Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 194

The cannon, a weapon favored by pirates, launched large iron balls propelled by gunpowder.

Most of these cannons were crudely made, with a high risk of the barrel exploding.

To mitigate such risks, pirates employed a simple, brutal method.

They used captured prisoners to fire the cannons.

The destructive force of dozens of kilograms of iron hurtling through the air was considered worth the cost.

Pragarach, now free from Cainchel’s grasp, moved with a seeming will of its own.

It sliced the incoming cannonball in half with incredible speed.

“Ugh, ughaaaaaagh!”

The soldier, screaming in desperation, squinted and muttered.

“…Huh? Why am I still alive?”

He saw the shattered remains of the cannonball before him.

If Cainchel hadn’t intervened, he would have been turned into minced meat.

“Ehh, even a Sword Knight couldn’t stop a cannonball like that… W-Who are you, anyway…”

“No time for that. Where’s the commander?”

“That way…”

The soldier pointed with a trembling hand. Cainchel nodded and moved forward, utilizing the footwork of Jingak [a martial art focusing on agility and speed].

Pragarach followed closely behind, moving at an astonishing pace.

The soldier slumped to the ground, looking as if he’d seen a ghost.

Who would have thought he’d witness a flying ladle in the sky before his potential demise?

Cainchel ran in the direction indicated by the soldier, maintaining his course.

Soon, he encountered a commander clad in gleaming armor.

“What are you doing! What happened to the Basilisk cannons!”

“All preparations will be complete in one minute!”

The pirates indiscriminately fired cannons to deter the navy’s approach, intending to rob a targeted ship and then flee.

This tactic was viable due to their confidence in their superior mobility.

Normally, they would have to watch the pirates escape, but today was different.

The Basilisk cannons had been strategically hidden in advance near a cluster of merchant ships, a tempting target for pirates.

The evacuation of civilians was still underway. Clearly, initiating a cannon battle now would result in numerous casualties.

However, how could they eliminate the pirates while being concerned with such trivial matters?

The commander shouted, his voice filled with hatred for the pirates.

“Today, I will turn those wretched pirates into fish food!”

Just as he was about to issue the firing order, Elizabeth, arriving slightly after Cainchel, held a sword to the commander’s neck.

“Lord Taylor, the Sword Master of Benevolence, isn’t it?! Why is there a sword at my neck…”

“Ah. Don’t tell me, you don’t care if innocent people die as long as you can gain merit?”

“Absolutely not!”

The sudden appearance of a superior officer pointing out a tactical flaw caused the commander’s back to become instantly soaked with sweat.

“Tell the other navy personnel. From now on, I will take command here. Don’t worry. The pirates will be wiped out by me and the kid.”

Elizabeth was fully exercising her authority, demonstrating the power of her virtue.

However, she had overlooked a crucial consideration.

“Lady Elizabeth. What have you done when you’ve encountered pirate ships?”

“Of course, I sank them all! One cool blast of Gwangik [a powerful energy attack] and they can’t even withstand it and sink straight down.”

Elizabeth proudly puffed out her chest, as if expecting praise.

“Have you ever considered that there might be innocent people on the pirate ship?”

“Huh? Aren’t everyone on a pirate ship bad guys?”

“Usually, pirate ships carry a lot of rowing slaves to increase mobility. Besides, some of the crew are forced to be on board.”

Elizabeth frowned, considering a point she had never contemplated before.

“I’ve only ever been dispatched to destroy things until now. Does that mean I was wrong…?”

She was different from Tristan, a mercenary, or Hector, the head of a military family.

She had only honed her swordsmanship to overcome the stigma of being a half-demon.

Cainchel knew that Elizabeth possessed a pure heart, despite her intimidating appearance.

“That’s not true. Usually, there’s no way to know who is a pirate and who is a hostage. Lady Elizabeth’s response is correct. But now there is someone who can distinguish them, so let’s save as many people as possible.”

“Ah! The ability to sense hostility!”

“So, there’s no need to feel guilty. If you could have distinguished between pirates and hostages, you would have made a different choice. You’re kind, Lady Elizabeth.”

