Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 200

Morgiana’s face turned ashen as she stared at the Blood Sword, now in her opponent’s hand.

Whether it was due to the near-lethal blood loss or the chilling despair she tasted for the first time in ages, Keinzel was unsure.

However, Keinzel was certain.

‘I’ve won.’

In truth, Morgiana still had a chance to counterattack. Keinzel couldn’t kill her.

Ultimately, he couldn’t bring himself to use the Blood Sword for a final, fatal blow.

Moreover, even without using Extrasensory Perception, it was clear that Keinzel’s condition was precarious.

The vampire’s skin, directly exposed to the sun, was burning, soon to scatter as white ash.

A Dracula who had lived for over a thousand years might be unharmed under sunlight.

But Keinzel, who had only borrowed his divinity, was barely holding on.

‘It’s only thanks to my fire resistance that I’m able to withstand the sunlight to this extent; otherwise, I’d be in real trouble.’

If Morgiana had retained her composure, she might have realized this and seized victory.

However, her spirit broke the moment her life-risking attack was thwarted.

“Ah, aah… Aaaaaah!”

In the end, Morgiana collapsed to the ground, defeated. No more fighting spirit emanated from her.

Keinzel reached out his hand towards her.

“Admit defeat. You’ve lost, Morgiana.”

Did that touch a nerve? Morgiana glared at Keinzel with eyes burning with hatred.

“That’s why those with innate sword talent are all so infuriating…! What? Sword Master at 21!? You’re just a greenhorn who barely deserves to be a trainee knight! How much divine blessing do you need to be like that! I even sold my soul to reach this position…!”

A bitter smile appeared on Keinzel’s lips.

Sword talent, huh? Could there be a word less fitting for him?

“There was a man called the worst underachiever in the Stanis Knight Academy. No matter how much he swung his sword, his swordsmanship level never increased.”

“…”

“The man couldn’t even learn proper mana cultivation, so he was stuck with basic swordsmanship and physical training. But he didn’t achieve any results. He couldn’t even defeat a single goblin after three years.”

“…Even after working that hard, his level didn’t increase at all? Even I wasn’t that bad…”

Curiosity replaced despair.

Morgiana listened intently to Keinzel’s story, urging him to continue.

“But Keinzel van Jistad couldn’t leave the Knight Academy. He had a reason why he had to become stronger.”

“Wait a minute. Keinzel van Jistad…? Then that’s your story!?”

“I’ll tell you the details later. And don’t blame yourself for making a deal with the devil to become stronger. If I were Morgiana, I would have made the same choice.”

“…”

“What matters isn’t the means to become stronger, but what you do with it, isn’t it? Thanks to Morgiana’s efforts, Britannia was able to win the War of the Seven Sins. Even if you’re a witch, that fact remains unchanged.”

In the end, Morgiana declared defeat.

“…I lost.”

Yet, her face looked strangely refreshed.

Keinzel felt the three-minute duration of his vampire transformation nearing its end.

The Blood Sword, which he had taken, would soon return to its original owner.

‘Come to think of it, this is blood too, isn’t it? It’s going to disappear soon anyway. I might as well eat it before it does!’

Blood was the staple food of vampires. Keinzel smiled with satisfaction and looked at the Blood Sword.

[Blood Drain (★★★★★★★★★★) has been activated.]

[Absorbing the opponent’s blood has permanently increased your Aura by 5,741.]

‘F-Five thousand?!’

Keinzel almost screamed involuntarily. This instantly increased his Aura by nearly 1/3.

He was already running low on Aura from spamming buffs, and this felt like honey.

Unaware that her precious Aura had been stolen, Morgiana took the hand Keinzel offered.

‘Her body is like ice…’

It seemed her life was in danger if she didn’t quickly treat her wounds and replenish her lost blood.

“Then, according to the oath, I will grant you one request. Why did I agree to such a childish bet and end up like this…”

“There’s something more important left to do before that.”

“…Pardon?”

“Aren’t you incredibly hungry right now? Let’s eat first.”

Morgiana couldn’t understand what the man in front of her was saying.

After making her suffer such humiliation, he suddenly wanted to eat?

Then she suddenly remembered Keinzel’s nickname. She felt like she knew why he was called that.

Morgiana’s cooperation was needed to find the location of the other witch.

A priest, who had been waiting in case of an emergency, was healing her.

However, even the most skilled priest had limits when it came to replenishing lost blood.

In the end, she would have to receive a blood transfusion or eat foods that help with blood production while waiting to recover.

“As expected, this is the best for replenishing blood.”

Keinzel placed fresh Calf’s Liver on the counter. Animal liver is a good ingredient for anemia caused by blood loss.

Even if she lost a near-lethal amount of blood, eating liver dishes with amplified effects would quickly restore her energy.

However, animal liver has a unique, fishy, and unpleasant smell.

If that smell isn’t properly removed, it’s just a foul-smelling lump of meat.

In the Gallia Kingdom, where they enjoy liver dishes like foie gras, they use milk to get rid of the smell.

Keinzel put the calf’s liver in a large bowl and poured milk over it, and Bishop exclaimed in admiration.

– The casein in milk neutralizes the smell, and the milk fat gives it a soft and rich taste. A very good choice.

Normally, it would take about 5-6 hours to soak, but with effect amplification, it would be done in 10 minutes.

Keinzel first rolled dried ham, Prosciutto [Italian dry-cured ham], around boiled asparagus.

He planned to lightly grill this and serve it as a garnish.

After lightly salting and peppering it and putting it in the oven. He began to cook the calf’s liver in earnest.

In Marpasino, calf’s liver is truly a luxury food.

Thinly sliced liver, cooked with onions until sweet, is enjoyed even by royalty.

