Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 183

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Chapter 56: The Dignity of Seasoned Chicken

The Vlad Principality.

It was the name given to Vlad the Impaler’s tomb, created to honor his achievements.

However, its true form was hidden deep underground.

Amidst the moonlight emanating from the moonstone, the howling of an unidentified monster could be heard.

It was a vast space, hard to believe it was underground.

Vlad the Impaler opened his tightly shut mouth.

“This is the territory I received from Chronos. The graveyard outside is just an entrance to get here.”

Underworld.

That was the name of the monster farm located beneath Potsdam.

Elizabeth kicked at the weeds growing thickly along the roadside, muttering.

“It’s really wide. Just how big is it?”

Kieeeek······!

Then, a sharp scream erupted from something she thought was just weeds.

The sound was ominous, as if it were cursed.

Surprised, Elizabeth examined the leaves of the weed.

“What, this is a mandrake? Is this all there is?”

“It seems so.”

Mandrake was a rare medicinal herb that grew by consuming the grudges of humans or monsters.

It could be harvested around prisons or execution grounds and was used as a medium for curses.

Any alchemist would want to possess it with eyes blazing.

As if unable to bear it any longer, Bishop’s eye popped out from Cainchel’s left shoulder.

— Partner! The fruit of the mandrake is a sweetener sweeter than any fruit! Moreover, the roots are used as materials for various magical tools!

It seemed he was so eager to have it that his eyes were rolling back in his head.

Cainchel nodded and covered Bishop’s eye with his other hand.

“Okay. I’ll dig up a few and give them to you as a gift.”

— ······Don’t forget that the roots must not be damaged. Otherwise, the effect will be diminished!

In addition to mandrakes, there were various plant-type monsters in the Underworld.

Cainchel discovered an unidentified eyeball embedded between large petals.

“Eyeball flower.”

“Huh? Isn’t that a man-eating plant? Is Vlad the Impaler raising those too?”

However, the sac that the eyeball flower was carrying was bulging.

Using his mithril knife, he cut it in half and found it full of something resembling dog bones.

It was a gnoll’s corpse. It seemed to be eating monsters that lived nearby.

It was a blue-bearded man who appeared from somewhere that answered Cainchel’s questions.

“Those man-eating plants, you see, they grow on their own without being raised separately. I think it’s because there are so many monsters to eat. I thought about getting rid of them, but the fruits are surprisingly delicious, so I left them alone. Ohoho!”

The man’s appearance was incredibly hideous.

He exuded an overwhelming aura that would make anyone with a weak heart faint.

However, the voice that flowed from his mouth was unbelievably beautiful.

If you closed your eyes and listened, you would mistake him for a minstrel.

Vlad the Impaler introduced the man to Cainchel.

“This is Bluebeard, who manages this place. In exchange, he receives monster meat.”

Bluebeard screamed when he saw the mandrake that Elizabeth had accidentally stepped on.

“You mustn’t do this! My lovely mandrake is completely crushed! It’s so delicious!”

‘So this is the expert in monster cuisine,’ Cainchel thought.

Fortunately, only one root was ruined. Bluebeard brushed off the dirt on its body and said.

“I heard you want to learn monster cuisine. How many monster dishes have you made so far?”

“I’ve made stew with giant sand worms, and I’ve also made grilled dishes. And with lizardmen······.”

Cainchel told Bluebeard about the monster dishes he had made so far.

Bluebeard listened with his arms crossed, occasionally tilting his head.

“They’re all poisonous types. How did you detoxify them?”

“I used ingredients with detoxifying properties together.”

“Isn’t that insufficient?”

“I amplified the effect with Aura, and it worked.”

“Such a method······. But if it were me, I would crush the eyeball part of the eyeball flower and soak it in the juice overnight.”

“In the eyeball?”

“Even though it looks strange, that’s the fruit of the eyeball flower. It’s very sweet and sour. The eyeball flower feeds its prey with its fruit to keep it alive for a very long time. That way, it absorbs nutrients. So, it has a better detoxification effect than most herbs. And it makes the meat even more tender.”

It was an unprecedented method that he had never heard of before.

Cainchel was convinced. This man’s skills are the real deal!

“It’s the same method as squeezing lemon and tangerine juice to marinate the meat.”

