Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 140

Abel was the most surprised by Leman’s sudden proposal.

He had been so eager to pursue Kainchel, wanting to drink his blood, and now he wanted to become Kainchel’s subordinate.

How was Abel supposed to interpret his intentions?

As Abel looked at Leman with suspicious eyes, Blue Mountain interjected.

“Hmm. He can’t speak properly because he’s afraid his thoughts will be read. But isn’t that the scent of a half-elf? I have no desire to associate with forest bumpkins, but since he seems to be the boy’s companion, I’ll give you some simple advice. If you want to avoid the vampire’s magic eyes, drink alcohol.”

Blue Mountain leaned back in his chair as if he had done all he could.

Elves and dwarves have been long-time enemies.

Even giving this much advice was a big deal.

“Drinking alcohol will do it, huh? Certainly, dirty muddy water would be harder to see through than a clear, clean spring.”

Abel uncorked a bottle and gulped it down.

As a nobleman who had enjoyed sweet wine since childhood, he didn’t seem to have much aversion to alcohol.

‘I guess I should drink some too.’

The two of them shared a bottle of alcohol and were finally able to have a proper conversation.

But was the alcohol stronger than they thought?

Abel’s face, including his ears, had turned bright red.

“Haa, Kainchel. You’re not really going to accept that guy’s offer, are you? He may look like a good-for-nothing gigolo from a noble family, but he’s a vampire who has survived for a long time. He must have dozens, no, hundreds of snakes in his belly [meaning he’s cunning and deceitful].”

“Hmm······.”

Many people had eaten Kainchel’s cooking so far. But this was the first time he had received such an offer.

Richard von Fremang, the owner of the Goodblood Auction House and a vampire, wanted to serve him as his master.

Leman, who had been kneeling, raised his head.

“I think I should reveal all my thoughts to gain your trust!”

Kainchel also had the same thought as Abel.

“Can there be trust between a vampire and a human? That sounds like a wolf asking a sheep to trust and follow him.”

But Leman didn’t give up easily.

“That’s why we have to build it up from now on! As a first step, I will tell you my purpose! The food that my lord makes is more delicious than any blood I have ever tasted. If I can eat it three times a day, I will serve my lord as a faithful servant!”

“A servant······.”

“It was that good even when using beast blood. But what kind of result would come out if you cooked blood that suits my taste? For that, serving for a year, no, even ten years, is not a difficult task.”

Abel’s already pale skin turned even paler.

“So, you want to eat food made with my blood?”

“That’s right, Mademoiselle. Of course, I’m fine with just three meals of blood cuisine a day as a reward for my loyalty. I don’t suck blood without the other person’s consent. I’m a gentleman!”

Leman’s eyes showed a twisted madness.

But knowing what the other party wanted made him feel strangely relieved.

“Abel. Are you okay with this?”

“Hmm······. Well, as long as he doesn’t forcibly suck my blood, it doesn’t seem so bad. The vampire’s abilities will be very useful in the future.”

He was still suspicious of Richard von Fremang’s motives.

But having him as a subordinate would give him a force that even the great nobles could not ignore.

Leman reached out to Kainchel.

“My lord. Would you tear my flesh and put a drop of blood in it?”

“What’s the meaning of that?”

“It’s a ritual called ‘Blood Domination’ that is passed down among vampires. You can give an order that the person who accepts your blood can never disobey, but only once!”

Kainchel looked at Blue Mountain.

“Is that true? But don’t suddenly order him to commit suicide. He’ll really die.”

‘······He really wants to eat food made with Abel’s blood.’

As he was told, when the ritual was completed, a bright red ring appeared on Leman’s left ring finger.

It looked so natural that it could be mistaken for a wedding ring.

“With this, I am my lord’s servant, manservant, and slave. Now, I will show you proof of my loyalty.”

@

Leman turned into a bat and disappeared, saying he would find Draupnir’s whereabouts.

