Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 182

Fhidle, recognizing the bottle, exclaimed in surprise,

“That, that bottle?!”

Elizabeth, seemingly embarrassed by having drawn her sword, subtly sheathed it.

“What, does the Prince know what that is?”

“I do, but I’d rather not say.”

“Are you going to be petty with me? We’re in the same boat. Spill it.”

“······.”

Fhidle reluctantly explained that Cainchel had collected his tears in it.

Elizabeth burst out laughing, clutching her stomach.

“Ahaha! What, so the Prince cried listening to Cainchel’s story? There’s such a thing as being too sensitive!”

“This is exactly why I didn’t want to say anything!”

“Okay, sorry. I’ll stop laughing. *snort*, Puhahaha!”

“You’re too much, Princess Elizabeth!”

Vlad the Great muttered with a puzzled expression upon hearing Fhidle’s words.

“Tears, you say?”

“Yes, Great Duke Vlad. There’s only a tiny bit of Prince Fhidle’s tears, a descendant of Princess Leia, in the blood sausage soup.”

“······I distinctly tasted human blood in the dish you made. How is that possible?”

Cainchel recalled the knowledge he had gained from Bishop [likely a mentor or religious figure].

It was thanks to his help that he was able to uncover the whole story of the tragedy that occurred a thousand years ago.

“Blood is a bodily fluid that flows through the human body. Tears shed when sad, sweat shed to cool the body, these are all types of bodily fluids. They are all made from blood.”

It was something he had never thought about.

Vlad the Great asked in a trembling voice.

“We vampires do not shed tears. Could that also be because of that?”

“For vampires, blood is the source of their existence. Perhaps they cannot shed tears in order to not waste a single drop of it.”

“······That doesn’t mean I would mistake tears for blood. Do you think a skilled chef would not be able to distinguish between sugar and salt?”

Vlad the Great had killed many Huns and drunk their blood.

His tongue was so sensitive that he could tell who the owner of the blood was even with his eyes closed.

“Of course, if you only drank the tears, that wouldn’t have happened. But what you had then was blood sausage soup made with cow’s blood. Even a sommelier [wine expert] who can identify the type of wine by its scent would have a hard time identifying the origin of the wine in coq au vin [chicken braised in wine].”

‘Of course, it would be easy to do with gourmet skills.’

Vlad the Great took a spoonful of the blood sausage soup and tasted it, as if to confirm.

“The taste of human blood felt between the cow’s blood… and this is the taste of tears?”

“I heard that Princess Leia burst into tears when she found out about Vlad the Great’s true identity. Perhaps that’s what got into the blood sausage soup while it was being cooked?”

“Then what on earth have I done······.”

Vlad the Great covered his face with his hands to hide his distorted face.

If they had talked properly back then, this tragedy would not have happened.

“I just didn’t want to hear the words of rejection from Princess Leia’s mouth. Princess Leia’s face was stained with fear when she found out my true identity. Just seeing that felt like a stake was being driven into my heart. So I······.”

He had made the worst choice.

But as if it were natural, tears did not come from his eyes.

Because vampires are beings who cannot shed tears.

After trembling in pain for a while, Vlad the Great slowly raised his head.

“Humans say that they are more painful when they cannot shed tears than when they do. For the first time, I understood what that meant. At this rate, the soup will get cold. I’ll finish eating. I’m sorry.”

At that moment, lightning struck Cainchel’s mind [a sudden realization].

No. The ending of this story is not the end of it.

Everything started from Vlad the Great’s misunderstanding, but Leia’s heart still remains.

Cainchel asked as if to confirm one last time.

“You said that Princess Leia burst into tears when she heard that Vlad the Great was a vampire.”

“That’s right. Princess Leia’s face contorted and she shed tears like chicken droppings.”

“Was that all you said, just that you were a vampire?”

“That’s not it. I told her all my true feelings. That I loved Princess Leia, and that if she rejected me, I would leave her side.”

“······Princess Leia, you see.”

“Could it be that something still remains?”

“Accepted Vlad the Great’s confession.”

“Wh, what did you say?!”

“She didn’t cry out of fear. Vlad the Great… Humans, you see. Humans don’t just shed tears when they’re sad or scared. Humans…”

Cainchel paused for a moment and looked at Vlad the Great’s face.

A face without a single wrinkle, unlike his faded gray hair.

It was the appearance of a vampire who enjoys eternal life by sucking the blood of other races.

He has lived for a thousand years so far, and he doesn’t know how long he will live in the future.

Is it right to tell him this?

Is it the right answer to convey Princess Leia’s heart?

Having thought that far, Cainchel bit his lip.

A chef only makes the best dishes and serves them to the guests. What to do with it is up to the guest.

Having made up his mind, Cainchel conveyed Princess Leia’s heart.

