Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 18

The Honey Butter Sandwich (1)

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@

The prototype was completed late in the evening, just one day before the start of the hottest season.

Which vegetables pair best with it? What’s the ideal ratio of butter to honey?

How should the bread be baked so the cheese melts perfectly?

So many trials and errors were needed to create the perfect menu item.

And finally, the ‘Honey Butter Sandwich’ was ready.

The tasting was entrusted to Ainkel, who was already looking forward to his vacation.

“You mean, I just have to eat this and give you my feedback…? Ah, about my expression? Hehe. I get to spend the whole day with my daughter! Well, let’s give it a try. Hmm, it smells good…”

Soft baguette bread is generously coated with honey butter and grilled again on an iron plate.

This creates a sandwich with a light brown, crispy-looking surface.

“It looks like a typical Laos-style sandwich. Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve seen a baguette made this well. Did Joffrey bake it? The filling seems to be pork shoulder marinated in Mojo [a citrus-based marinade]. I’m impressed that there’s a whole cucumber pickle in there. Is the cheese from Bruneau? That’s definitely the best choice for a Laos-style sandwich. Okay, it passes the appearance test. Now for the taste…”

Ainkel brought the Honey Butter Sandwich to his mouth and took a bite.

Crunch-

“……”

And he was speechless for a moment.

“W-What is this, this taste…? The perfectly baked baguette and the subtle Mojo flavor of the meat are definitely Laos-style sandwich… But this sweet and deep flavor that connects all the ingredients, what is it…?”

He never expected to encounter such an amazing sandwich during a tasting he started so casually.

Gulp.

Ainkel swallowed involuntarily.

Normally, he would have savored it slowly to figure out the secret of the taste.

But the chef’s curiosity was overcome by his appetite.

In the end, he couldn’t resist and devoured the sandwich in an instant before finally letting out a deep sigh.

“Hoo… Sir Cainchel… What on earth is this food…?”

“I’ve been learning how to bake bread from Chef Joffrey lately. So I made this as a test.”

“…Huh. So you baked this bread, Sir Cainchel?”

“I’m glad it turned out better than I expected.”

This amazing sandwich was made entirely by the kitchen assistant?

Ainkel asked, excitedly,

“B-But the baguette and Mojo pork are also incredibly well-made! What is the secret to this sweet and rich butter? I-I’ve never had a sandwich like this before. Could it be a secret menu item that Chief Gordon has been hiding…?”

Cainchel cheered inwardly.

To receive such high praise from Ainkel, a skilled chef.

Ainkel grabbed Cainchel’s shoulders and shook him.

“Sir Cainchel! What is the name of this sandwich!”

He looked like he would devour Cainchel if he didn’t reveal the sandwich’s identity.

Cainchel smiled and replied.

“It’s a Honey Butter Sandwich.”

This was the first appearance of the Honey Butter Sandwich, which would cause so much commotion in the commercial city of Citizen.

@

A hit.

A huge hit.

The Honey Butter Sandwich was a success, with a taste that exceeded Cainchel’s expectations several times over.

He had to struggle for nearly 10 minutes to fend off Ainkel, who was begging for the recipe.

If he woke up early tomorrow morning, made baguette bread, and grilled Mojo pork, he could start selling them in Citizen right away.

“Before that, though… I’ve completed this amazing dish, so what kind of reward will I receive? Can I expect something good?”

Cainchel grasped the Joma Orb, which was vibrating intensely, with both hands.

It was emitting an alarm sound several times louder than usual. This meant that a significant change had occurred.

He checked the message displayed on the Joma Orb.

[5-star dish ‘Honey Butter Sandwich’ has been completed.]

[Customers are amazed by your cooking.]

……

……

[Cooking Level has increased.]

[Baking Level has increased.]

“F-Finally!”

Cainchel involuntarily threw the Joma Orb he was holding into the air.

The cooking level, which had remained unchanged despite making all sorts of dishes, had finally increased.

Moreover, the perfection of the Honey Butter Sandwich was astonishing.

He never imagined he would create a dish with a whopping 5 stars.

‘The only one who could make a dish of this level was Gordon Lambolton.’

Although he had the help of many lucky chances, Cainchel had created a dish of the same level as him.

‘And there’s another achievement.’

He had discovered the secret to raising his cooking level.

He had to create a dish that was far beyond his current skill level to break through the barrier.

