Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 177

The soldier eating the sea pie next to him was startled.

His hand was in the middle of splitting the crispy crust in half.

“I, I’m sorry. You were having a serious conversation, and I didn’t realize the mood and…”

“Sergeant Kevin.”

“Yes, Sir Andrei.”

“The sound you just heard didn’t come from the pie you’re eating.”

“Then…”

Knight Andrei pointed to his armor with a dumbfounded expression.

It was shattered as if a hammer had struck a piece of pottery.

“I just tapped my chest lightly to salute. And this happened.”

Even for a Sword Knight, it is impossible to break steel armor with bare hands.

One of the soldiers offered an opinion on this sudden anomaly.

“Perhaps the armor was weakened by the monster’s attack. Otherwise, how could it break so spectacularly?”

“Hmm, that makes sense. I couldn’t have such superhuman strength without drinking a potion.”

Andrei lightly struck the rock he was using as a chair with an awkward expression.

Then, with a cracking sound, the rock split in half.

“H-Heok!?”

Andrei wasn’t the only one who realized the anomaly.

Screams erupted from the soldiers who had finished their sea pies and were resting.

“Look at this! I touched it lightly, and the mess tin is dented!”

“Oh, the fork you’re holding is bent!”

“Aaaagh! W-What is this!?”

Only then did the defeated soldiers realize that they had gained superhuman strength.

The only possible cause they could think of was one thing.

“Gulp… Could it be because we ate this?”

“Wait a minute! I haven’t eaten the pie yet! So, can’t we compare?”

The soldier struck the stone on the ground as he said that. Of course, the stone was fine, and only his hand hurt.

“Kyak! Y-Yeah, the sea pie was the answer! If you eat this, you can gain tremendous strength!”

Then, those who had not yet received the pie rushed forward.

The power to break rocks and dent steel with bare hands!

With this, they could fight against even the most powerful enemy.

The despair that had filled the eyes of the defeated soldiers receded, replaced by burning motivation.

“Gulp…”

When he split the crust that filled the mess tin in half, he saw a stew full of meat.

He scooped it up and put it in his mouth.

“H-Hot! …But it’s delicious!”

Originally, it was food that should be eaten slowly, blowing on it to cool it down.

Nevertheless, it was so delicious that he couldn’t do that.

The soldier exhaled hot breath to cool the heat in his mouth.

The first thing he felt was the soft taste of potatoes soaked in rich broth.

There was no need to move his jaw; he lightly pressed it with his tongue, and it crumbled softly.

“What is this? The rich taste of meat and the soft potatoes blend together in my mouth, enhancing each other’s flavors! It’s so, so delicious!”

What made the stew’s taste even more special was the crust used as a lid.

The moment he put it in his mouth, it crumbled incredibly crisply.

“It’s like eating a croissant!”

The secret was the lard in the dough. It added crispness to the pie and gave it a unique savory taste.

Dipping the crust in the stew was also exceptional.

As all the defeated soldiers ate the sea pie, Cainchel’s Joma Mirror vibrated.

Ding-

[The guests who ate the 6-star dish ‘Sea Pie with Giant Sand Worm Characteristics’ are very satisfied.]

[The guests’ strength and stamina have temporarily increased.]

The Joma Mirror vibrated so much when he obtained the Aura Blade that it split in half.

However, it was still working without any problems.

‘At this point, it seems to have gone beyond the realm of magical tools. Well, I’m already used to it, and I feel empty if I take it off. Let’s keep wearing it.’

Cainchel called the knights who were wearing the Joma Mirrors.

“Aren’t you curious about what’s happening now?”

“Yes!”

“Check your stats with the Joma Mirror.”

“…I’m sorry, but there are no sorcerers here.”

“Then I’ll do it for you. Wait a moment.”

Cainchel infused magic power into the Joma Mirror that Andrei was wearing.

Then his status was displayed on his Joma Mirror.

“The level remains at 43. And the strength… H-Heok!”

Andrei widened his eyes as if he had seen a ghost.

The strength stat displayed there was exactly three times what he remembered.

“…I-It can’t be!”

“Do you understand now? Eating the sea pie temporarily increases your strength and stamina stats. It’s not just that you can lift three times heavier objects, but you can think of it as being almost twenty times stronger.”

Friedlich shouted with a look that demanded an explanation.

“Benefactor! Is that true?”

“Yes, Your Highness. It’s similar to activating the Aura Sword. Sword Knights will be able to get used to it quickly. Soldiers will need a little practice, though.”

“Good heavens! This is a miracle!”

“The increased stamina and strength will last while the sea pie is being digested in your stomach. It’s easier to think of it as about 3 hours.”

Then cheers erupted from the defeated soldiers.

With this power, they could fight the monsters occupying the Potsdam Territory. Moreover, there were three Sword Masters with them.

They can win. No, they will win!

Friedlich said with a determined expression.

“Benefactor. Would you take on the role of their captain from now on?”

“…Me? But there’s Sir Erich and Lady Elizabeth.”

Elizabeth was Cainchel’s superior.

Besides, if they needed a Sword Master to be the captain, Erich from Deutschland would be more suitable.

However, Friedlich was firm.