Then Bluebeard clapped his hands and rejoiced.

He seemed happy to meet someone with whom he could have a proper cooking conversation.

“That’s right! Your knowledge of cooking is really amazing! But the boy’s monster cuisine is only half-baked.”

“Half-baked, what do you mean?”

Bluebeard grinned. His yellowed teeth sparkled in the moonlight.

“Cooking isn’t just about meat, is it? You should be able to cook plant-type monsters properly too. From now on, I’ll teach you how.”

@

Bluebeard pulled out the mandrakes with a magical touch.

He pricked between the leaves with a small needle and then pulled it out.

“If you prick this part, the mandrake will lose consciousness for a very short time. Then you can pull it out like this. How is it, easy, right?”

It didn’t look easy at all.

The scream that the mandrake makes when it is pulled from the ground contains a tremendous curse.

Hearing it can drive you crazy or insane.

So, using animals to pull it out was the basics of harvesting mandrakes.

‘That acupuncture······, it’s not ordinary. Just what is his identity?’ Cainchel wondered.

“Look, isn’t it pretty? Usually, when you pull out a mandrake, it has a face distorted with pain, but this one is sleeping very comfortably.”

If you put the mandrake to sleep with acupuncture, the unique astringent taste disappears.

“Animals, as well as plants, have various pressure points. You should know at least thirty of them.”

Bluebeard, who had pulled out five mandrakes in an instant, started cooking with them.

Bishop screamed.

— Stop that crazy bastard, Partner! To cook with precious mandrakes!

However, Cainchel was also curious about what mandrake tasted like.

Bluebeard showed Cainchel the spices in a small jar.

“Oh, and if you put eyeball flowers and chili peppers in the digestive juices of man-eating plants and let them mature, you can make a spicy seasoning. I’ll teach you how to make it next time.”

When he opened the lid, a spicy scent wafted out.

“······This is gochujang [Korean chili paste], isn’t it?”

“Oh, do you perhaps know this seasoning?”

It was the seasoning that Brilliant Road had shown him several times.

Because he didn’t have this, he used hot sauce instead of gochujang for the seasoned chicken.

‘The taste is exactly the same as gochujang. To think I’d find gochujang here!’

Cainchel’s hands began to tremble. With just gochujang, he could make perfect seasoned chicken.

But it seemed that the dish Bluebeard was trying to make also used gochujang.

Bluebeard mixed sugar and vinegar made by fermenting the fruits of man-eating plants into the gochujang.

Then, a spicy and sour sauce was made.

“Stir-fried mandrake leaves are also delicious, but to really enjoy it, you have to eat the roots.”

He slowly pounded the halved mandrake with a small club.

Then, the roots of the mandrake spread thinly and became soft.

“You grill this in a greased pan. You have to gently apply the sauce while grilling.”

Chiii-!

When he put the mandrake on the hot pan, it began to cook with a pleasant sound.

When the mandrake was cooked to a moderate degree, Bluebeard flipped it over and applied the sauce again.

He cooked it until it was slightly burnt, and a mandrake grill that looked appetizing was completed.

Using acupuncture to pull out the mandrake, and making gochujang with the digestive juices of man-eating plants.

‘This is a recipe that even Brilliant Road couldn’t find,’ Cainchel thought.

Cainchel decided to taste the dish made by Bluebeard.

He picked up the crispy grilled mandrake root with a fork and brought it to his mouth.

The taste of the spicy sauce was on a different level from the seasoned chicken sauce made with hot sauce.

‘This is the real taste of gochujang!’

The mandrake, which had been pounded with a club, was chewy and soft.

Moreover, the crunchy texture unique to root vegetables remained.

“······I’ve certainly heard that mandrakes are tough and bitter.”

“That’s because it was put to sleep and then pulled out in an instant. If the mandrake screams when you pull it out, the taste changes.”

Bluebeard had a variety of knowledge about mandrakes that even Bishop was surprised by.

“Then, this time, I’ll teach you how to prepare a cockatrice.”

It was a monster that looked like a combination of a rooster and a lizard.

The cockatrice had a potent poison in its body that caused petrification.

Moreover, unlike chickens, it flew in the sky.