‘But what is this?’

An item he had never seen before was displayed in one corner of the Joma Orb.

[You have created a dish that did not exist before.]

[Your sense of developing new menus has been sublimated into the ‘Brilliant Road’ skill.]

[‘Brilliant Road’ has been created.]

“Goodness…”

Following Disarm and Fallen Star, he had acquired another skill.

And it had an incredible name.

“…A brilliantly shining path.”

Cainchel’s body began to tremble with excitement. Just from the name, it was clear that it was a skill with tremendous power.

Cainchel opened the skill window and called out the name of the newly acquired skill.

“Brilliant Road.”

[Brilliant Road: 1/5]

* Not activated due to lack of experience in developing new menus.

“What? Not activated?”

The skills he had acquired so far could be used immediately.

But this one required experience to be activated.

Just how amazing was this skill that it had such a condition attached to it?

“…Does this mean I have to develop five new menus to use it?”

Cainchel stared silently at the Joma Orb.

“Alright! I’ll do it.”

The more difficult the acquisition conditions, the greater the reward it would provide.

“Let’s focus on the Honey Butter Sandwich for now.”

He had to make the baguette bread and grill the Mojo pork to use as ingredients.

The ingredients he had purchased with his saved emergency funds were enough to make 200 sandwiches.

“It cost almost 8 silver just for the ingredients. I have to charge 8 coppers for one sandwich.”

Although it varied depending on the market price, roughly 100 coppers were equal to 1 silver. If he sold all the sandwiches, he would have 8 silver left over.

The daily lodging fee for a cheap inn was usually 30 coppers. 8 coppers was quite expensive for a sandwich.

Of course, he could reduce the production cost by purchasing ingredients in bulk.

But since he had to make them all by himself, this was the limit.

“A 50% profit margin isn’t bad. Anyway, let’s try to sell them all.”

Tomorrow morning, while the other trainee knights were preparing to leave for home, Cainchel had to knead the bread dough and grill the meat in the kitchen of the Stanitz Knight Academy to prepare the ingredients for the sandwiches.

Then, he would load them onto the mobile stall and go to Citizen to sell them.

Cainchel unconsciously curled up one corner of his mouth.

It was going to be a grueling march, having to pull the mobile stall over 10km back and forth from the kitchen every day.

It was an absurd forced march, but he didn’t care.

He couldn’t miss this golden opportunity to raise his level and earn money.

It was sweeter than honey butter.

@

Cainchel looked at the stall he would be working with for the next month with a confident expression.

It looked quite decent, probably because it was made by remodeling a high-end baggage cart used by nobles.

Originally, he had to pay 10% of the value of the goods in the cart as tax, but it was currently a festival period.

Nobles were granted tax exemption privileges.

Cainchel was a descendant of a fallen family with nothing to his name, but he was still a noble.

So he could fully enjoy the benefits of tax exemption.

“Then, should I change my clothes before starting to sell?”

Even though he was being treated as a mediocre student, Cainchel was still a trainee knight.

It would be a big problem if someone saw him selling things in a place like this.

In the end, he needed to disguise himself to hide his identity.

Cainchel went inside the cart and changed into the Pierrot costume he had prepared in advance.

It was a costume he had found while rummaging through the junkyard for clothes to use for disguises.

‘A clown costume… Someone must have prepared this to make fun of me, right?’

He didn’t know why it was thrown away in the junkyard.

But if he wore this and put on clown makeup, he could perfectly hide his identity.

Moreover, it was natural for a Pierrot to be wandering around since it was a festival.

After putting on the clothes and makeup, the trainee knight Cainchel disappeared, and only one Pierrot remained.

“From now on, I am Hool.”

With that, Cainchel, or rather, the Pierrot Hool, began selling sandwiches in earnest.

And for 3 hours, not a single one was sold.

@

“Damn it. How can I not have a single customer!”

Cainchel sighed and kicked a stone rolling on the ground.

He seemed to know the reason. The streets near the main thoroughfare, where many people passed by, were already occupied by numerous stalls.

“The festival is supposed to start today. How did all the good spots get taken by the big stalls?”

Stalls were a business where a lot of money changed hands.

As such, it seemed that the Thieves’ Guild, which operated in the back alleys of the city, was involved.

Inevitably, Cainchel had to do business in a remote area with little foot traffic.

Moreover, there was no one brave enough to buy a sandwich from a clown who looked suspicious no matter how you looked at him.

