Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 162

“What I mean is… it seems like the entire vast North…”

Loengrin cut Ludwig off as if he couldn’t bear to listen anymore.

“The North is certainly vast. Ruling over all of it is a difficult task.”

“Ah, you understand…”

“But isn’t that why the Margrave exists? The authority to command other lords as your hands and feet was given so that you would protect the North together with them, not to fatten your own belly!”

“Hiek…!”

Loengrin exuded hostility, as if he would draw his sword at any moment.

Ludwig, facing him head-on, wet his pants.

“From this moment, I announce the imperial decree issued by His Majesty Emperor Aslan! Margrave Phillips, who has not fulfilled his duty, will be stripped of his title, and Loengrin Sariel will serve as the commander of the defense until the security of the North returns to normal!”

Ludwig’s face turned pale white.

For him, it was literally a death sentence.

To defy the imperial decree was tantamount to treason.

However, he couldn’t simply give up the power he had enjoyed until now.

“Forget about holing up in Byron Castle. In front of the Winged Radiance, those castle walls are nothing but paper.”

“……”

At Loengrin’s words, which seemed to read his mind, Ludwig’s obese body collapsed.

“Take him away.”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

The knights who had been Ludwig’s subordinates until just now saluted.

Even if they were prepared for a bloody purge and resisted, their opponent was a Sword Master [a highly skilled warrior]. There was no chance of winning.

In front of a Sword Master, the authority of a Margrave was nothing.

“Hoo…”

Loengrin was also not pleased.

As a result of the investigation, the situation in the North was more serious than he had thought: a White Dragon that had awakened, a Sword Master from Deutschland [Germany] who had crossed the border, and even the dungeons that continued to appear.

However, the first thing to do was to deal with the inspector who had taken bribes from Ludwig and concealed and downplayed all of this.

“I’m already busy enough searching for the Pentagram [a mysterious organization], but now I have to act as the Margrave…”

He had to find someone to officially take over as Margrave as soon as possible.

Then, the face of Cainchel van Zistad, who had become the eye of the storm by creating the devil’s drink, Cola, immediately came to mind.

“……Certainly, it was Count Zistad who discovered the Pentagram and fought to drive them back.”

Moreover, even though he should be focusing on restoring his territory, he was voluntarily helping with the Pentagram search.

Above all, Cainchel was a master of the sword on the verge of becoming a Sword Master.

Who could be more suitable for the position of Margrave than him?

“But he is too young, and it hasn’t been long since he became a lord in the North. But if he achieves something in this Pentagram search…”

Loengrin took out the Cola bottle he was wearing on his waist and drank the devil’s drink inside.

“……Kuh, good! Cola is the best when my head is complicated.”

The North, which had been frozen for 10 years, began to change at an incredible speed.

And Cainchel was at the center of it.

@

Cainchel became partners with Bishop, a slime-type homunculus [an artificially created being].

Both had what the other wanted, so this strange symbiotic relationship was formed.

What Bishop provided was about 30% of his body, taken from his main body.

It contained the knowledge and experience that Bishop had accumulated over hundreds of years.

He had literally gained a consultant with tremendous abilities.

The fact that Loengrin had become the temporary Margrave of the North spread quickly.

The residents of the North were delighted that they finally had a proper Margrave.

“Certainly, the situation in the North will improve just by getting rid of Ludwig. But…”

― I need to deal with the Pentagram as soon as possible.

“If the fact that Loengrin has become the Margrave reaches their ears, they will take even more radical actions in the future.”

A cornered rat can bite a cat.

If things go wrong, there was a possibility of a full-scale war with Deutschland.

“The best situation would be for Adolf to give up and return to Deutschland, but that’s not going to happen, is it?”

Cainchel secretly contacted Phiedlier through a merchant group going to find the Cola tree.

And he found out that it was the 1st Prince, Adolf, who led the Pentagram across the border.

‘I feel strange that I seem to be involved in a foreign country’s fight for the throne… But it’s better for Phiedlier to become the next king than Adolf.’

If Adolf’s mistakes were revealed, Phiedlier would be confirmed as the next king of Deutschland.

― In the end, if whatever you choose leads to a bad outcome, wouldn’t you bet on the side with the bigger pot when you win?

Adolf had put everything he had on the gambling table to hunt the dragon.

If he succeeded, he could definitely become king.

That’s how special dragons were in Deutschland.

However, the dragon that Adolf wanted so much was eating freshly fried fish and chips next to him.

“It’s delicious, Cainchel. Especially this crispy part is the best.”

Cainchel asked Calliope, who still seemed to have no thoughts.

“So, how much has your strength recovered?”

Calliope tilted her head. Then the french fry she was holding fell to the floor.

She looked at the french fry she couldn’t eat with very sad eyes and said.

“Just a little?”

“You still can’t return to your original form?”

Then Calliope nodded vigorously.

To catch the hidden Pentagram, they had to use what they wanted as bait.

The best thing would be for the White Dragon to appear in person, but since that was impossible, they had to find another way.

Bishop provided the answer.