Instantly, Elizabeth’s face flushed red, all the way to the tips of her ears.

Cainchel’s simple words had turned her heart upside down.

“From now on, leave it to me. I’ll show you what Fallen Star and Pragarach can do together.”

“…U-Uh.”

In an instant, command of the battlefield shifted from Elizabeth to Cainchel.

‘Everything is going according to plan.’

He had only intended to lay the groundwork for acquiring a chef from the Ming Dynasty from the pirate ship.

However, Elizabeth’s gaze towards Cainchel had taken on a strange new quality.

“H-He said I was kind…”

It seemed like it was the first time she had ever heard such a compliment.

@

Elizabeth’s Gwangik is like a cannon.

It is superior to any of Cainchel’s cooking skills when dealing with multiple enemies.

However, it is not suitable for defeating only the targeted opponent.

The pirates who spotted Cainchel shouted incomprehensible words and drew their swords.

“I heard that it is possible to communicate to some extent even if the language is not understood. Alright! If you want to fight, I’ll play along.”

Various skills are required to make a bowl of dish.

With the Aura Blade Signature, it is possible to combine completely different cooking skills.

Onion Swordsmanship was created to handle a large amount of onions at the same time.

There, Pragarach’s unique skill, Igieogeom [controlling swords with energy], was added.

In other words, another form of Igieogeom (以氣馭劍, controlling swords with energy).

Its name is….

“Well, I guess you can just call it Onion Dicing.”

Then, the seven Pragarachs that had multiplied behind Cainchel spread out like wings.

“Fallen Star!”

As the skill activated, countless stars fell around Cainchel.

Jiiiiing-!

Any location with hostility is immediately targeted.

The meteor-turned sword strikes were fired at the pirates.

“…那是什? [What is that?]”

“Ah?······!”

The pirates screamed at the suddenly appearing sword. They tried to block it with their shields, but they couldn’t.

‘I didn’t expect that maintaining Igieogeom would consume so much aura?’

Cainchel warmed the seasoned chicken he had prepared for aura replenishment with the flames of flambé.

He put it in his mouth, chewed it, and glared at the captain who was holding a hostage.

He held a sword to the neck of a half-naked woman. It was a silent threat that he would stab her if she moved even a little.

The woman screamed.

“??助我······! [Help me!]”

― It’s the language of the Ming Dynasty. Leave the translation to me, partner.

‘Ah, that’s right. You were there. Then, I’ll ask you, Bishop.’

A slight dizziness was felt, and Bishop’s consciousness was synchronized with Cainchel’s neural network.

Then, he could understand the meaning of the words that he couldn’t understand until now.

“Be careful, young hero! This man is very violent and strong!”

“Hehehe. The knights of the Western Continent can’t swing their swords at women because of chivalry! If you come one step closer to me, I will cut off this woman’s neck!”

“No, what’s the point of making such threats when you can’t even communicate?”

“How do you know the language of the Ming Dynasty…?! Who are you! Keheok!”

While Cainchel was distracting the opponent through conversation.

Pragarach, which had moved behind the pirate captain, pierced his neck.

In that way, all hostility could be eliminated in less than 10 minutes after boarding the ship.

“T-Thank you for saving me, young hero…”

“First, gather the hostages on the ship. If someone else comes, show that you are unarmed with both hands, and they will not harm you.”

“…How can I ever repay this grace?”

How long had she been kidnapped on the pirate ship? There was no vitality left in her eyes.

However, dealing with other pirate ships was the first priority.

“The Jang Gang Ho [a notorious pirate gang] is annihilated!”

“It’s a master! A master is on board!”

“Damn it! I can’t believe there was a master among the barbarians who could use Igieogeom!”

“Run away! There’s no chance of winning even if we fight!”

Cainchel jumped straight into the air and boarded another pirate ship. They were talking among themselves, thinking he couldn’t understand them.

“I bought poisoned needles with poison from the Sichuan Tang Clan [a clan famous for poisons] in preparation for this! One shot of this is enough for uncivilized Western barbarians…”

Whoosh-!

The pirates simultaneously took out the poisoned needles hidden in their pockets and fired them at Cainchel.