In the meantime, Kainchel made blood cuisine for Leman and checked the abilities of the new skill he had obtained.

[Blood Drain : ★]

― By inflicting injury, you can steal the opponent’s blood.

― The higher the Gourmet skill, the higher the probability of the status condition – ‘Bloodlust’ occurring.

‘This is amazing······.’

Blood is life force.

Especially in the case of Aura users, Aura naturally flows through their blood.

Being able to steal it meant that he could become stronger not only by eating food but also through combat.

But the second item bothered him.

Bloodlust is a curse and symbol given to vampires.

‘So, using Blood Drain a lot means you become a vampire? This is a complete trap skill, isn’t it?’

Unlike other cooking skills, it was an ability close to black magic.

It seemed better to seal it away except in very urgent situations.

‘As expected, cooking is the best way to get stronger.’

Flap! Flap!

With the sound of bat wings, a frivolous voice was heard.

“My lord. I found the person who bought Draupnir. Fortunately, it’s still at the auction house.”

“Really?”

The bat flew around Kainchel’s head as if it were a puppy wanting praise.

Vampires can turn their bodies into bats or smoke.

Because they share senses and memories, they can return to their original form even if half of them die.

“Then, would you cook me something called blood soup for tonight’s late-night snack? I’m dying to know what kind of food it is.”

“Is beef blood okay?”

“It’s okay!”

Leman’s tone had changed slightly.

Leman, who had returned to his vampire form, scratched the back of his head and said.

“But there’s one problem.”

Saying that it would be faster to see it in person than to explain it, Leman took Kainchel to the place where the auction was taking place.

There, countless people were gathered, entrusting themselves to desire.

The auctioneer shouted at the top of his lungs.

“Irene’s Tears has reached 70 gold! If there are no more bids, the Siren’s treasure, Irene’s Tears, will be sold for only 70 gold!”

Then, hands went up here and there. They had bidder numbers attached to their chests.

“Bidder number 4 has bid 80 gold! If there is no one else to bid, we will go into the countdown! Ten! Nine!”

Then, a woman who had been standing with her arms crossed in front of the auctioneer raised her hand.

“100 gold! 100 gold has been bid!”

In the end, the auction of Irene’s Tears was decided because no one else was willing to pay more.

Then, whispering voices were heard here and there.

“Ah, Elizabeth is sweeping everything away again.”

“How much has she spent tonight already? It must be almost a thousand gold.”

“I counted. She bought 1500 gold worth in total.”

“Haa! Amazing! That’s almost the equivalent of a small territory’s monthly tax!”

“Hehe! She’s jumped into the bidding again. Is she really going to buy all the jewelry that came out today?”

Kainchel swallowed hard and looked at the woman who had spent a whopping 1500 gold in one night.

Her deep blue hair, which felt like the sea had been moved as it was, covered her body.

What was barely visible through it was a dizzying leather outfit that looked like something a street prostitute would wear.

In addition, her curvaceous figure, which seemed about to burst, made the woman look even more sensual.

‘But Elizabeth has the same name as the Sword Master of Benevolence. Eh, it can’t be.’

The outfit looked too vulgar for the Sword Master of Benevolence to wear.

Besides, as Kainchel remembered, Elizabeth’s age was definitely over fifty.

“My lord, the one who bought Draupnir is the Sword Master of Benevolence Elizabeth Metatron over there.”

‘It was really the Sword Master of Benevolence!’

After that, Elizabeth bought jewelry as greedily as possible.

In the end, after spending a whopping 2,000 gold, she got up from her seat with a blissful expression.

“Ahaha! It was a satisfying shopping trip! Besides, I bought an item from the mythological era that I wanted, so shall we get up now?”

A servant sent by Leman approached Elizabeth as she was about to leave the auction house.

It was to convey the message that he wanted to buy Draupnir back.

