Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 176

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Chapter 54: A Meal for the Remnants

Erich stared blankly at the burning territory.

“To think Potsdam would fall…”

Potsdam, where Marquis Nicolas resided, was the best wheat-producing region in Deutschland [Germany].

It wasn’t a military stronghold, and most of its inhabitants were farmers.

If this place suffered damage, countless people would starve.

Yet, it was reduced to this state simply because Marquis Nicolas supported Friedrich.

Such bloody purges must be happening all over Deutschland.

Erich muttered, tears of blood welling up in his eyes.

“…At this rate, even if we win the civil war, we’ll have nothing left to eat but potatoes.”

“Why? Potatoes are delicious.”

“That’s not what I mean…”

Britannia [Great Britain] enjoys potatoes so much that fish and chips are its most famous dish.

However, in Deutschland, potatoes were strongly associated with famine relief.

Potatoes are less affected by climate conditions like droughts or monsoons and grow well even in barren environments.

So, they were often planted during times of severe famine caused by war or crop failure.

Elizabeth, seemingly embarrassed by Erich’s explanation, fiddled with a stray strand of hair.

“…I said something unnecessary. Sorry.”

“No, this makes it clear. If Adolf seizes the throne, only ruin awaits us.”

Adolf burned down Deutschland’s best granary simply because it displeased him.

The prince is gone, and only a monster remains.

“But didn’t you say Prince Friedrich was under the protection of Marquis Nicolas? Will he be safe with his territory in such a state?”

At Keinzel’s question, Erich nodded.

“Marquis Nicolas is a cautious man. He has prepared an escape route in case of an emergency. I just didn’t want it to come to this…”

Elizabeth stroked the deep hoofprints in the ground and said,

“Besides, it seems the lord wasn’t the only one who escaped. Look, hoofprints sink this deep when someone wearing armor is riding. There must be quite a few soldiers and knights with him.”

Nicolas’s soldiers were defeated by the overwhelming power of Tartaros.

However, losing a battle doesn’t mean losing the war.

Erich searched the area and found traces left by Prince Friedrich.

Following them, they found a place where the remnants had gathered.

About a hundred knights and soldiers. It seemed they were all who had safely escaped the territory.

At their center was Prince Friedrich, wrapped in bandages.

“Are you safe, Your Highness!”

Hearing Erich’s voice, Friedrich grabbed his aching body and rose from his seat.

And upon discovering Keinzel, he shed tears of joy.

“You’ve come, my benefactor! I’m sorry to show you such a pathetic sight…”

A handsome man with strong features sat beside Prince Friedrich.

He introduced himself as Nicolas, the lord of Potsdam.

Nicolas’s eyes widened upon hearing that the scantily clad beauty was a Sword Master.

“To think such a young and beautiful person is a Sword Master, amazing. I must thank the King of Britannia for sending a Sword Master as reinforcements.”

Elizabeth grinned and grabbed Keinzel’s shoulder.

“What are you talking about? Not just *a* Sword Master, but *Sword Masters*.”

“Ho, Su, Surely…”

“Hard to believe, but the kid, no, Count Gistad, is also a Sword Master. Amazing, right?”

Friedrich’s eyes widened in shock.

Until half a year ago, Keinzel was a Sword Knight.

Unless he had an incredibly lucky break, he couldn’t have gathered Aura [magical energy] in such a short time.

Then he remembered the gift he had given Keinzel.

“…So, you finally succeeded in cooking it. But it wasn’t a Dragon Heart, so how did you gather Aura from it…”

“The dragon meat you gave me was the best. Well, isn’t that all that matters?”

“Haha, I suppose so.”

Keinzel was able to become a Sword Master thanks to the dragon meat he received from Friedrich.

And now, he is here to help him.

With Keinzel and Elizabeth joining, Friedrich’s forces had increased dramatically.

However, the problem was that most of them were remnants, their morale shattered.

“Ugh, g-get away!”

“I-I cut off its body, but it regenerated instantly…! What *is* it?!”

“…If we fight those monsters again, I’m sure to die this time!”

Tartaros was a terrifying existence that completely broke the morale of the trained soldiers.

Nicolas said with a heavy face.

“I have no excuse. Blame me for abandoning the territory and running away. They even left their dying families behind. If only Commander Person of the Knights had survived, they wouldn’t be like this.”

Listening to the story, it was a wonder they hadn’t deserted.

That alone showed how much respect Nicolas commanded.

No matter how strong a Sword Master is, they can’t end a war alone.

They had to boost the morale of the remnants somehow.

Elizabeth stood up with a triumphant expression.

“Leave dealing with the remnants to me. Those spineless guys need a good beating…”

“Wait a minute. I have a better idea.”

“I don’t think kicking butts while cursing fits the kid’s personality, does it?”

“It’s not that. Shouldn’t we fill their bellies before fighting?”

Keinzel had brought a lot of Giant Sand Worm meat in his dimensional pocket.

The dishes made from it greatly increase stamina and strength stats.

‘Even weak merchants could create huge tunnels in an instant. That should definitely boost the remnants’ strength.’

Keinzel called Asura, who was waiting.

He had his first job as a trainee chef.

@

“Today, we’re making Navy Pie. Originally, it’s made with various meats like moose, hazel grouse, rabbit, pork, veal, beef, chicken, etc. But today, we’ll use this.”

Keinzel took out a piece of sand worm meat almost the size of a person. To eat the poisonous sand worm meat, it must be buried in the ground for a long time to detoxify it.

However, using the cooking skill can end it in an instant.