“······Also shed tears when they are happy.”

He did not understand the meaning of the tears that Leia shed. That’s because he himself was a vampire who couldn’t shed tears.

“Princess Leia burst into tears with the joy that she could be with Vlad the Great forever. Tears must have continued to flow even while cutting the blood sausage. That’s what went into the blood sausage soup.”

A groan mixed with lamentation came from Vlad the Great’s mouth.

“Th, that’s really true? Ah, ah, aaaaaah!”

“She is Vlad the Great… No, Vampire Dracula believed that he would return to her someday and lived alone her whole life. She also loved you.”

Belatedly, Joma Kyung announced the completion of the dish.

[7-star dish ‘Tears Blood Sausage Soup’ has been completed.]

[The whole story of the tragedy that no one has been able to solve for a thousand years has been revealed.]

[Proficiency in Aura Blade greatly increases.]

But for some reason, he wasn’t just happy.

It was as if something that hadn’t passed through his throat remained, like drinking blood sausage that hadn’t been cooked properly.

Vlad the Great, who had been staring blankly into the air, opened his mouth.

“······Is it really true that Princess Leia waited for me her whole life?”

“Yes. She died of illness at the young age of thirty-seven. And she said she was waiting for someone until the moment she closed her eyes. Probably Vlad the Great, you.”

“That foolish person······. No, she was that kind of person······.”

Fhidle, who had been listening to Cainchel and Vlad the Great’s story, quietly got up from his seat.

“Princess Leia said these words at the last moment.”

“······.”

― I’ll wait for you even in death.

“*sob*, Le, Leia······. I’m sorry, Leia······. I made you wait too long······.”

Princess Leia is still waiting for Vlad the Great to return in the royal tomb in Weimar [a city in Germany].

Vlad the Great grabbed Cainchel’s hand.

It’s as cold as touching ice. But it contained a hot heart for Princess Leia.

“The blood sausage soup is all cold. I’ll go warm it up again.”

“I understand. I have to keep my promise······.”

Princess Leia waited for Vlad the Great her whole life.

Now it was Vlad the Great’s turn to wait for her.

@

Vlad the Great ate all the blood sausage soup that Cainchel had warmed up again in an instant.

“Good heavens······. Is this really a dish made only with cow’s blood? It’s spicy and savory, and the taste and aroma of blood are vividly alive. How on earth can you make such a dish······.”

“I’m glad you liked it.”

Elizabeth drooled as she watched him eat the blood sausage soup.

A dish made for vampires. But why does it look so delicious?

“I’ll make it for Elizabeth next time. If you get rid of the bloody smell, you can eat it deliciously.”

“Wow! I’m looking forward to that! But does this mean the test is passed?”

“I don’t think that’s a problem anymore.”

Is it because he is a descendant of his lover?

Vlad the Great’s gaze towards Fhidle was filled with deep affection.

“Great Duke, please look at this.”

“It’s a portrait. ······Le, Leia!?”

There was a picture of Princess Catherine, whom Cainchel had treated for mercury poisoning.

“She is my sister, Catherine. Since she was young, she has been told that she looks a lot like Princess Leia.”

Princess Leia lived alone her whole life.

But the blood of her siblings still flows in the Deutschland [German] royal family.

It was an appearance that was so similar that it was strange to think so.

“······It’s almost as if she was reborn. But is Princess Catherine single?”

Fhidle told the story of Catherine marrying Erich, a Sword Master and his right-hand man.

Vlad the Great breathed a sigh of relief.

“I’m glad she seems to have a different fate than Princess Leia.”

“But Adolf killed his father and is calling himself king. Catherine is also being held hostage.”

“Hehe······.”

“We need the Great Duke’s power to save her. Please help us.”

Vlad the Great shook his head with a look of regret.

“I’m sorry to say this. But Adolf is also a descendant of Leia. Although he made the wrong choice, I am not in a position to criticize him. But as promised, I will provide as many monsters as you want.”

“······Thank you.”

“But it’s a pity to only give what I promised. Duke Cainchel. I heard that you need monster meat to cook it.”

“Yes.”

“Then there is someone I would like to introduce you to. Do you know how to handle Mandrakes [magical plant with a human-like root]? How about Cockatrices [mythical beast with a lethal gaze]?”

“······.”

At that moment, Cainchel realized.

He learned from Percival how to butcher animals to obtain meat and leather. But monsters are different.

Cockatrice, who puts petrification poison on the tips of his nails.

Mandrake, who is said to be cursed when you hear the sound of pulling it out.

All of them would require different handling methods than other animals.

“I had a feeling. I will introduce you to an expert in monster cooking.”

“An expert in monster cooking!?”

Cainchel shouted without realizing it.

Could it be that there is another chef who cooks monsters!