Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 191

Faded gray hair and a face that looked younger than it should.

It was Vlad, the lord of the Dracula Territory, the vampire Dracula.

He watched Princess Catherine, who was making lace, with a pleased smile.

It contained a deep affection, like a grandfather towards his granddaughter.

He must have been looking for her shadow in Catherine, who looked just like Princess Leia.

Catherine, who discovered Cainchel, opened her eyes wide and stood up from her seat.

Then, holding her dress demurely with both hands, she bowed.

“It’s too late to thank you. Thank you so much for everything. I will never forget this favor.”

“Fortunately, it seems that you have completely recovered from the mercury poisoning. But did you like the gazpacho [cold Spanish soup] you had then?”

Catherine’s face turned bright red.

She must have remembered running outside with her dress rolled up, saying she was going to run a marathon.

“…It was really delicious. I want to eat it again if I have the chance.”

“Please call me whenever something good happens next time. I will run to you no matter where I am.”

At the word ‘good thing,’ her already red face turned even redder. It was like looking at a ripe apple.

“Yes, definitely…!”

As long as Vlad was with her, nothing dangerous would happen to Princess Catherine in the future.

@

Elizabeth and Eirene, who were late in bandaging their chests, arrived.

The two heavyweights of the United Kingdom of El Agrad had gathered.

The first to speak was Phihli.

“This place was created for secret talks between countries. You can freely share personal stories. First of all, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Britannia for supporting you two Sword Masters.”

Elizabeth, who could be said to be the representative of Britannia, smiled brightly and replied.

“It’s a natural thing as an ally.”

With Phihli taking the throne, Britannia and El Agrad became allies.

El Agrad has a powerful air force called the Griffin Riders.

With the power of the elves added to it, it will soon make a name for itself as a rising power.

“And I want to form an alliance not only with Britannia but also with the Jistad Territory. Grand Duke Eirene also agrees to this.”

“…What does that mean? We are already allied with Britannia.”

Phihli looked at Cainchel with heavy dignity.

The young man had already become the king of a country.

“A king must constantly make choices: whether to sacrifice a minority to save the majority, or to take greater risks to save them. Grand Duke Eirene and I have decided to value the alliance with the Jistad Territory above all else.”

It meant that even if the Jistad Territory were to be in conflict with the Britannia royal family, they would take Cainchel’s side.

Cainchel’s heart was warmed by the enormous favor contained in it.

Eirene added a word.

“Don’t feel too pressured. Nimue is also in the Jistad Territory. If you prioritize, that’s the obvious choice.”

Elizabeth, feeling doubtful, asked.

“Um… I’m sorry for breaking the good atmosphere, but I belong to the Briton royal family, not the Jistad Territory. Wouldn’t it be better to have this conversation without me?”

“You belong there, but it seems your heart has already moved on.”

Elizabeth, who had been hit right on the mark, turned her head to the side for a moment. But she couldn’t hide the fact that even her ears had turned red.

“Ah, annoying. Do whatever you want. I’ll pretend I didn’t hear it.”

“Then, with the permission of the hostess, Cainchel, let’s form an alliance between the Jistad Territory and El Agrad right here. In the name of Agrad, as long as I live, I will remain your ally.”

“…Thank you, Your Highness.”

There wasn’t even a proper written oath, but the weight of this alliance was by no means light.

He swore in the name of Agrad in front of Vlad Dracula.

“And this is my own sincerity. I hope you will accept it as Grand Duke Eirene prepared it.”

Phihli picked up a sword that was decorated on the wall of the conference room.

At first glance, it looked like a two-handed sword.

“It doesn’t seem to be just for decoration.”

“In the days when Agrad was still called the Empire, it is said to be the Sword of the Fairy King ‘Fragarach,’ which cut down countless demons.”

Phihli pulled the sword from its sheath and showed its contents.

There were a lot of unknown runes engraved on the dark blade that looked like it contained an abyss.

Cainchel’s expression went blank.

Fragarach is a treasure comparable to a national treasure of a country.

The tremendous presence emanating from it was enough to give him goosebumps.

“Actually, this is a national treasure.”

“…Is it okay for you to give me such a thing?”

“Well, what can I do if the king wants to do whatever he wants with the national treasure? However, I hope you will return it before you die.”

“I understand. I swear in the name of Jistad.”

“Thank you. According to legend, if a person recognized as the owner of Fragarach tries to draw it, it will come out of its sheath and into his hand on its own. Moreover, it also counterattacks when the owner is in danger.”

Cainchel’s eyes lit up at the explanation.

Of course, Jelly was also a tool with a will. However, Jelly can only move for a few minutes when it leaves Cainchel’s hand.

‘If I only had that, I could easily make sauces that I have to stir all night? This is the best ladle ever…’

Phihli’s movement to put Fragarach in Cainchel’s hand stopped.

“Cainchel, this is not a cooking tool, but a treasure sword that destroys evil. Keep that in mind.”

“…Of course.”

Phihli had to feel uneasy about the strangely late answer.

