That’s right. It’s quite fresh for meat that’s hundreds of years old. It’s thanks to the magic cast throughout this room.”

The dragon’s tail seemed as if it would come alive and wriggle at any moment.

Phideli twisted his lips and continued,

“The Akkad royal family inherits a part of the dragon to never forget the glory of the past. In Adolf’s case, it was a fragment of the dragon’s heart. Gottfried received blood.”

“…So, that’s why Prince Adolf was able to become a Sword Master at the age of 20. Then, what abilities does the blood Gottfried received have?”

“Dragon’s blood is a medium that further solidifies the master-servant relationship. It literally turns them into an unyielding bloodline.”

*To think that dragon’s blood, which he had simply thought of as a catalyst for enhancing the performance of magical tools, had such abilities.* Gottfried’s seizure of the royal palace was due to the use of that ability.

If it weren’t for Kainchel’s efforts, they wouldn’t have been able to reveal who Gottfried’s bloodline was.

“And you, Your Highness, received the dragon’s meat.”

It is said that the first emperor of the Akkad Empire created an immortal army using the dragon.

Perhaps that is the power of the dragon meat?

“The problem is that it’s completely useless.”

Phideli drew the sword he was wearing on his waist. And he swung it towards the dragon’s tail.

Clang-!

A blow with tremendous force.

However, not even a scratch was made on the dragon’s hide.

“I’d like to eat it all if I could, but how can I cook it like this?”

In the end, there was no one who could properly cook the dragon, so it is said that so much has remained even after hundreds of years.

“Can’t you cut it with Aura?”

“The dragon’s tail originally had much more left. But they tried to cut it with an Aura Blade [a blade enhanced with magical energy] and failed, so this is all that’s left. They all said the same thing: To cut dragon meat with Aura so that it can be eaten, you need basic swordsmanship that transcends the limits of basic swordsmanship.”

“…!”

Basic swordsmanship that transcends the limits of basic swordsmanship.

That was the ultimate basic swordsmanship that Kainchel had obtained by handling countless ingredients.

“The benefactor cooked pufferfish, which no one had ever thought of eating, very deliciously. He even used an Aura Sword to cut it so thinly that the plate was visible through it.”

The fragments of the dragon’s heart and blood that his brothers inherited had tremendous abilities.

In comparison, the meat that Phideli received couldn’t even be eaten.

Phideli looked at Kainchel with eyes filled with various emotions.

“It suddenly occurred to me that the benefactor might be able to cook the dragon. So, I decided to entrust this to you.”

“Could you wait a moment? There’s something I need to check.”

Kainchel touched the dragon meat and activated Brilliant Road.

[Your cooking level is too low to properly bring out the flavor of the ingredient.]

[Your gourmet level is too low to check the condition of the ingredient.]

[The level of Ultimate Basic Swordsmanship to handle the ingredient is insufficient.]

*I still need to raise my skills further to cook a dragon.*

Dragon meat that no one has been able to cook for hundreds of years.

How much experience and Aura could he gain if he ate it?

Simply gaining skills is not enough to use an Aura Blade.

To maintain an Aura Blade, hundreds of times more Aura than an Aura Sword is consumed.

Perhaps he had found a clue to fill that lacking part.

“You have the same look in your eyes as when you cooked pufferfish. How do you like my gift?”

“I’ve never received such a wonderful gift before. But is it okay for me to take the royal family’s treasure?”

“What’s the problem if I use what I inherited as I please? Well, I couldn’t divide it, so I received it whole.”

Phideli smiled bitterly and added one last word.

“But if you manage to make a dish with dragon meat, would you let me taste it?”

Kainchel nodded vigorously.

“Yes, definitely!”

@

Kainchel was staring at the dragon meat.

His cooking level was insufficient to cook it, and his basic swordsmanship was insufficient to handle it.

But if he had given up that easily, he wouldn’t have lasted three years in the Knight Training Center.

“Let’s at least try to cut the dragon meat.”

To do that, he needed extremely compressed Aura.

Kainchel gripped the kitchen knife and poured Aura into it until it reached its limit.

Then, with a clang, the blade turned to dust.

“…Is this the limit with a kitchen knife?”

But he couldn’t use a sword to cut the meat. Hadn’t Phideli explained the result?

Kainchel narrowed his eyes and looked at the Mithril sword he was wearing on his waist.

Magang 魔鋼 Mithril [a rare and strong metal, often magically imbued].

The only metal that can withstand even Aura compressed dozens of times.

“…Oh, come to think of it, this is made of Mithril, isn’t it?”