However, they could not penetrate the meringue [a protective layer of aura] that was covering Cainchel’s body and were all bounced off.

Of course, it would be blocked by the poison resistance, but there was no need to get hit on purpose.

“N-No way, a sword shield (劍幕) [an advanced defensive technique]?! How can a barbarian use such advanced martial arts…!”

‘Are there many people in the Ming Dynasty who use techniques like meringue?’

However, he had no intention of talking about his hometown with the pirates in a friendly manner. Cainchel swallowed the seasoned chicken, which was still crispy even when cold, and muttered.

“Do you guys like fish and chips? What, you’ve never heard of it? You better get used to it. You’ll be eating it to death in prison.”

@

After using Onion Dicing to defeat the enemy’s leaders, the Britannia Navy boarded the pirate ship.

“Capture those who raise the white flag and take them as prisoners! This is Commander Cainchel’s order!”

“Understood!”

Lord Taylor stared at the pirates lying on the deck with an unbelievable expression.

Only those holding swords were dead.

There were also those who were groaning with serious injuries. Upon closer inspection, they were hiding throwing weapons on their bodies. None of the innocent people were injured.

He thought it was just lip service.

However, he fought against hundreds of pirates without even scratching the hostages.

It was a sight that was hard to believe even after seeing it with his own eyes.

“Protecting the weak, carrying out justice and goodness, and defeating evil and injustice that threaten the empire is a knight… That person is…”

While Lord Taylor was cleaning up, Cainchel headed to the pirate ship’s kitchen.

He opened the door and went inside, and a man with a haggard face was standing with both hands outstretched.

He was trying to prove that he had no hostility to someone who couldn’t understand him.

“Don’t worry. I don’t intend to harm you. I’m just looking for a chef among the people who were kidnapped by the pirates.”

Then, the man looked at Cainchel with a shocked expression.

“H-How do you know the language of the Ming Dynasty…? I’m sorry, young hero. I don’t know what you mean by what you’re saying.”

It seemed like he didn’t understand the word chef.

Cainchel pretended to stir something in a pot. Then, the man nodded as if he understood.

“Are you talking about a cook (熟手) [shúshǒu – skilled cook] who makes food? If so, you’ve come to the right place. I used to work as a cook at a tavern called Junghwaru.”

The man put his hands together and took a poquan gesture [a traditional Chinese greeting].

He seemed to feel great gratitude to Cainchel, who had saved him from the hands of the pirates.

“My name is Jeokun. I saw you fighting, young hero. It was a sword so strong that it was as scary as watching a transcendent master.”

Jeokun pleaded, clinging to Cainchel.

“I never thought I would meet someone who could speak my language in this distant foreign land. Young hero… Please, I beg you. If you want, I will tell you where the pirates hid their treasures. I have to return to Ming as soon as possible. I have…”

Cainchel grabbed Jeokun’s hands without realizing it.

The chef from the Ming Dynasty, whom he had wanted to meet so much, was right in front of him.

Moreover, there was not a single small wound on Jeokun’s body. It meant that he was skilled enough to satisfy the tastes of over a hundred pirates.

“Jeokun. You are a greater treasure to me than anything else. Please teach me the cooking techniques of the Ming Dynasty. Then I will send you back to your hometown.”

“Cooking techniques?”

In the Ming Dynasty, the pride of martial arts masters soared to the sky. It was common to cut off the head of the person who made the food if they didn’t like it.

But a transcendent master who even uses Igieogeom wants to learn how to cook.

“…Are all the masters here like you?”

“No, I’m a little unique.”

“I don’t think it’s a little…”

Something hot came to Jeokun’s eyes. He had a reason to return to his hometown no matter what, and a benefactor who would make it possible appeared before his eyes.

If he had to cut off one of his arms instead of cooking skills, he would have to do it.

“I, Jeokun. I have received the teachings of Daeryeongsuksu [a master chef], though my skills are humble. I am confident that my skills in making noodles are among the top five in Jungwon [Central Plains, a region in China]. Would you like to learn that?”

Cainchel’s hands began to tremble with excitement. It seemed like he had encountered another opportunity.

Pirate’s Treasure #3