Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 157

Keinzel looked around the kitchen.

Everything was exactly as he had organized it half a year ago.

‘So, there are no signs of anyone touching it since then. Is he really a Homunculus [an artificially created human being]?’

Vivianne led the group to the kitchen and then waited at the entrance.

When Keinzel looked at her, she replied in a businesslike voice.

“Please let me know if you need anything.”

“Could you possibly get something like dragon meat?”

“Do you mean Grade 6 ingredient dragon meat? That requires permission. Please wait a moment.”

Vivianne took out a hand mirror and began talking to someone.

“Individual Keinzel has requested a Grade 6 ingredient. Please confirm and review. ······Yes, I understand.”

‘Can they really get dragon meat?’

No matter how great the Tower of the Sages is, dragon meat is a national treasure.

It’s not something you can buy like pork, no matter how much money you have.

Vivianne replied in a strangely kinder voice.

“Permission has been granted to provide even Grade 6 ingredients. However, we don’t have any in stock right now. You’ll have to wait a long time. Is that alright with you?”

“Huh? You mean you’ll get dragon meat if I wait?”

“The most recent acquisition of dragon meat was 87,600 hours ago. You’ll have to wait at least that long.”

Roughly calculated, that was a hundred years.

‘Still, it’s amazing that they can get it even if it takes that long.’

Keinzel shrugged.

He had only said it as a joke anyway.

The ultimate sandwich tastes better with good ingredients, but it doesn’t need dragon meat.

However, he could see how obsessed Bishop was with cooking.

“Then, get me the highest quality beef tenderloin and red onions. And tomatoes to add flavor and aroma to the sauce. And I’ll also need wine vinegar.”

“Will that be all?”

“That should be enough for now. Oh, and a bottle of whole grain mustard, please. I just ran out of what I had with me.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Keinzel subtly asked something he had been curious about.

“By the way, is there another kitchen inside the Magic Tower?”

“This is the only one. Are you not satisfied with the facilities? If you tell me what you want, I’ll have it changed.”

This was something she hadn’t answered before.

Bishop had ordered that Keinzel be given as much convenience as possible during his stay in the Magic Tower.

Thanks to that, he was able to learn the secrets of the Magic Tower that he couldn’t hear due to insufficient security clearance.

To move to another space through the mirror, the image of the place you want to go must be clear.

If there were two kitchens, there was a possibility of becoming lost in spacetime.

That’s why there is only one space with the same purpose in the Magic Tower.

‘The food storage was the same too. He hasn’t eaten anything for half a year.’

However, he decided to focus on the mission for now.

Vivianne brought a mountain of ingredients in less than 10 minutes.

Keinzel first kneaded the flour to make the bread he had used for the honey butter sandwich.

With the fermentation acceleration using Fire Fist, he could quickly make delicious Cuban bread.

But it seemed like magic to Elizabeth.

“What skill did you use to make the dough rise at the same time as kneading it? Hmm, is it baking? If I had that, could I make bread like that too?”

“It’s because I raised the temperature of my hands with high fire resistance, so I don’t think it would be possible.”

“Tch.”

It takes several skills to make a dish.

Realizing that, Elizabeth clicked her tongue with a disappointed expression.

“But you’re also adding pork lard?”

“This makes the sandwich very crispy when grilled, as if buttered. And it also has a unique flavor.”

“The ultimate sandwich… I’m getting more and more excited.”

Elizabeth’s eyes sparkled as she swallowed her saliva.

She seemed to be imagining biting into a crispy, grilled sandwich.

Something flashed through Keinzel’s mind as he looked at her with a pleased expression.

“…Wait. Maybe this is the answer.”

“What is it? Did you already find a clue to the mission?”

Keinzel nodded with a confident face.

“Yes. With this method, you can know the taste for sure without even tasting it.”

“What is it? Tell me. I’m curious.”

“That is….”

@

First, to use that method, you need a taster who is picky about taste.

Keinzel invited Goethe, the great writer who had enjoyed the ice cream so much.

“Thank you for coming despite your busy schedule.”

“Keinzel, you said you would make a dish with all your heart, so I would go to hell. But what kind of food are you going to delight my eyes and tongue with today?”

“I’m going to make a steak sandwich.”

“Hmm, that’s too ordinary.”

“The taste won’t be ordinary.”

