Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 163

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50. Light and Shadow

Keinzel carefully arranged the dragon tail, cut into bite-sized pieces, on a roasting tray.

Sizzle-!

The meat began to cook with a satisfying sizzle.

*He said he was going to steam it, but he’s grilling the meat.*

The Bishop, curious, piped up from Keinzel’s shoulder.

“Partner, I thought you were making steamed dragon tail.”

Keinzel and the Bishop often spoke like this when they were alone.

Accessing the neural network [a telepathic communication method] consumed a lot of mana [magical energy].

“If you don’t sear it properly, the texture becomes too mushy when it’s steamed. It’s like braised short ribs; the secret to making it delicious is preserving that unique, chewy texture.”

“I see, very good. It will be a very delicious dish.”

Keinzel continued to sear the meat until the surface was deeply browned.

Then, he cut whole garlic cloves in half and nestled them between the pieces of meat.

This would infuse the dragon meat with an incredible flavor.

“For the sauce, I’ll use tomato puree as a base and mix in a little of Calliope’s blood. If you simmer it slowly, it will meld into the meat as if it were originally one ingredient.”

What was simmering now was the tail meat of an unknown dragon.

To make Calliope’s energy emanate from the dish, very careful attention was needed.

At the same time, he had to focus on the taste and overall perfection of the dish.

As beads of sweat formed on Keinzel’s forehead, the Bishop took out a towel and wiped them away.

“Leave this to me, and let the partner focus on making the dish! And then eat it very deliciously!”

“Of course!”

He poured plenty of tomato puree into the pan and stir-fried it in the center. This cooking technique, called ‘cooking out’ the puree, removed the bitter taste it would impart if used raw.

The garlic cooked in the rendered fat from the meat, and then the tomato juice was added.

Next, he poured in red wine and allowed it to simmer down.

The alcohol evaporated, leaving only its aroma.

The garlic, soaked in red wine, turned incredibly sweet.

Finally, he poured in the pre-made beef stock until the meat was slightly submerged.

That completed the preparation for the steamed dragon tail.

“Now, cover the top with meringue to prevent the aroma from escaping, and simmer it thoroughly until all the flavor of the dragon meat is extracted. The bottom will be juicy, and the top will be very moist.”

“······gulp.”

The Bishop swallowed, imagining the taste.

Keinzel, checking the oven temperature, placed the steamed dragon tail inside and closed the door.

“Now, if you cook it very slowly for about 2 hours and 30 minutes, the sauce will soak into the meat, and it will smell unbelievably good.”

Then the tail of the unknown dragon and Calliope’s blood would be combined into one harmonious dish.

Until then, the smell must not leak out.

Keinzel created dozens of layers of meringue, sealing the entire kitchen.

Time passed quickly.

“······10 minutes until the dish is complete.”

The aroma that couldn’t escape was concentrated inside the oven.

The moment the door opened, a storm of tremendous flavor would be unleashed.

Now it was time to prepare the garnish.

Pancetta [Italian bacon], a salty cured pork belly.

After cutting it into small pieces, he fried it in a small pan.

There was no need to add oil separately.

The fat rendered from the pancetta by the heat of the pan was sufficient.

Then, he added halved button mushrooms, wanting to use the pancetta-infused oil.

“You don’t need to add salt separately.”

“Pancetta is made by thinly slicing pork belly, salting it, and then drying it, so you don’t need to season it separately.”

Frying it separately like this maintained its crispiness and created a variety of textures.

The Bishop, realizing the moment was near, became excited.

“Finally, it’s the main character’s turn to appear!”

Keinzel looked at the oven without answering. The moment that door opened, the concentrated energy of the dragon would explode.

How would Adolf react to that?

The fate of northern Britannia was as good as hanging on this steamed dragon tail.

Whoosh-!

When he took the steamed dragon tail out of the oven, an unbelievably delicious aroma filled the air.