The sword Kainchel carried was a famous sword that Vincent had given him as a reward for saving his life.

Its value was said to be over hundreds of gold.

“Hmm…”

Steel kitchen knives break even with a small amount of uncompressed Aura.

In the end, Kainchel had to change his kitchen knife three or four times a day.

If he had a Mithril kitchen knife, wouldn’t he be able to cook a little more comfortably?

Kainchel visited the most famous blacksmith in Weimar.

Bronze skin, white hair that showed his age, and a neatly trimmed beard.

The man, who gave off the feeling of a master craftsman, was hammering away.

“What brings you here?”

“I want to melt down the sword I have and make a different type of sword.”

“Hmm.”

The craftsman scanned the armor Kainchel was wearing and said.

“If you melt down a sword that has already been forged, its strength will decrease. Is that alright with you?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Then let me have it.”

Kainchel pulled out the sword from its scabbard and handed it to the craftsman. The sword, with its delicate craftsmanship, was a work of art in itself.

When the sword was drawn, the blade, emitting a subtle glow, was visible.

“Heo… This is… a truly magnificent sword. I’ve held a hammer for decades, but this is the first time I’ve seen such a beautiful sword.”

“I would like you to melt it down and make a kitchen knife.”

“…Wait a minute. I haven’t had any alcohol, but it seems like I’m hearing things. I’m sorry, but could you say that again?”

“Please make a kitchen knife out of this.”

“So, you’re going to make a kitchen knife out of this famous sword?”

“Yes.”

“…”

He asked several times, but Kainchel’s attitude was firm.

The craftsman froze in the same posture as when he drew the sword.

“Hehe, my goodness… I’ve only lived for 60 years, but to think I’d see someone melt down such a famous sword to make a kitchen knife…”

Kainchel smiled bitterly. If he didn’t have the ability to become stronger in swordsmanship by cooking, he wouldn’t have thought of making a kitchen knife out of a Mithril sword.

The craftsman’s hands trembled. He had devoted his life to making swords, but this was the first time he had seen such a magnificent sword.

*But, what?* He’s asking me to make a kitchen knife out of this?

“Money is no object.”

“Money is not the problem!”

The craftsman suddenly felt dizzy and sat down on an iron chair.

And he looked at the Mithril sword. There was an indelible mark on the handle. It meant that it was not just for decoration.

“Just looking at the blade, I can tell that it has been treated with great care. It seems that you didn’t make this order simply out of a whim.”

“I need a Mithril kitchen knife. Even if I have to give up that sword.”

The craftsman sighed deeply and returned the Mithril sword to Kainchel.

“Melting down such a beautiful sword is definitely a heartbreaking thing. I could do it if you want me to. But this is a Mithril sword.”

“I know.”

“But you don’t seem to know the characteristics of Mithril very well. Mithril reacts to Aura and changes its shape.”

Certainly, it seemed to have become subtly longer since he first drew it.

Kainchel recalled the appearance of Nymue’s beloved sword, Rose Bouquet. When Aura was poured into it, it wrapped around the enemy’s body like a whip and tore their skin.

“Even if it breaks due to a strong impact, it will return to its original state if you continue to supply Aura. It’s not called a famous sword for nothing.”

Even if it breaks, it returns to its original state.

That was the ability that Kainchel needed most in his kitchen knife.

*I want a Mithril kitchen knife even more.*

“It seems like it’s hard to change your mind, so I’ll tell you. I can’t melt this down here.”

The craftsman bowed his head as if he was sorry.

“To melt this down and make another sword, you need the power of an Elven artisan. They can even purify the Aura that changes the shape of Mithril.”

“Are Elven artisans the only ones who can melt Mithril and make a new sword?”

“Ah! I’m sorry about this. I said something impossible. Most of the artisans who handle moonlight are the purest Elves, that is, the Queen. Moreover, like other Elves, they hate humans. Unless you have an Elf as a lover, give up on melting down the Mithril sword and making it into a new form.”

Kainchel quietly gripped the Mithril sword and stood up from his seat.

“So, you’re saying that if I ask an Elf, I can make this into a kitchen knife?”

“That’s the problem. Isn’t meeting an Elf in this day and age only possible with tremendous luck? Moreover, it’s difficult for ordinary Elves to talk to the Elven Queen.”

“Fortunately, it seems I’ve already encountered such luck.”

Kainchel happened to be with the guardian of the World Tree and the Queen’s honor guard.

And he was on his way to the Elves’ city, El Dorado, with her.

*If I save the World Tree, they’ll make me a kitchen knife, right?*

What You Need to Cook a Dragon (2)