Cainchel looked at Fragarach with glistening eyes. The thick handle seemed like it would be useful when kneading noodles.

“Then it’s my turn. Horizon, bring that guy here.”

Then Horizon brought in a man tied to a tree trunk.

He had a cunning look, like a snake.

The clear bite marks on his neck proved that he had already become Dracula’s prisoner.

“Deneb, the remnant of the Seven Sin Church.”

Cainchel and Elizabeth exclaimed at the same time at the sudden familiar title.

“The Seven Sin Church!?”

“No, why is that guy popping up here? Wasn’t Vega, who the kid defeated, the last one?”

“I didn’t even know he had infiltrated Weimar Castle. But he said he was the last remaining member of the Seven Sin Church himself, so this will really be the end. Vlad is here because of this guy.”

The Seven Sin Church, which was trying to burn the World Tree, was an enemy that the elves had to defeat.

Vlad poked Deneb in the waist.

Then, like a doll with a broken string, he moved on his own and spat out words.

“My name is Deneb… the last remaining member of the Seven Sin Church on the continent…”

A person bitten by a vampire becomes his faithful servant.

It seemed that Deneb was already in that state.

“…They’re not cockroaches, but their infiltration is amazing.”

“Right? Originally, I was going to entrust the disposal to you as a sign of friendship. But I heard something amazing while interrogating him.”

“Did you find out their purpose?”

“Yeah, but what should I say about that…”

Eirene messed up her hair and continued.

“Adolf invaded Britannia, right? This guy instigated it from behind.”

“…!”.

“Deneb lured Adolf by using the fact that there was a White Dragon’s nest there as bait. You know the result well, right?”

How could he not know?

The White Dragon he was aiming for is now being protected in the Jistad Territory.

In the end, it was the Seven Sin Church that caused the civil war that caused so many sacrifices.

Only then did Cainchel realize why Phihli had proposed an alliance with the Jistad Territory.

“The boy’s actions shattered most of the Seven Sin Church’s ambitions. In the end, there was only one path left for them: to open the door that the White Dragon is blocking.”

“What door?”

“Let’s just say it’s like a passage to the Demon World. It is said that the reason why the Seven Deadly Sins were able to appear in Britannia, ignoring causality, was because of its existence.”

It was 11 years ago that the White Dragon Calliope nested in the White Mountains.

And she immediately entered a period of dormancy.

Eirene told him what she had heard while interrogating Deneb.

The purpose of the Seven Sin Church is the resurrection of the Seven Deadly Sins. But their main bodies are in the Demon World.

In the end, they believed that they could achieve complete resurrection by opening the door to the Demon World.

“The White Dragon was blocking the door with her body according to the covenant. Originally, she shouldn’t have woken up for about a thousand years.”

“…But she woke up.”

“That’s right. She woke her up by force to open the door. She didn’t even touch a finger, just used her three-inch tongue [gossip, persuasion].”

In the end, Adolf was only used to revive the Seven Deadly Sins.

“What happens if the door opens?”

“Even if it’s not the Seven Deadly Sins, the 72 demons will definitely cross over here. Originally, their plan was to have Adolf absorb the White Dragon and completely destroy her. But the White Dragon disappeared. I wonder where she disappeared to… Anyway, we have to find her.”

Cainchel muttered with a dumbfounded expression.

“That White Dragon is playing in the Jistad Territory.”

“…What!?”

And he explained how he came to be associated with Calliope.

Eirene and Phihli, who heard the story, looked at each other and burst into hollow laughter.

“We were… We were looking for the answer to the problem right next to us.”

“That’s right. Didn’t I tell you to consult Cainchel earlier?”

“No, I wanted to be sure! You agreed too!”

The good thing is that the door doesn’t open immediately when Calliope, who can be said to be a sealing stone, disappears.

It is said that there is about half a year left.

‘Then there are about three months left.’

It seemed like he had to return to the Jistad Territory right now.

“Please wait. We are preparing a gate to the border now. It will be completed if you wait about half a day.”

It was a distance that would take a week to travel by horse. If he could move there in an instant, it would be better to wait for the completion of the gate.

In the end, Cainchel decided to enjoy his last moments in the United Kingdom of El Agrad.

@

Vlad scratched the back of his head with an awkward face and asked.

“Cainchel, I heard that you made a dish that elves and humans can share. Is it possible for vampires and humans too?”

It seemed that he wanted to have a meal with Catherine.

Cainchel smiled and nodded.

“Of course. There is food that even people who are reluctant to eat blood can eat.”

“Of course, it’s food made with blood, right?”

“Besides, it’s very sweet and seductive.”

His appearance of trying to cook until just before leaving was so like Cainchel.

Besides, Elizabeth’s eyes lit up at the word sweet dessert.

“Hey kid, I want to eat that too?”

“If it’s okay, can you share it with me? But a dessert made with blood, what kind of food is it?”

Cainchel smiled and explained the dish he was about to make.

He also wanted to test the performance of the newly acquired ladle.

United Kingdom of El Agrad #3