He had to eat it quickly before the hungry hyenas smelled it and came running.

“But······. I really can’t resist······.”

The smell of the steamed dragon tail was so overwhelming that even Keinzel’s eyes rolled back.

A deadly aroma that made him want to grab it with his hands and devour it.

Keinzel gritted his teeth and focused on completing the dish.

First, he crushed the garlic that had been grilled alongside the meat and sprinkled it on top. It contained all the concentrated flavor of the garlic.

“Ugh! The smell is really amazing.”

Keinzel had to constantly wipe the saliva that was dripping from his mouth.

Then, he carefully spooned the broth remaining on the tray over the meat.

Finally, he garnished it with the perfectly grilled pancetta and mushrooms.

To finish, he finely chopped parsley and sprinkled it on top for freshness.

“······With this, the amazing steamed dragon tail with pancetta and mushrooms is complete!”

An unbelievable presence emanated from the dish. He had devoured dragon meat twice before, but this was the first time he’d experienced anything like this.

‘It must be because of Calliope’s blood in the sauce.’

The steamed dish made with the tail of an unknown dragon. From it, the energy of the White Dragon Calliope was emanating.

Keinzel picked up a fork, ready to devour it all.

@

Meanwhile, Loengreen’s Grand Cross Knights and Elizabeth were waiting in a slightly distant location.

Loengreen looked at the black mist surrounding the group and asked.

“The mist surrounding the entire knighthood is concealing our presence. Whose skill is this?”

“This? I swiped it from the guy we fought last time. It’s called Black Mist (Schwarzer Nebel) [German for Black Mist]. Most aura blades are dedicated to compression, but this one is uniquely designed to spread out widely.”

Elizabeth’s unique skill, Insight.

Using it, she could discern the skills her opponents primarily used.

“If you fight Walter Keitel, be careful. He uses poison that even aura can’t block. If the kid hadn’t saved me, Britannia would be in prisoner negotiations by now.”

“Are you referring to Count Zistad as ‘the kid’?”

“Is there another kid? Anyway, don’t even think about touching him. I’ve already claimed him.”

Loengreen knew that Keinzel had saved Elizabeth’s life.

But that alone didn’t explain why she was showing so much affection.

During the Seven Deadly Sins War, Meliot had saved Elizabeth from danger several times.

But he never received a single word of thanks.

“Well, Meliot already had someone. He’s a fool; once he falls in love, he doesn’t see anyone else.”

“Cough, cough. Are you perhaps seeing Lord Zistad as a potential partner?”

“Why? Is there a reason why I shouldn’t? Oh, I didn’t tell the old man. My ideal type is a man who cooks well.”

“Cooking······. Certainly, Count Zistad’s cooking skills are considerable.”

“He makes sweet scrambled eggs when I wake up in the morning, and sometimes he roasts a whole pig when I’m feeling down. Besides, he’s still a little lacking, but he’s pretty good at swordsmanship, right?”

“You’re the only one who would rate a man on the verge of becoming a Sword Master as ‘pretty good,’ Elizabeth.”

Elizabeth smiled and licked her lips with her tongue.

She exuded so much sex appeal that it seemed to overflow.

“What bothers me is that he hasn’t crossed the line yet, and the name Zistad.”

“He is definitely Payne’s son.”

“Right, isn’t it amazing? His son might become one of the Seven Virtues [Britannia’s Sword Masters].”

The reason why Britannia’s Sword Masters were called the ‘Seven Virtues’ was simple.

Since the founding of the country, an eighth Sword Master had never been born.

They were humans with lifespans, and they lost their lives for various reasons. But each time, a new Sword Master appeared from somewhere.

That’s how Virtue had maintained the number 7 for nearly a thousand years.

“Fate is truly tragic.”

“I was surprised when I heard the kid’s full name too. But Payne is Payne, and Keinzel is Keinzel, right? I was just drawn to the kid’s cooking······. No, I was just drawn to the kid.”