― Let me ask you one thing. I heard that your partner can absorb the aura contained in dragon meat by cooking and eating it. At that time, didn’t an enormous energy emanate from it?

“That’s right, it was definitely a dish with an unbelievable presence.”

― Prince Adolf has a magical tool that can track the energy of a dragon. It will definitely react to your partner’s cooking.

“……Is that true?”

― Who do you think made that magical tool?

“Um, Vivianne?”

― …It was me. Of course, I don’t know if the other party will fall for it, but isn’t it meat that you were going to cook and eat anyway? It’s worth a try.

The meat he had eaten before fighting Elizabeth had already been digested.

‘To think I can recreate the energy with the dragon meat I left uneaten just in case. Things are turning out to be very interesting.’

― However, since the tail doesn’t belong to Calliope, there is something needed to deceive it.

After hearing what it was, Cainchel had to check if Leman was around.

“……So, you’re saying that if I soak the dragon meat in Calliope’s blood and then cook it, it will work?”

― That’s right. The higher the quality of the dish, the stronger the presence it will emit, so from there, it depends on your partner’s skills.

“Okay, I’ll do it. But before that, I have to ask for blood.”

Calliope tilted her head with a blank expression at Cainchel’s words asking for blood.

“Blood?”

“I need it for cooking. I only need a little.”

“Then can I eat more delicious food?”

“……I’ll try my best.”

“Okay, I’ll give it to you. Because it’s a promise.”

Cainchel held out an empty Cola bottle. He said that it would be enough if the bottom was sloshing.

When he made a small cut on the tip of his finger, dark red blood flowed down.

“Ah! It hurts……”

He carefully transferred it into the Cola bottle, being careful not to spill even a drop.

‘……Is this enough?’

He was bandaging his injured hand when he heard Richard von Frerremang’s voice from somewhere.

“Lord! I smell something incredibly delicious! What are you eating?”

“I’ll make you blood sausage for dinner, so please be quiet.”

“Blood, blood sausage! That’s really delicious!”

Cainchel looked at Calliope’s blood in the Cola bottle.

She looked like a human, but this contained the energy of a dragon.

The ability of cooking was to make it into an edible form.

‘Then it’s finally time to eat the last remaining meat.’

A glow appeared in Cainchel’s eyes.

He was already looking forward to how much more experience he could gain from this.

@

“Are you saying you have a way to find the hidden Pentagram?”

“Yes, if Lord Loengrin allows it, I would like to give it a try.”

“If you succeed, you will be making a great contribution. But why are you with Elizabeth?”

Then Elizabeth answered with a playful smile.

“The opponents are at least two Sword Masters. No matter how strong the old man’s Aura Blade is, he can’t guarantee a sure victory fighting several people at the same time.”

“I feel reassured that you are helping.”

“Today, I’m here to support the kid, not the old man. Tell him thank you.”

Loengrin’s eyes widened at Elizabeth’s casual attitude towards Cainchel.

“Then the old man and I will be drinking Cola, so call us when you find the Pentagram. Ugh, why is it so hard to get?”

Elizabeth also seemed to be completely hooked on the taste after trying Cola.

‘With this much popularity, I can raise the price even more, right?’

The production of Cola was limited.

He had succeeded in raising awareness by using cheap prices as a weapon, so now it was time to make money in earnest.

Cainchel set up a temporary kitchen in the snowfield slightly away from the Zistad territory.

Bishop, who saw him taking out a large pot from the four-dimensional pocket, asked.

― I heard that your partner is most confident in steak. But it seems like you’re making a different dish today.

“Today, I have to use not only meat but also blood in the dish.”

― Then why not add a sauce made with blood?

Perhaps because he had been cooking with Cainchel for a while, Bishop had gained some basic knowledge.

It felt like teaching a talkative apprentice chef.

Cainchel smiled and replied.

“For Calliope’s energy to be felt in the dragon meat, the two ingredients must be perfectly united. So this time, I’m thinking of making a steamed dish.”

― ……To think you’re thinking that far. Your knowledge of cooking is amazing.

Until now, he had been cooking by removing the flesh attached to the tailbone, but it was standard to use the bones as they were for steamed dishes.

If cooked with the bones, the meat would remain attached to the bones.

At the same time, the flavor would come out of the bones, and the meat would melt in your mouth.

“Steamed dishes have a different taste than steak when cooked slowly. Look, can you see the marbling around the bones here? This will all melt into the meat.”

Cainchel reached out his hand. Then the jelly that was stuck to his skin gathered at his fingertips.

“Then, simultaneous shape transformation!”

The squishy jelly seemed to clump together into one, and then it instantly transformed into a roasting tray.

When he tapped it once with a kitchen knife, a clear sound rang out. It seemed like it would be fine even if it went into a hot oven.

While heating the roasting tray, he began to season the dragon meat in earnest.

He sprinkled plenty of gem salt to make the meat even more tender.

“Then I’ll pour olive oil on the heated body.”

― Come as much as you want, partner!

With Bishop’s solemn voice, the cooking began in earnest.