“Isn’t a person who can give hope to someone in despair called a hero? Not only did you save the lives of the young ladies poisoned by mercury with your cooking, but you also revived the soldiers’ will to fight. Young hero of Britannia. Please lead them.”

Cainchel looked at Erich and Elizabeth alternately with a flustered face.

Erich stroked the exoskeleton that assisted his movements and nodded.

“Isn’t it all thanks to the benefactor that I can be in this position? Rather, I would like to ask you.”

“I agree. In the first place, without the brat’s cooking, we would just be a disorganized group of defeated soldiers.”

Thus, Cainchel became the captain of the knights and soldiers following Prince Friedlich.

Cainchel first gave instructions to those who could use the Aura Sword.

“You will each take charge of ten soldiers and teach them how to handle their power.”

“Yes, Captain!”

It was the first time he had commanded so many people since leaving the training center.

But he felt like he could do it. No, he had to do it.

Following Cainchel’s orders, the knights trained the soldiers in an orderly manner.

They absorbed how to handle their power as if sponges were absorbing water.

“I, I cut down this big tree with my sword!”

“The two-handed sword is so light! With this power, I’m not afraid of any enemy!”

“I feel like I’ve become a Sword Knight!”

“Super strength is the best! Hooray for sea pie!”

They all took up swords because they wanted to become knights, but they were the ones who couldn’t overcome the wall of Aura [a type of magical energy].

Therefore, they were somewhat familiar with handling swords.

Thanks to the tripled strength and stamina, the soldiers were able to do things they had never even imagined before.

“Then, shall I make some sea pie for dinner?”

“Help!”

In order to retake Weimar, the capital of Deutschland [historical name for Germany] occupied by Adolf, Potsdam must first be recaptured.

@

“Then, I’ll ask you to do it as soon as possible, Reman.”

“Leave it to me!”

When night falls, the vampire Reman can roam the enemy lines without any hindrance.

Among the Tartaros [monstrous creatures], there are bosses who are more intelligent than other individuals.

To minimize damage, it is important to identify the boss’s location and defeat them as quickly as possible.

Prince Friedlich’s eyes widened as he watched Reman, who had turned into a bat, melt into the darkness.

“How on earth did you make a vampire your subordinate, Benefactor?”

“I made him a dish with blood, and he swore allegiance for life.”

“…Ah, yes.”

Under Friedlich’s bewildered gaze, Reman brought back some information.

The number of Tartaros in Potsdam is about 30.

Among them, there were two that he could confidently identify as bosses.

The existence of Adolf and Merlin could not be confirmed. They were either hiding somewhere or had left Potsdam.

“And there were still many survivors in the houses. But, my lord, they are all terrified.”

Prince Friedlich sighed in relief and said.

“Fortunately, they didn’t kill all the people.”

“…That’s what I’m saying. It didn’t seem like they were left alive out of goodwill. I saw a hungry Tartaros entering a house.”

The faces of the people who heard those words turned white.

That meant that the Tartaros’ food was living humans.

To reduce sacrifices even a little, the Tartaros must be wiped out from Deutschland as soon as possible.

No matter how much strength they gained, a knight alone could not fight the Tartaros.

If they were unlucky enough to meet a boss, they would be eaten alive.

Cainchel assigned 10 soldiers to each knight and created 9 groups.

“Then, everyone go to the designated locations and search for survivors.”

Then the knights who became squad leaders saluted loudly.

“Yes, Captain!”

“And from now on, I will put a barrier of Aura on your bodies. That will block the enemy’s attack once.”

It was like having an extra life, so to speak.

The morale that had already been raised was further increased.

‘Besides, if the meringue [referring to the Aura barrier] is broken, it means there was an enemy there. With this, I can roughly read the battle situation.’

Erich decided to stay in the hideout to protect Friedlich.

Cainchel asked Elizabeth to annihilate the central square, where more than half of the Tartaros were staying.

“There are no houses there. You can rampage as much as you want.”

“A simple and easy instruction. I really like that.”

Elizabeth licked her lips with her thick tongue. It was the mission she was most confident in.

Cainchel drew Durandal [his sword], kicked off the ground, and flew up.

While dealing with the Tartaros scattered throughout the Potsdam Territory.

He must find the boss leading the Tartaros army as soon as possible.

‘First, one bastard!’

He cuts down the Tartaros trying to attack a house, cutting its body in half.

This was the most reliable way to identify the boss.

‘It didn’t regenerate, so is it a dud?’

Grrrrr-!

Two Tartaros that appeared from somewhere aimed at Cainchel and rushed at him from both sides at the same time.

“–A pincer attack, not bad.”

While dealing with one, two others aim for the back.

They must be moving according to the boss’s instructions.

Most of the people who are modified into chimeras lose their reason. And they just become monsters that move according to orders.

However, there were cases where intelligence remained even after being modified.

That kind of guy becomes the boss.

“If you’re going to ambush, at least hide your hostility.”

Cainchel gripped Durandal with both hands and activated the Onion Swordsmanship.

The seven blades that had increased instantly tore the Tartaros’ body to shreds.

“Geoooo-!”

But it didn’t die. It quickly restored its body to its original state and distanced itself from Cainchel.

It must be calling its subordinates.

Cainchel chuckled and muttered.

“Found one boss.”

The Defeated Soldiers’ Meal #3