“I feel the same way. That’s why I accepted his proposal to bring in the Pentagram.”

“You’re giving him a chance to make a name for himself?”

“But where is that incredibly good smell coming from?”

Elizabeth widened her eyes and sniffed.

As Loengreen said, an unbelievably delicious smell was coming from somewhere.

Elizabeth’s vision, which transcended humanity, captured Keinzel taking the meat out of the oven.

“······What, he’s grilling meat? This won’t do, our kid. What was he doing? Was he trying to eat something delicious by himself without me?”

“Is this the smell of grilling meat? What an incredible······.”

But suddenly, the atmosphere turned cold, and an even stronger aroma enveloped the group.

Even Elizabeth, who had eaten Keinzel’s cooking several times, wanted to run out and eat it right away.

The knights of the Grand Cross, who were preparing for battle, groaned.

“Oh, where is that deadly smell coming from······.”

“No······. I have to endure it······. The Virtues are right next to me; I can’t show such a disgraceful sight······.”

They were all glorious knights of the Royal Knights Grand Cross.

But now they were just hungry guests clutching their stomachs and trembling.

“Ugh, I can’t stand it anymore! Old man, do you have any cola? I need to drink something.”

“T, this is······.”

“You’re not going to give someone who came a long way to help even a sip of soda?”

In the end, Loengreen had to hand over the cola he had been saving with trembling hands.

“You must drink exactly half.”

“I know.”

Elizabeth popped the cork and tilted the bottle.

But unfortunately, she couldn’t enjoy the cola.

A group of Tartaros [members of a dark organization] was seen running from far away in the white snowfield.

“······What are those guys? There were supposed to be no more than three enemies, right?”

Their destination was the very place where Keinzel was cooking.

@

Keinzel bit into the meat that had been thoroughly simmered in the oven and had become incredibly tender.

“······!”

The taste of the steamed dragon tail, perfectly seasoned, was amazing.

Even Keinzel, who had cooked it, widened his eyes and couldn’t speak for a moment.

The taste of the accompanying pork, mushrooms, and garlic was equally incredible.

The garlic, infused with the savory taste of the meat, was already a great dish on its own.

“What does it taste like! Explain it to me, partner!”

The Bishop asked anxiously, but there was no time for that.

A chewy texture with every bite and a taste that melted away on the tongue.

Right now, all he could do was put the tail stew in his mouth and chew and swallow it.

Was it because it was thoroughly cooked in a sauce with Calliope’s blood?

How could the dragon meat, which had such tremendous elasticity, become so tender!

From the moment the oven was opened, an unbelievably delicious aroma emanated along with Calliope’s energy.

At this rate, even Phideli in Deutschland would run barefoot to get here.

Keinzel quickly devoured all the dishes on the plate.

Then the reaction came immediately.

[You have tasted the 6-star dish ‘Melt-in-your-mouth Steamed Dragon Tail’.]

[Due to the influence of the Gourmet level, you have absorbed some of the experience and aura contained in the dish.]

[Level up!]

······.

···.

[Level up!]

Eight levels rose at once, and all stats increased.

Not only that.

The total amount of aura Keinzel possessed increased by 6,000.

It seemed that he had absorbed the energy of the White Dragon contained in Calliope’s blood.

It was then. A man’s angry voice was heard from somewhere.

“Damn it, what is it? I clearly detected the energy of the White Dragon here and came running, but some crazy bastard is eating meat?!”

He was the head of the Pentagram and the first prince of Deutschland, Adolf A. Arkad.

Adolf glared at Keinzel with bloodshot eyes, as if demanding to know what kind of magic he had used to pull off such a trick.

Keinzel shrugged and muttered.

“Oh? This actually works?”

And drew Durandal [his sword].

He had eaten his fill of steamed dragon tail, so now it was time to digest.

Light and Shadow #2