“······Hmm. You’ll pay for the jewelry I bought today, and you’ll give me priority bidding rights when a treasure from the mythological era comes up for auction?”

It was not uncommon for bidders to approach bidders in order to obtain the desired item.

Occasionally, there were even attempts at assassination out of spite.

Therefore, it was common to wear a mask to prevent identity exposure before entering the bidding.

But Elizabeth didn’t need to do that.

She was the great hero who led the Seven Deadly Sins War to victory.

She was one of the only seven Sword Masters in the Britannia Empire, the ‘Seven Virtues’.

“But first, I want to meet the person who wants this. I’m curious to know what kind of nouveau riche [newly rich person] it is. Ahaha!”

“Elizabeth-nim. Th, that’s a bit······.”

“Why? Don’t you want to?”

The servant begged as if pleading, but he could not change Elizabeth’s mind.

In the end, Leman, who had been transformed into a bat, stepped forward.

When a handsome man in a tuxedo appeared, the young ladies passing by screamed.

“I, it’s Richard-nim! Ah, he’s so handsome! I wonder if he’ll suck my blood tonight too?”

If you have your blood sucked by Leman, you can get priority bidding rights at the auction as compensation.

It was sold at such a high price that there were even people who visited the auction house wanting to have their blood sucked by Leman.

“I’ve only been eating vegetables these days! I’m sure my blood is very clear and sweet too!”

“I’m sorry, Mademoiselle. I’m full today.”

The power of the owner of the underground auction house even makes vampires into aristocrats.

Kainchel realized that he had gained a much more powerful subordinate than he had thought.

“Mademoiselle Elizabeth. Then let’s have a detailed conversation over here.”

“Shall we?”

With a small table in between, Kainchel faced Elizabeth.

She was the third Sword Master he had met.

Melilot was an enemy.

Hector was unknown.

Then which side would Elizabeth be on?

“What, did this young punk bid such a high price because he wanted this?”

In fact, Leman was paying the money, but it was assumed that Kainchel was paying in order to make the conversation easier.

Elizabeth twirled Draupnir on her finger.

The money she paid to buy Draupnir was 300 gold. But he was asking for it back by paying almost six times that amount.

The bat sitting on Kainchel’s shoulder whispered.

By using the vampire’s ability, it was possible for the main body to entertain Elizabeth while sending a doppelganger to talk to Kainchel.

“I’m sorry, my lord. I can’t handle the Sword Master either.”

Elizabeth, who had approached Kainchel, said with a frivolous laugh.

“Ahaha. Kid. How did you get such a huge Aura? Tristan said he took on a disciple, could it be that you’re Kundam?”

She instantly saw that Kainchel had reached a level close to Sword Master.

“No, I’m not.”

“But it’s really amazing. There have never been eight Sword Masters in Britannia at the same time. But maybe an eighth one will appear. It’s really fun. It’s interesting. It’s very amazing. Who would have known it would be such a fun night?”

Elizabeth giggled for a while, wondering what was so fun.

“As expected, the world is wide. Who would have known that a talent like you would be hiding? If you want Draupnir, I’ll give it to you. I won’t even take the money. But let’s fight once. If you win, I’ll give it to you. How about it? It’ll be a lot of fun, right?”

‘Is she suggesting a duel?’

Elizabeth didn’t seem to mind spending even 2,000 gold for a moment of fun.

A duel with a Sword Master.

It was something to be avoided even if it meant paying 2,000 gold.

But Kainchel was having strange thoughts.

Just like he had a cooking competition with Oracle. Just like he competed with Nymue with swords.

He wanted to duel with a Sword Master, who could be said to be the pinnacle of knights.

Besides, he didn’t feel even a shred of hostility from Elizabeth. It seemed that she had simply applied for a duel with Kainchel out of interest.

‘Wasn’t the digestion of the dragon meat supposed to be over today?’

Besides, today was the second day he could eat dragon meat.

Unprecedented #1