Even a Sword Knight who could use Aura Sword had to run away if they encountered it.

Bluebeard caught such a cockatrice in less than 5 minutes.

“It just so happened that there was a plump one nearby.”

“Cockatrice tastes like chicken, right?”

“Of course.”

“How about cooking it like this? Coat it in batter and fry it until crispy, then spread a spicy sauce made by mixing gochujang and strawberry jam on it.”

Bluebeard’s eyes widened as if he had received a great shock.

“Then it would be a sweet and spicy, crispy fried dish? ······You’re a genius! What on earth is the name of that amazing dish?”

“It’s called seasoned chicken. It’s made with cockatrice, but let’s just call it that.”

“Seasoned chicken!”

Bluebeard removed the cockatrice’s feathers with hot water.

And when he cut off the head and tail, it turned into a slightly larger turkey shape.

The entrails containing the poison sac that caused petrification were a shame, but he couldn’t eat them.

“Instead, I’ll finely chop the mandrake leaves left over from grilling the roots and put them in the belly. Then the extract will come out and make the meat even more tender.”

“It’ll be seasoned chicken that’s crispy on the outside and moist on the inside.”

“Just thinking about it makes my mouth water······.”

Bluebeard gave Cainchel a thumbs up, as if he liked him.

How many humans would have so little aversion to eating monster meat?

“······I’m touched. I’ve finally met someone to pass on my recipes that I’ve honed throughout my life.”

“You’re welcome.”

If you apply the acupuncture that paralyzes the mandrake, you can even fry fish alive.

“Would you like to learn that too, if you’re interested?”

Cainchel thought about it carefully and answered.

“Does frying the fish alive make it taste better?”

“It doesn’t. But it’s amazing to see, isn’t it? It’s fried, but the head is still alive!”

It was definitely a skill that would be useful somewhere if he learned it.

But Cainchel shook his head.

“It’s definitely an interesting skill, but what I want to make is not a strange spectacle, but a dish filled with heart.”

Bluebeard’s eyes widened as he felt the strong will contained in Cainchel’s words.

“A dish filled with heart······. I feel like you could reach that level. It’s a shame, but I can’t help it. If you ever want to learn it later, let me know.”

“Ah, the cockatrice is all fried. Then let’s put on the sauce.”

Looking at the crispy fried cockatrice meat, he felt a strange feeling.

This was definitely monster meat, but the taste was no different from chicken.

In the end, the most important thing in cooking is taste.

And it is the tongue that judges it.

‘Even if it’s made with the digestive juices of man-eating plants, gochujang is gochujang. And although it requires some special skills, monster cuisine is just cuisine.’

Then, a bright light emanated from the Jo Ma Kyung.

[You have gained a deeper insight into cooking.]

[Your gourmet level has increased.]

‘Huh? Why is my gourmet level rising here?’

The gourmet level that hadn’t changed no matter how delicious the food he ate. It became 6 stars.

What on earth made the gourmet level rise?

He decided to think about it after eating the finished seasoned chicken.

Bluebeard rubbed his hands together.

“Seasoned chicken······. Just smelling it makes my mouth water. Ah, would you like a glass of fruit wine?”

“Is that also made with the fruits of man-eating plants?”

“How did you know?”

“I thought so.”

As Cainchel and Bluebeard were about to eat the seasoned chicken, Elizabeth, who had appeared from somewhere, intervened.

“Are you two going to eat it without me? Give me some too.”

“Um······. What should we do, Bluebeard?”

“I can’t give food to someone who hasn’t done anything.”

“That’s what he says?”

Elizabeth looked at the seasoned chicken, which was crispy fried and coated with spicy sauce.

Just smelling it made her mouth water.

In the end, Elizabeth raised both hands and declared surrender.

“Ugh, fine! I’ll do the dishes instead!”

“Here you go.”

Cainchel tore off the cockatrice’s large leg and handed it to her. Elizabeth, who received it, muttered.

“You’re the only chef who makes the Seven Virtues do the dishes. Well, it’s delicious though!”

In the end, the best thing about cooking is that it’s delicious.

Realizing that once again, Cainchel picked up the seasoned chicken and began to eat.

Bluebeard screamed.

“······What, this is so delicious!”

The Dignity of Seasoned Chicken #2