“Then, shall we take a look?”

While the Cuban bread was baking in the oven, Keinzel began to grill the meat in earnest.

Goethe is not the only one here.

The Man in the Iron Mask, Bishop, was also watching Keinzel holding a kitchen knife with interesting eyes.

Elizabeth glared as if she didn’t like the increase in competitors.

“This will reduce my share.”

“Bishop will only watch anyway.”

“Ahahaha! That’s the best news I’ve heard.”

Keinzel seasoned the thickly sliced beef tenderloin with pepper and gem salt.

He grinds it with a grinder so that the pepper scent is well absorbed and sprinkles it as is.

Elizabeth swallowed as the pungent scent tickled her nose.

“Are you crazy? The cooking hasn’t even started yet, but my stomach is already growling.”

Keinzel nodded lightly and then cut the garlic in half with the peel on.

If you grill this with the meat, the scent becomes even stronger.

Goethe, watching Keinzel heating the pan, explained.

“Do you know why you tilt the pan slightly when grilling a steak? Then the meat is cooked as if it is supporting the entire oil. Then almost no juice escapes. It becomes a very moist and delicious steak.”

Such a detailed explanation that his real job is suspicious. Elizabeth admired.

“As expected, Mr. Goethe, famous as a gourmet, knows a lot. Oh, please sign for me later.”

Keinzel, who had seared it while turning it, placed the pre-sliced garlic and thyme on the meat.

Sizzle-!

The intense scent of garlic and thyme is added to the meat that is cooking over the fire.

Elizabeth twisted her body as if she couldn’t stand it anymore.

“Ugh, it smells so good just smelling it. Kid. Can’t you just cook it roughly and let me have a bite?”

“No.”

“Heuk… This is almost torture… Can I endure it if I don’t see it….”

Elizabeth closed her eyes tightly and blocked her nose.

However, the steak that Keinzel was grilling with all his heart had a different sound from the start.

“…I surrender.”

Keinzel, who won against the Sword Master with a single kitchen knife, increased the speed of cooking.

The steak is sizzling over the fire.

Put a piece of butter on it.

And continue to pour the oil with the taste and aroma of garlic, thyme, and butter over the meat.

Then you can cook the meat evenly.

“Now, if you bake it in the oven for about 10 minutes, the steak to put in the sandwich is complete.”

Keinzel showed the well-grilled sirloin steak to those who were watching.

The heat of the pan is still there, sizzling and exuding a tremendous presence.

Gulp.

Elizabeth, as well as Goethe, who was watching with a solemn expression, swallowed their saliva.

While the steak was baking in the oven, Keinzel made a tomato relish to go with it.

It is a type of salad made by chopping sweet and sour pickled fruit vegetables.

“Red onions, chili peppers, and tomatoes? You’re going to make relish and put it in the bread with the meat. Certainly, the combination of steak and spicy relish is fantastic.”

Goethe explained what kind of sandwich Keinzel was making just by looking at the ingredients.

Bishop was listening as if Goethe’s words were the truth.

‘Good, this is the first stage passed.’

Finely chop the red onions and chop the chili peppers together. The seeds were not removed to give a strong spicy scent.

Fry it with plenty of olive oil.

Then you can make a fragrant and glossy relish.

Before he knew it, the onions became mushy, and a spicy smoke began to rise.

Now it was time to add the tomatoes that had been lightly salted.

If you cook this well, it smells very soft and sweet.

Keinzel poured plenty of wine vinegar into the relish to add a sweet and sour flavor and simmered it like a stew.

Goethe, who was stroking his chin, admired.

“A flawless relish. It would be delicious to wrap just that in bread and eat it.”

“If you finely chop and mix basil, the color is also beautiful.”

Keinzel put the relish, which had turned into jam, aside and made a sauce to enhance the taste of the meat.

“If you mix a little fresh cream with whole grain mustard, it becomes a mustard sauce with a strong yet soft taste. The color is really beautiful, isn’t it? Oh, the meat is already cooked. Now it’s time to take out the steak.”

When the oven was opened, the concentrated steak smell spread from inside.

“Wow, is this really a steak? Compared to this, what I’ve eaten so far feels like leather shoes grilled over a fire? Ugh, I lost. So let me eat the meat quickly….”

Elizabeth rolled around on the floor as if she couldn’t wait any longer.