He was selling such delicious sandwiches. Why wasn’t anyone buying them?

“Since it’s come to this, I’ll have to use my secret weapon.”

Cainchel put firewood into the brazier and heated the iron plate.

He had to attract customers by performing a cooking show.

First, he took out the Mojo pork that had been marinating in a large container.

When he opened the lid, the refreshing scent of orange and lime stimulated his sense of smell.

He had put orange juice and lime juice, olive oil, garlic, and various spices into it, then wrapped the pork shoulder with string and soaked it for about half a day.

Then, he put it in a 230-degree oven and pre-baked it for about an hour.

Slicing it and grilling it on the iron plate would complete the meat for the sandwich.

‘The scent is amazing because I added a lot of cilantro, mint, dried oregano, and cumin.’

When the Second Season started, they would form groups and go out to defeat goblins.

He remembered being seriously injured a month ago while fighting poison-spewing Poison Goblins.

He didn’t want any more painful memories like that.

‘If I make a dish with this, I can greatly increase my poison resistance. I need to prepare in advance.’

When he used Fallen Star to check, the iron plate was heated just right.

Cainchel smiled with satisfaction and began grilling the ham and Mojo pork.

Then, the amazing smell of grilling meat spread far and wide through the back alley.

The reaction was immediate.

“Huh? Don’t you smell something amazing?”

“Damn it. I’m drooling like crazy.”

“It’s over there! The smell is coming from that back alley!”

The people who found Cainchel widened their eyes.

“A c-clown is grilling meat!”

“Ugh. But it looks really delicious. What kind of food is he selling?”

Cainchel pushed the grilled meat to one side and slowly walked forward.

Presentation was important.

“Greetings, ladies and gentlemen. I am Hool. I am a humble seller of Honey Butter Sandwiches.”

“Honey Butter Sandwich? Have you ever heard of such a food?”

“No, but the smell is really amazing.”

“Ah, let’s buy one and try it.”

The audience was briefly surprised to hear that the price was 8 coppers.

Sandwiches usually cost 5 coppers.

But the smell of the grilling meat was so amazing that they lined up while complaining about the price.

‘Just as planned.’

If no customers came, he would have to throw away all the grilled meat or eat it himself.

It was a gamble he could take because he was confident in his grilling skills.

And it was a success.

“Ladies and gentlemen. Next, it’s time for the baguette bread to shine.”

Cainchel was cooking as if he had become a real Pierrot.

After becoming a 5-star chef, Cainchel’s cooking became even more streamlined.

“What’s with that Pierrot? How can he cook so coolly? It’s like he’s performing a sword dance.”

“Ah, I can’t wait until it’s finished.”

The audience was instantly captivated by Cainchel’s cooking.

Cainchel bowed as if he were taking a stage bow, then increased the speed at which he made the sandwiches.

He cut the baguette bread into four pieces and lightly grilled it on an iron plate coated with honey butter.

Then, he topped it with pork and ham and spread plenty of mustard on it.

Finally, he added Bruneau cheese and thickly sliced cucumber pickles to complete it.

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is an important scene. Now, like this, I put the whole sandwich on an iron plate coated with specially made butter and grill it. Then, a very crispy and delicious sandwich is completed.”

Gulp.

The sound of people swallowing their saliva echoed from the mouths of the onlookers.

The back alley was already filled with spectators watching the Pierrot Hool’s cooking.

“So, this is the finished product. An opportunity to eat the best sandwich for only 8 coppers. This is only given to the audience here.”

“Hey, Pierrot! I’ll buy one!”

“Give me one too!”

“One sandwich here!”

Cainchel smiled with satisfaction. This was just the beginning!

Those who ate the Honey Butter Sandwich would now spread the word about its taste to others.

The customer standing at the front paid 8 coppers and bought a sandwich.

The eyes of the other customers were focused on him.

What would the sandwich that was made as if he were performing a circus taste like?

“Well, then…”

Crunch-!

The man who put the Honey Butter Sandwich in his mouth widened his eyes.

And he screamed so loudly that the back alley seemed to shake.

“W-What! This is incredibly delicious!”

In the end, even the customers who were watching from afar had to line up to buy the sandwich.

Just one hour.

That was the time it took for all the Honey Butter Sandwich ingredients he had prepared in advance to run out.

Honey Butter Sandwich #3