“Strong and powerful meat!”

The reason it’s called Navy Pie is that it was mainly eaten by sailors.

They put potatoes and carrots, which can be stored in mess kits for a long time, and add any meat they have.

And it was a simple dish that could be made by covering it with a crust dough and boiling it.

Of course, this time, he was going to add beef broth to give it a richer flavor.

Keinzel first handed over a large amount of potatoes and carrots to put in the Navy Pie.

“Peel them. Can you do it?”

“Help!”

Asura pounded his chest as if to say, leave it to me.

And he began to peel the potatoes using the technique that split Tartaros in half in an instant.

Weeeeee-!

And nothing was left.

“…This isn’t just more waste than edible parts, it’s *everything*!”

“Yes, Chef!”

“Don’t use that *weeeeee* technique anymore! Here, give me the kitchen knife. I’ll show you how to peel it.”

Keinzel taught Asura how to hold a kitchen knife, just like Gordon had taught him.

“When cutting onions, it’s important to leave the root intact. Cut it lightly in a slicing motion around it as an axis. Otherwise, it will lose its center and won’t look pretty.”

“Help!”

“Now, you try it.”

Asura learned it in an instant, like a sponge absorbing water.

It was a little clumsy, but it seemed like he could be trusted to prepare the potatoes now.

“…So, this is what it’s like to teach someone.”

It felt strangely heartwarming.

Elizabeth, who had been watching Keinzel teach the automaton how to cook, asked.

“But are you really going to make Asura a trainee chef? I thought you lied to get Asura.”

“Because I promised.”

“…Right, that’s the kind of person you are.”

Elizabeth muttered in a small voice that that’s why she fell for him.

It didn’t reach Keinzel’s ears, but it made her expression softer.

Keinzel began to cook in earnest using the vegetables prepared by Asura.

The ingredients for the pie crust used in Navy Pie are simple.

Just add salt to the flour, then add lard and knead it.

Originally, it should be made on board, where fire should be used as little as possible, so it is steamed instead of baked.

But there’s no need to do that now.

So, he was going to bake the crust in the oven until crispy and put it on top of the stew.

“Mix the flour and lard well, then season with salt.”

Asura listened as if Keinzel’s words were the truth.

After rolling out the finished dough with a rolling pin, cut it into appropriate sizes for one serving.

Just a little bit of onion and carrot. Enough to flavor the main potatoes and meat.

“Sailors who have to go out to the open sea usually eat corned beef or salted meat. The only time they can eat fresh meat and vegetables is with this Navy Pie. It contains the longing for the family waiting in their hometown.”

Keinzel, who filled the mess kit with ingredients, sprinkled pepper on it and poured beef stock almost to the top.

Boiling this in a double boiler for about an hour completes the Navy Pie.

“And if you put it in a pie baked in the oven…”

“Help!”

“Yes, it’s done.”

Keinzel made 100 servings of Navy Pie in an instant.

Even if he used onion swordsmanship to trim the vegetables, it would take quite a while to make a large amount.

Since Asura did it for him, he could concentrate on kneading and boiling the pie.

Elizabeth, who had come at some point, rushed in with a spoon.

“Can I have one too? Oh, this is Navy Pie? I used to eat it often when I went to hunt pirates.”

Elizabeth’s wings of light exert absolute power in naval warfare.

They can sink the enemy’s ship whole without having to board it.

A soldier who received the Navy Pie that Keinzel handed out trembled.

“W-We are remnants. Is it okay for us to eat such delicious-looking food?”

“Eating it will give you strength. And from now on, you will focus on rescuing people from Potsdam. Tartaros will be dealt with by me and Lady Elizabeth.”

Only then did the soldier realize that the food in front of him was made by a Sword Master, and he became tearful.

“…Hic. Well, I’ll enjoy it!”

When he opened the lid of the pie, there was a steaming meat stew inside.

When he put a spoon on the thickly sliced potatoes, they crumbled and split in half.

When he took a spoonful of the soup to his mouth, the flavors from the meat and various vegetables filled his mouth.

“Haa… This is…”

“Wow, what is this? Why is it so delicious?”

The vivid orange carrots and the potatoes that looked soft just by looking at them. Various vegetables harmonized with them were contained in the rich soup.

The thoroughly boiled vegetables were all so soft that they crumbled as soon as they were chewed.

The thickly sliced meat dripped with rich juice when bitten into.

And what about the taste?

It was so elastic that it bounced off the teeth, yet the strange flavor was attractive.

It felt like the lost energy was filling up with every bite.

“Kid. What kind of meat is this? It doesn’t seem like beef or pork…”

Keinzel answered in a small voice so that the other soldiers couldn’t hear.

“It’s Giant Sand Worm meat.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t worry. I’ve removed the poison for sure.”

“Wow, Giant Sand Worm meat is so delicious. I’ll catch one next time. Let’s grill it this time.”

“…Shall we?”

Keinzel distributed Navy Pie to the other soldiers as well as the knights.

The knight, who had eaten the Navy Pie full in the mess kit in an instant, stood up.

For some reason, his eyes were moist.

“I, I really enjoyed the meal. I’m from Potsdam Territory. But while I was eating the food, it felt like I could see the wheat fields of my hometown. From now on, aren’t we going to fight to recapture our hometown? Give me any mission. I will complete it at the risk of my life.”

The knight said those words and put his right hand on his left chest. It meant swearing allegiance.

But the armor the knight was wearing cracked and split in half with a snap.

A Meal for the Remnants #2