‘First, put plenty of butter in a hot pan and fry the onions first.’

Spicy onions go particularly well with the rich taste of liver.

After adding balsamic vinegar and frying the onions until they turned brown, an incredibly sweet and sour aroma wafted through the air.

Finally, it was time for the star of the show, the calf’s liver, to appear.

Keinzel touched the calf’s liver with his finger. It was soft and elastic like jelly. It was a sign of freshness.

He lightly seared the liver, which had completely lost its foul smell, with the Flambe [cooking technique where alcohol is added to a hot pan to create a burst of flames] skill. This would allow the balsamic vinegar to soak in well.

The cooking method was basically the same as steak. However, if you cook it until all the blood is gone, the meat becomes tough.

It was important to strike that delicate balance.

Sizzle-!

First, cook one side until it turns light brown.

Then quickly flip it over and continue to pour the butter and balsamic vinegar mixture over it.

The calf’s liver, cooked using the arroser [basting with liquid] technique, gave off an incredibly rich aroma.

‘This isn’t enough!’

Keinzel poured high-proof vodka onto the pan. And when he activated the Flambe skill, a powerful flame erupted.

The little remaining oil and balsamic vinegar quickly reduced and boiled.

Morgiana, who was being treated a short distance away, got up.

“Calf’s liver…? Are you trying to feed me something disgusting like that now?”

She, who possessed Extrasensory Perception, couldn’t eat offal [organ meats].

No matter how carefully the smell was removed, her absolute sense of smell wouldn’t miss it.

In the end, she couldn’t even bring herself to put it in her mouth because she felt nauseous.

The man was so annoying that she wanted to grab him by the collar right now.

Moreover, it was calf’s liver, which she couldn’t eat no matter how any chef cooked it.

“…Haa.”

But why did her mouth keep watering?

In particular, the sour aroma of balsamic vinegar kept making her eyes widen.

I want to eat it…!

Humans instinctively crave ingredients that contain nutrients they lack.

There was no time to daintily poke at it with a fork and knife.

She picked up the lump of meat with both hands and devoured it ravenously. Morgiana wanted to run to Keinzel, who was cooking, right now.

My body wants calf’s liver!

“Morgiana-nim! If you keep moving, the wound that has barely healed will reopen! Please rest!”

“Ah, I can’t stand it anymore. Quickly, quickly, give that to me…”

“…It will be finished soon. Please wait a little longer.”

Morgiana fidgeted with her fingers, her face flushed red. It felt like 1 minute was like 1 hour.

At that moment, her stomach rumbled.

But fortunately, it seemed that Keinzel, who was far away, didn’t hear it.

The calf’s liver dish with asparagus prosciutto rolls was nearing completion.

“Now all I have to do is plate it.”

First, place the calf’s liver, full of butter and balsamic aroma, on a plate.

Place a few prosciutto rolls on top, and decorate with sweet and sour fried onions.

For the sauce, he used a slightly boiled red wine reduction.

Keinzel took the finished dish to Morgiana. She bared her teeth and growled. It was like looking at a wounded hunting dog.

“Do you think I’m going to eat the food you give me?”

“Wipe the drool from your mouth before you say that. Besides, I heard your stomach rumbling a while ago. After all, even if your mouth is rough, your stomach is honest, isn’t it.”

“…”

Even though she knew it was a lie, she couldn’t help but feel ashamed.

But Keinzel was right.

Even though she knew that the man who cooked the dish had touched her inferiority complex and weaknesses, she wanted to eat it.

In the end, instinct suppressed reason.

Morgiana, reaching for the fork, looked at the calf’s liver on the plate.

“…You’ve cut it into bite-sized pieces in advance.”

“It would be difficult to cut with such an injury.”

She lost. She can’t beat this man.

In the end, Morgiana began to eat the calf’s liver dish.

The moment she put it in her mouth, Morgiana couldn’t even hide her admiration and exclaimed.

“T-This is really a liver dish? There’s no foul smell at all. How is this possible?”

The calf’s liver, which had lost its foul smell, exuded the refreshing taste of balsamic vinegar and the aroma of red wine.

It was an unbelievably luxurious yet clean taste.

Moreover, the asparagus prosciutto rolls served as a garnish could not be missed.

Morgiana took a bite of the salty asparagus.

Then, she tasted the crispy prosciutto and the crunchy asparagus.

“Haa… It’s just ham wrapped and grilled, but why is it so delicious…”

After whetting her appetite with the garnish, she changes her target back to the calf’s liver.

Why does the flavor emanating from the animal’s liver feel so lovely?

Moreover, that wasn’t all. The more she ate the calf’s liver dish, the more her pale complexion returned to normal.

It was evidence that blood was being produced at an incredible rate.

“…It’s so delicious.”

“You’re welcome.”

Morgiana, who had eaten all the liver dishes that she would not have touched normally, closed her eyes with a satisfied expression.

“Then tell me what you need me to help you with. I know it even if I don’t listen, but the effect of the contract magic is activated by taking it out of my mouth. You know that much, right?”

“Of course. Then, according to the oath, I will request it. The power of a witch is needed to close the door. Please cooperate.”

“Okay. I’ll help.”

Then, a small tattoo appeared on one of Morgiana’s wrists. It was a symbol of the oath mediated by contract magic.

“I never thought I would be a party to the oath.”

If she had known, she wouldn’t have agreed to such a bet.

“But there’s still food left. You clearly said that you have to eat all the food.”

“…I ate all the food.”

“There’s still some left. There’s a secret hidden in the liver dish you just ate. You have to listen to that before the meal is over.”

“A secret?”

“Actually, this isn’t a calf’s liver dish.”

“…!”

A dish made with heart moves the soul of the person who eats it.