Keinzel showed Elizabeth the well-cooked steak and said.

“The seasoning is done well, so the scent is very good, right? And it’s so soft that it will melt in your mouth the moment you put it in. It seems like a lot of juice has leaked out while it was cooking in the oven, so you have to sprinkle it again.”

If you leave the well-grilled steak in the oven for about 10 minutes, it becomes medium rare.

Goethe was also nodding with his arms crossed, even though he didn’t show it.

Keinzel began to slice the steak with a large knife. Then, the pink flesh with juice dripping down was revealed.

“Doesn’t the texture look really soft?”

“Ah, I can’t hear you! I can’t hear you!”

“It’s like cutting butter. Then I’ll make a sandwich with the finished ingredients.”

Place the freshly baked bread from the oven on the pan and press it lightly. Then the bread surface has a grill shape and has a more crispy texture.

“Use a spoon to spread the mustard sauce all over the bread, then put the cabbage on top. And if you put the beautifully grilled steak and tomato relish on top… Here, the ultimate steak sandwich is complete.”

Elizabeth was about to shout out as it was.

The dish that Keinzel made was so fantastic that you wanted to eat it just by looking at the process.

Goethe said with a strict, solemn, and serious expression.

“Whether it is worthy of being called the ultimate taste will be determined by eating it directly….”

“Don’t you know ladies first? I’ll eat it first!”

“…Then please eat first, Lady Elizabeth.”

Elizabeth threw herself at the sandwich as if she had found her family’s enemy.

And she picked it up with her hand and bit it in one breath.

Crunch-!

“…!”

Elizabeth’s eyes widened. All the dishes Keinzel makes are delicious.

But this was a taste that was hard to explain in words.

“…The meat is soft, the bread is crispy, ugh, I don’t know. Anyway, it’s delicious! It’s really delicious!”

It seemed like I had to hear a proper evaluation from Goethe. Goethe stared intently at the steak sandwich in front of him.

The exterior is almost no different from other steak sandwiches. However, it contains the essence of the cooking skills that Keinzel has honed.

A perfectly grilled steak seasoned with gem salt. Cuban bread kneaded using Fire Fist.

Relish that has brought out the taste of vegetables to the limit using freshness recovery and Mimir’s spring water.

It is literally the best steak sandwich that Keinzel can make.

Unfortunately, Goethe couldn’t even give an evaluation at Elizabeth’s level. When he came to his senses, the plate in front of him was empty.

It was such a delicious steak, and it was delicious bread.

Goethe admired.

“To think I lost my mind and ate a sandwich… Certainly, this is worthy of being called the ultimate sandwich.”

“I have to admit that our little one’s cooking skills are really good.”

Goethe and Elizabeth ate the steak sandwich so deliciously. The results of the tasting came to mind.

[6-star dish ‘Ultimate Steak Sandwich’ has been completed.]

[Guests look at you with respectful eyes at the completion of the masterpiece dish.]

Keinzel asked Bishop.

“What do you think? Can’t you tell how delicious the dish is without even eating it?”

Bishop, who hadn’t said a word while grilling the steak and making the bread.

Red light emanated from beyond the thick iron mask.

At the same time, the voices of Elizabeth and Goethe next to him could not be heard.

It seemed that he had twisted the space to allow them to talk alone.

“I didn’t think you would solve the mission in this way. You made the great writer Goethe explain what it tastes like, and you made Elizabeth show her desire for food. I certainly know how delicious the dish you made is.”

“Then the mission is….”

“I’ll give you a pass for now.”

‘Good!’

Keinzel clenched his fist. With this, he was able to get Bishop’s cooperation to make cola. Of course, he also got a glass bottle as a bonus.

“But it can’t be said to be a perfect answer. No, it’s even worse.”

“Worse?”

“I…. No, this body cannot eat food. It’s not made that way. But at this moment, I sincerely resent being born with such a body. I know how delicious the dish you made is, but I can’t eat it. Do you understand how much pain that is?”

“…But why did you say the mission was a success? If you didn’t like it, you should have declared it a failure.”

“That’s because I decided to bet on you. On the potential of you, who made such an amazing dish that made a Homunculus feel appetite.”

“Ho, Homunculus?”

I thought I would hear Bishop’s identity someday.

But I never thought that moment would come so quickly!

The Taste You Can Know Without Eating #3